Further proof that you should RARELY hire alumni as a coach of a major program. Hardly ever works, and when it doesn’t, it makes it that much more difficult to pull the plug.
Alumni Coaches
- Thread starter Sgarrett0417
- Start date
I’m good with never hiring an alumnus again. Will be awkward if we have to pull the plug and also incredibly sad.
Was thinking about that earlier today. Who were the most successful former players, as coaches? Ford? Pelphrey? Pope? Woods? YIKES.
Don't like it. Didn't like it at the time either. Pope is not fit for the job. I don't want to villainize one of our own, but this is what the hell happens when you hire a former player and they come in and **** the bed.
All this being said, if you told me in a few years we were hiring Rondo as the coach after he got some more experience under his belt, I’d probably be all for it. Therein lies the problem.
Is Mark Pope the basketball version of Joker Phillips. I am sad to say, it's looking that way.
Kenny Payne from Louisville is my comparison damn close
I remember when Joker was on the hot seat and said “call me when we’re 2-10” and proceeded to go 2-10 the following season. Don’t think Pope is that cocky and would let it go that far but I don’t like seeing an alumnist in a HC position.
Someone said Pope's our Matt Dougherty and I can't shake the image
He’s got to go and now. It’s over. Scrap it and move on now. But not before Barnhart. This president needs to be sent home to Alabama and Barnhart needs to be sent to bingo. Get these corrupt fools out of here
Right. Pope is so much more likeable than Joker was toward the end. All that "coach in waiting" stuff went to his head. That said, as one of our own, he didn't represent the program well...aside from beating TN...that was pretty cool.
Not just alumni coaches. Everything should be on 100% merit. Your history with the program, nor the fact that youre from KY, should not give you any bit of a leg up on the competition.
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I was just talking about this with a friend earlier.
Hiring one of your own is a gamble. When it's going well, it's all sunshine and roses.
When it goes south, you end up eating one of your own to the point they never feel welcome on the campus they played on again.
I prefer outsiders for that reason. Hurts less to get rid of them if they underperform.
Hiring one of your own is a gamble. When it's going well, it's all sunshine and roses.
When it goes south, you end up eating one of your own to the point they never feel welcome on the campus they played on again.
I prefer outsiders for that reason. Hurts less to get rid of them if they underperform.
Woods- sucked as a coach
Ford- couple of good years but then sucked. and then sent his son to spy on the fanbase.
Pelphrey- sucked
Pope- mixed but not heading in a good direction
Let's look at other's that aren't alums per se
Hardaway- pretty sucky
Howard- meh
Now some of the old guard were both great players and coaches: Coach K (who was good at West Point), Wooden (was an All-American
And on the women's side: Pat Summit and Kim Mulkey were both really good players and then elite coaches.
Its just not as common these days as most great players just don't coach. They go make millions.
Not a great comparison. Payne had NEVER been an HC. And couldn't win more than 10 games. Made NO tournaments. Couldn't even beat BAD teams.
Pope is sucking, but KP was a joke of a coach.
