Mark Dope is being laughed at

Jan 10, 2015
19,041
32,300
62
Jason Sudeikis Yes GIF by Apple TV+
Really good show glad it's coming back....
 
  • Like
Reactions: BBNUK4Life

RedwoodHigh

Senior
Nov 18, 2025
652
890
93
Of course they are! And so are rival fans.

Think of how much we enjoyed the Kenny Payne fiasco at Louisville.
I really liked Kenny P & hated his lack of success at Louisville. Personally I‘m a Kentuckian & Louisville is in Kentucky. The rivalry is great in all sports but Id rather beat an undefeated Louisville than a 6-10 team. I feel the same about Murray WKU EKU & Morehead. I grew up going to Murray games & loved every minute of them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BlueVelvetFog

notFromhere

Heisman
Sep 7, 2016
22,759
67,711
113
Less than a year from now, we are all going to look back and remember Mitch/ AD basically had Billy Donovan standing on the porch with a big bow around his head, practically waiting for the job offer, but we instead ...

I was there 20 yrs ago. I was there 2 years ago. I thought we should've at least tried back then. To not do it this year is less than what it takes to win from here on out. We just don't have an admin that knows what it takes to win titles. They're too focused on perceptions and familiarity.

Donovan would've passed Rupp for titles by the end of 2012 with the talent Cal brought in here. Add 2 or 3 more after that. Instead we go rogue for BCG because of free money, and let the vampire used car salesman bleed our program dry for his draft night fantasy. Then.. we bring in a former player with a rather ordinary coaching resume.

I like Pope. He's a Wildcat. He's just not a go for the jugular coach that people want to follow into battle. You couldn't be timid 5 years ago. You definitely won't survive being that way now.
 

notFromhere

Heisman
Sep 7, 2016
22,759
67,711
113
Let this play out ,dont pay attention to these fools,and something good ,can still happen

No one here has any choice about how it plays out, but most can't help themselves in terms if letting everything get to them in a deeply emotional way. It's never been any different.

Good things CAN still happen. Always.

People here don't like longshots, though. They want longshot winnings without buying any tickets. They'd rather be right on a sure thing than win bank on a longshot and risk being wrong. It's not in their nature.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Artlaibesghost

notFromhere

Heisman
Sep 7, 2016
22,759
67,711
113
As a guy who peruses a message board of other relevant programs, I can confirm with conviction that Pope is a laughing stock across the CBB landscape. His approach is so messy, then combine it with the luney tunes in the fan base and it's all a dumpster fire. I'm not even sure landing a Stokes at this point fixes the perception - only thing that would gain any respect is actually coaching whatever the end product is to an E8 minimum. You can't have 22mm dollars and almost get knocked out in R1 to a MM and follow it up with a stinker. The more toxic the situation is created, the harder it will be to get a legit coach in here. Anyone even contemplating will want a deep look under the hood.

Hey, that's the job of the message boards, not the head coach. That's "stolen Valium" or something. People are acting like they flew into a combat zone under sniper fire because we haven't heard from a 5 star recruit yet.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Artlaibesghost

notFromhere

Heisman
Sep 7, 2016
22,759
67,711
113
Regardless of how next season goes..if he lands Stokes that will hush a couple people up. If he misses it's gonna get ugly. It's already ugly but that will be real bad

No one in the LOD will shut up regardless of whether we get Stokes.

You're right though, it's ugly, but it's always ugly. It was ugly when football was winning 10 games. The message boards only do non-ugly 5% of the time WHEN WE ARE WINNING. The rest of the UK fans on the boards have to look forward to the 5%.
 

notFromhere

Heisman
Sep 7, 2016
22,759
67,711
113
Well you have Oats making fun of Pope after a game and Golden doing it during a game. So yeah, they are for sure doing it behind the scenes.

Of course ANYONE of our opponents watching our games this past year against UF Bama ISU and others WOULD be overjoyed that they could beat the snot out of our players without foul calls, and talk snot about it afterwards. What would anyone expect. We kicked their assets for DECADES. Most grew up hating UK.

I'd be surprised if they weren't talkin snot about Kentucky during intimate moments with their family.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NociHTTP

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
45,612
82,695
113
I get why he's not hiring a GM, I agree with his philosophy. He'll have to decide whether standing up for academics and keeping pro sports out of college is worth having teams that underperform and him subsequently losing his job. There is a reason elite coaches have been leaving the coaching ranks. As fans we're caught in the middle.
Not having a GM in this day and age is just stupidity, he can have his view all the way to the unemployment line. It’s that simple.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Anon1739778738

NociHTTP

Heisman
Mar 8, 2023
12,462
19,526
113
Not having a GM in this day and age is just stupidity, he can have his view all the way to the unemployment line. It’s that simple.
I'm not in disagreement, but this is an all-out war of principles vs greed. When the POTUS is talking about it, it's a hot topic.
 
  • Like
Reactions: *Fox2Monk*

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
45,612
82,695
113
I'm not in disagreement, but this is an all-out war of principles vs greed. When the POTUS is talking about it, it's a hot topic.
The NCAA should have long ago conceded that they needed to pay athletes, they could have worked with Congress decades ago when they would have actually tried to make some common sense law regarding it while allowing them the power to regulate it. We wouldn’t have 5M dollar deals and unlimited transfers and 5-9 years players. They should have given them the right to do commercials and sell jerseys, etc.. while paying them a reasonable stipend like 100k a year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: preacherfan

TMFNCF

Redshirt
Apr 24, 2026
5
2
0
I get why he's not hiring a GM, I agree with his philosophy. He'll have to decide whether standing up for academics and keeping pro sports out of college is worth having teams that underperform and him subsequently losing his job. There is a reason elite coaches have been leaving the coaching ranks. As fans we're caught in the middle.
If Elite coaches are leaving college coaching ranks, I reckon we'll have no problem keeping Pope around.
 

NociHTTP

Heisman
Mar 8, 2023
12,462
19,526
113
If Elite coaches are leaving college coaching ranks, I reckon we'll have no problem keeping Pope around.
You're not very good at this, but props to you managing your multiple accounts on here. You fail to see the big picture. Shocker.
 

#1 cat fan

Senior
May 7, 2009
345
410
63
where do you see Louisville is just taking anyone? Looks like Kelsey is building his team with a plan in mind.
This time last year it looked like uk was looking great too. Im just not a fan of a few of the guys they've gotten. Folgueris is very underwhelming, Bidunga is one of the most overrated big men of the past few seasons.
 

crxohio

All-Conference
May 6, 2009
1,567
1,850
113
Ain't non of us fans laughing, i tell ya that! We are downright not happy! Pope is human, humans make mistakes. But its called strike 3 for a reason! This is kentucky, and this should be it. Fail to reach 2nd weekend, needs to be fired! Pope's problem is he is very passionate about ky, but isnt selling that culture. Cause it dont relate to modern facts regarding bball/nil and everything inbetween. Hell for all we know, possibly maybe he is using Stokes as a suspense dragged out "HYPE tool". That does fit stokes personality. Pope's analytics ******** also supports doing a useful tool like situation in this sense. Oregon, and kansas dont need the turn around "hype". One is a blueblood who gets the players!, cause the coach is a hall of famer. The other is a football school. Why wait if u going to them? Just my 2cents.
 
Last edited:

Rainmaker

All-Conference
May 13, 2015
1,338
3,670
113
95% of those laughing are supposed “UK” fans. Majority of casual fans and fans of other teams have zero to little knowledge of our roster for next year because they simply don’t track that like we do. The embarrassment is mostly self inflicted by our own and the worse part is our own fans repost it, post it and create the embarrassing narrative themselves. Then they don't understand why when a player spurns us, without realizing we made coming to Kentucky “uncool” now because of the mindless slop continually put out on social media and the internet from our own people.

Everyone knows Pope isn’t elite and never will be, but he’s not a clown or bottom dweller either. So for me I’m going to root for the Cats and I’m going to lean on the side of optimism for our future knowing I don’t control it but that changes will be made and we will rise to the top again. Life is about ebbs and flows and ups and downs and basketball is no different.