I read an interview with Few a few years ago and he seems to think he’s in heaven coaching at Gonzaga. I done think he’d ever consider another job.
VIDEO: Where Does Big Blue Nation Stand On The Future Of Mark Pope
- Thread starter I’m The Village Idiot
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Right, but we all know he's getting a 3rd year and he is smart enough to know what he needs to fix, it won't be easy to pull off, but I'll say this, he won't be outworked and I believe these last two years have been a bigtime learning experience for him.
If he doesn't fix the issues and year 3 is another failure, it's over and I don't think anyone will disagree.
But I don't understand why so many are kicking the guy while he's down. I mean, there's some serious hate being thrown Pope's way. I don't think he deserves that.
The problem is who is going to want to be coached by a guy that’s probably going to be fired the end of next season? Pope is getting a 3rd year, but everything that’s happening from a recruiting standpoint point is dooming him to failure. He’s a deadman walking. There is nothing he can do short of pulling Stokes in last minute to change the outcome of next year. For as much as we’ve lamented by this team and past year’s team for lack of talent, next year will be even worse.
School and a more loyal fan base gave him a fair chance and it paid off.
Very true. What we need to do is give Pope more time. Never mind that he wasn’t qualified and 30K showed up for his introduction and got behind him. We need to stay the course so we land the next Coach K. First he wouldn’t even be that, it’s nonsense to keep saying this stuff. Second he can’t even buy recruits duringNIL. These situations are nowhere near the same. I get it you really want Pope. But he can’t stay because he can’t recruit and can’t win.
Do some of you listen to yourselves? Focus on the program and quit attaching a coaches face to it. Then you’ll likely see we’re in bad shape.
I just want him to get a fair chance. Build a team with players that truly relate to him and vice versa and listen to his message. Not a bunch of money mercenaries. Those aren’t the players he wants or needs. Change his recruiting to get those types.
1.5 years with having his whole team for only 10 games during that time isn’t a fair
Evaluation. I was pleased with the Sweet 16 result last season.
This year not so much but it’s not over and I truly think he’s learning this is tough job and requires a tough guy. I liked his outburst yesterday. They did get cheated and he finally boiled over. Finally realized it’s UK and BBN vs everybody. Like Cal said screw with us and we’re gonna burn your village down. Toughen up Mark. Nobody’s gonna feel sorry for you or UK. Watched a similar episode with Joe Hall that changed his trajectory.
I honestly think the last years of frustration with Cal is bleeding over to Pope. The impatience and hunger to get back in the national picture. If Cal had retired after a FF and Mark took an empty roster which then was crippled with injuries to the Sweet 16 I don’t think there is any fan distress.
1.5 years with having his whole team for only 10 games during that time isn’t a fair
Evaluation. I was pleased with the Sweet 16 result last season.
This year not so much but it’s not over and I truly think he’s learning this is tough job and requires a tough guy. I liked his outburst yesterday. They did get cheated and he finally boiled over. Finally realized it’s UK and BBN vs everybody. Like Cal said screw with us and we’re gonna burn your village down. Toughen up Mark. Nobody’s gonna feel sorry for you or UK. Watched a similar episode with Joe Hall that changed his trajectory.
I honestly think the last years of frustration with Cal is bleeding over to Pope. The impatience and hunger to get back in the national picture. If Cal had retired after a FF and Mark took an empty roster which then was crippled with injuries to the Sweet 16 I don’t think there is any fan distress.
I agree 100%, one of those guys will say yes and they would absolutely murder it here.
None of those guys are coming here and why would they?
Nobody wants Oats anymore and are we really going to pine for Billy Donavan again and have him tell us NO for the 30th time? Talk about embarrassing.
Plus, BD is in the NBA ranks right now and he's older. Those older coaches are leaving college basketball, because NIL and recruiting are so much more difficult. The NBA is the better place to be and it's not close.
Pearl ain't too old. 99% of America has no problem voting for presidential candidates that are pushing 80. Which job is more demanding?
And we just had an 80 year old president that, at times, didn't know what his own name was. It looked like he was the dead guy in, Weekend at Bernies, so I'm not sure your analogy works like you think it does.
Then you go to Oates, who I think would be the best option anyway.
Also, Mitch can’t/shouldn’t be the one doing it. Nobody worth a damn will say yes to him. I’m sure he repulses anyone he’s in a room with. Hire someone to hire a coach lol.
Normally I would agree with this, but last year Hubert Davis was on the hottest of hot seats to keep his job and he landed Caleb Wilson. There was no promise Davis would even be able to coach this year or if this was his swan song year. Caleb Wilson saved Hubert's career. Now he's got what, Mingo coming in, more 5 star recruits. From the outhouse to job security with one recruiting win.
Nobody wanted to follow Cal the HOF coach with his NBA pipeline of guys and his championship plus multiple F4's.
Things are different this time around. The expectations have been tempered and BBN desires to regain it's relevance. We've sucked long enough. They'll be someone ready to take on the challenge now and get paid handsomely. Whoever can help KY regain national prominence will become a coaching icon.
Things are different this time around. The expectations have been tempered and BBN desires to regain it's relevance. We've sucked long enough. They'll be someone ready to take on the challenge now and get paid handsomely. Whoever can help KY regain national prominence will become a coaching icon.
Oats is the best and most realtistic option. Lloyd would be awesome but that's a pipe dream
And most of this board doesn't want Oats.
The bottom line is, there really aren't very many good candidates out there and all of them have their own faults.
I agree. What had Pope done before this job, not much. I really like like your list.
$$$
Nobody wants Oates? Whatever. Buy the stock at a discount, absolutely. But if none of those 4 work out, there are still 50 better guys than Pope for the job.
Why do you simpleton's keep doing this? You can rebuild a roster in the portal/NIL era in about 10 minutes. Prior to that, yes, it took time.
Speak for yourself I’d gladly take Oats over the coach that finished 6th last season and is currently 9th in the SEC
In a down year Nate Oats is going to have Alabama as a 4 or 5 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Oats hate is crazy on here just because people can’t put personal feelings aside. He’s a winner and one of the best coaches in college basketball. I don’t care that he tried to bring a G League player in. If Pope did the same in January with all the injuries you’d support it.
Dude...He's the name that immediately comes to my mind whenever this topic is brought up. I know all the holier than thous probably have already blasted you for this (I haven't scrolled down yet)...but for real, that dude would kill it at UK. And truthfully, another year or two of Pope and the boosters are probably desperate enough to pull the trigger on him too.
He recruited, signed, and PAID those "money mercenaries".
If you were pleased with getting housed in the S16 to a team they had beaten twice earlier, that's a you problem.
His "outburst" wasn't an outburst. He cried to his AD after being in front of a microphone and sounded like a toddler doing it.
I don't understand why some are so against Oates. I don't know if he would come but I think the guy would kill it here.
I don’t trust hiring a coach with the name Tommy Lloyd. You may be hiring the coach from Arizona or you could be hiring a scammer from West Benghali. It’s a 50/50 proposition.
Oats isn't a realistic option unless his world has changed dramatically from 2 years ago
He shut it down quick, Bama ponied up the money and Kentucky is not in his plans.
Pope is back next year unless he wants out, I firmly believe that so all this who can we get stuff is irrelevant.
He shut it down quick, Bama ponied up the money and Kentucky is not in his plans.
Pope is back next year unless he wants out, I firmly believe that so all this who can we get stuff is irrelevant.
Pearl was the perfect hire 2 years ago. By the time Pope gets canned he’ll be too old.
I’d love Oats personally. But don’t you think a lot of the same things people complain about with Pope apply to Oats as well?
I’d love Oats personally. But he’s basically just a better Mark Pope:
- Offensive mastermind but defenses are regularly too bad to be a true contender.
- Loses double digit games very frequently.
- Believes in analytics further than Pope, doesn’t even allow his players to shoot midrange (which I love.)
- Pretty stoic on the sidelines, although he will shout time to time and get animated.
- Everyone complains about mister 6-7 Mark Pope and Oats has a career winning percentage of 69 (nice).
Personally, I’ll take Oats , but I don’t get the anti-Pope people wanting him. Their offensive systems are even predicated on the same pace and space philosophy. The key difference is Pope’s offense doesn’t rely as much on continuity ball screens as Oats and Oats will enforce a higher tempo.
Oats is a way better recruiter. He could bring in talent. Took Alabama to a final four. Imagine him at Kentucky with $22,000,000 to build a roster
Haven’t we done that before? Yeah but once they get to Kentucky…. Nope, you’ll all be doing the same thing people do with Pope — bring up his freaking midmajor records and say “that’s who’s he’s always been.” Just be consistent. If you do it to your own coach, you should do it to others as well. I like Oats — would gladly take him. Not for a second going to pretend y’all won’t be complaining that we are Indiana the first time he lost 12 games or gets blown out. By the way, Oats gets blown out a lot as well
Oats won a NCAAT game at Buffalo. Pope never did that at Utah Valley or BYU. He's also shown he can recruit. This is the one thing that he's proven. Pope never showed he could recruit or win in the post-season. Those were serious questions. It's not like Oats is unproven and we are relying on UK to help him in those areas.