This coaching staff is putting in work and getting DOGS on the team. Loving this so much. As an old school UK fan(born here and still living here in the bluegrass), I was 100 percent in on this hire from the jump. I was at Rupp at the press conference. It still feels surreal. All the negativity when Pope was hired...man I hope you guys are paying attention now. I haven't been this excited about UK basketball in 10 years. This is such a positive change and I am down right giddy now. I know the true UK fans feel the same. Let's go Big Blue!!!
The excitement is back
- Thread starter Bloodtypeblue
- Start date
Takes me back to 1986 when I really started following recruits
Remember the Cat's Pause magazine?
Sure do.
My Grandpa would pass it down to me each week after he read it. Was like getting a Christmas present weekly.
I remember playing grade school basketball and my coach came in one day and tossed me a Street and Smiths college basketball yearbook. It had Sam Bowie on the cover.. I spent hours reading it...I've still got it along with every college yearbook since the 1976-77 season.
I moved to Ohio in 73.
I would look for a copy whenever I came back to visit.
With something we haven’t had in a very long time……A COACH!!!!! I’m optimistic pope will put together an exciting season for us next year. How much success we have remains to be seen but I think we will be a fun basketball team to watch.
I was one of the fans that was pissed when I heard the news that we were hiring Pope without talking to Donovan first. The next day I woke up excited as ever and was totally on board. I couldn't be happier with the hire so far.
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I look at it like this Coach Pope is one of us Loves Kentucky Basketball to the core I think
I totally understand the initial worry some people had. I didn’t like the ones who wanted to Call Barnhart or pulls Texas A&M.
Coach Pope is one of us, and has been a head coach in a major conference before. He’s taken a school that may be one of the hardest to recruit at in the power 5 and had a top 25 team.
Yes, he isn’t proven, especially in March. He was however miles ahead of Schyer and Hubert Davis, and they are doing just fine.
The way this staff as been assembled, and the work they have done this fast shows me that they can get it done here. If Pope proves we can win this year, my confidence in him will only rise.
He has the potential to coach here and easy 15-20 years. If he becomes a perennial SEC champ, or makes a final 4 or better within his first 5 years. At least something that shows that he’s on the cusp of it.
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Love this post. Couldn't agree more. Great take!
I’m among the many thrilled that Calipari and his minions are gone. Calipari quit building championship caliber team years ago. Instead, more and more Calipari and his staff assembled rosters full of selfish dudes focused on showcasing their potential rather than winning games. For years it was me-first AAU basketball being played by the dudes wearing Kentucky jerseys. The fact that everyone from last season’s roster has left is a blessing (I still believe Sheppard and Big Z both made poor decisions, but it’s not my life).
The fact nearly all of Calipari’s recruits have decommitted is a gift for BBN. Like their predecessors, those dudes are going to play with a me-first, team-success-third mentality. But fortunately Arkansas now has to put up with that crap.
Go Cats!!
The fact nearly all of Calipari’s recruits have decommitted is a gift for BBN. Like their predecessors, those dudes are going to play with a me-first, team-success-third mentality. But fortunately Arkansas now has to put up with that crap.
Go Cats!!
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May start slowly and come together as the season goes and be a force come March. Gotta be hopeful.
AGREE 10000% if not more. Cannot wait to see CMP on the sideline leading this team of men to battle in the tough SEC 16 team field this year. Gonna be a rough road for all 16 SEC teams.
Been watching and following UK since Kevin Grevey was a freshman. So I have been around awhile. I have a bunch of those magazines and found the 96 year and reread it and remembered the glory days. Love this post and so happy to have the feeling of the old days again. I had been wanting Calipari gone for the last few years.
Didnt this used to be Cats Pause? When I first joined this was a chatroom. I'm not sure how things evolved but I remember finding the site in Cats Pause magazine.