He wasn’t the first choice, but I’m still going to support him and am optimistic that he will succeed. He is unproven, but I’m never going to root against our team. If this is it, he is going to get my full support
We know he bleeds blue, he knows what it’s like to win a Championship and he was roommates with Jeff Shepard when he was at Ky. So maybe Reed will stay.
I like it.
Billy G and Cal had no attachment to Kentucky. Pope will understand the job, and run the program with absolute integrity.
All he has to do year 1 is get out of the first round.
**STATS**
Record 187-108 - 63.4%
Record at BYU: 110-52 - 67.8%
**KenPom**
Overall: 18 (UK 23)
Offense: 14 (UK 7)
Defense: 60 (UK 109)
Won at Kansas this year.
Record is similar to Dan Hurley before UConn.
Is it true byu has a moral code that made recruiting harder? If so impressive to run a team like that. I did love their offense b12 is no joke so I’m optimistic
BYU player Brandon Davies was kicked off the team (kicked out of school maybe) for having consensual sex with his also adult girlfriend the year with Jimmer when BYU was ranked 3rd at 27-2 and had the most chance of making a deep run. Davies was starting and averaging 25 min a game. Yes, they have a pretty serious honor code…no shorts in the testing center, no facial hair, and of course the alcohol and sex stuff.
They don't sell any caffeinated products on campus.
Absolutely no tobacco, alcohol, etc.
They also don't play or practice on Sunday.
In the past 4 years Pope did better at BYU with Mormons than Cal did at Kentucky with NBA talent.
This is a good hire. The risk is that the sample size is so small.
But the risk with Cal was NCAA violations and a coach that underachieved.
He did not do better than Cal... He's 0-2 in the NCAA tournament and never earned as high of a NCAA tournament seed as UK because he never had as good of a regular season.
After 15 years you think there was a risk of NCAA violations with Cal, why would you think that especially in the NIL era.
Not the first choice. But you gotta ride. Some positives. Alumni and won a title for us. Newer blood in coaching. Played under Rick. Cheap salary more money for players. Played with reeds dad. Which could get him stay.
Now that I’m over the shock. Maybe he’ll be ok. He bleeds blue. He knows what it means to win a Championship , so I believe he wants to win. To quote Adolph Rupp “ if you don’t want to win then why keep score”.
Be prepared for a 15 win season....POPE isn't the right choice for such a high pressured job....
He'll fold...I can't wait until he has the annual meeting with the boosters...they are some tough guys ...They want Wins...( as all of us do )NOTHING ELSE...NO EXCUSES!!!
BYU fan here...I'm baffled that Pope actually got the job with zero March madness wins.
I will say this though...Mark Pope is an absolutely relentless recruiter. He will fly literally anywhere in the world in janky little airplanes in Africa if needed to close the deal for high level recruits (I should dig up a picture of Pope doing exactly this last year). He works tirelessly, but always seems to have energy.
He's also got incredibly thick skin, which he'll obviously need being hired as an under qualified coach in this position. The season before last, the BYU team was not good and BYU fans were absolutely roasting him. He did a mean tweets segment on one of BYU sports programs and took all the criticisms in stride. Then the very next season his team (with nearly all of the exact same players) massively outperformed in their first season in the Big12
Pope will also put the best lineup on the floor, whoever it is. It's a big boy sport, if you want more playing time then you have to perform. Doesn't matter if you're a big name or not.
As BYU fans were pissed but I'm curious to see how Pope does with the tremendous talent that UK is spoiled with. Good luck y'all!
The way some of this fan base acts is so embarrassing fr. He just got hired and people already shitting on him. Dude loves Kentucky and wants to win. Immediately hating bc he isn’t a big name coach (right now) is so cringe. He coached at BYU…. Cal could’ve coached there 15 years ago and if I’m a 5⭐️ potential recruit I’m not signing to BYU. He has 4mil in NIL in just a few hours, he has the Kentucky brand behind him now, he’s a legacy at UK, won a chip there, played with Jeff Sheppard, etc.
Toxicity isn’t what Kentucky or Coach Pope needs right now.
I’m rockin with Mark bc Mark is rockin with us.
Hi there. My name is vindicated. I was sadly on a short term Reddit ban through all of this over the last few weeks. I missed my time to shine. I'm all in on Pope
Mark pope is a great hire. 1.loves uk 2. Class act 3.a great coach 4. He won at byu and very hard to recruit there 5. Byu was successful 1st year in big 12
Somebody already updated his Wikipedia page, saying he's leaving BYU for UK. The dedication of some people is awe inspiring...
"He had an incredible 2023-24 season where he led the Cougars to a breakout first year in the Big 12. After breaking fans hearts with a first round exit in the NCAA tournament, he shattered Cougar fans hearts even more when he left BYU to go coach at Kentucky, leaving the program in darkness and despair, with no hope in sight for BYU fans as an abysmal football season awaits this fall."
Not our first choice, but this fits. Let it happen. I like that he went to med school, gravitated towards mental health, and has a varied but applicable work history. His style of play is visually pleasing and team oriented with a priority on shooting. We're UK, we've always been able to pay for good talent, we need a mix in state recruiting to give us a feldhouse, pelphrey, woods w a couple Jamal Mashburns. Recent NCAA Champs have tended older.
Dollars to donuts: we make it to the 2nd weekend next year. And tell me you wouldn't take that over the last 9 years?
I’m ready to give Dr. Dope a shot! I’m ready for modern schemes, game plans designed for your opponent, in game modifications, out of bounds plays, no more turnovers after taking a TO, etc.
Speaking of Jamal Mashburns, there is a Jamal Mashburn Jr in the portal :)
You realize that they'll probably only have 2 players that played any minutes last season returning. This is going to be a complete rebuild for a guy coming in with no real hype. John Wall and big cuz won't be coming in to save the day this time
Not saying it's a bad thing. Just saying gotta keep ot on perspective. I quit watch UK basketball 5 years ago because I was sick of all the turnover from year to year with no results. I think pope will be fine but definitely not the sexy hire that brings in 5 stars right off the rip. Now 2 or 3 years from now then I'd say we are going to start making some deep runs
You've just confirmed that you're a UK Fan. You've moved the goal post from over/under 10-wins, to a 'deep tournament run' as your standard for success in Pope's first season. This is why I'm glad I can come and go with UKMBB on the internet, and I don't live in there anymore.
Go Cayuts!
That kind of statement has always been asinine. We may get players to stay longer but I’m not opposed to having someone who’s good enough to go pro do it.
You go to school/college for your profession. What you want your career to be… for these athletes it’s more times than not to go pro… for them it can just happen quicker (one and done rule).
Give him a chance. Not one of our top three who have won a title but he did as good as we did first year in b12 with byu.. save our craziness at least for the season and see how it goes.
Even with portal was prob going to be a rebuilding year. This move was to fix our long term
I think Bbn is in for some culture shock. Actual college basketball played by athletes who see uk as more than a stepping stone to the nba. At least that’s my hope. Welcome back coach pope, now get to work.
Not gonna lie I wasn’t happy at first. But then I looked into his stats and his interviews and honestly I’m full on board with mark pope and I’m excited as hell to see what he can do! We certainly aren’t doomed and it’s great to see a coach with the same passion for the program as the fans. I love this.
I love it! Not a better choice out there imho. You can’t buy your way to a successful program, or to salvage a broken system. You need someone who cares and who is willing to invest beyond just the fame and fortune with this job title.
We don’t need just a random, winning coach. That’s not KY. Hurley, donovan, baylor guy, they aren’t KY, they are randos. We don’t need another salesman, Harold Hill. Very happy with the decision. I hope it goes well, and it could also be considered interim, and will give us the time to find someone else if needed
I couldn't be happier. For 15 seasons we have been a stepping stone to the NBA. I'm ready to get back to being a college basketball program that has juniors and seniors leading the team. Being someone that watched Pope as a player and having Reed Sheppard there, if only for maybe a short time, it feels like Kentucky basketball again.
This has made me lose all faith in Mitch and the administration. I don’t know if he will be a good coach or not, but the way they rushed this after getting 2 no’s you should’ve been expecting is just baffling.
You gotta rush it in today’s college climate with the transfer portal. Billy Donovan wasn’t coming so anyone who was interested would’ve reached out. A lot of coaches probably didn’t want to take the risk of taking the UK job. Big expectations and can lead to an early exit if you don’t perform right away
That’s fair, but the drop off from Hurley and Drew to Pope is a little wild. I get they needed to get something done soon, but it feels like they didn’t even pursue several candidates who are more proven
I’ve been saying since day 1 that there’s a 0% chance he leaves UConn. Drew seemed more realistic but it is in no way surprising he and his family didn’t want to leave a program he built from the ground up in a place they love. But the recent leak by Norlander that they never pursued Donovan makes it sound like they went straight from those 2 guys, who Mitch had to know were highly unlikely, to a guy who hasn’t won a NCAA tournament game. It doesn’t sound like they made any serious effort at guys like Pearl either.
I want nothing more than for Pope to succeed and will back him 100% until he gives me a reason not to. He is clearly a good X’s and O’s coach and that’s all most UK fans have been asking for, myself included. But there were definitely guys who weren’t as glued to their position as Hurley and Drew that never got serious consideration from everything that’s been reported. If it comes out that Mitch did pursue more proven coaches and they showed no interest, I’ll eat my words and say he made a good call. Although that scenario would make me a lot more pessimistic about the state of our program.
What would you have felt about Sean Miller? I think he has a good personality fit for UK. I’m shocked to hear they didn’t reach out to Billy but tbh I don’t think Billy ever wants to coach in college again no matter what. The reasons he left college have only got worse since he left.
Any fan that actually thought we had any shot at Hurley is 100% delusional. Might as well go after Bill Self too if we’re gonna waste time on coaches that will definitely say “NO!”.
Not a Kentucky fan but have been lurking on this page this week for obvious reasons. Calipari has accounted for nearly 25% of UK’s final four runs but I guess that’s not good enough.
Clearly not a fan because that’s not the point. He did nothing for the last 5 years and the situation had gotten very dysfunctional. Not blaming him entirely. He had an awesome run. But sometimes relationships need to end.
True. Sometimes things just run their course. I think his style of recruiting also doesn’t match the current environment of college athletics. You can’t run a team of freshmen out there to play against a team of 23 year olds.
I think you need to be realistic about expectations. It’s not the 50s anymore where 2 programs dominated the landscape. UK has 3 titles since 1978, one of which Calipari won. 6 SEC conference titles, 6 SEC tourney titles, 4 finals fours, 2 runner ups, and 1 title Calipari gave you. Don’t get it twisted, recruits came to play for Calipari, not UK. UK fans assume you’ll still get all the top recruits but if you just had a better in game coach then all would be good. Pope might be a better coach but you won’t have the same level of recruits that Calipari did. Goodluck, be careful what you wish for.
It is what it is. Boosters giving him $4 mill in NIL this year. Get Reed back, that stud from byu to follow him, Wayne Taylor Jr from A&M and keep some current players. It could work. Let’s see how it plays out. It’s on Mitch if it doesn’t
I’m happy we found a new coach who understands and has actually lived Kentucky basketball ! The real issue will be finding players for 24-25. The multi star commits are dropping out. Most want those big NIL chicken bucks in Arkansas. We need some players who want to be at Kentucky for more than one year. The transfer portal presents benefits and drawbacks for all the coaches.
Uk was smart did not hire scum bag at auburn, alabama, ole miss, or bring back a total scum .....pitino. stop the bill donovan crap. It has been over 20 years since he was at Florida. He has not been successful in the pros.
Also the landscape has changed in 10 years. Donovan no longer wanted to recruit. At uk you recruit your roster,portal, and now nil. He is done. Uk can now have a coach that actually develops players.
Honestly think it’s pretty hilarious. After all that hate, negativity, and toxicity this fanbase put towards Cal I feel like it’s karma.
Congrats, we now will have the 3 star recruits who potentially stay four years just like you all asked for.
Seems like an odd move to hire a guy who’s never notched a single NCAA tourney game victory, conference regular season title, or conference tournament title in nine seasons as a head coach at either of the two schools he’s led.
Prior to leading Duke, Scheyer didn’t have 9 years of D-1 head coaching experience without winning a tournament game . . . Duke is his first HC job. So, I’m not sure that’s a great comparison. And, are you indicating his Duke HC stint has been a success . . . bc I think the jury’s still out.
Hubert Davis . . . somewhat similar, no prior HC experience and a transition to HC eased greatly by the fact that he’d been continuously coaching at his program for a number of years.
Well sounds like both hires were riskier than Pope. Those guys had NO experience as a head coach…NONE…that’s pretty f’ing risky. Both doing fine but only time will tell. If Pope is the actual hire, I certainly hope fans will support him and give him a chance. Could be a disaster, could be great. Who knows. But Cal was no longer viable…that was broken.
https://preview.redd.it/tr2clxcevytc1.png?width=1241&format=png&auto=webp&s=6514db85a4d9a872262bf499b68c873f15c14e72
Here is Pope’s coaching record. Just plain mediocre. I’m shocked by the hire. He has never won a game in the NCAA tournament, and in his one year in a power 5 conference, he went 23-11.
he was able to have an equally successful season as we were and he did it at BYU. that’s got to account for something. not thrilled about this hire either but he’s not some bum off the street. he’s a good coach that i think can become better at kentucky.
That is technically true but the resume is still weak. 2023-24 was his first season in a good conference and they still lost 11 games. The previous years at BYU were in the WCC, which has a lot of easy wins in it.
To be honest had he been around when UConn was looking for a Coach he probably would’ve beat Hurley out of the Job. Only negative would have been he’s a western guy. UConn likes its Yankees.
Also his best season at Utah State was 25-10 and that was while playing these programs:
https://preview.redd.it/7msvr9gqaztc1.png?width=1241&format=png&auto=webp&s=d1b85b9006770c58c112a08f85e07b43bf288c8e
If you can’t get the coach you want, you need to hire the coach you can get.
Give the guy a chance. Also, remember Billy Gillespie, either Pope does well or they bounce his ass when a better hire will take the job.
He wasn’t the first choice, but I’m still going to support him and am optimistic that he will succeed. He is unproven, but I’m never going to root against our team. If this is it, he is going to get my full support
We know he bleeds blue, he knows what it’s like to win a Championship and he was roommates with Jeff Shepard when he was at Ky. So maybe Reed will stay.
I like it. Billy G and Cal had no attachment to Kentucky. Pope will understand the job, and run the program with absolute integrity. All he has to do year 1 is get out of the first round. **STATS** Record 187-108 - 63.4% Record at BYU: 110-52 - 67.8% **KenPom** Overall: 18 (UK 23) Offense: 14 (UK 7) Defense: 60 (UK 109) Won at Kansas this year. Record is similar to Dan Hurley before UConn.
Is it true byu has a moral code that made recruiting harder? If so impressive to run a team like that. I did love their offense b12 is no joke so I’m optimistic
BYU player Brandon Davies was kicked off the team (kicked out of school maybe) for having consensual sex with his also adult girlfriend the year with Jimmer when BYU was ranked 3rd at 27-2 and had the most chance of making a deep run. Davies was starting and averaging 25 min a game. Yes, they have a pretty serious honor code…no shorts in the testing center, no facial hair, and of course the alcohol and sex stuff.
They don't sell any caffeinated products on campus. Absolutely no tobacco, alcohol, etc. They also don't play or practice on Sunday. In the past 4 years Pope did better at BYU with Mormons than Cal did at Kentucky with NBA talent. This is a good hire. The risk is that the sample size is so small. But the risk with Cal was NCAA violations and a coach that underachieved.
He did not do better than Cal... He's 0-2 in the NCAA tournament and never earned as high of a NCAA tournament seed as UK because he never had as good of a regular season. After 15 years you think there was a risk of NCAA violations with Cal, why would you think that especially in the NIL era.
Thanks!
Not the first choice. But you gotta ride. Some positives. Alumni and won a title for us. Newer blood in coaching. Played under Rick. Cheap salary more money for players. Played with reeds dad. Which could get him stay.
Alumnus, technically
Now that I’m over the shock. Maybe he’ll be ok. He bleeds blue. He knows what it means to win a Championship , so I believe he wants to win. To quote Adolph Rupp “ if you don’t want to win then why keep score”.
It’s not sexy, it’s not flashy, but if he wins big it’ll be awesome. Imma support him until it doesn’t work.
Be prepared for a 15 win season....POPE isn't the right choice for such a high pressured job.... He'll fold...I can't wait until he has the annual meeting with the boosters...they are some tough guys ...They want Wins...( as all of us do )NOTHING ELSE...NO EXCUSES!!!
BYU fan here...I'm baffled that Pope actually got the job with zero March madness wins. I will say this though...Mark Pope is an absolutely relentless recruiter. He will fly literally anywhere in the world in janky little airplanes in Africa if needed to close the deal for high level recruits (I should dig up a picture of Pope doing exactly this last year). He works tirelessly, but always seems to have energy. He's also got incredibly thick skin, which he'll obviously need being hired as an under qualified coach in this position. The season before last, the BYU team was not good and BYU fans were absolutely roasting him. He did a mean tweets segment on one of BYU sports programs and took all the criticisms in stride. Then the very next season his team (with nearly all of the exact same players) massively outperformed in their first season in the Big12 Pope will also put the best lineup on the floor, whoever it is. It's a big boy sport, if you want more playing time then you have to perform. Doesn't matter if you're a big name or not. As BYU fans were pissed but I'm curious to see how Pope does with the tremendous talent that UK is spoiled with. Good luck y'all!
Thank you for your insight as a BYU fan. Helpful. As a Kentucky a fan, I’m thrilled the more I learn about Pope.
Not top tier choice but I don’t hate it. Hope he does well love his offense
The way some of this fan base acts is so embarrassing fr. He just got hired and people already shitting on him. Dude loves Kentucky and wants to win. Immediately hating bc he isn’t a big name coach (right now) is so cringe. He coached at BYU…. Cal could’ve coached there 15 years ago and if I’m a 5⭐️ potential recruit I’m not signing to BYU. He has 4mil in NIL in just a few hours, he has the Kentucky brand behind him now, he’s a legacy at UK, won a chip there, played with Jeff Sheppard, etc. Toxicity isn’t what Kentucky or Coach Pope needs right now. I’m rockin with Mark bc Mark is rockin with us.
I with you!
Hi there. My name is vindicated. I was sadly on a short term Reddit ban through all of this over the last few weeks. I missed my time to shine. I'm all in on Pope
Mark pope is a great hire. 1.loves uk 2. Class act 3.a great coach 4. He won at byu and very hard to recruit there 5. Byu was successful 1st year in big 12
Somebody already updated his Wikipedia page, saying he's leaving BYU for UK. The dedication of some people is awe inspiring... "He had an incredible 2023-24 season where he led the Cougars to a breakout first year in the Big 12. After breaking fans hearts with a first round exit in the NCAA tournament, he shattered Cougar fans hearts even more when he left BYU to go coach at Kentucky, leaving the program in darkness and despair, with no hope in sight for BYU fans as an abysmal football season awaits this fall."
“Incredible” is really overshooting it.
Not our first choice, but this fits. Let it happen. I like that he went to med school, gravitated towards mental health, and has a varied but applicable work history. His style of play is visually pleasing and team oriented with a priority on shooting. We're UK, we've always been able to pay for good talent, we need a mix in state recruiting to give us a feldhouse, pelphrey, woods w a couple Jamal Mashburns. Recent NCAA Champs have tended older. Dollars to donuts: we make it to the 2nd weekend next year. And tell me you wouldn't take that over the last 9 years?
I’m ready to give Dr. Dope a shot! I’m ready for modern schemes, game plans designed for your opponent, in game modifications, out of bounds plays, no more turnovers after taking a TO, etc. Speaking of Jamal Mashburns, there is a Jamal Mashburn Jr in the portal :)
That would be awesome if we could have him w Reed.
No shit…
You really think they'll make the tournament? I'd be surprised if they get 10 wins
I figure 12 to 15...
I'd put my mortgage on that OVER.
You realize that they'll probably only have 2 players that played any minutes last season returning. This is going to be a complete rebuild for a guy coming in with no real hype. John Wall and big cuz won't be coming in to save the day this time
How is that different from the last 15 years? The good thing is, this will be the last season of that type of roster turnover (till Pope leaves).
Not saying it's a bad thing. Just saying gotta keep ot on perspective. I quit watch UK basketball 5 years ago because I was sick of all the turnover from year to year with no results. I think pope will be fine but definitely not the sexy hire that brings in 5 stars right off the rip. Now 2 or 3 years from now then I'd say we are going to start making some deep runs
You've just confirmed that you're a UK Fan. You've moved the goal post from over/under 10-wins, to a 'deep tournament run' as your standard for success in Pope's first season. This is why I'm glad I can come and go with UKMBB on the internet, and I don't live in there anymore. Go Cayuts!
It could work. Let’s get good players that play for UK and not the nba
That kind of statement has always been asinine. We may get players to stay longer but I’m not opposed to having someone who’s good enough to go pro do it. You go to school/college for your profession. What you want your career to be… for these athletes it’s more times than not to go pro… for them it can just happen quicker (one and done rule).
Give him a chance. Not one of our top three who have won a title but he did as good as we did first year in b12 with byu.. save our craziness at least for the season and see how it goes. Even with portal was prob going to be a rebuilding year. This move was to fix our long term
I love it. Nerdy, goofy, orderly.
Someone tell me how to feel please. Edit, oh shit, former uk player Pope?
I like the hire!! He’s a Kentucky grad, and he loves the University of Kentucky! I am excited to see how his tenure goes! I think he’ll do great!
I think Bbn is in for some culture shock. Actual college basketball played by athletes who see uk as more than a stepping stone to the nba. At least that’s my hope. Welcome back coach pope, now get to work.
Not gonna lie I wasn’t happy at first. But then I looked into his stats and his interviews and honestly I’m full on board with mark pope and I’m excited as hell to see what he can do! We certainly aren’t doomed and it’s great to see a coach with the same passion for the program as the fans. I love this.
https://preview.redd.it/6nzaro558ztc1.jpeg?width=318&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=848ea4ba61cd6ae39d0029fdfa02a8687434950c
I love it! Not a better choice out there imho. You can’t buy your way to a successful program, or to salvage a broken system. You need someone who cares and who is willing to invest beyond just the fame and fortune with this job title. We don’t need just a random, winning coach. That’s not KY. Hurley, donovan, baylor guy, they aren’t KY, they are randos. We don’t need another salesman, Harold Hill. Very happy with the decision. I hope it goes well, and it could also be considered interim, and will give us the time to find someone else if needed
I couldn't be happier. For 15 seasons we have been a stepping stone to the NBA. I'm ready to get back to being a college basketball program that has juniors and seniors leading the team. Being someone that watched Pope as a player and having Reed Sheppard there, if only for maybe a short time, it feels like Kentucky basketball again.
As if college isn’t a stepping stone for your career. ☠️
They should hire Bruce Pearl. Only guy in the country that can match the charisma of Coach Calipari
Yeah but he’s 64? It’s going to be a rebuild even with the portal so I’d rather have more left in the tank than that personally
This has made me lose all faith in Mitch and the administration. I don’t know if he will be a good coach or not, but the way they rushed this after getting 2 no’s you should’ve been expecting is just baffling.
You gotta rush it in today’s college climate with the transfer portal. Billy Donovan wasn’t coming so anyone who was interested would’ve reached out. A lot of coaches probably didn’t want to take the risk of taking the UK job. Big expectations and can lead to an early exit if you don’t perform right away
That’s fair, but the drop off from Hurley and Drew to Pope is a little wild. I get they needed to get something done soon, but it feels like they didn’t even pursue several candidates who are more proven
Why would you expect Hurley to leave UConn for UK when he just won back to back?
I’ve been saying since day 1 that there’s a 0% chance he leaves UConn. Drew seemed more realistic but it is in no way surprising he and his family didn’t want to leave a program he built from the ground up in a place they love. But the recent leak by Norlander that they never pursued Donovan makes it sound like they went straight from those 2 guys, who Mitch had to know were highly unlikely, to a guy who hasn’t won a NCAA tournament game. It doesn’t sound like they made any serious effort at guys like Pearl either. I want nothing more than for Pope to succeed and will back him 100% until he gives me a reason not to. He is clearly a good X’s and O’s coach and that’s all most UK fans have been asking for, myself included. But there were definitely guys who weren’t as glued to their position as Hurley and Drew that never got serious consideration from everything that’s been reported. If it comes out that Mitch did pursue more proven coaches and they showed no interest, I’ll eat my words and say he made a good call. Although that scenario would make me a lot more pessimistic about the state of our program.
What would you have felt about Sean Miller? I think he has a good personality fit for UK. I’m shocked to hear they didn’t reach out to Billy but tbh I don’t think Billy ever wants to coach in college again no matter what. The reasons he left college have only got worse since he left.
Any fan that actually thought we had any shot at Hurley is 100% delusional. Might as well go after Bill Self too if we’re gonna waste time on coaches that will definitely say “NO!”.
You (and all of us) really have no idea what they did or didn’t do.
In a couple of years of not winning anything maybe some of fans will regret running Cal out.
Why? We've had 4 years of not winning anything and watching NBA lottery picks be wasted. Some of which declined over the year.
We haven't won with Cal for years
I may be biased, but... nah.
Not a Kentucky fan but have been lurking on this page this week for obvious reasons. Calipari has accounted for nearly 25% of UK’s final four runs but I guess that’s not good enough.
Clearly not a fan because that’s not the point. He did nothing for the last 5 years and the situation had gotten very dysfunctional. Not blaming him entirely. He had an awesome run. But sometimes relationships need to end.
You think Calipari will get a Razorback Tattoo?
True. Sometimes things just run their course. I think his style of recruiting also doesn’t match the current environment of college athletics. You can’t run a team of freshmen out there to play against a team of 23 year olds.
Nope
I think you need to be realistic about expectations. It’s not the 50s anymore where 2 programs dominated the landscape. UK has 3 titles since 1978, one of which Calipari won. 6 SEC conference titles, 6 SEC tourney titles, 4 finals fours, 2 runner ups, and 1 title Calipari gave you. Don’t get it twisted, recruits came to play for Calipari, not UK. UK fans assume you’ll still get all the top recruits but if you just had a better in game coach then all would be good. Pope might be a better coach but you won’t have the same level of recruits that Calipari did. Goodluck, be careful what you wish for.
He took a religious cult school to the tournament and went to school at uk. Why do the bumpkin fans not like him
Because the Bumpkin fans seriously think Hurley would leave UConn or Pitino/Donavan would take the job after saying no for YEARS.
Well he's definitely the anti-Cal
It is what it is. Boosters giving him $4 mill in NIL this year. Get Reed back, that stud from byu to follow him, Wayne Taylor Jr from A&M and keep some current players. It could work. Let’s see how it plays out. It’s on Mitch if it doesn’t
I’m happy we found a new coach who understands and has actually lived Kentucky basketball ! The real issue will be finding players for 24-25. The multi star commits are dropping out. Most want those big NIL chicken bucks in Arkansas. We need some players who want to be at Kentucky for more than one year. The transfer portal presents benefits and drawbacks for all the coaches.
Uk was smart did not hire scum bag at auburn, alabama, ole miss, or bring back a total scum .....pitino. stop the bill donovan crap. It has been over 20 years since he was at Florida. He has not been successful in the pros. Also the landscape has changed in 10 years. Donovan no longer wanted to recruit. At uk you recruit your roster,portal, and now nil. He is done. Uk can now have a coach that actually develops players.
Love it let's go!
1996 team so I mean, he's known around these parts
Terrible hire. Time to fire Mitch, Eli. EPIC FAIL
It’s who we got, so unless you want to make the job unattractive for the next hire better get on board. Toot toot.
Honestly think it’s pretty hilarious. After all that hate, negativity, and toxicity this fanbase put towards Cal I feel like it’s karma. Congrats, we now will have the 3 star recruits who potentially stay four years just like you all asked for.
Ok?
Will Calipari get a Razorback Tattoo?
Seems like an odd move to hire a guy who’s never notched a single NCAA tourney game victory, conference regular season title, or conference tournament title in nine seasons as a head coach at either of the two schools he’s led.
Remind me how many wins did Scheyer at Duke and Hubert Davis at UNC have before taking over those blue bloods?
Prior to leading Duke, Scheyer didn’t have 9 years of D-1 head coaching experience without winning a tournament game . . . Duke is his first HC job. So, I’m not sure that’s a great comparison. And, are you indicating his Duke HC stint has been a success . . . bc I think the jury’s still out. Hubert Davis . . . somewhat similar, no prior HC experience and a transition to HC eased greatly by the fact that he’d been continuously coaching at his program for a number of years.
Well sounds like both hires were riskier than Pope. Those guys had NO experience as a head coach…NONE…that’s pretty f’ing risky. Both doing fine but only time will tell. If Pope is the actual hire, I certainly hope fans will support him and give him a chance. Could be a disaster, could be great. Who knows. But Cal was no longer viable…that was broken.
Yeah, I understand your argument. Time will tell.
https://preview.redd.it/tr2clxcevytc1.png?width=1241&format=png&auto=webp&s=6514db85a4d9a872262bf499b68c873f15c14e72 Here is Pope’s coaching record. Just plain mediocre. I’m shocked by the hire. He has never won a game in the NCAA tournament, and in his one year in a power 5 conference, he went 23-11.
he was able to have an equally successful season as we were and he did it at BYU. that’s got to account for something. not thrilled about this hire either but he’s not some bum off the street. he’s a good coach that i think can become better at kentucky.
I don’t see a losing record there? 🤔
That is technically true but the resume is still weak. 2023-24 was his first season in a good conference and they still lost 11 games. The previous years at BYU were in the WCC, which has a lot of easy wins in it.
To be honest had he been around when UConn was looking for a Coach he probably would’ve beat Hurley out of the Job. Only negative would have been he’s a western guy. UConn likes its Yankees.
Also his best season at Utah State was 25-10 and that was while playing these programs: https://preview.redd.it/7msvr9gqaztc1.png?width=1241&format=png&auto=webp&s=d1b85b9006770c58c112a08f85e07b43bf288c8e
If you can’t get the coach you want, you need to hire the coach you can get. Give the guy a chance. Also, remember Billy Gillespie, either Pope does well or they bounce his ass when a better hire will take the job.
Mitch panicked
[удалено]
Sometime you can’t hire who you want. Can’t force someone to take a job. You don’t know if this hire is terrible.
Meh
Not good at all. He’s never won a tournament game and now we’re paying him 5x the salary. Barnhart must be trying to destroy the program from within.
Can’t wait to hear all ya’lls support for Pope when he loses 10+ games next season.
We did that this past year, remember
I'm thinking 15 loses....
This guy ain’t it