How much does the coaches religion influence a recruits decision

steelman100

Sophomore
Oct 26, 2023
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I have no idea but I'm curious. I would say In some situations it could. I'm not sure if the coach can give an opinion
 

Bluegrassking

All-Conference
Jul 18, 2006
4,050
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Probably a particularly individual thing.

Some zero and some few a lot.

Some are very religious, some want little to nothing to do with it.
Many are just whatever their family is but may not think about it in any serious way and are just being teen and young adults doing their thing.

It isn't money, winning, coeds, or development that applies to nearly everyone.
 
Jan 3, 2003
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Probably how the coach behaves, and speaks to players (i.e in practice) is more of a factor. For example, for a highly religious player, he probably would not have wanted to play for Knight, coach K, and others who swore like sailors. In that instance, a coach like Tubby & others may have been a better fit.
 

zoid1

Senior
Mar 18, 2004
8,952
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Slim to none. Pope went to UK as a Mormon and I bet nobody on that team or staff were Mormon. I think the only one this besides Pope is Chandler. So 14 players and 5-6 coaches about 20 people and it's Pope and Chandler.
 
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uky8unc5

Heisman
May 22, 2002
17,427
12,929
113
I have issues with some of the beliefs of Mormons.

But one thing is true: True Mormons are high moral, high character people. And that counts a lot to Moms/Dads. I have high confidence that Coach Pope will never embarrass or disappoint us off the court.
 

Tayshaun4Three

All-Conference
Nov 17, 2016
2,093
4,201
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Much like in life, no one really cares who is religious or not as long as you aren’t trying to force it on them. NIL can make you overlook a lot anyways.
That sounds great on paper. Truthfully though, most people are subconsciously living out the implications of their worldview. The end result is that people often try to “force” others to live within their code of ethics even if they themselves may view their own actions as virtuous. An example of this may be someone who is a secular humanist who may view someone else evangelizing their faith to another person as violating their own view that someone should not impose their views on another person. The humanist begins to judge the person who evangelizes as a net negative to society and begins to tell the evangelist to take their preaching elsewhere. Strangely, the scenario is actually the humanist performing the very “sin” they believe the evangelist to be guilty of. Truthfully, the humanist isn’t intending to be inconsistent —- they are living out their own world view which in and of itself, is also a religious construct.

TLDR: There is a reason why the people who claim to be the most tolerant are often the most abrasive to anyone who doesn’t agree with their values.
 

littlecreek

All-Conference
Mar 11, 2010
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Slim to none. Pope went to UK as a Mormon and I bet nobody on that team or staff were Mormon. I think the only one this besides Pope is Chandler. So 14 players and 5-6 coaches about 20 people and it's Pope and Chandler.
I'm pretty sure Vernon Hatton was a Mormon. A couple of my dad's Mormon cousins are married to Hatton's cousins who were Mormon. My dad played on a softball team their church had and met Hatton when he played against him in tournament between Mormon church teams. If I remember correctly my dad said Hatton was a Mormon, at least back then. Of course my dad wasn't one but they wanted him to play so the same could be said about Hatton. He played for Rupp so religion didn't affect his decision.
 

megablue

Heisman
Oct 2, 2012
14,334
14,182
113
I'm pretty sure Vernon Hatton was a Mormon. A couple of my dad's Mormon cousins are married to Hatton's cousins who were Mormon. My dad played on a softball team their church had and met Hatton when he played against him in tournament between Mormon church teams. If I remember correctly my dad said Hatton was a Mormon, at least back then. Of course my dad wasn't one but they wanted him to play so the same could be said about Hatton. He played for Rupp so religion didn't affect his decision.
Mike Leach was Mormon. Not sure, but some others on Mumme's staff, like Claude Bassett, may have been Mormons, too.
 
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bthaunert

Heisman
Apr 4, 2007
29,518
21,619
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I could definitely see it having an advantage and being a plus if it's an aspect that you can connect on personally. There are a number of factors that weigh into some recruits decisions, so that can be an additional check mark that a recruit and their family might like.

I can also see it being a detractor. I'm sure when a guy like Dabo says stuff like "we built this program on God's name, image and likeness" there are recruits who might be turned off by that.
 

MegaBlue05

Heisman
Mar 8, 2014
10,313
19,651
66
It depends on how much the recruit's religion influences his life decisions.

Bingo.

Not all people are equally religious. Some are very religious. Others are not religious at all.

I would say this question varies by individual player.
 
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Tayshaun4Three

All-Conference
Nov 17, 2016
2,093
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Bingo.

Not all people are equally religious. Some are very religious. Others are not religious at all.

I would say this question varies by individual player.
Unless the entirety of society begins to adopt a Nietzsche-esque nihilism, yes everyone is fundamentally dogmatic about some type of ideology. Are all people equally religious? No. The idea that we can have some type of morally neutral common ground where everyone agrees is a false view steeped in secular humanism — that worldview has its own implications. How do you think you end up with a culture that is radically divided over whether or not children should be allowed certain surgeries? Does everyone agree about whether or not certain procedures that may be serviced as reproductive rights are morally reprehensible or upholding libertarian freedom? The answer is obvious…No! People disagree with great variance over topics such as those regardless of whether or not they are connected to an institutionalized religion because the religion of men is intrinsic and implicit. The optimal way to handle the dilemma, in my opinion, isn’t to change the definitions in a way that causes all to agree. The resolution is to be understanding of others’ worldviews, even those you disagree with vehemently. AKA respect for the common man and the embrace of exchanges of ideas.

This is why I have no problem with Pope being coach and can embrace him fully. I also am unashamed to tell others specific issues I have with certain Mormon doctrines.
 
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Kaizer Sosay

Heisman
Nov 29, 2007
25,706
30,736
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Religion should never be practiced or promoted at a public school no matter the belief structure of the coaches and administrators.
There are 46 different Faith based groups for students on UK’s public campus. Some of them non-denominational (CSF, FCA & Cru being the largest 3) and some of them actually denomination specific…Baptist, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, etc…

Plenty of practicing & promoting of religion done on UK’s public campus. And yes, some of the professors & administrators are involved in those organizations. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Rick Pitino has had a Catholic priest sitting on his bench every year since his first coaching days at Providence (including the UK years). Hasn’t hurt his recruiting abilities.

A few weeks ago Ohio State University had some former & current football players organize and hold a good old fashion church revival out in the open right there smack dab in the middle of their campus. Hundreds of students, professors & administrators attended with over 60 students being baptized that day…right there on campus. Several assistant coaches were present & helping them. Last I checked…OSU was a public university.

Obviously, Pope (or any other coach/administrator for that matter) is not going to “force” their beliefs on anyone. They certainly aren’t going to say “you can’t come to school here if you do/don’t believe this or that”. But there are plenty of coaches/professors/administrators who wear their faith on their sleeve both on campus & off. Nothing wrong with that at all.
 
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There are 46 different Faith based groups for students on UK’s public campus. Some of them non-denominational (CSF, FCA & Cru being the largest 3) and some of them actually denomination specific…Baptist, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, etc…

Plenty of practicing & promoting of religion done on UK’s public campus. And yes, some of the professors & administrators are involved in those organizations. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Rick Pitino has had a Catholic priest sitting on his bench every year since his first coaching days at Providence (including the UK years). Hasn’t hurt his recruiting abilities.

A few weeks ago Ohio State University had some former & current football players organize and hold a good old fashion church revival out in the open right there smack dab in the middle of their campus. Hundreds of students, professors & administrators attended with over 60 students being baptized that day…right there on campus. Several assistant coaches were present & helping them. Last I checked…OSU was a public university.

Obviously, Pope (or any other coach/administrator for that matter) is not going to “force” their beliefs on anyone. They certainly aren’t going to say “you can’t come to school here if you do/don’t believe this or that”. But there are plenty of coaches/professors/administrators who wear their faith on their sleeve both on campus & off. Nothing wrong with that at all.
Disagree. The organizations that are entirely voluntary, that a student or professor has to seek out and choose to attend are completely fine. However, employees of the university should never address or focus on religion, especially including prayer, with kids who have to be part of those settings for other reasons. It’s one thing to want to be part of a religious group or activity; it’s another to have to be.
 
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UKWildcats1987

Heisman
Sep 9, 2021
18,837
32,090
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Disagree. The organizations that are entirely voluntary, that a student or professor has to seek out and choose to attend are completely fine. However, employees of the university should never address or focus on religion, especially including prayer, with kids who have to be part of those settings for other reasons. It’s one thing to want to be part of a religious group or activity; it’s another to have to be.

Is it on for those douchebag professors to push their political agendas to students though? And even to punish students that aren't of their far mostly left political beliefs?

Those thugs and dregs of society messing up the UNC ROTC building don't belong on a campus either. The rotc students should have beat them all with their drill rifles. The uneducated masses like the one I mentioned above are a far bigger danger and full of religious zealots with hate in their hearts.
 
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chroix

Heisman
Jul 22, 2013
10,425
26,315
113
I think it will help if only for the fact that he can’t drink. Like it or not alcohol holds you back. All drugs do. I also like that we’ve got a clear headed coach that seems humbled by his faith too. That combination along with his love of UK basketball feels like a combination that can lead to a lot of success.
 
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TFCat11

All-American
Mar 25, 2019
5,160
8,850
108
In this context is “coaches religion” code for NIL opportunities? If so, it means everything, if not, it means next to nothing.
 

ORCAT

Heisman
Jan 6, 2003
24,598
11,782
113
Cal was Catholic and was not shy about it at all. It didn't affect his recruiting and there are many people who have problems with the Catholic religion. So, I'd say it doesn't come into play all that much.
 

LmdCat

Heisman
Jan 8, 2006
23,627
18,894
0
I think it is safe to say that most college kids aren't thinking much about religion.
 

Randy Bob

All-Conference
Jun 14, 2009
7,233
3,970
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I notice many players whether FB or BB is always giving God praise after they had a good game.