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The Kentucky basketball team took down SEC rival Tennessee in Rupp Arena on Tuesday night to land a season sweep of the Vols. During the halftime break, Mark Pope’s daughter performed with the dance team.
In doing so, she repped her father’s 1996 national championship jersey. It made quite the impact on the Wildcats head coach.
Layla Pope is a dancer for the Utah Jazz. She took advantage of an off day this week to cheer on her dad in Lexington. After the ‘Cats and Vols cleared the floor for the halftime break, the Kentucky dance team performed. Pope was centerstage!
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She wore Mark Pope’s No. 41 jersey during the show, which he donned as a player nearly three decades ago. While a member of the Wildcats, he helped the program win a title under Rick Pitino.
In that season, the center averaged 7.6 points and 5.2 boards. He’d later become a second round NBA Draft pick for the Indiana Pacers.
Pope was asked about his daughter’s performance after the fact. He was proud to see Layla on the court with his alma mater.
“Actually, it’s super sweet to me… I got to have my — it’s really, actually pretty incredible — I got to have my daughter wearing my national championship jersey on our court in this game. And just like, you know, it’s not about me or not about us but in a really personal way that’s a super special moment for me.”
-Mark Pope
Layla Pope is one of four daughters in an extremely athletic family. Sister, Ella, was a college hooper at Ohio. Sibling, Avery, was a tennis player at BYU.
Typically, you’ll find Pope performing on the court in Utah at NBA games. The Jazz were off on Tuesday night, giving her the opportunity to watch her father coach.
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Utah is back in action Wednesday against the Lakers. Layla Pope expects to rejoin her squad this week.