You have to admit the entertainment value would be off the charts with Billy Joe Wildcat losing its mind
Milan to UK?
- Thread starter NociHTTP
- Start date
I’ve always strived to be honest first. I long held that Pope was a B+ recruiter. That was a D+ opinion.I want to give you some much deserved credit, you held a position on Pope for the longest time, but as new and increasingly ample data came in, you adjusted your stance on him accordingly, just like any reasonable person should do.
That’s a lot more than I can say for many posters on here who have their heels firmly planted in the, “Pope does no wrong” side of the argument…
I had almost given up on you being a reasonable man, but lately you have definitely earned much respect
I will always WANT Pope to succeed and I won’t ridicule him. I just don’t think he can survive losing this recruitment.
Winning cures everything.
If you have a concern that winning can't fix then winning was never the objective.
You don’t have to tell me. I’ve been on this side a long time now. This recruitment is set up on a tee for him.
Why wouldn’t he be able to sign and do the advertisement? None of the BS from the usual suspects makes sense.
I genuinely don’t know. You’re asking the wrong guy there. I think it could be one of those things where an element of truth exists in it, but it is taken to a false conclusion. I disagree with Torres. I think the ball in Pope’s court to finish this and it sounds like he has the support needed from JMI. It comes down to Pope.
Longer it takes the less likely we get him IMO. Clock is ticking. Get it done.
Please tell me who the Pope can do no wrong posters are lolI want to give you some much deserved credit, you held a position on Pope for the longest time, but as new and increasingly ample data came in, you adjusted your stance on him accordingly, just like any reasonable person should do.
That’s a lot more than I can say for many posters on here who have their heels firmly planted in the, “Pope does no wrong” side of the argument…
I had almost given up on you being a reasonable man, but lately you have definitely earned much respect
Sounds like he isn’t confident in getting him but tried his best, in the meantime he’s gonna go compete in some midget wrestling matches and hit up Todd Golden to go to some coed parties.
It’s not a circus. The fans create a circus, not the guys trying to decide what to do with their career
Fans read all of this stuff all day every day and get fatigued and think it’s the players fault but the player isn’t the one putting stuff out there saying “done deal”. “Close to a commitment” etc.
He withdrew from the draft a couple days ago. I don’t care if he waits weeks to decide. His decision can change his life forever, it changes nothing for us other than excitement for a good player for a few months so of course we want it rushed.
If we don't get Milan, I will drop on the deck and flop like a fish.
I don’t think it’s exaggerating to say our offer for a top player has to be considerably better than anybody else, or they’re going elsewhere. And there can only be one reason as to why that is so.
So basically you started a meaningless thread in a very very weak attempt at humor. Son, this is Kentucky Basketball we are talking about. I’ve divorced 4 women, disowned three kids and shot two dogs over this ****. If we don’t get this fixed, I’m starting to feel sorry for my fiance, my last kid and this new pup I just picked up at the pound. Let’s get some facts around here
How about the fact that Derek Anderson helped Pitino land Yessoufou along with some other former players . Saw that article yesterday. Yessoufou gave the same reason for committing as Freeman. Pitino's street cred.
Not to defend the guy but what about him is 'weird' exactly? We tend to speak about people as if we've known them for years. Hell, I'm about to do it too...I think Pope may be someone who says he understands the current landscape but his pitch may be something you'd see in Hoosiers or some Hallmark movie about the plucky basketball team. The UK swagger is gone and has been replaced by a Mr. Nice Guy attitude. Pope appears to be the one trying to close and maybe he's just a dude who'd lose every hand of poker at a casino. That's not 'weird', some people just aren't good in these situations.
As far as Louisville goes, what they've done they won't be able to do every year but I hope no one is shocked that the main university in the largest and most powerful city in the state (the state as a whole is poor btw), who's been attached to several big local companies, is able to find the money for at least this offseason. They've got UPS, Yum! Brands, they brought back the crazy pizza man, etc. Who thought no one would give them money during the NIL Era?
This is the most important recruitment of Pope’s career. More important than Stokes by a good bit. MM is the perfect player for his system. If he can’t close this, it is 100% over.
Last edited:
Pope is in a damned if you do, damned if you don't.
I say do it and apologize later...
or....
learn how to recruit... at your next gig if this doesnt turn out.
I say do it and apologize later...
or....
learn how to recruit... at your next gig if this doesnt turn out.
They played some beautiful offensive basketball in Popes first year here. Go back and watch the Florida game. I have lots of concerns with Pope. X’s and O’s is way down the list of those.
Yeah its going to get ugly if we lose out not just from the fanbase but donors as well in my opinion. I hope we land this guy because I think it makes us have a shot at a EE .
I almost feel sorry for Pope at this point because to keep getting turned down and it being so much in the public eye has to be downright painful.
Pope is a solid basketball mind/floor coach. He's just abysmal with PR, getting his team prepared, recruiting, and just managing a program.
Exactly. I hate when people try to use one or two wins to claim someone is s good coach.
Stackhouse beat Barnes and Calipari while at Vandy. Mark Fox beat Donovan and Pearl during his time at Georgia. Clearly a good win or two doesn't correlate to coaching abilities.
Yeah but xs and os get you so far when you run out there with a bunch of scrubs
The first season when everyone healthy he ran zoom.
Once injuries started he tried some hi lo with no lo!
Then it was just helter skelter with Williams supposedly running point. The team had shot makers that covered a lot of ills.
But many games still broke down to Oweh playing hero ball.
Last season it looked like he wanted to play zoom but with players that seemed to not what zoom was even though every junior high in the country teaches it.
I have played, coached and officiated since I was 5 years old.
I can’t watch a Pope team play and have an idea of what his plan is.
The games we came back in last season were fueled by ditching whatever the plan might have been and going 1-4 flat and letting Oweh or Aberdeen play hero ball.
Chandler would stand and watch and many time he got a kick out for an open 3.
Is that Pope’s system?
Maybe it is? Maybe that’s why he’s a 63% career coach.
And that’s just offense. What’s his defensive plan? It appears to be man with zone principles. If there is such a thing?
I’ve never seen a coach at a major college job with absolutely no game feel until Pope.
When I ask posters about Pope’s system I’m being serious. I would like to know what system they are seeing.
You said “beautiful offense”. Is that a system? All offenses look beautiful when shots are going in.
Last season hade some good shooting nights. Not by design.
Define "better off". Do you honestly think that this is anywhere close to a Final Four level team without him? Otherwise we are just continuing to move the goalposts because the head coach is "one of us".
People feeling really optimistic again. Can’t take much more of the roller coaster.
I still expect the plane to be landed, just gotta be patient (trying to convince myself?)
I still expect the plane to be landed, just gotta be patient (trying to convince myself?)
the turbulence is killer.If they get upset then they are in for a rude awakening in life’s journey. I never understood players being upset playing far from home or not getting minutes they feel they should get when their goal is to play in the NBA
I hope he commits soon. Got a 24 pack of Natty Ice to celebrate his commitment and I'm down to two left. Gotta start my court ordered community service at 3pm (Camp Bus driver for Camp AJ)
When Brea was hitting threes, it really was beautiful to watch. MM would fill that role, except he’s better than Brea by a good bit. More consistent.
It was Zoom. You said it in your first sentence. Yes, all teams look better when shots are going in. Good offenses give players better shot opportunities. You’re going to chalk good offense up to luck when it’s Pope. I disagree. I think he’s a pretty good X’s and O’s guy. It’s motivation and player accountability where he struggles. And he’s a god awful recruiter.The first season when everyone healthy he ran zoom.
Once injuries started he tried some hi lo with no lo!
Then it was just helter skelter with Williams supposedly running point. The team had shot makers that covered a lot of ills.
But many games still broke down to Oweh playing hero ball.
Last season it looked like he wanted to play zoom but with players that seemed to not what zoom was even though every junior high in the country teaches it.
I have played, coached and officiated since I was 5 years old.
I can’t watch a Pope team play and have an idea of what his plan is.
The games we came back in last season were fueled by ditching whatever the plan might have been and going 1-4 flat and letting Oweh or Aberdeen play hero ball.
Chandler would stand and watch and many time he got a kick out for an open 3.
Is that Pope’s system?
Maybe it is? Maybe that’s why he’s a 63% career coach.
And that’s just offense. What’s his defensive plan? It appears to be man with zone principles. If there is such a thing?
I’ve never seen a coach at a major college job with absolutely no game feel until Pope.
When I ask posters about Pope’s system I’m being serious. I would like to know what system they are seeing.
You said “beautiful offense”. Is that a system? All offenses look beautiful when shots are going in.
Last season hade some good shooting nights. Not by design.