I never underestimated Barney. That's why I wasn't rushing Cal leaving.
Torres: Calipari will land the #1 recruiting class again in 2027.
- Thread starter Son_Of_Saul
- Start date
Cal may have kept getting Sweet Sixteen teams but he was done getting out of the first weekend with them here. It was what it was.
Cal made his own bed, he was looking to get out or use the Hogs to get an even bigger pay check yet Cal had been a flop for 5 years in a row, glad he is gone, UK is better for it and in this age I don't think freshmen are going to win a title.
Cal with continue being a topic here if he continues recruiting well but he is not here because his last 5 PGs were Askew, Wheeler, Wheeler, Wagner, Wagner. He is back to getting elite PGs consistently but like his last team here he is still struggling to get them to defend (Smith may solve that at least for this year). So they will look great from time to time and hard to make a serious run built like that.
We don't truly know the dynamic between him and MB and whether that played a role in him losing his edge post-covid but the era of NIL combined with high level recruits would be perfect for the old Cal.
We don't truly know the dynamic between him and MB and whether that played a role in him losing his edge post-covid but the era of NIL combined with high level recruits would be perfect for the old Cal.
The AD we have now if Pope slips up (which that rope is pretty slim as is) it's a very big possibility...
The problem a lot of you don't understand is, 90's-2020 Calipari is a different person that no longer exists. 2020-present Calipari is not what Kentucky needs and it was time to go. We can always drop Pope and go with someone else who is the right fit AT THE RIGHT TIME. Think of Tubby's last few years, replaced him with the drunk which was a bad hire, then we got old school Calipari. Amazing hire at the time. We may need to find our new Pitino/Calipari if Pope's tenure ends prematurely.
Cal sucks. Keep him as far away from UK as possible. He looks better now because Pope has struggled but he’s been very mid at Arkansas
Runt's rant #12,879.....
"[We] should have let him finish out here .... " ????? What ????
Need I remind anyone that he chose to leave?
If he had wanted to stay, we would've surely allowed it. Barney would've gladly preferred that. But that's not reality. He CHOSE TO LEAVE.
what about that do you not understand? WE SHOULD HAVE LET HIM .....
wtf ?
No revisionist history can ever forgive CCC in my eyes. He doubled down on his failed ego and philosophy, let his pride and hubris guide him. Pride.... it's Satan's favorite sin. And Cal himself freely admits he's a poor miserable sinner..... he turned to Father Joe, wasn't it? To look for divine guidance just before he chose to leave.
Cal self descirbed himself as a poor, miserable sinner. Turned to his priest, and then decided to leave.
His priest should have advised him :
Your ego and pride has led you to this situation. And now you are looking at me for guidance as to what you should do?
Try humbling yourself *just a little bit* at this point. Kentucky fans are frustrated and unhappy with you because of your own failures, to which you are not owning up to. You have thrown many of them under the bus, your choice of the derisive term "Basketball Benny" is proof positive of your own failure to recognize how you are at fault. You've become defensive towards the fans, and that is proof positive that there is validity in what they have been saying. You prove their points for them. Calling them names is unprofessional, a weak response for a man in your position. Calling them names proves to me that they have many valid points, and you cannot accept your own failures. You prove them right with your actions and words.
You need to see how you have underachieved with this immense amount of talent you have brought in for 15 years, and the results you are getting with that talent - it is a pitiful failure that should not be tolerated by the Basketball Bennies, or anyone else at Kentucky. Especially you.
You have the power to turn all of this around, to change the future and what your legacy will truly be at Kentucky, and for yourself as a coach. You can leave now, and continue failing, because you are incapable of admitting when you are wrong. Incapable of admitting you have failed at your job. You can leave and fail to accept your own failures and you will continue failing because of it.
But it doesn't mean you have to double down on your pride and hubris and continue without making a positive change for the future, and for yourself, as well as Kentucky. Leaving now would be the ultimate failure, and the ultimate failing grade for your time spent at Kentucky. You may have won a title, but you will be seen to have ultimately FAILED.
If that's what you want, then by all means, leave.
But if you stay, you need to make some HUGE changes, starting with your "poor, miserable, sinning self." It would be best for you to recognize your own failures, embrace them, and make a change for the better, show loyalty to the program and people that have supported you, and will continue to support you .... but only if you can get down off your high horse and admit to the error of your ways. A little humility and embracing change with optimism and forgiveness .... that would redeem you.
and we all know what he did, what he chose. He left. Taking the coward's way out of his own failures without accepting responsibility or admitting to the failure.
No SoS, even if it we could have influenced his decision to stay, we shouldn't have let him finish out here. Not without changes from him that were needed. The cancer that grew into malignancy here is gone, thankfully.
Since I'm ranting, let me share another story :
I swear, on a personal note, some of you are still acting like a bitter, sad ex boyfriend of a beautiful ex girlfriend, where CCC is concerned. You want to forgive her for all the times she failed you. Desperate to cling to a failed relationship that had no future. She left for a rich fresh new boyfriend, and you are bitter and hurt and are still unable to truly move on. But the fault was not you, it was always, ALWAYS, on her.
When I was a younger man (much younger! lol) I dated my own "Miss America." Dated her for two years. She was brilliant, beautiful beyond any other woman for years on campus. A 2 time back to back Miss Tennessee. Talented. All those things. But she hid some truly dark, miserable and sinful ways. Even I did not know until she wrote the book about herself that explained so much of what was really going on with her back then. The book became a top ten NY Times best seller back in the day, even!
And when we brokeup that fateful day, when she embraced a new fresh boyfriend, I immediately let go of her. People said I wouldn't survive it. How could I ever recover? I'd never have anyone more beautiful or as perfect and sweet, and kind, as she was.
I laughed at that notion. I knew the truth of the matter.
Time has proven me to be much the wiser. My life improved without her, has been great, actually. I've had so many beautiful female companions throughout my life, most men couldn't believe it. I'm 57 years old and in the past 2 years alone, I've had the hottest, sexiest, coolest girlfriends I have ever had in the whole of my rock and roll life, it's crazy good, great even. I must have done something right, to come thru my cancerous brain tumor at 27 and broken back at 38, stuck in that wheelchair from 08 - 2015. To have survived that, overcome it all, got back on my feet (literally) and people look at me and say : I look like I'm 30, 40 tops..... that I look great and have really taken care of myself very well, not even knowing what HELL I have gone thru in my life to get to this point....
And I see her now, and how she has changed. Plastic boobs, so much plastic surgery that she is so far removed from the natural beauty she was, that woman no longer exists.
CCC is like that hot ex girlfriend you once had, where you cling to the false memory of it all being good and great, and how you would so much love to go back to it.
Trust me, moving forward, when you are on the right path, that path that God has placed before you, and you stay faithful and true to it over your life, you are always better off.
Conditions might not be so great in the immediate aftermath of such a failed relationship. But in time, if you stay positive, remain faithful to your higher power, you'll find yourself in much better shape. You may have to go thru the fire a couple times before you realize that you are better off. Were ... better off ... than to have stayed where you were.
Word to the wise.
Stay patient, faithful, humble, be a positive individual. Remaining so will give you strength that you otherwise might not realize you have inside you.
I don't usually quote scripture, but I'll make an exception here.
Ecclesiastes 7 8. ( it would do well to look it up if you don't know it )
Calipari should have opened up the Bible and simply read that, instead of turning to Father Joe.
***rant off***
"[We] should have let him finish out here .... " ????? What ????
Need I remind anyone that he chose to leave?
If he had wanted to stay, we would've surely allowed it. Barney would've gladly preferred that. But that's not reality. He CHOSE TO LEAVE.
what about that do you not understand? WE SHOULD HAVE LET HIM .....
wtf ?
No revisionist history can ever forgive CCC in my eyes. He doubled down on his failed ego and philosophy, let his pride and hubris guide him. Pride.... it's Satan's favorite sin. And Cal himself freely admits he's a poor miserable sinner..... he turned to Father Joe, wasn't it? To look for divine guidance just before he chose to leave.
Cal self descirbed himself as a poor, miserable sinner. Turned to his priest, and then decided to leave.
His priest should have advised him :
Your ego and pride has led you to this situation. And now you are looking at me for guidance as to what you should do?
Try humbling yourself *just a little bit* at this point. Kentucky fans are frustrated and unhappy with you because of your own failures, to which you are not owning up to. You have thrown many of them under the bus, your choice of the derisive term "Basketball Benny" is proof positive of your own failure to recognize how you are at fault. You've become defensive towards the fans, and that is proof positive that there is validity in what they have been saying. You prove their points for them. Calling them names is unprofessional, a weak response for a man in your position. Calling them names proves to me that they have many valid points, and you cannot accept your own failures. You prove them right with your actions and words.
You need to see how you have underachieved with this immense amount of talent you have brought in for 15 years, and the results you are getting with that talent - it is a pitiful failure that should not be tolerated by the Basketball Bennies, or anyone else at Kentucky. Especially you.
You have the power to turn all of this around, to change the future and what your legacy will truly be at Kentucky, and for yourself as a coach. You can leave now, and continue failing, because you are incapable of admitting when you are wrong. Incapable of admitting you have failed at your job. You can leave and fail to accept your own failures and you will continue failing because of it.
But it doesn't mean you have to double down on your pride and hubris and continue without making a positive change for the future, and for yourself, as well as Kentucky. Leaving now would be the ultimate failure, and the ultimate failing grade for your time spent at Kentucky. You may have won a title, but you will be seen to have ultimately FAILED.
If that's what you want, then by all means, leave.
But if you stay, you need to make some HUGE changes, starting with your "poor, miserable, sinning self." It would be best for you to recognize your own failures, embrace them, and make a change for the better, show loyalty to the program and people that have supported you, and will continue to support you .... but only if you can get down off your high horse and admit to the error of your ways. A little humility and embracing change with optimism and forgiveness .... that would redeem you.
and we all know what he did, what he chose. He left. Taking the coward's way out of his own failures without accepting responsibility or admitting to the failure.
No SoS, even if it we could have influenced his decision to stay, we shouldn't have let him finish out here. Not without changes from him that were needed. The cancer that grew into malignancy here is gone, thankfully.
Since I'm ranting, let me share another story :
I swear, on a personal note, some of you are still acting like a bitter, sad ex boyfriend of a beautiful ex girlfriend, where CCC is concerned. You want to forgive her for all the times she failed you. Desperate to cling to a failed relationship that had no future. She left for a rich fresh new boyfriend, and you are bitter and hurt and are still unable to truly move on. But the fault was not you, it was always, ALWAYS, on her.
When I was a younger man (much younger! lol) I dated my own "Miss America." Dated her for two years. She was brilliant, beautiful beyond any other woman for years on campus. A 2 time back to back Miss Tennessee. Talented. All those things. But she hid some truly dark, miserable and sinful ways. Even I did not know until she wrote the book about herself that explained so much of what was really going on with her back then. The book became a top ten NY Times best seller back in the day, even!
And when we brokeup that fateful day, when she embraced a new fresh boyfriend, I immediately let go of her. People said I wouldn't survive it. How could I ever recover? I'd never have anyone more beautiful or as perfect and sweet, and kind, as she was.
I laughed at that notion. I knew the truth of the matter.
Time has proven me to be much the wiser. My life improved without her, has been great, actually. I've had so many beautiful female companions throughout my life, most men couldn't believe it. I'm 57 years old and in the past 2 years alone, I've had the hottest, sexiest, coolest girlfriends I have ever had in the whole of my rock and roll life, it's crazy good, great even. I must have done something right, to come thru my cancerous brain tumor at 27 and broken back at 38, stuck in that wheelchair from 08 - 2015. To have survived that, overcome it all, got back on my feet (literally) and people look at me and say : I look like I'm 30, 40 tops..... that I look great and have really taken care of myself very well, not even knowing what HELL I have gone thru in my life to get to this point....
And I see her now, and how she has changed. Plastic boobs, so much plastic surgery that she is so far removed from the natural beauty she was, that woman no longer exists.
CCC is like that hot ex girlfriend you once had, where you cling to the false memory of it all being good and great, and how you would so much love to go back to it.
Trust me, moving forward, when you are on the right path, that path that God has placed before you, and you stay faithful and true to it over your life, you are always better off.
Conditions might not be so great in the immediate aftermath of such a failed relationship. But in time, if you stay positive, remain faithful to your higher power, you'll find yourself in much better shape. You may have to go thru the fire a couple times before you realize that you are better off. Were ... better off ... than to have stayed where you were.
Word to the wise.
Stay patient, faithful, humble, be a positive individual. Remaining so will give you strength that you otherwise might not realize you have inside you.
I don't usually quote scripture, but I'll make an exception here.
Ecclesiastes 7 8. ( it would do well to look it up if you don't know it )
Calipari should have opened up the Bible and simply read that, instead of turning to Father Joe.
***rant off***
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I just laugh when our fans complain he only won one title when we had 7 before him. It’s not easy to win it. The fans turned on him. He turned on the fans. The guy looks like he is actually enjoying coaching again.
I really question any broadcaster that says UK fans are intelligent. Even now our fans will be proud and act like they’d rather lose 14 games and needing a half court shot to beat Santa Clara while he won the sec tournament and lost to the national runner up in the sweet 16. Ironically some sound like Indiana fans in 2012. “Yeah he went farther and won the SEC tournament, but it doesn’t matter because we beat him in the regular season! Boom checkmate”
I also don’t think he was done after 2015. He knocked on the door in 2017 and 2019 of the final four. People will blame him for this tournament loss or that tournament loss. Notice they never mention beating West Virginia, Ohio State and UNC in 2011. Even the 2012 title they’ll say “he almost blew it against Kansas”. Not mentioning him beating Indiana, destroying Baylor and beating a really good UL team coached by Rick Pitino who our fans think hung the moon. 2014 wins against Wichita, UL (Pitino again
), Michigan and Wisconsin? Not a peep. Beat UCLA that was final four good in 2017? Who cares, but boy they’ll sure say 2019 Auburn and how he can’t coach.
He came here in our longest final four drought went to four of those. Went to a few more Elite 8s. Won a national title. The “greatest fans” question his entire ability to coach and personally say things about his family online. It’s clear who is in the wrong in this situation. Look at this thread. You gave an opinion and are met with personal insults for discussing a sports opinion on a sports board
I really question any broadcaster that says UK fans are intelligent. Even now our fans will be proud and act like they’d rather lose 14 games and needing a half court shot to beat Santa Clara while he won the sec tournament and lost to the national runner up in the sweet 16. Ironically some sound like Indiana fans in 2012. “Yeah he went farther and won the SEC tournament, but it doesn’t matter because we beat him in the regular season! Boom checkmate”
I also don’t think he was done after 2015. He knocked on the door in 2017 and 2019 of the final four. People will blame him for this tournament loss or that tournament loss. Notice they never mention beating West Virginia, Ohio State and UNC in 2011. Even the 2012 title they’ll say “he almost blew it against Kansas”. Not mentioning him beating Indiana, destroying Baylor and beating a really good UL team coached by Rick Pitino who our fans think hung the moon. 2014 wins against Wichita, UL (Pitino again
), Michigan and Wisconsin? Not a peep. Beat UCLA that was final four good in 2017? Who cares, but boy they’ll sure say 2019 Auburn and how he can’t coach.He came here in our longest final four drought went to four of those. Went to a few more Elite 8s. Won a national title. The “greatest fans” question his entire ability to coach and personally say things about his family online. It’s clear who is in the wrong in this situation. Look at this thread. You gave an opinion and are met with personal insults for discussing a sports opinion on a sports board
All Cal had to do to still be here (IMO) was make the sweet 16 n 2022 and sweet 16 in 2024. He lost to a 15 and 14 seed instead. And these coming after 9-16.
It wasn't working anymore. The guy had lost his March clutch factor.
It wasn't working anymore. The guy had lost his March clutch factor.
But we all knew this would happen. Cal is still going to Cal.. He's going to recruit, He's going to market himself and his track record. He majored in Marketing.. He is going to continue to get top recruiting classes... Problem is he has to coach them still....
Cal aside, it bothers me Pope is looking for a 15th player to maybe make UK a top 10-15 team.
To me, that’s telling.
To me, that’s telling.
Yes and no for me. It is concerning in a way, but in another light it shows that having seen the team/players all summer he has identified a need and is working to fill it. Whereas had he filled all the roster spots already he'd be stuck without a way to fix a need.
I still can't believe there were delusional fanboys who were actually stupid enough to think that the Kentucky name was the reason for the recruiting success we had under Cal. I remember people actually saying that Kentucky could keep the same level of recruiting without him. I truly hope at this stage we can all acknowledge that the successful recruiting was all due to Calipari. The fact he's kept this recruiting success at a school that has far less historical significance than Kentucky just shows what a master recruiter he is. If only his coaching ability was a fraction as good he would probably still be here.
Were you in a coma the last 5 years he was here??? Just messin, it is both frustrating and tempting to pine for him back when you see a headline like this but no!
Who cares . These freshmen cannot take the Hogs to the final 4 . Every year now Cal fails them . When will they figure out him and Ellen are just failures
Plus they destroyed a very good Georgetown team with Allen Iverson in the tournament.
I guess.
Yet here's what I know.
Calipari has been a head coach for 34 years. Think about that.
His career winning percentage is 76%.
Pope has never had even one season where he won more than 75% of his games.
So if Calipari is worthy of mockery from your perspective, what do you do with those numbers concerning Pope?
Some of you are struggling with the reality that I'm acknowleding that Cal was doing terrible, but Pope was still a downgrade. That's the point. If Kentucky was going to downgrade, they might as well have just let Cal coach those last five or six years and then move on with his support and also the support of his NBA players.
One day the OP will find a way to let this go, hopefully
He and Richie are “I told you so” people and “agitate people” above all else.
Puny schticht. Other than the occasional response, trash can 95% of their threads.
So the person who says we settled for Pope believes we should have kept settling for Cal on cruise control?
Cal needed to go.
Pope has not been a homerun hire to say the least. He has to get it done this year. If he doesn't he has to go.
We had BCG before we had hungry Cal.
If Pope is gone our next coach will be a dawg. The new AD won't settle and will get his man.
Cal needed to go.
Pope has not been a homerun hire to say the least. He has to get it done this year. If he doesn't he has to go.
We had BCG before we had hungry Cal.
If Pope is gone our next coach will be a dawg. The new AD won't settle and will get his man.
what is Cals winning percentage from 2020 till now? That’s really all that matters. He’s not the coach he was. They played an incredibly easy schedule at the end of the season and were completely murdered against the two good teams they actually played. His team this year will be worse. He’s, as the kids say, washed.
It's too bad. I think we had the golden years and then he drifted into the twilight years and those were garbage. He's a hell of a recruiter and understands aspects of the game better than anyone. But man, when he's lazy, it's a some steaming hot garbage to watch.
I never said Pope is the right guy.
So you wanted to keep a guy that you admit is doing terrible?
No, UK shouldn't let a guy keep coaching into mediocrity. They will probably need to replace Pope after this season unless the team performs very well.
LET CAL GO
If UK wants to bring Cal back one day for some ceremonial reason, I am good with it. Otherwise, I am still happy he isn't the coach here despite Pope's struggles. Cal moving on by his own accord is still the best for all parties. I respect him for not pressing the university for his buyout as well.
Overall since 2019–2020
Calipari is 155–75 over those seven seasons, which works out to a 67.4% overall winning percentage.
2019–20: 80.6%
2020–21: 36.0%
2021–22: 76.5%
2022–23: 64.7%
2023–24: 69.7%
2024–25: 61.1%
2025–26: 75.7%
Three seasons at, above, or near his career average.
And he's better than Pope. Again, I'm not making the case that Cal is/was the best option out of all the coaches we could have possibly replaced him with, particularly after his last few seasons of decay. I'm making the case that if we were going to hire Pope, who was a downgrade by every reasonable metric, we should have just let Calipari finish here.
And once again do NOTHING with it!
Eff Calipari!
Goodbye and Good riddance!
Eff Calipari!
Goodbye and Good riddance!
I wanted Cal gone badly!!!!!!
When Pope was hired i was floored and in shock - zero qualifications and no success anywhere. Felt same as 95% of other fans
The Pep rally at Rupp - gave all the feel goods said all right things - started feeling better and supporting Pope here.
2 years later he shows he was what we all originally thought - waaaaay over his head and possibly the worst or 2nd worst hire for a coach we've ever had .
If I could turn clock back ummmmm yeah I would keep Cal - at least we got great recruits and kept the UK aura which ia now gone.
Pope is a poor mans Tubby and I obviously didnt think very highly of Tubby.
Hope Pope has a Wooden like break out in his 50s - would be great and I would gladly take the lumps ....... I also hope I win tbe powerball Saturday
When Pope was hired i was floored and in shock - zero qualifications and no success anywhere. Felt same as 95% of other fans
The Pep rally at Rupp - gave all the feel goods said all right things - started feeling better and supporting Pope here.
2 years later he shows he was what we all originally thought - waaaaay over his head and possibly the worst or 2nd worst hire for a coach we've ever had .
If I could turn clock back ummmmm yeah I would keep Cal - at least we got great recruits and kept the UK aura which ia now gone.
Pope is a poor mans Tubby and I obviously didnt think very highly of Tubby.
Hope Pope has a Wooden like break out in his 50s - would be great and I would gladly take the lumps ....... I also hope I win tbe powerball Saturday
UK is never going to attract the puritan type of coach - has to be a guy with some wild hairs in him. This isn't a place for the Ben McCollum's or Mat Painter's. The guy right now that I can see as a really good fit is Bryan Hodgson, culturally. See how he does in PC for a couple years. He's already crushed it in Arkansas State and USF, in only 3 years. Quick work. He's a Western upstate NY guy, so not really sure if PC is a destination job for a guy like him. Western NY/Allegheny is more like UK than it is Providence.
My gut tells me they give Pope at least 4 years to figure this out, he's on a 5 year contract. Also don't want to be in market with Kansas at the same time, not sure how long Self has left. The Michigan job may be open around then too if Boynton doesn't make it past the two years. In two years, the coaches I'd keep an eye on are:
Hodgson
Luke Murray
Jai Lucas
Josh Scherz
Murray did a stint at Louisville with Mack, so knows the area. He does strike me as an East Coast kind of guy, but who knows. Will have to see if he can resurrect BC from the dead in two years, which is no small task. If he can install that offense and system, show he's a leader, could be viable option.
Lucas is a terrific recruiter and already has Miami back on the scene. I question how motivated he'd be to leave Miami, it's not a bad situation.
Scherz feels like a B10 guy, could see
I'd forget about Oats, he feels set at Bama. Has had more player drama there than any coach in the US the last 5 years. Really not sure if there is any established High D1 guy worth the time. Golden may be it, but hunch is he's NBA next.
It was time for Cal to go, he was even trying to find a place to land (OSU and then arkanfat). It's a shame our jackhandle AD botched hiring his replacement. Billy Clyde, Mark Pope, and Joker Phillips; what a clown mitch was.
Lol you can't factually dispute a single thing he has said so you go directly into name calling. Pathetic
Cal didn’t need to go. Barnhart needed to go. He was noose around Cal’s neck.
I agree completely and don't understand why it's so difficult for people to grasp this. Both of these things can be true at once:
1: it was time to move on from Calipari
2: Pope is a downgrade from Calipari
If Pope was the best we could do then Calipari should have been allowed to finish. The people that think Pope is better than Calipari are not being objective.
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