Arkansas joins summer Bahamas tour while Kentucky elects to stay home. UK could have played four exhibition games against international competition as part of the 2026 Baha Mar Hoops Summer League. The fifth-annual event is managed by bdG Sports, a Kentucky-based sports and entertainment management firm which annually operates two dozen collegiate men’s and women’s basketball games at Baha Mar each November. South Carolina and Valparaiso were announced as other participants in the 2026 Baha Mar Hoops Summer League on Wednesday. The fifth-annual event is managed by bdG Sports, a Kentucky-based sports and entertainment management firm which annually operates two dozen collegiate men’s and women’s basketball games at Baha Mar each November. Not going on this trip is a mistake imo...UK needs the competition and experience of playing together against other teams.
Arkansas and others--including SEC teams--joins Bahamas trip; Kentucky passed on option...
- Thread starter WildcatWally-77
- Start date
No coaching leadership.
The UK basketball ship has no rudder.
The UK basketball ship has no rudder.
Ridiculous post
I also feel like these trips do a ton for bonding and growth as a team in addition to getting some experience against decent competition.
The flip side to all of this is what if a key player gets hurt doing the Bahamas? Pope would be blamed & he knows this, he probably just wants everyone healthy & on campus bonding. I like the summer team bonding trips myself, injuries can happen at any point though no matter in an exhibition game or in practice.
With the injury issues we've had, let's get the full roster finalized and keep everyone healthy if we can.
People just trip over themselves to excuse or redirect blame for Pope. No excuse for this—even after Israel couldn’t happen they could have rescheduled another different trip if this one wasn’t still possible.
Is it the end of the world? No, but lets call a spade a spade it’s one of many questionable decisions Pope and this staff have made past couple years. Remains to be seen if it will hurt him or not on this one. But it’s a head scratcher.
Also—those who go the other route and blame everything on the guy are equally (maybe more) annoying.
Just my .02. Hope this is just him finding his sea legs and adjusting to the job. Gonna remain optimistic until he proves otherwise. He pulled a decent team somewhat out of a hat this offseason so I’m excited. Would’ve been great to watch them this summer.
Is it the end of the world? No, but lets call a spade a spade it’s one of many questionable decisions Pope and this staff have made past couple years. Remains to be seen if it will hurt him or not on this one. But it’s a head scratcher.
Also—those who go the other route and blame everything on the guy are equally (maybe more) annoying.
Just my .02. Hope this is just him finding his sea legs and adjusting to the job. Gonna remain optimistic until he proves otherwise. He pulled a decent team somewhat out of a hat this offseason so I’m excited. Would’ve been great to watch them this summer.
I remember when the 2018-2019 team went to the Bahamas, beat the hell out of "elite International teams," and Kentucky fans were comparing them to the 2015 team if not the 1996 team. Then in the first legit Regular Season game they lost by 50 to Duke.
That team got it together and was a horrible Cal coaching job from a Final Four, but the Bahamas trip was counter-productive. The players were way too convinced of their superiority until brought back to reality.
I'd say at best the overseas trip are a fun selling point to players. But especially with veteran guys, they'll probably get as much or more out of two weeks of intense practice in Lexington than lots of travel, scrimmages against scrubs and some days on the beach.
That team got it together and was a horrible Cal coaching job from a Final Four, but the Bahamas trip was counter-productive. The players were way too convinced of their superiority until brought back to reality.
I'd say at best the overseas trip are a fun selling point to players. But especially with veteran guys, they'll probably get as much or more out of two weeks of intense practice in Lexington than lots of travel, scrimmages against scrubs and some days on the beach.
Well we dont have to worry about a Pope team being convinced of its superiority.
When has that ever happened? This was a gigantic mistake. No way to sugar coat it. Especially when he was on record in like February talking about how important these trips are. Israel was an incredibly stupid idea to begin with.
Rumor from someone behind the paywall is that a few of the players didn't want to take a trip. TIFWIW
Matt has said that for a while that a few players didn’t want to go. Seems like it was Moreno and Milan.
Yeah I heard that. Bunch of BS that is. And tough luck for them. Sorry you have to go on vacation, oh the horror.
A free one at that. Who is running the team? Apparently not Pope.
I wonder what else they are running in our program? When to practice? Which flavor ice cream? If any of this is remotely true, it’s a horrible look on Pope. Could you imagine Cal doing this? I couldn’t and he was as players first as it gets.
Didn't KSR say that a couple of players didn't want to go. I thought I heard them say that but could be mistaken
I’m curious, I agree with you on many of these issues and points but you defended Cal till the bitter end pretty hardcore. I’m curious of the change? I know Cal is historically way out of Pope’s league as a coach but you have dogged him the whole tenure. Did you know Cal personally?
Definitely should have pivoted to this event, no real downside to doing it honestly other than our terrible injury luck. Maybe he wants to bubble wrap guys until the season starts lol.
That team was very good, as you said should have been a final four team easy. That Duke team was crazy loaded and at that point I didn’t think Cal would ever win another CC game. He didn’t seem to care one bit about wins and losses early on or late for that matter after Covid.
That would be my guess, a few of the bigger name players didn’t want to go so they nixed it.
Nobodies listening to the song you are singing right now go to UL board.
The Calipari years proved those trips mean absolutely nothing. Pre-NIL it was maybe a selling point to incoming recruits to "Join the fun for 9 months!" , otherwise it was a glorified Harlem Globetrotters exhibition. It meant zilch for the future. If anything it was an exercise in frustration at the end of the year when Cal's $hiitty coaching killed yet another season. You wondered why are we flailing and drowning against a lesser team when we looked so good and competent against summer international teams that had been playing for 2 years against our 1- month old team, and you remembered oh yeah that's because Cal was sitting in the stands letting the assistants coach.
Also, this ain't exactly the year to be asking the deep pocket fans to spend $10,000+ on a trip to hangout and I don't think it would be good for the Pope family either.
Also, this ain't exactly the year to be asking the deep pocket fans to spend $10,000+ on a trip to hangout and I don't think it would be good for the Pope family either.
Very disappointing we won’t have any summer basketball to watch. It would be fun if they could somehow organize exhibitions around the state vs some combination of WKU, EKU, NKU, Bellarmine, Morehead, Murray, etc, but I assume there’s some silly NCAA rule against this.
I'm not upset about this, partly because I think these trips are more of "vacation", and I think after last year id rather Pope focus 100% of his efforts on getting this team to be an Elite 8 squad. Now maybe the Bahamas trip builds chemistry, etc.. and maybe it does. But competition is usually weak so im not convinced this has much value.
Definitely banter to get a glimpse of the team early. I enjoy these trips and getting to see them play early on. Helps the long wait for the season to start.
Yes, that elite eight coaching from cal was horrible. We jumped out on Auburn and then the second half was absolutely terrible. It didn’t help that Auburn wasn’t called for a foul the last 10 min of game clock, but still a horrible coaching job by cal.
Our guy wanted the team to do a tour of the Middle East instead of having games in the Bahamas which some fans would get to go to, would only help the team, and give us something to watch and discuss during the dog days of summer in August. Amazing.
I've already used this one once but I'll use it again - can't wait until next season when we find out a Chernobyl trip was planned.
I've already used this one once but I'll use it again - can't wait until next season when we find out a Chernobyl trip was planned.
That’s kind of disheartening if some of the players didn’t want to take a trip. I enjoy watching them everytime Kentucky has went. It’s 3-4 games in a beautiful spot. It makes me question how committed some of them really are. Especially if this has anything to do with wanting to avoid injuries to protect draft stock.
So extra practice time means nothing? I mean, I won’t call you an idiot for saying that because I’m trying to be a better person but…. If the shoe fits.
I’m sorry but an elite 8 does nothing for me. Even if he makes a final four, im still done with him. I’ve seen all I need to see. Like I said earlier, I’m trying to change and be a better person so I will try not to hate and obviously root for my cats every game but this situation we find ourselves in absolutely blows.
Disheartening? It’s freaking unacceptable. You don’t let players dictate what the program does or where it goes. I don’t care who they are. Mom is a second rounder and MM is maybe late first rounder. So these dudes are controlling our program? I can’t wait until Pope is gone. He has no clue how to run an elite program. This isn’t freaking BYU.
Not a big deal. Stay in Lex and improve individually and as a team.
Fans just upset that THEY don’t get what they want.
Fans just upset that THEY don’t get what they want.