BB: Pope Presser today, Injury updates

[The Ganner]

No, I get it. Pope was always getting a year 3. But Mitch should've never hired him in the first place because nothing on his resume qualified him to be UK's HC. Then Mitch extends his contract for going to a S16. Utterly ridiculous. These stupid contract extensions are how we ended up in the Cal and Stoops situations, where we were financially stuck with them. Cal I kind of understood because other big schools wanted him and Cal loves money more than anything else. But Stoops was a bonehead move because nobody else was coming after him. TxAM almost did until their fans rightfully revolted. He was a .500 coach.

I was just saying Mitch was a cancer to our football and basketball programs. Glad he's gone.

I would love to see Pope succeed, but yes it is undeniable that he did NOT have the resume to be a UK coach and had he played anywhere other than UK he'd have never been on a list of 25 options to call about the coaching job.

 

[Wildcat_in_DC]

thats not enough for me. if we loss 13 games and sneak into the NCAAT as a 11 seed or something and manage to get to a sweet 16, or even an elite 8....replacing pope needs to be considered. the season is 5+ months long and everything needs to be taken into consideration.

 

[Padsfs07]

thats not enough for me. if we loss 13 games and sneak into the NCAAT as a 11 seed or something and manage to get to a sweet 16, or even an elite 8....replacing pope needs to be considered. the season is 5+ months long and everything needs to be taken into consideration.

I also wonder about the opposite scenario. Say we are a 1 or 2 seed but get upset in round 2. Yeesh.

 

[Wayne Dougan]

That's a little too simple of an approach. Say we have a regular season like last year and get a 7 seed; pick up an upset and get to the S16. I do not think that is enough. We need to see consistency throughout the regular season and have that lead into the tournaments.

I don't think it's just making it to the second weekend. If we're 34-1, a one seed and go ice cold against the 8/9 that just goes off I would bring Pope back. Likewise, in your scenario I'd still want him gone. And let's say we were a 12 seed but snuck our way into the Final Four I'd want him gone before we even played the FF.

 

[Wildcat_in_DC]

to me the goals are clear:

• 66% winning percentage (4 of 6) vs KU, Indiana, WSU, Virginia, UNC, UL
• win all other OOC games
• top 4 finish in the SEC
• win at least 2 games in the SECT
• win at least 2 games in the NCAAT

secondary objectives:

• no blow out losses
• 6 or less games where we fall behind by 10+ points

these goals are weighted differently but this should be the expectation. I'd also say we add 2 more top 30 players in the next 5 months but i have zero belief that is possible

 

[legalbeagle123]

Almost everyone knows this is Pope's last year.

 

[sk73]

I’ve assumed Morton’s is a MCL associated injury. The good news could be no surgery needed and he will be back sooner than expected.

As for Kam, he would be back already if he didn’t come back early last year. He aggravated it in the offseason and had to get it cleaned up again. He will be fine though. It will always be some pain but that’s part of basketball and feet. Lot of players have lingering foot stuff. It’s manageable though.

If you do not mind, please let me, us, know how you know all of this to be accurate.

 

[ScWildcat3]

If you do not mind, please let me, us, know how you know all of this to be accurate.

I said I assume it’s a MCL just off the timeline and stuff.

with kam his dad has done multiple interviews and said the stuff I said.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Zero chance this team makes a S16… Probably less than zero! Pope has a better chance to miss the tournament, than he does making the S16 with this group.

I think they will make the sweet 16. And get blown out again as is Popes go to move.

And apparently not wanting a year 4 of thus crap fest when the above happens makes me crazy according to the Popes Dopes like Paulie.

 

[Beatle Bum]

The idea that Jerone could play this year at any point was unknown before the presser. He clearly wont need major surgery.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

Do we even know what sort of injury Morton has to his knee? That info would really change what "a little bit away" means

I don’t expect Morton to play until like February if at all. That way if he does play earlier than that it will feel much better than the will he play every week update we will get until then.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

The recovery time on Kam's stuff has seemed a little surprising, like almost surprising to the point that you could think his injury might be a career changing injury, the kind of injury that lingers forever.

Well he had to have another cleanup procedure done right? He came back for us in the tourney which he shouldn’t probably have done so I respect him for that. He also came back and didn’t transfer so heal up Kam!

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

That is what I like to hear. I mean Batt has no relationship with Pope. He didn’t hire him so I would try to do the coaching job of my life if I were him. I wonder if GP has heard anything FR or if he just feels like we do in that it shouldn’t be tolerated after this year?

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

Well for one thing, it means Jack Pilgrim and Jeff Drummond have a critical disagreement about what Pope even said. If Drummond is right and Morton really is, “a little bit away from returning” then it sounds like we’re probably in more or less good shape. There’s still room to worry about what he means by “a little bit.” He has kind of a track record of big time stringing us along in situations like this. But at least on its face his claim sounds pretty good.

Otoh if Jack Pilgrim is the one who is right—if Pope instead really said Morton is “still a little bit away from the journey”…..then who knows wtf that could mean but it sounds like it would mean he hasn’t even started to rehab yet. Like we’re looking at a freaking Quaintance situation all over again.

So let’s all pray Drummond has the better pair of ears.

Knowing Pope I would go with he’s a little bit away from starting his journey. That could mean anything.

 

[Seth_C]

That's a little too simple of an approach. Say we have a regular season like last year and get a 7 seed; pick up an upset and get to the S16. I do not think that is enough. We need to see consistency throughout the regular season and have that lead into the tournaments.

Sure, but that isn’t what he said. You are arguing with a straw man. He said, to paraphrase, if he doesn’t make the second weekend he is gone.

That doesn’t mean there are scenarios where he makes the second weekend and still loses his job. It just means if he does NOT make the second weekend nothing else matters.

 

[Resignmarkpope]

Bye loser mark pope! I he does is lose lose lose no matter what.

 

[FLBBNFAN]

That seems like a reasonable position to me. Three years in this era is about all you are going to get to have some success.

 

[FLBBNFAN]

Kam...thanksgiving
Trent...Xmas
Morton...out for season

Those are my expectations.

I sure hope Kam is back sooner. Think he is more important than he's given credit for.

 

[PastorofMuppets82]

That is what I like to hear. I mean Batt has no relationship with Pope. He didn’t hire him so I would try to do the coaching job of my life if I were him. I wonder if GP has heard anything FR or if he just feels like we do in that it shouldn’t be tolerated after this year?

Reading between the lines, it's actually about the buyout. If Pope misses the sweet 16, UK saves roughly $4.5 million on Popes buyout. Because if Pope makes the Sweet 16, thanks to Mitch... it triggers an auto 1 year extension. Putting Popes buyout in the $17.5 million range instead of closer to $13 million.

I have prepared myself for the possibility Pope has a decent season (way below our standards, but good enough for the money to not make sense on wasting) for him to get a year 4. It's not my money, and Batt may be able to easily raise that kind of money to buyout Pope AND buyout our next coaching targets contract. But with Stoops buyout at $37 million still on the books, Batt may force our program to eat another year of mediocre Pope for the "value". It doesn't help that Oats (who is connected to Batt) has a buyout that goes to $0 after what would be Pope's year 4 here.

Tin Foil hat time. But I think there is a world where Pope gets a year 4 even if this season is dog crap, and we will have to endure it.

 

[Beatle Bum]

Reading between the lines, it's actually about the buyout. If Pope misses the sweet 16, UK saves roughly $4.5 million on Popes buyout. Because if Pope makes the Sweet 16, thanks to Mitch... it triggers and auto 1 year extension. Putting Popes buyout in the $17.5 million range instead of closer to $13 million.

I have prepared myself for the possibility Pope has a decent season (way below our standards, but good enough for the money to not make sense on wasting) for him to get a year 4. It's not my money, and Batt may be able to easily raise that kind of money to buyout Pope AND buyout our next coaching targets contract. But with Stoops buyout at $37 million still on the books, Batt may force our program to eat another year of mediocre Pope for the "value". It doesn't help that Oats (who is connected to Batt) has a buyout that goes to $0 after what would be Pope's year 4 here.

Tin Foil hat time. But I think there is a world where Pope gets a year 4 even if this season is dog crap, and we will have to endure it.

If he makes the Sweet 16, the likelihood of his firing is low. Fans may not like that, but 2 seasons at Sweet 16 and one at round of 32 probably gets him a 4th year, absent some other fireable factors. He does not get off the bubble, but probably does not get fired.