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Al McGuire’s iconic Kentucky quote still rings as true as the day he spoke it

Few coaches could turn a phrase like Al McGuire, and one of his most iconic lines still echoes through the halls of college basketball, especially in Lexington.

“They had it before you, they had it during you, they’ll have it when you’re gone.”

McGuire, who coached Marquette to a national title in 1977, uttered that line decades ago, but its resonance has only grown. Even after a decade of postseason disappointment and the end of the John Calipari era, the standard at Kentucky hasn’t changed. And now, under Mark Pope, that Roman Empire mentality is back—and built differently.