The first the we should talk about is his recruiting struggles, it started when he had chances to get chaz lanier, will riley, and jeremiah fears, and missed on all three
If Popes time gets cut short here...
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Yep. Caleb Wilson also. He was all but locked to UK.
and collins, and stokes, and magoon, and wilkerson, and dent.....
And everyone else he was linked too as well as “favored” for. Don’t forget Yaxel, and Holt, Saunders, Pierre, Lewis(who may be no help to be fair, but at least a PG), Foulgarias, Thomas, Demary, Bol Bowan, etc..
because pope recruited them to play in a system or be a backup
other schools offered a star role, which is why they went there
I’m not disputing you but how in the hell do you know that
How is it pathetic to discuss clear observations on an online discussion board? Feel free to give us an appropriate list of talking points so we don't hurt anyone's feelings next time.
No player that thinks he is headed to the NBA is going to play for a system coach.
Tubby didn’t get those guys once it was known he was lying about changing his system. Izzo doesn’t get those guys.
Bennett didn’t get those guys at UVA.
Dybansta would not have gone to BYU had Pope stayed.
Those players are going to go to a pro style offense.
Doesn’t matter if they are not really NBA bound. If they believe they are they are not going to a system.
Tubby didn’t get those guys once it was known he was lying about changing his system. Izzo doesn’t get those guys.
Bennett didn’t get those guys at UVA.
Dybansta would not have gone to BYU had Pope stayed.
Those players are going to go to a pro style offense.
Doesn’t matter if they are not really NBA bound. If they believe they are they are not going to a system.
A lot of Dam misses there they all saw what it was gonna be I bet they’re glad they chose different places
Because pope acts like a kindergarten teacher talking about his glory days and how everything is all sunshine and rainbows and just wonderful and is just to much of a sunshine pumper and 18 year olds think that’s weird.
Or maybe he’s just talking truth Wilson chose the better school as well as the boozer guy and everyone else not on this team
Players wanna play for a coach they respect. They don’t wanna have a 9 man rotation. They wanna play for somebody they look up to. Players don’t look at Pope as somebody they can put trust in. It’s simple. Pope doesn’t have connections or doesn’t know how to use them. People like Cal are way bigger people than just a ball coach. Players now the real.
Something in Pope’s closing argument to recruits has them running for the hills. You’d think he would recognize and adjust but apparently not since we have a big fat 0 committed for next year.
This is the truth. Recruiting is a people business. Respect and connections are the only thing that matters. Calipari recruited an NBA lottery pick to freaking UMASS (and then went to a Final Four w/ him). Good recruiters will recruit anywhere, and the inverse is true. Pope at Duke would not get the same rosters despite the unlimited funding they have.
I think Pope really, really wants to recreate the 96 team but it is almost impossible to get star players to buy into a 10 or 11 man team. He can preach "I did it and won a championship" but other coaches are going to bury him on his substitution patterns. If I was recruiting against him I would tell a player that "sure, you can make 2 million for playing 20 mins but you are never going to get into a rhythm, you are going to get frequently subbed and you will never be able to showcase the player you can be. And that will cost you millions at the next level. So recruits don't want any part of it. So Pope decided "who will buy into this? I got it - the 6th and 7th guys on good rosters!" But he isn't factoring in that they might not be starters for some reason other than his outdated view of seniority (i.e. starting Garrison when it is painfully obvious Moreno is a much better player) and they just won't blossom into stars.
JB
Why are you even on this board? You seem to hate Kentucky fans more than you like Kentucky basketball.
Because Tubby had already signed Rondo, Bradley and Crawford at guard in the same class. Hindsight is 20/20, obviously looking back you would have wanted Loften, and many of us, including me, still wanted him. I’m not sure what the scholarship limitations may have been at the time. But he was not as highly rated as any of those 3 guards. Plus, he wouldn’t have had the same opportunity to shine at UK under Tubby that he did at UT. It sucks he wasn’t at UK though. He was such a great shooter and Tubby didn’t always have enough of those.
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You have no idea what you’re talking about. If he has a bad season after spending 22 million dollars he will definitely be on the hot seat. At the pace you’re going with talking trash like a Louisville fan, you wont last long on this board. That will be a good thing.
No one wanted high school players when Cal left now we are crying he can’t recruit? The problem with building through the portal is if you get the wrong combo of kids and personalities it doesn’t work. Look at Kansas the past few years and UCONN last year and now St John’s this year.
That's why Pope has to do a loose system and incorporate the 4 spread or 5 motion offense which allows more freedom.
I think the problem with Pope is that he is waaaaay too Kentucky first and that is just not resonating with out of state recruits at all. Cal was so on the other side as being too player first that it looks like Pope is over correcting.
JB
JB
Im talking trash? Thats comical. Really. I say pretty much the same stuff consistently...we have a good coach, he's doing a good job, our team will be fine when healthy and early season losses while banged up aren't the end of the world. If anyone shouldn't last long on this board it should be you and all the other folks who unfairly trash the coach and kids on the team. This is a UK board, its supposed to be a place for folks who love the Cats, not a place to come and call for a second year coach with a year one sweet 16 to be fired 8 games in, dog out the kids as being trash, and insult posters who actually support the team. If you want to rip the coach and team, go over to the Cards board, you'll find a lot of like minded people
I love Kentucky basketball and UK fans. The folks I get into it with arent fans. When you spend the entire day ripping the coach and kids and not post one positive thing, it makes you a troll
putting you on ignore with the rest of the trollsIt cant be that simple. Every coach has a method or, system, they want to utilize. Dan Hurley has a system that has been consistent for several years for example. I cannot tell you the system being used at UK right now. I know there are times that our team looks good but I can't pinpoint a true system that is used. It usually seems to be individual creativity. Both our Offense and Defense in unrecognizable to me as a system. I am sure both will improve. We do have several good players so again, we will improve... I will keep that belief.
if this season goes south like it’s looking, and next year is similar or worse, there won’t be a year 4.
But agree he’s not getting fired after this season and certainly isn’t getting fired midseason, so the people expecting that are showing themselves to be morons.