Take away past success

[TuesdayBoost]

What does UK offer that puts them above everyone else?

We don’t even have the biggest gym anymore from what someone stated. Ik Syracuse always had a bigger one but they never filled it up.

I say the fanbase is the biggest. That’s the only thing I can think of.


Someone tell me what a 17 year old recruit is supposed to see and say that is the destination.

I’m not here to bash our program. Just curious to what makes yall think in 2026 UK is still at the top.

We don’t even have top facilities. We lead in all time wins for the time being. There are ten schools with a better brand than UK at the moment. It’s not really close.

 

[Crazy4Blue]

If you are talking about UK basketball that a kid would know, we are very impressive since 2019. Only thing that we have now is word of mouth from older UK fans. We have played like junk the past several years.

 

[Tri-Countycat]

Other than a passionate fanbase that travels like no other. Not sure that’s even a selling point at the moment. UK needs something to hang their hat on. Whether it be the best in the game at player development, NBA connections, financial planning. Something that will set UK apart. Plus it might be time to look at dumping Nike, they no longer help UK.

 

[Anony Moose]

I mean, if you take the accolades away from any school, why would any player want to go there?

 

[UKBB4Ever]

If you are talking about UK basketball that a kid would know, we are very impressive since 2019. Only thing that we have now is word of mouth from older UK fans. We have played like junt the past several years.

We were completely relevant and a destination from ‘19-24.

The best players flocking to UK.

A 17 year old player today is watching the NBA and seeing all of these former UK players.

And seeing themselves there.

Then they see and hear from the coach and it’s different.

The op is right that they are not seeing separation. They see nothing to get them to the next level.

That’s what Pope has done to UK.

But let’s join the clown Matt jones and blame it on JMI.

 

[jedwar]

I mean, if you take the accolades away from any school, why would any player want to go there?

I was going to post this as well.

 

[BlueBomb]

Parents influence their children most than almost anyone else at that age. And, historically, Kentucky has one of the strongest basketball brands of any program. Parents know that. So, unless we turn into IU -- and remain irrelevant for decades -- then the Kentucky name still has cache, even if it is with the parents. But, with Pope a the helm, well, that all goes out the window.

 

[TuesdayBoost]

Other than a passionate fanbase that travels like no other. Not sure that’s even a selling point at the moment. UK needs something to hang their hat on. Whether it be the best in the game at player development, NBA connections, financial planning. Something that will set UK apart. Plus it might be time to look at dumping Nike, they no longer help UK.

Nobody would bat an eye at the thought of that but I have said the same thing for a long time!! Screw Nike! Let them have Duke. Let’s go outside the box. Change it up. Be a brands top school. Let New Balance take over or something.


Why do we hang onto Nike when we are the ugly step child to them?

 

[chroix]

Take away your credentials and experience. Who hires you? Why would the program with the greatest history and fanbase in the world give up that asset?

This feels like this is one of those girly girl questions... "If I were a worm, would you still love me?"

 

[UK67KU59]

The UK brand matters, and you can’t separate the historical success of the program and its players from the brand. There is a reason people want to announce they have an offer from Kentucky and put our hat on the table. We have to figure out the rest, which is the right coach, the right NIL system, etc.

 

[TuesdayBoost]

I mean, if you take the accolades away from any school, why would any player want to go there?

You look at this season and style of play. Brand. What are we doing for them now? Who’s winning? Who’s cool? What coach is getting it done. How does the coach practice or hold his team accountable. Fan base. Fans travel. Trajectory of the program today. Perception of the program today. Winning/losing. Who looks like they are having fun? Who looks miserable?


Gotta remember . I said 17 year old kids. Kids who want to play fast and exciting ball and make it to the NBA. Players that want to win. And most importantly young kids that want to have fun in college. These are kids. Idc that they are millionaires they are kids. Rich kids yes but still kids.

 

[TuesdayBoost]

Take away your credentials and experience. Who hires you? Why would the program with the greatest history and fanbase in the world give up that asset?

This feels like this is one of those girly girl questions... "If I were a worm, would you still love me?"

No my point of the thread is I keep seeing people say….. THIS IS KENTUCKY. Like that has power. What have you done for me lately.



I guess I can go watch the 2012 tape and relive it. Yea that’s cool. I want that feeling this season. Next season. Season after. I don’t wanna keep bragging about 2012 1998 1996.


It’s awesome to have those championships. We are a great program in the grand scheme of things. I’m not here to say how bad we are. I wanted to know what yall see to make yall say THIS IS KENTUCKY. And believe that’s supposed to make the top coach and players fall in our lap.

 

[MegaBlue05]

We have one thing, which is an extreme double-edged sword: a large, rabid, passionate, borderline insane fanbase.

If winning, best fans in the country hands down. If not winning, worst fans in the country. We eat our own in lean times and no one can say that isn’t true.

Our facilities are outdated. Our arena is old with a new coat of paint. We have less money in our coffers than the football schools. NIL and portal leveled the field to where 5 schools don’t hoard all the top talent because everyone is paying well these days, not just bluebloods.

It looks like Pope ain’t the guy. We need an aggressive AD and a coach with thick skin, proven results and one helluva a massive ego to get back to the top. I hope I am wrong about Pope, but it seems like Sweet 16 is the ceiling for him. I hoped it was the floor.

 

[chroix]

No my point of the thread is I keep saying people say….. THIS IS KENTUCKY. Like that has power. What have you done for me lately.



I guess I can go watch the 2012 tape and relive it. Yea that’s cool. I want that feeling this season. Next season. Season after. I don’t wanna keep bragging about 2012 1998 1996.


It’s awesome to have those championships. We are a great program in the grand scheme of things. I’m not here to say how bad we are. I wanted to know what yall see to make yall say THIS IS KENTUCKY. And believe that’s supposed to make the top coach and players fall in our lap.

Do you think Duke doesn't do the same thing? UNC? Kansas? I get your point but when you're a Blue Blood, you lean into it. Not complicated. Might not mean as much as it used to, but that can be said for just about everything.

 

[jedwar]

You look at this season and style of play. Brand. What are we doing for them now? Who’s winning? Who’s cool? What coach is getting it done. How does the coach practice or hold his team accountable. Fan base. Fans travel. Trajectory of the program today. Perception of the program today. Winning/losing. Who looks like they are having fun? Who looks miserable?


Gotta remember . I said 17 year old kids. Kids who want to play fast and exciting ball and make it to the NBA. Players that want to win. And most importantly young kids that want to have fun in college. These are kids. Idc that they are millionaires they are kids. Rich kids yes but still kids.

We ain't the cool school for sure. Now many are ahead of us in cool? 20-25 schools? Maybe more.

 

[TuesdayBoost]

Do you think Duke doesn't do the same thing? UNC? Kansas? I get your point but when you're a Blue Blood, you lean into it. Not complicated. Might not mean as much as it used to, but that can be said for just about everything.

Man they do but I also feel like they are all levels above us in today’s world. We are Kentucky. I get saying it. I say it also. It’s just we have to get back to winning and being respected before we can openly say that and it mean something. We will always be Kentucky.

I hope we make changes to get back to being what Kentucky is. What Kentucky means.


As a fan I do know what Kentucky is. I do know we offer more than a lot of schools. I love UK. We are trying to win games with young kids tho. They need to know what Kentucky is.


And as far as all the NBA players…. Do yall think young kids look at all the UK players like we do or do yall think they look at them as Calapari players?

Having the NBA MVP doesn’t really help us at all. Has SGA mentioned UK since he’s been in the NBA? Young kids see the NBA full of Calapari players. Not Kentucky players.

 

[Tim0808]

What does UK offer that puts them above everyone else?

We don’t even have the biggest gym anymore from what someone stated. Ik Syracuse always had a bigger one but they never filled it up.

I say the fanbase is the biggest. That’s the only thing I can think of.


Someone tell me what a 17 year old recruit is supposed to see and say that is the destination.

I’m not here to bash our program. Just curious to what makes yall think in 2026 UK is still at the top.

We don’t even have top facilities. We lead in all time wins for the time being. There are ten schools with a better brand than UK at the moment. It’s not really close.

Not $22 million. Pope spent that.

 

[Tim0808]

We were completely relevant and a destination from ‘19-24.

The best players flocking to UK.

A 17 year old player today is watching the NBA and seeing all of these former UK players.

And seeing themselves there.

Then they see and hear from the coach and it’s different.

The op is right that they are not seeing separation. They see nothing to get them to the next level.

That’s what Pope has done to UK.

But let’s join the clown Matt jones and blame it on JMI.

We were completely relevant and a destination from ‘19-24.

The best players flocking to UK.

A 17 year old player today is watching the NBA and seeing all of these former UK players.

And seeing themselves there.

Then they see and hear from the coach and it’s different.

The op is right that they are not seeing separation. They see nothing to get them to the next level.

That’s what Pope has done to UK.

But let’s join the clown Matt jones and blame it on JMI.

Wonder why Matt Jones does not like JMI?

 

[TuesdayBoost]

Not $22 million. Pope spent that.

Damn lol

 

[CrimsonCats_rivals]

Sadly, the short answer is we don’t currently have anything that puts us above everyone else. We’re still relevant because of our passionate fans (although I’m not so sure that doesn’t also work against us at times) our membership in a premiere conference, and to some extent our history although a lot of it is so far in the past that I don’t think it’s much of a factor with current recruits. We’re no longer sitting alone at the top of the mountain though, and I’m honestly not sure if we’ll ever quite reach that status again or not.

With expanded TV deals, just about everyone outside the small conferences has ample exposure now, and lots of programs have spent enough on basketball that they’re able to win in the past couple of decades. I think that’s created a bit of a paradigm shift where coaches make programs to a large degree instead of the program elevating or hurting the coach like we used to expect. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if our current coach is going to be able to keep pace with that landscape.

 

[Rainmaker]

If you are talking about UK basketball that a kid would know, we are very impressive since 2019. Only thing that we have now is word of mouth from older UK fans. We have played like junk the past several years.

The kids being recruited now don’t even remember us being relevant. They know some of the nba players we currently have but they were born the year John Wall played and were in diapers when we won the 2012 Championship. They were too young to remember the 38-1 team and maybe they remember Monk and Fox but doubtful.

This is what I’ve been saying about missing recruits. It’s not about paying the most money, it’s about the experience of playing here and the pitch the staff gives them on what that will be like and how it will benefit them at the next level. Unfortunately our fan base is a very hard one to deal with as a player, Kentucky is literally the only place you are under a constant microscope from day one and beyond. This lack of a sales pitch that hits home with recruits and the ability to make almost as much elsewhere and not be under a microscope is why we miss recruits. It’s not a complicated thing but Kentucky at the current moment isn’t what it once was. We are several years away from being able to be a top destination again.

 

[The_Answer1313_rivals]

The kids being recruited now don’t even remember us being relevant. They know some of the nba players we currently have but they were born the year John Wall played and were in diapers when we won the 2012 Championship. They were too young to remember the 38-1 team and maybe they remember Monk and Fox but doubtful.

This is what I’ve been saying about missing recruits. It’s not about paying the most money, it’s about the experience of playing here and the pitch the staff gives them on what that will be like and how it will benefit them at the next level. Unfortunately our fan base is a very hard one to deal with as a player, Kentucky is literally the only place you are under a constant microscope from day one and beyond. This lack of a sales pitch that hits home with recruits and the ability to make almost as much elsewhere and not be under a microscope is why we miss recruits. It’s not a complicated thing but Kentucky at the current moment isn’t what it once was. We are several years away from being able to be a top destination again.

Yeah I agree with this.

I mean having NIL funds certainly help but the end of the day, the big payday for the elite recruits is the NBA. The coach that can help them get there the quickest, that's where they are ultimately going to go.

This is why Mark Pope is going to struggle here a bit.

 

[loublue22_rivals308424]

Why would anyone want to go live in Lawrence, KS or Storrs, CT? Or Tuscaloosa for football? Tradition and history matter, but you have to back it up with the best coaching and now a lot of money.

 

[GoAndRunIsGoneAndDone]

Believe it or not, I think there is more to preparing a high level talent for the next level than coaching or x's and o's. To Cal's credit, he did a good job of preparing players for the next level OFF and on the court. Kids are now making big money and have to deal with a lot of the same issues as NBA guys do. I think we'd benefit...if ANY coach here, works hard at getting players ready for the next level. I don't think Cal was great at getting them physically ready, or that he taught them the game as well as some other coaches do...but they were ready to move up personally, more so than maybe any other coach's players. Just sayin, I think we get better talent if we focus heavily on this aspect of growing them and preparing them for the next step.

If we become known for that single thing...we'll get top talent.

 

[TuesdayBoost]

Why would anyone want to go live in Lawrence, KS or Storrs, CT? Or Tuscaloosa for football? Tradition and history matter, but you have to back it up with the best coaching and now a lot of money.

They have tradition and recent success. Alabama just won 7 national championships. Tradition does matter I’m with you on that. Being Kentucky does matter just off of tradition alone…. But our success keeps getting farther and farther away.

 

[0r1c]

What does UK offer that puts them above everyone else?

We don’t even have the biggest gym anymore from what someone stated. Ik Syracuse always had a bigger one but they never filled it up.

I say the fanbase is the biggest. That’s the only thing I can think of.


Someone tell me what a 17 year old recruit is supposed to see and say that is the destination.

I’m not here to bash our program. Just curious to what makes yall think in 2026 UK is still at the top.

We don’t even have top facilities. We lead in all time wins for the time being. There are ten schools with a better brand than UK at the moment. It’s not really close.

I don't know why this isn't talked about more and why fans didn't revolt to this. We should be outraged that they neutered our arena.

 

[Dr.LutherSan]

What does UK offer that puts them above everyone else?

We don’t even have the biggest gym anymore from what someone stated. Ik Syracuse always had a bigger one but they never filled it up.

I say the fanbase is the biggest. That’s the only thing I can think of.


Someone tell me what a 17 year old recruit is supposed to see and say that is the destination.

I’m not here to bash our program. Just curious to what makes yall think in 2026 UK is still at the top.

We don’t even have top facilities. We lead in all time wins for the time being. There are ten schools with a better brand than UK at the moment. It’s not really close.

gO bAcK tO tHe ArKaNsAs BoArD tRoLl. YoU cLeArLy DoN't KnOw NoThIn' BoUt Uk BaSkEtBaLl. WE ARE KENTUCKY

 

[USARMYWILDCAT]

What does UK offer that puts them above everyone else?

We don’t even have the biggest gym anymore from what someone stated. Ik Syracuse always had a bigger one but they never filled it up.

I say the fanbase is the biggest. That’s the only thing I can think of.


Someone tell me what a 17 year old recruit is supposed to see and say that is the destination.

I’m not here to bash our program. Just curious to what makes yall think in 2026 UK is still at the top.

We don’t even have top facilities. We lead in all time wins for the time being. There are ten schools with a better brand than UK at the moment. It’s not really close.

This is what I have been screaming from the rooftops. A large portion of this fan base still believes the name Kentucky is going to give them everything they want. You are sorely mistake if you believe that. That does not mean that you lower your expectations for success. What it means is you need to pull your head out of the sand. There is not going to be another Rick Pitino or John Calipari walk in the door and fix things. Mark Pope is obviously not the answer. If you think firing him is just going to fix everything you’re going to be very disappointed again. Why do you think North Carolina hasn’t fired Hubert Davis yet? They know there’s not a Roy Williams out there to walk in the door and fix the program. Yes Mark Pope needs to be fired. No the Kentucky name is not going to automatically fix our issues.

 

[SDcatfan13]

I'd say that playing for Kentucky still opens a lot of doors professionally that other places can't provide (see Richie Farmer being state agricultural commissioner). Even if you don't become a basketball pro, you can still set yourself up well for the rest of your career if you're smart. Calipari was spot on mentioning "set for life", but not just in a basketball sense.

Someone mentioned an example with Travis Perry and his transfer. A title of "former Ole Miss player Travis Perry" doesn't have nearly the cache as "former Kentucky player Travis Perry."

 

[Kats meow]

Man they do but I also feel like they are all levels above us in today’s world. We are Kentucky. I get saying it. I say it also. It’s just we have to get back to winning and being respected before we can openly say that and it mean something. We will always be Kentucky.

I hope we make changes to get back to being what Kentucky is. What Kentucky means.


As a fan I do know what Kentucky is. I do know we offer more than a lot of schools. I love UK. We are trying to win games with young kids tho. They need to know what Kentucky is.


And as far as all the NBA players…. Do yall think young kids look at all the UK players like we do or do yall think they look at them as Calapari players?

Having the NBA MVP doesn’t really help us at all. Has SGA mentioned UK since he’s been in the NBA? Young kids see the NBA full of Calapari players. Not Kentucky players.

Man, you can talk in circles. Type a lot…say nothing.

 

[TuesdayBoost]

Man, you can talk in circles. Type a lot…say nothing.

Man sorry to offend you. Just scroll past little fella… another Monday nitro? Someone with passion for UK ball offensive? Good to know. Go read All the other post where people are giving out life changing information…. Weird

 

[Shaudylo]

Take away your credentials and experience. Who hires you? Why would the program with the greatest history and fanbase in the world give up that asset?

This feels like this is one of those girly girl questions... "If I were a worm, would you still love me?"

I see what you mean but I think most people believe that kids these days don’t care about history unless it’s an history of getting players to the NBA which Pope doesn’t have .

I personally think if you’re pretty good at recruiting then it should be able to be done at Kentucky . We might just not have the right man for that by the way it is looking .

 

[TuesdayBoost]

I see what you mean but I think most people believe that kids these days don’t care about history unless it’s an history of getting players to the NBA which Pope doesn’t have .

I personally think if you’re pretty good at recruiting then it should be able to be done at Kentucky . We might just not have the right man for that by the way it is looking .

Man if only we had that history and past success against Vanderbilt we would have kicked their ***..

Some fans just choose to accept the losing way. They would rather stay on that side of the fence before they get with the new way of things. Let’s stay the laughing stock! We have tradition to be proud of!! If we miss the tournament it’s ok because we’ve won it before!

It’s a sad state out program is in imo.

Edit. I never said we should forget our history or take that away. I was just saying… recruits aren’t looking at our history. Players are choosing coaches not schools.

 

[kyjeff1]

What does UK offer that puts them above everyone else?

We don’t even have the biggest gym anymore from what someone stated. Ik Syracuse always had a bigger one but they never filled it up.

I say the fanbase is the biggest. That’s the only thing I can think of.


Someone tell me what a 17 year old recruit is supposed to see and say that is the destination.

I’m not here to bash our program. Just curious to what makes yall think in 2026 UK is still at the top.

We don’t even have top facilities. We lead in all time wins for the time being. There are ten schools with a better brand than UK at the moment. It’s not really close.

Duke hasn't won a title since 2015, we went 38-1 that season, they still get great players.

-We dump more rev share into basketball.
-Our games are prime time
-Our fanbase isn't close to being matched
-We put more money into NIL
-You become a celebrity here, moreso than any other program, not debatable
-MKG, Fox, Maxey, AD, Rondo, Monk, Shepherd, Towns and even Cousins and Wall are household names, everyone knows who they are and onows where they went
-Rupp is still a cathedral, one of the best places to play, especially during a bigtime game, the carrier dome doesn’t even come close to this atmosphere.

 

[TuesdayBoost]

Duke hasn't won a title since 2015, we went 38-1 that season, they still get great players.

-We dump more rev share into basketball.
-Our games are prime time
-Our fanbase isn't close to being matched
-We put more money into NIL
-You become a celebrity here, moreso than any other program, not debatable
-MKG, Fox, Maxey, AD, Rondo, Monk, Shepherd, Towns and even Cousins and Wall are household names, everyone knows who they are and onows where they went
-Rupp is still a cathedral, one of the best places to play, especially during a bigtime game, the carrier dome doesn’t even come close to this atmosphere.

Duke was in the final four last year man
And those players you mentioned aren’t looked at like UK players. Those are Calapari players

 

[Kats meow]

What does UK offer that puts them above everyone else?

We don’t even have the biggest gym anymore from what someone stated. Ik Syracuse always had a bigger one but they never filled it up.

I say the fanbase is the biggest. That’s the only thing I can think of.

Why do you keep talking about everyone having bigger ones? I think I’m starting to figure you out. Sorry.

 

[TuesdayBoost]

Why do you keep talking about everyone having bigger ones? I think I’m starting to figure you out. Sorry.

Great take man I agree. Go Cats!

 

[Rainmaker]

View attachment 1169229
I don't know why this isn't talked about more and why fans didn't revolt to this. We should be outraged that they neutered our arena.

If you go there any you’d know the upgrades were much needed and way over due. Entire upper level was bleacher seating and crammed so small ppl would end up without a seat because each bleacher seat number was 14 inches wide. Now it’s almost completely chair backs with enough room that if you paid for a seat you get it and aren’t in the aisle stairs because there was no room in the bleacher seats or worse yet couldn’t even stand on the stairs for lack of room. It didn’t fit the 23.5-24k for basketball properly now that people are bigger than they were when Rupp was originally built. It’s still much larger than 99.9% of college arenas and twice as big as some of the top teams currently. Rupp isn’t the problem.

 

[TuesdayBoost]

If you go there any you’d know the upgrades were much needed and way over due. Entire upper level was bleacher seating and crammed so small ppl would end up without a seat because each bleacher seat number was 14 inches wide. Now it’s almost completely chair backs with enough room that if you paid for a seat you get it and aren’t in the aisle stairs because there was no room in the bleacher seats or worse yet couldn’t even stand on the stairs for lack of room. It didn’t fit the 23.5-24k for basketball properly now that people are bigger than they were when Rupp was originally built. It’s still much larger than 99.9% of college arenas and twice as big as some of the top teams currently. Rupp isn’t the problem.

Sitting in the nosebleeds 2012 packed side by side with my dad and many other UK fans one of my best memories. It wasn’t much needed. The fans sitting in the nosebleeds aren’t there to be comfortable I promise. Keep them chair backs down there for the knitters.

 

[Anony Moose]

You look at this season and style of play. Brand. What are we doing for them now? Who’s winning? Who’s cool? What coach is getting it done. How does the coach practice or hold his team accountable. Fan base. Fans travel. Trajectory of the program today. Perception of the program today. Winning/losing. Who looks like they are having fun? Who looks miserable?


Gotta remember . I said 17 year old kids. Kids who want to play fast and exciting ball and make it to the NBA. Players that want to win. And most importantly young kids that want to have fun in college. These are kids. Idc that they are millionaires they are kids. Rich kids yes but still kids.

I mean, we are little more than a year removed from having the one of the top recruiting classes, which we had annually for year. Im fact, we were mostly 1 or 2.

Now it's about money, which we were evidently willing to spend more than anyone else.

They will continue to focus on money, and the elite will also focus on who can get them to the league fastest.