Comparing Pitinos first season at KY to Popes

[Uncle Adolph_rivals58629]

CRP finished 14 and 14 his first season here with a diminished roster.
CMP had a better record with a roster he had to put together in a matter of weeks
Both took a couple of tough losses in their first season
But in both cases, the culture was set and it was obvious that both were great coaches and got the most out of what they had and energized the fan base.
With CRP, we were dealing with probation. With CMP we were burnt out on the most emphasis being put on getting kids to the NBA, and not getting to the weekend of the SEC tournament and some serious choke jobs in the NCAA tournament.
I think we are looking at a stretch of good times with CMP like we had with Rick
The NCAA is the wild west now and presents different challenges but CMP seems to be up for it
I am looking forward to the ride.

 

[jessieshorts8]

No portal back then so really can't compare.

 

[Uncle Adolph_rivals58629]

No portal back then so really can't compare.

True, with the portal and transfer rules it is easier to get better quicker.

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

The fact that the 90 team won double digit games told you everything you needed to know about how legendary Pitino was going to be here

 

[Uncle Adolph_rivals58629]

The fact that the 90 team won double digit games told you everything you needed to know about how legendary Pitino was going to be here

Yes sir

 

[bthaunert]

In my lifetime, I remember Pitino, Smith, BCG, Cal and Pope coming on board. All, but Smith, brought renewed optimism due the end of the tenure before them. Pitino and Pope definitely inherited the least talented rosters. Pitino bc of guys transferring and probation and Pope bc of the transfer portal. Pitino took a massive jump from year one to year two (still amazing what he did in his second year with that roster) and let’s hope Pope takes that next big jump too.

 

[BlueBomb]

Pitino’s first season was a miracle. He was basically playing with a high school team. A team that would eventually become “unforgettable.” Comparing that team to Pope’s, well that’s apples and oranges.

 

[rick64]

No.way for a.fair comparison. UK was in shambles when RP took over. No portal. No live TV games. Scholarship restrictions.

 

[JHannibalSmith]

The fact that the 90 team won double digit games told you everything you needed to know about how legendary Pitino was going to be here

Still, to this day, that 90 season is the best coaching job I’ve ever seen in any sport, at any level. I remember all the news clips leading up to the season showing the guys trying to make it thru Pitino’s grueling & rigorous conditioning program. Pitino made it clear that although shorthanded, his team would never run out of gas or be out worked by anyone.

For those who weren’t around back then, it’s hard to overstate just how down we were. That was a low end OVC roster, best case scenario. We had no size to speak of, with no player taller than 6-7. Next to NO athleticism. They had no business winning SEVEN games, much less going .500 & beating a top 10 LSU team with Chris Jackson & two 7-footers, one of whom was Shaq. And, nearly as impressive, IMO, was winning the SEC regular season championship in year 2, while still on probation.

 

[MegaBlue05]

It's a similar "vibe" but two entirely different situations.

I was 10 for the 1989-90 team. I remember we didn't have anyone taller than 6'7, we pressed full court the whole game and jacked 3s at will. In SEC play, we were undefeated 9-0 at home and were 1-8 on the road. A team with no size or depth finished with a winning conference record. Got beat by at KU by 50. Nobody was upset. Everyone seemed to love that team because those players stayed when times were toughest, and we could imagine that style of basketball played with better athletes in the future.

Also agree with the poster above who mentioned the 1991 team. That team had freshman Mashburn and Gimel, and most of the 1990 team as its nucleus. That team had the best record in the SEC that season but weren't allowed to be "champions" because of probation.

In present day, it did feel a little hopeless when we had no coach or players last April, but Pope and staff built a competitive team in a month and gave us a few moments that felt like "old school" Kentucky basketball again. It's hard not to be excited for the future. I would love it if Pope could lead us to our next Pitino 92-97 like run. Time will tell.

 

[Bluegrassking]

It's a similar "vibe" but two entirely different situations.

I was 10 for the 1989-90 team. I remember we didn't have anyone taller than 6'7, we pressed full court the whole game and jacked 3s at will. In SEC play, we were undefeated 9-0 at home and were 1-8 on the road. A team with no size or depth finished with a winning conference record. Got beat by at KU by 50. Nobody was upset. Everyone seemed to love that team because those players stayed when times were toughest, and we could imagine that style of basketball played with better athletes in the future.

Also agree with the poster above who mentioned the 1991 team. That team had freshman Mashburn and Gimel, and most of the 1990 team as its nucleus. That team had the best record in the SEC that season but weren't allowed to be "champions" because of probation.

In present day, it did feel a little hopeless when we had no coach or players last April, but Pope and staff built a competitive team in a month and gave us a few moments that felt like "old school" Kentucky basketball again. It's hard not to be excited for the future. I would love it if Pope could lead us to our next Pitino 92-97 like run. Time will tell.

Time will tell but if it says no, it won't be for lack of maximum effort to make it so and to me that is a disproportionate part of the battle.

I think and feel we are going in the right direction.

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

It's a similar "vibe" but two entirely different situations.

I was 10 for the 1989-90 team. I remember we didn't have anyone taller than 6'7, we pressed full court the whole game and jacked 3s at will. In SEC play, we were undefeated 9-0 at home and were 1-8 on the road. A team with no size or depth finished with a winning conference record. Got beat by at KU by 50. Nobody was upset. Everyone seemed to love that team because those players stayed when times were toughest, and we could imagine that style of basketball played with better athletes in the future.

Also agree with the poster above who mentioned the 1991 team. That team had freshman Mashburn and Gimel, and most of the 1990 team as its nucleus. That team had the best record in the SEC that season but weren't allowed to be "champions" because of probation.

In present day, it did feel a little hopeless when we had no coach or players last April, but Pope and staff built a competitive team in a month and gave us a few moments that felt like "old school" Kentucky basketball again. It's hard not to be excited for the future. I would love it if Pope could lead us to our next Pitino 92-97 like run. Time will tell.

What’s crazy is year one in Pope was closer to the 1994 season already. I’m kinda hoping we are moving into 1995 in the reboot

 

[docholiday51]

14-14 with that team and schedule a monumental achievement

Pope's record this year equals or surpasses that. We had no reasonable expectation to make the sweet 16
Somehow Pope got more mileage out of the team he had in the toughest league in college basketball history
Injuries cost us some wins but we weren't going to advance much farther than we did. If this is any indication
of what we can expect from Pope's teams then we are in good hands. Winning national championships may
become even more difficult and unpredictable in the NIL/portal era. Just being in the mix will be no small feat
Maybe UK basketball will more closely resemble what us old timers remember. It is never going to be the same
and expecting/hoping for that just sets us up for disappointment. It was a great year. Early returns point
to a better(more talented) team next season I just want to be around to see what happens next

 

[littlecreek]

In Pope's defense, the SEC this year was MILES ahead of what it was when RP arrived. That team wouldn't have finished 14-14, plus the SEC only had 10 teams that year. Also. Pope had a truck load of injuries to deal with. Not downplaying 89-90 at all, it was one of the funnest years ever. But considering the circumstances (best conference ever, no returning players, major injuries), Pope had one of the best coaching job performances ever at Kentucky.

 

[TucsonCat]

1990 team was fine. They didn't disappoint. But their accomplishments are overrated. They went 10-8 in the sec. The SEC had 3 teams make the Tournament, and none were a Top 4 seed. So it wasn't exactly a murderers row. Brassow, Hanson, Pelphrey, Feldhaus, Woods and Miller were all recruited by good programs. They weren't OVC level like some would have you believe. They were on par with typical SEC basketball teams. They were fun to watch, a marked improvement and lesson on importance of not being coached by a distracted pill popper. But I don't ever remember thinking, I can't believe this team is 14-14. The jump the next year was the true miracle.

 

[LmdCat]

CRP finished 14 and 14 his first season here with a diminished roster.
CMP had a better record with a roster he had to put together in a matter of weeks
Both took a couple of tough losses in their first season
But in both cases, the culture was set and it was obvious that both were great coaches and got the most out of what they had and energized the fan base.
With CRP, we were dealing with probation. With CMP we were burnt out on the most emphasis being put on getting kids to the NBA, and not getting to the weekend of the SEC tournament and some serious choke jobs in the NCAA tournament.
I think we are looking at a stretch of good times with CMP like we had with Rick
The NCAA is the wild west now and presents different challenges but CMP seems to be up for it
I am looking forward to the ride.

There is zero reason for trying to make the comparison. As you well know, it wasn't easy to quickly assemble a team during RP's first season. There was no portal and if players moved, they had to setout a year. However, there was an exception made for players who wanted to leave Kentucky due to the NCAA penalties. RP's rebuild was much harder and everyone on this board should know by now how much I like Pope, but the facts are the facts.

 

[Fantom8888]

The 90 season was one of the best seasons I have ever seen. Forget Portal, we were on probation. No TV, banned from the SEC & NCAA tournament. To show how much basketball missed Kentucky that year, the next
year the SEC went to the NCAA begging them to let us be back on TV but also let us play in the SEC tournament. That 90 team played Kansas at Kansas and lost by 55. The next year we beat Kansas (ranked #1) in Rupp.
At the end of the year we always have a dinner honoring the MVP ect. That year, no dinner. Coach
Pitino had it after the last game (Auburn) in front of 23,900 UK fans. I love Pope, but it was much much easier this past year than 90. One thing is true. We knew exactly what we had with RP after that season. I think we pretty much know what we have now with Pope.

 

[mg0721]

Can't compare, completely different situations. Coming off of pobation is the big thing. Plus, Pitino is one of the best to ever do it.

 

[littlecreek]

The SEC of 89-90 isn't half as tough as the SEC of 24-25, plus it has 16 teams vs 10. You can't really compare the 2 seasons because of the differences, but you certainly can't deminish what Pope did this year was amazing.

 

[Ukbrassowtipin]

Pitino's entire strategy when he came in was to utilize the 3 and just wear ppl out for 40 mins, that was pretty nice his entire run here...mostly the same as Arkansas. If you could survive 30 mins, you had a chance to win in the last 10

 

[anon1751545683]

They both far exceeded expectations in their first season and they both laid their foundation in their first season.

But that’s about it for likeness.

Pitino let it be known that the Ky way was to focus on conditioning and just outwork everyone.

Pope intends to out scheme the opponents with his analytics based system.

Pitino played the hand he was dealt and thrived.

Pope played the hand he was dealt too. Whether he thrives like Pitino did here is yet to be written.

But he’s off to a damn good start.

 

[Dalroxas]

In Pope's defense, the SEC this year was MILES ahead of what it was when RP arrived. That team wouldn't have finished 14-14, plus the SEC only had 10 teams that year. Also. Pope had a truck load of injuries to deal with. Not downplaying 89-90 at all, it was one of the funnest years ever. But considering the circumstances (best conference ever, no returning players, major injuries), Pope had one of the best coaching job performances ever at Kentucky.

Or flip it. This team playing the year of RPs first year. I’d say this team would have probably done very well for itself.

Popes first year is so much better than Pitinos or BGs and behind Cals and tubby first seasons. The game has changed tho. Pitino was able to build a foundation to a program that, had he not left in 1997 would have probably caught ucla by 2006