We need our former cats to step up!

Goingfor9

All-Conference
Jan 27, 2003
15,684
2,327
113
I don't get the mob mentality. No wonder coaches are avoiding us. Recruits don't want to go into a situation where the head coach might not be there.
When we hire the right fit our fanbase is patient. I mean it sucked losing that WV game with boogie and wall but our fanbase was firmly behind cal. Then he went on a winning streak. It’s called momentum. It comes from winning. Not just winning games but also winning recruiting battles. Our fanbase knows good coaching, they know when a guy brings talent. BBN knows when we have a winner. There’s zero knee jerk reaction. Pope was hired with a worse resume than BCG. Think hard about that. His trajectory is similar to Bcg. It’s not like year one was awesome either. All of our title coaches since hall year one in the tournament elite 8. There is a standard and we aren’t close to it with pope. Barney made the trash hire. The guy has destroyed our bb program. He cares about himself and is using uk sports to get rich and have power. There is nothing knee jerk about it. I’ve been calling for wholesale change since these contracts the guy gave. And now he’s going to give an interview to a guy as soft as charmin not to mention a guy who works for him. You can find another way to criticize because I don’t see anything knee jerk. It’s not like pope came in with a final four or any tournament winning. He doesn’t get free passes. Too many have been given passes. Barney himself has taken 8-9 mulligans now. Any other place he would have been gone after the joker hire. It’s because this guy consolidated power and made out top programs mediocre at best. I’m a born and bred Kentuckian. UK sports are in my DNA but maybe it’s time to say screw it. If UK wants tank it and hire guys who are incapable of winning. If that clown is still AD making decisions for the next 15 years and he continues on I believe there will be an apathy hit our programs that will never be overcome. Pope doesn’t have the personality to win. Barney heard him talk and realized he was a perfect yes man.
 

UK4Life#9

Senior
Jul 3, 2025
250
447
63
Believing that Nate wouldn't leave Alabama for Kentucky is all I need to know about you. The only reason he isn't here is that we have an actual idiot for AD who won't even give someone a call if they held a BBQ after the quiet period or if they played a player who was being investigated for something. But thank god we got the Mormon guy that played here.

Oats removed his name from consideration almost immediately. He didn’t even give Barnhart a chance to call him. Also, here’s a quote from Oats about Kentucky fans.

“If you don't make the Final Four, they're gonna -- you had a disappointing year, to be honest with you. John Calipari is a pretty good coach. He's won a lot of games. He's won everywhere he's been, and they weren't happy. I mean, he won a national championship. But they expect a Final Four every year.” -Nate Oats
 

Tri-Countycat

All-Conference
Jul 1, 2025
512
1,031
93
Everyone please, please, please. Stop the bickering and get along. Everyone needs to give their unwavering support for Pope, it’s doesn’t matter if he is in over his head and possibly might trash the program. Mitch said he was the guy and what Mitch says must be true.
 

Goingfor9

All-Conference
Jan 27, 2003
15,684
2,327
113
Nate Oats was made aware that he was a top target for the Kentucky job and removed his name from consideration. Put down the torch and Research a little. Nobody who is already successful at a top program wants to deal with the pressure this angry mob brings.

How can this happen when the word is Oates was on a do not hire list? How can anyone believe any of this. No Oates was never approached or pursued for the uk job. And certainly would come. Our fan base has never changed other than get softer. Elite coaches want a blue blood job. They can say they don’t all day. But bama can’t fill its gym unless they are playing Kentucky. UK our fanbase is like a pro fanbase. Your problem is and it was with cal. You hate our fans. You think we should just eat what we are given. Never has that worked with basketball. You gotta be a young guy to not remember the heck joe b was run through. Then as soon as it was evident Sutton wasn’t the guy there was no waiting. The more you trash our fans well that does more damage calling for. A 25 year ad who honestly is the barrier to UK winning. 25 years! Out basketball program has struggled not because of fans but bc of the AD and president. And everyone knows pope is not the right guy but you guys act like we have to go through some standard 3 year period even when we know the coach is taking us down a dark hole. Please don’t listen to these types of fans who watch fb knowing we will lose they watch to see moral victories. Barney should take questions from fans.
 

Goingfor9

All-Conference
Jan 27, 2003
15,684
2,327
113
Oh goody. The self righteous Woody appears. I was born in Cynthiana and have always been a Cat fan. I did grow up in Ohio and i am a Buckeye football fan. But always a Kentucky basketball fan, like I was raised. Save your usual malarkey. You opinion means less than nothing to me.


You’re definitely not a fan of UK or you would want what’s in the best interest of fans and winning. Not what’s lining Barney’s pockets. Or the cerebral power. He’s truly a narcissist and you defend the defunct 25 year AD. Now it comes to light you are also an Ohio st fan? What a waste of my time.
 

One2Three

All-Conference
Nov 15, 2025
785
1,841
93
I don’t care what coach it is as long as he’a capable of handling the UK job, which Pope has shown he cannot.

He simply doesn’t have the personality or mindset to deal with the pressures of the job. Even if we have to get an up-and-coming coach, it’s better than someone like Pope or even Scott Drew who won a title, who would not have been a good cultural fit for Kentucky.

Which makes Mitch Barnhart’s coaching decisions so baffling. Why keep hiring guys who don’t fit here?
 

Goingfor9

All-Conference
Jan 27, 2003
15,684
2,327
113
Kalen DeBoer
You missed the point. The media didn’t jack the narrative that no one wants the pressure at Alabama. The excuse that seems to only work for UK. Our media is toxic because these talking points that no one wants the job originated with Barney. The guy is a liar. Now the narrative is players don’t care about a blue blood. Yet I see duke reload every year. The people who say these things are lying.
 

Goingfor9

All-Conference
Jan 27, 2003
15,684
2,327
113
Oats removed his name from consideration almost immediately. He didn’t even give Barnhart a chance to call him. Also, here’s a quote from Oats about Kentucky fans.

“If you don't make the Final Four, they're gonna -- you had a disappointing year, to be honest with you. John Calipari is a pretty good coach. He's won a lot of games. He's won everywhere he's been, and they weren't happy. I mean, he won a national championship. But they expect a Final Four every year.” -Nate Oats
Where did he say he doesn’t want the job? Money speaks volumes. You pay the guy and he will leave. Bama will never have a massive following in basketball. And Oates if he hasn’t realized it isn’t winning a title at Alabama. He was never offered or even considered for the job. We had Barney running the search with no feedback remember when pope was hired boosters were pissed. Bbn melted down that night like never before. People forget this. They forget it bc Barney gave us a shiny former player then spun it with a massive welcome at Rupp but now. People have had it with pope but the bottomline is if you don’t have a committee of 3-4 guys with no barney involved they would go and pursue and make a guy like Oates feel welcomed he will leave Alabama. Saying he won’t well what has infected the minds of UK fans to believe we can’t land tier 1 coaches? Barney has infected it with his lies. No these coaches see how Barney handled cal. Give us a Kentuckian with chops as AD and we will land a future hof coach. Barney could care less.
 

Cats_2010

Heisman
Jan 8, 2010
11,347
19,089
103
Pretty close. But I did change my mind, and posts, after the last season.
This doesn't come close to that. You jackals are way overboard way too fast. But keep wasting your breath. People way smarter than y'all will make the decisions.
You mean like the same people who rubber stamped lifetime contracts for two coaches that neither worked out after signing? Those smart people? The whole UK administration needs cleansing, and that’s not knee jerk that’s reality. Sometimes the dumbest people alive are the ones behind decision making, either dump or corrupt or both. See the US government as a prime example.
 

theBlues

All-Conference
Oct 18, 2025
854
1,825
93
First they need to have a discussion with pope.
I'm trying to imagine this scenario in real life. Pope makes about $9,000,000 per year in the 2nd year at his dream job and some people he probably knows but isn't close friends with call him up or come to his office and say essentially "you suck at your job; please quit". I just don't see him or anybody else in the world saying "You're right. I quit.".

I agree with much of your post; I just don't think your solution of former players telling him to quit is grounded in reality.
 

JwUKFan11

Heisman
Nov 11, 2011
6,627
12,806
113
Oats removed his name from consideration almost immediately. He didn’t even give Barnhart a chance to call him. Also, here’s a quote from Oats about Kentucky fans.

“If you don't make the Final Four, they're gonna -- you had a disappointing year, to be honest with you. John Calipari is a pretty good coach. He's won a lot of games. He's won everywhere he's been, and they weren't happy. I mean, he won a national championship. But they expect a Final Four every year.” -Nate Oats
Yet you removed the most important part of his comments about embracing the pressure
 

ftp000

All-American
Mar 26, 2009
5,882
5,234
113
How can this happen when the word is Oates was on a do not hire list? How can anyone believe any of this. No Oates was never approached or pursued for the uk job. And certainly would come. Our fan base has never changed other than get softer. Elite coaches want a blue blood job. They can say they don’t all day. But bama can’t fill its gym unless they are playing Kentucky. UK our fanbase is like a pro fanbase. Your problem is and it was with cal. You hate our fans. You think we should just eat what we are given. Never has that worked with basketball. You gotta be a young guy to not remember the heck joe b was run through. Then as soon as it was evident Sutton wasn’t the guy there was no waiting. The more you trash our fans well that does more damage calling for. A 25 year ad who honestly is the barrier to UK winning. 25 years! Out basketball program has struggled not because of fans but bc of the AD and president. And everyone knows pope is not the right guy but you guys act like we have to go through some standard 3 year period even when we know the coach is taking us down a dark hole. Please don’t listen to these types of fans who watch fb knowing we will lose they watch to see moral victories. Barney should take questions from fans.
 

UK4Life#9

Senior
Jul 3, 2025
250
447
63
Yet you removed the most important part of his comments about embracing the pressure

I didn’t remove anything, that offered zero context to what I quoted above. He said he wasn’t worried about money, that he makes more at Alabama than he ever thought he would. He said he didn’t want to continue to move his family across the country every few years too and they all love living in Alabama.

But don’t let facts get in the way of your delusions. 🤣
 

UK4Life#9

Senior
Jul 3, 2025
250
447
63
Where did he say he doesn’t want the job? Money speaks volumes. You pay the guy and he will leave. Bama will never have a massive following in basketball. And Oates if he hasn’t realized it isn’t winning a title at Alabama. He was never offered or even considered for the job. We had Barney running the search with no feedback remember when pope was hired boosters were pissed. Bbn melted down that night like never before. People forget this. They forget it bc Barney gave us a shiny former player then spun it with a massive welcome at Rupp but now. People have had it with pope but the bottomline is if you don’t have a committee of 3-4 guys with no barney involved they would go and pursue and make a guy like Oates feel welcomed he will leave Alabama. Saying he won’t well what has infected the minds of UK fans to believe we can’t land tier 1 coaches? Barney has infected it with his lies. No these coaches see how Barney handled cal. Give us a Kentuckian with chops as AD and we will land a future hof coach. Barney could care less.

Seek help today.
 
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JwUKFan11

Heisman
Nov 11, 2011
6,627
12,806
113
I didn’t remove anything, that offered zero context to what I quoted above. He said he wasn’t worried about money, that he makes more at Alabama than he ever thought he would. He said he didn’t want to continue to move his family across the country every few years too and they all love living in Alabama.

But don’t let facts get in the way of your delusions. 🤣
Keep living in your dream world where you think coaches don’t want to be paid 9 million, have the most resources, best fans, and the opportunity to win at the highest level. None of them have ever wanted those things. Good call.
 

UK4Life#9

Senior
Jul 3, 2025
250
447
63
Keep living in your dream world where you think coaches don’t want to be paid 9 million, have the most resources, best fans, and the opportunity to win at the highest level. None of them have ever wanted those things. Good call.

He said in an interview that he didn’t want the job and money wasn’t a factor for him.

A little research and being educated about the subject would prevent you from making yourself look this bad on a public forum again. 🤣
 

Goingfor9

All-Conference
Jan 27, 2003
15,684
2,327
113
I'm trying to imagine this scenario in real life. Pope makes about $9,000,000 per year in the 2nd year at his dream job and some people he probably knows but isn't close friends with call him up or come to his office and say essentially "you suck at your job; please quit". I just don't see him or anybody else in the world saying "You're right. I quit.".

I agree with much of your post; I just don't think your solution of former players telling him to quit is grounded in reality.

9 million?? I think it will be best for his friends and former players to ask him to step aside. His buyout isn’t going to make him much money. But look Barney is itching to give him an extension with a bigger buy out

Seek help today.

Lmao. Ok YOU sit back and do nothing. That’s fine real fans got this for you
 

Goingfor9

All-Conference
Jan 27, 2003
15,684
2,327
113
Keep living in your dream world where you think coaches don’t want to be paid 9 million, have the most resources, best fans, and the opportunity to win at the highest level. None of them have ever wanted those things. Good call.

What’s with this 9 million number? Pope makes 5 million. He isn’t cal and the fact we found a coach to take 5 million, hey to Barney it’s all about money. So we have two green assss coaches making peanuts between them. Pope and stein. This is a winning formula
 

JwUKFan11

Heisman
Nov 11, 2011
6,627
12,806
113
He said in an interview that he didn’t want the job and money wasn’t a factor for him.

A little research and being educated about the subject would prevent you from making yourself look this bad on a public forum again. 🤣
Yeah no one has ever said anything like that and then still taken the job lololol. I'm sure you're happy we don't have an AD
 
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JwUKFan11

Heisman
Nov 11, 2011
6,627
12,806
113
What’s with this 9 million number? Pope makes 5 million. He isn’t cal and the fact we found a coach to take 5 million, hey to Barney it’s all about money. So we have two green assss coaches making peanuts between them. Pope and stein. This is a winning formula
Thats about the number a coach with proven results would have cost. Pearl, Oats, etc. Hurley was offered 10 million supposedly.
 

keiths

Sophomore
Oct 13, 2014
82
128
33
first off ryan day isnt that good of a coach lol, but if we didnt win the chip we wouldve fired him, but things look to be back on track w him
If you think Ryan Day isn't a good coach, you know absolutely nothing about football.