UK basketball headed towards worst decade in its history
- Thread starter LongliveWildcatDon
- Start date
How many games have you been to recently? At some point when you are spending a lot of time and money going to and supporting these teams and they are getting absolutely demolished I don’t know how you can expect people to keep supporting them in the same way. I’m excited about this team, I’ve said this a few times, but at the same time we have seen Pope teams underachieving for 2 years now imo. We don’t have many reasons to keep believing if this year isn’t a success.
And unfortunately we are in the midst of ours. During a NIL when we should be thriving.
Also, we’ve been on probation twice and still had better decades.
That’s not the way I see it. Duke and Kansas were landing all the difference making freshman. We only got who they evaluated and didn’t want. As an example I’ll throw out Justin Edward’s. Ranked 4th in that class I believe. How many freshman has Duke brought in that got his own self rim blocked 20 times in a season?? The guy just couldn’t jump in traffic. Left after one year and went G League. Duke and Kansas passed on him is why we got him. I said Calipari was getting the left overs others didn’t want. Skal was a 5*. TyTy, Boston, Edwards. Some guys get ranked that high simply because they are playing against guys half their size. Talent evaluators know. All those 5* were major flops.
Tell me the 5* Flops that Duke has taken? Kansas?? UCONN?? They only take the difference making freshman.
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It’s obvious Pope turned in a subpar year last year and that future recruiting is a high-stakes crisis despite thankfully an encouraging finish to this past cycle. It may even be obvious that Pope needs to go if he doesn’t hit some kind of home run this year.
But proclaiming the suckiness of the entire past decade like this
—when it leaves Pope holding the bag for the whole thing even though at most he was responsible for 20% of it—
while he was too damned spineless to ever come down on Cal for anything no matter how badly Cal phoned in his job year after year after year at the end, is exactly the kind of dick move we’ve come to expect from Mark Story. Ditto for John Clay if he’s still infecting that rag the HL. It’s taken me decades to realize it but, as bitter and curmudgeonly as he always was, Jerry Tipton was the only one of that trio who ever had a lick of talent.
But proclaiming the suckiness of the entire past decade like this
—when it leaves Pope holding the bag for the whole thing even though at most he was responsible for 20% of it—
while he was too damned spineless to ever come down on Cal for anything no matter how badly Cal phoned in his job year after year after year at the end, is exactly the kind of dick move we’ve come to expect from Mark Story. Ditto for John Clay if he’s still infecting that rag the HL. It’s taken me decades to realize it but, as bitter and curmudgeonly as he always was, Jerry Tipton was the only one of that trio who ever had a lick of talent.
I will wholeheartedly disagree with you on Pope’s first team underachieving. He put that squad together out of the clearance bin of the transfer portal and, even with a ton of injuries, beat a lot of good teams and made the second weekend of the tourney. Yes, last year was incredibly disappointing, but you can’t honestly say the first team underachieved.
Not NIL first? Prove it. We pay top dollar for our players. You really think they come here to play for Pope?
The greatest "Dark Pope" move that he has pulled off is convincing the fanbase that these things cannot be the same.
JB
Pope is UK-first. It might take NIL to get them to sign, but if you haven't figured it out up to this point the way Pope looks at this, that's on you.
Wrong. Collegiate sports going in the wrong direction by choosing to embrace NIL, has nothing to do with Pope. The greatest "dark" move he pulled was upsetting you crybabies this past spring and going in summer.
Not a shot at you. More so to the loud minority that still sing the praises of Cal. 2020-2023 Cal is not 2012-2016 Cal. One can appreciate what Cal did here but also realize it was way past his time to leave. In his eyes, he became bigger than the University of Kentucky and that became the ultimate downfall. Cal was able to create an illusion until the false promises of next year start to become a facade. Would I even take what Arkansas has done the past two years over Pope? Probably not. Look in the mirror Cal stans, his last and only title was 15 years ago with a once in a generation type freshmen.
COVID didn't help - Calipari does his best work schmoozing in living rooms, then going through a coaching transition in a rush during the portal/NIL era wasn't a great situation to be in.
Right now it just doesn't feel like there is a blueprint. Pope is still read and reacting versus having a plan. The roster turned out pretty good, so this will be a year that he's put to the test on being a firm part of the plan. It's a really big year.
Barnes retiring and Golden leaving for the NBA could help in the SEC.
Crazy on the titles, especially when you think about UConn having 6 in those 30 and being well positioned to be in the hunt annually. Pope should try and get them and Duke on the OOC slate as they'll tell you where you are more than any other programs right now.
Yeah Covid didn't help but everyone went through it and we had decades where we were on probation and didn't have as bad of a 10yr stretch.
Barnes and the Creeper leaving would make things easier but I would rather raise our play than have other teams come back down.
I would love to have a home/away with either but modern times dictates those games being played on a neutral site.
Now here is where you're supposed to defend Calipari and Pope at all costs.
I’m fine with that for the first year, but even then that team inexplicably was getting blown out at times with full health. The other points I made still stand.
You are right, its on me. Pope is a talker. He makes some very good statements but he also makes some of the most cringe worthy and stupid statements. His speech and his actions are 2 different things. He says he will only take players that want to be here. He says that recruits commit because of the Kentucky name on the jersey. Good statements but his actions in the Stokes recruitment, or in any recruitment, tell a way different story. I think he is simply a 7 foot goof ball.
He overpays ,usually, for 1 year players. So far, the results are what they are, 12 or 13 losses per season. I am guessing another season of double digit losses this season. I have been an avid UK fan my whole life. Pope ruins it for me right now.
How do you tie a record for beating ranked teams in year one, and say they underachieved? At least be honest, when you fkn bash our team or coach.
If we have another 10+ loss regular season and first weekend exit, Pope is out. There's no point belaboring day after day after day the same points.
A large majority here are unsatisfied. Why are you so obsessed with a small group of people, some of whom are no doubt not genuine and merely stirring the pot?
I blame Pope and injuries for last year. I blame Cal and injuries for Pope’s first year. In a pickle, he threw together that team and made us as competitive as Cal was doing for the last few years and took us farther in the tournament with a team riddled with injuries. Pope’s first year was really quite remarkable.
Yeah, but a COVID hurt certain coaching styles and strengths. When I think of Cal, he does one thing really well - he goes on the road and hangs with recruits in their living rooms telling them and their parents how he's going to get them to the NBA. When I watch his practice video, there is no element of intensity - it feels like he's babysitting, joking and blasting cliche's out. He's the kind of coach where I can see why the players love him like a goofy uncle that takes care of them, but don't take him fully seriously.
The only way that guy ever wins a title again is if he can find some super talented rim protector to hide the defense. He needs an Anthony Davis, a Donovan Clingan, Walker Kessler. Even last year, his team defense was a rotating door.
Here you on Barnes and the Creep. You don't want the bar to lower, you want to elevate.
Should do a neutral. The way scheduling is moving is these top teams are loading up their OOC with top teams. Hurley and Scheyer's schedules this year are unreal. UConn has: Kansas, Duke, Michigan, Arizona, Illinois, Virginia, Ohio State.
Duke has: UConn, Illinois, Michigan State, Florida, Gonzaga and Texas Tech
Both are playing 4-5 top 10 teams each.
Ours is solid, but bigger names than top ten type teams: UNC, Kansas, Louisville, Virginia, Indiana. UNC, Kansas and Indiana look to be in that top 30 range this year, Louisville and Virginia top 15.
I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you meant Cal. The short answer is no.
my current stance is wait and see. Not doing the Ferrari dance this summer.
Many ups and downs that season. For some reason people seem to forget the blowouts.
Duke has taken plenty. TJ Powers ring a bell? Mark Mitchell? Tyrese Proctor, Caleb Foster, Jeremy Roach all meh. Duke has the luxury of bringing them in by the bushel and punting who isn't working for Scheyer, who I'm still convinced is a **** coach who can recruit. He may just be able to out-recruit his coaching ability.
UConn is super selective about who they recruit, one 5 star/year. It's not their model to load up on 5 star HS kids. The one they do take, they usually feature in the wing spot. That program is planned.
Are you under 18?
Because Billy Clyde Gillispie coached UK from 2007-2009. And it's damn near impossible to fail more spectacularly at UK than he did.
Oh no. You poked the bear.
That guy genuinely thinks Pope is a worse coach.
Now, us rational people see:
Gillispie
2008 - 11 seed, R64 loss, 18-13, 78th KenPom, 42nd SOS, Unranked in AP Poll
2009 - Missed NCAAT, 22-14, 48th KenPom, 66th SOS, Unranked in AP Poll
Pope
2025 - 3 seed, S16 loss, 24-12, 16th KenPom, 3rd SOS, 12th in final AP Poll
2026 - 7 seed, R32 loss, 22-14, 29th KenPom, 7th SOS, Unranked in final AP Poll
…and can clearly see the comparison is laughable at best.
Pope clearly deserved a third year. Billy Clyde did not. Similarities? Some people hate both for non-basketball factors.
I really don’t think people hated both for non-basketball factors.
If Billy G was 32-3 both years with one elite eight and a final four, I think he’d have kept a job. I also think the stories about his promiscuity, drunkenness and harassment would have been kept hush-hush.
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