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Pitinos first years

TuesdayBoost

TuesdayBoost

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Heard he struggled. While he was struggling did yall have any hope he would get better? Did he give yall signs that improvement was on the way? Did yall see a championship in his future before he won it?

I feel helpless with Pope in every aspect.

No fire. No preparation. No talent. No pride. Actually it seems to be the complete opposite of playing for the name on the front of the jersey.
 
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Son_Of_Saul

Son_Of_Saul

Heisman
Dec 7, 2007
45,125
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113
He was on probation for his first two years. In his second year he won 22 games and only lost six. By his third year he almost knocked off the defending national champion in the elite 8.

Think about it this way: Kentucky was still on probation in 1991. By 1993 they were number one in the country. They ended up being the overall number one seed that year.

There was plenty of hope, because unlike Mark Pope, Pitino's teams got better every year.

Plus, Pitino had already won with the New York Knicks and Providence, who he took to a Final Four. By contrast, Mark Pope has always been a mediocre coach.
 
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CrimsonCats_rivals

CrimsonCats_rivals

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Mar 22, 2022
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Those years were a couple of years before my time, so I can’t comment on what the vibe was at the time, but in addition to what a couple of others have already responded, the transfer portal has changed the game as far as rebuilds. It doesn’t take a coach 3-4 years just to get off the ground anymore if he knows what he’s doing. This year is a big disappointment, and there’s not much way around it.
 
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TuesdayBoost

TuesdayBoost

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Jan 27, 2026
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Something terribly wrong going on with Kentucky. I hate it. Don’t see it changing soon. Feel like as a fan I can’t make a difference. Would say it’ll get better like it usually always did. But times have changed and I see it getting worse.

How many threads have there been about get with the new age of doing things or get left behind. We got left behind.
 
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Son_Of_Saul

Son_Of_Saul

Heisman
Dec 7, 2007
45,125
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Plus Pitino could also recruit. Mashburn paved the way for Rodrick Rhodes and Antoine Walker. Then we got Mercer and Turner later. Delk was also a stud. Plus he always brought in the best transfers - guys like Derek Anderson, Mark Pope, Travis Ford, Heshimu Evans, etc.
 
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Dr.LutherSan

Dr.LutherSan

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Sep 6, 2019
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TuesdayBoost said:
Heard he struggled. While he was struggling did yall have any hope he would get better? Did he give yall signs that improvement was on the way? Did yall see a championship in his future before he won it?

I feel helpless with Pope in every aspect.

No fire. No preparation. No talent. No pride. Actually it seems to be the complete opposite of playing for the name on the front of the jersey.
Click to expand...
To be fair, Rick Pitino was coaching the New York Knicks in the playoffs before he got the UK job. I think there was plenty of hope there. Mark Pope's only hope was predicated on him "understanding the assignment".
 
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TheBlueMist

TheBlueMist

All-Conference
Feb 5, 2004
2,033
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No comparison. Pitino's early teams played hard and were well-coached; they just lacked talent. Mashburn changed all that.

Pope's teams have talent but play with no sense of urgency and don't appear to be well-coached.

While Pitino gave you hope, Pope makes you hope that we can just out-talent teams (which is more akin to Calipari than Pitino). At least with Calipari, we had top recruits. Pope's top recruits are sitting on the bench at UK and leading Villanova.
 
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U

UKBB4Ever

All-Conference
Jul 3, 2025
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TuesdayBoost said:
Heard he struggled. While he was struggling did yall have any hope he would get better? Did he give yall signs that improvement was on the way? Did yall see a championship in his future before he won it?

I feel helpless with Pope in every aspect.

No fire. No preparation. No talent. No pride. Actually it seems to be the complete opposite of playing for the name on the front of the jersey.
Click to expand...
Yes. There was plenty of hope. Pitino said his first press conference that we were going to win and win now. He said it might not show on the scoreboard but it was going to show in how we played.

Even Cawood said we would be lucky to win 5 games.

Undermanned every game. But those guys played their hearts out. Even getting their asses kicked by 50 against Kansas they never quit. UK was out of timeouts. Roy looked over at Pitino and said “you want me to call timeout?” Pitino told him to shove his timeout up his ***.

He set a tone, “we’re not coming, we’re here!! Deal with it!!”

We beat LSU with Shaq and Chris Jackson. With Feldhaus guarding Shaq.

Stevie Wonder could see it!!

The very first year he could play in the tournament we took dUKe to the wire in the E8. Second year he could play in the tourney we went to the FF.

Those teams couldn’t spell quit. This team could teach a class on quitting.
 
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Skyguyb27

All-American
Feb 12, 2008
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Kjuk24 said:
Pitino left us for Boston! Scummy move
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Can’t blame him for that. It was his shot at the big time.

I can see Mitch in his broken mind giving Pope another year but I haven’t seen this board this unified since Cal’s last year. We went from support to mostly everyone agreeing this has to end, in a year and a half.
 
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fisherscatfan

fisherscatfan

All-Conference
Jan 17, 2010
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Pope is the antithesis of Pitino. When Pope talks it is superfluous crap. Pitino for all his b/s was inspiring. Pope is soft in everything he does. Pitino wanted to destroy the opponent and the opponent knew it. Pope “gathers data” and reacts. Pope has nobody coming in. He does not coach his team to impose their will on the opponent. His teams are not prepared. His teams are not conditioned.

The only aspect that made Pope the right hire is Barnhart wanted somebody he could control and Pope is so soft he fits that 100%.
 
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UKBB4Ever

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fisherscatfan said:
Pope is the antithesis of Pitino. When Pope talks it is superfluous crap. Pitino for all his b/s was inspiring. Pope is soft in everything he does. Pitino wanted to destroy the opponent and the opponent knew it. Pope “gathers data” and reacts. Pope has nobody coming in. He does not coach his team to impose their will on the opponent. His teams are not prepared. His teams are not conditioned.

The only aspect that made Pope the right hire is Barnhart wanted somebody he could control and Pope is so soft he fits that 100%.
Click to expand...
But does he react?
 
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Son_Of_Saul

Son_Of_Saul

Heisman
Dec 7, 2007
45,125
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Rick Pitino total losses while his teams were on probation: 20 total losses.

Mark Pope's losses while his teams are not on probation: 19 losses and counting...

Pitino only lost 30 games in his six non-probation years. That's five per season.

By the end of this season, Mark Pope will have double-digit losses in nine of his 11 head coaching seasons.
 
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BlueSince92

BlueSince92

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I was there in Rupp when we beat Shaq and Chris Jackson Rick’s first year. That next year, the 22-6; 14-4 Reggie Hanson-led squad was FUN to watch, especially after Mashburn started to break out just a few games in. Very next year we took Duke to the wire in still arguably the greatest game of basketball ever played.
 
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C

Cats_2010

Heisman
Jan 8, 2010
11,697
19,820
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UKBB4Ever said:
Pitino’s first team that went 14-14 would beat the hell out of this team.
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We were on probation, no live TV, and banned from the NCAA and SEC tournament. That season was 100 times more fun than this season. The program had energy and you knew it. Our basketball program now feels like the football program during stoops last two years, zero energy, enthusiasm, or excitement.
 
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paulcalhoun_rivals397471

paulcalhoun_rivals397471

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Aug 23, 2024
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Son_Of_Saul said:
Rick Pitino total losses while his teams were on probation: 20 total losses.

Mark Pope's losses while his teams are not on probation: 19 losses and counting...

Pitino only lost 30 games in his six non-probation years. That's five per season.

By the end of this season, Mark Pope will have double-digit losses in nine of his 11 head coaching seasons.
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Pitino's first year and second year we played 28 games each season. Pope's first year we played 36 and we have played 21 this season. So Pope has lost 19 in 57 games compared to 20 in 56 games for Pitino. 2 of the losses were Tourney losses for Pope which Pitino did not play in. You could reasonably expect at least one more loss in the NCAA tourney for Rick had we been eligible and possibly a second in the SEC tourney.

I'll not compare the optimism I had under Pitino at that time to the current situation but these facts needed pointed out for the sake of fairness.
 
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UKBB4Ever

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paulcalhoun_rivals397471 said:
Pitino's first year and second year we played 28 games each season. Pope's first year we played 36 and we have played 21 this season. So Pope has lost 19 in 57 games compared to 20 in 56 games for Pitino. 2 of the losses were Tourney losses for Pope which Pitino did not play in. You could reasonably expect at least one more loss in the NCAA tourney for Rick had we been eligible and possibly a second in the SEC tourney.

I'll not compare the optimism I had under Pitino at that time to the current situation but these facts needed pointed out for the sake of fairness.
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More games is an opportunity for more wins too.
 
NociHTTP

NociHTTP

Heisman
Mar 8, 2023
12,143
19,038
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Son_Of_Saul said:
He was on probation for his first two years. In his second year he won 22 games and only lost six. By his third year he almost knocked off the defending national champion in the elite 8.

Think about it this way: Kentucky was still on probation in 1991. By 1993 they were number one in the country. They ended up being the overall number one seed that year.

There was plenty of hope, because unlike Mark Pope, Pitino's teams got better every year.

Plus, Pitino had already won with the New York Knicks and Providence, who he took to a Final Four. By contrast, Mark Pope has always been a mediocre coach.
Click to expand...
UK didn't get better every year because Pitino s record was great before he got there. They got better because of the things he was doing that made his record what it was prior to UK. The focus needs to be on what Pope is or isn't doing.
 
C

Chadrock

All-Conference
Jul 12, 2004
2,986
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Those teams created the unforgettables - it’s a shame this modern era couldn’t emulate the same with Moreno, Johnson, Noah, and Perry.
 
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Smeegs

All-Conference
Nov 19, 2025
482
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TuesdayBoost said:
Heard he struggled. While he was struggling did yall have any hope he would get better? Did he give yall signs that improvement was on the way? Did yall see a championship in his future before he won it?

I feel helpless with Pope in every aspect.

No fire. No preparation. No talent. No pride. Actually it seems to be the complete opposite of playing for the name on the front of the jersey.
Click to expand...
He never “struggled.” Every one of his early teams exceeded pre-season expectations.

Even the 14-14 season. Nobody imagined that roster could go .500. People were expecting a disaster wthat season began, instead we got a really fun overachieving team that played its heart out.
 
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Old Blue Fart

All-Conference
Mar 23, 2014
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Pitinio's first years were like all his years, no mater what, his teams played hard all the time. You did not see quit in them. You did not see stupid in them.
I remember like it was yesterday how tough he was. I paid big money to get great seats when Arkansas came to town; Nolan and his 40 minutes of hell.
They were highly ranked. Early in the game, Antonio Walker mad e good play and at half court, he bends over and slaps the floor like "come on MF-er" to Arkansas. He was just letting his emotions out. But Ricky P took his butt out of the game and we lost.

Just saying, Coach P did not put up with any BS like we are seeing right now.
 
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FreedomWallace

FreedomWallace

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Nov 18, 2025
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Pitinos teams always played hard. The players were committed to effort. I can’t speak St John’s, but at UL his teams busted their *** with less talent. At very bare minimum Pope doesn’t lead to effort. I could take couple of seasons of building a program with Pope. But not with the gross incompetence in coaching, motivating, leadership and lastly not instilling importance of effort and trying. This team is leading him, not Pope leading the team. If he was affiliated with me at work, he would have been fired already. But I believe in a meritocracy and winning. Others on this forum, Mitch and the UK Trustees don’t and for them Pope is a perfect fit.
 
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Cowtown Cat

Cowtown Cat

Heisman
Aug 23, 2015
23,906
54,223
100
Son_Of_Saul said:
He was on probation for his first two years. In his second year he won 22 games and only lost six. By his third year he almost knocked off the defending national champion in the elite 8, and would have if not for an extraordinarily biased whistle.

Think about it this way: Kentucky was still on probation in 1991. By 1993 they were number one in the country. They ended up being the overall number one seed that year.

There was plenty of hope, because unlike Mark Pope, Pitino's teams got better every year.

Plus, Pitino had already won with the New York Knicks and Providence, who he took to a Final Four. By contrast, Mark Pope has always been a mediocre coach.
Click to expand...
FIFY. Can’t bold it for some reason. Damn.
 
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