Coach Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats wanted to have a big summer, including an adventure overseas to Israel to play against international competition. Unfortunately, that fell through due to the current conflict in that area. At the time, Pope said they would try to replace it with a different location, but it appears that won’t happen now.
Pope told Darrell Bird of The Cats’ Pause that a summer trip was probably off the table now, saying “We’re probably a lean towards not going right now.” He did add “We’ll see.” So there’s still a chance something will come together.
Previously, Pope has stated his love of summer tours with the team. He was a part of one to Italy during his playing days in Lexington, and has said, “It’s an unbelievable experience for these young people.”
It’s sure to be disappointing to Pope to be unable to make it happen, and likely disappointing to the players as well. However, as Pope continues to try and finish building the roster, it gives him extra time to help the team come together in other ways.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky basketball unlikely to take summer overseas tour