Cats’ Pause Exclusive: One-on-one with Mark Pope ahead of his return to New York

LEXINGTON –  Mark Pope cherishes Lexington and the University of Kentucky more than perhaps anyone on the face of the planet. With that said, one city might be in close contention for being the most special place in his heart.

New York City.

 “It’s a great place. It’s our favorite place in the world,” Pope told The Cats’ Pause before quickly, and wisely, adding, “Besides Lexington.”

The city is woven into every fabric of Pope’s 52-year life journey. From spending part of his childhood just north of the city in Westchester County to playing college basketball for New York-bred Rick Pitino and winning the 1996 national championship just across the George Washington Bridge in New Jersey to fond NBA memories with Knicks to attending medical school at Columbia, to meeting the love of his life, some of Pope’s best family moments are tied to the “City That Never Sleeps.”

The coach spoke exclusively with The Cats’ Pause about his many Big Apple memories just days before taking his first Kentucky team to famed Madison Square Garden in New York to meet Ohio State Dec. 21 in the CBS Sports Classic.