Thank you for adding this context OP. Pope might not be the best coach but he isn't horrible by any stretch. He's right where Kentucky has been which is a solid tier two coach. I think a lot of people still think Kentucky needs to be a contender every year and if you think that then you are obviously going to be disappointed. For all those who have accepted that Kentucky is just not a contender any longer Pope is a great coach. I think it all just depends on what your expectations are.
Pope's SOS and performance so far at UK
- Thread starter paulcalhoun_rivals397471
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Was reading some post this morning from the Pope should have been fired crowed. Was laughing at some of the responses as there are many in this mob. Wife ask what I was laughing at and I told her. She responded, "So there are UK fans that are more unreasonable than you?" LOL, I am sometimes overbearing when it comes to my teams and even I know that Pope should be given at least one more year if not two.
Pipe has never won a conference title (regular season or tourney) n 11 seasons. Pope lost 14 games by double digits n 2 seasons. Pope regularly gets down double digits against power teams n make conferences. We fortunately came back go win some of those. I just remember last season Matt would keep bringing up the percentage of games down double digits and it was embarrassing.
Yeah its tougher schedule now and injuries do matter to an extent but Pope also has way more recruiting advantages. He needs to win something that matters n year 3. Daddy mitch isnt around anymore to save him.
So I basically agree he deserves a year 3 but schedule isnt getting easier and i doubt Pope has the team more prepared to play at ripoff. Hope he does.
Yeah its tougher schedule now and injuries do matter to an extent but Pope also has way more recruiting advantages. He needs to win something that matters n year 3. Daddy mitch isnt around anymore to save him.
So I basically agree he deserves a year 3 but schedule isnt getting easier and i doubt Pope has the team more prepared to play at ripoff. Hope he does.
What about the facts that his teams aren’t prepared to play the cupcakes or the steaks?
What about the facts of his teams just quitting.
Why do people even need to keep coming up with excuses for Pope.
He’s been the same coach for 11 seasons. Who knew BYU played the hardest schedule known to man then stopped playing that schedule after Pope left?
Hes definitely had a tough schedule, especially year 1. Theres no denying that, and extremely tough schedules are going to produce a few extra losses.
But you still have to win games, and far too many losses our entire team was checked out and not focused. The opponent didnt matter.
But you still have to win games, and far too many losses our entire team was checked out and not focused. The opponent didnt matter.
You can hammer the table all you want about "sos" but when you lose like you did against Gonzaga and lose to Missouri and Georgia at HOME, that is completely inexcusable. Oh and it took a miracle shot to beat Santa freaking Clara in the tournament... this program is heading in the wrong direction, fast.
Lmfao if you think the program is currently heading in the wrong direction and ignore the fact that he inherited the program in it's downturn. The refusal to look at nuance from you inbred morons is hilarious. Sos, injuries etc are thrown out when discussing basketball and you make delusional statements like this.
Lots of programs are throwing up stinkers now. Watch more programs. Kansas, Arkansas and many others. You need to remember these are 20 years old millionaires. One 100k birthday party game week and 20 point blowout . Poof. Things are not the same anymore. Those stinkers are happening everywhere.
Keeping 20 yo focused was always tough. Keeping 20 yo millionaires focused is borderline impossible.
The strength of schedule has nothing to do with him being winless against Georgia, winless against Auburn and suffering 4 or 5 straight losses to Alabama. The fact is Pope played here. That’s the only reason he is the coach. It certainly wasn’t based on merit. It will end up like Juwan Howard, Matt Doherty and Hubert Davis. Although Davis did go to the national championship.
BYU was happy he left. Their schedule was tougher because they moved to the big 12 while Pope was there. The coach prior to him did much better and took BYU to the second weekend of the tournament. The current coach is doing better than Pope did at BYU.
BYU was happy he left. Their schedule was tougher because they moved to the big 12 while Pope was there. The coach prior to him did much better and took BYU to the second weekend of the tournament. The current coach is doing better than Pope did at BYU.
26 losses in 2 seasons is 26 losses in 2 seasons. Wouldn't classify myself as a "Pope Hater," but at some point you have to win.
also.....the strength of schedule isnt going to change. SEC is going to be top 2 conference year in and year out. programs are pouring money into their teams. and with NIL the landscape has change. pope or any other coach is going to have to overcome it. maybe we wont be able to dominate the league like we once did, but 6th, 7th, 8th place finishes are not going to work. injuries or not.
SEC was actually down last year and we still finished horribly.
Even if we did get a ninth seed in the SEC tournament...we really didn't because Pope is our coach and even if he had us below average he really doesn't because he is one of us and he loves Kentucky. It's really a beautiful thing to see.
Maybe we can beat Georgia this year but if not it's ok because we beat Duke two years ago.
You think it is heading in the right direction?? 26 losses in 2 seasons? Finishing 9th in the league, Playing on a Wednesday at the SEC tournanent? Wow.....
Well I called the Pope police and they are on the way.
You'll be seeing Paul sensemaker and cowboy very soon. They might even bring Jeffky
Has Florida had multiple 20-30 point blowout losses the last two seasons? They do have three national championships to our one since 2000.
Kentucky needs to get back in the driver seat and quit riding biyatch.
Idk man, kansas and arkansas have the star power to make games EXCITING, which can help if the win/loss isnt amazing
Pope teams doesnt have that firepower so when we lose it just stinks
Paul and Cowboy have been staunch Pope defenders for sure. Which doesn’t bother me but I’m not exactly sure how I made that list.
I do think Pope will need to have his best season ever next year. I thought Year 1 was perfectly fine for a new coach, especially one who had to build a team very quickly. Year 2 was several steps back and just not that good. You can point to this or that, but the record is what it is. I am hoping we can see significant improvement this coming season, time will tell I guess.
Aw hell just threw you in there because you made the IQ comment. No biggy just havin some fun. I even like cowboy and Paul
Year one was completely acceptable and even convincing. I was more pumped last summer heading into last season than Ive been in a long time. I remember we were loaded like a foreign sports car. We spent 22 million and Pope was cocky/confident. Then the season started...last year was bad. The problem was he went the opposite direction. Got a little worse instead of a little better.
Gotta ball out this season for sure. And if I'm being honest with myself I don't see it happening with the roster we have. Mom should have a good season but I don't see him as some savior like many do. I believe he is a spot up shooter. A bigger collin Chandler. A great piece for a team but not somebody you rely on to carry you.
I don’t think your low IQ. Just messing with ya on that comment.
i think that is why i bet on a season similar to his first year at uk. win some big games, lose some. rack up a 10+ losses. maybe a 2nd weekend NCAAT team. in a way its the worst possible scenario. dont think its enough to win the masses over or get excited about a 4th year. but 2 sweet 16 appearance in 3 years makes it hard to fire
I was excited last summer, too. Then the game at Louisville happened and I hit the panic button.
I think this current team could be good. I think we have a decent core right now in Zoom, Wilkins, Moreno, and Milan. Will really need a 5th guy to step up from the trio of N'Diaye, Williams, or Hawthorne. How far can that team go? I really do not know but do feel we have some decent pieces that seem to fit better than last year's team.
That guys post was definitely the worst of the day. He may have been projecting when he called others "inbred morons".
Inbred hit dog is hollering because someone called out their ilks ********.
You bring nothing this forum, much less society you freak
Regardless if Pope is good enough or not. He could lose 12 games this year and finish 8th in the SEC and some would still give him the benefit of the doubt. UK is not the cool landing place right now as long as he is here and he will continue to struggle to get the ultra talented players which will eventually be the end of his time as coach.
You're talking facts. People don't want to hear facts. They want to see justification for their disappointment and anger.Pope has faced the two most difficult schedules in UK's history rated at 14.04 and 12.96 for an average of 13.50 while winning 63.9 % of his games. UK has played schedules rated above 10.60 seven other times with an average rating of 11.44 while winning 60.8% of their games.
While we all agree Pope needs to upgrade the outcome in the near future I think this perspective as well the injury situation he has dealt with gives some reason to exercise a bit more patience for now.
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That said, while I think most of us fans considered year 1 a success, I think most if not all of us fans would not consider year 2 a success. Letter grades, I'd go B+ and D+ respectively.
For many of us it's not even the losses or the injury excuses. It's the fact that Pope seems to lack discernment in his pursuits of elite players and coaches. Kusturica, Stokes, Holt, Crawford, Dent, Collins, Wilkerson, etc. Pope couldn't get any kind of read of these guys, and we got played by all of them at the end of the day. That's a huge issue going forward because it doesn't seem like he's learned his lesson at all with Crawford being the most recent guy to tell Pope, "No thanks."
-Schizophrenic loser that was making andy beshear sock accounts
Heard that a couple times now but I'm not Andy. Board has been kind of boring since he leftthis season might be better than it was 2 years ago. UGA finished 10-8 in the league for 7th place, returns 4 starters and will likely be picked in the bottom 4/5 of the league this year. its going to be brutal
The day Pope was hired my dad got angry at me and hung up on me for the first time in my life because I said I thought Pope was a poor choice. ( 
)
I thought year one was great for what he had to build in the short period of time he had and as a skeptic I was elated with how the season turned out. I still had questions about recruiting, but he built a great team in the portal year one.. maybe that was the way forward?
Last season was a major disappointment both on the court and off the court. I think this year should be the make or break season. I think three years at UK is ample time to expect at least an elite eight, but I don't think the last two years are enough to be calling for his head.
)I thought year one was great for what he had to build in the short period of time he had and as a skeptic I was elated with how the season turned out. I still had questions about recruiting, but he built a great team in the portal year one.. maybe that was the way forward?
Last season was a major disappointment both on the court and off the court. I think this year should be the make or break season. I think three years at UK is ample time to expect at least an elite eight, but I don't think the last two years are enough to be calling for his head.
Tied for 7th and one horrendously crooked call against Auburn from 4th not 9th.
You are being a troll. You know full well I said the same thing as he did from the beginning of this thread.
They have 3 to our 9 since '48. You need to grow up and stop speaking like a clown.
It's because you are not a negative crybaby who whines about everything. I have conceded everything has not been near perfect all along but I try to provide some fairness and balance against all the over emotional dishonesty by the haters.