And should’ve lost 14 games. We got blown out in the first half twice, but both teams came out with no energy and played like the games were already over. Pope is a dope.
I remember this board’s reaction to the hire
- Thread starter champagnecat
- Start date
I thought it was more because he was one of, if not the top ranked Offensive Coordinator in the country. Helps that he has ties and won't jump ship to a bigger program hopefully if he has decent success.
I wished you were right about the JMI, but if you really look at the situation, it points to Pope as the problem. I do not care what these so called gurus say, because most of them have agendas. Do I think JMI is perfect? no. Is JMI the big issue here?No. Is Mitch an issue? yes. Is Pope the biggest problem? YES! YES! YES!
Here are the reason's I do not think JMI is the big issue.
1. JMI signed with UK last summer (August). Caleb Wilson was a UK heavy lean for months, just like Stokes. This was before the JMI contract. Did we close on Wilson? No, he went to UNC. The same story this year with Collins and Stokes.
2. Pope is terrible to listen to. His press conferences are horrible. He stumbles around like he is trying to think of something to say. There is absolutely no real basketball analysis. It is like he is trying to impress the audience with his innovative analytical way of looking at basketball. I cannot imagine how painful it is to listen to him all week in practice or even in a timeout.
3. Skinner, Brooks, Stein, or any other coach on campus is not having issues getting players.
4. Give him 22 million dollars and he bought this. His choice!
5. No Defense last year with more than one Conference Defenisve Player of the Year Award Winners. Butler - Mountain West 2023 and 2024. Williams - Coastal Athletic Association 2022, 2023, and 2024.
6. Pope's record. No conference championships and no NCAA wins until last year. At BYU first 2 years he finished 2nd in conference and the last 3 years he finished 5th in the conference. At UTAH VALLEY he was 77-56, At BYU he was 110-52 and at UK he is now 33-18
I remember the night the news broke. I was driving and got a call from a friend that said it was Pope. I yelled "Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" We both agreed it was a horrible and lazy hire. If all of us could see it, why couldn't Mitch?
I do not believe Oats was ever offered the job or was going to be offered the job. He just wanted to draw attention to himself and the Alabama basketball program. It was good for his recruiting. However, I agree 100% that Pearl would kill it at UK and I said the same thing last year.
yeah I'm with you, and we finished the season getting blown out by UT in the S16... That wasn't success, it just wasn't a complete failure.
I think my exact post was "What a nightmare"
and then I let the press conference/pep rally sway me. Really liked the portal guys.
the Michigan St game made me post something to the effect of "I'm more mad at myself than anything". And i'm still there. I'm mad a Pope too, but definitely disappointed I got my hopes up.
and then I let the press conference/pep rally sway me. Really liked the portal guys.
the Michigan St game made me post something to the effect of "I'm more mad at myself than anything". And i'm still there. I'm mad a Pope too, but definitely disappointed I got my hopes up.
I remember all the news and rumors about the big names, then announcement that he had hired Pope. I literally thought it was a joke or fake news. Think about it this way, if he wasn't a former UK player there is no possible way he would have even been considered. He wasn't on any hot list for next big time coaching jobs.
We needed Hurley, Oats, Pearl, or Lloyd.
I'm afraid this will get worse before it gets better. Worst scenario is that Pope is barely good enough not to get fired, then we just continue in mediocrity.
We needed Hurley, Oats, Pearl, or Lloyd.
I'm afraid this will get worse before it gets better. Worst scenario is that Pope is barely good enough not to get fired, then we just continue in mediocrity.
Whatever he was making, an extra million should have been the max offer. Instead of an automatic extension the Sweet 16 should have been a monetary award.
Lol. Well alright then. I didn’t even say anything about UT’s football or basketball program. That was one of the more unhinged responses I’ve ever seen on a message board. Yikes.
Riley definitely cares. He’s going to be meeting with some of the boosters and discussing our current situation while he’s in town There are plans for more meetings with him in the future.
Me and a buddy were just talking about this. Last years team would beat this years team by 20. At least last year there was some heart on the floor
Exactly. Plus some people insist on pretending it made no difference that the second half of the season our two best bigs both struggled with injuries and our two best guards basically went out entirely.I can't take you seriously. That's not meant as an insult, it's just a fact.
The SEC conference last year was the strongest maybe in the entire history of the sport, Pope had weeks to assemble a roster from scratch AFTER most of the top talent had been snatched up, and had half a roster available to him at any given time.
So yes, overachieved. Last year's team had no business getting to a sweet sixteen or doing half as well as they did — all things considered.