John Wall on new Kentucky coach Mark Pope..

Kentucky basketball has had a family feel under John Calipari’s leadership. Despite the high number of one-and-done players, many former Wildcats returned to campus each year, either in the summer or during the school year. After John Calipari left Kentucky this offseason, the family was questioned. What would the past players do? Would they continue to support Kentucky or Calipari?

So far, the results have been somewhat mixed. While most players will continue to support both, one of the most dynamic players to wear a Kentucky uniform has spoken out about his passion for the program. John Wall, who played from 2009 to 2010 and was the first overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, met new Kentucky head coach Mark Pope for the first time last weekend at the Nike EYBL event in Indianapolis. He discussed the interaction on his show this week.

“It shocked me, because I was just going to watch games,” Wall stated. “He (Mark Pope) was right there when I dapped somebody up. He stepped up and asked, ‘What’s up?’ I answered, ‘All respect to you, and best of luck there. “I’ll always support the school, no matter what.” Wall chose Kentucky over North Carolina, Kansas, Duke, and others. He was named SEC Player of the Year in 2010 and a First-Team All-American in his only season at Kentucky.

Despite only one year in Lexington, his impact extends beyond that. In 2017, he was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame. “Like, I adore Coach Cal… “It’s just a love for the school I played for,” Wall explained. “They love me. I am in the Hall of Fame there. “I still love Coach Cal, and I will continue to respect him. I will continue to attend games, but I also want to develop a relationship with the new coach.” That’s the school I attended and the team I played for.

As Pope begins his tenure at Kentucky this fall, it will be interesting to observe which former players show their support and which turn up at Arkansas more frequently than in Lexington. In any case, it appears that the Kentucky family’s support remains strong, as does their passion for the program for which they played.