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- Thread starter Bill_the_cat
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Not when he took the job. If you are going yo lay out expectations like that and say "We are Kentucky" don't start the roster off for the next coach without even having a ball boy
This is more on Barnhart than Pope.
We could have had Bruce Pearl... easily.
We could have had Bruce Pearl... easily.
A distinction for me is that I think coaches can still have down years. But in this landscape and with Kentucky's resources, it really should be few and far between. The problem for Pope is that we have yet to have any great seasons. Last season was probably an Elite8 away from me saying it was a "great season". But this season is a TOTAL disaster, and it's probably going to culminate in missing the tournament entirely, which for me is much more than a "down year".
The issue is Pope is right now 50/50 on good and bad years. I get that it's only 2 years, but he just hasn't shown us any real inclination that he can coach here. At least Cal had early success that bought him some time. Or if it's a coach who had past success at other schools same thing. We really have no idea if Pope is any good of a coach at this level of the top conferences. I'm starting to think he just doesn't have it.
Utah Valley Wolverines men's basketball has won conference regular-season championships multiple times in both the Great West Conference (GWC) and the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) (2011, 2012, 2014, 2021, 2023, 2025) and even reached their first WAC Tournament title game in 2025. None of these were with Mark Pope as Coach. When I say he hasn’t won, I mean he hasn’t won anywhere. Not just the NCAA tourney.
i think these people need to actually look up the historical stats of UVU and BYU and understand this:
these programs were both better before and after Mark Pope was there. it's not a debate. it is fact.
these programs were both (until BYU in Pope's last season there came to the Big 12) in small major conferences.
and yet he never got a single regular season title or conference tournament championship
Mismanaging 20 million dollars, would get you fired 9/10 times but highly doubt its enough to get fired here. It's not like we're still the gold standard or anything
Utah Valley might take another shot at Pope but you can bet BYU does not want him back.
No excuses, he is having a bad year. But why the Hell would Hurley or Oats leave UCONN or Bama, where they have earned the right to have a bad year without any worry at all about their jobs, to come to a place there two thirds of the fan base is going to call for the head of one of their own halfway through a season after he had a good first year? Thats why those two, Billy Donovan, Jay Wright, guys like that aren't coming here
He was given EVERY tool to win. School - Check, Roster money - Check (a blank check at that). facilities - check, resources - check. Lot of checkmarks to have a "down year". Now if he was handicapped with no budget, I get it. He was provided THE MOST budget imaginable and this is the result ? Even after said roster construction failure, he has followed that up with not a damn clue how to coach said roster or make adjustments,,,, NONE. That is not a "down year" that is flat out FAILURE to do the job you was hired to do. Porsche my ***, more like a Pinto. In his mind he really thought he nailed it,,, or was trying to convince himself and all the fans he did.
The problem is he went backwards not forwards, this year should have been an improvement, instead you see the same mistakes made with this team as last years team. It’s bad coaching, the only difference is last year he had 5th year seniors and great 3pt shooters to bail him out. You’re acting like he did something so spectacular last year too, we lost 12 games and some were absolute head scratchers. And it’s been more of the same this year but worse, we’ve gotten blown out multiple times. He’s not a good coach just face it and we shouldn’t waste our time holding onto him for another year of more of the same
I think there's going to be a massive difference in the way he recruits and coaches (next year when he can reset with players that 'get it'. I have full faith that he won't let this year happen again.
Period, I bet you can’t name me another second year coach at a power 5 with any basketball history doing as poorly as Pope.
The players won’t ’get it’ because the coach doesn’t even ‘get it’
What have you seen that makes you have such faith ? Honest question. If he couldn't put a roster together with $22 million, what happens if he is cut back on spending that much ? New football coach is going to get money, Pope will NOT have $22 million for next year after what he has showed the ability to do, or not do. I mean, he could have had similar / better results with way less. Couldn't do any worse. Why would he be given that much $$$ when he has proven he doesn't know how to spend it ?????