Mark Pope, the new Kentucky Wildcats basketball coach, is married to Lee Anne Pope. Lee Anne is the daughter of Lynn Archibald, a former men’s basketball coach for Utah. She is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a degree in journalism and has worked as a personal assistant for David Letterman in New York City.
Lee Anne is well-known for her involvement in the BYU basketball program where Mark previously coached. Former players have even referred to her as the “mom of the program.”
Lee Anne and Mark met through her brother, Damon Archibald, at a basketball camp. After communicating via phone and email, they eventually met in Indiana, where Mark was playing for the Pacers.
Mark credits Lee Anne as his No. 1 counselor due to her deep understanding of the game.
“My No. 1 mentor, without a doubt, and there’s no close second, is Lee Anne Pope, my wife,” Mark said (via Deseret.com).
Mark Pope makes sure to honor his life partner Lee Anne during Wildcats introductory press conference
The Pope family has lived in Utah for the past 14 years with Mark Pope having previously coached at Utah Valley and BYU. He was recently introduced as the new HC for the University of Kentucky and the family arrived in Lexington, Kentucky on Apr. 13.
During his introduction at Rupp Arena on Sunday afternoon, Mark expressed his love for his wife and said,
“I’m madly in love with this woman. She makes sense of my whole life. You’ll quickly find out that she’s gonna get to know every single one of you and love you like crazy. It’s gonna be really special.”
The school announced Mark Pope’s hiring with a press release on Friday morning. He signed a five-year deal worth $5.5 million per season, according to ESPN.
Mark Pope and Lee Anne are blessed with four daughters
Lee Anne and Mark got married in Aug. 1999 and they are blessed with four daughters: Ella, Avery, Layla, and Shay.
The eldest daughter, Ella Pope (22), is a basketball player at Ohio University. Reportedly, Ella is preparing to serve a mission in Ecuador for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Avery (19) plays tennis at BYU, Layla (17) is a dancer, and Shay (14) plays volleyball.
