PROVO, Utah (AP) Mark Pope is returning to BYU as the Cougars' new head coach with the task of elevating a program that hasn't earned an NCAA Tournament berth since 2015.

The school announced Wednesday that it was naming Pope to replace Dave Rose, who retired in March after 14 seasons at the helm of the Cougars program. Pope was an assistant under Rose from 2011 to 2015 before leaving to take the top job at Utah Valley.

He emerged as the leading candidate at BYU after his successful stint at Utah Valley, where he compiled a 77-56 record over four seasons. Pope led Utah Valley to CBI Tournament appearances in each of his final three seasons with the school. He also had stints as an assistant coach at Georgia and Wake Forest.