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.
KY Insider’s Chris Beasmore announced the news via X on Saturday.
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.
A native of the Bahamas, McLean has also served as an associate head coach of the Bahamian National Team.
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
You won’t believe where these K-State transfers ended up
The Kansas State men’s basketball team will look completely different next season, with a near-total roster overhaul.
As Head Coach Jerome Tang continues the rebuild, here’s a look at where departing Wildcats have landed so far:
Dug McDaniel
Starting point guard Dug McDaniel entered the transfer portal on April 14—a move that shocked both fans and coaches.
The lightning-quick ballhandler has committed to the University of Memphis, where he’ll aim to follow in the footsteps of former Wildcat Nae’Qwan Tomlin and play for former NBA guard Penny Hardaway before taking his shot at the pros.
McDaniel averaged 11.4 points and 4.9 assists last season.
Brendan Hausen
Sharpshooter Brendan Hausen quickly found a new home after entering the portal, drawing interest from multiple programs. He ultimately chose the University of Iowa, where he’ll play his final college season under new head coach Ben McCollum.
A transfer from Villanova, Hausen averaged 10.9 points and shot 38.8% from three-point range in Manhattan. He started every game for the Wildcats as a junior.
