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Kentucky HC Mark Pope - Auburn Preview · The Auburn Undercover Podcast

0:01
basically did almost exactly that and
0:03
the guys just didn't didn't handle it
0:04
well when you went back and looked at
0:06
the autopsy went over the film. Is that
0:07
kind of what you saw there too?
0:09
>> Yeah, I listen I mean um I think they
0:13
were I think their physicality to start
0:15
the game was elite. I think our guys
0:17
handled it well after the first couple
0:21
possessions. Um and then I think we got
0:24
in our own way a little bit. you know,
0:26
uh, we get up 8 or 10 and then we kind
0:29
of self-inflicted wounds a little bit
0:32
and um, and so, you know, we we had a
0:36
stretch where we didn't handle it poor
0:38
and in this league with with where we
0:40
are as a team, we we have to avoid
0:43
stretches like that.
0:44
>> You had mentioned after the game that
0:46
despite scoring 28 points, it maybe
0:47
wasn't Otga's best performance that he'd
0:49
be disappointed by it. I guess kind of
0:51
going off that was what you saw in the
0:52
film. Did that kind of confirm that? In
0:54
what ways did you feel like he fell
0:55
short despite the scoring effort?
0:56
>> Well, here's the thing. The standard is
0:59
so high. So, you talk about an elite
1:03
on paper offensive performance. Like, it
1:06
was an it was a really elite. I think
1:07
he's 11 for 17, whatever. He's he's well
1:10
over one point possession. The four
1:12
turnovers were painful, but like he
1:14
produced so much. Uh, you know, he also
1:16
had four assists and his MP4s were
1:18
pretty good. We also gave up 1.26 points
1:21
per possession on the defensive end. It
1:23
was the worst defensive performance that
1:25
Georgia has faced the entire season in
1:27
the SEC.
1:29
That's not us. And and so, you know, if
1:32
you give up numbers like that, you're
1:33
not going to be successful against any
1:35
team. And so, um, Otga's standard is
1:38
incredibly high. It might be a higher
1:41
standard than just about any other
1:43
player in the country. And so, when I
1:45
talk about being frustrated and
1:46
disappointed, I know that he looks at
1:47
he's like, "Hey, you know, there's good
1:49
stuff there, but his standard is so high
1:51
that he wants more." and he should and
1:53
he should and I I love the fact that
1:54
he's driven that way.
1:55
>> With a guy like him, obviously he's
1:57
asked to do so much on both ends of the
1:59
floor. Does he have to find a balance
2:02
every game of like I can't do too much
2:04
over here because I have to preserve
2:06
some for over here or how does how does
2:08
that work?
2:08
>> Um there's no balance in this game.
2:11
Meaning it's like we have to do what we
2:13
have to do, right? And so that doesn't
2:15
mean it's easy. It might mean that it's
2:17
hard to approach the level that he's
2:19
striving for, but there's not a lot of
2:21
balance. We got to we got to guard and
2:22
we got to make plays for each other and
2:24
we got to play with pace and and and
2:25
that's what we do and that's what he's
2:27
doing. That's why he's listen what Otega
2:29
OA is doing right now is pretty
2:32
historic. It's incredibly impressive. Um
2:36
and he wants more.
2:40
>> Go ahead.
2:41
>> Yeah. At this point in season, a lot of
2:43
teams kind of need a signature win like
2:45
Georgia and then you got like Auburn and
2:46
South Carolina who beating Kentucky
2:48
would be kind of that resume booster.
2:50
So, how are the guys adjusting to
2:51
probably a new level of desperation from
2:54
things going forward?
2:55
>> Um, I think that it's it's that's always
2:58
the case. It's not anything new. It's
3:01
just for everybody at this point in the
3:02
season and especially for us here. Um,
3:05
and and also for us, like we're chasing.
3:08
I don't feel like we're hunted. I I feel
3:10
like we're very much in the hunt. And
3:12
so, it's just a matter who's going to
3:13
raise up and win. We have five games
3:15
left. Like, it's winning time. This is
3:18
the best part of the season. It's the
3:20
best part of the year. This this last
3:23
stretch in conference and conference
3:24
tournament and the NCAA tournament is is
3:27
what you live your whole life for. You
3:29
know, it's when all of the other stuff
3:31
fades away. The distractions of uh
3:35
numbers and playing time and stats and
3:38
money and and all the noise, it goes
3:41
away and you're judged and defined on
3:44
winning. And it's it's actually the you
3:47
know as as the the game gets more
3:48
convoluted this is the space where the
3:50
game gets pure if you can do it right
3:53
and you get as close as you can and so
3:55
this is the best time
3:56
>> I've noticed on the side that Cam has
3:58
gone from using that knee scooter to
4:00
crutches to walking under his own power
4:02
now can you I guess kind of describe the
4:03
progression of his diagnosis to surgery
4:05
to recovery and also still the
4:07
likelihood or no likelihood of him
4:09
potentially returning this season. We're
4:11
optimistic um because we're always
4:14
optimistic. Uh the timeline is tight. Um
4:17
and I I don't know how much publicly has
4:19
been talked about the spec specifics of
4:21
his injury.
4:22
>> You've talked about
4:23
>> Yes, I've been really vague, right? But
4:25
but there's a real chance that at some
4:27
point if we extend the season out long
4:29
enough, they come back and help us and
4:30
and we're excited for that to happen.
4:32
>> Suppose it's time for a weekly JQ update
4:34
as well.
4:35
>> Yeah, he continues to make progress. Um
4:39
he he's he's he's he is not ready right
4:42
now. He's not ready and and we're not
4:44
going to roll him out there till he's
4:45
100%. Um and he's a ways from that. We
4:48
haven't incorporated him back into
4:50
practice. And so it's complicated. I
4:51
don't know how optimistic I am about
4:54
that. Like I said, he's making great
4:55
progress, but just, you know, with a guy
4:58
as explosive as he is, we have to be
5:01
he's got to be 100% ready. and and so
5:04
we're we're we're working slowly but but
5:06
positively
5:07
>> with Cam. How how much can he be kind of
5:11
soaking in taking in for these few weeks
5:13
that he's out, especially knowing in the
5:15
maybe the front of his mind that hey, I
5:17
might be able to come back and and
5:18
rejoin this thing.
5:19
>> I I think he's doing a good job. You
5:20
know, he's interesting thing about Cam,
5:22
one of his superpowers that he is so
5:25
great regardless of what's happening in
5:26
the game. So, he spent uh you know, I
5:29
hearken back to games early in the
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season where he didn't really play at
5:32
all in the first half and then got some
5:34
minutes in the second half and he'd been
5:35
unbelievable on the bench like full of
5:38
enthusiasm and then came into the game
5:40
and had huge impact and that's how he
5:41
earned himself a starting spot and
5:44
why he grew so much. So, I think he take
5:46
all this in and I think he's excited to
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get back.
5:49
>> With Yelovich, it seems like he's saying
5:51
one step forward, one step back type
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thing. just what did you see from him
5:54
because how close is he to getting to
5:56
that point where he's starting to break
5:57
through?
5:57
>> It's a freshman. It's freshman, right?
5:59
It's first year, guys. Um he's got a a
6:02
big upside and that's exactly how it is.
6:04
It's just the progress of it
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>> and I love him. I think he's a beautiful
6:08
kid and I think he's got a he's got a
6:09
big time potential. It's just growing
6:11
>> with the freshman. You you talked
6:13
recently about Malachi and how the
6:16
seventh or eighth time that you see
6:17
things is really hard, but that first
6:19
time is is incredibly hard. How does
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that kind of relate to Jasper too as he
6:23
tries to get through this and he's
6:25
seeing different looks for the first
6:26
time in his career?
6:27
>> It just is it's the growing process, you
6:30
know. Um I actually Jasper did not have
6:33
a great night the other night, but there
6:36
were really positive things that he did.
6:40
Um some decisions that didn't work out.
6:42
Uh you know, and but it was exactly the
6:45
right approach. And so in the growing
6:48
process that can be hard and confusing,
6:49
too. It's just like, well, that didn't
6:51
work, but it's exactly the right stuff.
6:52
We need to repeat that even though you
6:54
didn't get the outcome. And and so it's
6:56
a growing process. It's a growing
6:57
process for our veteran guys, too. So,
6:59
>> do you want him to be as aggressive as
7:01
possible?
7:01
>> He needs to be as aggressive as
7:03
possible. He's better when he's
7:04
aggressive. Uh he's going to see good
7:06
results when he's aggressive. When he
7:08
gets into trouble, where I don't feel
7:10
good with him on the court is when he's
7:12
kind of secondguessing
7:14
and and he's a little bit on his heels.
7:17
But the trick is he needs to be really
7:19
aggressive making reproducible plays.
7:22
One of his best plays was in the first
7:24
half and he actually was really forceful
7:27
and aggressive getting downhill. Got
7:29
downhill, shot fake, shot fake, found
7:31
Trent in the corner. Trent came off. He
7:33
flowed back. He got another catch and
7:35
got downhill and got an easy 5-ft
7:38
floater, which is exactly his space. He
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never gets there unless one he's super
7:43
aggressive getting downhill to two feet
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the first time and two he's disciplined
7:47
enough to recognize where he is to make
7:49
a play for a teammate so that the next
7:51
part of the possession comes around to
7:53
him guys that's hard to learn. That's
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really hard to learn but it's advanced
7:57
level game and so he's got a chance. He
8:00
he's going to be a special player but
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it's just it's just growing. It's
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growing and so he's making progress. He
8:06
did really positive things. Some of them
8:07
didn't work out well. Uh, but I'm proud
8:09
of him.
8:11
>> On a fivegame losing streak, just what
8:13
did you see out of them recently and
8:15
what are you preparing for with them?
8:16
>> Yeah, I thought they were good last
8:17
night. Um, you know, uh, Hibbert just
8:22
lost his mind and almost put up a 50
8:24
spot, right? He was incredible. But, uh,
8:27
they got, you know, they got their best
8:28
player back. Um, you know, they're
8:30
they're really good at home. I think
8:32
they're a terrific team. They've they've
8:33
knocked off the best teams in our
8:34
league. You know, Florida on the road.
8:37
uh so uh beat Arkansas. Um so so they're
8:40
they're one of those teams that's really
8:42
really really good when they're at their
8:43
best and then they've had some struggles
8:45
like a lot of teams in our league. Um
8:47
and so they're they're talented. They're
8:49
skilled. Pedifford obviously has been a
8:51
problem in this league. He's really
8:52
good. Uh both Keshan are are really
8:55
having an impact. Uh Overton can have a
8:57
night at any given time. They're a good
9:00
team and so and and and you know they're
9:02
well coached. It's going to be a great
9:04
challenge in a great environment. It'll
9:05
be a big time environment. What are you
9:06
seeing with them as far as their
9:09
three-point defense? It seems like they
9:10
they give up a pretty high percentage,
9:12
but they don't teams don't take a ton
9:14
against them. Is is there something
9:16
there that you guys
9:16
>> That's a that's a good defensive team is
9:19
is um you know, there's a there's a
9:21
certain amount of luck that comes into
9:22
the game. Um even in the analytics game,
9:25
you have to pay attention to it because
9:27
there's just variables that are
9:28
non-controllables. And so they've done a
9:30
great job limiting threes and then
9:32
there's a little bit of like and and and
9:34
making and missing threes is one of the
9:35
most kind of skewed luck driven uh parts
9:39
of the game and so you know a little bit
9:42
of misforce from them. They're a good
9:43
defensive team. They switch. They get
9:44
you confused. They get put you on your
9:46
heels. They're good.
9:47
>> Mark Sean Hall made second most free
9:49
throwing player in the country. He's
9:50
also really high up attempt. What is it
9:52
about him that makes
9:53
>> He's he's versatile and physical. You
9:56
know, he he can mess around behind the
9:57
three-point line. you have to push up on
9:59
him. And he's got great he's got, you
10:03
know, he's not like electrifyingly
10:06
quick. I I I kind of, you know, like
10:10
there's some Paul Pierce juice in him
10:12
where he's he he goes at his own pace,
10:14
but when he goes, he really goes. He's a
10:16
three-level scorer. He's really good at
10:18
throwing his body into you. He's a good
10:20
player, and he's he's a proven scorer.
10:22
He he's, you know, he's even made a big
10:24
jump this year, his first year at
10:25
Auburn, but he's he's uh he's he's an
10:27
electric scorer and he's put up numbers
10:29
against the best defenses in the
10:30
country.
10:31
>> How similar are they to to like the
10:33
previous teams do you see from Auburn?
10:35
Just because obviously Steven now being
10:36
in charge, is he kind of taking that
10:37
system and running with it or is there a
10:38
lot of tweaks?
10:39
>> Uh, it's both. I think you can see the
10:41
imprint of there's still the DNA of what
10:45
Steven and Bruce did together, but also
10:48
Steven is putting some of his own juice
10:51
into this team and so you can see both.
10:55
>> You talked about the environment that
10:56
plays gets pretty live, especially on a
10:57
Saturday night. Um, just from your
11:00
team's perspective going all the way
11:01
back to the Louisville game to now, how
11:03
have you seen you guys evolve in road
11:05
environments?
11:06
>> I think we're I think we're more
11:07
comfortable with who we are. I think we
11:09
I I think it's it's like hopefully
11:11
through the course of the season that
11:13
part becomes more
11:15
routine like you've been there um you
11:19
felt it you've you've performed great in
11:20
it sometimes performed poorly and so
11:23
it's it's just that we know what it's
11:24
like together and now it's just a matter
11:26
so you kind of take a little bit of the
11:28
variable of that off and now it's just
11:30
more focused on the game and how we play
11:31
and how well we perform.
11:32
>> You talked about the self-inflicted
11:34
wounds from Georgia and Florida. How do
11:36
you is that something in practice? How
11:37
do you keep that from, you know,
11:39
following you to Auburn and
11:41
>> Yeah, it's it's it's all percentages. I
11:43
mean, we had I mean, you know, we had
11:46
three of the most colossally epic uh
11:50
nonmpp4 team plays ever in transition
11:53
and and and they and then two plays
11:56
later, you know, we're making this
11:58
brilliant uh aggressive
12:01
um beautiful basketball play. And so
12:03
it's it's percentages like how much can
12:05
we lean into playing the right way and
12:08
and how much can we kind of be um
12:14
focused enough and and and smart enough
12:17
and and and learn it enough to to weed
12:21
out a higher percentage of plays that
12:23
are just head scratchers. And so that's
12:24
that's everybody's fighting that battle
12:26
and and and we are too. At this point in
12:29
your coaching career, do you have a
12:31
pretty much set definition of player
12:34
leadership or do you find that that
12:36
evolves with each season?
12:37
>> I think player leadership is dependent
12:40
on individual guys. Guys have different
12:42
skill sets and you can lead in so many
12:45
different ways. So I think though I
12:47
think so to answer your question, I
12:50
don't have a defined set of exactly what
12:54
a leader is. I don't think I think
12:56
mostly what you're doing is trying to
12:58
cultivate the leadership skills that
13:00
your guys possess inherently and then
13:03
kind of build up around it. Um, and
13:07
teams are led different ways. You know,
13:09
sometimes you have like our the
13:11
leadership on this team is very unique
13:13
to any team I've had and I could
13:15
probably say that about twothirds of my
13:16
teams where it's been unique. It's it's
13:18
been its own personality.
13:20
Um, I think I think trying to trying to,
13:25
you know, you're really blessed if you
13:26
can have a traditional check the box on
13:29
all the spaces leader of a team that
13:32
that that um can do it that way. And so
13:35
I think it's a it's I think it's a
13:37
pretty dynamic process. Um, I know
13:40
that's not a great answer, but it's
13:41
really true.
13:42
>> Speaking of that, what leadership
13:44
qualities have you seen in in Colin and
13:46
Malachi? Obviously, two underassmen. um
13:49
calling a little older but has been on
13:51
teams with older guys as far as like a
13:53
building block for your program and even
13:55
for this team.
13:55
>> Yeah. Uh Malachi has a steadiness that's
13:58
inherent to him as a leader. So he
14:00
brings a steady leadership that's
14:02
incredibly valuable. Um Colin has that
14:06
also. So it's like one of the
14:07
traditional kind of areas of leadership
14:09
that you'd look for in anybody. This
14:11
ability to be steady. You know, I've
14:13
talked about Malachi has this really
14:14
steady personality where he just stays
14:17
super even keeled. Colin has a
14:20
steadiness about him that is like every
14:22
single rep, whether it's uh May 15th or
14:27
April 1st, April 6, uh you know, it's
14:31
very two very different environments.
14:34
He's going to go 100% full out. He's
14:36
just got the ability to kind of bring it
14:38
every single day. He's also shown this
14:40
ability to be like clutch clutch clutch.
14:42
And it's it's helped him win street cred
14:45
with his team where where guys are, you
14:47
know, they they're leaning on him just
14:49
as a performance uh leadership ability.
14:52
Um you know, Malachi is going to
14:54
continue to grow in terms of his IQ with
14:58
the game. Like I think inherently he's a
15:00
really really smart player. He's going
15:03
to learn as he learns more, he's going
15:05
to that's going to be really focused um
15:07
where he's going to bring that to his
15:09
team and be able to communicate guys in
15:11
right spots, right places, right reads.
15:13
I think that'll be a part of his his um
15:16
growth as a leader. Uh you know, Colin
15:19
is going to continue to grow in his, you
15:21
know, Colin's going to have a really
15:22
unique ability as he goes to bond with
15:25
every single unique individual on the
15:27
team and kind of meet them where they
15:28
are. And you know, I think those two
15:30
guys are really exciting leaders as we
15:32
move forward. For sure.
15:33
>> Mark, I've got 12 students here from my
15:35
journalism class. Coaching perspective,
15:38
>> what kind of advice would you give to a
15:40
young aspiring journalist?
15:43
>> Oh, that's dangerous. That's a dangerous
15:45
dangerous question.
15:48
Um, I would tell you guys that you're in
15:50
a really complicated space
15:53
from my position where
15:57
unfortunately
15:59
you're just going to be graded on
16:01
clicks. Like that's just what you're
16:04
graded on. And and and so
16:09
you're you're that makes your job hard.
16:14
It makes this job really hard because
16:16
you can get cheap clicks or you can get
16:19
clicks for being great at what you do.
16:23
And and
16:26
it's probably like everything in life.
16:28
And that's that's just that's the
16:30
challenge. You know, you have
16:32
experienced media crew in here, but
16:34
that's probably the question you're
16:36
going to ask yourself. Am I going to go
16:38
am I going to go down the road of just
16:40
getting the cheap clicks um or am I
16:43
going to get the clicks by being the
16:45
most real authentic truthtelling
16:48
hardcore journalist?
16:51
A lot of people would say that that
16:52
can't exist anymore. That long form is
16:55
gone and and real truthtelling is gone
16:58
and you just have to put out the
16:59
headline as as as inauthentic or
17:03
manufactured as it might be. you just
17:05
have to put it out because you got to
17:06
get clicks, you got to earn a
17:08
reputation, you got to do it that way.
17:10
Um, but I don't know if that's advice,
17:12
but I do from my perspective, that's the
17:14
biggest question you're going to have to
17:16
answer as a journalist. And and for my
17:18
money,
17:20
if you're great,
17:22
if you want to be great, you're going to
17:25
probably do the impossible. And that's
17:26
going to be like you're going to you're
17:28
going to stay away from the cheap click
17:30
manufactured artificial skewed headline
17:33
and you're going to become like the
17:35
world's greatest storyteller. Cuz I will
17:37
tell you this, I talked to our media
17:39
about this too, storytellers have the
17:42
power in the world right now. You know,
17:44
I think in this space where facts can
17:47
get skewed all kind of ways, it's
17:49
storytellers that actually have the
17:51
power. But it comes with an immense
17:53
responsibility. And I think if you can
17:56
become a great great authentic
17:59
hard-hitting
18:00
storyteller that is really searching for
18:03
the truth,
18:05
the greatness of stories is actually in
18:07
the truth rather than just searching for
18:09
the clicks. I think it'll serve you
18:10
well. That's my two cents. I'm not in
18:12
the media, but that's my thought.
18:16
>> Nothing. You got one?
18:17
>> I have a question. Yeah. So, uh, the
18:20
NCAA president says that they're still
18:22
trying to work on an expansion of the
18:25
tournament. We heard you talk about
18:27
you'd love to see the regular season
18:28
expand. What are your thoughts on the
18:30
actual tournament expansion?
18:34
>> I haven't thought this through, but if
18:35
there's a way we could expand the
18:36
tournament by increasing our regular
18:38
season games, I'm all in. Let's go.
18:42
>> Yeah. One more. You talked about the
18:45
best time of the year being here. How do
18:46
you juggle that with knowing the portal
18:48
opens a month and a half from now and
18:50
knowing there's, you know, retention and
18:51
kind of keeping guys happy and not the
18:53
portal, but also kind of keeping an eye
18:54
of what the landscape be?
18:55
>> Yeah, that's a complicated space, but it
18:57
also makes it great. Like we love, man,
18:59
this job is so great. It's like
19:01
everybody's job. The things you love
19:03
about the job are the most complicated
19:04
spaces and it's complicated to to manage
19:07
all that at the same time, but it's why
19:09
the job's fun. And so, but there are
19:11
dynamics that are really important. Um,
19:13
you know, one of the challenges that you
19:15
face is
19:17
is keeping
19:21
is helping your guys.
19:24
Listen, everything comes and goes. Like
19:27
every all these things that we think are
19:28
so important, they come and go. But this
19:31
time of the year, the winning part is
19:34
the part that it's all about. Like it's
19:36
all about this. as a player,
19:40
somebody that's worked your whole life
19:42
to get a chance to do this. It actually
19:44
is it's not for all the other stuff.
19:46
It's to win. It's to go find and see if
19:50
you if you have what it takes to be in
19:53
that moment. Have you done what it took
19:56
during the season to learn and grow?
19:58
Have you built yourself in your team
20:00
into a place where you can do things
20:02
better than you've done all year? Matt
20:04
Payner said, you know, the NCAA
20:05
tournament is finals. That's your final
20:07
grade, right? I think he said that a
20:08
couple days ago. It's It's nice. And so
20:12
sometimes you can get distracted by all
20:14
the really important stuff and miss
20:15
finals. Who wants to do that? Like don't
20:18
miss the tournament, man. Don't miss
20:19
these last five games of the regular
20:21
season. Don't miss your last game at
20:22
RUP. Don't miss the SEC tournament in
20:25
our beloved Nashville. Don't miss Don't
20:28
miss the NCAA tournament because that's
20:30
the stuff that actually separates you. A
20:32
couple dollars doesn't separate you. the
20:35
the next school doesn't separate you.
20:38
Like what separates you is what you do
20:41
right now and and it doesn't guarantee
20:43
you results, but man, don't if you miss
20:45
putting your whole heart into it, what a
20:47
shame. So, we talk about it as a staff
20:49
also. We have a job to do. We can do
20:50
that and the other, you know, the other
20:52
45 minutes available out of 24 hours.
20:54
But right now, it's about like how are
20:56
we going to go win? Like our players
20:58
deserve that. We deserve that. You know,
21:00
we are exactly where we are and we're in
21:02
the best time of the year. And so, let's
21:04
not skip it.