Toggle sidebar

How much money does Pope have to spend? How much has already been spent?

MaysviileKY

MaysviileKY

Senior
Jul 17, 2025
402
504
93
I’ve posted this in a couple of threads but I think they got buried pretty quick. So, I will post separately. What are your thoughts? Does Pope really have a decent amount more to spend?

This is what I believe…


I posted this before, but I don’t think UK has as much as people think. The Stokes money (at least a portion 3-4mil) was only for Stokes. That’s no longer available…I think maybe it was agreed that it could be moved to Momcilovic but that’s it.

Here’s what I think they’ve spent based on what people have posted.

Moreno, Kam, Hawthorne, Noah, and Potter = $5.5 mil

Zoom + Williams + N’Diaye + McBride + Morton = $9.5 Mil

Freshmen Hawthorne and Williams $.5 mil

That totals $15.5 mill. Even if that’s off by $1 -1.5 mil, my guess is that Pope only has about $4 mil left. That’s why he’s bargain shopping in Europe.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cat_Man_Blue
U

UKCowboys

All-American
Oct 14, 2019
4,112
7,312
113
MaysviileKY said:
I’ve posted this in a couple of threads but I think they got buried pretty quick. So, I will post separately. What are your thoughts? Does Pope really have a decent amount more to spend?

This is what I believe…


I posted this before, but I don’t think UK has as much as people think. The Stokes money (at least a portion 3-4mil) was only for Stokes. That’s no longer available…I think maybe it was agreed that it could be moved to Momcilovic but that’s it.

Here’s what I think they’ve spent based on what people have posted.

Moreno, Kam, Hawthorne, Noah, and Potter = $5.5 mil

Zoom + Williams + N’Diaye + McBride + Morton = $9.5 Mil

Freshmen Hawthorne and Williams $.5 mil

That totals $15.5 mill. Even if that’s off by $1 -1.5 mil, my guess is that Pope only has about $4 mil left. That’s why he’s bargain shopping in Europe.
Click to expand...
All hypothetical. You have absolutely no clue what the actual numbers are and neither does anyone else
 
  • Like
Reactions: KOF98, Bluetick2100, TeamAmerica and 3 others
U

UKFootball78

All-Conference
Sep 1, 2013
977
1,505
56
MaysviileKY said:
I’ve posted this in a couple of threads but I think they got buried pretty quick. So, I will post separately. What are your thoughts? Does Pope really have a decent amount more to spend?

This is what I believe…


I posted this before, but I don’t think UK has as much as people think. The Stokes money (at least a portion 3-4mil) was only for Stokes. That’s no longer available…I think maybe it was agreed that it could be moved to Momcilovic but that’s it.

Here’s what I think they’ve spent based on what people have posted.

Moreno, Kam, Hawthorne, Noah, and Potter = $5.5 mil

Zoom + Williams + N’Diaye + McBride + Morton = $9.5 Mil

Freshmen Hawthorne and Williams $.5 mil

That totals $15.5 mill. Even if that’s off by $1 -1.5 mil, my guess is that Pope only has about $4 mil left. That’s why he’s bargain shopping in Europe.
Click to expand...
You're basing what you think based on what other people think which is based on nothing but rumors and speculation. No one knows what being paid to anyone. It is not reported or public info. It's laughable all of you take random posts and treat them as gospel,when the truth is all those social media posters don't know a damn thing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KOF98, TFCat11 and ftp000
MaysviileKY

MaysviileKY

Senior
Jul 17, 2025
402
504
93
True that no one may know exact amounts, but there are people that know what the market/players are asking.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: philstat
MaysviileKY

MaysviileKY

Senior
Jul 17, 2025
402
504
93
Anyone with a guess of how much Momcilovic would ask if he stays in college? 5 mil?
 
Tri-Countycat

Tri-Countycat

All-Conference
Jul 1, 2025
1,712
4,212
113
Well I think the mismanagement of funds last year has really hurt his budget. If I were a booster, I certainly wouldn’t have been happy about the JQ situation. The boy could have played, regardless of what some may say, his dad pulled him because of poor coaching and usage. Plus Pope overpaid for 3rd tier guys and everyone knew it. I feel like Pope has some oversight on spending now, somehow and someway. You could tell when Goose was talking about it at the end of the year how the budget was gonna be less and you could tell by the tone of his voice, he was concerned then.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kywildcat1021979
U

UKBB4Ever

All-Conference
Jul 3, 2025
2,039
3,576
113
Pope has an unlimited budget. He had an unlimited budget last season and bought a good group of players.

I believe it was the number 2 ranked class.

He did nothing with it. He doesn’t coach well. He doesn’t coach guys up. He has no discernible offensive or defensive plan.

The announcers at every game say UK is being “outworked”.

Then other games UK just doesn’t show or just quits when they do.

The best players can get paid anywhere. They want no part of what Pope is doing.

He can get players that aren’t going anywhere after college and thus is the best job they will ever have playing basketball.

But he doesn’t go after those guys.

When Travis Perry left his dream school last year for less money it should have been seen for the sign it was.

UK doesn’t have a money problem. UK doesn’t have a JMI problem.

UK has a Pope problem.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JustBlue, kywildcat1021979, The Space Happy Cat and 1 other person
T

TouchdownKy

Freshman
Apr 26, 2011
69
59
18
Travis Perry wants to play starter like minutes which is why he transferred again this year. He wasn't going to do that at UK and apparently didn't see the desired role at Ole Miss either.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wildcat_53
UKJenning

UKJenning

All-Conference
Mar 27, 2022
892
2,532
57
The problem is other schools are stepping up
And matching UK’s offers and most players don’t seem to connect with Pope and staff.

Pope blew it this past year with a blank checkbook.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kywildcat1021979
S

Smeegs

All-Conference
Nov 19, 2025
837
2,394
93
MaysviileKY said:
That’s why he’s bargain shopping in Europe.
Click to expand...
No, the reason why he’s shopping in Europe is because the shelves in America are now nearly empty. Other than maybe Momsilivic, there ain’t many good items left to shop for here.

The best hope coaches have at this juncture …at least if they want difference making talent …is to try to convince overseas pros to give CBB a try.
 
Last edited:
PastorofMuppets82

PastorofMuppets82

All-Conference
Mar 4, 2025
495
1,054
93
Things get muddy when people try to put a dollar amount on how much UK "spent" in NIL because it isn't as simple as Pope writing a check for $3 million to a player which seems to be hard for some people to grasp (through no fault of their own).

There is A LOT of valuation items within NIL (especially at UK). Part of your NIL "value amount" might be a car/truck, plus a paid for apartment or condo, plus a country club membership, or a season tickets to such and such, or something as cheesy as "free food for a year from X number of local restaurants." All of these things have "value" that add into the total NIL number. So there is actually less cash involved in that $3 million number than most would initially assume. This isn't exclusive to UK. Agents don't like it though because it's hard to get a piece/percentage of a car for instance. UK has a nice amount of cash, but it is not bottomless. And Pope does have less this year and a budget, but that shouldn't make him strike out at the rate his is striking out.

Is Pope bad at this? Yes. Is JMI part of the problem? Yes, to an extent. Does UK have a blank checkbook to sign players? No, not even close. We certainly could, but most donors aren't just lighting money on fire to help Pope recruit a mid major roster anymore.
 
C

CatFanMan66

Freshman
Feb 4, 2022
71
81
18
UKBB4Ever said:
Pope has an unlimited budget. He had an unlimited budget last season and bought a good group of players.

I believe it was the number 2 ranked class.

He did nothing with it. He doesn’t coach well. He doesn’t coach guys up. He has no discernible offensive or defensive plan.

The announcers at every game say UK is being “outworked”.

Then other games UK just doesn’t show or just quits when they do.

The best players can get paid anywhere. They want no part of what Pope is doing.

He can get players that aren’t going anywhere after college and thus is the best job they will ever have playing basketball.

But he doesn’t go after those guys.

When Travis Perry left his dream school last year for less money it should have been seen for the sign it was.

UK doesn’t have a money problem. UK doesn’t have a JMI problem.

UK has a Pope problem.
Click to expand...
You have a double line spacing problem
 
  • Like
Reactions: UKBB4Ever
RoyKent

RoyKent

Heisman
Feb 3, 2015
23,009
33,252
66
I do not doubt that Pope is spending money. I just believe he is spending it in a dumb way because he has no idea what he is doing. He way overpaid guys last year and it looks like they are doing it again this year.
 
F

Farsight Clone

All-American
Aug 30, 2025
2,842
5,642
103
It doesn't matter how much. Why?

Because players take less to go to other schools.

No one wants to play for Pope.
 
E

Eagles_Ball_69

All-American
Dec 19, 2003
4,251
5,815
82
MaysviileKY said:
I’ve posted this in a couple of threads but I think they got buried pretty quick. So, I will post separately. What are your thoughts? Does Pope really have a decent amount more to spend?

This is what I believe…


I posted this before, but I don’t think UK has as much as people think. The Stokes money (at least a portion 3-4mil) was only for Stokes. That’s no longer available…I think maybe it was agreed that it could be moved to Momcilovic but that’s it.

Here’s what I think they’ve spent based on what people have posted.

Moreno, Kam, Hawthorne, Noah, and Potter = $5.5 mil

Zoom + Williams + N’Diaye + McBride + Morton = $9.5 Mil

Freshmen Hawthorne and Williams $.5 mil

That totals $15.5 mill. Even if that’s off by $1 -1.5 mil, my guess is that Pope only has about $4 mil left. That’s why he’s bargain shopping in Europe.
Click to expand...
Matt said about the same thing on KSR yesterday. He went through the numbers and it's about $14M currently. There's about $4M left.

Yes, I know the numbers are "guesses"...but Matt's basing it off of the market and what he knows some of the players have asked for. It's not chiseled in granite, but a reasonable person can navigate through it and come up with a reasonably close number. Those that want to make excuses and pump will tell you we don't know the numbers because we don't see the contracts. And, technically, they would be correct. But honestly, I didn't need to see Barry Bonds or Mark McGwire stick a needle in their buttocks to know they were juicing either.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom