LEXINGTON, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — The Coach Mark Pope era of Kentucky basketball is breathing new life into Big Blue Nation, and local stores are capitalizing off of new merchandise inspired by the coach.
For 11 years now, Rick Paynter and his wife have created Kentucky-themed t-shirts at The Kentucky Shop, and Paynter told FOX 56 that it was a no-brainer to start cranking out Coach Pope gear for the fans as quickly as possible.
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“We heard on Thursday the rumor mill was turning, and then Friday morning we got confirmation, and we were basically off to the races right then and there,” said Paynter.
“It was like one shirt after another out the door,” added Gracen Layman, an employee at the shop . “It was insane.”
After fans welcomed Coach Pope home this weekend, Paynter said it was clear he brings the excitement for Kentucky basketball to a whole new level. It is a characteristic Paynter hopes to showcase in his new line of Coach Pope merchandise.
“I think he’s going to have this type of excitement in year five or year one,” he said. “I think that he’s going to be the type of guy that’s just fun to watch and fun to be part of, whether we’re down or up.”
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Fans now have 8 new designs themed around Coach Pope to choose from at The Kentucky Shop.
“When something new and exciting happens in Kentucky, we’re the first ones to swing in and create some fun t-shirts around it, and hopefully people like them, and gives them a sense of state pride and a sense of coming together.”
Layman told FOX 56 that the new shirts have been flying off the shelves non-stop since late last week.
“Saturday, I had both sides of these two racks full and then a stack probably this big of just folded t-shirts in the back,” she said. “And this is you can see we have three left.”
As University of Kentucky students, Layman and Gracie Roberts said nothing beats the excitement of Kentucky basketball on campus, and it means a lot to help usher in the Coach Pope era.
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“You just meet the coolest people,” said Roberts. “And obviously you meet the die-hard Kentucky fans, which is so fun to know that there’s so many people that love the sport as much as I do in the school. So, I mean, it’s just a cool experience overall.”
While Pope-themed shirts are scarce in store right now, The Kentucky Shop does have plenty to choose from online.
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