Cal had his chances. Just because Barney hired an unqualified coach doesn’t mean Cal didn’t need to go. People act like Pope was the only coach we could have hired.
Face it, BBN should have supported and kept Cal
- Thread starter Drcatfan
- Start date
I don’t totally disagree OP.
Understood all the reasons for it being time to depart but knew that Cal’s overall tenure would be a tough act to follow.
Said last year on faaaarrrr pope threads that because there are not very many dudes who can do the job…Cal is on the short list. Doesn’t mean he is the guy. Not saying go hire him. Just saying few people can do it. Even fewer have done it here.
The very criteria that we require coaches to meet just for a phone call. Cal checks the boxes.
- Can he recruit elite talent
-Does he have top tier P4/P2 coaching experience
-Does have a deep tournament run if not title
Cal is also uniquely made for the NIL/Portal era. He’s kind of the founding father of “Players first…”
He didn’t get full blown NIL while here as things were still in upheaval and being figured out.
Now…you pair him with a young gun fund raising AD, a green light to pay whatever…come on now.
Cal unchained…bring back world wide wes…the billion dollar la familia alumn…let’s get the band back together.
Understood all the reasons for it being time to depart but knew that Cal’s overall tenure would be a tough act to follow.
Said last year on faaaarrrr pope threads that because there are not very many dudes who can do the job…Cal is on the short list. Doesn’t mean he is the guy. Not saying go hire him. Just saying few people can do it. Even fewer have done it here.
The very criteria that we require coaches to meet just for a phone call. Cal checks the boxes.
- Can he recruit elite talent
-Does he have top tier P4/P2 coaching experience
-Does have a deep tournament run if not title
Cal is also uniquely made for the NIL/Portal era. He’s kind of the founding father of “Players first…”
He didn’t get full blown NIL while here as things were still in upheaval and being figured out.
Now…you pair him with a young gun fund raising AD, a green light to pay whatever…come on now.
Cal unchained…bring back world wide wes…the billion dollar la familia alumn…let’s get the band back together.
We definitely don't want Cal, but we should have spent more than 2 days finding his replacement.
It was time for Cal to go. Everyone knew that. But yea, at times like this, who wouldn’t miss the success he brought here.
Cal was done and Pope is a crap hire. Both realities can exist at the same time.
The Cal/Barnhart relationship was beyond repair. The Cal you see now at Arkansas (not like they've been GREAT) wouldn't be the Cal we had here had he stayed. He was beyond frustrated with how things were and wasn't going to change. Also, something to think about, we don't know how Cal would be behind closed doors if Stein came here and started excelling. We saw how he was when Stoops was having some success and that started some of the drama that lead to the end.
Look the ****** needed to win some first round games and he couldn't do it and he embarrassed the ******* school and the fans so we would rather move on.
He had tournaments where it opened up for him and he couldn't get the job done and lost to freaking Kansas State twice
We was good to leave him we just should have left him way before we did.
And honestly if Cal had stayed to his retirement age talk.... We would have never had the breakup or anything he just would have retired.
And he still coaching today even though he said he would have been retired by now!
His words in 2016:
"My son's now here so my son's walking on, I'm not gonna leave," the 57-year-old Calipari told ESPN.com. "I would say four to five years is a lock and then after that, [shoot], I may be hanging it up. At that point I'd be 60, 61. I never thought I would coach past the age of 60 because I'm not ... basketball isn't my life."
John Calipari is 67.
2021 should have been it. It should have been in his contract and everybody should have known. It is what it is
He had tournaments where it opened up for him and he couldn't get the job done and lost to freaking Kansas State twice
We was good to leave him we just should have left him way before we did.
And honestly if Cal had stayed to his retirement age talk.... We would have never had the breakup or anything he just would have retired.
And he still coaching today even though he said he would have been retired by now!
His words in 2016:
"My son's now here so my son's walking on, I'm not gonna leave," the 57-year-old Calipari told ESPN.com. "I would say four to five years is a lock and then after that, [shoot], I may be hanging it up. At that point I'd be 60, 61. I never thought I would coach past the age of 60 because I'm not ... basketball isn't my life."
John Calipari is 67.
2021 should have been it. It should have been in his contract and everybody should have known. It is what it is
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"we should have kept" - did UK fire Cal? The revisionist history you people have is amazing.
Cal **** the bed and his time was up. Hiring a bad replacement for him doesn't change that. Regardless, discussing it doesn't change a damn thing or help the problem we have now.
We had a great run with Cal, but it was time to part ways. First-round NCAAT losses to major underdogs, total roster mis-management (Exhibit A - Shaedon Sharpe), and idiotic coaching (Exhibit B - Sheppard and Dillingham coming off the bench).
Also, UVA just blew the doors off of Arkansas on Sunday. It was never a competitive game.
Also, UVA just blew the doors off of Arkansas on Sunday. It was never a competitive game.
Yeah no. Pope is doing bad and needs to go, but cals last 5 years was the worst 5 year stretch in program history. It included the worst season in history and the top 2 worst losses in program history. Pope has actually had more success than cals last few years, and funny enough, is neck and neck with him at ark lol.
Idiotic. Cal's time had come to and end. Period. Haven't you had enough of losing to double digit seeds?
For those that wanted Cal gone but a different hire what evidence do you have that Kentucky could do any better than Pope? How do you know all the people we might have tried to get that turned Kentucky down? If the next hire has a similar resume as Pope will you be willing to admit that Kentucky as a basketball program is now irrelevant?
I believe we should have kept Calipari because Kentucky can't do better than a coach like Pope. I'll be happy to see if Batt can prove me wrong but I just have a hard time believing Pope was anyone's first choice.
I believe we should have kept Calipari because Kentucky can't do better than a coach like Pope. I'll be happy to see if Batt can prove me wrong but I just have a hard time believing Pope was anyone's first choice.
I was in the “careful what you wish for” camp and got called a Cal lover.
I would much rather have Cal than Pope right now if being honest, but had grown tired of/apathetic to Cal by the end of his tenure. 9-16 alienated me, Saint Peters pissed me off and Oakland turned me to a loud detractor.
I would much rather have Cal than Pope right now if being honest, but had grown tired of/apathetic to Cal by the end of his tenure. 9-16 alienated me, Saint Peters pissed me off and Oakland turned me to a loud detractor.
Face what? Like 1 ncaa tournament win in 5 seasons?
The Cal clowns coming out of the woodwork because Barnhart hired someone with zero credentials for the job. This doesn't change anything.
Care to answer literally any of my questions or elaborate? I just can't imagine even as awful as Barnhart was that Pope was his first choice.
the Cal cult is just as bad as the Pope pumpers. Cal is worlds better than Pope, but i'd be calling for Cals firing after the inevitable 2nd or first round exit. Cal hasn't been the version we wanted in over a decade. Give it a rest.
Bro shut up with this dumb azz take! Calipari looked like *** his last 4 seasons and just got beat by 20+ just like Pope did. They damn near got the exact same record.
Cal underachieved for 7 years and downright embarrassed us his last 3 seasons, yet some of you idiots still want him.
Need I remind you he got absolutely blown out in the Sweet 16 last year- and that was his redemption story.
He’s washed up. Don’t get Cal needing to go and Mitch botching the hire twisted.
Need I remind you he got absolutely blown out in the Sweet 16 last year- and that was his redemption story.
He’s washed up. Don’t get Cal needing to go and Mitch botching the hire twisted.
You think a career 64% win record with zero tournament wins, and zero conference championships is the only type of coach UK could land?
Yeah, that's asinine.
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