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Pope - Largest Roster Rebuild in Program History

philstat

philstat

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Jan 3, 2004
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I don’t believe it’s hyperbolic to suggest Pope may have the largest roster rebuild in program history, outside of Chandler, Moreno and Hawthorne, it’s a complete rebuild from the ground up. The three I mentioned aren’t going to truly move the needle either, he has not secured the necessary HS talent and is going to be 100% reliant on the portal. I honestly can’t blame top tier talent for not wanting to play for him, he’s mediocre, at best and was never known to build and develop talent. We’ve beat two marginal teams over the past two days though ultimately we’re in shambles and are shell of what we once were. Would have been better to actually lose our opening SEC tournament game IMO and get ready for next season in many ways, would’ve likely forced change, now we relive another season like this all over again. He seems like a great person, though we need an apex predator as our coach, that was RP and JC his first five years or so and he’ll never be that!
 
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USARMYWILDCAT

All-Conference
Jan 11, 2016
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Diggers_Matching_Highlighter_rivals62132 said:
If I am being honest, I dont want to see any players from this team return.
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I have to disagree. Marino, Chandler, Williams and Hawthorne are good building blocks for a roster next year. Neither of those four need to be the star of the team but they would be very good complementary players. Even though he’s super frustrating to watch, I believe Johnson needs to come back as well. He has talent and I would hate to see that talent be put on showcase somewhere else. If you can put a couple of stud transfer portal guys around that core. Possibly add Stokes, I don’t think that’s gonna happen but you never know. On paper that would probably be a pretty good team next year. The problem is the man that is leading them. Pope himself needs to make some changes in himself and with his staff in the off-season. He needs to bring someone in, to specifically run the defense. He needs to take the Andy Reid approach. Worry about leading the team and running the offense. Leave the defense to someone else that knows what they’re doing.
 
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UKGrad24

UKGrad24

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Johnnie Africa said:
Seeing as how Pope is getting a 3rd year I will be cheering on Kentucky to win every game. If that bothers anyone you can kiss my ***.
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Me too, will always want UK to win it’s in my blood. I have kids watching that haven’t gotten to see dominant UK basketball. One is 11. It’s ridiculous.

And we just barely escaped 2 bottom beeders, and now they’ll likely see Florida kick our teeth in again. I’m going to be there and I’m in it, but Mark cannot stay here 3rd year or not. I’m still amazed everytime I look at this, can’t get over it. Mark wasn’t qualified to be an assistant here. I don’t know how this was allowed. I’m worried he pulls something out and makes a little run and we’re like well 2 years 2 sweet 16’s. Then another crappy season and we’re like well gotta give him year 4 can’t get rid of back to back sweet 16 coach!

All we can do is hope for the outcome that’s going to get Kentucky back to Kentucky. At least Barnhart is gone that’s something.
 
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philstat

philstat

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Jan 3, 2004
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Rainmaker said:
Several of our guys are on 2 year NIL deals, we will get more back than those 3. His first season he had the largest rebuild ever, can’t possibly have to replace more than he did then.
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Disagree, none of the players he currently has on this roster are going to get us to the next level, they are foundational players at best, we have zero elite level talent currently on this team or recruited for next season.
 
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philstat

philstat

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Johnnie Africa said:
Are you saying that I enjoy mediocre things? If that’s the case let’s compare our lifestyles and we can see who enjoys being mediocre. If you’re talking about my hobby of Kentucky basketball, then I certainly don’t enjoy us being mediocre, but I sure as hell would love to see us win today.
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I would as well, though these last two games were fool‘s gold, IMO, it‘ll be borderline miraculous if we win today
 
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Johnnie Africa

Johnnie Africa

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philstat said:
I would as well, though these last two games were fool‘s gold, IMO, it‘ll be borderline miraculous if we win today
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I agree, which kinda makes it entertaining, hopefully we don’t have many instances where we are the massive underdog with nothing to lose, but might as well embrace it while we can. Unless you think you pouting will cause Barnhart to fire Pope, in which case I hope you have that much power
 
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philstat

philstat

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Johnnie Africa said:
I agree, which kinda makes it entertaining, hopefully we don’t have many instances where we are the massive underdog with nothing to lose, but might as well embrace it while we can. Unless you think you pouting will cause Barnhart to fire Pope, in which case I hope you have that much power
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I just see the reality, mark it down, we get throttled today, lose opening round of NCAAT or at best second round, rinse and repeat for a marginal season next year, we fire his ***, he walks away with millions to some mid tier school, it’s where he belongs. Then we start rebuilding in a fourth season vice a third. Hope to be brutally wrong.
 
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Johnnie Africa

Johnnie Africa

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philstat said:
I just see the reality, mark it down, we get throttled today, lose opening round of NCAAT or at best second round, rinse and repeat for a marginal season next year, we fire his ***, he walks away with millions to some mid tier school, it’s where he belongs.
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So it is, and so it shall be. And hopefully in 5 years it’ll be a blip on the radar.
 
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Smeegs

All-Conference
Nov 19, 2025
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The most daunting roster rebuild in UK history will ALWAYS be Pitino when he took over In 1989 …simply because he had to do it the old fashioned way, and in the face of crippling sanctions.

No rebuild that happens in today’s NIL/Portal era …when big budget school can simply instantly buy themselves a competitive roster …will ever compare to that.
 
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MegaBlue05

MegaBlue05

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Mar 8, 2014
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philstat said:
Let’s see what you say after today’s game and next week…
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That’s why they play the games.

And if we get drubbed today and don’t make it out of next weekend, I won’t hurl myself off a bridge. I will write it off as a mediocre season and move on with my otherwise good life. I have seen plenty of these seasons in my time on Earth.

Pope will be back next year, and if it’s worse than this one, we move on in April 2027 and start over again. All the pissing and moaning in the world won’t change that because we’ve never fired anyone after two years who made the tournament both years and didn’t embarrass the program off the court.

I am just along for the ride, and it’s been a bumpy one so far.
 
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UKSanders

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Aug 27, 2007
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philstat said:
I don’t believe it’s hyperbolic to suggest Pope may have the largest roster rebuild in program history, outside of Chandler, Moreno and Hawthorne, it’s a complete rebuild from the ground up. The three I mentioned aren’t going to truly move the needle either, he has not secured the necessary HS talent and is going to be 100% reliant on the portal. I honestly can’t blame top tier talent for not wanting to play for him, he’s mediocre, at best and was never known to build and develop talent. We’ve beat two marginal teams over the past two days though ultimately we’re in shambles and are shell of what we once were. Would have been better to actually lose our opening SEC tournament game IMO and get ready for next season in many ways, would’ve likely forced change, now we relive another season like this all over again. He seems like a great person, though we need an apex predator as our coach, that was RP and JC his first five years or so and he’ll never be that!
Click to expand...

Smeegs said:
The most daunting roster rebuild in UK history will ALWAYS be Pitino when he took over In 1989 …simply because he had to do it the old fashioned way, and in the face of crippling sanctions.

No rebuild that happens in today’s NIL/Portal era …when big budget school can simply instantly buy themselves a competitive roster …will ever compare to that.
Click to expand...


This isn't even the most daunting rebuild of Pope's career at UK. IIRC, he had exactly ZERO returning players when he was hired, and there was ONE committed recruit.

How can anything be more than replacing 100%???
 
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UKGrad24

UKGrad24

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Johnnie Africa said:
Are you saying that I enjoy mediocre things? If that’s the case let’s compare our lifestyles and we can see who enjoys being mediocre. If you’re talking about my hobby of Kentucky basketball, then I certainly don’t enjoy us being mediocre, but I sure as hell would love to see us win today.
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That’s a round about way of asking….what do you do for a living!

I always look for it. You rarely disappoint.
 
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*Fox2Monk*

*Fox2Monk*

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Diggers_Matching_Highlighter_rivals62132 said:
If I am being honest, I dont want to see any players from this team return.
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I’d like Moreno, Chandler, Williams, and Hawthorne/Potter to return at least. That is at least a core that could be a decent team with 4-5 Top tier portal guys. The issue is getting the right ones who can actually carry a team and fit together. Get more shooting too.
 
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UKGrad24

UKGrad24

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As long as everyone agrees that simply winning a few good games, making sweet 16’s, finishing5-9 in the SEC doesn’t change what we do here then I’m fine. Where I get worried is like yesterday, we beat 2 scrubs teams by a thin hair and people were coming out ready to explode in joy. Not everyone and the usual suspects tempered it a little, but they wanted to run naked down the street you could tell.
 
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philstat

philstat

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UKSanders said:
This isn't even the most daunting rebuild of Pope's career at UK. IIRC, he had exactly ZERO returning players when he was hired, and there was ONE committed recruit.

How can anything be more than replacing 100%???
Click to expand...
Because now he’s going to have to toughen up and actually get rid of some of the current players and refuse to allow them to return, outside of his comfort zone, he didn’t have that responsibility his first year.
 
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Eagles_Ball_69

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Dec 19, 2003
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TrueBluePhil said:
We are playing in a tournament right now and will be in the big dance next week. Can we just stop with the Pope Bashing and the team for a few weeks so the rest of the BBN can enjoy the games as well. This constant bickering doesn't accomplish a dam thing
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I think you can enjoy the ride (I totally am) and be critical of the coach and the job he's done (I totally am). There's zero reason you can't do both. It's almost weird that people can't. It doesn't have to be one or the other.
 
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UKSanders

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Aug 27, 2007
277
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philstat said:
Because now he’s going to have to toughen up and actually get rid of some of the current players and refuse to allow them to return, outside of his comfort zone, he didn’t have that responsibility his first year.
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That's fair...I would probably still argue that trying to put together the team from nothing after the season was over may be a little tougher, but you have a point that it may actually be tougher to "encourage" some guys to move on b/c this isn't the best fit
 
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Eagles_Ball_69

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Smeegs said:
The most daunting roster rebuild in UK history will ALWAYS be Pitino when he took over In 1989 …simply because he had to do it the old fashioned way, and in the face of crippling sanctions.

No rebuild that happens in today’s NIL/Portal era …when big budget school can simply instantly buy themselves a competitive roster …will ever compare to that.
Click to expand...
This is gospel. I giggle when people talk about "rebuilds". All the excuse makers for Pope talk about his late hire and blah, blah, blah...There were over 800 players in the portal when he got hired. And he was a sitting P5 head coach (had his own recruits). That "rebuild" got vastly overvalued.
 
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catfanlou

All-Conference
Jul 6, 2005
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TrueBluePhil said:
We are playing in a tournament right now and will be in the big dance next week. Can we just stop with the Pope Bashing and the team for a few weeks so the rest of the BBN can enjoy the games as well. This constant bickering doesn't accomplish a dam thing
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Thank you for your post . Totally agree . Many times I have thought negative posters on here are just trolls trying to hurt our program.
 
S

SBKY

Senior
Jan 20, 2011
359
625
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Rainmaker said:
Several of our guys are on 2 year NIL deals, we will get more back than those 3. His first season he had the largest rebuild ever, can’t possibly have to replace more than he did then.
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That's unfortunate.
 
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