Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope is giving a helping hand to his local communities. Pope was seen helping victims of recent tornadoes that ripped through the state. Pope was photographed helping to remove a tree from the roof of a house in London, Kentucky.
The photo was shared on X by the account Cats Coverage.
Tornadoes, strong winds and bad weather have battered the Bluegrass State in recent days. At least 18 people have died in Kentucky due to the storms, per CNN.
Pope is not the only figure with the Wildcats who is helping out. Former Kentucky basketball star Reed Sheppard was also seen in Kentucky helping with storm cleanup, per WLKY.
The Kentucky basketball coach has a long-standing relationship with the state. He played for the Wildcats, as part of the 1996 national championship team under Rick Pitino.
Pope also addressed the devastating tornadoes in a social media post.
“I’m heartbroken over the devastation from the deadly tornadoes that ravaged our great state earlier today,” Pope said on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday. “Our people have endured numerous natural disasters over the course of several years, but what I know about Kentuckians is this: we are resilient. We will mourn together. We believe in one another. We will stand together and rebuild together.”
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Kentucky fans are surely appreciative of the work Pope is doing to help rebuild the state.
Pope came back to Lexington last year, to take over the Kentucky basketball program. He reached the NCAA Tournament, before bowing in the Sweet Sixteen.
Like John Calipari before him, Pope is building a strong roster with highly touted freshmen and transfers. The Wildcats have the commitment of four-star high school prospect Jasper Johnson, the highlight of their 2025 recruiting class.
The Wildcats are also awaiting the decision of four-star prospect and forward Braydon Hawthorne. Hawthorne is set to announce his commitment on Tuesday. A former West Virginia commit, Hawthorne is choosing between Kentucky, Duke, West Virginia, Pitt and Virginia Tech.
Kentucky currently has the 35th best recruiting class in the country for 2025, per On3.
