How confident are you that Mark Pope is the man for the job?

[Son_Of_Saul]

1 (Billy Clyde running down the hallway from Alan Cutler).
2 (Eddie Sutton during the 13-19 season).
3 (Tubby Smith right before leaving UK in 2007).
4 (Calipari following the loss to Oakland).
5 (Calipari following the loss to St. Peter's).
6 (Joe B. Hall during his final season at UK).
7 (Rick Pitino in year #1 at Kentucky).
8 (John Calipari following the 2012 national title).
9 (Rick Pitino following the 1996 national title).
10 (Adolph Rupp following the 1951 title, and the third title in four years).

 

[BookofMormon]

About as confident Pope is the guy is I am this guy knows how to start a good thread.

 

[philstat]

If he truly loved and cared about UK the way he confesses, he would resign immediately at the end of the season if it’s anything like this past season.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

There is a huge gulf between 6 and 7. There is an amazing lack of nuance here considering you gave 10 choices.

 

[ala_kat2]

Another Pope thread . . . . . This has been discussed a few hundred times lately.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Another Pope thread . . . . . This has been discussed a few hundred times lately.

Not nearly enough times IMO. It will only be enough when Pope is gone.

 

[kywildcat1021979]

Not nearly enough times IMO. It will only be enough when Pope is gone.

Exactly this is going to continually get brought up till he's out of here!

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Popes number 1.

 

[LarryLegend9]

Hard question to answer. I want Pope to be good enough to make it here, but I’ve seen enough evidence that he’s not going to be able to handle the job. To be at a job like UK, you have to be able to recruit and handle the media. He struggles to bad with both.

 

[Monday Nitro]

About as confident Pope is the guy is I am this guy knows how to start a good thread.

He's an absolute nut. He's probably the dancing fan that dropped that girl.

 

[RunninRichie]

He's an absolute nut. He's probably the dancing fan that dropped that girl.

Heard that guy posted here under the name @Cardsstink.

 

[MidseasonTweak]

If he truly loved and cared about UK the way he confesses, he would resign immediately at the end of the season if it’s anything like this past season.

He won't have to, he'll be shown the door

 

[TheApostleSaulSmith]

1

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

He's an absolute nut. He's probably the dancing fan that dropped that girl.

I noticed you didn't vote.

Afraid to go on record?

All I see you do is attack other fans for being too harsh on Pope, and yet I've never once seen you make a good defense of him as a coach. Not once.

Is that because you're only here to troll? I actually don't think you have any hope in Mark Pope. I think deep down you know who and what he is.

And many of us know who and what you are when it comes to being a UK "fan."

 

[LarryLegend9]

I noticed you didn't vote.

Afraid to go on record?

All I see you do is attack other fans for being too harsh on Pope, and yet I've never once seen you make a good defense of him as a coach. Not once.

Is that because you're only here to troll? I actually don't think you have any hope in Mark Pope. I think deep down you know who and what he is.

And many of us know who and what you are when it comes to being a UK "fan."

Theirs some guys on here that I think get all their recruiting info off rafters posts and I’m starting to think they have no idea how bad Pope is whiffing on recruits. Think about it like this, if me or you didn’t keep up with current recruiting landscape, would either of us believe we had a coach recruiting this bad? lol

 

[legalbeagle123]

Mark Pope is going to be fired before April 2027.

 

[Bluegrasskingreboot]

I went 3 but more like 2005 or 2026. Like 3.5.

 

[Catlogic1552]

After he practically wiped the roster clean after the season, I really thought Pope was setting us up for a monster upgrade, ready to attack the “assignment”.
It couldn't have gone any more sideways. Disappointing, and actually baffling.

 

[mcwildcats04]

I'll be honest. My confidence has faded some from the beginning.

 

[Ukbrassowtipin]

This is your 50th thread on the topic but I guess its better than your I like chocolate but pope likes strawberry therefore you need to be angry about that too, threads

 

[RedwoodHigh]

I’m confident that Pope is the Kentucky Coach for the 2026 - 27 season.
No true BBN FAN would hope Pope fails to win 25+ games next season & gets to sweet 16.
if you love Ky Basketball you’ll pull for the Kats through thick & Thin.
Pope will be on the sidelines at Rupp for at least 2 more years - No amount of biotching on an On3 blog will change that fact. It is what it is

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

More than Hall after two seasons. A little less than Sutton after two seasons. Less than Pitino after two seasons. Less than Tubby after two seasons. More than BCG after his two seasons. Less than Cal after two seasons.

 

[BlueSince92]

Interestingly, for me my confidence in Calipari dropped sharply immediately after the 2012 championship and it was from something he said himself. Someone asked how he felt about finally winning a title and he replied he was just so glad to finally get that monkey off his back so he could get back to just coaching players which was all he really cared about. Of course I was still very confident in Cal back then, but in truth I was a little less confident. I even pointed out here a few times that interview response was a little off and got butchered for it. Whoever butchered me, it’s all good but my instincts were better than yours. At any I can honestly say that pyramid’s built a little different for me: my confidence in Rick Pitino 89-90 looking forward was higher than my confidence in May 2012 Calipari looking forward. Rick didn’t have any titles yet or even any Final Fours at Kentucky. But he was sharp, fiery, confident, determined, innovative, resourceful, and HUNGRY AF.

Sign me up for more of that.

Regarding Pope my WISHES that he can somehow find a way are stratospheric. I’m even willing to stick with him a while longer than is strictly wise just to try and avoid eating one of our own on that level.

But sadly my confidence he can actually do it is in Alan Cutler territory. Would LOVE for him to prove me wrong.

(For the most part. I’m honestly not 100% sold it’s a good idea to have a passionate Mormon shaping impressionable kids that much. Sue me. I care about souls even more than about Kentucky basketball.)

 

[RedwoodHigh]

More than Hall after two seasons. A little less than Sutton after two seasons. Less than Pitino after two seasons. Less than Tubby after two seasons. More than BCG after his two seasons. Less than Cal after two seasons.

Hall - Sutton - Pitino - Tubby - BCG - & 1/2 of Cal = Ky teams played against a much weaker SEC & played a softer non conference Schedule. Take a look at the overall Ky hoops records W/L against all the “Football” schools.
Between the last minute miracles and total blown leads both ways plus injuries , Ky under Pope could have won 56 games instead of 46 == BUT could have LOST 36 games instead of 26. I believe this is what drives BBN KRAZZEE about Pope’s tenur.
This year‘s “Junk yard DOGS” are going to be Fun to watch & save Pope’s A$$.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

Let’s just say that the only headline I hope to see now is that Mark Pope decides to step down for next season or that we get a new AD with a sack in here soon that will do it for us.

 

[Jazzycat]

Zero….nice guy and I want him to succeed but, cannot recruit and that is a big problem.

 

[philstat]

The fact that several programs Duke, UNC, UL and others were moving on five-star talent his week while he was in Israel offering a scholarship to a used-up player that scored zero points is MP in a nutshell.

 

[Ash Williams]

Another Pope thread . . . . . This has been discussed a few hundred times lately.

What else ya wanna talk about? The WNBA?

You’re obviously here for a reason, looking for something to read.

Why can’t YOU come up with an interesting topic?

 

[Ash Williams]

I noticed you didn't vote.

Afraid to go on record?

All I see you do is attack other fans for being too harsh on Pope, and yet I've never once seen you make a good defense of him as a coach. Not once.

Is that because you're only here to troll? I actually don't think you have any hope in Mark Pope. I think deep down you know who and what he is.

And many of us know who and what you are when it comes to being a UK "fan."

He’s a sh|tty little coward who disappears during Pope’s whiffs and losses.

 

[Ash Williams]

I’m confident that Pope is the Kentucky Coach for the 2026 - 27 season.
No true BBN FAN would hope Pope fails to win 25+ games next season & gets to sweet 16.
if you love Ky Basketball you’ll pull for the Kats through thick & Thin.
Pope will be on the sidelines at Rupp for at least 2 more years - No amount of biotching on an On3 blog will change that fact. It is what it is

That is ret@rded logic. You don’t have a monopoly on fandom.

 

[chroix]

What’s less than zero? Him crawling away from Cutler? Cutler riding him like a trail mule? We’re in that territory sadly.

 

[Farsight Clone]

@Son_Of_Saul

Classic. A U6 fan voted and 2 probably fake accounts

 

[TouchdownKy]

Anyone based on current performance at UK on the court, in recruiting and past performance at previous jobs cannot have confidence he is the right choice. On the contrary, it appears he is most likely in over his head.
However, he has one final opportunity whether we agree or not.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

@Son_Of_Saul

Classic. A U6 fan voted and 2 probably fake accounts

View attachment 1277815

I noticed that too. Basically what I've picked up from this poll is that no true Kentucky fan is happy with Mark Pope right now. His job performance has been indefensible. There's no statistic that they can point to. There's no level of optimism in the future that they can direct us towards. It's been nothing but disappointment after disappointment after disappointment...

 

[TheApostleSaulSmith]

Mark Pope is going to be fired before April 2027.

from your lips to God's ears!

 

[TheApostleSaulSmith]

After he practically wiped the roster clean after the season, I really thought Pope was setting us up for a monster upgrade, ready to attack the “assignment”.
It couldn't have gone any more sideways. Disappointing, and actually baffling.

He didn't wipe anything clean.
They all left by their own choice.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

I noticed that too. Basically what I've picked up from this poll is that no true Kentucky fan is happy with Mark Pope right now. His job performance has been indefensible. There's no statistic that they can point to. There's no level of optimism in the future that they can direct us towards. It's been nothing but disappointment after disappointment after disappointment...

Almost 90% of the board is at 3 or under lol. The people defending this roster and Pope at all are getting thin.

 

[billCgmx_]

I took the Tubby option but even that choice is probably too optimistic right now.

 

[kywildcat1021979]

Almost 90% of the board is at 3 or under lol. The people defending this roster and Pope at all are getting thin.

Option 1 for me.