Matt Jones calls out Mark Pope for 'mismanagement' after losing Donnie Freeman to Rick Pitino

[WildcatWally-77]

Matt Jones of On3 | Rivals’ KSR has called out Pope and his staff. “Mismanagement” was the term used after they “passed” on Colorado‘s Sebastian Rancik with the thought of getting Freeman. Instead, neither will play in Lexington next season. “Kentucky essentially passed on Rancik because they were sure they were getting Freeman,” Jones said via X. “They got neither. Mismanagement by a staff that insisted they didn’t need a GM. Fairly impossible to defend.

Now my two cents worth about Pope: As everyone on this site knows, Pope is not doing a good job handling the responsibilities of coaching UK, It's obvious Pope is too arrogant to hire a GM and in "over his head" as the coach at UK in all other respects. 'Pressure will continue to mount on him in the coming days, weeks, and during the 2026-27 Basketball Season---which is looking more and more likely to be a disaster by UK standards. Pope needed fired at the end of this past season but we all knew Mitch would give him year three. Kentucky fans have learned that, as a coach, POPE DOES NO PART OF HIS JOB WELL and a long, long season awaits UK fans until, hopefully, Pope is out the door...There, .Fix it Matt is paragraph one, I am paragraph two...sorry that was unclear previously.

 

[taiza67]

Where does his quote end and your rambling start?

 

[Ukbrassowtipin]

Paragraphs are fun

 

[legalbeagle123]

Pope needs to resign immediately. This horrible experiment is over.

 

[CB3UK]

You need to edit your post to differentiate between Stormy Liberal's quote and your rant.

 

[JAC71]

I dislike Jones but he’s only one in media with the guts to say something publicly

 

[philstat]

Where does his quote end and your rambling start?

Was wondering the exact same thing!

 

[MachineHead]

Quotation marks, how do they work?

 

[KentuckyFan1965]

The whole paragraph is correct no matter who is being quoted. End this disaster…NOW

 

[jimisize1]

Is this your final project for the semester at UK?

 

[Smeegs]

Matt Jones of On3 | Rivals’ KSR has called out Pope and his staff. “Mismanagement” was the term used after they “passed” on Colorado‘s Sebastian Rancik with the thought of getting Freeman. Instead, neither will play in Lexington next season. “Kentucky essentially passed on Rancik because they were sure they were getting Freeman,” Jones said via X. “They got neither. Mismanagement by a staff that insisted they didn’t need a GM. Fairly impossible to defend. My two cents worth: As everyone on this site knows, Pope is not doing a good job handling the responsibilities of coaching UK, It's obvious Pope is too arrogant to hire a GM and in "over his head" as the coach at UK in all other respects. 'Pressure will continue to mount on him in the coming days, weeks, and during the 2026-27 Basketball Season---which is looking more and more likely to be a disaster by UK standards. Pope needed fired at the end of this past season but we all knew Mitch would give him year three. Kentucky fans have learned that, as a coach, POPE DOES NO PART OF HIS JOB WELL and a long, long season awaits UK fans until, hopefully, Pope is out the door.

You need to fix this post. The way you’ve written it makes it hard to read and unclear where Jones’ words end and yours begin.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Where does his quote end and your rambling start?

Paragraphs are fun

You need to edit your post to differentiate between Stormy Liberal's quote and your rant.

Was wondering the exact same thing!

Quotation marks, how do they work?

The whole paragraph is correct no matter who is being quoted. End this disaster…NOW

You need to fix this post. The way you’ve written it makes it hard to read and unclear where Jones’ words end and yours begin.

Here's the exact quotes:


“Kentucky essentially passed on Rancik because they were sure they were getting Freeman,” Jones said via X. “They got neither. Mismanagement by a staff that insisted they didn’t need a GM. Fairly impossible to defend.”


“I am a big believer that you don’t judge the Portal process until it’s over,” Jones said in a follow up tweet. “But Pope has to upgrade the roster significantly in the next couple of weeks.”

 

[BBPirate]

Silver lining (since that is all we have at this point) is that the New AD will be able to fire Pope mid season and get a jump start on finding a replacement. We will find out the new ADs chops very early in the tenure.

 

[BBNSZN914]

Here's the exact quotes:


“Kentucky essentially passed on Rancik because they were sure they were getting Freeman,” Jones said via X. “They got neither. Mismanagement by a staff that insisted they didn’t need a GM. Fairly impossible to defend.”


“I am a big believer that you don’t judge the Portal process until it’s over,” Jones said in a follow up tweet. “But Pope has to upgrade the roster significantly in the next couple of weeks.”

He’s got

1. Europe
2. New Portal entries
3. NBA Draft withdraws
4. Reclassifications

to pull a big blue rabbit out his hat. It’s not over. He’s just got some high optic losses and a his reputation is getting absolutely dragged right now.

 

[BBNSZN914]

Silver lining (since that is all we have at this point) is that the New AD will be able to fire Pope mid season and get a jump start on finding a replacement. We will find out the new ADs chops very early in the tenure.

We don’t need an AD to see that we don’t MB collecting nearly a mill a year in an advisory role aian’t helping. MB doesn’t believe that mens basketball is our bread and butter and demands the most attention and resources- not the sacrificial program to make sure the rest of the athletics department is as competitive as possible.

We should throw the house at Dwayne Peavy and we already lost him to DePaul’s new contract.

 

[wkycatfan7]

I did not want to see MP fail, but I fear that he is. Really hope I'm wrong. Hurts to watch.

 

[KentuckyFan1965]

Silver lining (since that is all we have at this point) is that the New AD will be able to fire Pope mid season and get a jump start on finding a replacement. We will find out the new ADs chops very early in the tenure.

Wrong. The new AD will be a bootlicker from the past regime. Wait, you actually think they’re doing a national search??

 

[KentuckyFan1965]

We don’t need an AD to see that we don’t MB collecting nearly a mill a year in an advisory role aian’t helping. MB doesn’t believe that mens basketball is our bread and butter and demands the most attention and resources- not the sacrificial program to make sure the rest of the athletics department is as competitive as possible.

We should throw the house at Dwayne Peavy and we already lost him to DePaul’s new contract.

Peavy?? Hell no

 

[BBNSZN914]

Peavy?? Hell no

Who you got?

 

[BBNSZN914]

I did not want to see MP fail, but I fear that he is. Really hope I'm wrong. Hurts to watch.

100 agree

 

[JakeKx]

Like him or not he is 1000% correct.
It’s sad he will never grow a pair enough to just come out and flat say he needs to be fired.

 

[St.Patterson_54_]

I can't stand to listen to Matt. His voice grates on my ears.

But he's not wrong.

 

[SkyPrince]

I don't see the GM angle.
A college "GM" and a pro GM are two different things entirely.
An NBA GM works for the owner.
A college GM works for the coach and can be overruled by the coach on any decision.
Even with a GM, Pope could have said no we are waiting on Freeman and the exact same scenario would have unfolded.

 

[bigblueinsanity (the real)]

Imo this entire debacle is the best example of why Jones has zero credibility.

On the initial announcement, everyone was upset and rightfully so. Then Jones and others were asked by Mitch to help sell the hire. Unclear what they were compensated but this was the ask. Jones did and was a HUGE part of turning the initial tide of disappointment.

So imo he gets no room to now say what was obvious back then. Keep that same energy of carrying Mitch's briefcase.

 

[Blue Jesus]

He’s got

1. Europe
2. New Portal entries
3. NBA Draft withdraws
4. Reclassifications

to pull a big blue rabbit out his hat. It’s not over. He’s just got some high optic losses and a his reputation is getting absolutely dragged right now.

Right, the silver lining here would be if the hole at PF forces the staff to go hard after Milan or Graves, both of whom can make more money in college next year than the pros, based on their current draft projections. The downside is there will be stiff competition, and the process will likely drag out right up till the NBA draft deadline. Otherwise you’re scraping the barrel for a competent starter from Europe, or taking a chance on a low ranked transfer.

 

[BBNSZN914]

Right, the silver lining here would be if the hole at PF forces the staff to go hard after Milan or Graves, both of whom can make more money in college next year than the pros, based on their current draft projections. The downside is there will be stiff competition, and the process will likely drag out right up till the NBA draft deadline. Otherwise you’re scrapping the barrel for a competent starter from Europe, or taking a chance on a low ranked transfer.

I’d be making those calls today with a check bigger than what they can stand to walk away from.
AND even if that means we get out of the Stokes sweepstakes.

Kam and Hawthorne at 3 is the position we’ve built to be the "need to overcheive" spot- if I may.

Moreno needs the support of a star 4 and you’ll get best version of Moreno.

We should take the 4 mil, maybe you can plead w boosters to get to 5, and go get one of Graves or Milo or Muurien. Or similar if someone enters portal before it closes.

 

[BBPirate]

We don’t need an AD to see that we don’t MB collecting nearly a mill a year in an advisory role aian’t helping. MB doesn’t believe that mens basketball is our bread and butter and demands the most attention and resources- not the sacrificial program to make sure the rest of the athletics department is as competitive as possible.

We should throw the house at Dwayne Peavy and we already lost him to DePaul’s new contract.

Wrong. The new AD will be a bootlicker from the past regime. Wait, you actually think they’re doing a national search??

Then you 2 can just be miserable and give up completely, that’s your choice.

 

[Blue Jesus]

Imo this entire debacle is the best example of why Jones has zero credibility.

On the initial announcement, everyone was upset and rightfully so. Then Jones and others were asked by Mitch to help sell the hire. Unclear what they were compensated but this was the ask. Jones did and was a HUGE part of turning the initial tide of disappointment.

So imo he gets no room to now say what was obvious back then. Keep that same energy of carrying Mitch's briefcase.

I remember it differently. Almost everyone in the fanbase, KSR people too, were shocked by the hire when it was announced. Overnight somehow many fans, myself included, talked ourselves into it and became excited. The first show after the hire was actually amazing. Jones came into it not thrilled but saying basically let’s give him a shot. And then there was one call after another saying they didn’t get the hire at first but the more they thought about it the more they liked it. It seemed like everyone thought they were calling in to give the unpopular opinion that we should give Pope a chance and support him, except everyone had the same opinion. It’s honestly a moment that should be studied by psychologists. I’m not criticizing anyone for it at all, I felt the same way.

And then let’s not forget year one was fun and started out with dramatic wins over Duke and Gonzaga. I think we led the nation in top 15 wins and set a new program record for them. There were warning signs year one but overall it was a success.

 

[KentuckyFan1965]

Who you got?

Someone from a school that has embraced NIL for what it is and doesn’t try to restrict the players’ right to earn. Someone that’s forward thinking, unbiased and most importantly has no ties to the machine that is JMI and absolutely no ties to the previous administration. A person who stands by their record and is not a good old boy or girl. A person that levels the playing field for Kentucky instead of restricting their right to earn from their name, their image and their likeness without having to pay the bills of the non-revenue sports. Hire an INDEPENDENT outside search firm to narrow the choice down to 3-5 candidates. And have no input from the Quaker. Go forth and find me this person.

 

[TommyMansky]

The easy part is calling someone out. There are hundreds of people on here who do that already.

 

[FitchandMurray29]

I don't see the GM angle.
A college "GM" and a pro GM are two different things entirely.
An NBA GM works for the owner.
A college GM works for the coach and can be overruled by the coach on any decision.
Even with a GM, Pope could have said no we are waiting on Freeman and the exact same scenario would have unfolded.

I agree, don’t see the GM angle for this particular situation. They obviously targeted him before the portal even opened as a former top talent that an assistant coach had a good relationship with. It’s obvious why they targeted him in particular. They just look foolish when he goes elsewhere.

I do find it strange they didn’t just open the checkbook more. They desperately need a 4 that they can sell to fans. An extra 500k or something seemed worth it on the surface for a coach who is becoming on the hot seat imo. But we don’t know all the possible options like they do so we’ll see.

 

[Littlecreek10]

Someone from a school that has embraced NIL for what it is and doesn’t try to restrict the players’ right to earn. Someone that’s forward thinking, unbiased and most importantly has no ties to the machine that is JMI and absolutely no ties to the previous administration. A person who stands by their record and is not a good old boy or girl. A person that levels the playing field for Kentucky instead of restricting their right to earn from their name, their image and their likeness without having to pay the bills of the non-revenue sports. Hire an INDEPENDENT outside search firm to narrow the choice down to 3-5 candidates. And have no input from the Quaker. Go forth and find me this person.

Someone from a school that has embraced NIL for what it is and doesn’t try to restrict the players’ right to earn. Someone that’s forward thinking, unbiased and most importantly has no ties to the machine that is JMI and absolutely no ties to the previous administration. A person who stands by their record and is not a good old boy or girl. A person that levels the playing field for Kentucky instead of restricting their right to earn from their name, their image and their likeness without having to pay the bills of the non-revenue sports. Hire an INDEPENDENT outside search firm to narrow the choice down to 3-5 candidates. And have no input from the Quaker. Go forth and find me this person.

As much as I and most other Kentucky fans despise Tom Jurich, he was made for the NIL era athletic director position. We couldn't stand Cal as coach before he came to Kentucky either. However, we know with Barnfart as AD and whoever else is deciding on his replacement Jurich will never happen.

 

[MachineHead]

I did not want to see MP fail, but I fear that he is. Really hope I'm wrong. Hurts to watch.

Not “is”, like in the process of. Has. He HAS failed. Past tense. It’s all over but the official firing.

 

[MachineHead]

I'm guessing he had to cut your call off early to go to a commercial break.

Or do a live ad read immediately after a commercial break.

 

[bigblueinsanity (the real)]

I remember it differently. Almost everyone in the fanbase, KSR people too, were shocked by the hire when it was announced. Overnight somehow many fans, myself included, talked ourselves into it and became excited. The first show after the hire was actually amazing. Jones came into it not thrilled but saying basically let’s give him a shot. And then there was one call after another saying they didn’t get the hire at first but the more they thought about it the more they liked it. It seemed like everyone thought they were calling in to give the unpopular opinion that we should give Pope a chance and support him, except everyone had the same opinion. It’s honestly a moment that should be studied by psychologists. I’m not criticizing anyone for it at all, I felt the same way.

And then let’s not forget year one was fun and started out with dramatic wins over Duke and Gonzaga. I think we led the nation in top 15 wins and set a new program record for them. There were warning signs year one but overall it was a success.

That is how it went down in those days. Much later, he admitted Mitch asked them to sell the hire, which they obviously did by doing a 180.

Im guessing they were promised some access, which they do have. Jones went years without an ounce of inside basketball info. Now he occasionally knows intimate details of negotiations and other extremely inside info.

 

[SkyPrince]

I agree, don’t see the GM angle for this particular situation. They obviously targeted him before the portal even opened as a former top talent that an assistant coach had a good relationship with. It’s obvious why they targeted him in particular. They just look foolish when he goes elsewhere.

I do find it strange they didn’t just open the checkbook more. They desperately need a 4 that they can sell to fans. An extra 500k or something seemed worth it on the surface for a coach who is becoming on the hot seat imo. But we don’t know all the possible options like they do so we’ll see.

I see your point about a seemingly desperate coach going a little further to get the job done.
A lot of blame in this thread but no one seems to be blaming Donnie.
At the end of the day he just didn't want to be here.
We'll never know if he EVER wanted to be here or was just using UK as a hat on the table.
I don't believe in going above and beyond to bribe a kid to come here.
It's still important that UK get kids who want to be here.
It's just unfortunate we have a coach that's so un appealing that he's cancelling out all the positives the program has to offer

 

[Tim0808]

Matt Jones of On3 | Rivals’ KSR has called out Pope and his staff. “Mismanagement” was the term used after they “passed” on Colorado‘s Sebastian Rancik with the thought of getting Freeman. Instead, neither will play in Lexington next season. “Kentucky essentially passed on Rancik because they were sure they were getting Freeman,” Jones said via X. “They got neither. Mismanagement by a staff that insisted they didn’t need a GM. Fairly impossible to defend. My two cents worth: As everyone on this site knows, Pope is not doing a good job handling the responsibilities of coaching UK, It's obvious Pope is too arrogant to hire a GM and in "over his head" as the coach at UK in all other respects. 'Pressure will continue to mount on him in the coming days, weeks, and during the 2026-27 Basketball Season---which is looking more and more likely to be a disaster by UK standards. Pope needed fired at the end of this past season but we all knew Mitch would give him year three. Kentucky fans have learned that, as a coach, POPE DOES NO PART OF HIS JOB WELL and a long, long season awaits UK fans until, hopefully, Pope is out the door.

But Pope wants to be here.

 

[KyWilson239]

Who you got?

You start with Stickland (Florida) and Byrne (Alabama), make them say no, and hope they can bring their BBall Coach with them. J Batt( Ga Tech), Whitman (Illinois), Radakovich (Miami), and Neff (Clemson) would all be other names. Kentucky should have no problem taking an established AD from an ACC team.

 

[bnewt5]

Pope needs to resign immediately. This horrible experiment is over.

The fans could not get this lucky

 

[bnewt5]

Silver lining (since that is all we have at this point) is that the New AD will be able to fire Pope mid season and get a jump start on finding a replacement. We will find out the new ADs chops very early in the tenure.

Only if the ad is not a Mitch clone