Pope bashers

[JustBlue]

Texas Tech - Cal blew a giant lead and lost in OT on the Derrion Williams 3.

Man, that's my fault. I thought you were talking about UK/UT in 2025. Yeah, Arkansas should have won that game

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

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

When you have no reasonable argument against what someone has actually said just make up something to attribute to them that you can sarcastically attack?

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

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.

I am pretty certain he was referring to himself with this rather than you.

 

[yoshukai]

I am pretty certain he was referring to himself with this rather than you.

That must have been it ,lol. Didn’t think about it that way.

 

[RunninRichie]

OP, there is something you don't seem to get: a lot of the folks you think love Pope more than the program don't even like Pope; they just don't want to bash the program.

Pope isn't the program, he's the coach of the program.

 

[MegaBlue05]

I just wish we could wait until we lose a game to trash our team and coach.

I get labeled as a pumper. In reality, I always want our coach to do well because that means Kentucky is doing well. I said last year that he wasn’t going to be fired during or after last season, while half if you thought hiring Bruce Pearl in December of last year was realistic.

I have maintained that this year is Pope’s make or break season. If he doesn’t improve from last year or heaven forbid is worse, he’s out. I hope we get a year 4 of Pope because we won the SEC and made a FF. That said, he historically averages 12 losses a year for his career and has never won a conference championship or conference tournament. I plan to cheer on the Cats and let the chips fall where they may. We either have a great year or get a new coach. Simple as that.

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

Pope isn't the program, he's the coach of the program.

I can't see any reason this needs to be said as I don't think there is one person who would think any different.

 

[RunninRichie]

Can't see any reason this needs to be said as I don't think there is one person who would think any different.

Appreciate it.

 

[Lameguy]

Dry periods of winning a natty, for sure. But they also had two FFs during each of those dry spells. They also had 15 regular season conference titles in those time periods. That means they were extremely competitive and close. NCAATs can create some special one offs. The metric should be conference standings year after year. And as long as there’s not a disturbing pattern in the conference or NCAA tournament, you have to be happy with the results. Problem with Pope so far, he’s finished dead middle of the pack in the SEC. He hasn’t done anything of note in the conference or NCAA tournament. He also has no equity built up as a winner like Tubby or Cal did. Most or all evidence that exists on his coaching career is essentially what we’ve gotten so far. If he can’t graduate beyond that this season, that’s plenty of data. Eventually, you are who the records and numbers say you are.

Once again he’s just 2 years in, give him at least this year and quit punishing him for Cal’s failures in his last 7 years.

 

[Catastic5]

Once again he’s just 2 years in, give him at least this year and quit punishing him for Cal’s failures in his last 7 years.

I don’t exactly know what you expect. No one here has an option to *not* give him another year. He’s getting it. Doesn’t mean those of us who don’t believe it’s going to matter are going to stop talking about. We already potentially lost a major backup in backcourt.

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

We already potentially lost a major backup in backcourt.

Are you blaming that on Pope?

 

[Catastic5]

Are you blaming that on Pope?

How many injury excuses does he get? At some point excuses run out.

 

[Lameguy]

I don’t exactly know what you expect. No one here has an option to *not* give him another year. He’s getting it. Doesn’t mean those of us who don’t believe it’s going to matter are going to stop talking about. We already potentially lost a major backup in backcourt.

There’s a difference between talking about issues and kicking and screaming about it. Be honest a lot of people on here act like children. They resort to name calling, I would almost bet that when they were toddlers they were the biters.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Once again he’s just 2 years in, give him at least this year and quit punishing him for Cal’s failures in his last 7 years.

Cal has nothing to do with Pope’s coaching.

 

[Catastic5]

There’s a difference between talking about issues and kicking and screaming about it. Be honest a lot of people on here act like children. They resort to name calling, I would almost bet that when they were toddlers they were the biters.

You acting like the Pope boys aren’t in the thick of it with the name-calling…

But many of us are merely coping. We’re terrified. We don’t know what’s going to happen and for many of us, that in of itself is horrifying. We usually have some kind of idea when we’re good. Now we’re hoping to be good, praying for a miracle. It’s not a great feeling.

 

[The_Answer1313_rivals]

I mean I'd love for Pope to be successful here, just like any other coach before him.

But the recruiting just hasn't been there.

This is year 3. We are a fringe top 25 team. If this team doesn't massively overperform to that, we are more than likely a fringe top 25 team in the tournament and struggle to make it out of the first weekend.

The ones that say I'd like to see what he can do without the injuries..........that's not the main problem here lol. At complete health, is this a team you'd consider a title contender? That's the problem here.

 

[Lameguy]

Cal has nothing to do with Pope’s coaching.

Never said he did. His failures here with the incredible talent that he had created an atmosphere with certain fans that expect a turn around immediately. Those same fans are taking their 10 years pent up frustration out on Pope. Just give him this year and see where everything falls.

 

[Lameguy]

I mean I'd love for Pope to be successful here, just like any other coach before him.

But the recruiting just hasn't been there.

This is year 3. We are a fringe top 25 team. If this team doesn't massively overperform to that, we are more than likely a fringe top 25 team in the tournament and struggle to make it out of the first weekend.

The ones that say I'd like to see what he can do without the injuries..........that's not the main problem here lol. At complete health, is this a team you'd consider a title contender? That's the problem here.

How many title contenders have we had here in the last 10 years with unbelievable talent. I would say one in 2017. Now how many people assumed would be are a lot more.

 

[bigblueinsanity (the real)]

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?

Vast majority of posts on this board think every issue is just binary. Somehow the existence of nuance is just lost.

I would wager 98%+ hope Pope wins because 1) uk wins and 2) he seems like a great guy. We can both cheer for him while also recognize he isn't currently cutting it. It doesn't have to be only one or the other.

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

How many injury excuses does he get? At some point excuses run out.

You are acting like he intentionally hurt a key backup. Absolutely factual information must be considered when making a fair evaluation and is not a matter of making excuses. Injuries and schedules matter no matter how much you wish that wasn't true.

 

[Pygmy Sasquatch]

That was a 15 point loss where they were down by 20. That hair is like a rope.

EDIT: OP was referring to the TX Tech/Arkansas game which was unbelievably close. My error.

That was even better. It warmed me innards.

 

[Im The Village Idiot]

Vast majority of posts on this board think every issue is just binary. Somehow the existence of nuance is just lost.

I would wager 98%+ hope Pope wins because 1) uk wins and 2) he seems like a great guy. We can both cheer for him while also recognize he isn't currently cutting it. It doesn't have to be only one or the other.

Couldn’t agree more.

 

[KyCPA2000]

I want Pope to win so bad, for my sake and for UK. But nothing I have seen so far going into this year gives me any optimism that this year will be any better than his first here and that just isn't good enough to keep this fan base energized. UK is not going to settle for anything below 3rd in the SEC in a normal year, much less three times in a row.

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

I want Pope to win so bad, for my sake and for UK. But nothing I have seen so far going into this year gives me any optimism that this year will be any better than his first here and that just isn't good enough to keep this fan base energized. UK is not going to settle for anything below 3rd in the SEC in a normal year, much less three times in a row.

Obviously our goal is always to win titles but lets not pretend like this is equal to the vast majority of our history. You can't equally weigh 3rd place in a 10-12 team conference of comparatively weak teams to a very strong 16 team conference. To finish 3rd in the SEC this year requires finishing ahead of the 8th ranked team in the country in the preseason rankings. It's an admirable goal but acting like anything less is garbage and automatically demands a firing is ridiculous.

 

[Eagles_Ball_69]

Once again he’s just 2 years in, give him at least this year and quit punishing him for Cal’s failures in his last 7 years.

Dusty May won a title in yr two. In this era, it doesn’t take more than a yr. I don’t expect a title, but I don’t expect 26 losses in two yrs either. That said, he should get this year. If it’s like the first two, he gone. And he should be. The standard shouldn’t be lowered just because he’s a former player.

I don’t even know what you mean by the last part. So weird how some of you can’t separate your thoughts. Cal sucked at the end and I wanted him gone. Mark Pope sucks now and if he still sucks after this year I will want him gone too. It’s a simple concept.

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

Dusty May won a title in yr two. In this era, it doesn’t take more than a yr. I don’t expect a title, but I don’t expect 26 losses in two yrs either. That said, he should get this year. If it’s like the first two, he gone. And he should be. The standard shouldn’t be lowered just because he’s a former player.

I don’t even know what you mean by the last part. So weird how some of you can’t separate your thoughts. Cal sucked at the end and I wanted him gone. Mark Pope sucks now and if he still sucks after this year I will want him gone too. It’s a simple concept.

Citing an extreme exception to the rule establishes nothing. You have no understanding of or consideration for reality. What Pope has done so far is pretty dead on our standard when playing schedules with a difficulty rating of 10.60 or higher and that is with not even giving consideration to injuries. It has been made especially challenging given how often we have had to play without a PG for one thing.

I'll just copy and paste these facts from another thread:

UK has played 9 schedules rated 10.60 or better in their history and have lost double figure games every time. 7 times pre Pope with an average rating of 11.44 and a record of 144-80 64%. Pope's two schedules avg. rating is 13.50 with a record of 46-26 63.9%.

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You guys like to refer to anything that doesn't fit your agenda as excuse making but it is truly just factual perspective. I still agree he must find a way to improve on results but his failures are being greatly exaggerated.