Calapari Is Certainly Getting The Last On This Terrible Coached Pope Team

[shadowman4]

The one thing u could say about a Calapari coached team that more times than not the team gave decent effort. In our losses against UL, Michigan State and UNC tonight , it just seemed Pope did a poor job from coaching the team up from the bench. Michigan State out rebounded UK by about 15 and UNC out rebounded us by 11. To me it just looked like UNC wanted it more. Other than take of swing of water from time to time I dont remember Pope actively trying to coach from the bench.
My guess is this team will be lucky to win 10 games in the SEC. The SEC is down but so is UK’s team as opposed to last year. Any team that has to depend on Garrison and Jasper Johnson for any major contributons is in a world of hurt.

 

[Wildcat1996]

Aberdeen for the up and under throw away.:.. sorry my mind isn’t working rn

 

[20MRoster]

The one thing u could say about a Calapari coached team that more times than not the team gave decent effort. In our losses against UL, Michigan State and UNC tonight , it just seemed Pope did a poor job from coaching the team up from the bench. Michigan State out rebounded UK by about 15 and UNC out rebounded us by 11. To me it just looked like UNC wanted it more. Other than take of swing of water from time to time I dont remember Pope actively trying to coach from the bench.
My guess is this team will be lucky to win 10 games in the SEC. The SEC is down but so is UK’s team as opposed to last year. Any team that has to depend on Garrison and Jasper Johnson for any major contributons is in a world of hurt.

Arkansas played Mich St (true road game) and Duke (neutral) tough. Duke game was back and forth until the young kids ran out of steam. Exactly the type of team he primes for March really well.

 

[MarkPftw]

Cal will be 2-0 while at Arky vs. Pope after this season..maybe even 3-0 if Arky gets another matchup vs this weak bunch in the SEC Tourney.

 

[Anon1751335390]

The one thing u could say about a Calapari coached team that more times than not the team gave decent effort. In our losses against UL, Michigan State and UNC tonight , it just seemed Pope did a poor job from coaching the team up from the bench. Michigan State out rebounded UK by about 15 and UNC out rebounded us by 11. To me it just looked like UNC wanted it more. Other than take of swing of water from time to time I dont remember Pope actively trying to coach from the bench.
My guess is this team will be lucky to win 10 games in the SEC. The SEC is down but so is UK’s team as opposed to last year. Any team that has to depend on Garrison and Jasper Johnson for any major contributons is in a world of hurt.

Were you on the boards at all during Cal's tenure? Those same complaints were levied constantly.

 

[loublue22_rivals308424]

Cal had a million rock fights just like this game, but the difference was he had a couple elite players to get buckets at the end. That bailed us out of many games against average opponents in Rupp. That's what it looks like when you have a team full of bench players.

 

[MidseasonTweak]

I am not a Cal defender by any means, and I made jokes like everyone else when he screamed a ton on the sideline, but man, he certainly was putting in some sort of effort to stay engaged (even with his shaky Xs and Os ability). Pope looks completely inept, sad, done. Cal would use timeouts, sometimes to a fault. Pope refuses.

Weird.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Were you on the boards at all during Cal's tenure? Those same complaints were levied constantly.

Looking back its more apparant than ever.. The complaints were largely unfounded and from an entitled portion of the fanbase. Those fans were ready to get rid of him within a year or two after a run of four final 4s. We thought we were bigger than Cal, or at least that he needed us, not the other way around.. and it couldn't have been further from the truth. He turned the program around, one that was well on its way to being Indiana.

 

[Anon1751335390]

Looking back its more apparant than ever.. The complaints were largely unfounded and from an entitled portion of the fanbase. Those fans were ready to get rid of him within a year or two after a run of four final 4s. We thought we were bigger than Cal, or at least that he needed us, not the other way around.. and it couldn't have been further from the truth. He turned the program around, one that was well on its way to being Indiana.

There's a certain degree of inevitable emotional reaction to results and a limited way to express them. So when trying to explain why and what happened, there's a deck of like 5 cards to draw from. What ends of happening is people react in the moment and use the same explanations over and over again. "Out hustled" or "Out coached." We can pick any moment from the game to support that claim.

 

[BigRedMachineBigBlueNation]

Looking back its more apparant than ever.. The complaints were largely unfounded and from an entitled portion of the fanbase. Those fans were ready to get rid of him within a year or two after a run of four final 4s. We thought we were bigger than Cal, or at least that he needed us, not the other way around.. and it couldn't have been further from the truth. He turned the program around, one that was well on its way to being Indiana.

Cal was losing to St Peter’s and Oakland at UK. Not only has he hasn’t beaten a single ranked team this year, Arky has had rock fights with Winthrop and Samford

 

[BigRedMachineBigBlueNation]

Calipari was fired for talking to other teams, and is never coming back. He did not want to be here the last 5 years.

 

[Randy Bob]

Cal could not coach either, great recruiter.

 

[Crestcat]

I am not a Cal defender by any means, and I made jokes like everyone else when he screamed a ton on the sideline, but man, he certainly was putting in some sort of effort to stay engaged (even with his shaky Xs and Os ability). Pope looks completely inept, sad, done. Cal would use timeouts, sometimes to a fault. Pope refuses.

Weird.

Cal always took timeouts home.

 

[Anony Moose]

Calipari was fired for talking to other teams, and is never coming back. He did not want to be here the last 5 years.

Cal was fired now?

 

[BigRedMachineBigBlueNation]

Cal was fired now?

It really doesn’t matter if he was fired of (made to) step down, honestly. He purposefully was talking yo other schools mid season in an act to get away from the program, one way or another

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Cal was losing to St Peter’s and Oakland at UK. Not only has he hasn’t beaten a single ranked team this year, Arky has had rock fights with Winthrop and Samford

The Calipari situation is probably two things at the same time right now (for me): past his prime/antiquated/egotistical.. and was also a prisoner of his own success here at UK/blamed for such silly things that he started to spite the program.

Some fans will put all the blame on him while not looking to their own side as fans and media members.. im long used to that. But the fact is hes the only good thing this basketball program has had since 98 and made us actually feared in the game again. And here we are with Mitch, a piss poor gee-willikers type of legacy coach and looking like a team thats closer to a mid-major than an p5 program.

 

[Johnnie Africa]

The Calipari situation is probably two things at the same time right now (for me): past his prime/antiquated/egotistical.. and was also a prisoner of his own success here at UK/blamed for such silly things that he started to spite the program.

Some fans will put all the blame on him while not looking to their own side as fans and media members.. im long used to that. But the fact is hes the only good thing this basketball program has had since 98 and made us actually feared in the game again. And here we are with Mitch, a piss poor gee-willikers type of legacy coach and looking like a team thats closer to a mid-major than an p5 program.

Calipari sucked the last five years. We haven’t been a 1 seed for going on 11 years now (which is inexcusable) and he sucked last year at Arkansas until his miracle NCAA run to a sweet sixteen which still sucks and he hasn’t won a game against a ranked team this year either. Just because Pope blows right now doesn’t mean it wasn’t time for Cal to leave.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

This has nothing to do with Cal. This is 100% on Pope. I have no doubt that Pope wants to win here and win big. It's just painfully obvious that this job is just not right for him.

 

[Anony Moose]

It really doesn’t matter if he was fired of (made to) step down, honestly. He purposefully was talking yo other schools mid season in an act to get away from the program, one way or another

Fired or made to step down, by whom?

Talking to teams mid season? When were these alleged conversations and do you have evidence of this?

Stoops did the same thing with A&M and others. I don't recall him being fired for ir told to step down for that...

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Calipari sucked the last five years. We haven’t been a 1 seed for going on 11 years now (which is inexcusable) and he sucked last year at Arkansas until his miracle NCAA run to a sweet sixteen which still sucks and he hasn’t won a game against a ranked team this year either. Just because Pope blows right now doesn’t mean it wasn’t time for Cal to leave.

I dont deny that, what im saying is that Cal wasnt the only driver in this divorce. We had a great thing going with a coach who put this program back on the map, and I believe some fans got greedy when he had a small dry spell of not getting to a final 4 (which im hoping we can realize how silly of a demand that looks like now). They criticized Cals methods too early and Cal eventually took exception to that. And to his fault, hes an egomaniac and I believe he actually started to enjoy the fans getting riled up, which is 100% on him.

My point is, im just highlighting how toxic and detrimental this fanbase is at times. Everything from demanding we recruit crappy in-state players, to being shocked that Hurley wants no part in coaching in Lexington KY for this type of headache. And here we are, in worse shape as a program, with a coach who does a LOT of the same things Cal does (vague injury updates, word salad presses, etc).

Of course I guess thats fans being fans. But im just sort of tired of some fans thinking they have no part in this. They (some) expect to win but expect to do it the "Kentucky way" and that judt cant happen. There has to be a big shake up in this program if we want to win, and were gonna have to do things some fans wont like.

 

[Johnnie Africa]

I dont deny that, what im saying is that Cal wasnt the only driver in this divorce. We had a great thing going with a coach who put this program back on the map, and I believe some fans got greedy when he had a small dry spell of not getting to a final 4 (which im hoping we can realize how silly of a demand that looks like now). They criticized Cals methods too early and Cal eventually took exception to that. And to his fault, hes an egomaniac and I believe he actually started to enjoy the fans getting riled up, which is 100% on him.

My point is, im just highlighting how toxic and detrimental this fanbase is at times. Everything from demanding we recruit crappy in-state players, to being shocked that Hurley wants no part in coaching in Lexington KY for this type of headache. And here we are, in worse shape as a program, with a coach who does a LOT of the same things Cal does (vague injury updates, word salad presses, etc).

Of course I guess thats fans being fans. But im just sort of tired of some fans thinking they have no part in this. They (some) expect to win but expect to do it the "Kentucky way" and that judt cant happen. There has to be a big shake up in this program if we want to win, and were gonna have to do things some fans wont like.

I mean gimme a break about fans being toxic. We went 9-16, we had two top ten picks and lost to Oakland, we had the returning NPOY and won one tournament game lol. JFC Cal was absolutely awful at the end and an *** to boot. You live in New York calling Kentucky fans toxic lol you ever met a Yankees or giants or jets or rangers fan WTF you talking about. I live in Columbus the OSU fans here are insane they were ready to set fire to Ryan Days house last year. Cal being washed up and terrible at the end of his career has nothing to do with Kentucky fans good lord

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I mean gimme a break about fans being toxic. We went 9-16, we had two top ten picks and lost to Oakland, we had the returning NPOY and won one tournament game lol. JFC Cal was absolutely awful at the end and an *** to boot. You live in New York calling Kentucky fans toxic lol you ever met a Yankees or giants or jets or rangers fan WTF you talking about. I live in Columbus the OSU fans here are insane they were ready to set fire to Ryan Days house last year. Cal being washed up and terrible at the end of his career has nothing to do with Kentucky fans good lord

They were toxic years before 9-16 lol.

 

[Johnnie Africa]

They were toxic years before 9-16 lol.

The year before 9-16 was 2019 with PJ Washington. Cal signed a “lifetime contract” that year and 99% of the fan base was thrilled. There were multiple posts on rafters (which is the most extreme 1% of the fanbase) with praise and pretty much 95% of the board celebrated it. You’re just making stuff up. Hopefully in the future we can be as nice as the defending NFL eagles fans lol

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Honestly comparing Kentucky to the Yankees or OSU is a slap in the face to those franchises.. and maybe thats a perfect example of what I'm talking about.

Fans just expect Final4s in a game where Finals4s are practically random at this point. They expected coaches to line up for this job.. and.. none did (3x now!). They are shocked that recruits dont give two ***** about BBN or playing for KY. And when you ask some of these fans to change things up (fix the student sections, pay the players, upgrade facilities, Etc).. they balk at it.

Gonna be tough sledding from here on out.