Mid Major Mark Strikes Again!!!

catfanlou

All-Conference
Jul 6, 2005
3,585
1,167
41
That’s not “most” that’s the 2% and handful of the sky is falling posters. They don’t live in reality and have knee jerk reactions that hinge on every decision. Like I say, “it’s never as bad or as good as you think it is.” The truth is typically somewhere in between. I actually think this team will likely be Popes best yet, but it still isn’t a team that meets the Kentucky Standard IMO. I will still cheer them on regardless and stand behind the Cats. It’s okay not to like the trajectory and results we’ve been seeing but still root for the players who came here and want to play. It’s not a one or the other. Life is full of ebbs and flows and so is basketball. Ups and downs have occurred all throughout our history.
Well said
 

BigBlue1992

All-Conference
Apr 17, 2011
1,989
3,675
81
I did not compare him to Cal. Your comprehension ability is just very poor. You might trying reading that post again though I'm not very confident it will help anything.

I was never part of the vast majority hell bent on running Cal off in the first place. I wasn't crushed nor did I complain when he left but I wasn't nearly as down on him as most. Losing to Oakland with two lottery picks on our roster was absolutely indefensible though.
I re-read and yes you very much did compare them in their times here at UK. My memory and comprehension is at a level nobody ever thought was possible.

You switched gears in your second post once you realized how ignorant your first post was. What does Cal getting run off or not have to do with anything? Anybody with a brain wants Pope out of this state. Should’ve happened a month ago but unfortunately now we’ll have to wait about 11 months.
 

paulcalhoun_rivals397471

All-Conference
Aug 23, 2024
1,955
4,734
113
I re-read and yes you very much did compare them in their times here at UK. My memory and comprehension is at a level nobody ever thought was possible.

You switched gears in your second post once you realized how ignorant your first post was. What does Cal getting run off or not have to do with anything? Anybody with a brain wants Pope out of this state. Should’ve happened a month ago but unfortunately now we’ll have to wait about 11 months.
I did say I assumed you rereading it would not help. I did not switch gears in any way I just tried to further emphasize my thoughts on Cal. I expressed extreme appreciation for Cal's first ten years in the first post. You are the one who said "Cal’s at Arkansas. Pope’s at Kentucky. Arkansas is not Kentucky. They’re not expected to win national titles there." Which is why I pointed out that Cal went his last ten tourney's without winning a national title here and that Pope has only had two opportunities thus far. That is in no way making a comparison of the two coaches. It was a simple statement of fact.
 
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Jan 10, 2015
19,120
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We shall see, I don’t see a highly competitive roster yet.

Zoom Dialo had a solid Washington roster to work with, they were terrible.

Wilkins has massive potential, but taking a step up in competition every night.

The Forward from Spain looks to be a legit D1 prospect, but how good we won’t know.

Moreno needs a massive leap to be a starting caliber center on a great team.

Kam Williams again potential, but not production.

No idea how Hawthorne will play.

Mcbride is a bench player or maybe a 6th man type.

Noah is basically a nothing burger.

The guard we just got from Washington State is a pure bench role.

Williams/Hawthorne 2nd are basically walk ons at this point.



We lack serious star power and shooting right now. How anyone can look at this squad at constructed and believe they will be anything more than a bottom 5 SEC type team is beyond me. Could they be better, of course but in no way without seeing them play can we expect anything great right now. Add in Pope’s history of pretty much guaranteed 11 type loss teams and you can where I’m getting 17 win vibes from this group I’d hope. Feel free to argue against it for why we will approach 25+ wins and anything to be excited about. I’d love to hear it.
You couldn't have explained it any better for any UK fan what aren't they getting that these players just really aren't it!!!!! All of them are ROLE PLAYERS this is the same exact **** he did last year when he recruited that team. We needed to add at least 2-3 game changers for this coming year and he didn't. It's awesome to have role players but you have to have a few game changers to go with those role players.
 

Ash Williams

Heisman
Aug 3, 2022
8,285
26,483
113
That’s not “most” that’s the 2% and handful of the sky is falling posters. They don’t live in reality and have knee jerk reactions that hinge on every decision. Like I say, “it’s never as bad or as good as you think it is.” The truth is typically somewhere in between.
That's "argument to moderation" and it's a logical fallacy.
 

entropy13

All-American
Apr 27, 2010
3,560
6,784
113
I get people's frustration; I have enough for several people but all this back and forth about Pope being so bad is nuts.

Pope might be as bad as many on this site says, but when I saw this, I had to read it twice.

So, if Mark Pope is so bad and Cal is so good, then will one of these smart anon's explain this stat?

Looks like with all that talent Cal still can not win the big games. So why not cut Pope some slack until we see how all this plays out.
Looks like MMM and CCC are about even! We traded one dope for a different kind of dope. Thanks, Mitch!
 

KennyPowers6969

Sophomore
Apr 18, 2026
42
114
33
Cal got into the Hall of Fame when he cared. His style is outdated and his recent record is mediocre. That’s why he left here. It’s a fact. Look at the last 7 years of his record. He’s not interested in winning games anymore. He hit his personal goals and now all he cares about is acting like mother Teresa and how many guys “he” made millionaires. Which today they need no help. Just existing high in the ranks guarantees that.

That’s not “most” that’s the 2% and handful of the sky is falling posters. They don’t live in reality and have knee jerk reactions that hinge on every decision. Like I say, “it’s never as bad or as good as you think it is.” The truth is typically somewhere in between. I actually think this team will likely be Popes best yet, but it still isn’t a team that meets the Kentucky Standard IMO. I will still cheer them on regardless and stand behind the Cats. It’s okay not to like the trajectory and results we’ve been seeing but still root for the players who came here and want to play. It’s not a one or the other. Life is full of ebbs and flows and so is basketball. Ups and downs have occurred all throughout our history.
How is it knee jerk reactions when it took a prayer to get to the Round of 32 and then get blown out. How is it knee jerk when Pope had had more double digit losses in 2 years than what we’ve had in a decade.

This is not an up and down program at this point. It’s going in one direction and it’s not up.
 

KennyPowers6969

Sophomore
Apr 18, 2026
42
114
33
Looks like MMM and CCC are about even! We traded one dope for a different kind of dope. Thanks, Mitch!
About even??? 🤣 💀

One has back to back Sweet 16’s with a SEC tournament championship. He also has the number 1 recruiting class.

The other made it to the Round of 32 on a prayer and got his guts blown out. He also holds on paper one of the worst recruiting classes in over a decade here.

I don’t know what makes you think they are about even but that’s the biggest farce I’ve seen posted on here in a while. 😂
 

entropy13

All-American
Apr 27, 2010
3,560
6,784
113
About even??? 🤣 💀

One has back to back Sweet 16’s with a SEC tournament championship. He also has the number 1 recruiting class.

The other made it to the Round of 32 on a prayer and got his guts blown out. He also holds on paper one of the worst recruiting classes in over a decade here.

I don’t know what makes you think they are about even but that’s the biggest farce I’ve seen posted on here in a while. 😂
Go to bed, Brad. A good night's rest is Earned, Not Given.
 

Hunting9

Senior
Oct 30, 2025
205
416
63
That’s not “most” that’s the 2% and handful of the sky is falling posters. They don’t live in reality and have knee jerk reactions that hinge on every decision. Like I say, “it’s never as bad or as good as you think it is.” The truth is typically somewhere in between. I actually think this team will likely be Popes best yet, but it still isn’t a team that meets the Kentucky Standard IMO. I will still cheer them on regardless and stand behind the Cats. It’s okay not to like the trajectory and results we’ve been seeing but still root for the players who came here and want to play. It’s not a one or the other. Life is full of ebbs and flows and so is basketball. Ups and downs have occurred all throughout our history.
Good luck with your opinion but I can’t buy into your schtick any longer. Your posts when signing recruits seemed solid but you pretty much whiffed on everything. If you try to defend yourself then you’re indicting Pope for being totally incompetent. It can’t be both. I’m thinking you were using good common sense and didn’t understand just how much of an idiot and embarrassment Pope actually is. You can cheer for whomever you please but as long as we have that man as a coach we will NEVER be a competitive basketball team.
 

DelkBowl

Heisman
Oct 4, 2015
10,754
11,811
101
I get people's frustration; I have enough for several people but all this back and forth about Pope being so bad is nuts.

Pope might be as bad as many on this site says, but when I saw this, I had to read it twice.

So, if Mark Pope is so bad and Cal is so good, then will one of these smart anon's explain this stat?

Looks like with all that talent Cal still can not win the big games. So why not cut Pope some slack until we see how all this plays out.
$500 Cal has a better record this upcoming year or will you backtrack?
 

KennyPowers6969

Sophomore
Apr 18, 2026
42
114
33
Go to bed, Brad. A good night's rest is Earned, Not Given.
Nice rebuttal. That’s the best you got princess? Sucks when you you don’t have any validity behind your baseless claims huh 🤣

Don’t come to the back room, that clapping you hear ain’t me and your momma giving you a round of applause.

Goodnight sweet cheeks. 😘
 

KennyPowers6969

Sophomore
Apr 18, 2026
42
114
33
Good luck with your opinion but I can’t buy into your schtick any longer. Your posts when signing recruits seemed solid but you pretty much whiffed on everything. If you try to defend yourself then you’re indicting Pope for being totally incompetent. It can’t be both. I’m thinking you were using good common sense and didn’t understand just how much of an idiot and embarrassment Pope actually is. You can cheer for whomever you please but as long as we have that man as a coach we will NEVER be a competitive basketball team.
Everyone is slowly figuring this dude out. I told yall weeks ago he’s about as fake as the titties I bought my ex wife.
 

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
45,770
83,152
113
Well, I hope you Wait to see many others on here havealready determined what next season's gonna be like and honestly that's pathetic and weak.
I will be on here after every game. I’m not hopeful, but I will always never want us to suck on purpose. It’s kind of a hard spot though because if we are decent we may have to put up with this another year and that’s not good either.
 

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
45,770
83,152
113
Huh? Tyson put up 20pts and 6 rebounds a game this season in the Big 10.
There are definitely guys who get way under rabked and end up way better but we can all agree shopping for guys rated 200 and above especially for a fair number of roster spots usually isn’t the way to build a team. You have to hit on basically all of them or find the mid major guys who will just blow up in a year or two.
 

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
45,770
83,152
113
You couldn't have explained it any better for any UK fan what aren't they getting that these players just really aren't it!!!!! All of them are ROLE PLAYERS this is the same exact **** he did last year when he recruited that team. We needed to add at least 2-3 game changers for this coming year and he didn't. It's awesome to have role players but you have to have a few game changers to go with those role players.
That’s exactly my fear. Too many unkowns/hopeful improvement guys to bank on a great team. It feels exactly like last year except these guys may have even less ranking/production and name recognition than who we got last year.
 

meteordealer

All-Conference
Nov 20, 2004
11,619
2,380
113
I get people's frustration; I have enough for several people but all this back and forth about Pope being so bad is nuts.

Pope might be as bad as many on this site says, but when I saw this, I had to read it twice.

So, if Mark Pope is so bad and Cal is so good, then will one of these smart anon's explain this stat?

Looks like with all that talent Cal still can not win the big games. So why not cut Pope some slack until we see how all this plays out.
Perception.
 

HamElliot

Redshirt
Dec 13, 2025
28
26
18
I get people's frustration; I have enough for several people but all this back and forth about Pope being so bad is nuts.

Pope might be as bad as many on this site says, but when I saw this, I had to read it twice.

So, if Mark Pope is so bad and Cal is so good, then will one of these smart anon's explain this stat?

Looks like with all that talent Cal still can not win the big games. So why not cut Pope some slack until we see how all this plays out.
Ill come back and we can revisit this post after next year! ;)
 

MichaelGray

All-Conference
Jan 13, 2026
950
1,356
93
Cal got into the Hall of Fame when he cared. His style is outdated and his recent record is mediocre. That’s why he left here. It’s a fact. Look at the last 7 years of his record. He’s not interested in winning games anymore. He hit his personal goals and now all he cares about is acting like mother Teresa and how many guys “he” made millionaires. Which today they need no help. Just existing high in the ranks guarantees that.
One thing that helped him get into the HOF was his recruiting ability, not as much his actual in game coaching.
 

MichaelGray

All-Conference
Jan 13, 2026
950
1,356
93
I did not compare him to Cal. Your comprehension ability is just very poor. You might trying reading that post again though I'm not very confident it will help anything.

I was never part of the vast majority hell bent on running Cal off in the first place. I wasn't crushed nor did I complain when he left but I wasn't nearly as down on him as most. Losing to Oakland with two lottery picks on our roster was absolutely indefensible though.
I'd be willing to bet any amount of money that Pope wouldn't have lost to St.Peters, Oakland or Evansville. One thing he hasn't done at Kentucky is lose to teams like that, mid majors.
 

MichaelGray

All-Conference
Jan 13, 2026
950
1,356
93
We shall see, I don’t see a highly competitive roster yet.

Zoom Dialo had a solid Washington roster to work with, they were terrible.

Wilkins has massive potential, but taking a step up in competition every night.

The Forward from Spain looks to be a legit D1 prospect, but how good we won’t know.

Moreno needs a massive leap to be a starting caliber center on a great team.

Kam Williams again potential, but not production.

No idea how Hawthorne will play.

Mcbride is a bench player or maybe a 6th man type.

Noah is basically a nothing burger.

The guard we just got from Washington State is a pure bench role.

Williams/Hawthorne 2nd are basically walk ons at this point.



We lack serious star power and shooting right now. How anyone can look at this squad at constructed and believe they will be anything more than a bottom 5 SEC type team is beyond me. Could they be better, of course but in no way without seeing them play can we expect anything great right now. Add in Pope’s history of pretty much guaranteed 11 type loss teams and you can where I’m getting 17 win vibes from this group I’d hope. Feel free to argue against it for why we will approach 25+ wins and anything to be excited about. I’d love to hear it.
Pope's year 1 team beat something like 9 or 10 top 25 teams & made the sweet 16, could've possibly went further if not for the injuries. Now, comparing that team to our roster right now, they had 1 creator (Butler) 1 three point shooter over 40% (Brea) Robinson was like 37% & Almonor was around 38%. Next year's team has 2 creators (Diallo & Wilkins) McBride 40%, Morton 38%, Kam at one time was 41% at Tulane so he's capable, the guy Pope flew to watch in Israel (Santos) is expected to sign & soon shoots 40% from 3, plus he's 245lbs so he won't get bullied down low, Basically, no one thought any of the year 1 players were super stars but they overachieved, played as a team & could've went farther if not for injuries. The current roster & it's not even complete yet has a little more shooting & driving ability imo. Sometimes it's not about super stars & more about chemistry & system fit. Idk how many games they'll win next year but I see no reason they can't at least be as good as year 1. I'm gonna be optimistic & say this team is better than year 1.
 
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Ash Williams

Heisman
Aug 3, 2022
8,285
26,483
113
I get people's frustration; I have enough for several people but all this back and forth about Pope being so bad is nuts.

Pope might be as bad as many on this site says, but when I saw this, I had to read it twice.

So, if Mark Pope is so bad and Cal is so good, then will one of these smart anon's explain this stat?

Looks like with all that talent Cal still can not win the big games. So why not cut Pope some slack until we see how all this plays out.
Pope just shipped his entire stack with an inside straight draw hoping for the last card in the deck. He would have to be the luckiest coach in the history of basketball to pull off a successful season this year with what he has. He’s done.
 

Old Blue Fart

All-Conference
Mar 23, 2014
1,671
4,307
76
So both are trash? At least one of them isn't our problem anymore.
I do not think either is trash. One is not here because of his own doing and the other is here because of that decision. You can not go more then two threads without someone bringing up Cals name and how great they are doing in the portal or how Cal is kicking Pope's butt.
So what, he still does not with the big games. Pope is trying but at least he wants to be here so I can do without all the Cal hugging.
 
Jan 10, 2015
19,120
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One thing that helped him get into the HOF was his recruiting ability, not as much his actual in game coaching.
Let's be real they hand out hall of fame just to about all coaches so that really loses credibility. I don't think just cause he's a "Hall of Fame " coach it's anything special especially only winning 1 National title with all the talent that guy has had!
 

Ukwazoo3

All-Conference
Jul 6, 2025
692
1,489
93
Pope's year 1 team beat something like 9 or 10 top 25 teams & made the sweet 16, could've possibly went further if not for the injuries. Now, comparing that team to our roster right now, they had 1 creator (Butler) 1 three point shooter over 40% (Brea) Robinson was like 37% & Almonor was around 38%. Next year's team has 2 creators (Diallo & Wilkins) McBride 40%, Morton 38%, Kam at one time was 41% at Tulane so he's capable, the guy Pope flew to watch in Israel (Santos) is expected to sign & soon shoots 40% from 3, plus he's 245lbs so he won't get bullied down low, Basically, no one thought any of the year 1 players were super stars but they overachieved, played as a team & could've went farther if not for injuries. The current roster & it's not even complete yet has a little more shooting & driving ability imo. Sometimes it's not about super stars & more about chemistry & system fit. Idk how many games they'll win next year but I see no reason they can't at least be as good as year 1. I'm gonna be optimistic & say this team is better than year 1.
That truly is optimistic.
 

entropy13

All-American
Apr 27, 2010
3,560
6,784
113
Nice rebuttal. That’s the best you got princess? Sucks when you you don’t have any validity behind your baseless claims huh 🤣

Don’t come to the back room, that clapping you hear ain’t me and your momma giving you a round of applause.

Goodnight sweet cheeks. 😘
Really, Brad? Again? We all know you have internalized anger issues from when the priest touched you in inappropriate ways when you were younger, and then again when your teammates at Detroit Mercy were mean to you in the showers, but that's no reason to project your self-hate onto others. Ellen told me she won't bake any more of your favorite brownies if you continue to act out in such a manner.
 

MichaelGray

All-Conference
Jan 13, 2026
950
1,356
93
Cal has always been a top tier coach, he just got lazy and stopped adapting to the times as much. He was slow to try and retain guys. He hasn’t really changed his philosophy on offense or defense in a decade plus either.
Top tier coaches change with the times.
 

Major_Tom

Freshman
Apr 16, 2010
841
77
21
We are still 2-3 high-level pieces away from this team being a sure fire contender. Could the players we have take massive steps forward and the team develop into a contender? Sure. But Pope and UK needs a much higher level of certainty than that after 2 mediocre seasons. It’s time to put up or shut up. If he can’t haul in at least one big time prospect by the time the season starts, I think this will be Pope’s last year as UK’s HC.
 
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