How is Pope still here?

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

Pope should have been fired at Vandy last season. Not allowed to travel home with the team. His stuff sitting on the curb when he finally did get back to Lexington.

This is the ranting of an irrational spoiled brat.

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

Hurley had had meaningful success at lower levels and was building a program that was in dire straits before his arrival in the pre-portal pre-NIL era. Oats and Golden did remarkably well in their first two years relative to expectations and budget. Are you saying we should have the same expectations for basketball as UF and Bama?

Hurley won at a 62.3% at Wagner and a 57.9% rate at RI while Pope won at 57.9% rate at Utah St. and 67.9% at BYU. The fact Hurley won a conference title against weak competition (second place St Bonaventure never appeared in one AP poll the entire season) while Pope twice finished second to Gonzaga teams that finished AP #1 and #2 those years establishes nothing in Hurley's favor.

 

[HeismanWinner]

Cal wasnt fired after 9 and 16 or losing to a 15 seed or even a 14 seed. I know its apples to oranges as Cal won a lot that matters. Pope never has won anything. But UK seems to take a while to pull the plug.

Due to injuries Pope was always gonna get a 3rd season. It is what it is.

Cal had equity and his buyout is why that was never going to happen.

 

[Catastic5]

Hurley! Hurley! Hurley! Nobody gives a rat’s a** about Dan freaking Hurley. Hurley is coaching at UConn. Mark Pope is coaching at Kentucky. Mark Pope is not Dan Hurley. They’re two entirely different people with entirely different personalities.

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

Hurley! Hurley! Hurley! Nobody gives a rat’s a** about Dan freaking Hurley. Hurley is coaching at UConn. Mark Pope is coaching at Kentucky. Mark Pope is not Dan Hurley. They’re two entirely different people with entirely different personalities.

You do realize your partner in misery was the one who brought up Hurley? He claimed Hurley had proven so much more than Pope in his 12 seasons prior to year 5 at UConn which is obviously false. Do you think Hurley got a personality transplant somewhere along the line that totally changed his fortunes?

 

[JimboBBN]

He will be gone after we have another meh season and JB will make a home run hire next spring. Be patient BBN

 

[Snarks]

I just cannot understand why people hate Pope. He played basketball at UK and won at the highest level. He was a great ambassador for the program and appears to put everything he has into the job.

Like other college programs, NIL/TP have created parity for the field and the bluebloods are a thing of the past.

Support Coach Pope and the team!

Nobody hates Pope. We just don’t think he can get it done here and don’t want to waste years on the obvious decision.

 

[Snarks]

Compare Pope's SOS ratings, inherited roster and key injuries to the first two years of other UK coaches. Even at that he is ahead of Joe B's first two years at 33-21 61.1% and BCG's 40-27 59.7%. The mantra of Pope having more advantages than any previous UK coach is just what you believe because it supports your agenda and not at all factual.

Kentucky Wildcats Men's Basketball Index | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Check out the Kentucky Wildcats College Basketball History, Stats, Records, Polls, Leaders and More College Basketball Stats at Sports-Reference.com

www.sports-reference.com

You always point to Joe B and Hurley. Did they have the transfer portal or NIL? Could a team be flipped entirely in a year? No. It can now, you cannot compare the landscape even 5 years ago to what it is now.

 

[paulcalhoun_rivals397471]

You always point to Joe B and Hurley. Did they have the transfer portal or NIL? Could a team be flipped entirely in a year? No. It can now, you cannot compare the landscape even 5 years ago to what it is now.

Did you actually read the post I responded to and the comparison it requested? Try to follow along. You are now the second poster to accuse me of bringing up Hurley when it was a member of your fellowship of the miserable who brought him up.

It is in no way established that the portal and NIL are the easy button for UK you have continued to insist them to be as I said.

 

[AustinTXCat]

He remains here with permission from a higher power.

Next question.

 

[Cleatortoises]

Golden and Hurley would have been fired if Firemarkpope was AD then. Nate Oats too. Pope has had a better start than any of them.
We had the worst AD in college ball and it wasnt close. No coach could have succeeded under Barnhart long term. Let’s give Pope a recruiting cycle out from under Mitch. Cal is the best recruiter in college ball and he was getting TyTy, Edward’s and the other highly rated flops. He is killing it at Arkansas with a bad AD. Shows you how bad Mitch was.

is killing it? Really?

 

[Cleatortoises]

ANY-F*CKING-BODY. I don’t care as long as it’s not Pope. Bring back Cal for all I care.

We have a winner.
#1 DA.
He started this roll. He hated your guts Bennie.

 

[Cleatortoises]

Hurley won at a 62.3% at Wagner and a 57.9% rate at RI while Pope won at 57.9% rate at Utah St. and 67.9% at BYU. The fact Hurley won a conference title against weak competition (second place St Bonaventure never appeared in one AP poll the entire season) while Pope twice finished second to Gonzaga teams that finished AP #1 and #2 those years establishes nothing in Hurley's favor.

You stop it with all your pesky facts.
FAAAAAR POPE!

 

[warrior-cat]

Once he signed his contract there was zero chance he was getting fired in his first two years without doing something really wrong. You're fooling yourself if you thought it was going to go any other way.

Common sense here. I don't get the fire him now crowd after 2 years. Especially after having to have to start from scratch the first year and then with all of the injuries from last year. The optics throughout the BB community across the nation would have made UK look bad for the next potential coach.

 

[chroix]

Common sense here. I don't get the fire him now crowd after 2 years. Especially after having to have to start from scratch the first year and then with all of the injuries from last year. The optics throughout the BB community across the nation would have made UK look bad for the next potential coach.

If OP had his way he'd be fired because he only won the exhibition by 20. All of the best coaches would be beating down our door for an opportunity like that...

 

[Johnnie Africa]

This is why you don’t hire former players as coaches unless they’re Roy Williams. You end up with people like this gaslighting you into thinking we can’t do any better. You’re like an abusive girlfriend.

lol that was an obvious troll/satire post my lord I feel like some of you just joined the internet

 

[NociHTTP]

He will be gone after we have another meh season and JB will make a home run hire next spring. Be patient BBN

Love your optimism.

 

[NociHTTP]

You stop it with all your pesky facts.
FAAAAAR POPE!

 

[FireMarkPope]

You do realize your partner in misery was the one who brought up Hurley? He claimed Hurley had proven so much more than Pope in his 12 seasons prior to year 5 at UConn which is obviously false. Do you think Hurley got a personality transplant somewhere along the line that totally changed his fortunes?

Obviously false? Hurley had won two NCAAT games at URI and had won both a regular season conference championship and a confrence tournament championship. Pope hadn't accomplished any of these at the time of his arrival at UK and still has not won a conference title--regular season or tournament. Hurley's resume was more impressive.

Hurley also arrived at UConn, a program that was in the garbage, where they had just vacated their previous season, and in the pre-portal, pre-NIL era, he turned them around immediately and improved each season. Pope has not done anything to show he can be successful here in his first two years.

 

[CRZ4UK]

Hurley had had meaningful success at lower levels and was building a program that was in dire straits before his arrival in the pre-portal pre-NIL era. Oats and Golden did remarkably well in their first two years relative to expectations and budget. Are you saying we should have the same expectations for basketball as UF and Bama?

Actually yes I am. Because you’re living in the past. None of these young kids care anything about Kentuckys past Championships . We are all on equal plains in the NIL era. Money is what talks and it’s the biggest difference maker.

Cal is not actually killing it at Arkansas. He is doing alright but definitely not killing it. He was killing it from 2009-2019. Who was his AD from 2009-2019?

Last year he recruited the National Freshman of the year, The SEC freshman of the year, Who was a top draft pick. Had another freshman go first round . This year watch out. His class is crazy. You obviously don’t follow basketball. He is killing it.

is killing it? Really?

Really. Last year he recruited Two top ten draft picks including the SEC and National Freshman of the year. Acuff was a complete difference maker. This year…..
Recruiting Class Ranking

Arkansas finished with the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class according to 247Sports.

The class features several five-star prospects, led by Jordan Smith Jr., who was ranked as high as No. 2 nationally.
TyTy, Justin Edward’s, and all his complete flops here his last 6 years say hello. Cal couldn’t recruit difference makers here under Barnharts NIL stance. It’s why they hated each other by the end.
Don’t forget he is also bringing in Murriaman (AKA) slim Jesus some say might be a generational foreign player.
Do your homework.

 

[AllBall]

Golden and Hurley established themselves by year 3. There was vast improvement within those programs. Pope is out of excuses!