that same school didnt give Matt Doherty 5 years. so by 2002 times already changed to where the OP's point is moot, never the less today in the NIL era
Perspective to consider
- Thread starter paulcalhoun_rivals397471
- Start date
The landscape of the sport has changed, so programs no longer require 3-5 years to rebuild.
However, people clamoring for a coaching change in December of year 2 come off looking like whiny toddlers to me. I beg those people to show me one example of a college basketball coach being fired in December only for losing games without any scandal.
I fully believe every new Coach should get a minimum of three years barring a Kenny Payne type situation.
If this year ends up being as bad as it’s looking, Pope has next year to get right or get gone. That’s my take.
Changing coaches every two years creates the Cleveland Browns. Lol
However, people clamoring for a coaching change in December of year 2 come off looking like whiny toddlers to me. I beg those people to show me one example of a college basketball coach being fired in December only for losing games without any scandal.
I fully believe every new Coach should get a minimum of three years barring a Kenny Payne type situation.
If this year ends up being as bad as it’s looking, Pope has next year to get right or get gone. That’s my take.
Changing coaches every two years creates the Cleveland Browns. Lol
I'm not writing him off, but there is no way around the fact that he recruited this team, paid them $22 million (none of those other coaches had that, at least not legally). He is responsible for 12 average, role players on the roster and not a single elite, alpha type player. Not ONE. The team is average.
But no, even if we finish as I am expecting right now, which is 7-6 in the nonconference and about 9-9 in conference for a total of 16-15 overall, a first round loss in the SEC-T and no post-season, I still won't be calling for his firing. I will write it off as a series of unfortunate events. But there will be no question, the entire blame will lay at Pope's feet, and my patience will be very slim for 2026-27. I will be expecting greatness that next year.
But no, even if we finish as I am expecting right now, which is 7-6 in the nonconference and about 9-9 in conference for a total of 16-15 overall, a first round loss in the SEC-T and no post-season, I still won't be calling for his firing. I will write it off as a series of unfortunate events. But there will be no question, the entire blame will lay at Pope's feet, and my patience will be very slim for 2026-27. I will be expecting greatness that next year.
If wanting a competent product from the most storied program in college basketball makes me a “whiny toddler,” then hand me a juice box. Because nobody wanted Pope to begin with. His résume was bargain-bin with a mediocre win percentage, two tournament trips in a decade, and zero proof he could recruit at this level. Mitch took the easy way out, phoned it in, and hired a feel-good story instead of an elite coach. BBN got behind him because he is one of us but let’s not pretend there was any real excitement from the start.
And spare me the “three years minimum” BS. That applied in the old era. In this era with the portal, NIL, instant roster flips, there’s no excuse to field a product this embarrassingly bad in year two. None. Meanwhile, Pope is proving every BYU criticism true: can’t recruit, can’t defend, can’t adjust, can’t create an identity. This isn’t a rough patch. it’s a pattern.
Waiting around “because no one gets fired in December in year 2” is such a lazy argument and nonsense. That should tell you how bad it is. He should be allowed to finish the year out and that's it. Relevance can be lost in the blink of an eye, and pretending “next year will fix it” is exactly how programs sleepwalk into mediocrity. BTW, changing coaches after 2 years worked out pretty well for us last time.
I’m not even going to touch your Cleveland Browns remark. That alone tells me how far off-base your entire take is.
Bottom line: this is bad bad. Historically bad. Stopping the bleeding sooner rather than later is how you protect the brand. It’s no different than a CEO tanking a Fortune 500 company... and nobody gives them extra years out of sentimentality. You cut ties before the damage becomes permanent.
I don't think it's the NIL, the offense or the defense. I think it's him and whatever he's saying I also think, up to this point, that he's not out a lot of effort into trying to convince recruits. Probably heard "they'll think about it" and it got translated into "it's a yes but we can do better".
Wanna bet some money on if Pope is fired next week or next month?
I will put up my house and cars and any other assets.
Kicking and screaming over it won’t make it happen, so here’s your juice box and crayons.
You can look that up just as easily as I can. If that is the argument you wish to make you should be the one providing that information.
I’ll pass on the bet. You might want to save that money for all the juice boxes and crayons you'll be buying because you’re going to need plenty with all the whining toddlers in this fanbase. I even overheard Dan Issel, Louie Dampier, and Jamal Mashburn crying about how awful Pope has been at the table by the door when I walked in, so maybe hand a few their way too.
But seriously, who said anything about him getting fired next week or next month? That’s not realistic and no one is pushing that. What I am saying is it’s obvious he’s not the guy, and just because he is a belove former player doesn't mean he deserves another year based on what we’ve seen. I didn’t give Tubby, BCG, or late-era Cal that luxury, and as much as I like Pope, he’s not getting it either. The only other time I wanted a coach gone mid–second season was BCG, and that’s the vibe Pope is giving off right now. The product is flat-out unacceptable.
The truth is Pope was handed a situation built for success, with every resource imaginable, and still dropped the ball. If he’s this bad in year two with this setup, I don’t know how anyone expects year three to magically fix things. Just rip the band-aid off when the season ends and we miss the NCAAT. At the end of the day, Mark Pope owns every inch of this mess with blowing NIL on average players, building a flawed roster, hinging everything on an injured star months away from returning, not coaching defense… the list goes on.
If we stay on this course with no real improvement on the court or in recruiting, what makes you think year three is going to be any different? I’d love for Pope to prove me wrong, go on a run, and finish strong. I’ll be first in line for crow. But nothing about this season tells me that’s coming.
As Calipari said: “Kentucky isn’t for everyone.” That applies to coaches too.