Decorum typically falls by the wayside whenever Louisville and Kentucky meet on the basketball court.
Remember last month, when an alumni game between the bitter rivals at Freedom Hall ended with players being separated after a former Cardinal spit on an ex-Wildcat?
No bad blood boiled over Wednesday, when the teams' new head coaches, Pat Kelsey and Mark Pope, shared the stage for the first time during the Leadership Louisville Luncheon at the Kentucky International Convention Center. Neither said they'd be happy with beating the other Dec. 14 at Rupp Arena by only a point, either.
For now, the duo forever linked by a seismic offseason in the Bluegrass State is enjoying what Kelsey likes to call "honor among thieves."
That means embracing the commonwealth's great divide as the rivalry enters relatively uncharted territory. The last time both U of L and UK changed coaches during the same year was 1930, when the former hired Edward Weber and the latter brought in Adolph Rupp; and, for as much as things have changed since then, at least one thing remains the same: It's more fun around these parts when both sides are firing on all cylinders.
"I've talked to many people who are wearing some blue, some red," Kelsey said. "Some people are all blue, all red; but it's one of the things that makes the state of Kentucky awesome."
Pope added: "Louisville, Lexington, everyone in the state, we share that together — trying to grow this place and make it better."
Kelsey and Pope spent much of Wednesday's roundtable discussion, hosted by Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, identifying similarities — in leadership qualities they value, how they went about building their inaugural rosters from scratch and their journeys through the coaching ranks to the most high-profile positions of their careers.
The programs they inherited this past spring were in vastly different places but had the same problem: failing to meet lofty expectations.
The Cards were the more extreme case of the two. They hit rock bottom under former coach Kenny Payne, who posted more losses by 20 or more points (14) than victories (12) across two seasons at the helm, and haven't reached the NCAA Tournament since 2019.
The Wildcats notched 20 or more wins, earning March Madness spots, during each of John Calipari's final three seasons but advanced no further than the second round in 2023. Sandwiched in between: embarrassing first-round upsets at the hands of Saint Peter's and Oakland; the latter of which resulted in Calipari's abrupt exit after 15 years in Lexington to take over at Arkansas.
How does one step into these kind of situations and lead? Both Kelsey and Pope said you've got to be yourself.
For the former, a 49-year-old Cincinnati native, that entailed sweeping Louisville fans off their feet with an energetic introductory news conference; during which he cracked jokes about being the third choice (behind Scott Drew and Dusty May) in athletics director Josh Heird's coaching search and said a program Payne frequently described as "broken" was, actually, "ready to rock."
"People can see through (you), especially players," Kelsey said. "They can see when you're not truly genuine."
For the latter, a 51-year-old who grew up in Bellevue, Washington, that meant being the last person to step off a bus loaded with former Kentucky greats, a nod to the national championship he helped win as a player for Rick Pitino in 1996, to remind supporters who had reservations about him, considering Drew and Dan Hurley reportedly said no, that he is one of them.
"Being authentic is the best leadership strategy of all," Pope said.
So far, the early returns on Kelsey and Pope's tenures have been encouraging. With little time to work with, both coaches navigated the NCAA transfer portal at breakneck pace to secure hauls ranking among the top eight in the country on EvanMiya.com. And they've hit seemingly all the right notes with their fan bases to make the processes that led to their hirings feel as if they occurred in an alternate universe.
Their challenge between now and their respective season openers Nov. 4 is to keep fostering chemistry among all the new faces.
Pope said his group of nine transfers and three freshmen "responded brilliantly" to the challenge during summer workouts; adding, "their interactions off the court is what really got me inspired."
"I'm also watching my guys learn very quickly what this great state is and what it means to have the chance to wear Kentucky across their chests," he said. "They're learning; they're learning quickly."
Kelsey got a fist bump from Greenberg when he said his group of 10 transfers and one freshman is "gonna be good." He didn't have to say much more, because the Cards' impressive showing during last month's exhibition tour of the Bahamas speaks for itself.
"The teams that can be the most cohesive, that can love each other, that can sacrifice — those are the truths of winning," Kelsey said.
Roughly 24 hours before Wednesday's luncheon, CBS Sports published an anonymous survey of 100 Division I coaches asking who will be more successful, Kelsey or Pope, over the next five seasons. Pope had the edge, 67% to 33%.
This, for better or worse, will be how their legacies are decided — in constant comparison. But it doesn't have to affect the honor among thieves they'll share while shouldering jobs that are unlike most others in the sport. There's a pride in, and a mutual respect for, the passion of the hoops-crazed commonwealth pitting them at each other's neck.
"Neither one of us probably sleep much," Kelsey said, "but we both know we're very, very blessed to be in the positions that we're in."
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
