As Kentucky prepares for a showdown with Vanderbilt in Nashville, Mark Pope is set to revisit a venue that holds one of his fondest basketball memories. During his two seasons as a Wildcat, Pope’s team boasted a perfect 4-0 record against the Commodores, with two of those victories coming at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gym. However, one moment from his playing days stands above the rest—an unforgettable dunk and a spontaneous chest-bump with legendary coach Rick Pitino.
Pope recently shared the story with reporters, recalling the unique setup of Memorial Gym, where the benches are positioned on the baselines rather than the sidelines. During a heated second-half sequence, Pope trailed on a fast break and received a pass—possibly from Anthony Epps or Tony Delk—that set him up for a slam.
“We’re racing down the floor, and someone hit me with a trail pass,” Pope reminisced. “I ran in, dunked it, got fouled, and Coach Pitino was standing right there. I took the chance to chest-bump him. I don’t think he was super thrilled about it, but it’s a memory that’s stuck with me.”
Since then, NCAA rule changes have extended the coaching box to the sidelines, but the quirky charm of Memorial Gym remains intact. Pope, now coaching his team in one of college basketball’s most competitive leagues, has yet to take the sidelines at Memorial but remains fond of its atmosphere.
“It’s a great venue,” Pope said. “It has a different vibe with the benches on the baseline, but it’s always fun. Point guards used to love it because they could pretend they didn’t hear their coaches yelling from the other side.”
Saturday’s game promises an electric atmosphere. Vanderbilt, under first-year coach Mark Byington, boasts a strong 15-4 record and recently upset No. 6 Tennessee. With Memorial Gym sold out, both teams aim to deliver memorable moments for their fans, just as Pope did years ago.