Just In: Kentucky Makes Decision on Coaching Staff After Mark Pope’s First Season
The Kentucky Wildcats went 24-12 in head coach Mark Pope’s debut year, culminating in a Sweet Sixteen appearance and a 10-8 record in SEC play.
Kentucky started off the year hot, winning 12 of its first 14 games, including marquee wins against Duke, Gonzaga, and Florida, all of which were top-ten teams.
Now, the Wildcats have locked in one of the architects behind their surge.
Mikhail McLean, the 33-year-old assistant whom head coach Pope lauded as a “rising star,” has agreed to remain on staff through the 2026-27 season, a move that cements continuity for the program’s player-development engine.
Originally hired on a one‑year, $150,000 deal, McLean’s new contract raises his base salary to $400,000 in 2025-26 and $425,000 in 2026-27.
Prior to joining Kentucky in 2024, McLean played and coached under Kelvin Sampson at Houston before spending three seasons as an assistant coach with Lamar.
In 2023-24, he helped the Cardinals improve to a 19-14 record, the program’s best win total in Division I since 2011-12 and the second most since the 1987-88 season.
Kentucky’s first season under Pope blended high‑octane offense (84.4 points per game) with defensive growing pains (77.2 points allowed per game).
In the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky topped Troy (76-57) and Illinois (84-75) before bowing out to Tennessee (65-78) in a hard‑fought Sweet Sixteen contest.
Locking down McLean stabilizes Pope’s support network as he enters year two with greater roster control.
