If we are having this same discussion 2 weeks from now then I will start to raise some concerns.
Not a great start for roster building
- Thread starter silentsaregolden2.0
- Start date
It takes time to rebuild a fallen Roman empire.
If things are as expected, then how is it not a great start? Sounds like you had different expectations or you wouldn't have contradicted yourself.
No one expected to keep CCC's recruits. No one should expect anything except what we see in recruiting every year. Some say yes, and some say no.
It's entirely possible that it's just too late in the cycle to put together an incredible class and build a roster decimated by the last coach. I don't think this coach wants a roster of random, regardless of how talented they are, because he's not reliving his failed NBA coaching days on our dime.
Different coach, different process. We have to be open to thinking differently and not expecting to win the lottery before the recruiting window closes.
We will likely be mediocre next season but I do expect the team to play exactly how Pope spoke to yesterday. Play with passion, shoot a lot of threes, switch defenses to keep teams on their heels.
Between the NIL money, transfer portal flexibility, Pope’s massively positive personality, and the program itself, we will be fine roster wise once the dust settles.
Between the NIL money, transfer portal flexibility, Pope’s massively positive personality, and the program itself, we will be fine roster wise once the dust settles.
I do just saying it’s gonna be hard when we have at max 2 guys returning I’d say. Hopefully 4 if Z and Shep return somehow. I know he will field a team. How good is yet to be seen.
This is a pretty ridiculous thread at the moment but I think it speaks to how it could’ve been waiting out Billy D.
I would expect the staff finalized this week and multiple commitments by early next week.
I would expect the staff finalized this week and multiple commitments by early next week.
For all the excitement we have and should have for Coach Pope and the future of UK Basketball under his leadership, we have to remember the task before him, especially for next year, is monumental. Unlike at UNC and DUKE, where the new coach replacing the long-tenured Hall of Fame coach was an assistant and able to retain the highly-ranked recruiting class plus most of the team, Coach Pope is having to create a new roster almost from scratch. That’s one major concern and why I still think it’s fair to criticize Barnhart’s handling of the coaching search. We are in good hands, yet year one has one of our hands tied behind our backs per the roster.
You're off to a great start.
First of all, it's still very early. Who knows what will happen. But my expectations for the roster in the first year are pretty low. I'm hoping he can hoble together a bunch of guys that really want to be here, play hard for him and overachieve. Similar to the 92 team. A lot of players don't know about Pope's system. He will get to sell that on the big stage this season. Year 2 is when I suspect he will have more players lining up to play for him. It just might be year 3 before we start seeing it all really come together but I think it will be worth the wait! And I'm not counting him out for season 1 either. But not really expecting him at full capacity from day 1. His type of offense and players takes time to build.
I don't think the hire can be judged in less than a year. Losing your entire roster is a tough position to be in. It might take 3 years before we know for sure how it's going to work out.
Is mediocrity now acceptable for Kentucky basketball? My fear is that too many fans will accept it as the new normal. If I had to predict the future I'd say you were correct about next season which is why I am not investing into the program next year and will not be invested until Pope shows me that he is capable of something more than mediocrity. I won't be disappointed or surprised in Pope for performing as I expect him to. I will be disappointed in our fans if there is a mediocre season and there's not just as much pressure to hire someone that can give Kentucky the program it deserves.
Some silence would have been golden never starting this piece of crap.
Roster building hasn't started yet, relax
Only if the big blue nation is willing to accept mediocrity. I will accept nothing less than improvement from Cal. We will see how many stand with me and demand at minimum improvement from Cal. My top fear is not that Pope will be what I expected him to be but that the fanbase is willing to accept mediocrity.
Kids only a sophomore. Going to be a very good player. Go watch a few BYU games from this season.
You simply cannot play a guard in the last four minutes that shoots free throws that poorly .
Cal's players and recruits are infected with an acute case of one-and-done-itus. I hear it is contagious. So it is best to keep them away from our new guys. I mean we don't wanna contaminate them with any of those negatives vibes.
If players aren't committed here, they should go. Band-aid has to come off. Let's get it over with
It's sad to see the level of excuse making so many are already capable of. Pope should be viewed as a failed experiment with any result that is less than what Cal did this past year. We will see if mediocrity is now the new standard of Kentucky basketball.
Pope literally had his press conference yesterday? Wtf. Bradshaw and Wagner were expected to bounce with Cal here as well so that's really not news. Pump your brakes
I must confess that I am not surprised (and actually rather pleased) that the players sold on Cal's 8-month half-way house from high school-to-the NBA are bailing.
I would like to see Shep & Z stay on because I think they would have the skills and long-game POV that would mesh well with the new system.
But even if not, I want the type of kid wearing UK blue & white that HC Pope described in his press conference.
GBB!
I would like to see Shep & Z stay on because I think they would have the skills and long-game POV that would mesh well with the new system.
But even if not, I want the type of kid wearing UK blue & white that HC Pope described in his press conference.
GBB!
Well yes it's not too much to ask for a first round loss.
It has nothing to do with accepting mediocrity. You won't know if he is an improvement over Cal until he can recruit his players and build his roster. Scrambling around at the last minute to build a team is never going to tell you if he is a good long term solution or not. Sorry, but that is just a ridiculous way to judge a coach.
I’d say we’re looking at a few guys in the portal probably more than we even know. They are guys that Pope knows are going to fit his system. He’s talking to Z today , Reed isn’t for sure one way or another, Perry is probably 90% sure going to be here next year, Fland said he would still listen to Pope, and the 4 star big guy Somto says he’s still open to hear from Pope.
Like someone said if we are having this discussion 2 weeks from tomorrow when the portal closes then yea I’ll be worried but until then I have faith in Coach Pope.
None of them were coming back. They did not come to play for Kentucky. They came to train with Cal using Kentucky as a G league and a training facility it was never about Kentucky. It was about the players and cow and his secret agents.
I mean, nothing surprising has happened yet.
Meanwhile at Arkansas, it's been almost a week since the coaching change was made official, and nobody still has committed there. That's more surprising to me.
Meanwhile at Arkansas, it's been almost a week since the coaching change was made official, and nobody still has committed there. That's more surprising to me.
Everything you post (all 11 of them) is either Debbie Downer or flat out negative. Give us a damn break. Let it shake out. Mark Pope can’t fix the sh*t Triple C left us with over night. BBN will never except losing but you want to go negative before we even get started. If you want to go negative then go to the Arky board and blame the POS that put us in this mess. Geez.
Improvement over Cal is not enough. That is not my standard for Kentucky basketball. Improvement over Cal or at least Cal from the last few years is my standard for year one. I would be willing to entertain the Pope experiment for another year if he can make it to the second round or make it to the tournament and keep the team together. Do you really feel that even in the current situation he should be retained if he fails to make the NCAA tournament?
I never expected to keep any of the current players. Our only hope is that Reed comes back, but I suspect he'll go pro.
I never expected to keep any of the recruits to stay with us other than Perry.
When you do things the way Cal does things: meaning tell kids if they come to Kentucky, you'll get them to the NBA--then that's the kids that you attract. They don't care about Kentucky. They care about the NBA and the guy promising to get them there. They feel zero loyalty to the school.
Pope will do things differently. And we'll actually see kids with loyalty to the program/university.
I never expected to keep any of the recruits to stay with us other than Perry.
When you do things the way Cal does things: meaning tell kids if they come to Kentucky, you'll get them to the NBA--then that's the kids that you attract. They don't care about Kentucky. They care about the NBA and the guy promising to get them there. They feel zero loyalty to the school.
Pope will do things differently. And we'll actually see kids with loyalty to the program/university.
There is a big difference between mediocrity with no hope in the future vs mediocre due to timing and other factors out of a new coach’s control.
If we are mediocre and Pope looks in over his head, I’ll be concerned. If we are mediocre but you can see the vision and the path to a title contending team in the near term, I’m all in.
Why would you think calipari players staying would be good news. Everyone knew they were gonna the day he left. This is a complete rebuild.
he hasn’t even announced staff hires yet. That’s worst news to me than old players leaving.
