If you knew Mark Pope was going to be coach…
- Thread starter ChocoChicken
- Start date
Absolutely! I wanted Cal gone for a long time, but I never imagined we would hire a guy that no decent program would ever want. With that knowledge, I would have stuck with Cal for a couple more years. This whole situation is just depressing. Mitch is a complete moron.
I would have wanted to keep cal even if I knew Scott drew was the choice. Mark Pope wasn't even close.
We took the awkward weirdo kid that usually gets picked last in dodgeball with our first pick.
Pope wasn’t even on my list I came up lol, I was on vacation and my son called to tell me who we hired……I asked him “is that the best we could do?” But got on board cause he was one of our own, then started seeing us not prepared on the road and then the loss to Georgetown preseason really had me questioning him.
I would have stuck it out with Cal if I knew this is what we were getting. That's not a ringing endorsement of Cal so much as it is a damning realization of Pope.
Cal tried to get the Texas job in February of ‘23, and then went out of his way to try to get the Ohio State and Arkansas jobs when he blew it against Oakland.
Barnhart ran him off with the practice facility nonsense and throwing Stoops’ success in Cal’s face (with a season that got vacated).
it wasn’t up to us. If it were and we knew this where it was heading, then of course we’d have him stay.
Barnhart ran him off with the practice facility nonsense and throwing Stoops’ success in Cal’s face (with a season that got vacated).
it wasn’t up to us. If it were and we knew this where it was heading, then of course we’d have him stay.
Its a crap question with two crap answers. Most people here would gladly gave ean off Cal and hired a competent coach
This. We didn't have to hire a guy who was yet to win an ncaa tournament game and pay him at least twice what he deserved.
Hiring Pearl was the layup Mitch refused to even entertain. Pearl would've won here and stayed no more than five years giving time for newer blood to emerge.
Mitch was the only major ad who could've failed so spectacularly.
Can you make a third option of death cause I don’t want either of these losers
It's all so damned depressing. I'm beginning to entertain the notion maybe Mitch's only real motive in hiring Pope was to ride out three-four years however rocky and make sure Bruce and Rick's chances of ever coming hear were good and dead. Either of those guys would have walked through fire to coach here and would have had at least better odds than not of bringing home a title in however many years they stayed.
This would be reasonable. Would keep us from criticizing him further and he can save what’s left of his reputation.
CMP probably thinks he’s smarter and knows better than all of us, while smugly stepping on every rake he possibly can, so don’t be so sure that that’s better than Cal’s opinion of us.
Nope. I used to hang out with him when he was in college. He's plenty goofy but he's nothing like that.
It’s more like this we should’ve never moved on from Cal until we fired Barney. Everybody knew it Barney cannot be the guy to make the next hire. But he was and we’re paying dearly. Things are worse than Billy Clyde at least he brought in some players.
I wanted cal gone. It was obvious we were never getting back to a championship. But not for this. Pope is completely lost
No because Cal wasn't winning anything, and it just would have prolonged this **** show. Unfortunately it was always going to take a Fukushima reactor level meltdown to highlight the corruption controlling this university and athletics department. Need an FBI investigation into this racket.
Anyone who acts like they would be happy right now if Cal were still here is a fool. You wouldn't have the benefit of the Mark Pope era for comparison to make you appreciative of the relative mediocrity Cal had us competing at. Would it be better than where Pope has us? Yes, But how the hell would any of us have any comparative appreciation for that without Pope? We'd be ticked off and even more pissed off with Cal than we were at the end of his tenure. Posts like these are nonsense.
While true, cal knew he was no longer wanted here. I do give him credit for reading the room.
The downfall of Cal at KY is as much on Mitch as it is on Cal himself. Then there is a bit of blame that goes to the fanbase. It was a perfect storm of bad that led to a HOF coach taking a lesser job just to wipe his hands of the situation. Cal had no relationship with his boss and that should have been a two way dance. Cal had no relationship with the donors and that should have been Mitch's cue to step in and bridge those gaps. Then you have the fans. I'm talking about the "anybody but Cal" fans. Well, now you're seeing what that looks like aren't you? Never forget, it can ALWAYS be worse. But Cal himself isn't off the hook. He simply cannot lose those last two tournament games. That old guy from Oakland who hit all those 3's just reshaped the future of the greatest program in the game.
Cal was done, hated being the dumbest team in primetime.
Let’s face it, Mark Pope is our Matt Dougherty era.
Take our L and go hunting for a whale next year.
F MB. That’s who we should run out of town.
Let’s face it, Mark Pope is our Matt Dougherty era.
Take our L and go hunting for a whale next year.
F MB. That’s who we should run out of town.
Yeah because marrying your dream girl, building an ideal family, landing your dream job and getting rich is so likely to turn a man bitter and petty. And because chicken choker‘s cringe fantasy is so much more likely than that a man who has stayed countless extra unnecessary, unexpected hours talking with fans and signing for them actually likes them and appreciates how crazy they’ve always gone for him in Rupp even when he was struggling badly. To the point he’d rather find a way to stab them all in the back than just try to do his job.Yeah no one changes over the course of 30 plus years
How hard would it to be to sit down with the administration and admit he isn’t the man for the job and loves the university, the program, and the fans enough to not want to drag this out any longer and negotiate a buyout. But he’s not doing that. He’s digging in his heels and will undoubtedly drag the BBN into a year 3 with absolutely zero hope of a successful season. If we are lucky, maybe we can be graced with his unselfish presence for years 4 and 5 too. It’s all just a glorious and beautiful journey.
And you think the only motivation he could possibly have for trying to keep his dream job, turn things around, and become a success here like his hero and mentor is he hates us fans. How sad. I feel so bad for anyone who has to live with you.
Back in the real world I’ve talked with you enough to know what kind of guy you are and I’ve talked with Pope enough recently to know what kind of guy he still is.
I never said he hated the fans. It’s obvious he doesn’t actually. But it’s also obvious he is in over his head. There are a lot of things I’d like to be able to do but can’t. He’s already rich and whether he walked away now or after a negotiated buyout next season he will be even richer. This portal season was his chance to turn things around and it has continued to be a disaster. The boos he heard at Nashville last year may be common place next season. That will be great for him, the program, the fans, the players, and all involved.
Nope. I just think that was our chance to move on from Cal and we had to take it. If not then we may have been stuck with him for another 5+ seasons.
And what’s worse is even if Cal had stepped down as coach he would have moved into that ambassador role where he would have still had influence on future hires and you know he would have tried to have one of his people replace him. Maybe even Brad. Cal’s coaching tree is among the worst of any HoF coach in college. They’ve all been colossal failures as head coaches.
Pope should at least be easier to move on from than Cal. If Pope is still here in another 2 seasons ask me again.
And what’s worse is even if Cal had stepped down as coach he would have moved into that ambassador role where he would have still had influence on future hires and you know he would have tried to have one of his people replace him. Maybe even Brad. Cal’s coaching tree is among the worst of any HoF coach in college. They’ve all been colossal failures as head coaches.
Pope should at least be easier to move on from than Cal. If Pope is still here in another 2 seasons ask me again.
I still can't believe all the people who went to Rupp to see him being announced.
Cal cared more about 'putting people in the NBA' than going to Final Fours IMO. He wanted both but cared more about one than the other IMO. He also became stagnant as coach here. Pope may fail, but his motivation is in the right place.