Auburn coach Bruce Pearl once got himself choked up at the podium inside Rupp Arena talking about how “basketball matters here in the state of Kentucky” while reminiscing about his 1995 Division II national championship at Southern Indiana in Evansville. A year before that, he said the closest he thought he’d ever get to coaching inside that building was buying a ticket to come watch a game.

“I saw the Final Four in here a bunch of years ago, didn’t have very good seats. It was a dream to coach in here,” he said back in 2019, followed by an apology to Big Blue Nation for how his team played in UK’s 80-53 win. “I’m sure they’re happy Kentucky won, but I think they were probably expecting a little more out of this Auburn team than they got.”

The three-time SEC Coach of the Year has never been shy about his respect for the Wildcats and the importance of the program and the sport of basketball in the area as a whole. He continued that trend when sharing his thoughts on John Calipari‘s departure and Mark Pope‘s addition in one of the craziest offseasons in recent memory.

On one end, Coach Cal taking his coaching talents to Fayetteville makes the league stronger and deeper. On the other, he’s a believer in Pope as the next leader of the Cats.

“I think there’s two things that jump out at me: One, how much better is the league with John Calipari at Arkansas and now Coach Pope at Kentucky. I can tell you from watching his BYU teams, he’s got a brilliant offensive mind,” Pearl said at SEC Media Day in Birmingham this week. “That doesn’t mean he’s not a good defensive coach, but he is next-step European, the latest and the greatest offensive schemes that are out there right now.”

Pearl recognized Pope’s on-court abilities as a player and the passion he has for his alma mater. He believes those things will carry over as a coach, beyond the success he’s already had at previous stops.

“Obviously was a great player, loved Kentucky, and from what I have experienced so far and what I’ve known about him, he’s a really quality person,” he said. “I like the foundation of who he is and who he wants to be and how he wants to lead. I think Kentucky got themselves a great coach and a great person.”

His last and maybe biggest point? Go back to those press conferences where he talked about what Kentucky basketball means to the area. Not just anyone can fill that role or understands its importance.

Pope does.

“(He) is somebody that understands the history and the responsibility of leading that program,” Pearl said.