John Pelphrey returning HOME TO UK

[TheResistance]

 

[Anon200440]

1 more szn of watching other teams with talent we just cant have

 

[BC_Wader]

Hope it works out as I love Pelphrey. Was an unassuming looking player but he was a cold blooded assassin on the court.

 

[BigBlue1992]

Don’t get comfortable John!

 

[jeffky]

Don’t get comfortable John!

 

[Catastic5]

meh

 

[DonAndy]

Jamal Crawford who? I had no clue JP had a son getting ready to play college ball.

 

[JPFisher]

Solid recruiter at Florida IIRC. Couldn't hack it as a HC. I'm not mad at the hire.

 

[rick64]

BBM tonight just got a lot more exciting.

 

[kfwa]

should have waited to announce it and bring him out for BBM

 

[JustBlue]

Look, I hope he kills it here in whatever roll he does but does this inspire anyone? Loved John as a player but his coaching has been pretty blah overall. Especially his last stop at Tennessee State - he was there seven years and never had a winning record. This is another hire meant to get the fan base excited (look at the timing of the announcement) but does anything about Pelphrey scream "come to UK" for our recruits? Can he inspire our current players in a way Mark Pope can't? Or is this just another nostalgia play meant to distract from where the program currently is?

 

[ukfan042]

Can we please stop with the f’n nostalgia hires…FFS!

 

[wildcatdon]

This hire does not move the needle. Gracious sakes.

 

[BlueSince92]

Basically, same thing I predicted only I retract my criticism coz it’s John Pelphrey.

 

[BigBlue1992]

Do you not understand? He’ll be gone with Pope in approximately 5 months

 

[bigblueinsanity (the real)]

Oh good. He's done so well everywhere he's been....

 

[JustBlue]

Don’t get comfortable John!

Lol pretty much. Might as well update his Wikipedia page and say "Pelphrey was not retained when (fill in the blank) was hired in April 2027.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

The good Ole boy club strikes again.

 

[TheResistance]

I just went Six to Midnig.... nevermind.

 

[Winston Wolf]

Unfortunately, this hire accurately symbolizes the Mark Pope era.

 

[TheResistance]

 

[Wunky]

This is the most Pope thing ever. Loved John as a player and appreciate his love for the program, but it’s a corny, sentimental hire just like Mark was. Neither one of them is qualified to do diddly squat in this new era. Pope’s just doubling down on a tired, stale pitch that doesn’t resonate with today’s recruits.

 

[TheBestThereEverWas]

Pope’s just doubling down on a tired, stale pitch that doesn’t resonate with today’s recruits.

This! Tradition is behind player development, how much money can you pay me, can you get me to the league, and how good can the team be. Most recruits probably won’t even know he played basketball, let alone at Kentucky. No one cares about bringing back former players unless it’s someone from the 2010’s or later. Slowly and slowly becoming a laughing stock like Indiana and North Carolina.

 

[Jeff Hoyt]

I presume most of the posters on here are much younger than I, so coming on here to read the reactions is just an exercise to see how whiny, ignorant and self-entitled younger people are. Mission accomplished folks!

 

[Kameron50]

Yup it's definitely Pope's last year here.

 

[theKybluedude]

Rupp Rafters continues to show its ignorance. Not hired to fill the open assistants spot.

Great hire. Nobody embodies the true UK passion better. Still remember that fist swing after burying a back breaker 3 vs ul.

Will push the players and nobody more apt on fundamentals. The players and families will love him. Trustworthy. Loyal. Great teacher.
——

An Unforgettable is joining Mark Pope‘s staff at Kentucky.

John Pelphrey, who suited up for the Wildcats from 1987-92, has been hired as the program’s director of player development.

The 58-year-old and Paintsville, KY native will officially start his new job on Friday as basketball season unofficially tips off with Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena.

This is separate from Kentucky’s assistant coach opening posted this week.

 

[Catastic5]

I presume most of the posters on here are much younger than I, so coming on here to read the reactions is just an exercise to see how whiny, ignorant and self-entitled younger people are. Mission accomplished folks!

Kentucky fans may want the Kentucky of old, but it sure as heck doesn’t want the geriatric program that refuses to change and is being pushed further behind other programs, even in our own conference. How hard is that to understand? The irony of all this is our coach was merely a nostalgia hire and now he’s trying the same BS when all it does is drag us deeper and deeper into irrelevancy. We’re being held back by nostalgia by a nostalgia crazed coach unwilling to understand that it’s not the 90s anymore.

 

[UKCowboys]

Don’t get comfortable John!

We'll see

 

[JustBlue]

I presume most of the posters on here are much younger than I, so coming on here to read the reactions is just an exercise to see how whiny, ignorant and self-entitled younger people are. Mission accomplished folks!

Yeah, that's it. Everyone who sees this as anything more that a nostalgia hail-mary is just whiny, ignorant, self-entitled and young. But you're probably right: John Pelphrey is the missing ingredient Pope has been lacking to take UK back to prominence. Final Fours here we come!

 

[Pygmy Sasquatch]

 

[TFCat11]

There’s not a single member of BBN who doesn’t highly respect, and owe a major debt of gratitude to J. Pelphrey, for what he did for the program as a player, but this has to be one of the most virtue signaling, desperation to keep my job, gaslighting hires, in the history of CBB, and will not move the needle a micro-millimeter with today’s high profile recruits, or their agents/ families!

Whatever, welcome back Mr. Pelphrey… Enjoy the next 6-7 months

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I presume most of the posters on here are much younger than I, so coming on here to read the reactions is ..

I figured this was gonna end with "because im a dinosaur and have no idea how college athletics works unless the year is 1972".. guess not.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

Solid recruiter at Florida IIRC. Couldn't hack it as a HC. I'm not mad at the hire.

That was a long long time and different era ago. Just another head scratching hire. More nostalgia to try and win some points with some.

 

[OliverSimmonsTwinBrother]

We just need Sean Woods and Cameron Mills and we can have a whole 90s squad

 

[UKortho]

Dope hired an under qualified GM/video guy now he hired John Pelphrey. He is dumber than I thought.

 

[Wunky]

I presume most of the posters on here are much younger than I, so coming on here to read the reactions is just an exercise to see how whiny, ignorant and self-entitled younger people are. Mission accomplished folks!

Dude, just stop. I’m 43. The unforgettables were my heroes. But thinking that your tradition trumps everything else is how Indiana became Indiana, and now Kentucky is becoming Indiana because of mindsets like this.

 

[Starrcade]

There’s not a single member of BBN who doesn’t highly respect, and owe a major debt of gratitude to J. Pelphrey, for what he did for the program as a player, but this has to be one of the most virtue signaling, desperation to keep my job, gaslighting hires, in the history of CBB, and will not move the needle a micro-millimeter with today’s high profile recruits, or their agents/ families!

Whatever, welcome back Mr. Pelphrey… Enjoy the next 6-7 months

Do you ever go inside to cry or is it always out in the open ? I mean it's non-stop, lol.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Seems like one of Pope’s better decisions to me.

 

[RoyKent]

UK is not a serious basketball program and Pope is not a serious coach. We blasted Cal for hiring his friends, at least they (mostly) were qualified. This is a stupid *** hire.

 

[ScWildcat3]

Everyone clamors for Billy Donovan. Billy hired him twice didn’t he? Also he would be here if Billy was here. It’s a player development spot. No reason to not hire a ton of those guys.