In many ways, Kentucky’s TBT La Familia team will give Big Blue Nation one final chance to say goodbye to the John Calipari era

The roster consists of 11 former Wildcats, all of whom played for Calipari and will compete at Rupp Arena this summer. 

A fear among Big Blue Nation following Calipari’s departure was whether or not Calipari’s former Wildcats would buy-in to new head coach Mark Pope and stay involved with the program. Much of that fear came after star center DeMarcus Cousins, from Calipari’s debut UK team insisted Arkansas, not Kentucky would be the program to watch following his departure.

Kentucky if they’re not on TV,” Cousins said following Calipari’s departure on the Bully Ball podcast. “What kids are looking for in today’s time is what’s hot, what’s cool, what’s relevant. I want to be on TV every night to show my talent. Guess what team is going to be on TV every night? The Arkansas Razorbacks.

“Arkansas will now be the hotspot; Arkansas will now have the No. 1 recruiting classes coming in every year. Arkansas will now be full of celebrities, and Arkansas will have the most talent coming in and out every year. The machine will go, it’ll just be in a different place.”

It’s safe to say Cousins stance on Calipari’s departure and Pope’s hire are not unversial among his former players.

Over the past few weeks, members of UK’s La Familia team shared positive reviews of Pope and the direction of Kentucky’s program meeting with the media.

“I’m very excited. I think we’re in really good hands. I read a lot about him and saw a lot of YouTube clips,” Kellan Grady, a member of UK’s 2021-22 team, said. “I know he’s historically had a very proficient offense and I think BBN will be excited about that.”

“I think he said it best. All good things come to an end. I think it was great timing in terms of a good transition into a young and hungry coach like coach Pope,” 2019-20 Wildcat Nate Sestina added. “He’s a guy that has been successful in his coaching career and for coach Cal transitioning into something new and something fresh for him.”

Even one of UK’s NCAA Tournament heroes from the Calipari era shared his excitement for a new era of UK Basketball.

“I love Coach Cal, obviously, but I am excited to see what Coach Pope can do, and I’m definitely going to cheer for him,” two-year Cat Aaron Harrison added. “He seems like a great guy and I’m excited to meet him.”

While all three former Cats had high praise for Calipari, there was a common unity and excitement for Pope and understanding that the fan base that supported them throughout their time in Lexington playing for Calipari isn’t going anywhere with its new coach.

“I couldn’t believe that there were 18,000 people there for a press conference,” Grady said. “I think that’s a testament just to the love and support we have from Big Blue Nation.

“People always characterize our fanbase as crazy or they can be too harsh, but you know, you don’t do that if you don’t care. Ultimately, we’ve dealt with dozens of coaches in our lives who have held us accountable and been hard on us. And that’s why BBN shows out 18,000 for a press conference with a ton of excitement, and that’s why they can get on our case sometimes, but I think it just speaks to the fanbase we have and then the excitement with regards to Kentucky Basketball going forward. So it’s really cool to see.”

Perhaps the biggest endorsement of Pope came from a player who has been recruited by La Familia but has not yet signed on to play.

Point guard John Wall.

Wall had Pope on his Point Game Podcast on June 20, spoke of meeting the head coach in an earlier episode, and made it clear on both appearances that he would be around the program supporting Kentucky’s new head coach.

“I’m definitely going to come to games, for sure. You know that,” Wall told Pope during his guest appearance. “I’ve definitely got to continue my ritual of throwing up the Y. They’ll definitely get to see me.”

“It’s just love for the school I played for. They’ve got love for me. I’m in the Hall of Fame there,” Wall said on an earlier episode.”

“I still love Coach Cal, am still going to show respect to Coach Cal, I’m still going to go to games, but I also want to build a relationship with the new coach. That’s the school I went to and who I played for. I met Coach Jason Hart, who was right there. He was like, ‘Don’t worry about it, bro. We’re going to make sure you get all the gear. I’m going to get you all the gear that’s coming through.’ I thought that was cool. I respect it.”

When Pope was first hired, gaining support from Calipari era players was a fear. It’s safe to say there’s no need to have that fear any longer.