Pope bashers

[will1976]

There are plenty of excuses, but we are far from being in the spotlight of teams that matter in college basketball. Was on the Billy G ship right up until I found out how he was treating our players. Not ever going to follow any coach into that mediocrity again. I learned my lesson. Kentucky basketball loyalty comes first before any coach!

 

[Damage_inc]

Remember when Cal was here and the during the post covid years everyone was yelling for a change? I'm not criticizing those people either as I was also frustrated. But we would ask the question "who are you gonna replace him with?" The most common answer on this board was always "anybody". Well, this is what anybody looks like. Pope is our anybody.

I don't blame pope either. All he did was say yes to his dream job. He had never won anything prior to coming here. He didn't recruit well prior to coming here. It was never fair to expect him to magically succeed now that he's in Lexington. He is what he is. I know he cares and I know he's trying hard. But he was never the right guy for the job.

Go cats and may he make me eat my words. That's my hope.

 

[UKGrad24]

Can we get them to all come to this thread, round them all up here and we can see all the negative people at once. I lose track of who is who in the other threads.

What do you mean negative people? Mark Pope is not fit for Kentucky and we can settle that debate using simple data. All anyone has to speak on his behalf is we can’t read the future. Wow, you’ve got some hella knowledge there.

Past - over 10 years, 1 sweet 16, took over 10 years to make a tournament, as of right now lbs for lbs all given (NIL, non NIL, Star power, class ranking, he’s legitimately the worst recruiter in UK history. Even Tubby is able to out recruit him.

This is Kentucky. We win, people fear us, we out recruit all and when we don’t it’s 2nd. We don’t do middlin SEC basketball. If you’ve got a problem with that or think it’s negative, head *** over to Tennessee basketball board you’ll fit right in. Take the avatar with you?

 

[UKGrad24]

Do people who like Pope and want him to succeed yet think he hasn’t done a good enough job count? Trying to figure out if I’m a Pope basher?

I was around a 10 on pope as a guy when he first arrived. He’s around a 7.4 for me now. Even that’s taken hits but it’s due to his inability to be good with people he needs to be good with. And his bizarre arrogance and strange behavior at times are really off putting. Mark is nice for the most part, but he’s got a very emotionally immature side that cannot be allowed here. But it’s just who he is. Mark is really strange.

Having said that If you asked me would I prefer Pope succeed and win championships here? Does a humpback whale hump backs? But I can wish for women in one hand but play tennis with nude males in the other and one’s gonna suck. So it doesn’t matter. Wish him well but I’ve been ready to move on. Lots of the same fans do this every time here. Back a coach when it’s clearly not the answer and pretends “decent job” give him time, makes excuses yada. But Kentucky NIL should Jane literally none of these issues. Like some of us told Bich Barnhart no 6 gummy bears bowls is not success and Kentucky can do way better and compete for championships. Those same fans say Stoops was doing the best that can be done here. After well over 20 years here the situation is the same. That group is always wrong and turns around and does it again.

 

[UKGrad24]

If you stopped being a fan of a personality; you’d realize nobody “hates” Mark Pope. I hate losing at UK, I hate watching Kansas be on our heels for all time wins, I hate seeing Uconn win 2 titles back to back, Duke in final fours, and Kansas winning a title. While UK spins in the mud, with a coach who obviously isn’t up to par. We don’t have the luxury to sit here and let him learn on the job, our rivals are right on our heels.

I feel like there are some people that can’t see the road through a clean windshield. Sometimes it’s insane how bad they are, and they always end up wrong and going quiet, then pop up, act like they never said such stupid things, and D ride the next one bad or not. It’s a weird personality.

 

[UKGrad24]

Pope Derangement Syndrome shots -------> They are free, even for fools.

night be the the most stupid thing I’ve heard here in a while. No offense so don’t.

Who in this thread is deranged about Pope? This is Kentucky tiger, maybe you need a crash course on what it is we do here. Pope is not UK material there’s nothing deranged about it. Nobody hates pope but he’s just not a good recruiter and average.

 

[UKGrad24]

Mark Pope Coaching Record | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Mark Pope Coaching Record

www.sports-reference.com

It’s like they absolutely have no understanding of the HISTORY OF MARK POPE

 

[RunninRichie]

Mark Pope is the guy you hire to be your 2nd or 3rd assistant, not as your head coach.

 

[RunninRichie]

It’s like they absolutely have no understanding of the HISTORY OF MARK POPE

Did you know Phog Allen sucked his first 3 years at Kansas YMCA?

 

[Lameguy]

Piss poor reason for a thread. Your not going to remember the pope bashers here anymore than other post on the board. And get this!!! No one would be bashing pope if he were getting **** done, but he’s not. Most thought his hire was horrible from the start but those same people gave him a chance. I loved the hire but was wrong. Pope has no business coaching here, it’s a waste of everyone’s time, kind of like this thread.

90 percent of the threads are piss poor, I got tired of every thread coming down to Pope bashing, so here’s one just for them

 

[BookofMormon]

Mark Pope is the guy you hire to be your 2nd or 3rd assistant, not as your head coach.

Or even first. Let's not fully demean the guy. Cal had goofballs like Bruiser Flint and Kenny Payne. He possesses zero leadership traits. His voice alone doesn't get respect. There is no alpha, no tesosterone in the guy.

 

[RunninRichie]

Or even first. Let's not fully demean the guy. Cal had goofballs like Bruiser Flint and Kenny Payne. He possesses zero leadership traits. His voice alone doesn't get respect. There is no alpha, no tesosterone in the guy.

Which is exactly why I said 2nd or 3rd.

 

[BookofMormon]

The hotseat

Men's NCAA basketball 2026-27 coaching hot seat, retirement guide

Will Pope be on the hot seat? Will Izzo retire? Which mid-major darling will get the call up? Our predictions.

www.espn.com

 

[OGtruebluewildcat]

My question for folks who want to start planning to move on from Pope, who’s next?

Who is on the short list of guys that come in and immediately get to consecutive E8s at least? Then keep that pace or better!

Secondly, who are you so confident actually wants to come here and deal with you all?

All the top tier coaches said no thanks! Scott Drew couldn’t get out of Lexington fast enough after his interview! He’d rather go .500 in the B12 than have his job questioned after a S16 run!

UNC was pretty confident running HD out! They had to go to the booth to find a guy.

We got Pope because he played here and loves the place! If he wasn’t an alumn god only knows who’d be here!

There’s two coaches who can do the job in the time frame the fanatics want it done. They’ve both already done it here. One of them is 70 the other is 80 years old. Neither one of them coached in an SEC like this.

There are a lot of decent candidates but none of them are coming in and winning recruiting season, combine/draft season, and most importantly the actual season to the degree and at the speed that the extremists want.

 

[Lameguy]

My question for folks who want to start planning to move on from Pope, who’s next?

Who is on the short list of guys that come in and immediately get to consecutive E8s at least? Then keep that pace or better!

Secondly, who are you so confident actually wants to come here and deal with you all?

All the top tier coaches said no thanks! Scott Drew couldn’t get out of Lexington fast enough after his interview! He’d rather go .500 in the B12 than have his job questioned after a S16 run!

UNC was pretty confident running HD out! They had to go to the booth to find a guy.

We got Pope because he played here and loves the place! If he wasn’t an alumn god only knows who’d be here!

There’s two coaches who can do the job in the time frame the fanatics want it done. They’ve both already done it here. One of them is 70 the other is 80 years old. Neither one of them coached in an SEC like this.

There are a lot of decent candidates but none of them are coming in and winning recruiting season, combine/draft season, and most importantly the actual season to the degree and at the speed that the extremists want.

Neither one of them coached in an SEC like this. WELL SAID. This SEC is loaded top to bottom, most bashers don’t want to accept this, they don’t want to accept that NIL has leveled the playing field. Kids know they don’t have to go to a blue blood to get noticed either. They get caught up in he can’t recruit, well guess what John Calipari was a great recruiter and in the last 7 years he’s won 155 games with some of the best talent, and Pope in that same time period with far less talent has won 156 games. So how about we give him this year without constantly crapping on him.

 

[UKGrad24]

Did you know Phog Allen sucked his first 3 years at Kansas YMCA?

Yea but Coach K is closer to Pope. Both white, both sucked early, both to be GOATS. They’re nearly identical already.

 

[rivercatinfl]

In my opinion, he is not the right fit for Kentucky. His tenure at BYU, likely represented the ceiling of his coaching résumé rather than preparation for a program like UK. This position demands a level of recruiting presence and composure that he has not yet demonstrated at this level.

That is no reflection on his intellect or character. He is a bright man who, in my view, would likely have made an excellent physician. Head coach at Kentucky, however, is an entirely different standard.

Legacy hire that likely will not end well.

I agree with you 100%. I just happen to think this team has the drive and determination that his other 2 teams haven’t had.
the players just seem more dedicated to winning and strike me as hard nosed players. That doesn’t make up for a shortage of talent but it looks decent to me.
I hope we don’t have to replace Pope. But agree his mediocre records and tourney performances have lacked.

 

[UKortho]

My question for folks who want to start planning to move on from Pope, who’s next?

Who is on the short list of guys that come in and immediately get to consecutive E8s at least? Then keep that pace or better!

Secondly, who are you so confident actually wants to come here and deal with you all?

All the top tier coaches said no thanks! Scott Drew couldn’t get out of Lexington fast enough after his interview! He’d rather go .500 in the B12 than have his job questioned after a S16 run!

UNC was pretty confident running HD out! They had to go to the booth to find a guy.

We got Pope because he played here and loves the place! If he wasn’t an alumn god only knows who’d be here!

There’s two coaches who can do the job in the time frame the fanatics want it done. They’ve both already done it here. One of them is 70 the other is 80 years old. Neither one of them coached in an SEC like this.

There are a lot of decent candidates but none of them are coming in and winning recruiting season, combine/draft season, and most importantly the actual season to the degree and at the speed that the extremists want.

Several people here said the exact same thing about Stoops.

 

[JustBlue]

John Calipari was a great recruiter and in the last 7 years he’s won 155 games with some of the best talent, and Pope in that same time period with far less talent has won 156 games.

You left out that Pope was in a mid major conference for more than half of that time.

 

[TFCat11]

OP, you’re a first class moron. Don’t go projecting your inability to get laid, on the rest of us who are here to talk UK sports. Pope has been subpar by historical UK standards, and only a **** stirrer or as in your case, a first class moron, would argue otherwise.

 

[Lameguy]

You left out that Pope was in a mid major conference for more than half of that time.

Yes with mid major talent also

 

[Resignmarkpope]

Yeah , I’m in that group.
Am I hopeful for this season….yeah .
Do I have faith we’re going to have a good season……Naw .

General of the pope bashing army here!

 

[Lameguy]

OP, you’re a first class moron. Don’t go projecting your inability to get laid, on the rest of us who are here to talk UK sports. Pope has been subpar by historical UK standards, and only a **** stirrer or as in your case, a first class moron, would argue otherwise.

There you go, a low IQ individual came here to talk sports but instead results to personal attacks. Sound like someone told you no last night and you woke up pissed off.

 

[Resignmarkpope]

Pope Derangement Syndrome shots -------> They are free, even for fools.

For people who think he’s a good coach? Or people who think he’s a complete fraud?

 

[Resignmarkpope]

Yea but Coach K is closer to Pope. Both white, both sucked early, both to be GOATS. They’re nearly identical already.

Pope is a complete fraud

 

[OGtruebluewildcat]

Several people here said the exact same thing about Stoops.

Stoops was here 13 years, got a few seasons grace to start, and about 4-5 years of sliding towards the end.

UK football is actually an attractive gig, especially in the new era.

Whoever the Will Stein of basketball is, he isn’t going to UK or UNC. Most likely would take a Michigan, Florida, Bama before a blue blood.

The reasons why Stein is succeeding as well as other new coaches and other non traditional FB is exactly why Pope UK, KU, UNC are struggling in basketball.

Talent dispersed, conference level of difficulty changed accordingly.

Talent left SEC in football spread out to whoever was offering money and playing time. Talent flooded SEC basketball for money and playing time.

 

[Lameguy]

Stoops was here 13 years, got a few seasons grace to start, and about 4-5 years of sliding towards the end.

UK football is actually an attractive gig, especially in the new era.

Whoever the Will Stein of basketball is, he isn’t going to UK or UNC. Most likely would take a Michigan, Florida, Bama before a blue blood.

The reasons why Stein is succeeding as well as other new coaches and other non traditional FB is exactly why Pope UK, KU, UNC are struggling in basketball.

Talent dispersed, conference level of difficulty changed accordingly.

Talent left SEC in football spread out to whoever was offering money and playing time. Talent flooded SEC basketball for money and playing time.

It truly amazes me that people on here can’t see this. It’s pretty obvious. Same reason Calipari fell off the last few years. People will cry that Duke is killing it, well two things. 1. Duke has ESPN as a propaganda machine. 2. They have way more money than everyone else.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Stoops was here 13 years, got a few seasons grace to start, and about 4-5 years of sliding towards the end.

UK football is actually an attractive gig, especially in the new era.

Whoever the Will Stein of basketball is, he isn’t going to UK or UNC. Most likely would take a Michigan, Florida, Bama before a blue blood.

The reasons why Stein is succeeding as well as other new coaches and other non traditional FB is exactly why Pope UK, KU, UNC are struggling in basketball.

Talent dispersed, conference level of difficulty changed accordingly.

Talent left SEC in football spread out to whoever was offering money and playing time. Talent flooded SEC basketball for money and playing time.

But someone has to win the SEC. Why can’t that be UK?

The teams winning are playing the same schedule.

It’s imbalanced some. But Pope is 20-16 in the SEC.

The worst 2 year SEC record of any coach in UK history.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

It truly amazes me that people on here can’t see this. It’s pretty obvious. Same reason Calipari fell off the last few years. People will cry that Duke is killing it, well two things. 1. Duke has ESPN as a propaganda machine. 2. They have way more money than everyone else.

Everyone can see that other coaches are navigating those same waters with much more success. And it can’t explain away the quitting or lack of being prepared to play.

 

[Resignmarkpope]

Did you know Phog Allen sucked his first 3 years at Kansas YMCA?

Oh, I know! Only 2 seasons with loses under 10, 1 being the Covid year! Never finished 1st in any conference he’s coached. Only 3 ncaa tournament wins. No final fours, and no coach of the years! Started coaching in 2015. Won 58% of conference games at Utah valley, 62% at BYU, and 55% at Kentucky. COMPLETE FRAUD!

Did you know Phog Allen sucked his first 3 years at Kansas YMCA?

 

[davtay]

But someone has to win the SEC. Why can’t that be UK?

The teams winning are playing the same schedule.

It’s imbalanced some. But Pope is 20-16 in the SEC.

The worst 2 year SEC record of any coach in UK history.

Fair question. But you won't recognize that the teams that have won the SEC during this period, have not had the injuries that UK has had. Take out those and the whole scenario changes. Maybe not outright winning conference, but very possible.

You take the injuries that UK had Pope's first year and place them on Florida. I guarantee they aren't winning conference or NCAA.... but Pope sucks... I know the rhetoric.

 

[Im The Village Idiot]

My question for folks who want to start planning to move on from Pope, who’s next?

I'm not planning to move on from Pope, nor am I definitive that it won't work here like others. I think there are serious issues but I still could see him turning it around at UK, even though that window is closing very quickly.

That said, the answer to your question is Nate Oats. I think he's a perfect on-court fit, despite the off-court reservations many have. He also already has a relationship with the AD.

 

[Lameguy]

But someone has to win the SEC. Why can’t that be UK?

The teams winning are playing the same schedule.

It’s imbalanced some. But Pope is 20-16 in the SEC.

The worst 2 year SEC record of any coach in UK history.

The imbalance can be a big factor, look at the teams conference schedules and compare each to how many games were against ranked conference opponents in the last 2 years

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Fair question. But you won't recognize that the teams that have won the SEC during this period, have not had the injuries that UK has had. Take out those and the whole scenario changes. Maybe not outright winning conference, but very possible.

You take the injuries that UK had Pope's first year and place them on Florida. I guarantee they aren't winning conference or NCAA.... but Pope sucks... I know the rhetoric.

I don’t watch those teams unless they play UK. But I have never heard anyone say they just quit. Or that they aren’t prepared to play. They don’t quit when they play UK.

They look prepared to play UK. But we are pretty easy to prepare for.

I’ve never said Pope sucks. I’ve never even said Pope can’t coach. I will say that he is not a good coach. Great coaches have some weaknesses. But the things they do well overshadows those weaknesses. Pope does nothing well as a head coach.

It’s not about the record for me. Pope doesn’t compete. Pitino’s first team here was injured and undermanned every game. They went 14-14 and everyone loved them because they played their asses off every possession. They didn’t embarrass the brand. They personified the brand. Pope is the exact opposite of that.

 

[Pygmy Sasquatch]

I'm not planning to move on from Pope, nor am I definitive that it won't work here like others. I think there are serious issues but I still could see him turning it around at UK, even though that window is closing very quickly.

That said, the answer to your question is Nate Oats. I think he's a perfect on-court fit, despite the off-court reservations many have. He also already has a relationship with the AD.

I'm really hoping Pope turns it around this season. I have reservations about Oats. But I had reservations about calipari, too. And after two years of Otis the Drunk, I lost my reservations and concerns about calipari. I'm approaching the same mindset with Oats.

 

[JHBr]

One thing that is understated is the injuries the two teams Pope has had experienced. Definitely both seasons performance was impacted by them. I would factor that in when evaluating his performance. Another thing that is overstated in my opinion is the comments on his personality, him being goofy, players not wanting to play for him, etc.
I'm not ready for him to go, but I do think this season is a key for his tenure. I expect improvement this season, and could see myself wanting to move on if the on-court performance mirrors last season.
I'm hopeful for the season and look forward to seeing where the team is tomorrow night.

 

[yoshukai]

Remember when Cal was here and the during the post covid years everyone was yelling for a change? I'm not criticizing those people either as I was also frustrated. But we would ask the question "who are you gonna replace him with?" The most common answer on this board was always "anybody". Well, this is what anybody looks like. Pope is our anybody.

I don't blame pope either. All he did was say yes to his dream job. He had never won anything prior to coming here. He didn't recruit well prior to coming here. It was never fair to expect him to magically succeed now that he's in Lexington. He is what he is. I know he cares and I know he's trying hard. But he was never the right guy for the job.

Go cats and may he make me eat my words. That's my hope.

And I am still THRILLED Cal is gone. We would be no better off and have his massive buyout hanging over our heads .Pope may or may not turn out to be the guy but the “old Cal” definitely wasn’t.
Cal has gone to his last final 8.

 

[yoshukai]

General of the pope bashing army here!

Dude you gotta have me mixed up with someone else. I’m not even close . I consider myself pro-pope , neutral at worst .You can access my posting history.

 

[BookofMormon]

And I am still THRILLED Cal is gone. We would be no better off and have his massive buyout hanging over our heads .Pope may or may not turn out to be the guy but the “old Cal” definitely wasn’t.
Cal has gone to his last final 8.

I could see him potentially squeezing out another Elite 8 if he strikes it right, 50/50.

This current HS recruiting class is worth watching. They haven't landed anyone. 7 top kids left, 5 of which they're involved with and there is an NIL war going on for them.

Black - bro of Anthony Black, UNC, Texas and USC making strong plays
Daughtry - Ark on late, rumored to stay instate with Miami or Florida
Rosser - NC kid long rumored to UNC. Have to think Malone is saving the chest for him as can't lose.
Henry - recruitment has been all over the place, Ville also in play and throwing money at him
Diggs - long rumored to AZ and would fill the Holt spot seamlessly. AZ hasn't signed one kid yet, so likely has NIL for him.

We all know Jordan Smith is going draft, and plenty of mocks have at least 3 other Hogs going with him (Toure, Richmond, Mikka, the other frosh)

If Cal wiffs here, he's really losing his fastball. As is, he may be forced to try to retain (against his nature), or go portal/euro (also against his nature).

You'd have to think he lands 1 of the lead guards. As is, apparently Henry doesn't like Black and doesn't want to play with him.

Cal could either surprise us and land 3, flexing his muscle over all these other programs or he could end up shooting blanks with 0-1 and be left having to get creative.

 

[yoshukai]

I could see him potentially squeezing out another Elite 8 if he strikes it right, 50/50.

This current HS recruiting class is worth watching. They haven't landed anyone. 7 top kids left, 5 of which they're involved with and there is an NIL war going on for them.

Black - bro of Anthony Black, UNC, Texas and USC making strong plays
Daughtry - Ark on late, rumored to stay instate with Miami or Florida
Rosser - NC kid long rumored to UNC. Have to think Malone is saving the chest for him as can't lose.
Henry - recruitment has been all over the place, Ville also in play and throwing money at him
Diggs - long rumored to AZ and would fill the Holt spot seamlessly. AZ hasn't signed one kid yet, so likely has NIL for him.

We all know Jordan Smith is going draft, and plenty of mocks have at least 3 other Hogs going with him (Toure, Richmond, Mikka, the other frosh)

If Cal wiffs here, he's really losing his fastball. As is, he may be forced to try to retain (against his nature), or go portal/euro (also against his nature).

You'd have to think he lands 1 of the lead guards. As is, apparently Henry doesn't like Black and doesn't want to play with him.

Cal could either surprise us and land 3, flexing his muscle over all these other programs or he could end up shooting blanks with 0-1 and be left having to get creative.

Everything fell his way last year. Third easiest schedule in the sec, arguably the 3rd best player he has ever coached,some talented veterans returning. He was still nowhere close .
His coaching staff is putrid and he hasn’t put a decent defensive team on the floor in almost a decade.

I just ain’t buying it, no matter how good he recruits.