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OREM — When Utah Valley coach Dick Hunsaker stepped down at the close of the 2014-15 season, the Wolverines were able to quickly search for the program's next men's basketball coach.
The search didn't take long — and only wound up traveling 4 miles along University Parkway.
BYU assistant coach Mark Pope will be the head coach at Utah Valley, according to multiple reports Monday afternoon. UVU has scheduled an on-campus press conference Tuesday to make an official announcement.
CBS Sports first reported the hire Monday, and BYU assistant coach Tim LaComb also confirmed the report on Twitter.
Congrats to Coach Pope. Really happy for him and his family. He will do a GREAT job at UVU. — Tim LaComb (@tlacomb) March 31, 2015
Pope came to BYU in 2011 after one season as an assistant at Wake Forest, bringing with him shooting guard Chase Fischer, the highly recruited prospect from Ripley, W. Va.
A native of Bellevue, Washington, Pope played two seasons at the University of Washington before graduating from Kentucky, where he was a team co-captain for the 1996 NCAA champion Wildcats.
Pope's professional career lasted nine years with teams in Indiana, Colorado, Turkey and La Crosse, Wisconsin. He attended two years of medical school at Columbia University in New York City before accepting a job as the director of basketball operations at the University of Georgia in 2009.
His assignments at BYU have included recruiting, coaching the team's defensive plays, working with the post players and scouting opponents. Pope's proteges include former NBA player Brandon Davies and current BYU big men like Luke Worthington and Nate Austin.
BYU's record since Pope joined the staff was 98-43 in four years.
UVU will be Pope's first head coaching job. His wife Lee Anne us the daughter of former Utah basketball coach Lynne Archibald.
