If us bi+ching about him on here makes him not be able to do his job, just add it to the long list of why he shouldn’t have it.
Not many coaches would move to Lexington to work at UK now!
Maybe if you could spell Moreno's name correctly even once, you might be taken seriously!
Exactly, I’ve never in my life witnessed us get beat down in first halves and overall games as much as I have these two years.
Not here, X. Which Pope is on and does see. I don't mind criticism, he deserves it and tons of questions and actions by the staff need to be answered, but at this point it makes no sense getting too emotional or frustrated with Pope.
Maybe you'll get a like for that? Maybe? Anyone?"Consequential"
Why do you claim to be a Cat fan yet call their own fans hillbillies?
I think CMP is going to have an entertaining and successful team. Guard heavy with experience and would expect a more consistent effort. Point guards which we haven’t had. 30 plus points per game from the backcourt. No more players who get 18 points one game and 4 the next. Better depth defense passing and ball handling. Can get us into offense. Have some young guards to help as well. Looks like 3 centers. 1 potential nba guy another a 23 year old skilled crafty pro that is also a stretch PF and a 7 ft with shooting skills and a redshirt year to mature. Got 3 young explosive 6 8 wings that we will see about. Real potential. Looking forward to watch them develop. A 6 7 double figure veteran scoring f. 6 5 vet sg who we know can shoot.
I’ve always thought if a team had 7 guys who can average at least a minimum of 8 points it would be tough to beat. I think we have that team. And those teams are typically unselfish.
Should be good defensively with this length and good quickness.
No doubt injuries and no pg killed UK.
Honestly really like the players we are getting. Chemistry and unselfishness hopefully will surface. I’m not seeing the money grubbers and me guys. Should be a team UK fans can get behind and that fit in CMP’s system. We can still use a wing shooter and a PF with bulk but these guys all jumped to play here. I didn’t see them holding out for money. Seem team oriented. I’m already a fan of this upcoming group and want to see CMP get to coach a healthy team that he envisioned. No injuries or attitudes!
I’ve always thought if a team had 7 guys who can average at least a minimum of 8 points it would be tough to beat. I think we have that team. And those teams are typically unselfish.
Should be good defensively with this length and good quickness.
No doubt injuries and no pg killed UK.
Honestly really like the players we are getting. Chemistry and unselfishness hopefully will surface. I’m not seeing the money grubbers and me guys. Should be a team UK fans can get behind and that fit in CMP’s system. We can still use a wing shooter and a PF with bulk but these guys all jumped to play here. I didn’t see them holding out for money. Seem team oriented. I’m already a fan of this upcoming group and want to see CMP get to coach a healthy team that he envisioned. No injuries or attitudes!
But this IS the main kentucky basketball fan site where UK fans congregate. This is exactly where it needs to be said. KSR is the most popular fan site on the entire on3 website and thousands view the posts.
I called my parents, and aunts and uncles hillbillies. Mainly because they were hillbillies. I don't know if being born in Cynthiana qualifies me for hillbillyhood. But I am one by upbringing, and blood, and osmosis. They were cat fans and raised me to be one.
Awe sugar, does the truth hurt your feelings? You’re almost as pathetic as his winning percentage. Go slam the door on your single wide and you’ll feel better.
Are you effing high? This roster blows. This is nowhere close to being a top 25 roster
His first year roster would beat this one by 20 and the dog shat team last year would easily beat this one.
Some of you need a severe reality check and it’s very apparent you have no idea what a top 10 roster looks like.
He currently has a 55% winning percentage in the SEC.
Agreed and I appreciate your perspective. The president/athletic department/JMI shenanigans make me far more viscerally frustrated than the coaching situation. Those people are sitting in a circle patting each other’s backs and giving themselves raises. What has Pope done to set the stage for the current situatuon besides accept his dream job? What kind of person wouldn’t?
If he’s not up to the task, it’s not because he isn’t trying or is, you know, an alcoholic who can’t get his life in order. He just may not be up to the task, at this point in his career or ever. You don’t get to be a D1 head coach by being a bad coach (Steven Pearl possibly excepted). But at Kentucky it isn’t enough to be a good coach, you have to be a great coach, one of the best in the sport. Is Pope in that category? I don’t worry too much about that because it will reveal itself. If we have another bad year the next AD will fire him and we’ll try again. So it goes.
And for those saying Pope is arrogant… I don’t know if he is or he isn’t. But since when was arrogance a fireable offense or even a bad trait in a head coach? Wasn’t Calipari arrogant? Isn’t Danny Hurley arrogant? Todd Golden? Coach K? You probably have to be a little arrogant to succeed at this level. Half the people who seem to hate Pope would like to swap him for Pearl. Is it because he’s so humble?
I haven't read much truth here. I live a half mile from the beach. The wind occasionally slams my storm door.
We will c. On paper this team is significantly better than the first two teams . We will c.Are you effing high? This roster blows. This is nowhere close to being a top 25 roster
His first year roster would beat this one by 20 and the dog shat team last year would easily beat this one.
Some of you need a severe reality check and it’s very apparent you have no idea what a top 10 roster looks like.
In Pikeville they have a Hillbilly days festival . It’s good natured making fun of ourselves while being proud of our heritage.
I do not really see arrogance in Pope. I agree the case can be made that arrogance may be a beneficial quality in a high level coach. Rupp, Pitino, and prime Cal definitely displayed arrogance and cockiness. I could even see the argument that not having that edge could be a detriment to achieving a high level of consistent success.
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You do know that Cow stunk it up here his last four years, yeah? I'm sure you do, but ...but.....muh 'cruiting classes!He’s an arrogant douche that doesn’t realize how bad he sucks. My breaking point was having the audacity to compare his two years to Cal’s last 4.
He really thought he was winning the fanbase over with that? He actually took the time to gather statistics to slant that the program is in a better state under him.
The guy got his salary doubled. $2.5mil to over $5mil. Let’s not act like he’s doing this job only because he loves UK. Also, I’m sure other candidates were interested, he’s not the only guy who would have taken his job.
He has this year to put up or shut up.
He has this year to put up or shut up.
Florida man insulting anyone is pretty rich. Probably the bath salts.
I actually agree with this. It’s kind of pitiful how the man’s own fanbase is harder on him than rivals.
That’s why I can’t and won’t make this personal despite not being thrilled with the results of last season. (I thought year 1 was fine and enjoyed it.)
I appreciate Mark as a human being and respect him as a former player. I also don’t allow this basketball program to regulate my emotions, so I don’t have that burning hot hatred of the guy some folks do.
That’s why I can’t and won’t make this personal despite not being thrilled with the results of last season. (I thought year 1 was fine and enjoyed it.)
I appreciate Mark as a human being and respect him as a former player. I also don’t allow this basketball program to regulate my emotions, so I don’t have that burning hot hatred of the guy some folks do.
Ten Loss Tubby started well but stopped winning over time at a top level when he became lazy. He replaced good assistants with inept ones. And he started becoming annoyed with recruiting. Cal didn’t grow disdainful of recruiting— but he did get increasingly stubborn and lazy about changing other things necessary to keep producing great teams.
In contrast, Pope hasn’t become lazy. Instead, he just never was a great head coach.
He’s still as motivated as ever to keep doing everything necessary that made him become a mediocre coach— with the same dorky/pouty attitude that helped his rise to mediocrity.
The only players he can motivate now are the same caliber who were thrilled to play at Utah universities.
And he shouldn’t be surprised that he’s now disliked and eventually will be fired, because he predicted the same when he was announced by Mitch as our next coach. He made it CLEAR that he UNDERSTOOD the expectations AND what would happen if he didn’t deliver on them.
He’s not stupid. Instead he’s simply inept.
Great coaches have badass egos with a fire in their gut to win. Pope is the antithesis of that. Neither great players nor knowledgeable fans respect him, because he is a gaslighting sunshine pumper. .
Stating all of this now (far he’s what we thought he was and isn’t able to become what we hoped he could) isn’t bullying him. It’s simply acknowledging Pope hasn’t earned the respect due a great coach because he’s never been one and shows no capability of becoming one.
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Year 1 was probably always gonna be a pass for me from the beginning. Late hire, nothing in the cupboard but Travis Perry, Portal already open, and high school recruiting mostly all but done. He had to build a plane while flying it. Some staff choices were questionable buddy hires, but both Hart and AB3 seemed, at the time, like great recruiting hires. That team did have some head scratching losses, but strung together a ton of improbable wins as well. It was exciting to watch and made us hopeful with a little time to settle into the job and more time to recruit, Pope could be successful here. Especially without injuries.
Year 2 they missed on a lot of recruits, missed on a lot of top level portal guys, and tried to shoe horn a ton of 6th men into starting roles and overpaid to try and improve in athleticism. The staff, the players, and a lot of the fans got drunk on the hype and potential. He also took a flier on JQ, a calculated risk, that if it hit, would make the team a contender in his mind. And if it missed, he thought he had the athleticism to compete without him. But there were noticeable cracks even before the season tipped off. He lost Lewis, he didn't get a backup PG, he built his lineup around Lowe and then you lose the PG before the season even starts. He missed on his high percentage shooters. He brought in a bruiser PF and sacrificed shooting there. BG did not improve at all and our projected 3rd string Center won the starting spot. The team lacked focus, effort, discipline and direction and Pope looked defeated. I think this is when most fans realized he wasn't built for this job. He didn't get angry, he didn't get in their behinds, he didn't vent his frustration to the media and put his players on blast. He just used political word salad and dodged questions. The media made it worse by lobbing him softball questions and never going for his throat or forcing him to answer things. Recruits saw it, opposing coaches saw it, fans saw it. He projected weakness in a time in college basketball that you cannot look weak. And we suffer for it.
Year 3 was always a forgone conclussion in my mind. You can't make the change while Mitch is still AD, a post June/July coaching hire is crazy talk and would basically forfeit the season if the new AD hires someone as soon as they take over. I think Pope is in lose lose territory. He has gotten played like a fiddle by Wright, Freeman, Collins, and Stokes this cycle, Wilkerson, Dent, Wilson and Ament last year, and it just crushes his image publicly and makes KY a joke. The man will almost certainly have to win the SEC and go to the Elite 8 to even be considered for year 4 at this point (unless the university is dead set on killing men's basketball amidst their hatred of NIL) as opposed to Rev Share.
I like Mark the man, the former player. But as many have said, he gives off that overly enthusiastic Youth Pastor vibe and it is not working here. I want him to succeed, but this experiment needs to end if he can't accomplish the assignment...
Year 2 they missed on a lot of recruits, missed on a lot of top level portal guys, and tried to shoe horn a ton of 6th men into starting roles and overpaid to try and improve in athleticism. The staff, the players, and a lot of the fans got drunk on the hype and potential. He also took a flier on JQ, a calculated risk, that if it hit, would make the team a contender in his mind. And if it missed, he thought he had the athleticism to compete without him. But there were noticeable cracks even before the season tipped off. He lost Lewis, he didn't get a backup PG, he built his lineup around Lowe and then you lose the PG before the season even starts. He missed on his high percentage shooters. He brought in a bruiser PF and sacrificed shooting there. BG did not improve at all and our projected 3rd string Center won the starting spot. The team lacked focus, effort, discipline and direction and Pope looked defeated. I think this is when most fans realized he wasn't built for this job. He didn't get angry, he didn't get in their behinds, he didn't vent his frustration to the media and put his players on blast. He just used political word salad and dodged questions. The media made it worse by lobbing him softball questions and never going for his throat or forcing him to answer things. Recruits saw it, opposing coaches saw it, fans saw it. He projected weakness in a time in college basketball that you cannot look weak. And we suffer for it.
Year 3 was always a forgone conclussion in my mind. You can't make the change while Mitch is still AD, a post June/July coaching hire is crazy talk and would basically forfeit the season if the new AD hires someone as soon as they take over. I think Pope is in lose lose territory. He has gotten played like a fiddle by Wright, Freeman, Collins, and Stokes this cycle, Wilkerson, Dent, Wilson and Ament last year, and it just crushes his image publicly and makes KY a joke. The man will almost certainly have to win the SEC and go to the Elite 8 to even be considered for year 4 at this point (unless the university is dead set on killing men's basketball amidst their hatred of NIL) as opposed to Rev Share.
I like Mark the man, the former player. But as many have said, he gives off that overly enthusiastic Youth Pastor vibe and it is not working here. I want him to succeed, but this experiment needs to end if he can't accomplish the assignment...
You just don’t seem to get it. This administration will never fire him unless holy hell is raised! That’s how they operate. It took a Governor to come in just to squash the damn Mitch deal.
Criticizing our coach, who UK made a millionaire, is warranted and needed at this time.
Things will let up as the recruiting season closes. And he will be able to try to make this a team.
But being quiet will not help anyone. If we become quiet, we become Indiana basketball.
Things will let up as the recruiting season closes. And he will be able to try to make this a team.
But being quiet will not help anyone. If we become quiet, we become Indiana basketball.
I think you are missing the point. Mostly because you’re in your feelings because they didn’t land stokes. Who was going to get bullied in the SEC anyway and would have tanked his stock. . Especially on this roster. The point was NO ONE WANTED THE JOB. Just like how Kentucky missed on all the recruits. We also missed on all our coaching choices. They turned us down. In the same media circus that recruits did. Mark pope took it. He could have stayed at BYU and had the number 1 player in the nation last season. So maybe some of us need to accept that the coach isn’t the only reason we are missing players. It’s a big state, It’s a competive league, thy can get paid anywhere now, and our fans are ******* psychos. So why should they come here."He moved to Lexington, without hesitation"
Are you ******* serious? You mean it was an option to coach the University of Kentucky Men's Bball team remotely from a couch in Provo? I'm sure his $5M+ a year could get him some decent internet for some Zoom calls.
Tony Soprano said "those who give respect earn respect". Pope can start earning respect by stepping down and admitting he tanked the #1 program in the country and turned it into a national laughingstock. Instead, he'll collect his paychecks, continue to be an arrogant, insufferable ***, and rant on and on about some stupid statistic showing why his way is correct. **** out of here with that.
Great post. Support the team the best you can and by the end of next year you may have your new coach. Time to reel it in and support them and him for one more year. It's frustrating and the reality is it started with Cal and his antics. Had Cal not had those antics (ill leave those up to you to decipher) maybe he'd still be here. So, Pope is trying to clean up what Cal left and remember Cal left your program with zero players. Pope is probably or more than likely not going to be the guy but he is one of us, he took the reigns and if he fails so be it. Time to try your best to back off online. Have at it to your family, coworkers etc. but lets ease back a bit online and realize if he has a bad year he's gone. He's true blue like you.
You are absolutely correct that the Stokes whiff got me on another level. Three more things set me off:
- His dumbass liking that tweet
- Dumb and dumber Mo Williams tweet
- That McBride announcement like it was gonna do something to ease the Stokes situation.
I was PISSED bro. Still am. I disagree with lot of what you said ( LMAO AJ was NOT going to go play for Pope), but you are absolutely correct the Stokes situation is the reason for the hatred being turned up to 10.
LOL AJ wouldn't have been at BYU if Pope was still the coach there.
I have to say, it was refreshing watching Zoom mic’d up during one of Washington’s practices. The kid’s got a good head on his shoulders and real leadership qualities.
If your husband/wife repeatedly beat you and refused to leave you, and made you give him/her half your stuff if you left, and made you out to be the bad person, does that person really love you?