Does anyone else think Pope will do this?

wildcatmac9999 said:

I know the game has changed in the last 20 years. Doesn't mean that I like any of the changes what so ever. Then with NIL everything changed agains. Again i do not like it. That is why i rarely watch sports now days. Everything is always about money. The game for the most part is watered down today. It has "studs" that would never see the court on a top program from 20 years ago. But in todays watered down sports. I guess they are studs.

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Those are two different arguments. When I was coming up, kids stayed at the same school for four years and keeping and developing kids over four years into a team is what mattered.
I have no idea if Pope will get a third year. I do think one thing a lot of people miss, is how much kids improve from one year to the next, especially when they are in the same system. So while bringing 8-9 of this years kids back next year doesn't appeal to a lot of folks, it surely does to me, because not only will those kids all improve(some will take huge jumps), but the whole will improve by playing together again. We do need to add 2-3 dudes, if it is Stokes and a couple of kids from the portal, fine, but if that happens, and we have good health, I think we could have an outstanding team next season

cornbreadnmilk said:

I'm convinced some people like Pope only because he's not Cal. The later Cal years sucked arse and so does Pope. It's doesn't have to be one or the other.

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That’s possible. Can’t rule that out

wildcatmac9999 said:

I know the game has changed in the last 20 years. Doesn't mean that I like any of the changes what so ever. Then with NIL everything changed agains. Again i do not like it. That is why i rarely watch sports now days. Everything is always about money. The game for the most part is watered down today. It has "studs" that would never see the court on a top program from 20 years ago. But in todays watered down sports. I guess they are studs.

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Those are two different arguments. When I was coming up, kids stayed at the same school for four years and keeping and developing kids over four years into a team is what mattered.
I have no idea if Pope will get a third year. I do think one thing a lot of people miss, is how much kids improve from one year to the next, especially when they are in the same system. So while bringing 8-9 of this years kids back next year doesn't appeal to a lot of folks, it surely does to me, because not only will those kids all improve(some will take huge jumps), but the whole will improve by playing together again. We do need to add 2-3 dudes, if it is Stokes and a couple of kids from the portal, fine, but if that happens, and we have good health, I think we could have an outstanding team

Ukwazoo3 said:

This is not what I want to happen or what should happen. This is what I feel like will happen.

I think Pope will try to keep absolutely everyone that can come back. He doesn't recruit well and he has no one coming in. You know he probably wants continuity, just based on his personality and comments.

Aberdeen, Oweh, & JQ are gone, obviously.

I think the rest of the players...it will legitimately be up to them if they want to come back or not. I don't think Pope has it in him to be a hard *** and tell certain people to move along.

The top players that could say no thanks:
-Mo
-Jasper
-Jelly
-Chandler (back to Utah/BYU possibly)

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Everyone keeps forgetting Potter & Hawthorne in the Next year scenario

Pope will try to keep everyone. Otherwise, he admits he was wrong making the roster the first time.

Lowe ( 2 )
CC (2) , JJ ( 3)
KW (2) Noah (2), Hawthorne(4)
MD (1), AJ (3)
MM( 3) , BG( 1) , RP (2)

Thats 11 players , with eligibility years left in brackets. That leaves 4 spots OPEN. He will try to combine either some HS or portal studs.

be ready for at least 4 booms.

UKCowboys said:

Those are two different arguments. When I was coming up, kids stayed at the same school for four years and keeping and developing kids over four years into a team is what mattered.
I have no idea if Pope will get a third year. I do think one thing a lot of people miss, is how much kids improve from one year to the next, especially when they are in the same system. So while bringing 8-9 of this years kids back next year doesn't appeal to a lot of folks, it surely does to me, because not only will those kids all improve(some will take huge jumps), but the whole will improve by playing together again. We do need to add 2-3 dudes, if it is Stokes and a couple of kids from the portal, fine, but if that happens, and we have good health, I think we could have an outstanding team

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In my view of things. Pope is a better bench coach than Cal ever was here. But recruiting is about 75% of coaching. If you have bad talent. Then no matter how good a coach you are. You will not win. Pope proved last year that he can bench coach. The wins over Duke and Zaga proved that to me. When he coached circles around them. While i am on the replace Pope as HC train. I know he can coach. As i have seen it. Pope is having a hard time relating to top talent. As for the portal. I do not see top talent there. I see a system that needs to sort it's self out to be what it is. There to plug holes in for a team. Not to build a team from the ground up. Top pleayers from top schools that do not go pro. Do not leave that top school. That school pays them to stay there. Then the coach recruit freshmen and portal to build around the remaining team. Not build a team from scratch. In a way Pope was delt a bad hand from the start with 0 players. And then getting a late start at a new school. So he had to take what he could when he got here. Which hurt this year. Because he had so many players that was playing their last year of college. Leaving the program almost where it was when Pope got here.

cornbreadnmilk said:

I'm convinced some people like Pope only because he's not Cal. The later Cal years sucked arse and so does Pope. It's doesn't have to be one or the other.

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If Cal is the Anti-Christ to them then Pope is their Jesus. People legitimately have a blinding hatred for Cal that they’re desperately putting every positive emotion into Pope’s coaching tenure, deluding them in the process. Not only is it unhealthy, but it’s killing Kentucky basketball.

JwUKFan11 said:

Those weren’t the ones I want back just how I see Pope seeing it. For me it’s CC, Moreno, Kam and Jelavic (if he wants a similar role). I don’t hate the idea of Lowe but again none of the returners matter IMO if we aren’t getting drastically better players coming in from portal/HS.

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You’re nuts if you don’t want Hawthorne back. You do know who he is..correct? Lots of potential.

NociHTTP said:

He didn't "fail miserably". It's his second year, taking over a program that was already decimated thanks to Cal. You know this, but that doesn't fit your narrative. Next year he'll have to step up his game.

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How was our program decimated under Cal, when we lost to St Peter’s we were the top #2 seed with the national player of the year. Against Oakland UK was a 3 seed, the same as Pope was last year. You could argue that Cal’s last two years were much better than Popes first two minus the two NCAS upsets.

Ky_Bred_Cat said:

The team needs upgrading across the board.

Guard - need big upgrades, especially defensively at point and more depth even if Lowe returns

SG that can...shoot, and create. Chandler can only shoot. And JJ may or may not grow up by next year.

SF - need to replace Oweh, needs to be a shooter as well as a slasher

PF - need size (height and strength) that can shoot. Mo D alone isn't enough, neither is Williams

Center - Moreno is a nice finesse piece but also must have a bruiser

Not too much to ask for...

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Those are gotta haves. If Pope can't deliver that next year, then it's on him 100%.

Ky_Bred_Cat said:

The team needs upgrading across the board.

Guard - need big upgrades, especially defensively at point and more depth even if Lowe returns

SG that can...shoot, and create. Chandler can only shoot. And JJ may or may not grow up by next year.

SF - need to replace Oweh, needs to be a shooter as well as a slasher

PF - need size (height and strength) that can shoot. Mo D alone isn't enough, neither is Williams

Center - Moreno is a nice finesse piece but also must have a bruiser

Not too much to ask for...

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Nah man, we were fine, it was just the injuries, haven’t you heard.

theKybluedude said:

You’re nuts if you don’t want Hawthorne back. You do know who he is..correct? Lots of potential.

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Yep also want him. Just don't include him since nothing this year would have influenced me one way or another.

JwUKFan11 said:

I agree but I am 90% sure that ship has sailed. There were rumblings early in the year from his dad, recently from his Uncle and it took a last minute NIL bump to even get the commitment.

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JJ leaving is a foregone conclusion.

UKCowboys said:

I think he will bring nearly everyone back, sign Stokes and a couple of portal studs and be top 10 all season next year

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In a perfect world, Stokes replacing Oweh would be ideal.

Hitman206 said:

In a perfect world, Stokes replacing Oweh would be ideal.

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Yeah, that would change the dynamic of the team completely

Farsight Clone said:

Imagine him under an elite coach. I think Jasper would be a good 2nd or 3rd man scorer

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I agree

Farsight Clone said:

Imagine him under an elite coach. I think Jasper would be a good 2nd or 3rd man scorer

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There is some talent, just Ned's someone to bring to the surface