Mark Pope’s eyes light up whenever the Mountain Mamba’s name comes up

Mark Pope’s eyes light up whenever the Mountain Mamba’s name comes up, and whispers around the locker room suggest he might just be the X-factor that changes the Wildcats’ entire season. Veterans are already leaning on him for energy, young guys are following his lead, and the coaching staff… well, they’re running out of ways to describe him.

The Mountain Mamba — a nickname earned during his college days for his relentless, coiled-spring explosiveness — doesn’t just play basketball. He attacks it. Every drill in practice is a competition, every scrimmage feels like a playoff game, and every loose ball is his personal mission.

“He’s contagious,” Pope said after Tuesday’s practice, shaking his head like a man still trying to process it. “You can’t be around that kind of intensity and not feel it seep into your own game.”

Teammates agree. Senior guard Marcus Lively, normally the loudest voice in the gym, admitted that lately he’s been letting the Mamba do the talking — and the yelling — and the diving across the hardwood for rebounds in meaningless walk-throughs. “I’ve been here four years,” Lively said, “and I’ve never seen someone flip a switch this fast and have the whole team follow.”

The transformation isn’t just about hustle. The Mamba’s offensive instincts are razor sharp. He’s not the tallest forward on the roster, nor the quickest guard, but he thrives in the in-between — that uncanny ability to slither into open space just as a defender blinks. And when the game’s on the line, he wants the ball, not because he craves the spotlight, but because he trusts his preparation.

Pope has started leaning on him in key moments, drawing up late-game sets with the Mamba as the primary option. It’s a gamble, especially with more seasoned scorers on the team, but so far, it’s paying off. In the Wildcats’ last two games, he’s scored a combined 27 points in the final five minutes, sealing back-to-back wins.

Off the court, his influence is just as striking. Younger players who were once hesitant to speak up in huddles now bark out defensive assignments. Veterans, instead of pacing themselves through practice, have ramped up their effort to match his. Even the training staff has noticed fewer sluggish warm-ups and more all-out sprints.

There’s still work to be done — Pope is quick to point out that the Mamba is prone to overplaying passing lanes and sometimes gets caught gambling on defense. But that, he says, is part of the charm. “I’ll take a guy I have to reel in over one I have to light a fire under,” Pope said.

If this momentum holds, the Mountain Mamba could be more than just a mid-season spark. He could be the pivot point in a Wildcats campaign that started with question marks and is now beginning to feel like a story worth telling in March.

And if you ask Pope, he’s fine with that. Because for now, every time the Mountain Mamba’s name comes up, he knows — and everyone in that locker room knows — they might just be looking at the player who changes everything.