BYU Basketball Coach Mark Pope Signs Contract Extension Through 2026-27
Nov 24, 2020, 7:08 PM | Updated: 7:08 pm
BYU basketball opens the season with its first practices with new head coach Mark Pope and staff at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019. (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball head coach Mark Pope is going to be on the Cougars bench for awhile. The school announced Tuesday night, one night before the 2020-21 season opener that Pope’s contract has been extended through the 2026-27 season.
“Mark is a proven leader and a builder of strong teams that will continue to represent BYU well,” BYU athletics director Tom Holmoe said. “His unique abilities to recruit, develop and refine are the attributes any school would love for their coaches to possess, and we are so glad to have him here.”
#BYU Basketball has extended Mark Pope through the 2026-27 season. The school just announced.#BYUhoops @kslsports
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 25, 2020
In his first year as BYU’s head coach, Pope led the Cougars to a 24-8 record and a No. 18 final ranking in the major Top 25 polls.
“I love BYU, I love what this university stands for, I love Cougar Nation, and I love this team,” Pope said. “I have never had an experience in my basketball career quite like last season. What we were able to accomplish, considering the circumstances we found ourselves in, was remarkable, and there’s so much more to come. This is a program where we can win, and win big. Lee Anne and I are filled with gratitude to announce this contract extension, and we’re just getting started.”
According to BYU’s press release, Pope is deferring the increased compensation in his new contract into the future in an effort to help BYU Athletics with budget concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. BYU’s Tom Holmoe said last week that the school expected a $20 million financial shortfall in the 2020-21 academic year.
BREAKING: @BYUbasketball has extended Mark Pope's contract through the 2026-27 season.#BYUHoops #GoCougs
More on the KSL Sports app. pic.twitter.com/B8jC2fqiVD
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 25, 2020
Terms of Pope’s salary are not disclosed as BYU is a private institution not subject to open records requests.
Pope is the 19th head coach in BYU basketball history, dating back to the school’s inaugural season in 1902-03.
The second year of the Mark Pope era at BYU opens on Wednesday when the Cougars take on Westminster at 6 p.m. at the Marriott Center.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m., KSL Newsradio). Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper and the KSL Sports app.
