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It’s time to get real

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four_every_hour

Sophomore
Mar 13, 2026
56
162
32
It’s time to be real about pope. This is something that should be fireable. Whenever he talks to a recruit, they change their minds.

I’m tired of all the rumors here. Let’s use common sense. He has Rob Wright on campus, that’s an easy get. Rob leaves campus. Common sense is that he’s not coming here.

Stokes comes to Kentucky, he’s been hanging his decision in everyone’s face. Common sense is that he doesn’t want to come to Kentucky. Obviously doesn’t like pope. His issue is that Nike and adidas is a conflict. If Kansas was a Nike school it wouldn’t even be a question.

Every single recruit that is interested in Kentucky becomes uninterested as soon as they meet with pope.
 
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2

20MRoster

All-Conference
Nov 16, 2018
773
1,443
88
Blue till I die said:
Do you realize, so far none of the guys we were targeting this week have picked another school?

Let it play out before you lose your crap
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This is true. BUT -- other schools just text kids and they sign. We have kids that are supposedly 100% before coming here and have reservations AFTER the visit. It's supposed to be the other way around. There's clearly an issue here, with a common denominator over the past two offseasons.
 
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Woodrow24

Heisman
Dec 21, 2015
6,382
15,454
78
I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a coach get fired over having trouble with recruiting before. Not taking up for anybody, I’m just saying I haven’t seen it and wouldn’t think that would ever happen. If Pope doesn’t do better and finishes where he did last year, he won’t be back after next season. We will just have to wait and see how things go while the portal is open and see what our record is next season.
 
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four_every_hour

Sophomore
Mar 13, 2026
56
162
32
Woodrow24 said:
I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a coach get fired over having trouble with recruiting before. Not taking up for anybody, I’m just saying I haven’t seen it and wouldn’t think that would ever happen. If Pope doesn’t do better and finishes where he did last year, he won’t be back after next season. We will just have to wait and see how things go while the portal is open and see what our record is next season.
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Yeah I’ve never seen it but it should be the case here. If kids are visiting they’re obviously interested. And as soon as they talk to the coach they’re no longer interested? At that point you’re hurting the university
 
W

Woodrow24

Heisman
Dec 21, 2015
6,382
15,454
78
four_every_hour said:
Yeah I’ve never seen it but it should be the case here. If kids are visiting they’re obviously interested. And as soon as they talk to the coach they’re no longer interested? At that point you’re hurting the university
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As fast as time goes by it won’t be long and we will see what’s going to happen.
 
CrimsonCats_rivals

CrimsonCats_rivals

All-Conference
Mar 22, 2022
1,658
3,389
61
It’s really bizarre at this point. I would assume the players have some level of contact with Pope before going through the trouble of a campus visit, so I’m not sure the broad answers like “he’s goofy” sufficiently explain it for me. I’d love to know what he’s specifically saying or doing on these visits that seems to be stopping recruitments in their tracks even when they have momentum up that point.

The other possibility in my mind is that whatever other faults he might have, it’s not all Pope. I still wonder based on some of what we’ve heard over the past several months if the basketball part of the recruitment isn’t going reasonably well with some of these guys only for then to balk when it comes time to finalize the details of their NIL payout with JMI.
 
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yoshukai

yoshukai

Heisman
Dec 21, 2002
29,706
42,037
102
20MRoster said:
Really seems like he came here to set his son up for a payday. Doesn't seem like he came here as the ace recruiter
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I mean , is there an ace recruiter on the planet that can overcome the Mark Pope effect? Nike has helped us with Stokes more than any player we’ve recruited. They’ve helped us with Stokes the way they help Duke with every recruit.

And Mark Pope STILL can’t close the deal !

Its ridiculous!
 
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BookofMormon

Sophomore
Mar 27, 2026
115
109
18
yoshukai said:
I mean , is there an ace recruiter on the planet that can overcome the Mark Pope effect? Nike has helped us with Stokes more than any player we’ve recruited. They’ve helped us with Stokes the way they help Duke with every recruit.

And Mark Pope STILL can’t close the deal !

Its ridiculous!
Click to expand...
Maybe he needs to put on Enter Sandman during his visits.
 
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J

JustBlue

Junior
Mar 29, 2009
209
364
63
CrimsonCats_rivals said:
It’s really bizarre at this point. I would assume the players have some level of contact with Pope before going through the trouble of a campus visit, so I’m not sure the broad answers like “he’s goofy” sufficiently explain it for me. I’d love to know what he’s specifically saying or doing on these visits that seems to be stopping recruitments in their tracks even when they have momentum up that point.

The other possibility in my mind is that whatever other faults he might have, it’s not all Pope. I still wonder based on some of what we’ve heard over the past several months if the basketball part of the recruitment isn’t going reasonably well with some of these guys only for then to balk when it comes time to finalize the details of their NIL payout with JMI.
Click to expand...

Any agent worth his or her salt has to know the details of how JMI works before recommending Kentucky to whoever they are representing as a possible destination. So they are still interested in UK. Until they visit. Something is amiss.

JB
 
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MidseasonTweak

MidseasonTweak

Heisman
Mar 1, 2020
9,463
15,131
113
CrimsonCats_rivals said:
It’s really bizarre at this point. I would assume the players have some level of contact with Pope before going through the trouble of a campus visit, so I’m not sure the broad answers like “he’s goofy” sufficiently explain it for me. I’d love to know what he’s specifically saying or doing on these visits that seems to be stopping recruitments in their tracks even when they have momentum up that point.

The other possibility in my mind is that whatever other faults he might have, it’s not all Pope. I still wonder based on some of what we’ve heard over the past several months if the basketball part of the recruitment isn’t going reasonably well with some of these guys only for then to balk when it comes time to finalize the details of their NIL payout with JMI.
Click to expand...
JMI is a curse
 
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cocheese51

cocheese51

Freshman
Dec 12, 2022
47
55
16
MidseasonTweak said:
JMI is a curse
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The whole situation is a Cluster F—k! I was listening to the LA Dodgers GM Andrew Friedman being interviewed a while back and he said it was his goal to make the dodgers a “destination point team culture” a couple of years ago from top to bottom.

The perception and reality of the (UK) coach and program is nowhere close to that, honestly it’s polar opposite and don’t see any hope that it will become that!

The phrase “perception is reality”is meant for were we are at as a 2026 basketball school and most of it has been self-inflicted!

Time to cut bait, the fat lady is singing!
 
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2

20MRoster

All-Conference
Nov 16, 2018
773
1,443
88
yoshukai said:
I mean , is there an ace recruiter on the planet that can overcome the Mark Pope effect? Nike has helped us with Stokes more than any player we’ve recruited. They’ve helped us with Stokes the way they help Duke with every recruit.

And Mark Pope STILL can’t close the deal !

Its ridiculous!
Click to expand...
All facts, my brother. Comedy and tragedy rolled into one.
 
UKGrad24

UKGrad24

All-American
Apr 2, 2024
2,894
7,069
100
Pensacola_Cat_Fan said:
Oh good. Another post just like the other 23 on the front page. Very original of you.
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Yes, Kentucky fans, who have a dud head coach, are creating threads about MISSNG OUT ON ALL RECRUITS and looking at another dud season. Threads about the Complete tarnishing the program and becoming a back end SEC program.

What did you come here looking for? Some of of you just can’t handle being so flat dead wrong about this hire that you try and reverse it into a bitchfest about threads.
 
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UKGrad24

UKGrad24

All-American
Apr 2, 2024
2,894
7,069
100
20MRoster said:
This is true. BUT -- other schools just text kids and they sign. We have kids that are supposedly 100% before coming here and have reservations AFTER the visit. It's supposed to be the other way around. There's clearly an issue here, with a common denominator over the past two offseasons.
Click to expand...
Nobody wants to play for a soft, cringe, 12 year horrid record coach. They meet him and it’s worse than they thought. They pick up the phone because it’s Kentucky. It’s obvious what the problem is.
 
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BlueManchu

Sophomore
Apr 13, 2026
108
153
33
UKGrad24 said:
Nobody wants to play for a soft, cringe, 12 year horrid record coach. They meet him and it’s worse than they thought. They pick up the phone because it’s Kentucky. It’s obvious what the problem is.
Click to expand...
How do you know what is like when "they" "meet him"? Are you and Rainmaker the same person?
 
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