What is wrong with this fan base??
- Thread starter Popesdenimshorts
- Start date
The fans are asking the same about this coaching staff. Our wannabe GM is Mark Fox for f**** sake.
I could care less that Pope played at Kentucky. You don’t have to be from Kentucky or be a former Kentucky player “to understand the assignment”. Anyone that would take this job takes the job knowing the high standards that come with it. It’s like being the coach for Alabama football. You take that job knowing you have to win. Pope nice guy, I for one was against the higher from day one but it’s who we had so I gave him a chance. I have seen nothing that shows me that he can coach at this level. He did OK with the players he had last year. I still thought his coaching was subpar a lot of the time. A lot of people after losing three games this year have their flags going up and are starting to worry about him. It started for me mostly in the off-season this year. He missed on every high profile high school recruit he went after. Then he missed on every one of his primary targets in the portal. He did sign JQ but no one else was really going after him because he was recovering from knee surgery. We don’t know for sure but it’s looking like he’s about to strike out on high school recruiting again this year. There is no history of success from him to make me believe he will be able to get top players out of the portal this offseason. He is doing an absolute putrid job of coaching this team this year. He’s put together a roster this year with some good players. Not a roster that can take you to a final four. Colin Chandler and a freshman Center are the two best players on this team. I’m sorry, but that’s unacceptable at Kentucky. Chandler is a really good player. As a sophomore he’s not someone that can be your go to player. I believe that if Mitch Barnhardt stays as the A.D. we will be stuck with Pope for a few more years at least. If Barnhart steps down after this year there’s no way the new A.D. at Kentucky will keep Mark Pope. If you wanna be cemented in history at this university, you have to win at basketball. I’m sorry guys but Mark Pope is not that guy.
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This was discussed at the end of last season when everyone thought Oats was gonna end up in the NBA. A big reason was rumors of being dissatisfied with the NIL situation at Alabama. Alabama is like Kentucky where they don’t really have a big spender so they’re obviously going to put more effort in football than basketball. That certainly wouldn’t be the case at Kentucky in basketball. We’ll see, nothing is ever certain.
But a coaching search has to begin now. No I’m not saying fire Pope immediately, but boosters and people close to the program need to be prodding coaches to see who their best bet would be if Pope does end up leaving at the end of the year for whatever reason.
This is so asinine, it doesn't warrant a response, but because I'm in a good mood, I'll give you one.
NO ONE ON THIS BOARD is more concerned about being able to say "I told you so" than we are about wanting the team to compete for national titles again. No one is concerned about saying "I told you so" at all.
I WOULD LOVE TO BE WRONG, as would everyone else who is unhappy with Pope. Don't be stupid.
Mike even rallied Pat Riley to get behind the Calipari train.
You already know some have no idea what we’ve lost in Mike. We lost one of our biggest advocates that this administration and the boosters would listen to and he had the basketball teams best interests at heart. He didn’t care who, he wasn’t in it for money, he wanted this program protected top to bottom. The day he died my uncle told me he could see this program taking a huge dip without Mike. That’s scared the sht out of me for 3 years.
Every time people would argue that Mitch wanted calipari I just laughed lol. Maybe in their world but not in this one.
Lmao! You speaking in absolutes for strangers disqualifies you.
. Common sense and you even said it out loud. LoL!No frustration tolerance, immature, me generation, post Cal , not taught to think logically, living vicariously through KY basketball , take your pick. The fact that UK players now make more in a year than many residents do in 10 doesn't help. IMO their is a deep resentment amoung many fans that these kids are making those kind of money.
As for Pope himself , the fact he is a Morman has something to do with it. It is also obvious that many of these folks didn't want the man hired are furious that thier wishes were seemingly ignored by administration . He was NEVER GOING TO GET a fair CHANCE with these people. He is struggling in his 2nd year here. Some is his doing some isn't ( injuries). Will he be given a chance to work through it? I doubt it. The participation trophy, angry narcissistic folks in the fan base will not be modified by anything he does or says short of a Natty that he will definitely not get the time to build.
As for Pope himself , the fact he is a Morman has something to do with it. It is also obvious that many of these folks didn't want the man hired are furious that thier wishes were seemingly ignored by administration . He was NEVER GOING TO GET a fair CHANCE with these people. He is struggling in his 2nd year here. Some is his doing some isn't ( injuries). Will he be given a chance to work through it? I doubt it. The participation trophy, angry narcissistic folks in the fan base will not be modified by anything he does or says short of a Natty that he will definitely not get the time to build.
You know, I considered the fact that I was speaking in absolutes, and after thinking about it, I decided to do it because it is much easier for me to believe that EVERYONE who is unhappy with Pope would be happy to be proven wrong than it is to believe that there are people on here who are more concerned with being right and consequently would like to see the program fail. That's just too stupid for me to accept.Lmao! You speaking in absolutes for strangers disqualifies you.
I agree 100%
But I have came to believe, with reading RR regularly, that there are a lot of trolling going on. And I would hope these are not really fans at all, but rather people trying to rile up a fan base. If not, we really have an awful problem.
You seriously think that Pope being Morman is what some are upset about?
Couldn’t agree more. He was the man. Can’t be replaced. Not a person in the state who didn’t trust and listen to him except maybe one. The man was a passionate advocate for all things Kentucky sports. He understood the fan base and just had a basic fundamental understanding of what needed to happen before it was even apparent to others that it needed to happen.
As a fellow Pope supporter, I think you are really downplaying just how justified the anger is with how things are going. You don’t have to abandon the hope you have in Pope, but you also have to be honest that we have very little evidence to suggest he can handle the otherworldly demands required to be the coach at Kentucky. I also wish fans were more patient, and I’ve pleaded for that just like you, but we also must ensure we aren’t being disingenuous. People aren’t dumb —- when they see a team that looks this disjointed, substitution patterns that look like they are determined by dice rolls, and offense not being run whatsoever for large sections of games, fans are going to be upset. I am a Pope guy — I want to believe it will work. I still hope it will, but that window is closing fast.
Some of his critics, yes. I've read post by several of them on this board. If you haven't seen em you are not looking. I am not saying all of them. Most are just angry frustrated people addicted to the negativity that permeates our society. Look Pope may indeed not work out here , I would like to see him get a fair chance, running him out the door the first week of December of his 2nd is not a fair chance
As a Christian, I certainly wouldn’t want my job performance being judged based on my religion. I do think blaming Pope’s coaching on his Mormon faith is frankly bigoted. He’s not getting run out the door this early, but I don’t think he has a lot of runway left if we can’t put some wins together. And I love Pope.
Good luck and thanks for saying it out loud. You can’t say you want him gone, never wanted him …..and then say you’d be glad to be wrong. Those are two completely opposite things. It cant play out if he’s gone and many arent interested in seeing it. See ya.
These so called fans have no clue . Except for Jelly, this team was here all summer with a PG. One as good as Lowe open up the floor.
Are you blaming him for injuries.
Who do you blame for having one point guard on this entire roster?
This is definitely a troll. Nobody who is an actual UK fan would be ok with the trajectory this season is approaching.
I’ll say it. I was not for hiring Mark Pope at the very beginning. I was pi$$ed when I found out he was going to be the next coach. I will not be glad to be wrong. I’ll take it even one step further. I think Mark‘s personality is fake and annoying. I think he has to try to be someone he’s not. How many times can you say beautiful and amazing in one sentence. When people talk like he does it’s obvious they’re putting on a façade. I don’t know the man personally, that’s definitely the vibe I get from his public persona. I believe this is why he’s having a hard time recruiting. Most people can see right through the BS. It’s also possibly the reason why his players are seeming to not play hard for him this year. If his real personality and his public persona are really the same. I would get tired as hell being around him.
Nope, truth teller. Shame that some that want him gone said the night he was hired that they were gonna call Barnhart….they didnt give him a chance from DAY ONE and are now lying about it.
Oats would be a flop at UK. Plus he doesn't have the right personality. He would be liked about as much as Gilispie was.
If he wins, it won’t matter. I do question his personality here, but it really is irrelevant as long as he kisses the right asses, respects the tradition, and wins. He’s the best out there for what we’d be looking for. He’s either going to be at UNC UK Kansas or Michigan State most likely. I’d rather him be here.
He’s too good to “flop” anywhere. You cannot win and good Alabama basketball that good (no tradition ****** NIL basketball) and flop at UK. Straight up 0 chance.
well I support him still, but I am very concerned. It’s the worst time other than the very beginning for a slip like this to occur. But I will continue to support and look for the turnaround. However it must actually happen, we can’t keep losing year after year to this degree. It has to eventually stop or we’re not Kentucky.
Mark is the captain of the 1996 team and is all Kentucky. I don’t care where he started. He finished here and was the captain on Pitino’s teams. He is all Kentucky. More than many of Calipari’s players too. No difference in him and someone not from Kentucky originally. Loves the program just like if he was born here.
Hey I appreciate that. I do. Not a huge fan of his but a hell of way to be seen. I don’t usually scream like him tho.
I can’t lie I wish he wasn’t caught up in that and hope he finds the truth. But I don’t hate him for it at all.
Bama hasn't been any better the past 2 seasons than UK has been under Pope.
Pearl is THE guy. Even if we only get 5 or 6 years out of him.
I agree. Make no mistake —- I believe Mormonism is a damnable heretical religion. But I don’t think it’s fair to attribute coaching to that. I actually do pray for Pope to come to knowledge of Christ’s supremacy and deity as well.
You realize he might feel the same about your religion and pray that you see the truth?
Are you intentionally being obtuse? I can absolutely say and mean both of those things IF I'M A FAN OF THE PROGRAM. I want the program to succeed. I could not care less about "being right!!!" My opinion was and is that he was the wrong hire, but as a fan of the program, I would be thrilled to be proven wrong because that would mean that the program is succeeding.
It's only hard to understand . . . if you're just concerned with being right. Come to think of it, you kind of seem fixated on being right. You might consider what your actual motivation is. Mine is for the program to be successful, and I don't think Pope was or is the answer.
Of course. And I have no issue with that. That’s actually kind of the point of my post. I wouldn’t want someone attributing my effectiveness in life to my religious beliefs. Surely, you understand that it is a consistent viewpoint to say that Mormonism has serious flaws from my viewpoint and certainly they would say that about me. What’s the issue there?
Maybe a few dislike him for his beliefs but let's be honest and say for the majority it's all about wins and losses.
What’s wrong? How about 10 years since we had a final 4. How about 13 since we won a title. We are the most winningest, prestigious program in the sport and this is what we are dealing with. It is totally unacceptable. And must never be accepted, or else we end up like Indiana.
I have given Pope the benefit of the doubt as he had as good as could be expected 1st year. But what I watched last night was a woefully undercoached team without any pride or fight. It sure doesn't look like he "knows the assignment."
I agree. “Some” are taking shots at him for his religious beliefs when we lose games. That’s uncalled for. If people aren’t saying that during the wins or when things are going great, then it’s below the belt. I agree with you that most people are looking at the record and the way things are going and that’s why they are upset. To me, that’s completely fair.
I'll tell u what's wrong, we're O'fr against anybody with a heartbeat this season. Fans are rightfully upset. The brand of basketball looks bad.
I'm not happy at all about this team, and you have to blame Pope to some degree. He recruited these guys. He decided to pay them $22 million. I'm not throwing in the towel on Pope and I'm not calling for him to be fired. But the injuries don't hold water for me. Losing 3 games this early doesn't happen here. These guys, who Pope recruited, are ALL role players, not a starter among them. You can't ignore that. These guys are 4th, 5th, 6th options on a good team. Those are the starters I'm referring to. The other guys aren't much worse than the starters, but they're definitely not better. ALL role players.