There was a ton of hype heading into last season of Kentucky basketball, but things quickly didn’t go well. Point guard Jaland Lowe got hurt at the Blue-White Game, popping his shoulder out of place and after trying all year to get on the floor, he was shut down for the season.
Jayden Quaintance was supposed to be the starting center for the Kentucky Wildcats last season, but he just never fully got back from his ACL surgery and only played in four games. These two injuries derailed the season for Pope and the Wildcats, but this wasn’t the only frustration of Coach Pope.
Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope reacts to a play during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Pope joined a podcast with CBS Sports’s Jon Rothstein and talked about what frustrated him last season, with the 2025-26 Kentucky basketball season not going to plan.
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Here is what Pope had to say about last year’s frustration to Rothstein: “All of the roster changes, listen, it’s not just losing those two positions; it’s everyone having to learn the game outside of position. There was a lot centered on that but again I was proud of the things that these guys did accomplish you look at just that challenge right there of the top 30 teams we far and away missed the most games due to injury and our players still adjusted and were able to accomplish things. We learned so much as a staff and an organization just being really malleable and figuring out new ways to do things again, I think this is one step towards where we are untimely trying to get it’s a really important step and I think we will continue to get better and better.”
Mar 19, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope talks with the media during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
I do agree with Coach Pope that players playing out of position was a big issue for the Wildcats last season. The best example of this was Denzel Aberdeen having to run the one with Lowe not on the floor for a good chunk of the season. I do believe Aberdeen did a solid job, but this changed every plan Pope and the staff had for how to use this team.
The hope this season is that the Wildcats will be able to stay healthy at the point guard position. The good news is the Wildcats have two players who naturally can run the one at an elite level in Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins. If one of the guys got banged up the other would step up. There is also plenty of guard depth behind these two. Staying healthy is a massive key to Kentucky’s success this season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kentucky as Kentucky coach Mark Pope explains what frustrated him the most last season .
