ANONYMOUS POLL: How Confident Are You That Pope Is Going To Crush It
- Thread starter Im The Village Idiot
- Start date
Playing the middle for me. Year 1 exceeded my expectations. Year 2 failed to meet them.
I have seen good and bad. I hope Pope succeeds here but cannot say with authority either way if he will.
I have seen good and bad. I hope Pope succeeds here but cannot say with authority either way if he will.
Doesn’t surprise me to hear you say that. Exactly what I voted also.
Voted strongly doubtful. Somewhat close to pretty doubtful but after last seasons debacle and start of this seasons recruiting woes I’m filled with nothing but pessimism with pope.
More doubts than hope. He rarely has his teams prepared and that isn't a recipe to go deep n march.
Playing in the middle.
Pope’s got some very good players this year.
And he’s also got some very, very good players this year.
Our front court looks absolutely beast.
But. We are so underpowered at guard. Jerone Morton is our only actual guard who can really shoot and he’s a point guard without super inspiring point guard skills so when are we gonna have him on the floor to shoot AND he’s always shot at real low volume from distance compared to what we would need out of him anyway. Anybody happen to remember a guy who came in here having shot 46% from three the prior year and proceeded to shoot 21% from three for us? Morton’s volume certainly isn’t as low as Dioubate’s was but it’s a lot further in that direction than I’d like it to be for a guy with all that on his shoulders. That is, for a guy coming in as the only guard on our whole team who shot 33% from deep against college competition last year.
And then there’s the question of whether everyone can really learn their roles in our complicated system, which never came anywhere close to happening last year.
I’m still rooting hard for us to go far—hopefully even all the way. And most properly I am somewhat more optimistic than true 50-50. I wouldn’t have been here day in and day out for the past two decades if I weren’t wired that way.
But I sure do have my honest concerns and I sure do hope they get proven wrong. If we wind up with a back court that tears up the nation you will be happy making me eat crow but you won’t be any happier about it than me.
Pope’s got some very good players this year.
And he’s also got some very, very good players this year.
Our front court looks absolutely beast.
But. We are so underpowered at guard. Jerone Morton is our only actual guard who can really shoot and he’s a point guard without super inspiring point guard skills so when are we gonna have him on the floor to shoot AND he’s always shot at real low volume from distance compared to what we would need out of him anyway. Anybody happen to remember a guy who came in here having shot 46% from three the prior year and proceeded to shoot 21% from three for us? Morton’s volume certainly isn’t as low as Dioubate’s was but it’s a lot further in that direction than I’d like it to be for a guy with all that on his shoulders. That is, for a guy coming in as the only guard on our whole team who shot 33% from deep against college competition last year.
And then there’s the question of whether everyone can really learn their roles in our complicated system, which never came anywhere close to happening last year.
I’m still rooting hard for us to go far—hopefully even all the way. And most properly I am somewhat more optimistic than true 50-50. I wouldn’t have been here day in and day out for the past two decades if I weren’t wired that way.
But I sure do have my honest concerns and I sure do hope they get proven wrong. If we wind up with a back court that tears up the nation you will be happy making me eat crow but you won’t be any happier about it than me.
Voted pretty certain but have some doubts. We have some really good wins the last two years along with quite a few head scratchers, mostly from last season. I'm gonna chalk it up to injuries/last seasons bad roster construction. This years team gives me hope.
Confident? Not at all. Hopeful? Entirely. This season must restore faith. The roster looks respectable on paper, but last year’s did too.
Mo's 3 point shooting form is just god awful, I cringed every time he shot it lol. Morton has nice form on his shot, I think he will be just fine.
Pretty doubtful to very doubtful. Some fans seem to forget we have over a decade of data on him prior to UK. With all of the momentum and resources we put at his disposal, a great coach should be able to hit the ground running. Now you can openly buy your roster. This isn't some 5 yr rebuild situation. Calipari showed us that when he took over for BCG. Pope had the biggest budget in the nation last year and we saw what we got. Look at Tubby...he did more here than he did at Tulsa and Georgia.
I'm extremely skeptical, but hopefully he figures it all out this season and things work out. "Hope" and "if" aren't a plan though, and so far that seems to be all the sunshine fans can hang their hat on. The data says those expectations arent reasonable.
I'm extremely skeptical, but hopefully he figures it all out this season and things work out. "Hope" and "if" aren't a plan though, and so far that seems to be all the sunshine fans can hang their hat on. The data says those expectations arent reasonable.
Remind me not to take women advice or stock advice from guys who votes for the first three options.
Index funds and target date funds my man. I've averaged 11%.
Oh and I picked option #1.
Pope has shown his magic. He's made all he can't recruit haters disappear.
After year one I was somewhat encouraged but I still needed Pope to show me he can be a FF level coach. Obviously last year was a disaster. We got a pretty good roster this year but I will be kind of surprised if it's a FF team. Recruiting is looking up, but Pope still has to show me he can coach up a FF team. I don't think we're going to repeat the disaster of last year, but I don't think he's going to win an SEC championship or make a FF. I think he's going to do well enough - make second weekends of NCAA tournaments - to drag this out for 2, 3, however many more years until we decide pretty good isn't good enough and move on. So I voted "pretty doubtful" on if he's going to "crush it."
I respect the confidence --- I find that an admirable trait.
I will push back on the idea that voting with 100% confidence is the only way to fan.
Example, let's suppose the date is March 10, 2021. Your Kentucky Wildcats are currently 9-15. Would you say someone who concludes that John Calipari is unlikely to crush it in the 2021 season is not correctly fanning? I'd argue there's a difference between intellectual acknowledgement of achievement versus wishing it to be so.
My argument is someone, like me, could be 100% pro-Pope in the sense that I want him to succeed, yet be unsure about how confidently he will meet a specific set of results.
TLDR: I reject the notion that unabated optimism, regardless of circumstance, is the only way to fan.
We lost 8 games by double digits n year 1. That seems to be forgotten when discussing it. Yes, we had a lot of great wins too but it was kinda a wash with head scratchers as well.
Not what I voted, but I think there's good reasons to vote in some of those options.
All in all, a good year. Especially given the expectations and circumstances he began with. That year still gives me hope --- yes, there were blemishes. No doubt about that. But it was a breath of fresh air.
To each their own. By 2021 Calipari had fully revealed himself for years to be a failure and for himself only. He left little to cheer for or like with no hope of change.
This is not 2021 and Pope is not Calipari. I believe fully Pope can adapt and get this done. If he proves me wrong, then he proves me wrong. Im behind him all the way until that point should it come.
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right ...
I get what you're saying. But it seems you've decided that you are the determining factor in determining when it's ok for others to have doubts about the coach. By 2021, Calipari had amassed multiple final fours and a national championship. I'd say anyone who still believed in the coach had a valid reason to do so. In that circumstance, you have decided they are not valid for their optimism.
In the case of Pope, I believe there are plenty of reasons for optimism. I also believe there are plenty of reasons to feel less than confident. Both are valid. You're deciding there's only one way to fan and then electing to remove yourself from the standard you've established.
Just my thoughts. And again, I admire optimism. There's a time the fanbase needs to hear reasons to trust, particularly after disappointment.
I voted pretty doubtful. I would be more surprised by him having some elite run here than I would be him getting canned next season. And that’s coming from someone who likes the roster. Just don’t think he has it.
Say what? I've decided that im the determining factor? How so?I get what you're saying. But it seems you've decided that you are the determining factor in determining when it's ok for others to have doubts about the coach. By 2021, Calipari had amassed multiple final fours and a national championship. I'd say anyone who still believed in the coach had a valid reason to do so. In that circumstance, you have decided they are not valid for their optimism.
In the case of Pope, I believe there are plenty of reasons for optimism. I also believe there are plenty of reasons to feel less than confident. Both are valid. You're deciding there's only one way to fan and then electing to remove yourself from the standard you've established.
Just my thoughts. And again, I admire optimism. There's a time the fanbase needs to hear reasons to trust, particularly after disappointment.
You started a thread asking for people's opinion and I gave mine. So how did you get from A to B on that one?
"Pretty doubtful" wss the closest one for me. But id say truthfully im "kinda doubtful". Im a half level up. Hes fixed a few things, seemingly, but theres more work to be done.
The results so far show most fans are either on the hopeful side of the middle, in the middle or the pessimistic side of the middle.
The rah rahs-ers and gloom and doomers seem to be outliers at this point in time.
The rah rahs-ers and gloom and doomers seem to be outliers at this point in time.
Year one Pope embarrassed the brand in MSG against Ohio St, in Bridgestone against Alabama and in the S16 game against UT. Among other head scratching games. The players were out of shape and the players did not improve. He got a pass because of the circumstances.
Year 2 he put "his" team together. Woefully unprepared to play. Embarrassed UK again in MSG against Mich St. Got booed out of Bridgestone against Gonzaga, got booed off the court in Rupp at halftime against IU. Fortunately came back and won that game. Then the walk about against Vandy. Played on Wednesday of the SEC tournament for the first time ever. Got a lucky no call against Santa Clara in game one of the NCAA then got embarrassed again in round 2. The other team even said they knew we would quit.
Every game except 1 or 2 the announcers said UK was being "out played, out hustled and outworked". He came with the "tired" excuse over and over and then the outrageous left handed offense" remark.
And that was "his" team!! His teams are not out there playing their asses off and just getting beat by better players. They might have been undermanned in many games but that's no reason to not even try to win. 19-20 year old players "tired" 20 games in?? And why would they be tired anyway? They only played the second halves.
These are not the hallmarks of a good coach getting better. The Pope ship is circling the drain.
Year 2 he put "his" team together. Woefully unprepared to play. Embarrassed UK again in MSG against Mich St. Got booed out of Bridgestone against Gonzaga, got booed off the court in Rupp at halftime against IU. Fortunately came back and won that game. Then the walk about against Vandy. Played on Wednesday of the SEC tournament for the first time ever. Got a lucky no call against Santa Clara in game one of the NCAA then got embarrassed again in round 2. The other team even said they knew we would quit.
Every game except 1 or 2 the announcers said UK was being "out played, out hustled and outworked". He came with the "tired" excuse over and over and then the outrageous left handed offense" remark.
And that was "his" team!! His teams are not out there playing their asses off and just getting beat by better players. They might have been undermanned in many games but that's no reason to not even try to win. 19-20 year old players "tired" 20 games in?? And why would they be tired anyway? They only played the second halves.
These are not the hallmarks of a good coach getting better. The Pope ship is circling the drain.
Im playing the middle, but I sure as hell hope he succeeds big time. I want him to succeed.
This is the way I voted:
I just think for a guy that came to UK from where he did he didn't have any kind of credentials when he got the position. He wasn't an up and comer he had already coached for over a decade and had won 0 tournament games. The only reason he got this job is because he played here and that's the only reason why. I hope he proves me wrong and he succeeds because then UK succeeds.
Pretty Doubtful: I have more doubts than hopes. He could do it but I doubt it.
I just think for a guy that came to UK from where he did he didn't have any kind of credentials when he got the position. He wasn't an up and comer he had already coached for over a decade and had won 0 tournament games. The only reason he got this job is because he played here and that's the only reason why. I hope he proves me wrong and he succeeds because then UK succeeds.
I know. I appreciate the opinion.
I'm just pushing back on the idea that the only way to fan is 100% optimism. That's all. I also said I respect the optimism.
Voted pretty doubtful. See about a 4/10 chance.
Has shown he can win big games, but also have his team come in totally unprepared and get blown out multiple times.
Right mix of players, lightning in a bottle maybe makes 1 FF run? Maybe.
Has shown he can win big games, but also have his team come in totally unprepared and get blown out multiple times.
Right mix of players, lightning in a bottle maybe makes 1 FF run? Maybe.
These are my thoughts exactly! Great post!
Glad to see his recent recruiting wins. They give him the opportunity to do something big this year, and I truly hope he does.
Still have my doubts though. To date, I haven't seen much direct evidence he is likely to lead us to Final Fours and beyond, but I will be rooting hard for him to do so.
Still have my doubts though. To date, I haven't seen much direct evidence he is likely to lead us to Final Fours and beyond, but I will be rooting hard for him to do so.