Mitch Barnhart

[Anon726530]

Mitch Barnhart could not possibly take too much criticism for this situation.

Half of our fanbase has already turned on our former national championship player, because you were too lazy to do the job that we have payed you millionSSSS to complete. You tried loser *** Scott Drew and then pivoted to Mark Pope. Don’t ever again show up to any games of any of our teams, you have completely screwed the program in your cushy retirement

 

[Starrcade]

Same song and dance sung a different way, lol.

 

[Anon1768287303]

Mitch Barnhart could not possibly take too much criticism for this situation.

Half of our fanbase has already turned on our former national championship player, because you were too lazy to do the job that we have payed you millionSSSS to complete. You tried loser *** Scott Drew and then pivoted to Mark Pope. Don’t ever again show up to any games of any of our teams, you have completely screwed the program in your cushy retirement

Can't say that I disagree with much of what you've said, but why dig this up? How is it going to change or improve the current landscape of Kentucky men's basketball?

 

[Mike-D]

Yes, Mitch is a moron. We know this.

 

[Dr. H Lecter]

Is this the same Mitch that hired Will Stein?

 

[theKybluedude]

Pope’s story isn’t written yet. It takes a couple years to get going. Ask K, Hurley, Golden or Oats.
This is a big year for him and he has his type roster. I like the look of it. We’ll see.

 

[Johnny_Jeepers]

Pope’s story isn’t written yet. It takes a couple years to get going. Ask K, Hurley, Golden or Oats.
This is a big year for him and he has his type roster. I like the look of it. We’ll see.

 

[Im The Village Idiot]

Is this the same Mitch that hired Will Stein?

Yes the same Mitch that hired Rich Brooks, Joker Phillips, Mark Stoops, Will Stein, Billy Gillispie, John Calipari and Mark Pope. “Yeah, but only the good ones count for whatever reason…” That’s not how the real world works — when you are the athletic director, you are responsible for overseeing the department. Whether you delegated a task to someone else or did it personally (rarely happens), you are deserving of the hiring responsibility and recognition, wherever that ends up falling.

Im not a Mitch hater. I do hate that he has poisoned the fanbase with his philosophical approach that belies our historical standard, but I digress. The man isn’t Satan and he also isn’t Moses. He did a lot of bad and a lot of good. His track record for basketball was unacceptable imho, but he is on the shortlist of greatest ADs in Kentucky history for football and the non-revenue sports.

Him leaving meant nothing — the fanbase has already overdosed on the Mitchness. We have tens of thousands of Mitches now — no need for the OG anymore.

 

[Beatle Bum]

BLUE!
WHITE!
C!
A!
T!
S!
GOOOOOOOOO CATS!!!

 

[Goingfor9]

Barney sucks. Glad he’s gone. He was here way too long a quarter century with the results that he had. It’s just mediocre. There’s nothing great about that time.

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

Yes the same Mitch that hired Rich Brooks, Joker Phillips, Mark Stoops, Will Stein, Billy Gillispie, John Calipari and Mark Pope. “Yeah, but only the good ones count for whatever reason…” That’s not how the real world works — when you are the athletic director, you are responsible for overseeing the department. Whether you delegated a task to someone else or did it personally (rarely happens), you are deserving of the hiring responsibility and recognition, wherever that ends up falling.

Im not a Mitch hater. I do hate that he has poisoned the fanbase with his philosophical approach that belies our historical standard, but I digress. The man isn’t Satan and he also isn’t Moses. He did a lot of bad and a lot of good. His track record for basketball was unacceptable imho, but he is on the shortlist of greatest ADs in Kentucky history for football and the non-revenue sports.

Him leaving meant nothing — the fanbase has already overdosed on the Mitchness. We have tens of thousands of Mitches now — no need for the OG anymore.

Brooks, Stoops, and Stein were all good hires. Brooks made a strong push for Joker to be his successor. At the point Joker was made head coach in waiting so we did not lose him as a coordinator for another head coaching job it was a reasonable move. We moved on from him pretty quickly when it did not work out.

The school president has taken responsibility for blocking Mitch from hiring Cal when BCG was hired and we moved on quickly when it did not work out. Cal was a homerun hire. Pope was hired when we were in a pinch to move quickly and had been turned down by others. The book is still out on Pope at this point.

 

[Skyguyb27]

Pope’s story isn’t written yet. It takes a couple years to get going. Ask K, Hurley, Golden or Oats.
This is a big year for him and he has his type roster. I like the look of it. We’ll see.

Actually it doesn’t take 2 years with the budget Kentucky has for NIL. If you gave Cal this budget to buy players at Kentucky, what he assembled at Kentucky would be ridiculously good and I say that as a guy that wanted Cal gone for 6-7 years. Thats old pay em under the table thinking. NIL has eliminated years to build a team. You can buy them now on Temu and compete the next day.

 

[Bigtyrone]

He’s gone, just let it go.

 

[Snarks]

Same AD who gave Poops a top 5 contract ( at the time) with an unheard of buyout and zero offset.

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

Actually it doesn’t take 2 years with the budget Kentucky has for NIL. If you gave Cal this budget to buy players at Kentucky, what he assembled at Kentucky would be ridiculously good and I say that as a guy that wanted Cal gone for 6-7 years. Thats old pay em under the table thinking. NIL has eliminated years to build a team. You can buy them now on Temu and compete the next day.

Has Cal's recruiting at UK or Arky actually been better with NIL than it was prior to NIL? I've said all along that this idea that it is so much easier now to load up on BB talent at a place like UK now that NIL is a thing is debatable and not the clear cut fact you consider it to be.

 

[HOLYFknShit]

Has Cal's recruiting at UK or Arky actually been better with NIL than it was prior to NIL? I've said all along that this idea that it is so much easier now to load up on BB talent at a place like UK now that NIL is a thing is debatable and not the clear cut fact you consider it to be.

If Cal was here and had the same funds given to him he would have won another championship in theaters two years. Mitch amd boosters didnt provide the same way.

And he still had top talent. Mutch screwed UK like OP said.

 

[Ukbrassowtipin]

Wow this thread has never been posted before

 

[ShakeThatAssBoy]

BLUE!
WHITE!
C!
A!
T!
S!
GOOOOOOOOO CATS!!!

Im getting hard just imagining you cheer that in a cheerleader uniform and pom poms. Hopefully Paul doesn't see me hitting on you.

 

[Damage_inc]

Mitch Barnhart could not possibly take too much criticism for this situation.

Half of our fanbase has already turned on our former national championship player, because you were too lazy to do the job that we have payed you millionSSSS to complete. You tried loser *** Scott Drew and then pivoted to Mark Pope. Don’t ever again show up to any games of any of our teams, you have completely screwed the program in your cushy retirement

Mitch has been so wildly inconsistent with his hirings. How do you knock it out of the park with volleyball, baseball, and seemingly football and just totally let your bell cow (basketball) wander off into the road?

 

[vhcat1970]

Mitch Barnhart could not possibly take too much criticism for this situation.

Half of our fanbase has already turned on our former national championship player, because you were too lazy to do the job that we have payed you millionSSSS to complete. You tried loser *** Scott Drew and then pivoted to Mark Pope. Don’t ever again show up to any games of any of our teams, you have completely screwed the program in your cushy retirement

You didn't pay a dam cent.

 

[rick64]

 

[Skyguyb27]

Has Cal's recruiting at UK or Arky actually been better with NIL than it was prior to NIL? I've said all along that this idea that it is so much easier now to load up on BB talent at a place like UK now that NIL is a thing is debatable and not the clear cut fact you consider it to be.

That is true and it definitely is debatable. I didn’t say what I actually meant clearly I guess. I don’t think Cal now is the same as the younger version of Cal. The intent was IF you have a good coach with a fire to beat the world anmd some swag with the backing of UK it shouldn’t be this hard to compete year one. It’s realistically 8-10 players you need to recruit to compete.

 

[Resignmarkpope]

Mitch Barnhart could not possibly take too much criticism for this situation.

Half of our fanbase has already turned on our former national championship player, because you were too lazy to do the job that we have payed you millionSSSS to complete. You tried loser *** Scott Drew and then pivoted to Mark Pope. Don’t ever again show up to any games of any of our teams, you have completely screwed the program in your cushy retirement

Mark pope HAS turned Kentucky into the Indiana Hoosiers

 

[Resignmarkpope]

Can't say that I disagree with much of what you've said, but why dig this up? How is it going to change or improve the current landscape of Kentucky men's basketball?

Fire mark pope for starters

 

[Resignmarkpope]

Is this the same Mitch that hired Will Stein?

Stein is a great hire. He’s had several good hires. 1. Cal-multiple final fours and the championship. 2. Volleyball coach. 3. Brooks has women’s basketball consistently in the top 25. 4. Baseball coach, made cws…5. Stoops had a couple of 10 win seasons. I’ll add mark pope is the worse hire in the history of Kentucky basketball.

 

[Resignmarkpope]

Pope’s story isn’t written yet. It takes a couple years to get going. Ask K, Hurley, Golden or Oats.
This is a big year for him and he has his type roster. I like the look of it. We’ll see.

More proof Kentucky is Indiana. Pope got the fans happy with 10 losses and an early exit from the tournament that’s Indiana. Tubby smiths worst season is better than mark popes best season. Let that sink in Mark Pope’s best finish at the end of the AP poll is 12. Let that sink in. He’s been coaching over a freaking decade.

 

[Beatle Bum]

Mitch has been so wildly inconsistent with his hirings. How do you knock it out of the park with volleyball, baseball, and seemingly football and just totally let your bell cow (basketball) wander off into the road?

Isn’t that true of just about every AD? In 2023, J Batt hired Damon Stoudamire on a five-year contract to replace Josh Pastner. Batt later left for Michigan State in June 2025, and Georgia Tech subsequently parted ways with Stoudamire in March 2026.

 

[OGtruebluewildcat]

Is this the same Mitch that hired Will Stein?

…and Kenny Brooks, Matthew Mitchell, John Calipari, Rich Brooks, Mark Stoops…

3 of the best football hires in program history.

Cal, say want you want, saved the program.

Mitchell put WBB on the map. Brooks could win a title.

Skinner has built one of the best VB programs in the country.

Baseball has been pretty good and seen some great seasons.

I mean I know there are fair criticisms but ole dude made some good calls.

The program didn’t make a lot of money when he took over, he made it profitable and ended on a half billion dollar media contract…

Folks who whine about MB just don’t fully understand how unique the position it is.

There’s 50-60 P4 ADs…only about 30 big time P2 ADs…

It is a big job and not a lot of people have done it or can do it.

 

[Beatle Bum]

…and Kenny Brooks, Matthew Mitchell, John Calipari, Rich Brooks, Mark Stoops…

3 of the best football hires in program history.

Cal, say want you want, saved the program.

Mitchell put WBB on the map. Brooks could win a title.

Skinner has built one of the best VB programs in the country.

Baseball has been pretty good and seen some great seasons.

I mean I know there are fair criticisms but ole dude made some good calls.

The program didn’t make a lot of money when he took over, he made it profitable and ended on a half billion dollar media contract…

Folks who whine about MB just don’t fully understand how unique the position it is.

There’s 50-60 P4 ADs…only about 30 big time P2 ADs…

It is a big job and not a lot of people have done it or can do it.

Good point about football hires. Brooks, Stoops and hopefully Stein will all be seen as history changing chain breakers for UK football. Joker is the aberration, but I think Brooks approved it, so it’s understandable.

 

[BlueVelvetFog]

Mitch has been so wildly inconsistent with his hirings. How do you knock it out of the park with volleyball, baseball, and seemingly football and just totally let your bell cow (basketball) wander off into the road?

Depends on what sport you perceive as the "bellcow"

 

[Damage_inc]

Depends on what sport you perceive as the "bellcow"

It;'s men's basketball. Everyone knows that

 

[BlueVelvetFog]

It;'s men's basketball. Everyone knows that

In my opinion, it's football based on economy of scale. It's the big bellcow everywhere.

 

[Anon1768287303]

Fire mark pope for starters

Your response makes no sense. How is your beating a dead horse over how bad Mitch was, going to "fire Mark Pope"?

 

[TrueBluePhil]

what is today? TROLL day?

 

[FifteenLosses]

Like to see Calapari without Mitch trying to water down everything

 

[Pygmy Sasquatch]

If Cal was here and had the same funds given to him he would have won another championship in theaters two years. Mitch amd boosters didnt provide the same way.

And he still had top talent. Mutch screwed UK like OP said.

Well the boosters were getting tired of ponying up for cal, so it's unlikely he would have had those same funds.

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

Like to see Calapari without Mitch trying to water down everything

Who was our AD from 2010-2020?

 

[MaybeOnlyFourteenLs]

Who was our AD from 2010-2020?

Saint Mitch

 

[MaybeOnlyFourteenLs]

Who was our AD from 2010-2020?

But Mitchy didnt get enough credit for what Cal did so he got jealous and wouldn't even let him build a new facility when it would have been paid for from Cals side.

Meanwhile he built middle of the pack Stoops all kind of facilities

 

[Eagles_Ball_69]

Pope’s story isn’t written yet. It takes a couple years to get going. Ask K, Hurley, Golden or Oats.
This is a big year for him and he has his type roster. I like the look of it. We’ll see.

Different eras for all of those guys. In the portal/NIL era it can happen in a year or two. There are some concerns with the way Pope has navigated this era which is probably directly related to our struggles. If he can figure out how to navigate that, he’s got a chance to be successful. But he’s got to be willing to make the changes.