'Nobody Epitomizes Kentucky Like Mark Pope' - Any UK Fan Still Freaking Out Needs To Calm Down By Listening To John Wall And Rick Pitino

There was no cooler basketball player at Kentucky than John Wall during the Calipari era. Hell, John Wall might be the coolest basketball player in the history of Kentucky. From the dance, to what he did on the court, to being the first guy in the first year to signal Kentucky was back, John Wall lived up to all the hype.

And you know what I hear? Kentucky. Not John Calipari. John Wall wants to be around Kentucky. He doesn't care who the coach is, that's his home. That's the stuff anyone freaking out needs to hear. There was all this talk that every big name we had was just going to be a Calipari guy. They'd show up in Bud Walton. Right now only Malik Monk said such a thing and Monk is from Arkansas. Whatever. John Wall wants to be a Kentucky guy and that right there makes him beloved in the Commonwealth. 

Not enough? How about a fella named Rick Pitino

Look at Ricky P bringing out facts! That man bleeds Kentucky blue. If Rick says it's gonna work, it's going to work. The man knows what it takes to win at Kentucky and if he's putting out a completely not forced video talking about how great Mark Pope is, he's gonna be great. He's calling his shot of a national title, so be it. Believe it and it will happen. 

Does it mean it's a lock that Mark Pope is going to be great? Of course not. But he's got people rallying for him. 

No one is saying he's going to recruit like John Calipari did, because nobody in the world recruits like Calipari. But you know what? That was part of the problem. Everyone keeps screaming about how you can't win playing all freshmen. So why are we overly worried about if Pope can recruit 5-stars left and right? What can he do in the portal? Can he build a roster? Can he bring in the right staff? That's the biggest question. First thing I'd do is keep this guy

Lexington Herald-Leader. Getty Images.

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If John Wall is going to show up to games, that matters. He wants to be around the program. Guys like that help bring in recruits and transfers. Just need everyone to take a breath, listen to John Wall and trust that change is good. I mean you wanna run it back? This is what EVERYONE made fun of us for. 

If John Wall wants to be around the team, I want to be around the team. Hit the dance.