Kentucky has hired Mark Pope as head coach, replacing John Calipari.

Pope was a captain on Kentucky's 1996 national championship team and has been head coach of BYU for the past five seasons. Pope took BYU to two NCAA tournaments in five seasons, going 110-52 overall with the Cougars. 

"Mark Pope not only brings an impressive record in nine years as a head coach, but also a love of the University of Kentucky and a complete understanding of what our program means to the people of our state," Barnhart said. "As a captain on the '96 championship team, Mark was a beloved and respected teammate. As a head coach, he is highly regarded nationally as an innovator. His teams run a unique and dynamic up-tempo offense, and they get after it on defense. He is a strong recruiter with international ties and a person of integrity.

"He fully embraces our high expectations and standards, and I know that as our fans get reacquainted with Mark, they will be eager to join him on what promises to be an exciting ride."

Kentucky also had interest in Scott Drew, Dan Hurley and Billy Donovan.