I couldn’t give two effing craps what religion he is. I’m as agnostic as a guy can be. I think the entire lot of religions is just plain goofy. That said, Kevin Young has a helluva lot more presence and cool factor than Pope will ever dream of. It’s not something that can be manufactured. Just like Swaggy Cal (not to be confused with old wrinkled Cal). And you can choose not to buy the Mr Rogers thing all you want, but it’s certainly very much the perception. Just like that video. I know it’s from forever ago, but seriously. It was a tone deaf hire from the beginning and there’s not a darned thing since to prove otherwise. His first year he cobbled together a group of misfit toys to have a decent season. When it came time to get serious he got punked on the recruiting trail. He’s also gotten rolled in the only two games that mattered. Feel free to toss it back in my face if he figures it all out. I’m just pissed because I think I’m settling in for 5+ yrs of this stuff.
I can definitely understand that there’s a large segment of fans who didn’t want this hire. I don’t blame anyone for being frustrated by it. As for the 5+ years, I don’t see it. I think this year and next year will tell the story. As for me, Pope wasn’t my first pick, but Pope was an easy sell to me. I still believe in his core philosophy. I had asked for that core philosophy for years about roster building. I didn’t have stats. I didn’t have metrics but I’m a huge CBB fan and I saw who was winning and what wasn’t. I really wanted:
1.) Jay Wright, but he said no publicly.
2.) Nate Oats, but he said no publicly.
3.) Dan Hurley, but he said emphatically no, both publicly and privately.
4.) Bruce Pearl, but apparently he was “too old” and had a freaking BBQ. Mitch wasn’t going to hire Pearl.
I’d be lying if I sat here and tried to pretend Pope was my first option —- he wasn’t. I believe he can be extremely good with time. I say that based on performance. Doesn’t mean it’s perfect, but the potential is there. I just need to see improvements defensively.