Why should he get a third year

[20MRoster]

His first year was, by Kentucky standards in a vacuum, average. When considering the conditions surrounding that season — above average. He surpassed preseason expectations with the first team. Unless the second season is an unmitigated disaster of historic proportions, he will be permitted a third year to fight for his professional life.

I agree with giving him a 'B' (above average) grade just based on circumstances, but he didn't surpass preseason expectations. UK was picked 6th SEC preseason, they finished... 6th SEC. A 6th seed is expected to lose in the SECT Qtrs, and they... lost in the qtrs (a 29 point loss, mind you). The only thing I can think of as an overachievement may be the S16 -- but if you take their preseason #23 rank, that's equivalent of a 5 seed, and the expectation of a 5 seed is to lose to a 4 seed in the R32. Making a S16 isn't that big a stretch (and they got blown out in the S16 showing they weren't on that level of team).

The team last year was good, clearly fit better to Pope's strengths than this year's, but let's not get carried away like they were some Cinderella.

Edit -- #23 is a 6-seed, which is supposed to lose to a 3. Less expectation to make S16, so that one thing you can give him an 'exceeds' for. But that blowout to end the season just takes away any taste of 'success' IMO.

 

[MegaBlue05]

It doesn’t matter what I think. He’s getting a third year regardless.

If next year is a massive improvement he gets a year 4. If next year is equal or worse than this one, he will be fired.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

BCG's 2 year record may be better than Pope's if we do not see some major improvement. And season 3 is already looking like a disaster.

True. And BCG’s teams played hard. But he wasn’t fired for basketball reasons or results.

If not for the off court stuff Barney probably keeps BCG.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

We gave Cal 7 years at the end.

Cal had one bad year in that 7. It was really bad. We were contenders the rest.

 

[PastorofMuppets82]

Pope's year 1 earned him a year 3 (unless something insane like losing every remaining game this season, getting no recruits, the entire team graduating/leaving in the transfer portal, and getting no portal commits were to happen.) He'll get a year to right the ship. HOWEVER, the seat will be hot, every decision and outcome will be under a microscope, and feelers will be put out for his replacement and a short list of next man up will emerge. We may not like it as fans, buts that's very likely what will occur. Barring a crazy run through the SEC regular season, an improbable SEC tournament title, or another sweet 16 or elite 8 finish everyone involved with the program will see this year as a disaster and put the writing on the wall for Pope. I want to like Pope, want to win with Pope, but he is not a Blue Blood level coach, recruiter, or even handler of the media. He's playing darts blindfolded with his off hand while one of his assistant coaches yelling out latitude and longitude from their analytics board trying to hit bullseyes. (Or as we used to say in my day, he looks like a monkey f*&^$ng a football out there.)

 

[TFCat11]

Love Pope as a person and especially as a former player, but a 3rd year is just silly to consider given the context, of which if you are not familiar with the circumstances, wont make sense to you.

We are 1 game into the SEC schedule, and fan’s opinions will change game by game, but the #1 thing any coach has to rely on to be successful is recruiting, and sorry not sorry, Pope is the worst there is, and you can blame JMI as well, but Pope himself has signed off on their involvement, so we can’t use that as an excuse! They are married to each other!

No one worth a damn is going to come play for this guy next season, and it would be a historical embarrassment to even consider playing that game with UK’s heritage and history.

 

[CNJ1966]

2-3 posters have already said the truth—he’ll get a 3rd year. Barnhart will not fire him for one bad season. I’d bet there’s a better chance he’d resign after this year out of shame/realization that he can’t do the job than there is that Barnhart fires him

 

[Buckwheat Otay Is Dead]

H gets a third year cause he has earned it. 1 % on her just hate everything

 

[Trinity45]

Cal had one bad year in that 7. It was really bad. We were contenders the rest.

I disagree, After Cal's first 5 he and his teams for the most part were below average and never in the hunt for a championship.

 

[Trinity45]

yes but cals failures were covered up by stars that were lined up for the next year pope has nothing to look forward to

What real stars, personally I find that a coach with all those stars who fails year after year to even make a decent run in the tournament to be a bigger failure, hell all Cal did was turn UK into a huge memory for St. Peters and other low level schools.

 

[Argonaut]

2-3 posters have already said the truth—he’ll get a 3rd year. Barnhart will not fire him for one bad season. I’d bet there’s a better chance he’d resign after this year out of shame/realization that he can’t do the job than there is that Barnhart fires him

That or peed off boosters step in and take charge. I really hope the adults in the room step up because I don’t trust our admin to do the right thing.

 

[nicky]

The answer to your question lies in whether you are asking rhetorically. I think most fans are frustrated and want it to be over now, but there are also reasons why he should and will get a third year.

Name one

 

[Guyute]

Love Pope as a person and especially as a former player, but a 3rd year is just silly to consider given the context, of which if you are not familiar with the circumstances, wont make sense to you.

We are 1 game into the SEC schedule, and fan’s opinions will change game by game, but the #1 thing any coach has to rely on to be successful is recruiting, and sorry not sorry, Pope is the worst there is, and you can blame JMI as well, but Pope himself has signed off on their involvement, so we can’t use that as an excuse! They are married to each other!

No one worth a damn is going to come play for this guy next season, and it would be a historical embarrassment to even consider playing that game with UK’s heritage and history.

Yeah, all the people who want to see what happens next year are simply blind to the high probability that we will have another lackluster roster. Pope has failed at getting top recruits from HS, as well as getting the best portal players. Even JQ was an afterthought for many coaches because of the injury.

Add to this the fact that the guy has constructed rosters with 12 or more players who expect to play, and it’s just an unattractive situation for players. I would bet the house that next year will be worse than this year.

 

[Argonaut]

Yeah, all the people who want to see what happens next year are simply blind to the high probability that we will have another lackluster roster. Pope has failed at getting top recruits from HS, as well as getting the best portal players. Even JQ was an afterthought for many coaches because of the injury.

Add to this the fact that the guy has constructed rosters with 12 or more players who expect to play, and it’s just an unattractive situation for players. I would bet the house that next year will be worse than this year.

We’re not keeping our winningness record if Pope returns.

 

[1UKCatFan]

His first year was, by Kentucky standards in a vacuum, average. When considering the conditions surrounding that season — above average. He surpassed preseason expectations with the first team. Unless the second season is an unmitigated disaster of historic proportions, he will be permitted a third year to fight for his professional life.

We are certainly headed towards an unmitigated disaster. Missing the tournament and losing 15 games is a real possibility unless things somehow improve. After listening to him last night, I have no confidence that anything will change.

 

[1UKCatFan]

It has nothing to do with Standards. You don’t fire any coach for one bad season. That’s just ridiculous.

one bad season, no. But factor in no hope for the following season because he can't recruit. Why waste 2 more years to come to the same inevitable conclusion?

 

[1UKCatFan]

One reason is if you fire him after two years then you are going to have a very hard time getting a high profile coach to come here knowing how short the leash is.

I don't think that's true. The high profile coaches are all very confident in their abilities and I think they're all looking at how Pope is coaching this team and shaking their heads. You heard what Oates said publicly, just imagine what he and others are saying privately. Pope looks like he's in over his head and there's nothing wrong with acknowledging the mistake and fixing it.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

I disagree, After Cal's first 5 he and his teams for the most part were below average and never in the hunt for a championship.

You don't think '17,'19,'20,'22 and '24 were contenders?

 

[CatBearPig]

one bad season, no. But factor in no hope for the following season because he can't recruit. Why waste 2 more years to come to the same inevitable conclusion?

Why do you think there’s no hope? Last year we had zero players after the season and made the sweet 16.

 

[Anon1759768907]

What real stars, personally I find that a coach with all those stars who fails year after year to even make a decent run in the tournament to be a bigger failure, hell all Cal did was turn UK into a huge memory for St. Peters and other low level schools.

yes but at least they had stars to give them a chance, we suck without one so why not give it a go

 

[Eagles_Ball_69]

From what we know, both of those guys have a factor related to them that lies outside of his control. Clearly he wants/wanted one or both of those guys. We can debate his recruiting acumen ad nauseum but these have directly been linked to JMI issues.

He’s gonna have to get it done with what he can get next year. Period.

Has the football program had the same JMI issues?

 

[Eagles_Ball_69]

How has he "completely lowered the standards of Kentucky Basketball" when he went farther in his 1st season than Cal since 2018 LMAO? I am not saying he should or shouldn't, but your Hyperbole is total nonsense lol

I mean, Cal lowered the standard himself. But he also preceded all that crapshow of five years with four final 4s and a title.

 

[Eagles_Ball_69]

One reason is if you fire him after two years then you are going to have a very hard time getting a high profile coach to come here knowing how short the leash is.

I think this would be true if he were respected in the college basketball coaching world. But he's not.

 

[Kameron50]

yes but cals failures were covered up by stars that were lined up for the next year pope has nothing to look forward to

Exactly at least with Cal there was always some optimism because of his recruiting. We have no recruits for next year and I guarantee we lose most of our guys to the transfer portal. If you guys can't see that next year is gonna be worse then you're blind. No point in letting this program spiral down another year. Pope is never gonna make a FF here let alone a title.

 

[I’m The Village Idiot]

Has the football program had the same JMI issues?

No. And they weren’t expected to. I’ve posted the video link about ten times on this site where recruiting insiders talked about why it would affect basketball and not football. And that’s been known for several weeks and this same point gets brought up lol. Do y’all want facts or not?

 

[Trueblujr2]

The answer to your question lies in whether you are asking rhetorically. I think most fans are frustrated and want it to be over now, but there are also reasons why he should and will get a third year.

My hope is that Pope is learning some lessons this year. You can't just go out and buy a bunch of dudes with no real plan on how to get them to work together. The reason Pope gave us hope and largely met most of our expectations last year after having a short window to build a roster, was that he brought in a TEAM of guys. Two at least at each position of need. It was a roster with an identity. Injuries plagued us and put a dent in that at times, but we still had an identity.

This year we got too many guys who want to be the alpha dog, and they don't get along. They have no chemistry, They don't like each other. We don't have options at PG when Lowe is out. Plus for some reason I think there's a little favoritism from Pope with Chandler, and that may be rubbing some guys the wrong way. I think he just overspent on Dudes because he was afraid of how injuries affected us last year.

Anywho, If Pope wants to return next year and fix this, he has to seriously look at how he builds the roster. Let the cancers go, get back to finding guys he can coach, guys who fit his system. Emphasize finding shooters and capable Point Guards. This is all assuming JMI can get out of the way and not bind kids to an exclusive contract.

 

[I’m The Village Idiot]

My hope is that Pope is learning some lessons this year. You can't just go out and buy a bunch of dudes with no real plan on how to get them to work together. The reason Pope gave us hope and largely met most of our expectations last year after having a short window to build a roster, was that he brought in a TEAM of guys. Two at least at each position of need. It was a roster with an identity. Injuries plagued us and put a dent in that at times, but we still had an identity.

This year we got too many guys who want to be the alpha dog, and they don't get along. They have no chemistry, They don't like each other. We don't have options at PG when Lowe is out. Plus for some reason I think there's a little favoritism from Pope with Chandler, and that may be rubbing some guys the wrong way. I think he just overspent on Dudes because he was afraid of how injuries affected us last year.

Anywho, If Pope wants to return next year and fix this, he has to seriously look at how he builds the roster. Let the cancers go, get back to finding guys he can coach, guys who fit his system. Emphasize finding shooters and capable Point Guards. This is all assuming JMI can get out of the way and not bind kids to an exclusive contract.

I agree with you trueblu. Something is far off with the fit. My biggest longterm concern, not to be repetitive, is you have to have a good offense and defense to be a true title contender. I can explain the offensive issues using much of the same rationale that you provided here. What I can’t get behind is the defense being as bad as it is — that actually scares the daylight out of me. If you can’t coach a top defense with this team, it makes me feel like he’s never going to have a good defense. That would mean it wont matter how long we give him —- it’s a waste of time. I’d absolutely love to be wrong but my confidence in Pope is lower than it has ever been.

 

[Eagles_Ball_69]

No. And they weren’t expected to. I’ve posted the video link about ten times on this site where recruiting insiders talked about why it would affect basketball and not football. And that’s been known for several weeks and this same point gets brought up lol. Do y’all want facts or not?

I've not seen the video or the posts about it. This time of the year is brutally busy for me. I don't get nearly enough RR time. Stupid adulting and kids!

 

[UKBB4Ever]

No. And they weren’t expected to. I’ve posted the video link about ten times on this site where recruiting insiders talked about why it would affect basketball and not football. And that’s been known for several weeks and this same point gets brought up lol. Do y’all want facts or not?

That was spin. Not facts.

 

[preston-lemasterpiece]

I think this would be true if he were respected in the college basketball coaching world. But he's not.

other coaches point and laugh at pope and say "f*cking hell i wish i had the NIL budget he was blessed with, i'd be killing it"

 

[Eagles_Ball_69]

other coaches point and laugh at pope and say "f*cking hell i wish i had the NIL budget he was blessed with, i'd be killing it"

I kinda feel that's the way it is with him. I'd love to get a few of the really good coaches about four beers deep and see what their true thoughts are on him. I'd be willing to be he's not that highly thought of, at least as a coach.

 

[I’m The Village Idiot]

I kinda feel that's the way it is with him. I'd love to get a few of the really good coaches about four beers deep and see what their true thoughts are on him. I'd be willing to be he's not that highly thought of, at least as a coach.

From the looks of it, Nate Oats requires zero beers and zero privacy to say what he thinks of Pope. About as transparent a postgame I’ve ever seen from an opposing coach on Saturday — he really didn’t hold back.

 

[Argonaut]

I kinda feel that's the way it is with him. I'd love to get a few of the really good coaches about four beers deep and see what their true thoughts are on him. I'd be willing to be he's not that highly thought of, at least as a coach.

Based on the media and coaches have said or acted in the past over Pope, he doesn’t seem very well respected.

 

[preston-lemasterpiece]

From the looks of it, Nate Oats requires zero beers and zero privacy to say what he thinks of Pope. About as transparent a postgame I’ve ever seen from an opposing coach on Saturday — he really didn’t hold back.

i think that's just the tip of the iceberg.
coaching is a big fraternity. these guys can sniff out a phony