Busting Brackets
Fansided

BYU Basketball: Is Mark Pope the right fit for the Cougars?

By Tristan Freeman

DURHAM, NC - NOVEMBER 11: Head coach Mark Pope of the Utah Valley Wolverines reacts during their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - NOVEMBER 11: Head coach Mark Pope of the Utah Valley Wolverines reacts during their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next
RENO, NV – NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Dave Rose of the Brigham Young Cougars watches a playing during the game between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Brigham Young Cougars at Lawlor Events Center on November 6, 2018 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images)
RENO, NV – NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Dave Rose of the Brigham Young Cougars watches a playing during the game between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Brigham Young Cougars at Lawlor Events Center on November 6, 2018 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images) /

With Dave Rose retiring from BYU Basketball, Mark Pope of Utah Valley has been viewed as the favorite to succeed him. Is this a match made in heaven?

After a 14 year career where he never finished with less than 19 wins in any season, Dave Rose has elected to retire from BYU Basketball. He finished with eight appearances to the NCAA Tournament (Sweet 16 in 2011) and is the all-time leader in coaching wins in Cougar history. Considering the limitations the program deals with in regards to recruiting, it’s highly impressive that BYU never had a down year where they weren’t competing for postseason bids.

With his departure, the team will have to look for a new head coach for the first time since 2005. There are several candidates that have been consistently named, including Portland State Head Coach Berret Perry, Utah Valley Head Coach Mark Pope, Los Angeles assistant Mark Madsen and current BYU assistant Quincy Lewis.

The one person who not only has ties to the Cougars program but also a track record of winning as a head coach at the D-1 level is Pope. After serving as an assistant under Rose from 2011-15, he ventured over to Utah Valley, a team with no history to speak of at this level with not much talent.

Thanks to talented transfers coming into the program, the Wolverines have risen up the WAC ranks, including a record 25 wins this past season and a postseason trip to the CIT. They have the WAC Player of the Year in Jake Toolson (former BYU player) and even more talent coming in, as they look to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever.

But the opportunity is there for Coach Pope to make a jump to a program with many more resources and basketball history. They say he’s the favorite and that the job is his if he wants it. But is this as good a hire as fans and media say it is? Here are some pros and cons to think about.