Last night, watching the Kentucky game was a different experience than other losses. Usually, when you lose a game, there are things I can point to for optimism. However, last night, the way we lost the game and the fashion in which we did, it felt like a family member died.
After the game, I exploded with frustration and said the Pope era is over. By all intents and purposes, it very well may be. Not because there isn’t time to fix it, but rather that he has shown nothing to indicate that he can. I sure do hope I am wrong and he wins National Coach of the Year, but I don’t see it happening and I’ll explain why:
1.) Even going back to last season, Pope teams have shown a tendency to build large deficits by halftime. It is a disturbing trend that has started to bite us in the rear and it just isn’t a good sign, even for the games we won.
2.) No I’m not a coach and so those of you who don’t think non-coaches should criticize coaches should maybe stop reading at this point. I have watched basketball obsessively for over thirty years. I used to record my own stats and shot charts during live games. While not a coach myself, I do have a fairly well-developed ability to break down games, whether that be scouting or film breakdown. What I saw in the Louisville game film breakdown had me terrified. To the mockery of the rest of big blue nation, I pointed out defensive issues that were clearly on coaching and not just the players. We spent over twelve minutes to start the game in drop coverage, which is where you have your big detached from ball screen action to keep action in front, even though Pat Kelsey’s guards were torching it on repeat. Later in the game, we moved to a switching defense but started overhelping. Make no mistake, Mark Pope, as good an offensive coach as he is, is an AWFUL DEFENSIVE COACH.
3.) Roster construction. Last year, we had a team that could score with anyone because there was the threat that every player could shoot. This year, we build around defense, bringing in guys who could fix that end of the floor. This is going to go back to point number two. I need some people with reasonable minds to see this point: IT DOESNT MATTER WHO WE BRING IN. We already brought in defensive guys this year —- the reason they look like they’ve never played defense in their life is because of the coach. Go read my Louisville film thread where I go play by play. I said it then —- JQ WILL NOT FIX THIS DEFENSE.
4.) We have a team that doesn’t play for one another and does not fight together. To me, that’s on the coach as well. Pope needs to burn down what isn’t working and build with the rest. If he has locker room issue guys (******* Brandon Garrison for ***** sake), they need to get promoted to student as far as I’m concerned. I don’t care if Pope is nice to the media, but to his team he needs to show he WILL NOT tolerate even the slightest insubordination. We play like a **** show and we act like one too.
5.) We have a fanbase that looks for the wrong answers to the right questions. We have a lot of people thinking if we had the Caleb Wilsons, the AJ Dybantsas, etc that things would have went much differently. College basketball is a more cruel sport than it has ever been and you’re gonna see more and more psycho savant national championship coaches (like Hurley and Golden) because talent is more spread out than ever before. You could have plugged in Darryn Peterson last night and you still would have lost to Izzo, who had no such horses, because he is simply a better coach right now than Mark Pope. We can’t put our eggs in the wrong basket imo.
6.) No, it isn’t time to fire Pope just yet, but the flames will grow. I know we have fans on here that are very loyal to Mark Pope and you see this site as a battlefield, one side with the loyalists and the other side with all the infidels. I hope you will please try to remember how justified the anger is from big blue nation. The fans are not to blame for this. Many of the same fans who are upset would give a left nut to see a championship banner hanging in Rupp. I’m one of those people — I want to see banners. I want it to work with Pope. Can it though? We don’t know, but it’s looking less likely than ever before.
Sorry this post is so depressing. I wish I had a hopeful word —— there’s still time I guess. That’s hopeful, or dreadful, depending on how you see it going.
After the game, I exploded with frustration and said the Pope era is over. By all intents and purposes, it very well may be. Not because there isn’t time to fix it, but rather that he has shown nothing to indicate that he can. I sure do hope I am wrong and he wins National Coach of the Year, but I don’t see it happening and I’ll explain why:
1.) Even going back to last season, Pope teams have shown a tendency to build large deficits by halftime. It is a disturbing trend that has started to bite us in the rear and it just isn’t a good sign, even for the games we won.
2.) No I’m not a coach and so those of you who don’t think non-coaches should criticize coaches should maybe stop reading at this point. I have watched basketball obsessively for over thirty years. I used to record my own stats and shot charts during live games. While not a coach myself, I do have a fairly well-developed ability to break down games, whether that be scouting or film breakdown. What I saw in the Louisville game film breakdown had me terrified. To the mockery of the rest of big blue nation, I pointed out defensive issues that were clearly on coaching and not just the players. We spent over twelve minutes to start the game in drop coverage, which is where you have your big detached from ball screen action to keep action in front, even though Pat Kelsey’s guards were torching it on repeat. Later in the game, we moved to a switching defense but started overhelping. Make no mistake, Mark Pope, as good an offensive coach as he is, is an AWFUL DEFENSIVE COACH.
3.) Roster construction. Last year, we had a team that could score with anyone because there was the threat that every player could shoot. This year, we build around defense, bringing in guys who could fix that end of the floor. This is going to go back to point number two. I need some people with reasonable minds to see this point: IT DOESNT MATTER WHO WE BRING IN. We already brought in defensive guys this year —- the reason they look like they’ve never played defense in their life is because of the coach. Go read my Louisville film thread where I go play by play. I said it then —- JQ WILL NOT FIX THIS DEFENSE.
4.) We have a team that doesn’t play for one another and does not fight together. To me, that’s on the coach as well. Pope needs to burn down what isn’t working and build with the rest. If he has locker room issue guys (******* Brandon Garrison for ***** sake), they need to get promoted to student as far as I’m concerned. I don’t care if Pope is nice to the media, but to his team he needs to show he WILL NOT tolerate even the slightest insubordination. We play like a **** show and we act like one too.
5.) We have a fanbase that looks for the wrong answers to the right questions. We have a lot of people thinking if we had the Caleb Wilsons, the AJ Dybantsas, etc that things would have went much differently. College basketball is a more cruel sport than it has ever been and you’re gonna see more and more psycho savant national championship coaches (like Hurley and Golden) because talent is more spread out than ever before. You could have plugged in Darryn Peterson last night and you still would have lost to Izzo, who had no such horses, because he is simply a better coach right now than Mark Pope. We can’t put our eggs in the wrong basket imo.
6.) No, it isn’t time to fire Pope just yet, but the flames will grow. I know we have fans on here that are very loyal to Mark Pope and you see this site as a battlefield, one side with the loyalists and the other side with all the infidels. I hope you will please try to remember how justified the anger is from big blue nation. The fans are not to blame for this. Many of the same fans who are upset would give a left nut to see a championship banner hanging in Rupp. I’m one of those people — I want to see banners. I want it to work with Pope. Can it though? We don’t know, but it’s looking less likely than ever before.
Sorry this post is so depressing. I wish I had a hopeful word —— there’s still time I guess. That’s hopeful, or dreadful, depending on how you see it going.
