TJ walker tweet on Pope and recruiting

Oct 13, 2025
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I think Pope went for depth instead of quality. He'd rather 12 good players than 6 great players and 6 so-so guys.
Maybe the injuries last year concerned him and he aimed for depth this year. And he thought Aberdeen and Chandler would be better at point if necessary than they've proven to be.
 
Oct 13, 2025
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Yeah, I'm sure Oweh was expected to be the alpha dog, but that hasn't panned out. Oweh is really only effective if he can get to the rim. He had enough shooters around him last year stretch the defense and allow Oweh to attack the rim. He doesn't have that this year. The only other thing that was going to propel Oweh to the next level this season was if he used the summer to become knock down 3 point shooter. That clearly did not occur, so overall Oweh has regressed this season.
Oweh probably found out that he just wasn't going to make it to the NBA. If that happened then he would have seen this as his big payoff and became a bit of a slacker as a result. "This is it. Might as well have fun," sort of thing.
 
Oct 13, 2025
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It seems the interest faded once the season started. Guys may of seen how this team doesn’t respect pope and it turned them off. I just have a hard time seeing pope relate to a lot of guys
He absolutely does not relate to everyone. My background is upstanding, financially comfortable, intelligent folks.... that background absolutely does not apply well across all demographics.
 

sefus12

Heisman
Dec 22, 2007
6,919
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Joker isn’t being fired after 2 years- gone
Gillispie will not be fired - gone
Calipari isn’t going anywhere - gone
Stoops isn’t going to go anywhere - gone
Mark pope will be given a 3rd year - ?

do people ever learn how this works?
Oh I fully know how the business world works, and that’s what big-time college sports is now. I just don’t really see UK canning Pope after his second year. That’s all. It’s ok to disagree on it.
 
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Johnnie Africa

All-Conference
Feb 27, 2003
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NBA type players are not going to play in a system

I’ve been saying this for a while. The problem is not NIL with recruiting elite talent. The guys that believe they are NBA bound are not going to a system.

But the system doesn’t need those guys. It needs players that fit the system.

Some will develop into NBA guys and that’s a good thing.

Pope should really forget about high school freshmen and focus on portal guys that fit his system.

That’s on offense. If Pope has a defensive ideal I have no idea what it is.

He needs to get an idea and focus or hire someone that does. And leave that guy alone.

Right now if there’s a clear plan and defined path to get there no one knows what it is.

That is a leadership failure.

We have a top down problem.

Thank you! Who gives a **** if he signs five star freshmen. That got us noting under Cal. He needs to recruit to his system. He needs SHOOTERS. He needs a good defensive PG. recruit to your system. Todd Golden, Matt painter, etc aren’t signing 5 star freshmen left and right, they are signing the right guys to their system. Honestly Popes system seems awful for freshmen.
 
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*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
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While likely being true in this instance this sounds vaguely anti-Semitic and maybe it was meant as such
Just because you critique or point out all the things a group of people is known for does not make it Anti-Semitic. The only issue I have with them is that they control way too many things in our country and have convinced people that any criticism against them is Anti-Semetic.
 

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
42,775
75,965
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Superman and it's not close. I'm old school Superfriends.
Depends on the writer and the threats, both Superman and Batman are the most OP characters in comics sometimes. Overall Superman is by far the most OP hero in DC/Marvel but it depends on the version. If they need him to be he will become omnipotent and reality controlling.
 

UKCowboys

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Joker isn’t being fired after 2 years- gone
Gillispie will not be fired - gone
Calipari isn’t going anywhere - gone
Stoops isn’t going to go anywhere - gone
Mark pope will be given a 3rd year - ?

do people ever learn how this works?
Ill bet you anything you want to wager that Pope will be here next season. Back up your gum flapping my guy
 

Kentucky15

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Mar 29, 2013
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Ill bet you anything you want to wager that Pope will be here next season. Back up your gum flapping my guy
He might be. That’s not the point. If he flames out hard, and loses his ***, he won’t be. You also said Calipari isn’t going anywhere. He’s gone. Heard this all last
Season stoops isn’t going anywhere. He’s gone.

If mark flames out hard he will be gone.
 

Johnnie Africa

All-Conference
Feb 27, 2003
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He might be. That’s not the point. If he flames out hard, and loses his ***, he won’t be. You also said Calipari isn’t going anywhere. He’s gone. Heard this all last
Season stoops isn’t going anywhere. He’s gone.

If mark flames out hard he will be gone.

He has to have one more year. Barnhart is here until June at minimum, why the hell would anyone want him making the next hire? That’s so brain dead I can’t believe I have to explain it. Plus it’ll make it easier to bring on a strong coach if Pope is given at least another year. People wanting him gone now are insane and are the loud minority.
 

Kentucky15

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He has to have one more year. Barnhart is here until June at minimum, why the hell would anyone want him making the next hire? That’s so brain dead I can’t believe I have to explain it. Plus it’ll make it easier to bring on a strong coach if Pope is given at least another year. People wanting him gone now are insane and are the loud minority.

As I’ve said I honestly don’t see the point in firing him. Might as well see what can happen at this point because 1. You don’t want Barnhart part of this and I do believe he’s got to go now and 2. If some miracle happens and he finds his footing we’ve got that Pitino era here to offset some of these academic foreiners which we desperately need with the Rupp era guys leaving. At this point F it give it a long range chance.

However can’t sleep on it too long if he’s not dominant. We’re going to lose our standing. I just don’t believe we can fully lose it, unless the JMI thing is a major hurdle. We’ve got private equity coming too Utah just sold their athletic department so I’m sure Barnhart is licking his lips at doing that as well and selling UK to the highest bidder. Many more problems besides Pope right now.
 

RunninRichie

Heisman
Sep 5, 2019
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"You come to the University of Kentucky, and you’re part of our family, and you get to use our things, but also that’s part of the relationship. There’s a responsibility and a right that comes with that.”"

"playing for the name on the front of jerseys, taking down NBA signage in the facility, publicly announcing you prefer portal experience and immediately recruiting over your highest-rated high school kids,"

All this coming to light is ironic because for years folks on this board would say these things regularly. They hated OAD players and being a pit stop on the way to the NBA. Recently fans want to fine/fire current players. Pope delivers on fans wishlist and when its a giant failure everyone is like: Fire Mitch, fire Pope, blow up JMI.

Pope has been a disaster this year so far but we UK fans deserve some of this.
Nope. Need a balance. Pope went too far to the left, Cal too far to the right.
 
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