Mark Pope has done so much right in his short time as the head coach of the Kentucky men’s basketball program, checking off just about every request this fanbase has asked of him since last April. When you have this passionate of an audience, they will micro-analyze every little thing you do and that’s what makes this place so special — according to Pope himself.

After two exhibitions and one regular season game, the analysis started to arrive as fans started asking why former KHSAA stars now current Wildcats, Travis Perry and Trent Noah, haven’t played as much as the others to start the season.

Travis Perry seems to be the 12th man on the bench (not including walk-ons) after just winning a state title and becoming the state’s all-time leading scorer just eight months ago, with Trent Noah being one of the last three off the bench who was a star in his own at that same level. Some noise online — a very little amount — surfaced following the Wright State game with concern on why they weren’t playing as much, as the two are some of the fan’s favorites after watching them shine for many years locally.

“A skilled sailor has never been bored of smooth seas,” is how he (Mark Pope) overall described the adversity the two are facing.

Travis and Trent both have likely never not started a game throughout their basketball careers, and now they are facing head-on limited minutes for the team. Against Bucknell this afternoon, we didn’t see either play in the first half with Trent finally checking in mid-way through the second half. Travis Perry would finally find clock within the last five minutes of the game, both receiving their routine applause once stepping foot on the floor.

Mark was lightly questioned about it after tonight’s game, saying it’s “hard” for he and the individuals involved to have to force themselves to learn how to handle this type of situation. “It is one of the great challenges as an athlete.”

“Every single one of our players have been in exactly the position that they are in now, and if you treat it right, a skilled sailor has never been bored of smooth seas, right? Like, it’s just the truth. This is rough waters for those guys.”

Checking in for single-digit minutes might not feel very valuable to some, but the head coach say it very much is. “Because of the analytics now, these last four minutes are just as important as the first four minutes.” The time they’ve spent on the floor is not considered “throwaway time” because they “have to come in and be great” when entering the game. To help them get the best seeding come March, total points scored in any game this season will be factored into the decisioning by the committee. So, those final minutes of a game aren’t just to run the clock off like it used to be conducted for many decades.

The overall situation that has been presented has really impressed Mark Pope from the angle that they have both handled it. “I’m telling you, these kids are built different man. I don’t know if I’ve ever had the privilege of coaching young guys that are in this situation that have been as great as these kids are.”

Through the first two official games, Travis Perry has totaled in under 7 minutes of game time with Trent Noah finding just under 8 minutes himself. They currently combine for 0-4 from the field and for zero points, with the only stats accounted for during their short time is 4 rebounds, 1 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, and 2 fouls.

To hear more of Mark Pope’s words, here is his post game interview.

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