That team won the SEC tourney and went to the sweet 16 so they weren't that terrible in the end although losing to K State pissed me off.
SIAP: Dan Issel NOT happy
- Thread starter bbnkat02
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Pope came in with no real resume of accomplishment or success so his leash is very short. If he were a ff coach it’s a different story but he didn’t win an ncaa tourney game until he came to Kentucky
I wonder why he’s not gonna buy into the sunshine pumping bs .
IU unc and Gonzaga are must wins they d***k around to much and already have two losses. Indiana isn’t good never have been . Beat Gonzaga and unc and I might change my mind about this team . Whenever the year started I was 80% confident the team could make a run . After Louisville it went down to 60% after Michigan state I’m at 30% and that’s being nice
Kind of a bonehead opinion, Mister Issell.
Yeah we all wish it was going better.
But the reasons Pope has an entirely new team this year aren’t all on him. And you look pretty stupid commenting on it as a representative of an era when, by the confluence of two different rules (both of which are gone now) literally no one was allowed to step on the floor without having practiced at least one whole year with their team before becoming eligible.
You’ve earned a lot of respect from our fans. But also you could learn a little from Toby Maguire’s Peter Parker about handling the power that comes with that amount of respect.
Yeah we all wish it was going better.
But the reasons Pope has an entirely new team this year aren’t all on him. And you look pretty stupid commenting on it as a representative of an era when, by the confluence of two different rules (both of which are gone now) literally no one was allowed to step on the floor without having practiced at least one whole year with their team before becoming eligible.
You’ve earned a lot of respect from our fans. But also you could learn a little from Toby Maguire’s Peter Parker about handling the power that comes with that amount of respect.
He doesn't have a whole new team. Oweh,Garrison and Chandler are back.
Oh my bad, totally. We have one starter back. That’s a totally, completely different scenario. My bad.
CC and Garrison didn't start but played major minutes last season. I don't know what games you watched.
Yep. Also Trent Noah technically got some minutes last year and plays some now too every once in a while. Not hardly a new team at all.
Cal would be proud of this defense. Well we have a new team so it takes time,November losses don't matter.....
He a UK legend. He can say whatever the hell he wants. I swear if Rupp were alive some would say he’s a bonehead.
Issel knows more and has more experience in bball than 99% of listers on this board.
Not so sure you’re the guy who gets to say what’s right and wrong for everybody else. But as always you’re welcome to think you are in your precious little head.
I get them being upset... But at the same time, if your that worked up over it,.. Reach out to pope, I'm sure he would take Issles, Givens and Mashburns call... Donate some time... Get involved, not just bitching to the media or online. I'm sure the 3 of them could point out and help teach stuff... Just not a good look for any of them, atleast Mashburns was part of his job. But still.
1000000% his fault he got litterly no one in the portal . We have a team full of role players . Lamar Wilkerson would’ve been a better choice Jaron Pierre would’ve been a good choice Yaxel lendeborg Nate ament . Mikel brown. Missed all of them. This team was supposed to be better at defense.”Elite “people say . They are just as bad as they were last year on defense and worse on offense because they can’t shoot outside of chandler whenever he can catch and shoot and sometimes Aberdeen
Actually 4 of 5 starters on opening night were on last years team & played substantial minutes Last year.
Bruce Pearl says Ky is paying “starter“ money for “role” players.
Didn’t say I was.
Just saying you should probably show a bit more respect to someone who played here and played professionally at a high level.
That’s not just a random UK alumni; that’s one of our best Cats. Dude is in the Naismith HOF for goodness sakes.
He’s earned it.
Duke lost a bunch of starters in each of the last two years and seem to be doing just fine.
Everybody sees the issues right now - Issel, Givens, Pearl, Norlander, etc. - and yet some fans in our fan base are saying it's just "toxic" fandom to expect more than the product we're seeing on the court right now.
Even with a healthy JQ and Lowe, Michigan State and Louisville would have still beaten us. The reason for this is because we have at least four players - Oweh, JJ, Garrison, and Mo D - who are playing selfishly right now on offense (tell me on what planet is it good for the team for Mo D to take four threes in a game). That's a coaching issue.
Issel is 100% right.
Even with a healthy JQ and Lowe, Michigan State and Louisville would have still beaten us. The reason for this is because we have at least four players - Oweh, JJ, Garrison, and Mo D - who are playing selfishly right now on offense (tell me on what planet is it good for the team for Mo D to take four threes in a game). That's a coaching issue.
Issel is 100% right.
Did Issel ever pay back ALL of the 4.5 Million that he stiffed 34 creditors out of to include .....gasp.......family and friends when he filed for bankruptcy?
Flush.
Flush.
Who gives a **** about that...... That man has forgotten more about basketball than most will ever know..... What the hell does this even have to do with his 100% true analysis of what he is seeing in this team this year!
I'm not really worried about a scolding from you or anyone else when I don't take anyone seriously when they pass judement in November. Sounds like another of his long line of bad decisions.
This right here! For the same $$$ he could have brought in someone as talented as JQ without the injury worries, and had them mesh with the team from day 1!
For every awesome thing Pope does, he does 2 things just as dumb!
And you believe Pope is recruiting with the same budget and good ol boy system Duke is.
You didn’t have to say it. You showed how much you believe it when you jumped on my opinion like I don’t have a right to state it without your judgment.
Issel has earned a lot of respect. He has not earned a right to trash a respectful head coach and team when they’re down and he looks like an entitled prick doing it.
Absolutely….if you’re gullible enough to believe he had a $22 million budget
Pope is making millions to coach a team and people have every right to say they think he is doing a bad job. You had no problem saying Cal wasn't getting the job done so why does Pope get a pass?
Just sayin. Always you guys bring it up. First Tubby, then BCG, then Cal now Pope. It’s either some latent envy or lacking any intelligent response you resort to laughable insults. Given the frequency, most likely both.For sure. I am a very repressed homosexual, but you still don't see me hanging off Pope's sack like you are.
Ohh, and I am the frailest being alive. I can barely walk without crumbling.
I can guarantee you he got more than Michigan state and all of the sec and grantee you he got around the same amount as Louisville
That's easy... Mark Pope is at the BEGINNING of his 2nd year at Kentucky. His first year was a much bigger success than anyone thought it would be and he has 2 early season losses against top 25 teams and so many people are absolutely trashing him. Calipari sucked for a long, long time and a lot of the posters who are here trashing Pope and the same ones who were crying when Cal was finally forced out.
Pope doesn't get a pass, but he should get a chance. When he was hired people on here were saying they would give him 5 years to get Kentucky back to a final four, but here, early in year 2, those people are now calling for his job. It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen and it makes it easy to see why people talk about Kentucky having the worst fanbase in the country.
He's played more and done more for this University I guarantee than you or most any of us ever will. **** he's been through these Novembers as a player so he can pass the judgment. He's not the only former GREAT WILDCAT that had something to say..... Did you see what Mashburn had to say also..... These former players know what the **** they're talking about they have been through this before as players and they know when something isn't right.....
For the millionth time it's not about 2 losses but about not showing up for either. Yes Louisville is good but down by 20 is crazy. True they made a run but how do you no show against a big rival and get to that point? Michigan State is in no way a great team but the Cats showed zero fight or effort. Plus Pope makes bizarre statements about something happening before the Cards game and looks like a whipped puppy after both games.
I hate Cal and hated him for years... Here is the thing about Pope with the age of the NIL it doesn't take a coach 5 years to build a team anymore. Love that Pope played for us but taking those glasses off going from year 1 to year 2 you're supposed to always progress and not regress . So far what we have seen grant it is a little regression. If he can't even show more progression this year like elite 8 or final 4 technically this will be a failure of a year especially what he supposedly spent on this team. He has next year to have us battling for a Championship or it's time to move onto the next coach!
You cannot. Moreover you're weakminded for believing you can, and emotionally weak for needed to believe you can.
No coach at Kentucky should get 5 yrs to figure **** out . This ain’t the school you just go with the flow . Sweet 16 isn’t good enough. Give them 3 yrs need a final four but looking like that’s not gonna happen as of now
Kentucky isn’t the job you learn as you go . That’s never acceptable and he should need 3 or less we’ve already been on a 10 yr drought although he has nothing to do with him if he gets 5 years and still doesn’t your pushing almost 20 yrs without even a final four not even getting close to a championship. It’s not the worst fanbase but people see it clear as day of what program we’re becoming and starting to become a forgotten program like Indiana. If you go 20 yrs without a final four your Indiana if you go 15 yrs without a final four your Indiana .
I tend to agree with your view on the Issel quote. He’s a legend and a fan —- he has the right to be frustrated like any of us, but he isn’t just another voice in the sea of fans. I don’t think it was a wise way to be THAT critical imo
Duke actually starts three returning players in their lineup. I went through looking at all the teams in college basketball to see who has continuity and Duke has more than enough continuity to win the title this season. Still don’t know how good Duke is, but in terms of continuity they have more of it than we do.
Going back to Issel, I wonder if getting in contact with the coaching staff and speaking to the players or something would have been more productive. Love Issel, still the Wildcat GOAT imo, but not the best look.
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I'm just glad guys like Issel and Mashburn have pride and care enough for the program to call out guys for not bothering to show up for a game. Some seem fine to stick their head in the sand and pretend everything is amazing.
I think there’s a place between:
1.) Stick your head in the sand, everything’s amazing
and
2.) Woe is me, my dog died, my cat died. The sky is grey and there will never be another win in Kentucky basketball history.
We are in November. There is absolutely time to fix things and some things are better left unsaid. For example, when Cal called out the Bennies, saying he knew more about basketball—- guess what, Cal was correct. He still shouldn’t have said it. Sometimes you can say something true but it still could be inappropriate or unnecessary.
LMAO not exactly what he said. He said that judging from THAT game, which anyone would draw that conclusion from that game. Context matters.