Has there ever been a UK coach you like his entire career?
- Thread starter Neal Orac
- Start date
I think EVERYBODY loved Pitino for his entire UK career.
I mean, what was there not to like? His UK teams played incredibly hard and were a joy to watch. And he never had a decline here, it was a straight uphill climb from the moment he arrived in 89 until the moment he left in 97.
I mean, what was there not to like? His UK teams played incredibly hard and were a joy to watch. And he never had a decline here, it was a straight uphill climb from the moment he arrived in 89 until the moment he left in 97.
Pitino.
I was born last half of Hall’s tenure. Too young for Sutton. Loved Rick. Cried the day he left.
Loved Tubby 98-99 and 2003-05. Frustrated with Tubby 00-02, tired of Tubby 06-07
BCG lost me at Gardner Webb and VMI had me ready to fire him.
Cal - loved Cal until 2021. St. Pete’s pissed me off and Oakland turned me against him
Pope - Loved the first year. Didn’t love the second.
I was born last half of Hall’s tenure. Too young for Sutton. Loved Rick. Cried the day he left.
Loved Tubby 98-99 and 2003-05. Frustrated with Tubby 00-02, tired of Tubby 06-07
BCG lost me at Gardner Webb and VMI had me ready to fire him.
Cal - loved Cal until 2021. St. Pete’s pissed me off and Oakland turned me against him
Pope - Loved the first year. Didn’t love the second.
The only one of the 8 I've lived through that didn't wear out their welcome before they left was Pitino(I'm counting Pope as wearing it out last year).
Then he made me not like him by going to Louisville...
Then he made me not like him by going to Louisville...
Being born in 93, The only coach I have seen all the way through is Cal (technically Billy G, but.. yeah he just sucked from the get-go). I was too young for Pitino and didn't watch much under Smith.
As for Cal, I was over him the last several years of his tenure.
As for Cal, I was over him the last several years of his tenure.
Rick said we could ignore all of the off season talk about him being sought by NBA teams. I believed him. He never said his dream was the Celtics until he took the job. I liked him until he left.
I actually liked Cal until he jumped ship, and really didn't like him for a few years after he left. But I got use to all the 5 
recruits, and got spoiled. But I'm good with him now. But Pope better kick his a.ss this year at home.
Loved Pitino, and would take him back, even if he is an old a.ss Boomer
recruits, and got spoiled. But I'm good with him now. But Pope better kick his a.ss this year at home.Loved Pitino, and would take him back, even if he is an old a.ss Boomer
Yes! All of them even cal. I never hated cal but Barney ruined him, turned him into a bum. Cal at UK right now the original version would be about ready to kill it and in NIL with Kentucky look at what Popes doing and upgrade most of the team several spots. Pope though has from the get-go from day one every Fan I know was very unhappy with his hire and he’s done zero add an elite level at our blueblood all-time winningest program. I even went to the game in Memorial Colosseum when BCG was the coach. Traveled in to watch that go to that game. And before we felt like he would get a third year.. Pope’s a John Pelfrey level Coach who won the freaking lottery. If he gets it right, it’s gonna be because he finally hired a legit assistant. I don’t think one assistant is gonna change the calculus much. the only reason we have the assistant is because his son is gonna be our Back Up point guard.
The only thing smoother than the butter he churned was the team he put on the court.
I didn't necessarily want him to leave but when he decided to leave I wasn't upset about it. If you remember Rick was a lot like Cal in he could be very condescending to the fans. He always had that way of talking to us like us mere Kentuckians weren't on his level. Just like Cal. I was actually excited when we hired Tubby. I thought having a black coach would help us maintain the recruiting that Rick was doing but boy was I wrong about that one.
Ppl will hate me and im only 21 so I can say it, but I loved cal, not now obviously, but I never wanted him gone
Rupp was an institution when I was born and I didn’t want him to leave. Hall was the first coach I got to grow up with. I was a Joe B fan but I did think it was time when he left. I loved Sutton. I wish it would have worked. Pitino was good from jump and I wished he had stayed.
I was a huge Tubby fan until 2000. Then I knew he was in over his head.
I loved the BCG hire at the time. Mainly because he wasn’t Tubby. But it was just a bad fit.
Loved the Cal hire and the whole Cal era. Cal wore out his welcome with the players first stuff.
I thought the Pope hire was a home run. I loved him as a player here.
It’s just painfully obvious that he is a worse fit than BCG.
All coaches have some weakness. The great ones do other things exceptionally well to cover where they aren’t as strong.
Pope does a few things average. But nothing well as head coach. A “calling card” if you will. What is Pope’s thing?
Other than playing for UK he has nothing to warrant being hired by UK. He loves UK basketball. OK, so do millions of people.
I was a huge Tubby fan until 2000. Then I knew he was in over his head.
I loved the BCG hire at the time. Mainly because he wasn’t Tubby. But it was just a bad fit.
Loved the Cal hire and the whole Cal era. Cal wore out his welcome with the players first stuff.
I thought the Pope hire was a home run. I loved him as a player here.
It’s just painfully obvious that he is a worse fit than BCG.
All coaches have some weakness. The great ones do other things exceptionally well to cover where they aren’t as strong.
Pope does a few things average. But nothing well as head coach. A “calling card” if you will. What is Pope’s thing?
Other than playing for UK he has nothing to warrant being hired by UK. He loves UK basketball. OK, so do millions of people.
Coaching adage “Leave when they love you.” Rick left at the right time. Was loved until he went to UL. Most people are now over him going to UL because Pope helped people forgive him.
Cal would be revered if he went to UCLA just before COVID. He stuck around a couple years too long. Tubby stuck around a couple years too long.
Cal would be revered if he went to UCLA just before COVID. He stuck around a couple years too long. Tubby stuck around a couple years too long.
Agree with a lot of what you say. Rupp was a living legend and loved by all the fans. It was sad the way he was forced out. Would love to have seen him have one more championship run then retire on his own terms. Pope, for me, is too early to totally give up on after just 2 years. I really want to see what he does with the current team before saying you're a failure. Pitino was great up to the flirtation with the NBA. Cal was fun and great until the last 5 years. I have respect for Tubby but he wasn't great. Those are the only ones I'll comment on.
It's not too early on Pope. He does nothing well as a head coach. And the quitting is just too much to overcome. And he showed that season one. I was in MSG for the Ohio St game. I was in Rupp for the Arkansas game. I was in Bridgestone for the no show against Alabama. That was his first season. He went back to MSG and no showed against Mich St. He went back to Bridgestone and did a walk thru against Gonzaga. Then the meltdown at Vandy. There's too many coincidences to be coincidental.
Maybe it's the "left handed offense? Even if one buys that nonsense, what the excuse for no defense or rebounding?
Rick Pitino. That was an incredible run. For me, it was a real kick in the stones when he left.
Pitino is only answer.
U have some losers on here that worship Pope like hes Pitino. But hes not.
U have some losers on here that worship Pope like hes Pitino. But hes not.
I wouldn't have been a bit happy with Cal had he left us for UCLA after having gone 55-13 his previous two seasons here.
Show me someone that didn’t like Rick while he was here and I’ll show you an insufferable *******.
You are always over the top with your criticism. Pope's first two seasons we have averaged more points than all but two of Cal's UK teams with considerably less talent to work with. That qualifies as something he has done well imo. All coaches have had some head scratching losses.
Literally no one worships Pope like UK era Pitino.
In regards to the original question I'd say pretty much everyone but BCG. That doesn't mean I maintained confidence in their ability to succeed at a high level but I still liked them.
My grandma, I was a big fan until her cooking fell off. Now I call her cow, pretend she never did anything for me, and act like she committed a crime against humanity.
Pitino. I was pissed when he left though. Remember feeling like he had planned on bailing with that incoming class being as meager as it was compared to what he'd been doing.
I didn’t blame Pitino for leaving. I mean, he had a chance to do for the most storied NBA franchise what he’d done for the most storied college team. It would have been a legendary achievement. Like Theo Epstein at Boston and Chicago.
I hated him for taking the Louisville job. That felt like a betrayal, as if he never understood what Kentucky meant. It also felt like a tortured effort to reclaim something he’d given away.
I hated him for taking the Louisville job. That felt like a betrayal, as if he never understood what Kentucky meant. It also felt like a tortured effort to reclaim something he’d given away.
A mere mortal can only be asked how much Ritchie is going to play and why don't we get more good mountain boys so many times and keep pretending a reasonable person much less some uber knowledgeable gaggle of gurus didn't grok Ritchie was playing at least as much as he should and we got as much mileage out of the mountains as we could at the time game after game after game after game also in condescending fashion at times.
Quite a few aren't quite knowledgeable enough to even consider they don't really know all that much when in the context of an arena where they think they are splainin' ball to coaches.
I can't really think of a reason I ever bitched about Guy Morriss other than him bolting for Baylor. Certainly didn't love the guy, but I don't remember ever disliking him either
So the only reason you think Mo came to KENTUCKY was so that his son could play backup PG?! LMFAO
I didn’t say I would have been happy. I said, “He would’ve been revered.” No future coach could’ve made us happy.
Imagine how many times we would’ve said (and posted) “If only Cal would have stayed …
I agree with you that Kentucky would’ve burned Lexington to the ground and chased Mitch off if Cal would’ve gone to UCLA.
Cal and Rick are poster children for “Leave when they love you.” Fans view them oppositely because of state of program when they left.
Cal will get some love, but it’ll be 5-10 years down the road.
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Rich Brooks - had he the support and money required for SEC championship football, wow, we can only dream...