Earlier this month, as part of his preparation for the upcoming 2025-26 season, Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope took most of his staff on a trip to meet with the defending NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Not only was it a chance for Pope and the Kentucky’s assistants to meet up with a couple of former Wildcats in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (the league’s reigning MVP) and Cason Wallace, but it also provided an opportunity to pick the brains of one of the smartest organizations in all of American professional sports.