Coming out of Fort Worth Dunbar in 2008, Brooklyn Pope was one of the most highly touted forwards in the country. She was a McDonald's All-American after averaging 25 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks her senior season for the Wildcats.
Pope signed with Rutgers out of high school, and played sparingly her freshman year. She averaged 2.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 6.0 minutes a game for the Scarlet Knights. But Pope didn't like being that far away from home, and transferred to Baylor.
After sitting out last season, Pope has emerged as a valuable piece off the bench for the Bears. She plays more than 15 minutes game, averaging 6.9 points and 5.7 rebounds. Against Kansas State on Friday, she had seven rebounds and five points.
Asked about her role on the team, Pope said: "It's fine. We're winning."
Pope later talked about how she would like to get her reputation back to where it was when she left high school. Like most players, Pope would like to become a starter and play a bigger role in the Bears' scheme.
"This has not been the desired year for me," Pope said. "I've just been missing too many shots, but it's great to at least be on a winning team."
Pope might crack the starting rotation next year, though. Bears coach Kim Mulkey said in her post-game press conference that she has contemplated going to a three-post lineup with Brittney Griner, Destiny Williams and Pope next season.
"Boy, that would be scary to guard," Mulkey said. "Have all three of them in there at the same time. I may sit around this summer and think about something like that."
Told of her coaches plan, Pope smiled and said: "Yeah. We'll see if that actually happens."
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