Just Win, Baby (BTI's Rants and Ramblings)

What a wild roller coaster of emotions over the last week for Kentucky fans. The sudden departure of John Calipari caused quite the earthquake within this fanbase. Some were ready for a new era of UK basketball and some certainly were scared of what was next. The coaching search certainly didn’t go as most had expected or hoped. But Mark Pope’s sudden hiring sent shockwaves through the Bluegrass, first in a negative way and then a sudden flip to the positive. Pope’s energy and connection to the program seem to breathe some new life into a battered group of fans.

And now many have already started nervously questioning the recruiting successes, or lack thereof, of Pope through 5 days on the job. At this point, we have absolutely no idea what the roster for UK will look like for the 2024-25 season, but that hasn’t stopped many from predicting doom and gloom. If we have learned nothing over the last 5 years of college basketball, we should know that rosters can be destroyed and rebuilt in a matter of weeks. Elite teams can be made from scratch. And that’s what we starting from right now, scratch.

R-E-L-A-X

As Aaron Rodgers, love him or hate him, once said in the middle of a Packers swoon, RELAX. I have no idea what this roster will end up looking like 1 month or 6 months from now. And I make no promises it will be a competitive, elite roster. But UK coaches throughout history have proven that quality teams can and will be formed no matter who is in charge. Until proven otherwise, I have faith that Mark Pope will be able to cobble together a very good team for next season and begin the process of building an elite program very quickly. But that’s not really the point, is it? Do we really care who the players are? Seriously, think about that for a second.

AL DAVIS SAID IT BEST

I don’t care if Mark Pope puts together a group of 12 transfers, or a group of 12 2-star players, or a group of 12 Mormons, or puts his daughters all on the floor to play. Winning is all that matters. Tubby Smith and John Calipari put vastly different kinds of teams on the floor during their tenures. Tubby would bring in the elite McDonald’s All-American every now and then but more often focused on the 4-year player he could develop. John Calipari only focused on the 5-star guy who would certainly leave after 1 season. They went about it in entirely different ways. And won big. Tubby Smith from 2003-2005 was as loved as John Calipari was from 2010-2015. And why is that? Not because of how they recruited. But how they won on the floor.

LET POPE COOK

We really live in a world where opinions are developed so quickly. We have no idea what the Mark Pope program will look like. I do not have 100% confidence it will work. But I also know that 5 days is not nearly enough to make a determination what this is going to be. I would urge everybody to take a step back and at least let the man make a roster. He can not have 92 players on the team. So every big-name transfer or available freshman is not coming here. Some guys are going to go elsewhere. But do know after 5 days that we now have a coach who WANTS it more than the previous one. And wants to do it for this university. Let us let Mark Pope make the program how he needs it to be. And after that, just win baby.