Can Pope quit tomorrow!

Rick Honcho

All-Conference
Apr 19, 2011
1,432
1,377
103
Mark Pope is a genuinely very nice person. Uber bright as well. There’s no doubt in my mind he would be incredibly successful coaching at a place like Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon or one of the Ivy schools. But my assessment continues to be that Mark Pope simply doesn’t have the ability or credibility to relate with the overwhelming portion of today’s P4 players. That’s not a criticism of him as a person. And from the outside looking in it seems pretty obvious.
 
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Laparkafan

All-American
Sep 5, 2004
13,945
9,712
93
Why would McCollum leave Iowa?
I’m just grasping at straws he can coach.

Looking at UNC it’s clear the blue bloods can’t just poach top coaches like they used to.

Jai can recruit and coach.
McCollum can coach and has a system with the guys he knows can fit into it.
 

Damage_inc

Senior
Oct 4, 2019
438
780
91
Dude out here on every post “I’m not a fan of Pope” but keeps sucking him off when someone posts something bad about him.
Show me one post where I am sucking off pope. I
Have been dragging him for longer than you’ve had an account son. But I will be fair. I won’t lie to support my narrative. I won’t overreact because I’m an adult. Now go back to playing fortnight kid.
 

Rosie66

Sophomore
Jan 12, 2026
52
112
33
We can’t get any top recruits or transfers?

Can we just be over this failed experiment and save some wasted NIL money and go after a big name next year and pick from the crop?

Jai Lucas
Ben McCollum
Literally anyone with a decent resume
This board would be much better if guys like you would quit the board tomorrow. Leave Pope alone and let him coach the team.
 

JayEzzy

Freshman
Oct 31, 2023
47
83
16
Remember when Tubby had the ten loss tubby nickname - at least he won a championship and could get to the elite 8 - this is far worse
Yeah i remember when Demarcus made his comments about how far the program had fallen before cal took over, in an argument with Rondo no less, it really rubbed me the wrong way. Tubbys last 2 teams were just as good as this team. If you go back one more year you have an elite squad that almost made a final 4. So 5 years removed from an elite 8 when cal took over…and the 2 years before that were even better just fell short- not bad looking back. Ten losses or not tubbys teams could play and I never remember sitting through a winter of blowouts like we’ve seen lately.
 
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Laparkafan

All-American
Sep 5, 2004
13,945
9,712
93
This board would be much better if guys like you would quit the board tomorrow. Leave Pope alone and let him coach the team.
Oh ya what’s your contribution?
I’m sure you’re soft and can’t handle criticism!
Haha you joined 3 months ago but you have a say on the state of this board that’s funny!
Also nobody asked you to reply.
 

Laparkafan

All-American
Sep 5, 2004
13,945
9,712
93
Yeah i remember when Demarcus made his comments about how far the program had fallen before cal took over, in an argument with Rondo no less, it really rubbed me the wrong way. Tubbys last 2 teams were just as good as this team. If you go back one more year you have an elite squad that almost made a final 4. So 5 years removed from an elite 8 when cal took over…and the 2 years before that were even better just fell short- not bad looking back. Ten losses or not tubbys teams could play and I never remember sitting through a winter of blowouts like we’ve seen lately.
Well said I completely agree - those teams never gave up. If Bogans didn’t get hurt could have been another f4 or better.
 
Sep 21, 2006
1,205
65
48
If we had our roster complete and then a few more great players enter the portal people would be saying why did we have to be in such a hurry to fill our roster.
 

Beatle Bum

Heisman
Sep 1, 2002
41,583
63,453
113
I can sometimes predict which posters were the guys in college who could not hold their beer. Two lite beers in and they were crying about some girl or chasing some girl from the party or taking their clothes off right before they puked.
 
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bnewt5

Senior
Feb 17, 2026
402
497
63
I think maybe the bigger problem is that there isn’t really enough top tier talent in the portal to fix this mess. Like we need at least two guys as good as Oweh and one of them really needs to be better. Who are they? Kansas, UNC, Duke, Michigan- everybody needs studs and a new roster so the ones that exist are gonna be tough to land. Just don’t see it working outside of a miracle, and considering we have a heretic with bizarre beliefs in charge of our program I have a hard time seeing miracles pour down on us 😅😅
Plenty of talent available
Just need someone to sign it
 

philstat

All-American
Jan 3, 2004
10,422
8,307
56
It really does make one wonder what’s he going to do to fill out the roster, come Monday 50% of the top 25 portal players will be gone. He had the #9 PG, whom many of the elite schools aren’t even going after and he didn’t secure his commitment after spending an entire day with him. Maybe that happens tomorrow, who knows.
 

Beatle Bum

Heisman
Sep 1, 2002
41,583
63,453
113
Plenty of talent available
Just need someone to sign it
There are apparently no insiders revealing notes. Those with inside info in the past are just guessing like the rest of us. Some actually need to play the role of journalist now. This staff is quiet.
 

bnewt5

Senior
Feb 17, 2026
402
497
63
Stokes and Wright, and the Saint Mary’s or Syracuse forward type talents. I’d be hopeful with that. I really wanted Hill from VCU. Love his game.
That would be great but Pope can not land that type of talent and goes in circles until the well is dry. Maybe all of the pope defenders will be happy when uk is on the division II level
 

Resignmarkpope

Sophomore
Mar 13, 2026
182
143
43
Remember when Tubby had the ten loss tubby nickname - at least he won a championship and could get to the elite 8 - this is far worse
Pope’s only been to 1 sweet 16 ever, and loses ten games 9 out of 11 seasons of coaching. Pope’s winning percentage in the SEC after 2 seasons is .556! Terrible hire! Worst hire in the history of Kentucky basketball!
 
Feb 22, 2026
138
434
63
It’s not panic time yet but we are in a super precarious position. High-impact needle-mover type players are starting to come off the board quick. We’re not even in contention for guys like Juke Harris or John Blackwell. Our returners were nothing more than average this season. Malachi looked half as good as BG in March, Kam is a scoring wing that didn’t score much against good competition. They have potential but nothing is certain with them. Noah couldn’t buy a 3. Our only high school commit isn’t expected to be immediate impact, even though I do like his game.

Pope is basing everything around a recruit who is definitely elite, but has been wishy washy and hard to pin down the entire recruitment. We don’t have a single high level guard or stretch big to go to him and say “hey come and play with this guy, here’s how he’d help you get your game off”

There’s still a world where we land an elite backcourt, Stokes, Paulius to stretch the floor, and guys like Desean Goode, Jalen Cox, Isaac Celiscar and Eric Reibe to fill out the roster. That’d be a pretty damn good team. But I’d be lying if I said the nerves weren’t starting to set in.
 
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Laparkafan

All-American
Sep 5, 2004
13,945
9,712
93
You can whine ***** and moan he isn't going to be fired. It's just making you look bad, what team has fired coach after sweet 16 and round of 32... If you can't give me an answer just quit making us look bad.
Nah I just know what the standard is - I can’t help the admin won’t hold up their end.

Another low iq post.
 
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Feb 22, 2026
138
434
63
It’s not panic time yet but we are in a super precarious position. High-impact needle-mover type players are starting to come off the board quick. We’re not even in contention for guys like Juke Harris or John Blackwell. Our returners were nothing more than average this season. Malachi looked half as good as BG in March, Kam is a scoring wing that didn’t score much against good competition. They have potential but nothing is certain with them. Noah couldn’t buy a 3. Our only high school commit isn’t expected to be immediate impact, even though I do like his game.

Pope is basing everything around a recruit who is definitely elite, but has been wishy washy and hard to pin down the entire recruitment. We don’t have a single high level guard or stretch big to go to him and say “hey come and play with this guy, here’s how he’d help you get your game off”

There’s still a world where we land an elite backcourt, Stokes, Paulius to stretch the floor, and guys like Desean Goode, Jalen Cox, Isaac Celiscar and Eric Reibe to fill out the roster. That’d be a pretty damn good team. But I’d be lying if I said the nerves weren’t starting to set in.
Rob wright visiting with Stokes so i now have to walk this back lol