Goodman and Pope

[Eastkybball]

Goodman doing Goodman things on field of 68. If we was Duke or Mich st he would be saying we have a final four team if not the best roster in college basketball.
I’m gonna give Pope a 10 on the offseason recruiting. This is definitely his best roster and he built it stategically. We have studs at every position and can score with anyone. My question is can we guard? Will Mark Mitchell be granted eligibility permanently? Do we have a true pg? Can Pope coach these guys?
I’m very happy with the roster Pope has put together and I think all the ones including myself that bashed this offseason recruiting should give Pope some credit.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

I dont think we have the best roster in college basketball but we are certainly a top 10 team now on paper.

 

[RationalKentuckyFan]

I think this is a great team but it's not a perfect 10 on recruiting. Some of the teams Calipari has recruited were much better than this he just didn't have success with some of them because he wasn't a great coach. The hope when we moved on from Calipari was that we could have more success with a less talented team if we had a better coach. Now Pope has to go out and coach and prove that to be true.

 

[ThreeDogNight2]

I think this is a great team but it's not a perfect 10 on recruiting. Some of the teams Calipari has recruited were much better than this he just didn't have success with some of them because he wasn't a great coach. The hope when we moved on from Calipari was that we could have more success with a less talented team if we had a better coach. Now Pope has to go out and coach and prove that to be true.

Still don’t agree with people that act like Cal had multiple teams better than this one.

last five years was barely any non guard talent.

I think Milan is 10x the shooter than anyone Cal had

Mitchell is the best pf who played for Kentucky since like pj Washington?

Cal had lots of guys who were incredible first year talent or who became great in the nba but I think he had a lot less great college basketball players (meaning players who played multiple years and got better)

Hell id argue Oscar Tshiebwe is the best college basketball player cal has had in 10 years

 

[BlueSince92]

Our roster is very high-level potentially but we’re betting on a very large number of factors in terms of people translating their games to a new league or to an expanded role and/or to Pope’s system that’s so delicate and complex he gave up even trying to implement it about the middle of last season and after that he went strictly damage control by his own description. Everyone besides Momcilovic and Mitchell is a question mark in some sense and those two will have to master subtle, complicated roles in a complex system for us to hit our ceiling. It’s only August and plenty of teams out there have talent without that kind of question to that extent.

Anywhere top 15 for us is perfectly reasonable. While I certainly hope history will prove we deserve more, nothing above 18 now is bias against us and anything 10 or above is probably bias in our favor.

Goodman is a perfectly reasonable guy and a straight shooter who likes Kentucky and likes Mark Pope. Lots of you act like he’s Pat Forde but no way in Hell is he anything like that.

 

[Tprinceuk]

I think this is a great team but it's not a perfect 10 on recruiting. Some of the teams Calipari has recruited were much better than this he just didn't have success with some of them because he wasn't a great coach. The hope when we moved on from Calipari was that we could have more success with a less talented team if we had a better coach. Now Pope has to go out and coach and prove that to be true.

The difference I see is Calipari guys we're higher rated on potential and hype where as to me this roster is highly rated on past accomplishments and not just hype or hopefulness.
This year will show if Pope has the ability to get the best out of his players and if he does then it should be one hell of a fun year.

 

[TarHeelInCharlotte]

It's amazing how every fanbase in America hates Goodman

 

[Neal Orac]

I'm surprised Goodman pulled his tongue out of Self's bhole long enough to say much of anything.

 

[TFCat11]

OP, I’m absolutely loving this roster, but have you seen Duke’s $35 million dollar juggernaut? They’ve got 1st rounders/ fringe lottery dudes 6-10, sans Boozer #2.

However, in true Duke fashion, their stars are relatively unproven against grown men, which is what UK and Florida have in common.

If, and it remains to be the 800 pound gorilla in the room, IF, Pope can stop playing Participation Trophy basketball with his substitutions, and play his stars 30-32 minutes per game, I like this UK team against anyone, especially Duke.

 

[Wildcat_in_DC]

i dont get what the uproar is about. the field of 68 guys love the roster, but the wildcard is pope. is he a guy who can coach and win at the highest level? no one knows. if cal, izzo, self, pitino had our roster we would be a top 3 or 4 team. but we have a guy that is not just unproven but completely broke down last year. so yeah.....media members wont fully buy in.

 

[ScWildcat3]

OP, I’m absolutely loving this roster, but have you seen Duke’s $35 million dollar juggernaut? They’ve got 1st rounders/ fringe lottery dudes 6-10, sans Boozer #2.

However, in true Duke fashion, their stars are relatively unproven against grown men, which is what UK and Florida have in common.

If, and it remains to be the 800 pound gorilla in the room, IF, Pope can stop playing Participation Trophy basketball with his substitutions, and play his stars 30-32 minutes per game, I like this UK team against anyone, especially Duke.

Do some research before you put those minutes lies out there. He played his 2 stars 32 and 30 mins a game last year. Also most top teams all play their top guys about the same mins a game. 28-30. Are his sub patterns sometimes strange? Yes. But he plays his main guys the same amount of mins most everyone else does. I do agree he needs to do better feeling the game out sub pattern wise and not strictly rely on analytics for subbing.

 

[ScWildcat3]

i dont get what the uproar is about. the field of 68 guys love the roster, but the wildcard is pope. is he a guy who can coach and win at the highest level? no one knows. if cal, izzo, self, pitino had our roster we would be a top 3 or 4 team. but we have a guy that is not just unproven but completely broke down last year. so yeah.....media members wont fully buy in.

Looking back on all of popes previous teams I’d say his biggest problem is zero top end talent. He showed in year 1 he can compete with the big dogs with some really good talent. This will be the most talent by a mile he has ever had on a team he has coached.

 

[Artlaibesghost]

Duke is still primarily going with talented youth. We, at least this year, are going with all veterans. I think Dukes line up has just as many, if not more questions than we do. I still have some doubts wether Mitchel will be allowed to play. If he does UK should definitely be in a possible FF conversation. I also need to see Zoom run the club before I'm fully on the #9 bandwagon. All that said our roster is much deeper and talented than any I have seen in several years. My questions about Pope's game preparation. which IMO has been abysmal, as well as his analytics droven substitutions patterns and overall game management should also be answered this year.

 

[-BBH-]

i dont get what the uproar is about. the field of 68 guys love the roster, but the wildcard is pope. is he a guy who can coach and win at the highest level? no one knows. if cal, izzo, self, pitino had our roster we would be a top 3 or 4 team. but we have a guy that is not just unproven but completely broke down last year. so yeah.....media members wont fully buy in.

This, he has zero street cred. He has to earn it.

 

[ScWildcat3]

Duke is still primarily going with talented youth. We, at least this year, are going with all veterans. I think Dukes line up has just as many, if not more questions than we do. I still have some doubts wether Mitchel will be allowed to play. If he does UK should definitely be in a possible FF conversation. I also need to see Zoom run the club before I'm fully on the #9 bandwagon. All that said our roster is much deeper and talented than any I have seen in several years. My questions about Pope's game preparation. which IMO has been abysmal, as well as his analytics droven substitutions patterns and overall game management should also be answered this year.

That is my question with pope as well. Can he use a healthy balance of game feel with analytics on sub patterns. I think he learned last year to lean on his main guys a little more.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I think Pope did a good job pivoting this off season with recruiting. But in no world is his performance here a "10".. and I dont say that to dog him because I really am content with how we finished.. but we really need to be careful of how we evaluate him. If fans think this recruiting cycle was a literal perfect score, they aren't thinking right.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

This roster is certainly Popes strongest on paper n his career. He hasn't come close to winning anything that matters with solid to good talent rosters. Pope clearly needs high level talent to win something that matters potentially.

Thats true of most coaches.

 

[ScWildcat3]

This roster is certainly Popes strongest on paper n his career. He hasn't come close to winning anything that matters with solid to good talent rosters. Pope clearly needs high level talent to win something that matters potentially.

Thats true of most coaches.

Exactly. You usually don’t win much with subpar talent.

 

[DelkBowl]

Were

 

[Wildcat_in_DC]

Looking back on all of popes previous teams I’d say his biggest problem is zero top end talent. He showed in year 1 he can compete with the big dogs with some really good talent. This will be the most talent by a mile he has ever had on a team he has coached.

yup....which is why its a make or break year for pope. we should be 19-1 or 18-2 after our first 20 games. we should be the 2nd or 3rd best team in the SEC. we should get a 2 seed in the NCAAT. its a roster that should get to an elite 8. to me those are the expectations.

if he fails on those (and at this point the excuses are just noise) then we know what we have and dont have. and throwing another 25M at a roster in 2027 probably wont deliver different results.

 

[ScWildcat3]

yup....which is why its a make or break year for pope. we should be 19-1 or 18-2 after our first 20 games. we should be the 2nd or 3rd best team in the SEC. we should get a 2 seed in the NCAAT. its a roster that should get to an elite 8. to me those are the expectations.

if he fails on those (and at this point the excuses are just noise) then we know what we have and dont have. and throwing another 25M at a roster in 2027 probably wont deliver different results.

Exactly my thoughts. If Mitchell is eligible all year this team should make elite 8 at the minimum. We have a buffer of depth for some injuries depending on positions and have some high upside guys like N’Diaye and Wilkins who can really elevate this team to the national championship level.

 

[Kingslayer07]

Still don’t agree with people that act like Cal had multiple teams better than this one.

last five years was barely any non guard talent.

I think Milan is 10x the shooter than anyone Cal had

Mitchell is the best pf who played for Kentucky since like pj Washington?

Cal had lots of guys who were incredible first year talent or who became great in the nba but I think he had a lot less great college basketball players (meaning players who played multiple years and got better)

Hell id argue Oscar Tshiebwe is the best college basketball player cal has had in 10 years

Reed shot 52% under Cal. That's going to be tough to beat.

 

[ThreeDogNight2]

Reed shot 52% under Cal. That's going to be tough to beat.

Yeah but he only shot like 4 a game where Milan is shooting 7+

Milan is by far the better shooter

 

[The_Answer1313_rivals]

Goodman is paid to have an opinion on things

One can either agree or disagree with those takes.

Time will tell and the season will play out and we'll see who was right.

 

[Anon1751335390]

Barring a wildcard, a presumed bench player becoming elite, our season will hinge on how much Zoom and Wilkins improve.

Zoom was about Aberdeen productivity last season. Wilkins was not very good. He obviously has skills, but he was a loose cannon with his decision making. They both make a huge leap if they get their turnovers under control. Gotta think we have a top 3 offense given our elite skill at the 3/4/5, if that happens.

I think we have some potential defensive issues. The M's have tremendous offensive skill, but they aren't glass cleaners. Our guards haven't generated steals at a high rate. My hope is that a generally large lineup at least bothers the opponents shot enough to keep their eFG% under control.

 

[RationalKentuckyFan]

Still don’t agree with people that acts like Cal had multiple teams better than this one.

last five years was barely any non guard talent.

I think Milan is 10x the shooter than anyone Cal had

Mitchell is the best pf who played for Kentucky since like pj Washington?

Cal had lots of guys who were incredible first year talent or who became great in the nba but I think he had a lot less great college basketball players (meaning players who played multiple years and got better)

Hell id argue Oscar Tshiebwe is the best college basketball player cal has had in 10 years

Just to put an end to this silly discussion. 2011-2012 and 2014-2015. Those were both much better teams. Do you really want to argue that the current team is even as good as either of those teams? And just to be clear the 2011-2012 class was Calipari's third year. The same year that Pope is in now.

 

[Fawrules]

Yeah but he only shot like 4 a game where Milan is shooting 7+

Milan is by far the better shooter

Going back and checking it was wild to see that Doron Lamb only averaged 3.9 3PAs a game over his two seasons at Kentucky, given how automatic he seemed from beyond the arc.

 

[Beatle Bum]

Pope landing Brea in Y1 and MilMom in Y3 is really great recruiting to his style. I suspect he hoped Chandler was going to be that person in Y2 and I think he would have been if defenses had more pressure forced upon them from the PG.

 

[theBlues]

Goodman doing Goodman things on field of 68. If we was Duke or Mich st he would be saying we have a final four team if not the best roster in college basketball.
I’m gonna give Pope a 10 on the offseason recruiting. This is definitely his best roster and he built it stategically. We have studs at every position and can score with anyone. My question is can we guard? Will Mark Mitchell be granted eligibility permanently? Do we have a true pg? Can Pope coach these guys?
I’m very happy with the roster Pope has put together and I think all the ones including myself that bashed this offseason recruiting should give Pope some credit.

I see you changed your avatar...you did have the master thespian as your sig, right?

 

[Eastkybball]

I see you changed your avatar...you did have the master thespian as your sig, right?

Sure did. The greatest actor of all time nobody’s heard of

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Just to put an end to this silly discussion. 2011-2012 and 2014-2015. Those were both much better teams. Do you really want to argue that the current team is even as good as either of those teams? And just to be clear the 2011-2012 class was Calipari's third year. The same year that Pope is in now.

There are a lot of Cal teams better than this one on paper.

2017 as well certainly and 2010 was star studded.

Then u have several other ones like 2011 and 2014 that most likely are too.

This year's team certainly has potential but gotta win some things that matter too.

 

[RationalKentuckyFan]

There are a lot of Cal teams better than this one on paper.

2017 as well certainly and 2010 was star studded.

Then u have several other ones like 2011 and 2014 that most likely are too.

This year's team certainly has potential but gotta win some things that matter too.

Thank you this was my exact point. Calipari was a master recruiter. Pope's recruiting is unlikely to ever match Calipari's. We just all have to hope that Pope is a better coach.

 

[Fawrules]

Doesn't Goodman like Pope on a personal level?
I don't know, Goodman doesn't really annoy me like he used to.
I don't even think he really dislikes Kentucky. (He definitely seemed to dislike Cal)
He does definitely seem to get a kick out of trolling/poke at BBN a bit because he knows we'll respond though.

 

[Anon1751335390]

Mitchell is the best pf who played for Kentucky since like pj Washington?

Tre Mitchell and Carr were darn good 4's before their respective back problems. Mitchell in particular became a terrible player in the couple games leading up to and following the first report of his chronic back issues.

 

[BookofMormon]

Goodman doing Goodman things on field of 68. If we was Duke or Mich st he would be saying we have a final four team if not the best roster in college basketball.
I’m gonna give Pope a 10 on the offseason recruiting. This is definitely his best roster and he built it stategically. We have studs at every position and can score with anyone. My question is can we guard? Will Mark Mitchell be granted eligibility permanently? Do we have a true pg? Can Pope coach these guys?
I’m very happy with the roster Pope has put together and I think all the ones including myself that bashed this offseason recruiting should give Pope some credit.

He didn't build it strategically - he got lucky with Milan and Mitchell and it worked out.

True PG? Zoom had almost 5 assists a game last year. We're fine there. Wilkins almost averaged 5/game.

Great teams on paper still need to come together and become a team on the court. That's not just throwing talented guys out there. Any reluctance of getting too excited about this team by outsiders is 100% based on Pope.

What is a team like this going to look like if they go play a UConn, who is going to play physical, hard nosed defense and each guy militant about where they are supposed to be on the court? This is the kind of stuff Pope has to drill in in a year as these guys are playing with each other for the first time, and the only guy back is a sophomore who was an inch from going to the draft. It's on Pope now.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

i dont get what the uproar is about. the field of 68 guys love the roster, but the wildcard is pope. is he a guy who can coach and win at the highest level? no one knows. if cal, izzo, self, pitino had our roster we would be a top 3 or 4 team. but we have a guy that is not just unproven but completely broke down last year. so yeah.....media members wont fully buy in.

It’s a fair criticism.

 

[Kingslayer07]

Yeah but he only shot like 4 a game where Milan is shooting 7+

Milan is by far the better shooter

By far? We'll see.

 

[DudahUK]

Tre Mitchell and Carr were darn good 4's before their respective back problems. Mitchell in particular became a terrible player in the couple games leading up to and following the first report of his chronic back issues.

I forgot all about Mitchell. I liked him. He was real good before his back acted up. Crazy I completely forgot about him.