Why don't we wait until the season is over

[Ima Alien]

to constantly crucify the coach and players? It looks very bad on the fan base and the program itself. And players and coaches and their families DO read social media.

Pope himself has vowed that we would not fail this season and would fix things. Let's give him at least a reasonable amount of time to do that.

It's little wonder that we have problems getting recruits to come here.

 

[robman181]

I think there's a certain emotional component to message boards. Kentucky basketball is an emotional thing for a lot of us and you see the good and bad of that while the games going on. Then there are some people who would just rather assume the worst about the team than get their hopes up and get crushed. One thing I've learned is we shouldn't tell anyone how to think, what to believe or how to fan for something. Again, just my opinion.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Fans have always done this. Not sure if OP is new or not.

 

[Phil_The_Music2]

There were a lot of fans who completely trashed the hire of Mark Pope who looked very silly when he had success last year. I think on some level those fans feel validated now that he has struggled at the beginning of this year. They'll never admit it, but they would rather be right and see the team fail than be wrong and the team succeed. Also, anxiety is a big freaking problem in society and you really see the evidence of it on message boards.

 

[cornbreadnmilk]

So you want all sports message boards shut down?

 

[cat888]

ENJOY our team and Coaches

 

[UKBB4Ever]

There were a lot of fans who completely trashed the hire of Mark Pope who looked very silly when he had success last year. I think on some level those fans feel validated now that he has struggled at the beginning of this year. They'll never admit it, but they would rather be right and see the team fail than be wrong and the team succeed. Also, anxiety is a big freaking problem in society and you really see the evidence of it on message boards.

I can’t agree with that take at all. I can’t imagine a UK fan that wants Pope to fail.

He is one of us. I think the disappointment is greater because of that. It seems everyone wants him to succeed so much that it magnifies the pain.

Pope played at UK like a homegrown player.

He is not coaching like he played.

 

[yoshukai]

to constantly crucify the coach and players? It looks very bad on the fan base and the program itself. And players and coaches and their families DO read social media.

Pope himself has vowed that we would not fail this season and would fix things. Let's give him at least a reasonable amount of time to do that.

It's little wonder that we have problems getting recruits to come here.

I’d say because this is a message board where people talk about things like how the team and individual players are performing.

Strange concept huh .

 

[Monday Nitro]

to constantly crucify the coach and players? It looks very bad on the fan base and the program itself. And players and coaches and their families DO read social media.

Pope himself has vowed that we would not fail this season and would fix things. Let's give him at least a reasonable amount of time to do that.

It's little wonder that we have problems getting recruits to come here.

Great post. Many never liked the hire and this is their time to shine, sadly.

 

[Monday Nitro]

I’d say because this is a message board where people talk about things like how the team and individual players are performing.

Strange concept huh .

Discussions are normal. But if you haven't seen all kinds of instances of people being "done" with Pope for good and done with this team, you don't want to see it.

 

[Phil_The_Music2]

I’d say because this is a message board where people talk about things like how the team and individual players are performing.

Strange concept huh .

It's one thing to do what you speak of. That's totally fine. But I think the OP is talking more about the folks on here who are already making determinations that Pope should be fired, can't recruit, will never make it past the second round, ect. There is plenty of that and it's kind of insane.

 

[cornbreadnmilk]

It's one thing to do what you speak of. That's totally fine. But I think the OP is talking more about the folks on here who are already making determinations that Pope should be fired, can't recruit, will never make it past the second round, ect. There is plenty of that and it's kind of insane.

It's insane to you but many might agree with them. A message board has people who are allowed to have different opinions. If it upsets some so much it might be best to stay away.

 

[yoshukai]

Discussions are normal. But if you haven't seen all kinds of isntances of people being "done" with Pope for good and done with this team, you don't want to see it.

I guess I just don’t pay much attention to those fringe lunatics,lol. I don’t even read their posts once I see stuff like that.

 

[KyKevin]

Fans have always done this. Not sure if OP is new or not.

It's good to be reminded, whether he is new or not. Sometimes we (me to) get pretty stupid with Ky basketball. I'm pretty sure my wife literally thinks I have lost it

 

[cornbreadnmilk]

It's good to be reminded, whether he is new or not. Sometimes we (me to) get pretty stupid with Ky basketball. I'm pretty sure my wife literally thinks I have lost it

Honestly do we need a guy called Ima alien telling us how we need to post?

 

[KyKevin]

I bet the Zags fans aren't having a very good day, after that *** whipping they got lost night. I tuned in to what I thought would be a great game, but it was anything but that.

 

[RunninRichie]

to constantly crucify the coach and players? It looks very bad on the fan base and the program itself. And players and coaches and their families DO read social media.

Pope himself has vowed that we would not fail this season and would fix things. Let's give him at least a reasonable amount of time to do that.

It's little wonder that we have problems getting recruits to come here.

Nobody is reading the on3 basketball forum. Twitter and instagram, yes.

 

[UKortho]

It's one thing to do what you speak of. That's totally fine. But I think the OP is talking more about the folks on here who are already making determinations that Pope should be fired, can't recruit, will never make it past the second round, ect. There is plenty of that and

Who wants Pope fired?

 

[Shaudylo]

Can’t blame the fans on the recruiting issue

 

[rivercatinfl]

to constantly crucify the coach and players? It looks very bad on the fan base and the program itself. And players and coaches and their families DO read social media.

Pope himself has vowed that we would not fail this season and would fix things. Let's give him at least a reasonable amount of time to do that.

It's little wonder that we have problems getting recruits to come here.

Mark Few must be quaking in his boots. Zags got beat by 40 yesterday. Few needs to be replaced!!
This is KY. Never ever give up on our team!
I get twisted as much as anyone but I won't give up on em. We've all seen UK teams come back from the dead and win games. Plenty of times I was ready to launch something at the TV but if I just waited the Cats always seem to make a run and make me proud.
Happy Thanksgiving. I'm grateful I'm a UK fan and will always root them on.

 

[AllBall]

to constantly crucify the coach and players? It looks very bad on the fan base and the program itself. And players and coaches and their families DO read social media.

Pope himself has vowed that we would not fail this season and would fix things. Let's give him at least a reasonable amount of time to do that.

It's little wonder that we have problems getting recruits to come here.

Play has sucked out loud against Power I teams and fans have ever right to be upset and critical. Everyone involved is being compensated handsomely.
So far this season Pope has over sold and under delivered. There's time to adjust but we haven't come within single digits to a NCAA tournament team.

 

[Eagles_Ball_69]

to constantly crucify the coach and players? It looks very bad on the fan base and the program itself. And players and coaches and their families DO read social media.

Pope himself has vowed that we would not fail this season and would fix things. Let's give him at least a reasonable amount of time to do that.

It's little wonder that we have problems getting recruits to come here.

lol. It ain’t for everyone. If you’re worried about what some dolts on a message board think, it ain’t for you.

 

[Eagles_Ball_69]

There were a lot of fans who completely trashed the hire of Mark Pope who looked very silly when he had success last year. I think on some level those fans feel validated now that he has struggled at the beginning of this year. They'll never admit it, but they would rather be right and see the team fail than be wrong and the team succeed. Also, anxiety is a big freaking problem in society and you really see the evidence of it on message boards.

I hated the hire. Thought he would fail, but only in the 10 loss Tubby style of failing. I didn’t think last season was a success. I didn’t think it was a failure either. I tend to look at the entire body of work and the process, and not the end result. I was able to acknowledge how impressive the good wins were, I was equally concerned about the number of non competitive losses. I was concerned about the number of recruiting misses this past offseason and the reliance on a meh PG from Pitt, Oweh, and BG. I’m currently concerned about the product on the court being non competitive in the games against decent competition. I’m concerned this will continue, this season will be a 12-14 loss clunker, and next year when the season ends in another S16 appearance and 8-10 losses, it will somehow be deemed a success. I feel vindication from none of this. What I feel is concern for this cycle to repeat itself for 5-8 seasons before an ugly divorce happens, all while the program is spun into mediocrity. I feel all of this because the current process (not results) and Popes previous bodies of work indicate this. And I hate every last bit of it.

 

[Eagles_Ball_69]

It's good to be reminded, whether he is new or not. Sometimes we (me to) get pretty stupid with Ky basketball. I'm pretty sure my wife literally thinks I have lost it

I’m a member of that club

 

[KyLegacyBBN]

to constantly crucify the coach and players? It looks very bad on the fan base and the program itself. And players and coaches and their families DO read social media.

Pope himself has vowed that we would not fail this season and would fix things. Let's give him at least a reasonable amount of time to do that.

It's little wonder that we have problems getting recruits to come here.

Name one fan base of any major sport that doesn’t criticize bad performance on the internet.

 

[RunninRichie]

Mark Few must be quaking in his boots. Zags got beat by 40 yesterday. Few needs to be replaced!!
This is KY. Never ever give up on our team!
I get twisted as much as anyone but I won't give up on em. We've all seen UK teams come back from the dead and win games. Plenty of times I was ready to launch something at the TV but if I just waited the Cats always seem to make a run and make me proud.
Happy Thanksgiving. I'm grateful I'm a UK fan and will always root them on.

Mark Few has a final four and a national runner up. And a host of elite 8s. He's a proven coach, you can safely put this game as a "clunker". Or just a bad game if you're a Zags fan.

I hated the hire. Thought he would fail, but only in the 10 loss Tubby style of failing. I didn’t think last season was a success. I didn’t think it was a failure either. I tend to look at the entire body of work and the process, and not the end result. I was able to acknowledge how impressive the good wins were, I was equally concerned about the number of non competitive losses. I was concerned about the number of recruiting misses this past offseason and the reliance on a meh PG from Pitt, Oweh, and BG. I’m currently concerned about the product on the court being non competitive in the games against decent competition. I’m concerned this will continue, this season will be a 12-14 loss clunker, and next year when the season ends in another S16 appearance and 8-10 losses, it will somehow be deemed a success. I feel vindication from none of this. What I feel is concern for this cycle to repeat itself for 5-8 seasons before an ugly divorce happens, all while the program is spun into mediocrity. I feel all of this because the current process (not results) and Popes previous bodies of work indicate this. And I hate every last bit of it.

Weird how the narrative is we "relish in it" or some BS. I want UK back in final fours. We literally havent been in a final four. Since the NCAA tourney floors were black, with the NCAA logo in the center. Or in other words, almost 11 years. Why would I take enjoyment in seeing my team get BTFO by good teams, and being passed by rivals? If this isn't going to work, we need to end it quickly, before any more damage is done. Otherwise, we end up with BS like "Cal is a hall of fame coach, he deserves another year". Or "Tubby won a title here, he just needs better recruits".

 

[Eagles_Ball_69]

Mark Few has a final four and a national runner up. And a host of elite 8s. He's a proven coach, you can safely put this game as a "clunker". Or just a bad game if you're a Zags fan.

Weird how the narrative is we "relish in it" or some BS. I want UK back in final fours. We literally havent been in a final four. Since the NCAA tourney floors were black, with the NCAA logo in the center. Or in other words, almost 11 years. Why would I take enjoyment in seeing my team get BTFO by good teams, and being passed by rivals? If this isn't going to work, we need to end it quickly, before any more damage is done. Otherwise, we end up with BS like "Cal is a hall of fame coach, he deserves another year". Or "Tubby won a title here, he just needs better recruits".

That was why Cal and Tubby got so much rope. They had previously succeeded, either at UK or elsewhere or both. Pope doesn’t have that previous equity. And I’m probably way different from others on this, I don’t give a damn that he played here. Completely irrelevant to me. He didn’t deserve the job, and he’s currently doing a solid job of proving that. Doesn’t mean he’s doing a “bad” job, just means he’s plodding along. In a completely different landscape, Cal took over a worse situation, rode into town like a maverick, and put UK back on the map immediately. Pope came in and cobbled together two rosters of pieces from the land of misfit toys. Cal beyond lost it at the end. I’m afraid Pope will never capture anything to lose. My biggest concern is that “press conference” will be the highlight of the Pope experience. A press conference that was more of a PR plea from Mitch and a giant exhale from the fanbase that Cal was gone, than a celebration of a risky hire.

 

[RunninRichie]

That was why Cal and Tubby got so much rope. They had previously succeeded, either at UK or elsewhere or both. Pope doesn’t have that previous equity. And I’m probably way different from others on this, I don’t give a damn that he played here. Completely irrelevant to me. He didn’t deserve the job, and he’s currently doing a solid job of proving that. Doesn’t mean he’s doing a “bad” job, just means he’s plodding along. In a completely different landscape, Cal took over a worse situation, rode into town like a maverick, and put UK back on the map immediately. Pope came in and cobbled together two rosters of pieces from the land of misfit toys. Cal beyond lost it at the end. I’m afraid Pope will never capture anything to lose. My biggest concern is that “press conference” will be the highlight of the Pope experience. A press conference that was more of a PR plea from Mitch and a giant exhale from the fanbase that Cal was gone, than a celebration of a risky hire.

I hate that too. Hire the best guy for the job, not because he gives you nostalgia for the past. Similar to fans who want us to recruit eastern KY kids. Kenny Payne, Juwan Howard, Mike Woodson. All recent examples of nostalgia hires that exploded.

 

[bbnkat02]

I bet the Zags fans aren't having a very good day, after that *** whipping they got lost night. I tuned in to what I thought would be a great game, but it was anything but that.

Nobody in CBB is having a great day after that. B10 running the CBB world is disgusting.

 

[bbnkat02]

I hate that too. Hire the best guy for the job, not because he gives you nostalgia for the past. Similar to fans who want us to recruit eastern KY kids. Kenny Payne, Juwan Howard, Mike Woodson. All recent examples of nostalgia hires that exploded.

KP was a bad hire period. Dude had never been a HC before and you hire him to run a T15 historical program? AD should've been suspended for that.

At least with Pope, he'd been a HC at a larger program. KP rode of Cal's coattails and was no way qualified to be a D1 HC.

 

[gbl97]

Pope will be fine, but he has to find guys who shoot 40% from three AND can also play defense. That will be his Final Four team. Honestly, when it's posted that he's pursuing a player, I go straight to the 3P FG% to decide whether or not to be excited (except for the 5 spot).

 

[Monday Nitro]

Who wants Pope fired?

Since you know he won't be fired, that's just a clever and disingenuous way of saying "I never wanted him hired", "He's in over his head", "Who's the next coach?", "Who would hire such a person?' (thread started by you with the video of Pope), etc. Honestly, you've said just about everything I've listed. lol. The shamelessness here by some would-be adults is jaw dropping. Luckily, the other 95% of all posters here show class and saneness, even in anonymity.

 

[Eagles_Ball_69]

Pope will be fine, but he has to find guys who shoot 40% from three AND can also play defense. That will be his Final Four team. Honestly, when it's posted that he's pursuing a player, I go straight to the 3P FG% to decide whether or not to be excited (except for the 5 spot).

Thats a pretty short list of dudes. He’s found a few, just can’t seem to sign them. If that’s what it’s going to take for him to succeed, it’s gonna be a rough road. (FTR, I don’t think that’s the only formula).

You’re basically saying the coach at UK can only succeed if he finds an extremely tough player to find because his system dictates that need. That’s a scary thought. Honestly I’d think the coach at UK could be knowledgeable enough to fit his players to a style where they could be successful. Either that, or he’s got to land more of his first choices.

 

[KyKevin]

Honestly do we need a guy called Ima alien telling us how we need to post?

I'm trying not to swet the small ****, on the wife's order. And I got a good idea, that your not going to change how you post, because of his, or most fans or the many TROLLING f kers on here either. So don't get to tore up over it. And I agree, been to damn much coach bashing for sure.

 

[JDHoss]

Fans have always done this. Not sure if OP is new or not.

Yep. I remember when Cat Paw interviewed Tony Delk (might have been the 94-95 season) for their yearbook issue....

Cat Paw: What's the best thing about playing at UK?
Tony Delk: The fans.

Cat Paw: What's the worst thing about playing for UK?
Tony Delk: The fans.

 

[Seth_C]

No sir, we must treat every game as if it is the NCAA tournament and if we lose the season ends on disaster.

 

[Trinity45]

to constantly crucify the coach and players? It looks very bad on the fan base and the program itself. And players and coaches and their families DO read social media.

Pope himself has vowed that we would not fail this season and would fix things. Let's give him at least a reasonable amount of time to do that.

It's little wonder that we have problems getting recruits to come here.

You have to take some of that criticism with a grain of salt, there are a lot of trolls who jump on this site at every chance they can, and then we just have some fans who really want Pope to fail.

 

[UKCowboys]

Fans have always done this. Not sure if OP is new or not.

Doesn't make it right

 

[DraftCat]

I have a hard time not giving coaches 3-4 years to prove their worth... and Pope proved he was up for the task in year one.

Maybe he overthought this recruiting cycle compared to last year when before it was literally get what you can and lets go. I'm willing to let this year play out and see if he learns his lessons in year 3.

 

[TheResistance]

This is not the way