I am worried about recruiting for the future of the program. I don’t know enough about JMI to speak on the overall damage that’s doing to the program. I do believe getting a GM would solve a lot of issues with recruiting. My biggest issue this year has been the team‘s lack of preparedness and overall effort given. I understand they have had injuries. That doesn’t give the excuse to not give 100% effort. Not being prepared to play is what worries me the most. Even last years team seemed to be very unprepared at the start of some of our games. We would end up winning the games with adjustments but why were we down by 15 at the beginning of the game anyway?
What worries you the most?
- Thread starter USARMYWILDCAT
- Start date
The team had similar issues last year. Problem is, there's no Andrew Carr or Koby Brea/Lamont Butler's walking through that door.
It's an issue with Pope. He's not getting them prepared/motivated. Some games we just look dead. Like at Ole Miss last season. And Ohio State. Even against Calipari and Arkansas.
It's an issue with Pope. He's not getting them prepared/motivated. Some games we just look dead. Like at Ole Miss last season. And Ohio State. Even against Calipari and Arkansas.
My biggest concern is that Coach Pope is suppose to be an offensive coach. We know defense is not Coach Pope's strength, so we will have to excel on offense. However, this teams offense might be worse than their defense. The lack of identify of the program is what concerns me the most.
None of it. It's a game, and I have absolutely zero control over the program or the outcome, no matter how much I worry.
Team can't shoot the 3 in a 3 oriented offense. That's my biggest worry.. if Pope survives this year , he darn well better bring in some shooters next year or it will be his last
JMI and recruiting because we have a 15 year deal in front of us. You can swap your coach out in a minute and start over. But no coach will come here if our JMI deal is as bad as we all assume it is.
The lack of effort don't worry me, it piss's me off, no excuse for lack of effort, no matter the talent level. But you can't go far without the upper talent, whether it comes from the top high school players or portal.
Like Will Wade or not 'NOT' Pope needs to call out players like Wade did. These are not kids playing for just a scholarship now. Like Cal always said, they have to be accountable.
Like Will Wade or not 'NOT' Pope needs to call out players like Wade did. These are not kids playing for just a scholarship now. Like Cal always said, they have to be accountable.
Same. The amount of people who let the success of a college basketball program determine their self worth and emotional wellbeing is insane.
I finally learned in my mid 30s to not obsess over things I cannot control, largely due to my unacceptable behavior after 2015 Wisconsin.
Watching other people play sports went from a life or death obsession to a hobby. Much better for the blood pressure that way. It’s a waste of time and energy to obsess over games I didn’t play or coach in to the point I am a dick in real life to people who had nothing to do with the game.
I want the Cats to do well, but if they don’t I won’t slap my wife, kick my dog or make statements like Christmas is ruined because the basketball team isn’t as good as I’d hoped.
To the topic, I am more concerned about recruiting or lack thereof. I was hoping recruiting wouldn’t fall off too badly after Cal and right now that doesn’t appear to be the case. I don’t want freshman dominant rosters, but would like to land a couple elite high school talents.
I’m worried about both. The team not prepared before games, Popes mental health and JMI/recruiting.
The real answer is I’m most worried that Mitch Barnhart is still our AD.
Worried by far the most about our PG being an extremely high reinjury risk with no suitable replacement.
dude he answered questions for a whole 8 minutes...what more do you want from him?!?!?!
Well obv no one is "concerned" like that. UK basketball is a hobby. And the concern comes from us not winning games. Simple. No one is kicking their dogs or hitting their wife over this stuff lol.
He was NEVER a UK caliber guard from the jump. Signing him after whiffing on all the elite guards was the first sign things were going south
how does he rank compared to:
Abdi Bashir Jr.
Donovan Dent
Ja'Kobi Gillespie
Jaron Pierre Jr.
Rodney Rice
Dedan Thomas Jr.
Lamar Wilkerson
You’re right. I withdrawal my criticism and may God have mercy on my soul. He’s now answered 19 times.
I think lack of effort gets called out a lot (even our former UK greats publicly criticized the team’s heart after the Gonzaga loss and our fans booed them), but the bigger signals from this season suggest deeper issues than just hustle.
1) Preparation and execution are structural issues, not just effort
We have struggled to find consistency early in games even with good talent on paper and some analytical takes suggest this has less to do with attitude and more to do with how the pieces fit in Pope’s system. That includes spacing and shooting gaps that get exposed before adjustments happen.
2) Injuries have disrupted continuity
Long-term absences by key players like JQ disrupted our rotations early. As we have him rejoin, that can hopefully help stability and reduce the “slow start” effect we’ve seen.
3) Recruiting and NIL reality is increasingly shaping expectations
We’ve seen some real cooling with Christian Collins, where we were viewed as an early leader but no longer has the same momentum, and there’s also been a noticeable shift with Tyran Stokes, where early buzz around coming to us has faded as other programs have moved to the front. Alongside that, questions about NIL structure and how Kentucky competes there have become more public, and that perception does matter when you’re trying to stay in the mix with elite prospects.
So, what worries me most isn’t effort or even just game prep. It’s coherence and identity. We are right now a historically elite program with high expectations, dealing with roster instability and performance variance, navigating a recruiting landscape driven by NIL and external competition,
and adjusting to a coach building his own culture after Cal's era.
1. Better, Bashir isn’t even a PG
2. Worse but Dent has struggled this year and from CA
3. Worse but Gillespie is from TN
4. Better. Pierre also isn’t a PG
5. Worse. Rice once again not a PG. sadly now out for the year too
6. Worse.
7. Better. Lamar once again is not a PG
Those better or worse determinations are solely going off 247 and ESPN transfer portal rankings. They were in agreement with Lowe compared to all of your names. “Better” meaning Lowe was ranked above, “Worse” he was ranked below.
Regardless of your inclusion of these non PGs and some we barely were associated with, the main 3 PGs this spring Pope “missed” on were :
-Dent
-Dedan
-Demary
The biggest detractor for Lowe compared to all of those guys was obviously 3 point shooting. Here are their 3 point percentages in 2025
-12.5
-24.1
-20
Former top 100 prospect, all conference performer in a major conference.
He wasn’t the best PG in the portal, isn’t a Fox/Wall, but a consensus top 50 transfer in the country and top 6-7 PG.
The Cousy Award names 20 watch list candidates for PG of the year in the preseason. Jaland Lowe was on that list.
If you’re a top 20 player in college basketball at your position, you’re good enough to be a UK basketball player in my opinion.
Sorry for sidetracking this thread!
You cannot win without talent.
Evaluation and recruitment of talent is the most essential ingredient for success.
Evaluation and recruitment of talent is the most essential ingredient for success.
Ok. They're saying we spent 22 mil. I say we deserve better than Lowe. I'd have done everything in my power to keep Acaden and tell Lowe to go piss up a rope. But to each his own
100% recruiting and NIL because without the players it won’t matter how we play. Jimmies and Joes are the first step to a great team. Great coaching is second.
No flow on offense really hurts, works against a Colgate but not so much vs Gonzaga. Hard to believe these guys are this bad behind the arc. Several times I’ve seen guys just standing behind the arc with no movement whatsoever. Combination of Pope running the same **** and a bunch of guys going through the motions just wanting to get theirs.
What worries me the most is if one day we find ourselves with nothing to worry about.