Guys, and gals if there are any that come here, we all know the problem. We have skirted the issue a thousand times. This partnership with JMI is the reason that no sane coach would come here. Thus we wound up with a dude that is so far over his head he doesn’t realize it. And it’s not his fault. He was setup to fail here by a stubborn, misguided, controlling AD. There is no way in hell that a kid is going to come here and relinquish his right to make his own deals. No agent out there is going to steer a kid into such a clusterfock. I think we have seen enough evidence over the last year. Top 5 kids have (had) us on their list, only to look elsewhere once they get the details of how this mess works here. I don’t know how much more needs to e said but until we free ourselves of this terrible Athletic Director and this horrible partnership, we will continue to sink to depths we’ve never experienced here. As we speak they are searching for his clone as the replacement. And don’t even get me started on the nepotism. The situation is right in front of us. We need a complete overhaul of the athletic department, this deal with JMI needs to be squashed and we need leaders that know how to operate in today’s world. Until this happens, just prepare yourselves for more bad news.
The ELEPHANT in the room
- Thread starter KentuckyFan1965
- Start date
You MAY be right. I admit to not fully understanding how detrimental the JMI deal is and I realize the possibility that it was mainly done by corrupt Mitch to gain him $ and favors.
But nonetheless, your title is incorrect. An elephant in the room is something that is so obvious but people keep looking away afraid or unwilling to address it. There is nothing deliberate about our avoidance of JMI - we are not embarrassed to discuss it. I think most people are like me; we don't know enough about it to speak intelligently. So, it may be an issue, but it is not an elephant in the room. And it matters. What you want to do is bring more attention to it and clearly help people understand why it hamstrings the program (if indeed the case).
But nonetheless, your title is incorrect. An elephant in the room is something that is so obvious but people keep looking away afraid or unwilling to address it. There is nothing deliberate about our avoidance of JMI - we are not embarrassed to discuss it. I think most people are like me; we don't know enough about it to speak intelligently. So, it may be an issue, but it is not an elephant in the room. And it matters. What you want to do is bring more attention to it and clearly help people understand why it hamstrings the program (if indeed the case).
Questions need to be asked. KSR runs this board. This should be the main focus on here. Nothing is more important than completely analyzing the constraints this partnership has put on the program and not just from a player standpoint. Hell the entire coaching staff got up and left.
I don't know how much it is affecting things, but it definitely isn't helping. But if it's detrimental to recruiting, it's Pope's job to bring attention to that. Since he hasn't (at least publicly), I'm guessing it's mainly a Pope problem.
The AD is going away, just not soon enough. The JMI deal is not until at least 2040 (deal was valued at $465 million through 2040). The money is not bad, and I am not 100% sold that JMI is as a whole. What bothers me about the JMI deal is indeed the nepotism. That needs to be solved ASAP as the husband/wife needs to pick a side. Transparency also is lacking. Overall, JMI is a net financial benefit to UK, UCLA, Utah, Pitt, UCSD, Rose Bowl, Notre Dame, Rupp Arena, SDSU, etc. The issue when it comes to our MBB program is we do not have a good salesman (HC) paired with JMI. Sure, there are rumors JMI limits NIL opportunities for athletes, but if we pay them more gross and show them a path to win/advance the "kids" don't care.
Whole situation just needs to be refined and cleaned up. I sure hope the next AD and MBB HC get this shite ironed out.
Whole situation just needs to be refined and cleaned up. I sure hope the next AD and MBB HC get this shite ironed out.
JMI is only a problem to matt jones. They smacked his *** down so he blames them for everything. Football, women's basketball and baseball have no such issues with JMI. Let Pope coach those teams and he will have a "JMI" issue.
JMI could be the biggest asset UK has if used properly. Players take less money to go elsewhere. That's not on JMI.
JMI could be the biggest asset UK has if used properly. Players take less money to go elsewhere. That's not on JMI.
Which begs the question, "Who signs a deal until 2040 w/o knowing it's a good working relationship?"
You only do something like that if it benefits you or others in power. They're definitely getting kickbacks and lining their pockets.
Name me a player that took less? Every kid we hit with a pay cut this year up and left in a minute.
And this isn’t about Matt Jones. Hell I think he’s in bed with them too. This is about restricting a players right to earn.
We all know you for the JMI mole you are and have been since you joined last year
And there it is! The good ole’ JMI excuse card!
Yep, we are screwed, might as well sign Pope to a contract that runs parallel with JMI, since none of his blunders are his fault!
Rumor has it, it was also JMI’s fault that Pope couldn’t recruit and win at BYU as well, and they are also the reason he dropped out of Med School, and the reason why Pitino NEVER offered him a coaching job!
If I ever suck at something, I’m playing the JMI card as well!
Yep, we are screwed, might as well sign Pope to a contract that runs parallel with JMI, since none of his blunders are his fault!
Rumor has it, it was also JMI’s fault that Pope couldn’t recruit and win at BYU as well, and they are also the reason he dropped out of Med School, and the reason why Pitino NEVER offered him a coaching job!
If I ever suck at something, I’m playing the JMI card as well!
Even MJ said the JMI situation is improving this morning on the show.
JMI has never been the issue.
If you are approached with a pay cut then you know your role is being diminished also.
That's why they left.
I want UK football to do well and win the national championship.
That being said, imagine how it would go over with the "football first" folks if I created an account named UKBasketball78, and then went into every football thread and tried my best to defend and prop up a clearly failing football coach that lost every big time recruit he was after coming off a blowout loss to end the season. They would want me banned and the basketball program shutdown or stripped of every NIL dollar.
That being said, imagine how it would go over with the "football first" folks if I created an account named UKBasketball78, and then went into every football thread and tried my best to defend and prop up a clearly failing football coach that lost every big time recruit he was after coming off a blowout loss to end the season. They would want me banned and the basketball program shutdown or stripped of every NIL dollar.
Seems like a lot of JMSpies inhabit this board. Looks like we need to find some former players and talk to them or some guys that were recruited to come here but were told to go elsewhere by their agent. Is 1 + 1 =2 even correct on this board?
1 — We’ve been bitching about that shtty JMI deal constantly. That’s not an elephant in the room.
2 — That deal was inked more than a year after Pope got hired. How in the Sam Hill did you get things so turned around in your head you thought it was that deal that limited our options and forced us to hire Pope?
2 — That deal was inked more than a year after Pope got hired. How in the Sam Hill did you get things so turned around in your head you thought it was that deal that limited our options and forced us to hire Pope?
I do recall one of the early targets turning us down and specifically saying that JMI was a major issue.
I assume the new AD will get to the bottom of JMI. For now lets keep the the focus on one of the worst coaches in our programs history and probably one of the worst coaches in the SEC.
Then explain how we had visits lined up here from top talent all over the world yet a few months later you couldn’t drag a dead dogs *** in for one.
Matt Jones just said today on his show that the JMI deal for basketball side of things is mostly fixed, so it has to be something else. I believe I read that Moreno's people said that JMI was great to work with this time around
Correct, the limiting outside opportunities restriction was hurting basketball deals. It appears to have been fixed.
Which leads me to wonder some other things...
The big difference in basketball and football recruiting was most of football was guaranteed rev share money deals to players where JMI was only involved in small amounts of NIL or none at all in a few cases. Basketball has much smaller portion of that Rev share pot to promise to players and rely on NIL more to get players.
I still think there is more to it though (not just JMI), and not just Pope either. You could give most of the guys (and gals) on this board a 20 million dollar NIL budget to spend for UK's roster and they wouldn't miss on players at the rate Pope is/has. Yall mean to tell us that NO 5 star wants UK's money? That we can't throw an offer out so much higher than everybody else that they come here even if they don't like Pope or think he's goofy?
There's a dollar amount most people on this board would accept to do some sketchier stuff than commit to play basketball for Mark Pope. lol So how in the world has he not landed a single one with UK's resources even if he is weird?
Why do I have to explain anything? You said the JMI thing caused Pope’s hiring. The JMI thing wasn’t inked until 15 months after Pope was hired. Time doesn’t work like that.
Pope might not be the best recruiter, but JMI has tied both hands behind his back. It works well for average players, no 5 stars will come here though. It's a tough tough situation and people will run Pope off only to beg a D2 or D3 coach to come. It's a bad situation, mostly because it was designed around the idea that there were going to be rules passed by congress. Newsflash, there are no rules. UK is the only one operating in this way.
Agents are generally lawyers, lawyers aren't going to let their clients sign anything worthwhile away. UK is still good to run up the bid but the big boys ain't buying it.
Any body that signs a long term deal in all of the uncertainty over NIL is a fool or a crook.
Any body that signs a long term deal in all of the uncertainty over NIL is a fool or a crook.
UGA is as well, but they didn’t sign over their soul like my b$tch Mitch did.