A bunch of sycophantic fans who took the #copewithpope hashtag a little too literally.
If Cal had stayed...
- Thread starter kywildcats4life
- Start date
-
- Tags
- megaboard
Yes, and that’s not to mention the 3 5 star recruits that Calapari has coming in for next year. He could’ve easily done that here.
Give him time to get his players established and he will kill it there too. Imagine what he would do here with the available resources.
Yes sirGive him time to get his players established and he will kill it there too. Imagine what he would do here with the available resources.
No way, Cal could not raise the money to get those players, all the big money donors were mad at him.
Id honestly be fine with Cals final few seasons, knowing what you said above and how his success really was more even than think.. because i think if Grady/ty dont get injured, we roll to an Elite8. And i feel confident that hed have righted the ship.
My only issue was that I think he was just as fed up with the fans as the fans were of him, and I cant be completely sure he wasnt making decisions to spite the fans, such as playing Wagner and Edward's over guys like Sheppard.. like its somewhere in between poor decision making and purposely sandbanging it. Thats the dilemma for me. If it was a few bad years and some bad decisions? Im fine with that. If it was done on purpose to any degree? Then thats like a bad marriage.. you just have to end it and move on.
As ive sad a dozen of times. Sad it had to come to this.. because hes clearly still a coach who can get to E8s and F4s. And I also think he was making a lot of small changes that the fringe part of the fanbase overlooked: going for experienced transfers like Mintz and Oscar.. or going for basketball players instead of athletes with guys like CJ and Grady.
Yeah the Sheppard thing was weird to me. I dunno if it was to spite the fans or just a mere fact that Wagner was "his guy" and Sheppard just wasn't. I dunno. Or maybe he just really believed what he always said in that he didn't care who was starting. Maybe he felt they were better with Shep coming off the bench for some reason. Whole thing was odd.
And yeah I do believe he was getting tired of the fanbase. I think it was a fault of Cal. I think he took things maybe a bit too personal at times.
And yeah I do believe he was getting tired of the fanbase. I think it was a fault of Cal. I think he took things maybe a bit too personal at times.
Both UF games were NOT close.
I think ppl are letting the final scores of these games cloud their judgement. It wasn't as if it was in the 5-10 range.............it was in the 15-20 basically the entire game.
I think ppl are letting the final scores of these games cloud their judgement. It wasn't as if it was in the 5-10 range.............it was in the 15-20 basically the entire game.
Cal couldn’t even beat this UK team on his home court.
Cal will finish with 10 losses this season unless he wins the SEC Tournament or national title.
Pope looks to not be the guy, but you won’t catch me pining for post COVID Cal anytime soon.
Cal will finish with 10 losses this season unless he wins the SEC Tournament or national title.
Pope looks to not be the guy, but you won’t catch me pining for post COVID Cal anytime soon.
It’s too soon to say Pope isn’t the right guy. He’s had some pretty bad luck. Year one. PG1 injured. PG2 injured. SF1 injured. Still makes S16. That’s actually pretty remarkable.
Year 2. PG1 injured. Combo forward injured. C that we knew we would miss first half of season due to injury gets injured after a few games. Hard for me to believe we would not have won more games with a healthy roster. My post season expectations are not extremely high, but it’s yet to be seen—good or bad.
Right now the recruiting cupboard is bare, but we will have to see what happens in the offseason.
Pope has won enough big games that I think it’s crazy to think he can’t coach. He’s also lost enough to have some concerns. Personally, I think he’ll figure it out, but time will tell
Year 2. PG1 injured. Combo forward injured. C that we knew we would miss first half of season due to injury gets injured after a few games. Hard for me to believe we would not have won more games with a healthy roster. My post season expectations are not extremely high, but it’s yet to be seen—good or bad.
Right now the recruiting cupboard is bare, but we will have to see what happens in the offseason.
Pope has won enough big games that I think it’s crazy to think he can’t coach. He’s also lost enough to have some concerns. Personally, I think he’ll figure it out, but time will tell
OAD’s were never the issue, relying on 4-6/ year to carry the team was.
Cal was tired of Mitch. Mitch is the blame for all of this.
I disagree Cal with 22M would have been sick! Arkansas is now PG university. Acuff the Jordan Smith jr
Pope is an incompetent coach for this level. You might not like Cal but it is like comparing monster to a mouse.
Mods. If you actually exist. Make a new rule to auto ban anyone who starts these dumbass cal threads.
How hard is it to understand that cal was a joke the last 6 years he was here? He would still suck. He sucks at Arkansas with all the money he could want. HE WAS DONE. Our mistake was hiring someone just as bad
How hard is it to understand that cal was a joke the last 6 years he was here? He would still suck. He sucks at Arkansas with all the money he could want. HE WAS DONE. Our mistake was hiring someone just as bad
Except the prom picture is of the same girl that got a train ran on her at a frat house by Saint Peter's.
Cal didn’t want to be here anymore because of our 1950s leadership in Mitch and the president. And I don’t blame him. I’m not a pumper but I’d take Cals bad years over this.
At least if Cal lost one he would be pissed on the sideline then feed some shaggy garbage after the game like that’s not my team.
At least if Cal lost one he would be pissed on the sideline then feed some shaggy garbage after the game like that’s not my team.
that’s the man right there.
I was having the dame thoughts today. What if Cal stayed and had 22 mil in NIL At his disposal…
at the guys above add the center from GA and PG from Fl that would have probably on our team….
well that ship sailed……now we have Pope ….
Here’s Cal’s record the final three seasons at UK:
2023-24
regular season record of 23-8
no post season wins (2 first-round losses), making the final record 23-10
2022-23
regular season records of 21-10
1 first round SEC Tournament loss, 1 NCAA Tournament win and loss, final record of 22-12
2021-22
27-6 regular season record and had the consensus National Player of the Year
1 one SEC Tournament win and loss, 1 NCAA Tournament loss, final record 28-8
We all remember the drama between him and the fans, and we remember the issues were deeper than just the wins and losses and what you see on paper. It was time. But on paper, the regular season records were respectable; it was the post-seasons that were the real dagger. It just became too much for a school (and coach) where “it is all about March” to have repeated post-season disappointments year after year.
As others have said, literally one basket was between us and the Final Four in 2017 and 2019 (and as most agree, a call here and there in those games did make a difference in the outcome). The gap since 2015—our last Final Four—grew with each year.
I remember after being upset by St Peter’s in 2022 thinking what a shame it will be for that final memory to be the one that will inevitably most stick out when reflecting on that season, rather than a 27-6 regular season with the consensus National Player of the Year.
Now, we’re dealing with a disappointing regular season record and hoping to go on a post-season run….
2023-24
regular season record of 23-8
no post season wins (2 first-round losses), making the final record 23-10
2022-23
regular season records of 21-10
1 first round SEC Tournament loss, 1 NCAA Tournament win and loss, final record of 22-12
2021-22
27-6 regular season record and had the consensus National Player of the Year
1 one SEC Tournament win and loss, 1 NCAA Tournament loss, final record 28-8
We all remember the drama between him and the fans, and we remember the issues were deeper than just the wins and losses and what you see on paper. It was time. But on paper, the regular season records were respectable; it was the post-seasons that were the real dagger. It just became too much for a school (and coach) where “it is all about March” to have repeated post-season disappointments year after year.
As others have said, literally one basket was between us and the Final Four in 2017 and 2019 (and as most agree, a call here and there in those games did make a difference in the outcome). The gap since 2015—our last Final Four—grew with each year.
I remember after being upset by St Peter’s in 2022 thinking what a shame it will be for that final memory to be the one that will inevitably most stick out when reflecting on that season, rather than a 27-6 regular season with the consensus National Player of the Year.
Now, we’re dealing with a disappointing regular season record and hoping to go on a post-season run….
I don't care about whether Cal had stayed. He was fat and lazy and mailing it in. We've had on good season since COVID and we STILL lost to St Peters that year. We've been trash for 6+ yrs. Cal needed to go, and I'm glad he's gone.
The problem is Mitch making this lazy *** hire. He threw a boatload of cash at Hurley and got turned down. He went after Scott freaking Drew after that. Lmfao what are you doing you clown? And he (thankfully) got turned down again. So he settled for Pope. And if Pope had said no, Shaka Smart was Mitch's next call. What a ******* joke.
No, Cal was done here and people wondering what might have been are wasting their time. He's reinvigorated at Arkansas, and thats great, but even then he's still not tearing it up like he did his first 5 yrs here.
The problem is Mitch making this lazy *** hire. He threw a boatload of cash at Hurley and got turned down. He went after Scott freaking Drew after that. Lmfao what are you doing you clown? And he (thankfully) got turned down again. So he settled for Pope. And if Pope had said no, Shaka Smart was Mitch's next call. What a ******* joke.
No, Cal was done here and people wondering what might have been are wasting their time. He's reinvigorated at Arkansas, and thats great, but even then he's still not tearing it up like he did his first 5 yrs here.
For the NBA? Anyone who thinks that Cal should still be here has lost their mind. He quit on Kentucky many years ago and was only concerned about getting freshmen to the NBA. Not saying Pope is the answer, but he should get year 3 to try to coach a Kentucky team that isn't down 3 potential starters. If he fails with a healthy team, then it will be time to move on.
Yes, NIL plus getting elite guards are the formula for him. Still don't think he can win a title again though.
Oakland was an embarrassment but he burned a lot of confidence from the fans with 3 years of Askew, Wheeler, Wheeler as PGs.
I think we would be much better off if he had won the power struggle with MB.
There are probably 50 coaches that could do a better job than Cal did the previous 3-4.
Mitch just didn’t hire one of them.
It’s not
science.
Mitch just didn’t hire one of them.
It’s not
science.
I love Cal as much as anyone. That ride wasn’t going to last forever. He could have hung 3 title banners between the 2015 team, bad calls, covid, etc. I feel like he got so close so many times, and eventually, he just got burned out. I hated that his time here ended on what felt like the opposite end of his first 4-5 seasons.
Yes, you will see the same, “he’s not a good X’s and O’s coach, he disrespected the fans, yada yada…”. That is all excuses to validate hatred that those fans held since day one, they just didn’t say anything because he was winning.
I also love Pope as much as anyone, for what he did here as a player. Kentucky should have never hired him. We should have never even considered him. It was a move to appease a fan base. We didn’t even make an offer to another coach. I don’t know that we even spoke to another coach.
How do you fill a coaching vacancy at what many believe to be the greatest program of all time without speaking to more than one candidate? I don’t blame Pope. I blame Barnhart and whoever else made that decision.
Pope may eventually be a UK caliber coach. Ten years, who knows what will happen, but he had zero relevant experience and had proven nothing. A huge gamble that will not pay off. Next year will be worse. I truly hope that whoever steps Barnhart’s role is very forward thinking and able to bring in a coach that is capable of performing at a high level every year.
If we don’t make some noise in a good way in the near future, we are going to be another page in the history book like Indiana. I’m not saying we are there or ever will be, but we aren’t headed in a direction that gives me much hope we won’t.
Yes, you will see the same, “he’s not a good X’s and O’s coach, he disrespected the fans, yada yada…”. That is all excuses to validate hatred that those fans held since day one, they just didn’t say anything because he was winning.
I also love Pope as much as anyone, for what he did here as a player. Kentucky should have never hired him. We should have never even considered him. It was a move to appease a fan base. We didn’t even make an offer to another coach. I don’t know that we even spoke to another coach.
How do you fill a coaching vacancy at what many believe to be the greatest program of all time without speaking to more than one candidate? I don’t blame Pope. I blame Barnhart and whoever else made that decision.
Pope may eventually be a UK caliber coach. Ten years, who knows what will happen, but he had zero relevant experience and had proven nothing. A huge gamble that will not pay off. Next year will be worse. I truly hope that whoever steps Barnhart’s role is very forward thinking and able to bring in a coach that is capable of performing at a high level every year.
If we don’t make some noise in a good way in the near future, we are going to be another page in the history book like Indiana. I’m not saying we are there or ever will be, but we aren’t headed in a direction that gives me much hope we won’t.
He is interested but the issue is he is in calculus and never was taught Algebra or Geometry. So now he is lost with no clue what to do.
It was time for Cal to go, but also doesn’t mean Pope was the only choice. I still stand by we should have hired Pearl and he would have killed it here.
I don’t understand why it is either love or hate Cal with our fans. It’s weird.
I am a Cal lover, but I hated his last 4-5 years here. It doesn’t make me forget all the great stuff he did while he was here and honestly, any success we have down the road, will be because of the huge brand he built us back into.
It didn’t end the way any of us wanted it to. None of us wanted his first 5-6 years to stop, but they did. It happens. We all held on too long hoping it would turn around. Why we forgot what happens when we hire coaches who haven’t proven themselves without speaking to a few different candidates is beyond me.
Hopefully either Pope turns into a superhero by next season or we find a coach who can perform to expectations.
Ok, I will give you Cal was atrocious his last few years. However, it was so much better than were we are now. At least we had some hope for the future. A drunk, partying BG was as productive as a coach as Pope has been. This program is rock bottom right now. It feels the same as Eddie Sutton's last year. There is no hope for the future.