Kelly and Joe Craft felt the energy from new UK manager Mark Pope on Sunday.
Kelly Craft has spent many important moments in Kentucky basketball history at Rupp Arena.
But UK boosters/fans just sensed something different on Sunday during new manager Mark Pope’s inaugural press conference/pep rally.
“It was another rap arena. We felt the energy. The tradition was alive,” she said.
Ms Craft and her husband Joe have made a significant financial contribution to British athletics in a variety of ways, including fundraising efforts for disaster victims with former coach John Calipari. Although Crufts did not know about Pope when her selection process began, she could not have been happier with UK Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart’s selection.
She said she was going for a recreational run Sunday morning before a press conference when something attacked her.
“I told Joe we need to change NIL’s name here to Mark. He brought us a name, an image, a loyalty (rather than a likeness),” Kelly Craft said. “He is very kind, very humble and has no expectations.
“He gave back to my husband. I don’t know how else to explain it. As he was talking, I kept looking at Joe, who has been in the program since 1976. Mark was here to give back, and Joe, along with many other fans, was the one to give back. The pride in Joe watching him almost brought me to tears.
“It felt like a tradition because all the former players were coming back and talking about what it was like for Mark to play there and be in the program and what it meant to him. There was just a bulge of cold air around it. It was amazing.”
Craft is clearly “giving back” to the Big Blue Nation what Pope felt the Big Blue Nation gave to him when he was a member of the 1996 national championship team. That’s what he said.
“He remembered it all. He understood what the fans did for him and he responded to it. It wasn’t about him. He was ours, not mine. I kept saying it was a thing,” she said. “I wasn’t surprised that Rupp Arena was full, because after going through this process, I realized how kind he was and I felt like I had no right to anything. He was very humble. I felt like he understood that. He was here. He knows the fans. Because the tradition was him.”
Pope was unanimously selected as captain of the national championship team despite not being a starter for coach Rick Pitino. Kraft said this has made her understand the value of her victory and the value her position as a leader plays in her victory. ”
Since Pope’s appointment, more than $4 million has been donated to UK Basketball’s NIL (Name, Image, Likeness). Kraft didn’t want to comment on that, but there should be no doubt that Kraft contributed significantly to the funding, which is critical to recruiting and roster management.
“What a great day it was Sunday to have someone who understands Rupp Arena and respects Kentucky’s tradition. He’s a direct beneficiary of that tradition and he understands it.” she said.
She believes the Pope is “the epitome” of what young people should raise with a selfless attitude and a willingness to give back what they have received.
“No one could have predicted the scale of what happened on Sunday,” she said. “But Mark understands it, and the fans understand that he does it. Nobody understands what it means until they play on that floor.
“We always talk about teaching our young players to give back. He can talk about it because he’s done it and he’s living it. He’s great for the state of Kentucky and I think it will be a great addition to all of us who really respect the tradition of Kentucky basketball.”
