Bruce Pearl

kfwa

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2014
574
1,088
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Pearl is just a terrible human being
by comparison Pitino ain't applying for Sainthood anytime soon

Florida had to conduct its own sexual misconduct investigation into Golden.

its not necessarily inclusive but coaches aren't required to be Mother Teresa and there is a long list of character flawed coaches with national championships to their name.
 
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CB3UK

Hall of Famer
Apr 15, 2012
65,283
109,998
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We need an up and comer. There's no established Calipari tier hire out there that makes sense that I know of.
 
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kfwa

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2014
574
1,088
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I will remember him more for having a losing record against Clyde and being Cal’s b—ch for a number of years.
prior to 2015, Auburns last win against UK was in 2000.

After 2015, UK and Auburn have been 9-8

Ask me what year Pearl started coaching Auburn.
 
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Oct 23, 2025
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Florida had to conduct its own sexual misconduct investigation into Golden.
No they didn't. They opened a Title IX investigation that was reported to be "very narrow in scope." With the girls paid off not to cooperate, the incident was easily resolved and Florida went on to win the NCAA Championship. This isn't the first time Florida boosters have paid to make off field issues go away.
 

kfwa

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2014
574
1,088
93
No they didn't. They opened a Title IX investigation that was reported to be "very narrow in scope." With the girls paid off not to cooperate, the incident was easily resolved and Florida went on to win the NCAA Championship. This isn't the first time Florida boosters have paid to make off field issues go away.
I thought by wording it the way I did, I was implying Florida didn't take it seriously
 

Bill_the_cat

Senior
Nov 17, 2025
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I've said it before and people didn't like it "Pope was the perfect wrong hire." I think at the time you couldn't have made a worse hire for what UK basketball needs. So, to undo that and erase people's memory and perception of the program after the damage that has been done, we need a HoF coach in here yesterday, even if it's for a short time to properly prepare for a longer term coach after.
Kind of reminds me of the UNC years after Smith left and they brought in Daughtrey.
 
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Bill_the_cat

Senior
Nov 17, 2025
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You are not going to like it, but the team needs a coach that is Kelsey-like. He needs to be a better coach but has that same enthusiasm. If he were here, fans would love it. He has a lot of that Pearl attitude that basketball is fun.
 
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Bill_the_cat

Senior
Nov 17, 2025
427
568
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Pearl would be an absolutely phenomenal coach for us. Anyone who thinks he’s too old has no idea what they’re talking about if they really believe themselves, although most likely they’re only saying that to deal with their own internal emo crap anyway.

Also Pearl would come here in a heartbeat. 66 years old

So would Rick Pitino, who would be just as good. 74 years old

Kelvin Sampson is right around that same level and is probably gettable too. 71 years old

Oats, Donovan, and most of the other names being thrown around would be a ***** to get and wouldn’t ultimately get us where we want to be anyway. Maybe one of those people would get us to the level we were at in the middle years of Tubby’s tenure if we got lucky.

Sure, Golden, May, or Hurley would be great hires. But none of those people would consider coming here. You hire Pitino, Pearl, or Sampson, like that bottom feeder Mitch should have done in 2024, then in three or four years they’ll have the program where a Golden, a Hurley, or even a May will have a reason to want to talk to us. We just have to hope Jason “J” Batt is a little less dense than the sticks in the mud who can’t see that.
 

wildcatmac9999

Redshirt
Jan 28, 2020
26
25
13
There is a whole group of coaches that our fanbase is obsessed with. Pearl and Donovan are at the top of
this list. Hopefully, Kentucky's admin is not as dysfunctional and would never consider these 2 as candidates to replace Pope.
Please no Pearl, Donovan, Pitino, Hurley, Drew, or Lucas.
Pearl is a lot better than we have right now. As far as Donavan and Hurley goes. I wouldn't want him. In the history of D1 college basketball. Only 1 coach has won the National title at 2 different schools.
 

wildcatmac9999

Redshirt
Jan 28, 2020
26
25
13
Oates will either accept or turn job down but he will be the first to be asked by J Mann. Golden would be my first choice but I do think he will eventually go to the NBA.
Why does everyone want a coach that has already won it all ??? Only 1 coach has won it all at 2 different schools.
 

Beatle Bum

Heisman
Sep 1, 2002
44,159
67,044
113
The guy is a millionaire, played ball at UK and has a championship, you probably live at home, work at Mcdonalds, and are posting your obsession with Pope on a message board, who is the loser again???
Resignmarkpope is Elon Musk. Hard to believe but true. The dude is a self-made winner! Makes everyone else look like a loser by comparison. So, his simple-minded continuous blasts at Mark Pope are understandable.
 
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CutNets

Junior
Jan 13, 2026
113
277
33
In today's climate, bring in a coach and give him 2 years to make the final four. No final four in two years, he's out, do it again. No final four in two years with the next guy, he's out, do it again.


Get a guy in, he makes the final four in year one. If he doesn't make it again for the next two years, boom, fired, bring a new guy in.


Has no one figured out that there is no waiting or building anymore. It's a year-to-year deal now. Brand new teams every year via NIL and the transfer portal. At UK, with what they've already proven they are willing to spend on NIL, you can literally be in the hunt for any player. Literally, there's not a single player in college they couldn't steal away if they have the right coach to do it.


2 years, max, to make a final four. The concept of time is over. It's now, literally right now.
 
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Damage_inc

All-Conference
Oct 4, 2019
693
1,294
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For one his past issues with the NCAA. The other is he is very political.
Ok so, is he a bad person because he is political........or is it because he doesnt'share YOUR views?

As far as the NCAA you're talking about one of the most corrupt organizations in our country. An organization that for decades denied Americans the right to earn a living all while profiting off student athletes themselves. This is the same NCAA that said it was a rules violation to provide cream cheese with their bagels. Pearl once invited a kid to his cookout when he shouldn't have. For THAT, you think he is a bad person? You are ready to side with the NCAA on a morality issue?
 

Dward13

All-Conference
Feb 5, 2008
10,407
1,925
72
In today's climate, bring in a coach and give him 2 years to make the final four. No final four in two years, he's out, do it again. No final four in two years with the next guy, he's out, do it again.


Get a guy in, he makes the final four in year one. If he doesn't make it again for the next two years, boom, fired, bring a new guy in.


Has no one figured out that there is no waiting or building anymore. It's a year-to-year deal now. Brand new teams every year via NIL and the transfer portal. At UK, with what they've already proven they are willing to spend on NIL, you can literally be in the hunt for any player. Literally, there's not a single player in college they couldn't steal away if they have the right coach to do it.


2 years, max, to make a final four. The concept of time is over. It's now, literally right now.

I just don’t think it’s reasonable to judge a college basketball coaches success solely off a one and done tournament.

Historical shows sustained regular season dominance over a long time will lead to ncaa tournament success.

30 win seasons. Conference regular season titles. 1 seeds. To me those are a better indicator of whether or not you should pursue or keep a coach.

I do agree that in the current landscape a coach worth keeping at a place with level of investment of Kentucky will be able to accomplish those things very quickly.

For me it’s 3 years. And that’s only if their first 2 seasons arent like Kenny Paynes at Louisville. There has to be SOME success in the first 2 years. Pope has at least made the tourney and an S16.

I’m one more ugly loss before december away. and i’m not saying wait till the end of the season. Say we drop one of these home buy games or get blown out by IU or Virginia or something. that would be it. Conversation happens the next day. Followed by a press conference announcing Mo Williams is taking over in the interim while we start the search.
 

CrimsonCats_rivals

All-Conference
Mar 22, 2022
1,798
3,716
61
Yeah, I don’t get the obsession with him either. He basically had a lifetime gig at Auburn if he wanted it, but retired, so I have to assume he doesn’t even want to be on the sideline anymore. And no, I don’t think there’s much evidence that he would give up anything just to coach at Kentucky just because he would occasionally flatter us as a rival coach.

Even if he were somehow interested, I also feel like he’s a bit overrated by his fan club. He’s a good coach, but not the contend for a championship yearly kind of great coach he’s sometimes hyped up to be. He was at Auburn for 11 years and really only had one dominant team that deservedly made the Final Four. Besides that, he only made it out of the second round once. If that didn’t happen to be a bit of a fluke Final Four run with a 5 seed that survived New Mexico State by 1 point before going on an improbable hot streak, I feel like he’d probably be looked at differently.

I feel like his actual greatest skill was that although it could come off as corny at times to us, he was able to make a lot of noise and generate fan enthusiasm at places that historically haven’t been basketball crazy. That’s not actually a problem we need to solve though. I feel like a lot of our fans would actually be at least mildly disappointed by the actual on court product if he came here. There’s better, younger options out there to try and get us back to championship contention.
 

JDHoss

Heisman
Jan 1, 2003
16,584
40,296
113
Pearl is just a carnival barking jackass in my opinion. His teams play hard and stupid. Shot selection is usually complete trash.

I have always viewed him as a scumbag no matter where he coached. If he didn’t make the 2019 Final Four his career isn’t super impressive in terms of postseason success. He’s also recruited a nice sample size of punks and turds over the years.

I will remember him more for having a losing record against Clyde and being Cal’s b—ch for a number of years.

He would be an upgrade over Pope, but supporting him would make me feel dirty.
bUt hE gOt iN tRuBbLe OvEr a CoOkOuT!!1!!!!!! Yep, Slimy Bruce has had issues at every stop. Besides, do the people who clamor for Donovan, Pearl, Stevens, Wright, etc. not stop to think that maybe if they wanted to coach college basketball, that they'd still be coaching college basketball.
 

ukcats12

Freshman
Mar 23, 2024
43
71
18
I don't know how anyone looks at what Pearl ended up doing at Auburn with his son and think he was even close to a realistic option. He was going to stay at Auburn and retire there because his son was the coach in waiting. He wasn't leaving Auburn for another SEC school to coach against his son, and he wasn't leaving Auburn in a way that would jeopardize his son's position after he left. Just because they guy said some complimentary things about UK doesn't mean he was ever thinking of coaching here.

Nobody will like to hear this, but the bridge coach was Cal. That was my argument the last couple years because there was never a clear cut replacement. My concern was always that we were going to be rolling the dice on someone unproven, and if you miss with that you do it again. And if you miss again you're quickly Indiana. Well it looks like we've got the first miss under our belt. We've seen time and time again how blue blood programs don't attract coaches like they did 20 years ago. UNC just learned it, too. And on top of all of that Mitch was the one who was going to be leading the coaching search...

Cal obviously lost a step and wasn't the Cal of his first decade here. To be fair no one would be because that was a generational run. But Mitch should have done with a good AD does and smoothed things out between Cal and the boosters, put his ego and dislike for Cal aside and just swallowed his pride. Seeing what Cal could do with highly ranked recruiting classes and a few key transfer pieces each year for a few years until there was a couple clear cut replacement candidates was the path to take.

Before anyone yells at me and says Cal left on his own, yes he technically did. But the entire environment around the program was a gigantic factor in that and Mitch did nothing to help things. Mitch had been largely antagonistic to Cal since Cal got here and never wanted him to be the coach anyway.
 
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FLBBNFAN

All-Conference
Mar 25, 2025
1,145
2,263
113
Funny how you guys ALWAYS talk about who you don’t want the as the next head coach, but NEVER offer up who you think should be the next head coach…

And I’d bet $5 that neither you nor the poster that you were responding to will do just that!

So, let’s hear it… Who is your guy’s top candidates to replace Pope once his services are over?
I remember all the tight **** saying the same nonsense about Cal. Funny how we never heard that complaint again about the program needing to be lily white once Wall and the gang committed to us. You play to win and Pearl, Pitino etc are winners . Stokes and Kinney would be here if we had Pearl or someone like him who coaches their a** off.

I'm tired of reliving 2012 , 98 and 96. Those were great times but how about we start winning at an elite level again. BBN doesn't need to quiet down but rather we should be impossible to ignore for a coaching change this spring if the team lays another egg.

We have the most passionate fanbase, plenty of NIL money so any coach who isnt a timid cuck would love to coach here. Just like coaches would crawl over glass to coach Duke and any other blueblood program. The fanbase isnt the problem.
 
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Feb 3, 2025
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I'm fine with Pearl being our coach. Also tbh it'd be nice to have AIPAC on our side as apparently they are flushed with cash and could help our NIL.
 

ukcats12

Freshman
Mar 23, 2024
43
71
18
Just like coaches would crawl over glass to coach Duke and any other blueblood program.
Why do you guys still think this is true? It hasn't been true in a long time and is even less true now. UNC just saw this and needed to go to a fired NBA guy. No big name college coach wanted the job. You can argue all you want that technically only Drew and Hurley turned us down, but Oats put out a statement that he was happy at Bama and Pearl wasn't leaving Auburn when he was just about to hand the reigns over to his son. Nobody big wanted this job in 2007. Calipari is the only big name who's wanted it over the last two decades plus. But yet everyone always says so and so would crawl over broken glass to come here but nobody actually does it.

Blueblood status is not a draw in 2026. It's more trouble than it's worth when you can just as easily win a title at a place like Florida or Michigan.
 

bnewt

Heisman
May 29, 2001
9,011
11,268
113
Bring in Pearl for 2 years. That isn't an absurd premis with the NIL today. We know a coach can build a contender in 3 months.

If he succeeds great, keep doing it until he doesn't have any gas in the tank, He will be a gatekeeper until we get the coach we want.

He already walked away from coaching so both UK and him are playing with house money at that point. He'd most likely come in on a year to year with little buyout, and he will probably be happy just saying he was the coach of Kentucky on his resume.

obviously I'm projecting alot here but he seems to me to be a perfect short term solution.
Pearl would be perfect to unite the fan base
He plays a fast, high scoring game. His team's play hard. He can recruit.
He knows and loves the game.
He is the polar opposite of Pope in all phsas
 
Mar 21, 2006
145
205
43
Pearl would have been a good bridge hire (at the time) instead of Pope as we transitioned into a young passionate guy on the rise. Not the answer, but someone to get the program on solid foundation again. He's not the hire now, even though he would crawl on glass to Lexington if you asked him to.
I gurantee he would coach his butt off, and the players would play hard or they would be on the bench.
I don't know how anyone looks at what Pearl ended up doing at Auburn with his son and think he was even close to a realistic option. He was going to stay at Auburn and retire there because his son was the coach in waiting. He wasn't leaving Auburn for another SEC school to coach against his son, and he wasn't leaving Auburn in a way that would jeopardize his son's position after he left. Just because they guy said some complimentary things about UK doesn't mean he was ever thinking of coaching here.

Nobody will like to hear this, but the bridge coach was Cal. That was my argument the last couple years because there was never a clear cut replacement. My concern was always that we were going to be rolling the dice on someone unproven, and if you miss with that you do it again. And if you miss again you're quickly Indiana. Well it looks like we've got the first miss under our belt. We've seen time and time again how blue blood programs don't attract coaches like they did 20 years ago. UNC just learned it, too. And on top of all of that Mitch was the one who was going to be leading the coaching search...

Cal obviously lost a step and wasn't the Cal of his first decade here. To be fair no one would be because that was a generational run. But Mitch should have done with a good AD does and smoothed things out between Cal and the boosters, put his ego and dislike for Cal aside and just swallowed his pride. Seeing what Cal could do with highly ranked recruiting classes and a few key transfer pieces each year for a few years until there was a couple clear cut replacement candidates was the path to take.

Before anyone yells at me and says Cal left on his own, yes he technically did. But the entire environment around the program was a gigantic factor in that and Mitch did nothing to help things. Mitch had been largely antagonistic to Cal since Cal got here and never wanted him to be the coach anyway.
I have always thought Barnhart was the reason Cal pretty much said the hell with it at UK.
 

BookofMormon

All-Conference
Mar 27, 2026
1,344
1,763
113
Dumb, Pearl ain't coming. Dude is happy in the booth with TNT, why would he come to UK?

Who actually wants the job is going to be a BIG question. I would look at established coaches on the ascent who want to win titles, in dire NIL situations. Hell, while institutionalized, why not tap Painter? Guy is playing with tier 6 money, has ZERO chance of getting close to another title game with that and is leaking oil with mid major talent at Purdue. Great coach, great developer.

Oats, McCollum, Otzlerberger are others. McCasland is probably happy with good NIL at TT. I'm not sure what Odom has.
 

CutNets

Junior
Jan 13, 2026
113
277
33
I just don’t think it’s reasonable to judge a college basketball coaches success solely off a one and done tournament.

Historical shows sustained regular season dominance over a long time will lead to ncaa tournament success.

30 win seasons. Conference regular season titles. 1 seeds. To me those are a better indicator of whether or not you should pursue or keep a coach.

I do agree that in the current landscape a coach worth keeping at a place with level of investment of Kentucky will be able to accomplish those things very quickly.

For me it’s 3 years. And that’s only if their first 2 seasons arent like Kenny Paynes at Louisville. There has to be SOME success in the first 2 years. Pope has at least made the tourney and an S16.

I’m one more ugly loss before december away. and i’m not saying wait till the end of the season. Say we drop one of these home buy games or get blown out by IU or Virginia or something. that would be it. Conversation happens the next day. Followed by a press conference announcing Mo Williams is taking over in the interim while we start the search.


This is fair, and you're probably right. Unfortunately, the masses won't judge off of anything except tournament results.


Keep in mind, it could work the other way as well. Coach has so-so regular season, even below standard, but the team turns it on in the post-season and makes a run to the final four.
 

RunninRichie

Heisman
Sep 5, 2019
30,278
73,229
113
Everytime I read a fellow fan say “who wants to come here, nobody wants the job” I cringe so hard. Stop reading ESPN writers who graduated from UNC and Duke, and watching field of 68.


Do you guys watch college football at all? Kiffin just left Ole Miss for LSU, Deboer was in the title game at Washington and left for Alabama. It’s just so dumb. Yeah, what hungry coach would want to coach, at a program with 20+ million dollars in NIL every year, unparalleled fan support, and all the resources you could need to win. All because the fanbase is too mean. Please get a grip guys. Mitch’s propaganda “nobody wanted the job! we offered everybody!” is BS as well. We offered Drew, he accepted it but his wife didn’t want to leave Texas. We offered Hurley, he said no. Pope was then hired. That’s Mitch being an awful AD, not the UK job being unattractive.
 

FLBBNFAN

All-Conference
Mar 25, 2025
1,145
2,263
113
Why do you guys still think this is true? It hasn't been true in a long time and is even less true now. UNC just saw this and needed to go to a fired NBA guy. No big name college coach wanted the job. You can argue all you want that technically only Drew and Hurley turned us down, but Oats put out a statement that he was happy at Bama and Pearl wasn't leaving Auburn when he was just about to hand the reigns over to his son. Nobody big wanted this job in 2007. Calipari is the only big name who's wanted it over the last two decades plus. But yet everyone always says so and so would crawl over broken glass to come here but nobody actually does it.

Blueblood status is not a draw in 2026. It's more trouble than it's worth when you can just as easily win a title at a place like Florida or Michigan.
The same reason Kiffin went to LSU so the same reason there would be a number of guys who would come here . Money, rabid fanbase and winning tradition. All that still counts. Stoke didn't go to a scrub school to just make money. He went to KU for their history , fanbase and a coach with two rings.

For sure guys like Drew didn't come her and that is good because its takes a certain mentality to coach here and a certain mentality to not be intimidated.

UNC got a guy who has a recent NBA ring as a coach. You dont think that appealed to Henry and probably Rosser. Then add in Nil funding and a good fanbase . Malone may absolutely kill it there. Pope has none of that experience. Some of you all act like BBN is a abused wife with no self worth.
 
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