Only national championship banners hang in Kentuckys practice gym after Mark Popes makeover [Video]

Since taking the job in April, Mark Pope has made it clear he understands the assignment at Kentucky: winning national championships. From his introductory press conference on, Pope has talked about how the program only hangs banners for titles and Final Fours at Rupp Arena. That’s a philosophy he’s carried over to the practice facility.

Jimmy Dykes attended Kentucky’s practice yesterday. Before beginning his broadcasting career with the SEC Network, Dykes coached for over 30 years, two of those as an assistant under Eddie Sutton at Kentucky (1987-89). Between that, coaching against the Cats as Arkansas women’s basketball coach (2014-17), and the many, many Kentucky games he’s covered, Dykes knows Kentucky’s practice facility well. When he walked into the gym yesterday, he noticed one big change: the large NBA trading-card-style posters for each former player in the league were gone, and only the national championship banners remained.

“The first thing …