Mark Pope takes fans through Kentucky’s ‘unbelievable trip’ to Las Vegas

After several weeks getting after it in Lexington to begin summer workouts, the Kentucky Wildcats decided a getaway team-bonding trip to Las Vegas was the perfect halftime break before closing out the rest of the session at the Joe Craft Center. It wasn’t to gamble and soak in the nightlife — although you’re crazy if you think a bunch of college kids didn’t dabble in it some on the Strip — but rather to immerse themselves in the ‘capital of the basketball world’ during the summer, as Mark Pope put it. If you’re going to become pros at Kentucky, why not see what it looks like from pros already a few steps ahead? That’s why they took on the NBA Summer League in Vegas, along with checking out the next generation of elite talent at the Nike EYBL session also in town the same weekend. “Well, during that week, Vegas is kind of the capital of the basketball world, and it’s a perfect fusion of Kentucky basketball and all the guys that we’re recruiting and all the guys that have played here that are now playing in the NBA,” Pope told UK Sports Network. “So you bring the high school and the college and the NBA ranks together, it was perfect for us.” The Wildcats were at Summer League supporting former teammates and/or recent players who came through the program, headlined by Otega Oweh. It was a combination of past, current and future with so many familiar faces in the gym. “Well, it was awesome. The guys were so excited to take the Otega Oweh big heads — even though he couldn’t play — and go celebrate that,” Pope continued. “And it meant a lot to Otega. And then Malachi Moreno, before he went to the trip, he was just like — he didn’t care about anything else, he just wanted to go see Amari play. The guys got to see Amari and they got to see Drew (Carr) and they got to see Jaxson and Koby. And JQ came by the deal. It was unbelievable.” The networking was great, but it was also about their own workouts and practice sessions, which included NBA personnel in town for all of the chaos. It was like a miniature pro day before the real stuff begins this fall. That was important as they push toward their professional dreams as Wildcats. They also got the chance to watch at least one future Kentucky standout — and hopefully more — at EYBL, as those players look to follow in their footsteps as productive college pieces. It was a full-circle week in Sin City. “We practiced really hard in the mornings and the gym was full of NBA personnel during our practices,” Pope said. “So it was fun for our guys to get that exposure. Our guys took it upon themselves to roll through all the AAU games and kind of cheer on recruits, got to do some stuff off the court. It was an unbelievable trip to get them out of Lexington and be able to practice somewhere else.” Pope added that Lexington is “the greatest place in the world to be” and “nobody ever wants to leave Lexington,” but when the job calls for it, why not make the most of the time away? That’s what he feels the Wildcats did in Vegas, getting a chance to bond “in a different way” and “be stuck in hotel rooms together” to grow closer as a unit. With the dust now settled back home, they wouldn’t change a thing about how things unfolded — a 10/10 trip and a big-time win, ultimately, for the program. “What every single guy said was that they just love the condensed time together in a different environment,” he said. “So it was a win all the way around.” What was Pope’s favorite part of the trip? He didn’t get around to singing along to Kenny Chesney or throwing dice, but the basketball will always hold a soft spot in his heart. They were productive on the hardwood, and that’s what matters to him. “Well, I was basketball the whole time,” Pope said. “The guys went to the Sphere, they got to see that. They did some Topgolf. I think some guys did some shopping on the Strip, so I think they had a bunch of fun together. But for me, the best part is the practice. I love being on the practice floor.” Now it’s time to finish up the summer session at the Joe Craft Center and get ready for the chase of No. 9 this winter.