We Asked For Change - Come Together BBN!

100 percent.

I want to ask our fans to stop going after our players and families. We are part of the blame on why we are not getting recruits anymore. Kids can go to other schools, paid just as much, and not have to worry about their family getting harassed

SawBillyatApplebees said:

Bringing this over from a few other threads… I get the disappointment across #BBN right now. Trust me, nobody is more frustrated than I am with how the past few months have gone. I’m a lifelong fan, and this program means a lot to me. But I’m asking, honestly pleading, for us to come together and get behind Kentucky Basketball. Let me be clear. My issue isn’t with people being critical of Mark Pope’s coaching decisions. That comes with the job here. Be critical. My issue is how quickly some folks have gone straight to the kill shot and started calling for him to be fired. Even if he wasn’t a former player, I would feel the exact same way. That’s not about loyalty, it’s about perspective. People were calling for his job after the Gonzaga game. Was that embarrassing loss unacceptable? Absolutely. But it was December - barely 1 month into season #2. We can’t act like we didn’t spend years asking for something different. During Cal’s tenure, we complained constantly about the non conference schedule, about players not sticking around, about the lack of X’s and O’s, about ignoring analytics, about it feeling like “Cal University” instead of Kentucky. I heard it. I said some of it. Most of us did. Now we have a coach scheduling real games, leaning into analytics, trying to build something different, and suddenly we’re making jokes about those same things we were begging for. That’s the part that doesn’t make sense. Again, this doesn’t mean you can’t question decisions. But right now it feels like it’s damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t, and that helps nobody. And here’s the reality. Recruits and players see this. They read it. In today’s world, they have options. They don’t have to come somewhere where the noise turns toxic this fast. Kentucky will always come with pressure. That’s part of what makes it elite. But there’s a difference between holding the standard and tearing things down before anything has a real chance to develop. If we’re sitting here next year and it hasn’t worked, then fine, we deal with it then. But right now, the constant negativity is only hurting the program. Kentucky Basketball still carries weight. It still matters. And I truly believe our best days are ahead, but only if we act like it. So I’m asking, let’s lock in, come together, and support the program for at least one more year. Let’s be Big Blue Nation again.

You had another post in the past 12 hours that was even better than this one. Appreciate some very reasonable but nevertheless fresh commentary.

I am once again asking for a change.

People have to stop going after players. I know the line is a bit more blurred because they’re making money now, but it doesn’t do the program any good to trash them on social media.

The only change I asked for was to win more. I think some fans want something out of this that doesn’t and never has existed. I’m glad Mark Pope is a good guy. I’m happy for him that this place matters to him. I’m glad he wants to help kids and make this place special to them too…and I care about absolutely none of this if he doesn’t win and win a lot. I have a family and friends for the warm fuzzies in life. I want the Cats to win and I’m not too terribly concerned about how they do it anymore. Used to be but life has made me cynical. Just win, man.

Very well put. The lack of success over the last 5-7 years has Kentucky fans more desperate for the level of success we got during the front half of Cal’s career. That has lead to fans being more frustrated and more easily agitated when things don’t go well. Give Pope next year with a hopefully healthy roster to see if he can right the ship. We don’t need to alienate possible coaches and players in the process.

It’s easy, win games and don’t get pistol whipped when you lose.

SawBillyatApplebees said:

Bringing this over from a few other threads… I get the disappointment across #BBN right now. Trust me, nobody is more frustrated than I am with how the past few months have gone. I’m a lifelong fan, and this program means a lot to me. But I’m asking, honestly pleading, for us to come together and get behind Kentucky Basketball. Let me be clear. My issue isn’t with people being critical of Mark Pope’s coaching decisions. That comes with the job here. Be critical. My issue is how quickly some folks have gone straight to the kill shot and started calling for him to be fired. Even if he wasn’t a former player, I would feel the exact same way. That’s not about loyalty, it’s about perspective. People were calling for his job after the Gonzaga game. Was that embarrassing loss unacceptable? Absolutely. But it was December - barely 1 month into season #2. We can’t act like we didn’t spend years asking for something different. During Cal’s tenure, we complained constantly about the non conference schedule, about players not sticking around, about the lack of X’s and O’s, about ignoring analytics, about it feeling like “Cal University” instead of Kentucky. I heard it. I said some of it. Most of us did. Now we have a coach scheduling real games, leaning into analytics, trying to build something different, and suddenly we’re making jokes about those same things we were begging for. That’s the part that doesn’t make sense. Again, this doesn’t mean you can’t question decisions. But right now it feels like it’s damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t, and that helps nobody. And here’s the reality. Recruits and players see this. They read it. In today’s world, they have options. They don’t have to come somewhere where the noise turns toxic this fast. Kentucky will always come with pressure. That’s part of what makes it elite. But there’s a difference between holding the standard and tearing things down before anything has a real chance to develop. If we’re sitting here next year and it hasn’t worked, then fine, we deal with it then. But right now, the constant negativity is only hurting the program. Kentucky Basketball still carries weight. It still matters. And I truly believe our best days are ahead, but only if we act like it. So I’m asking, let’s lock in, come together, and support the program for at least one more year. Let’s be Big Blue Nation again.

… at least one more time

I did not ask, nor did I want a change. But now I’m asking. Please, may we have a change?

Well from the Athletic article that just dropped it sounds like Pope still can’t recruit.

We’ve got one more season at the very least so we may as well give it a shot. Maybe it was just one bad offseason. Don’t think anyone can legitimately argue with the first season roster construction. Everybody has a bad year.

Pope will need to win next season, or he's gone. I think he knows that.

ukfootball said:

Well from the Athletic article that just dropped it sounds like Pope still can’t recruit.

Well, that's one way to look at it.

In general, people need to conduct themselves better online. Online we’re detached from the concrete feedback one typically gets when one hurls harsh comments at another—it feels like it doesn’t matter, but it does. Kids are online, and our kids see the over the top comments. Kentucky basketball certainly needs to raise the standard of play on the court, but fans online need to raise their standard of conduct. It matters what you post. Go cats.

SawBillyatApplebees said:

Bringing this over from a few other threads… I get the disappointment across #BBN right now. Trust me, nobody is more frustrated than I am with how the past few months have gone. I’m a lifelong fan, and this program means a lot to me. But I’m asking, honestly pleading, for us to come together and get behind Kentucky Basketball. Let me be clear. My issue isn’t with people being critical of Mark Pope’s coaching decisions. That comes with the job here. Be critical. My issue is how quickly some folks have gone straight to the kill shot and started calling for him to be fired. Even if he wasn’t a former player, I would feel the exact same way. That’s not about loyalty, it’s about perspective. People were calling for his job after the Gonzaga game. Was that embarrassing loss unacceptable? Absolutely. But it was December - barely 1 month into season #2. We can’t act like we didn’t spend years asking for something different. During Cal’s tenure, we complained constantly about the non conference schedule, about players not sticking around, about the lack of X’s and O’s, about ignoring analytics, about it feeling like “Cal University” instead of Kentucky. I heard it. I said some of it. Most of us did. Now we have a coach scheduling real games, leaning into analytics, trying to build something different, and suddenly we’re making jokes about those same things we were begging for. That’s the part that doesn’t make sense. Again, this doesn’t mean you can’t question decisions. But right now it feels like it’s damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t, and that helps nobody. And here’s the reality. Recruits and players see this. They read it. In today’s world, they have options. They don’t have to come somewhere where the noise turns toxic this fast. Kentucky will always come with pressure. That’s part of what makes it elite. But there’s a difference between holding the standard and tearing things down before anything has a real chance to develop. If we’re sitting here next year and it hasn’t worked, then fine, we deal with it then. But right now, the constant negativity is only hurting the program. Kentucky Basketball still carries weight. It still matters. And I truly believe our best days are ahead, but only if we act like it. So I’m asking, let’s lock in, come together, and support the program for at least one more year. Let’s be Big Blue Nation again.

From the time he was hired on a five year contract, it was obvious that he was always going to be given three years to prove himself to me. He's still in the middle. Most rational people think he did good in year one. There were issues, but all in all, he won some big games, got to the Sweet 16 and lost to a team that we had already beaten twice. The injuries piled up, the guys played hard, gave it their all, and it classified the season as a success. SEC standing was lower than we would have liked, but in a first year - he did OK. The program had an upward trajectory. Year two went off the rails. There was/are legitimate roster building concerns. We had the role players. Injuries again played a part. For me, I don't mind bringing JQ in to see what he can add. To me, if everything else worked out, he was the piece that took you from and E8/F4 team to a true title contender/favorite entering March. If he didn't work out, you gave him a shot. The mistake was banking on him being available/good. We didn't have a backup PG. Yes, it was problematic, but I have issues with this too. Fans want a backup PG that is almost a plug and play with no dropoff. Those guys are not going anywhere to be a backup. With a backup, there is going to be a dropoff, and frankly I don't think the backup would have been playing as well as Aberdeen did by the end of the season. What this roster lacked was consistent shooting. Pope did not do a good job constructing it, nor did he do a good job coaching it. It was in dire need of offensive sets. Pope did not adapt. At the end of year 2, we are in a discouraging place, with no good looks for recruiting, and a coach that many are dissatisfied with. So, year 3 it is. My belief is that Pope was happy with the trajectory at the end of year 1, thought, if I get these guys in, I'll shore up the physicality issues, and we will be good to go. By December, if not earlier, it was clear that there were roster problems and the issues were not going away. As much as college basketball has changed with roster movement, trades are not a thing (yet), and certainly not during the season. Thus, unlike the NBA, you're stuck with what you have. I think Pope realized this, but we have to play out the season. I don't think he quit on it, but he was stuck and he knew it. It seems we have no hope for year 3, but there is about to be a ton of coach movement, player movement, and opportunity. He has to win in year 3 and probably make the Elite 8 or better to keep his job. I'd give a couple of caveats that if we go 28-3 in the regular season, win the SEC, and then lose a stupid game in the round of 32/Sweet 16, he keeps his job, but assuming the regular season is not a Kentucky cakewalk then he probably has to do that. As to players. Whether they are making money or not, there is no reason to contact them directly or indirectly. That's just low class. It's one thing to complain about them with your friend group or frankly on a message board. Don't take personal shots.

SawBillyatApplebees said:

Bringing this over from a few other threads… I get the disappointment across #BBN right now. Trust me, nobody is more frustrated than I am with how the past few months have gone. I’m a lifelong fan, and this program means a lot to me. But I’m asking, honestly pleading, for us to come together and get behind Kentucky Basketball. Let me be clear. My issue isn’t with people being critical of Mark Pope’s coaching decisions. That comes with the job here. Be critical. My issue is how quickly some folks have gone straight to the kill shot and started calling for him to be fired. Even if he wasn’t a former player, I would feel the exact same way. That’s not about loyalty, it’s about perspective. People were calling for his job after the Gonzaga game. Was that embarrassing loss unacceptable? Absolutely. But it was December - barely 1 month into season #2. We can’t act like we didn’t spend years asking for something different. During Cal’s tenure, we complained constantly about the non conference schedule, about players not sticking around, about the lack of X’s and O’s, about ignoring analytics, about it feeling like “Cal University” instead of Kentucky. I heard it. I said some of it. Most of us did. Now we have a coach scheduling real games, leaning into analytics, trying to build something different, and suddenly we’re making jokes about those same things we were begging for. That’s the part that doesn’t make sense. Again, this doesn’t mean you can’t question decisions. But right now it feels like it’s damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t, and that helps nobody. And here’s the reality. Recruits and players see this. They read it. In today’s world, they have options. They don’t have to come somewhere where the noise turns toxic this fast. Kentucky will always come with pressure. That’s part of what makes it elite. But there’s a difference between holding the standard and tearing things down before anything has a real chance to develop. If we’re sitting here next year and it hasn’t worked, then fine, we deal with it then. But right now, the constant negativity is only hurting the program. Kentucky Basketball still carries weight. It still matters. And I truly believe our best days are ahead, but only if we act like it. So I’m asking, let’s lock in, come together, and support the program for at least one more year. Let’s be Big Blue Nation again.

If Robinson wasn’t out and Butler was actually 100% healthy at the end of year 1 (we also didn’t then have Krissa, a backup PG), maybe that team competes better in the SEC tournament against Alabama and beats Tennessee a third time to then flirt with a Final Four. Ten months ago most people raved about this year 2 roster construction. It just didn’t pan out. I do think the injuries were more disruptive than we acknowledge, though Pope deserves criticism for relying on JQ to begin with and for the lackluster effort and terrible execution in most of our losses (a Pope team is only going to win if it plays smart and gritty, and in year 2, we often did not). I legitimately feel depressed every year that we aren’t good because I calculate that there are only so many chances left in my lifetime to experience the thrill of a great season. Pope has one more year. The shortest path to a great season is for Pope to have a great year 3. I’d rather spend the next 12 months hoping for that than hoping it collapses. Go Cats!

[email protected] said:

From the time he was hired on a five year contract, it was obvious that he was always going to be given three years to prove himself to me. He's still in the middle. Most rational people think he did good in year one. There were issues, but all in all, he won some big games, got to the Sweet 16 and lost to a team that we had already beaten twice. The injuries piled up, the guys played hard, gave it their all, and it classified the season as a success. SEC standing was lower than we would have liked, but in a first year - he did OK. The program had an upward trajectory. Year two went off the rails. There was/are legitimate roster building concerns. We had the role players. Injuries again played a part. For me, I don't mind bringing JQ in to see what he can add. To me, if everything else worked out, he was the piece that took you from and E8/F4 team to a true title contender/favorite entering March. If he didn't work out, you gave him a shot. The mistake was banking on him being available/good. We didn't have a backup PG. Yes, it was problematic, but I have issues with this too. Fans want a backup PG that is almost a plug and play with no dropoff. Those guys are not going anywhere to be a backup. With a backup, there is going to be a dropoff, and frankly I don't think the backup would have been playing as well as Aberdeen did by the end of the season. What this roster lacked was consistent shooting. Pope did not do a good job constructing it, nor did he do a good job coaching it. It was in dire need of offensive sets. Pope did not adapt. At the end of year 2, we are in a discouraging place, with no good looks for recruiting, and a coach that many are dissatisfied with. So, year 3 it is. My belief is that Pope was happy with the trajectory at the end of year 1, thought, if I get these guys in, I'll shore up the physicality issues, and we will be good to go. By December, if not earlier, it was clear that there were roster problems and the issues were not going away. As much as college basketball has changed with roster movement, trades are not a thing (yet), and certainly not during the season. Thus, unlike the NBA, you're stuck with what you have. I think Pope realized this, but we have to play out the season. I don't think he quit on it, but he was stuck and he knew it. It seems we have no hope for year 3, but there is about to be a ton of coach movement, player movement, and opportunity. He has to win in year 3 and probably make the Elite 8 or better to keep his job. I'd give a couple of caveats that if we go 28-3 in the regular season, win the SEC, and then lose a stupid game in the round of 32/Sweet 16, he keeps his job, but assuming the regular season is not a Kentucky cakewalk then he probably has to do that. As to players. Whether they are making money or not, there is no reason to contact them directly or indirectly. That's just low class. It's one thing to complain about them with your friend group or frankly on a message board. Don't take personal shots.

No hope for year 3? That isn’t how I feel at all and I’d say the only people who feel that way are Pope haters.

That's nice and all, but at the end of the day this job is about results. Next year will make it or break it for Pope.

Everyone talks about not having a backup PG this season. When he got JL we still had Travis Perry and LA ( the freshman that decommitted) plus JJ. That sounds like 3 backups. TP and LA didn’t want to be a backup. Am I wrong?

thetree44 said:

No hope for year 3? That isn’t how I feel at all and I’d say the only people who feel that way are Pope haters.

Maybe that was not written the best. At this point, it seems we have no hope for year 3. (No recruits, concerns over the roster, no all-star returnees). My line about a bunch of coach movement, player movement, etc is that there will be options out there to get better, even if they are not freshman. He just has to hit them. I have hope for year 3

We will win Natty No. 9 next season…

Official_1Star_Recruit said:

We will win Natty No. 9 next season…

In another Ferrari?