We have a starter that seems to be a high character young man saying our players are selfish and insinuating team chemistry is bad. The interview is all out in the open on this board. Most every UK fan has seen and said the same thing since the beginning of the season. That’s enough proof to for me to see that Pope isn’t even close to being capable to be successful. Also tells me this team is too selfish to wear the uniform. What more will it take for fans and the administration to see that we have a huge problem ?
Serious question- go easy on me
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I think fans all pretty much agree there is a problem already. Even the most casual fans agree on that. Pope isn’t the coach because of fan ignorance.
The chemistry has seemed much better in the last several games, and we are getting baskets on back-door cuts and playing team basketball. That doesn't preclude some players from playing selfishly, and I believe Otega deserves to play a little selfishly at times. This seems to be just an individual player personality problem because last year's team didn't play selfishly at all.
There have been team chemistry problems for most of the season. There have been spots where the Cats share the ball and look really good, but that's not consistent and doesn't happen often enough. I get that Oweh has talent and is great at times, but there have so many times this season that I've questioned him. He has made SO many silly "mistakes" and costly ones. I'll be happy for him to move on. If he had involved his teammates this season, it would have made things somewhat better.
The season basically started with some type of cryptic locker room issue in Louisville. It has been up and down ever since.
No one outside the program can say definitively that there is a chemistry problem, but there is enough smoke to suggest the presence of fire. If there is dissonance, that's the coach's job to resolve. Pope's hyperbolic, everything-is-wonderful approach doesn't seem to be a good fit for today's players. It's not 1996.
In the final analysis, Pope is a middle-of-the-road coach who has averaged 12 losses a year. He intellectualizes the game and apparently believes that analytics is the key to success. What's missing is a true "feel" for the game.
I've never seen so many open players ignored by the ball handler as this season.
I think the UL locker room incident was definitely an inflection point, but I think the worst thing to happen to the team and the program was the leaking of the alleged cost of the roster. Both "incidents" were very early on, early enough to be able to overcome them, but we haven't.
I think we're all in a bit of disbelief that Pope has been this bad. Its a gnarly situation because we all know the ONLY thing keeping the entire fanbase from being all-in on change is the fact that he's a beloved alumni. Without that caveat it would be quite brutal.
With Pearl out there for the taking, and rumors of Kansas ready to make a big push for Golden if Self calls it quits, along with Duke having great success with Scheyer (possibly on the cusp of a natty), it's disheartening to think we're up for another year of Pope.
I think we're all in a bit of disbelief that Pope has been this bad. Its a gnarly situation because we all know the ONLY thing keeping the entire fanbase from being all-in on change is the fact that he's a beloved alumni. Without that caveat it would be quite brutal.
With Pearl out there for the taking, and rumors of Kansas ready to make a big push for Golden if Self calls it quits, along with Duke having great success with Scheyer (possibly on the cusp of a natty), it's disheartening to think we're up for another year of Pope.
I'm not saying you're wrong, but last years team seemed to thrive with his coaching style. Maybe it's Pope or maybe the players this year were less responsive to his coaching style.
Also, at the start of the season, I think the players didn't get along and this caused the first half of the season to be much more difficult than it should have been.
Last years team thrived because of Amari Williams.
He was definitely a freak of nature with his passing and ball handling skills at his size. The rest of the team pieces also seemed to fit better last year.
And we have had injuries in the first two years of his coaching career at UK. Not to bring in the what if’s but we can dream like in 97 can you imagine a healthy DA against Arizona in the Championship game? 3-peat and maybe not 12 losses or more each season. Maybe-Maybe Not
Worst thing that happened to. our team was thumping #1 ranked Perdue ... they thought they were Gods gift to hoops. Then Gtown sticks it up our rear and its been drama / selfishness / lack of continuity ever since. Love to know what really happened at UL . Another sidenote , I want to love Jasper , got a soft spot for lefties ( D Fox is all time fav of mine) and JJ is really skilled scoring and getting a shot off ( poor Chandler needs an acre ) but JJ's ball handling and looseness with the ball has gotten so bad we cant play him ... WHY ? it wasnt that bad early on , now he's flat out a TO a minute . Even for a 2 guard his handle is loose. MD
When a team doesn't hustle or appear to try that's ALL on the coach. Even though the coach is not on the court he controls what happens on the court. Should be enough even for the casual fan to know Pope is the problem. Why is the so hard for people to comprehend??
I’ll all for Oweh driving downhill about any time, but don’t drive downhill into (2) seven footers when two people are standing wide open at the three-point line.
In 97 the Cats lost DA to the ACL in January. They made the title game. At the time DA was the SECs leading scorer.
Pope loses the 3rd team all ACC PG, a borderline 6th man who averaged 9 pts at Tulane last year, and a dude that he signed knowing there was a chance he'd never be able to play...and he lost 12 games, and will lose two more.
There's a pretty wide delta in those outcomes.
Agree Fuq,
Oweh has the most talent but is a poor distributor as he has tunnel vision when he drives, he only sees the basket. We would be lost without him but he can be selfish especially after he has scored several in a row. Maybe the most inconsistent UK team in recent memory, giving up huge runs and making huge runs in the same game or even half.
I like Jelly and think he will eventually be an important player, hopefully ay UK. Believe he was just stating the truth that no one else on the team would reveal. After the season will be interesting to see what comes out.
FWIW, I like your posts.
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That is not completely fair. Do I think he needs to be better at building the culture? Absolutely, but in this day and age when some players are making what you do, making players play hard and unselfishly isn't as easy as saying that is on the coach and everyone misses that. The coach doesn't have the power they once did, playing time doesn't even matter as much, they still get paid. Also, that is coach speak to a degree, it could be as simple as we need to pass better, it doesn't mean its everyone playing for themselves. In the beginning of the year, I would have said that to be true, but through all of our faults, I do think they have played as a unit better, with the understanding Oweh and Abeerdeen have the constant green light. Jasper Johnson is the only kid I see now that truly plays selfish. He is talented but he is weak as water and imo doesnt have his head on straight. I fully expect him to leave
I don't know that you can say that it's ALL on the coach this time. There are so many things that factor into this season. NIL money for one. The amounts were leaked, so players became aware of what the others were being paid, college kids are now treated and paid as professionals except they have no accountability. They still get paid for their contract, even if they are awful, decide to sit out games, etc. They don't have the same motivations. Kentucky is down 3 players that were supposed to be starters, so Kentucky is playing with a very different roster from what they anticipated and if you sit some of these guys for poor play, selfish play, etc. you are shooting your team in the foot by giving the even less players to work with. I do believe that Pope could have done things differently, but I don't know that this bunch would have responded. So many people are quick to throw all of it on Pope, but there's more going on. Pope had a good first year, despite injuries. A sweet 16 with a thrown together, last minute roster was an accomplishment, even though many people will not say that. No one expected Kentucky to make it that far in Pope's first year. Year 2 has been brutal. Injuries, infighting, etc. have just killed this team and it's really been hard to watch at times. If next season is a mess like this one; then there's no choice except to make Pope go, but I believe he deserves that chance. 1 bad season and you fire your coach? That's why people think Kentucky fans are unreasonable.
Never seen a player quite like Oweh, he can be great and hated in the same game. And then you throw in some saying he was missing free throws and shots intentionally, it sucks.
One thing I will say for Calipari, he seamed to get great kids, and they had respect for him. I always thought he done pretty damn good with all of those Ego's to deal with.
Not many Pope supporters left, there is still a small chance he either moves on and the new AD wants to go in a different direction.
I don't hate on the Pope supporters that are left, just people trying to be positive about the situation and there is nothing wrong with that. But even they could admit we got some major issues.
I don't hate on the Pope supporters that are left, just people trying to be positive about the situation and there is nothing wrong with that. But even they could admit we got some major issues.
And it was so obvious that there were problems, to many no pass, turn the head away from the open man looks this year. And it sucked, the coach has to take control and stop that kind of bulls.hit, he should have sit players from the start of it.
Most of us who haven't yet given up on Mark Pope do see the issues. I think our hope is that this year is an anomaly.
I hope that Pope can turn it around and succeed, I initially was disappointed when he was hired but enjoyed last season. I think he did a good job considering the circumstances. This year has been brutal. I believe the roster make up wasn’t good for cohesion, and that’s on the coach to get the right players to fit together and for his system. He might have to reevaluate the types of transfers he takes, they are all leaving their former team to have a bigger role. There was a reason why they didn’t have a bigger role on their previous team. But, you can’t win the Kentucky Derby with a donkey either. I hope that he can get a winning formula together or Kentucky is gonna fade into the sunset as far as being a regular power in basketball.
Fair enough. I get what you’re saying. I still think Pope tends to want to be their ‘friend’ similar to the way Joker was with the football team and Kenny Payne was when he was an assistant here. Being that way as an assistant is an asset but once you’re the man in charge it doesn’t seem to work. I don’t take sports as seriously as I did when I was younger. Life’s too short. But it sure seems like we’re heading in the wrong direction.
Bob knight said the biggest motivation is your *** on the bench. When the players get to play regardless of what they do on the court then you don’t have a coach. Sorry but this is unacceptable at any level. Please name another coach in the top 25 that would allow that?
Talking about Chandler, I don’t understand why they don’t have a set screen play for Chandler on the three point line. I remember Tubby using that a lot in 98 for several players and it was almost a bucket every time
No one said that's how it should be done, or even that that's how Pope wants to do it. My point is that he's already hindered by missing 3 starters, so he doesn't have a lot of roster to play with. Can you imagine the overreaction that would take place if he sat Oweh down because he's being selfish? I don't disagree with your point, but there's also the reality of what he's dealing with.
This year is an anomaly? Go look at Pope’s ENTIRE coaching career, and get back to me about this “anomaly” please… Folks, we are not “pretending” our way out of this mess.
One of the things that turned me against Cal was the way he handled Sharpe. JQ has played this staff and the mere fact he is on the bench while others work their A__ off trying to salvage a disastrous season is more of the same!
At this point I think we likely defeat LSU and Missouri and get blown out against Florida. We go in as a 7 seed and draw a tough 10 seed with the next game and even if we win that we then face a 2 seed to get out of the round of 32. And sadly that is where our season likely ends.
At this point I think we likely defeat LSU and Missouri and get blown out against Florida. We go in as a 7 seed and draw a tough 10 seed with the next game and even if we win that we then face a 2 seed to get out of the round of 32. And sadly that is where our season likely ends.
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Most of his entire coaching career was pre-NIL. According to many on this board, it isn't comparable to anything going on now. When I pointed out the fact that Hurley, Coach K and others struggled early in their careers, I was told it isn't comparable because it was "a different sport" pre-NIL. I don't expect anyone to agree with me, but I do expect to see consistent arguments.
So, with that said, do you think it is valid to say that even the greatest coaches struggle and go through periods of adjustments? In his first 12 years Hurley never made it past the round of 32 until he changed his coaching approach.
He has 12 years of coaching with this same record and results. At this point, if he even got close to our expectations, THAT would be the anomaly. He should have never even been considered for this job.
edit: I see your response to a similar response, so nevermind