Mitch panicked after his friend Scott Drew turned him down. Everyone was tired of Cal’s schtick so imo Mitch went for the complete opposite personality and hired the nice guy he could control. Nice guys don’t work at UK.
Pope was a panic hire
- Thread starter seccats04
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Barnhart prioritizes people religious convictions. We never would've had cal if it was up to him and his Bible school ways. We need a killer.
This is 100000% true, told no by two people and they needed to offer someone that would for sure say yes.
There were at least a handful of coaches from Arizona, Iowa State, even some NBA guys like Frank Vogel probably never even so much as got a call. It’s like with the BCG hire in 2007. A lot of BS nonsense and then hire the safest hire you can find for the littlest amount of work. It’s despicable. Dude was arrogantly assuming he had Scott Drew in the bag until his family told him hell no.
All you blow hards told those of us who questioned the hire at the time to go to hell. I hope you are happy now. This is not Kentucky Basketball!
BYU is flying high right now with a big bank account and was able to get the #1 recruit. Wild how that happened after Pope left. Even with the resources at UK , Pope still can’t recruit for ****!
Because Ky Basketball is irrelevant
Us crazies seem less and less crazy after each terrible loss.
This face plant isnt even close to over... wait til the SEC road games. This isnt gonna be pretty and we all have a front roll seat and cant do **** about a bunch of overpaid kids playing a game. Our program and love for Kentucky Basketball is in a spot that could take a decade to fix.
I’ve got money for anyone who hits Pope with a pink dil-do at the next home game.
UK pushed men in women's sports under his watch. He may need to check his religion.
I mean barnhart has to release a statement on this downward spiral, right? will he?
Nevermind the fact Barnhardt shouldn't even have a job
Nevermind the fact Barnhardt shouldn't even have a job
Spot on. He just did it again with the football hire too. Waited too long and loses Sumrall so he hires the first guy he talks to in Stein. It’s absolutely pathetic and gross negligence in his job. It blows my mind how he hasn’t been fired yet.
You wanna know something crazy? BYU got $6 million from Kentucky for a buyout. It’s insane. Probably bought Dybantsa with that money.
First of all, no don't do it. Second, they are green, not pink. Get it right!
The funny thing about UK basketball. I don’t know a single UK fan that wanted Mark Pope as their next head coach. Zero, none. But yet showed up to support him anyways. This is squarely on Mitch, Jeff Sheppard, Blevins, and whoever else was on this committee. They crapped the bed.
Fire Mitch. Bring in an AD who will hire a real basketball coach and stop these Mickey Mouse hires. Then holding the programs hostage to horse **** contract extensions.
I agree, MITCH BARNHARDT has ruined kentucky basketball.
Gillispie was, too.
If Mitch hears two nos, he will go with the third choice who says yes.
If Mitch hears two nos, he will go with the third choice who says yes.
I hate to say it, but I’m not entirely confident in this football hire either. Hate to throw somebody under the bus without even coaching a game, but the fact that MB hired a guy within 24 hours just because he’s a KY native is very telling. He didn’t even conduct a coaching search same with Pope. We will see how everything plays out…
Don’t think Mitch had much to do with Stein being hired. I also think he was spoken with before we decided on Stoops.
Early on when I said I wanted Oats, some guys said he was going to block me. 
Who was coming? He waited to long for Sumrall- and thats not necessarily a home run- he's somewhat unproven at a large program.
Stein has success at a MAJOR program- at least as an OC. His past 3 QBs have been HIGHLY ranked.
So, sure...its a gamble. EVERY hire is. Cal was a gamble when we hired him. So was Stoops.
You just have to make the best hire you can with what you've got.
Smart ADs have a good idea of what coaches are willing to come to their schools before the season ends, especially if they have a coach on the hot seat. Our AD was hellbent in bringing Cal back, but when that didn’t happen he was hellbent on hiring Scott Drew. When Scott Drew’s family wanted nothing to so with his goofy a** he went for easiest choice.
Barnhart got caught with his pants down after not being proactive and shitcanning Cal immediately after the Oakland loss. Barnhart wanted Scott Drew and absolutely panicked in the Pope hire. Barnhart is too spineless to go after the coaches we want, that will make a difference and inject energy into the program to bring prominence back to Kentucky Basketball.
It makes sense for football to take a chance on a coordinator. Basketball taking a coach who hasn’t won a tourney game is different.
Basic due diligence probably would have turned up Billy Clyde's drinking problem but Mitch just winged it. Joker was also a lazy hire no matter that Rich wanted.
Ridiculous. And they were in discussions for weeks before Stoops was officially fired. Why do you think they were able to come to an agreement that quickly?
Stein was a superb hire.
We were talking to Stein backchannel during football's 5-game losing streak early in the season.
Exactly this. Proven coaches aren't kicking UK football's door down. We have to hire coordinators or retreads. I also think once Florida, Auburn and LSU opened, we lost Sumrall anyway. He was taking one of those jobs, Kentucky ties be damned.
I am good with the Stein hire. I was livid with the Pope hire at first, was won over at "the revival," and bought in fully last year. Came into this year with higher expectations than last year.
Now, I am starting to question the hire all over again. And I hate that because I love Pope and was fortunate enough to watch his team win that title in person with my dad. One of the best memories of my life.
When someone asked about BCG’s DUI during the press conference introducing him as the new coach, I knew that his tenure was going to end in disaster.
Literally anybody could do better than this at Kentucky. Hell Texas A&M’s old coach Buzz would have us in title talks imo. Rick Barnes would win a title. Pitino would do good. Any of the beards oats pearls. Any former players could win. West Virginias old coach. Anybody. Literally anybody could compete here at least. Anybody!
Hell Calaparis son could come stand on the sidelines with a damn turtle neck and get more out of a team than Pope. I’m so done man
Hell Calaparis son could come stand on the sidelines with a damn turtle neck and get more out of a team than Pope. I’m so done man