The Herd is Usually Wrong

[rnfoster]

Greetings fellow Kentucky fans. I have bled blue for almost 50 years. That is a lot of games, several coaches, and many highs and lows. Let me preface by saying that I might be wrong. The truth is that no one knows the future. However, I have learned through the years that the herd is usually wrong. I am old enough to remember the herd liking if not loving the Billy Clyde hire. They also loved the Cal hire and at first it looked like they were right, but they were wrong. Cal attempted to strip Kentucky of their rich tradition and make this program about him and NBA players. We now have a Kentucky first coach, who would have crawled here to get this job. We have a good Xs and Os coach who will get the most talent he has ever had to work with. We have a likeable man who plays a fun style of basketball. No, we don't have a superstar, and this makes some mad. However, the herd will be wrong about Pope. This is a good day for Kentucky basketball, at least I am hopeful. Not wanting to argue, but to voice my support for a former Wildcat who deserves a chance.

 

[JerseyCat84]

The issue is Pope has done nothing to earn the UK head coach position. He's probably a great guy to be around, but lets face it, Barnhart panicked and hired someone underqualified.

 

[ftp000]

The issue is Pope has done nothing to earn the UK head coach position. He's probably a great guy to be around, but lets face it, Barnhart panicked and hired someone underqualified.

Duke and UNC hired coaches who never were head coaches. What had Hurley done before Uconn hired him?
The actual issue here is that petulant children can't admit that they were wrong about us having our pick of coaches.

 

[rnfoster]

I see your point. However, consider Billy Donovan. What did he do before getting the Florida job? He coached at Marshall for two years and his record was okay but not really good. He goes to Florida in 1996 and we know the rest of the story. Of course, I know that Florida is not Kentucky, but my point is that you can't just assess talent based on a resume. And I would not say that he has done nothing.

 

[BlueVoodoo]

Barnhart wanted to get the annoying process of hiring a basketball coach over with because he has the spring football game Saturday. So much more important.
He's blown millions on the football program and they're still mid to lower level SEC. Right where basketball is heading. WTG Mitch.

 

[sportspm]

Greetings fellow Kentucky fans. I have bled blue for almost 50 years. That is a lot of games, several coaches, and many highs and lows. Let me preface by saying that I might be wrong. The truth is that no one knows the future. However, I have learned through the years that the herd is usually wrong. I am old enough to remember the herd liking if not loving the Billy Clyde hire. They also loved the Cal hire and at first it looked like they were right, but they were wrong. Cal attempted to strip Kentucky of their rich tradition and make this program about him and NBA players. We now have a Kentucky first coach, who would have crawled here to get this job. We have a good Xs and Os coach who will get the most talent he has ever had to work with. We have a likeable man who plays a fun style of basketball. No, we don't have a superstar, and this makes some mad. However, the herd will be wrong about Pope. This is a good day for Kentucky basketball, at least I am hopeful. Not wanting to argue, but to voice my support for a former Wildcat who deserves a chance.

I agree with you. I’ve been a fan since Joe B Hall was the coach. I’ve seen a lot come and go. The 90’s was my favorite time to be a fan, with heart and hustle the teams played with and the pride of wearing the UK uniform. A lot of fans are too young to remember that. Calipari made it all about him and getting players to the NBA after one year. Pope was part of those heart and hustle teams that I remember, and if they start playing that way again I’m all for it and excited about it. Only time will tell but they have my fan support

 

[cat_in_the_hat]

The issue is Pope has done nothing to earn the UK head coach position. He's probably a great guy to be around, but lets face it, Barnhart panicked and hired someone underqualified.

I don't understand this mentality. UK has rarely hired guys that proven themselves to be consistent tournament winners. Hall was an assistant coach when he was hired with no tournament wins, Sutton had been to one final four ever, Pitino had been to one final four, Tubby had never been to a final four, Cal had been to two, which were vacated. There is not history of UK hiring these coaches who have a proven track record. They have hired who they thought could coach and who had the personality that fit the position.

 

[RipThru]

I'll tell you what the issue is...Mark Pope would have taken this job in October, yet Mitch rushed to hire him without doing a thorough search, and apparently without much input

 

[Spica Orbit]

"The Herd is Usually Wrong'
---
Except when they're right.

 

[cat_in_the_hat]

I'll tell you what the issue is...Mark Pope would have taken this job in October, yet Mitch rushed to hire him without doing a thorough search, and apparently without much input

How do you know who UK contacted through back channels to gauge interest? If you believe the talking heads know every agent or coach that was contacted, you will believe anything. I think it became clear that none of the top coaches on the list were serious about taking the job. Then you are looking at plan B. You have Pope, McDermott, the guy at Iowa State, maybe Illinois coach, etc. Maybe he felt Pope was a better fit and lower risk than those other unproven coaches. We will never know for sure, but you can't assume he didn't know the lay of the land.

 

[Untouchables22]

How do you know who UK contacted through back channels to gauge interest? If you believe the talking heads know every agent or coach that was contacted, you will believe anything. I think it became clear that none of the top coaches on the list were serious about taking the job. Then you are looking at plan B. You have Pope, McDermott, the guy at Iowa State, maybe Illinois coach, etc. Maybe he felt Pope was a better fit and lower risk than those other unproven coaches. We will never know for sure, but you can't assume he didn't know the lay of the land.

No….it’s been reported that Mitch’s morality caused him to not consider: Pearl, Miller or Beard. Basically the entire Tier 2 of Coaches. So he went to Tier 4 for the guy who does impressive interviews.

 

[jeffrospn]

Duke and UNC hired coached who never were head coaches. What had Hurley done before Uconn hired him?
The actual issue here is that petulant children can't admit that they were wrong about us having our pick of coaches.

I'll add Roy Williams at Kansas. When he was hired, he was just a long time assistant coach with zero head coaching experience at the college level. Turned out to be a great coach for us, even if he didn't get us a natty while coaching.

 

[rnfoster]

"The Herd is Usually Wrong'
---
Except when they're right.

Gotcha. I think the fan base will support Pope once the shock wears off. I see why people want someone more proven, but I just think he will be a good hire.

 

[cat_in_the_hat]

No….it’s been reported that Mitch’s morality caused him to not consider: Pearl, Miller or Beard. Basically the entire Tier 2 of Coaches. So he went to Tier 4 for the guy who does impressive interviews.

Sorry, but how would they have his list and his thoughts and know every person he made contact with? It's all click bait BS. Plus, God help you if think Pearl is a good coach and can resurrect UK at 65 years old.

 

[Untouchables22]

Sorry, but how would they have his list and his thoughts and no every person he made contact with? It's all click bait BS. Plus, God help you if think Pearl is a good coach and can resurrect UK at 65 years old.

It’s good reporting….reporters find out all the facts in the end. Ben Roberts at the Herald Leader for example. And I personally wanted Sean Miller and his numerous Elite Eight appearances.

 

[cat_in_the_hat]

It’s good reporting….reporters find out all the facts in the end. Ben Roberts at the Herald Leader for example. And I personally wanted Sean Miller and his numerous Elite Eight appearances.

So if Barnhart sits in his office and calls 10 agents of coaches about the opening and gets feedback from those agents, how does a good reporter find out about all those calls? Seems to me they will only find out about the ones that go far enough to leak out. The ones that come back with he not really interested will never be known.

We all have different opinions. I wanted several others before Pope, but I would have had to go through a few pages of candidates before I would contacted Miller. He is someone who I have never been impressed with. Either way, I will support Pope, or whoever the coach. Even if was Miller.

 

[JerseyCat84]

Duke and UNC hired coached who never were head coaches. What had Hurley done before Uconn hired him?
The actual issue here is that petulant children can't admit that they were wrong about us having our pick of coaches.

Whew. Glad we cleared that up. That means this will work perfectly for us.

 

[king of cali]

Duke and UNC hired coached who never were head coaches. What had Hurley done before Uconn hired him?
The actual issue here is that petulant children can't admit that they were wrong about us having our pick of coaches.

This such a lazy take. Yes, Duke and UNC hired first time head coaches. But you know what they did have? Continuity in the program. They were already on staff and had recruited and coached most of the players.

That’s certainly not the case here. Pope is gonna be stepping in recruiting off of the Kentucky name, not off of anything he’s done. UK is literally starting from ground zero. That’s a far cry from where Duke and UNC started with new unproven coaches.

 

[ftp000]

This such a lazy take. Yes, Duke and UNC hired first time head coaches. But you know what they did have? Continuity in the program. They were already on staff and had recruited and coached most of the players.

That’s certainly not the case here. Pope is gonna be stepping in recruiting off of the Kentucky name, not off of anything he’s done. UK is literally starting from ground zero. That’s a far cry from where Duke and UNC started with new unproven coaches.

Ok Jim Rome, thanks for taking my call. Pope actually has a record as head coach to recruit from. He has video of his style of play. He can say he led a mid major to the NCAA Tournament, and beat Kansas @Kansas, and beat Baylor on the way. What's Hubert got..uh, I watched Roy do it?
Just stop it already. It's over. We'll all find out together whether it was a good hire or not.

 

[RipThru]

How do you know who UK contacted through back channels to gauge interest? If you believe the talking heads know every agent or coach that was contacted, you will believe anything. I think it became clear that none of the top coaches on the list were serious about taking the job. Then you are looking at plan B. You have Pope, McDermott, the guy at Iowa State, maybe Illinois coach, etc. Maybe he felt Pope was a better fit and lower risk than those other unproven coaches. We will never know for sure, but you can't assume he didn't know the lay of the land.

How do you know the $hit coming out of your mouth is true, Nostradamus? you CANNOT conduct a thorough coaching search in 3 days. So EABOD

 

[HeismaNole]

Duke and UNC hired coached who never were head coaches. What had Hurley done before Uconn hired him?
The actual issue here is that petulant children can't admit that they were wrong about us having our pick of coaches.

We didn’t try anyone other than Drew and Hurley which were long shots cause of A) time at school B) won back to back titles. Then went to Pope. Skipped over a ton of second tier guys that would’ve taken it and have shown they can actually win some in March.

Acting as if there was no middle between Pope and Hurley is crazy.

 

[RunninRichie]

We didn’t try anyone other than Drew and Hurley which were long shots cause of A) time at school B) won back to back titles. Then went to Pope. Skipped over a ton of second tier guys that would’ve taken it and have shown they can actually win some in March.

Acting as if there was no middle between Pope and Hurley is crazy.

Narrative is being pushed that nobody wanted thr job now.

 

[jwphelps]

The issue is Pope has done nothing to earn the UK head coach position. He's probably a great guy to be around, but lets face it, Barnhart panicked and hired someone underqualified.

Well I agree with Jack Givens, if we throw a ton of money at a coach is he actually here because it is UK or for a ton of money. I know Mark Pope is here because of UK.

 

[ftp000]

We didn’t try anyone other than Drew and Hurley which were long shots cause of A) time at school B) won back to back titles. Then went to Pope. Skipped over a ton of second tier guys that would’ve taken it and have shown they can actually win some in March.

Acting as if there was no middle between Pope and Hurley is crazy.

You got a wire on Mitch's phone? Do you have proof that he didn't contact any other agents to measure interest?
Suck it up buttercup. Pope is our coach.

 

[GoBIG BLUE]

I cant find what Herd said about Pope. Can someone enlighten me please?

 

[king of cali]

Serious question…if Pope never transferred from UW back in the day, would you still think this is a good hire based on his resume’?

The answer is pretty obvious, and that’s what makes this so nauseating. But it is what it is.

 

[kywildcat41086]

Pope great X’s and O’s coach, will get the right assistants around him, the NIL money will be there, the dude is passionate about the school and loves it / loves the fans. He has the recipe to be so successful here now we all need to rally around him and give him the full support because I have a feeling dude is going to knock this one out of the ballpark!

 

[cat_in_the_hat]

How do you know the $hit coming out of your mouth is true, Nostradamus? you CANNOT conduct a thorough coaching search in 3 days. So EABOD

God you're a clown. Figure out how to have an intelligent conversation.

 

[the nail at the foul line]

Greetings fellow Kentucky fans. I have bled blue for almost 50 years. That is a lot of games, several coaches, and many highs and lows. Let me preface by saying that I might be wrong. The truth is that no one knows the future. However, I have learned through the years that the herd is usually wrong. I am old enough to remember the herd liking if not loving the Billy Clyde hire. They also loved the Cal hire and at first it looked like they were right, but they were wrong. Cal attempted to strip Kentucky of their rich tradition and make this program about him and NBA players. We now have a Kentucky first coach, who would have crawled here to get this job. We have a good Xs and Os coach who will get the most talent he has ever had to work with. We have a likeable man who plays a fun style of basketball. No, we don't have a superstar, and this makes some mad. However, the herd will be wrong about Pope. This is a good day for Kentucky basketball, at least I am hopeful. Not wanting to argue, but to voice my support for a former Wildcat who deserves a chance.

The following players were booed by their fans when drafted into the NBA.

Steph Curry
John Stockton
Steve Nash
Dirk Nowitzki
Kawhi Leonard
Reggie Miller
Yao Ming

 

[singletrackcat]

I've got you on number of years of fandom. Let's just say > 50.

Another thing I've noticed, and this is true everywhere. When a coach leaves here, he's often hated by the fans for eternity regardless of what he achieved. Even with Cal. He won us a championship and took us to multiple final 4's. That's not easy. It was time for him to go and he's gone, but we should appreciate what he did while he was here.

 

[USARMYWILDCAT]

Duke and UNC hired coached who never were head coaches. What had Hurley done before Uconn hired him?
The actual issue here is that petulant children can't admit that they were wrong about us having our pick of coaches.

You don’t think Coach K and Roy Williams are not in the background mentoring these guys as they go? Big difference between those guys and Mark Pope.

 

[ftp000]

You don’t think Coach K and Roy Williams are not in the background mentoring these guys as they go? Big difference between those guys and Mark Pope.

Our guy beat Kansas at Kansas, Baylor. And NC State. And won enough games in his teams first year in the Big 12 to make the tournament with a 6 seed. He doesn't need a mentor.

 

[Spica Orbit]

Narrative is being pushed that nobody wanted thr job now.

---
This is why Russia should really try to understand how our propaganda system works. It's world class!

 

[DreadLox]

Serious question…if Pope never transferred from UW back in the day, would you still think this is a good hire based on his resume’?

The answer is pretty obvious, and that’s what makes this so nauseating. But it is what it is.

"Nauseating"?

Pics or it didn't happen. And if it actually happened, see a shrink.

 

[RipThru]

God you're a clown. Figure out how to have an intelligent conversation.

Figure out how not to be a pri*k

 

[RaginRondo]

The issue is Pope has done nothing to earn the UK head coach position. He's probably a great guy to be around, but lets face it, Barnhart panicked and hired someone underqualified.

That’s not what he did this for. Calipari had broken the brand of Kentucky basketball. He handed Duke the family angle which is a huge seller in recruiting. He stripped UK of our traditions which was going to be disastrous moving forward if we didn’t make a move to bring in the era to reconnect our legacy with everyone 30 and under.

What I don’t think many realize is how off the 30 and under crowd are when it comes to UK. It’s a disaster waiting to happen - Kentucky needed to be rebranded and this was the perfect way to make that happen.

Look at the guys that we were after. Drew and Pope (Hurley was for optics we weren’t serious about it). Calipari did a lot of damage to this program and the A department was fully aware that the follow up hire had to be someone with integrity who could ignite the traditions of Kentucky. This was about rebranding. And it was smart.

Jersey I know at some point you’re going to get in board with this. If it doesn’t work we at least brought our traditions back and rebranded our image which was desperately needed. We’ll get the right guy if not, but it’s time we had fun with this. Given the circumstances, I think Pope is going to kill it. Kentucky is a machine program that can now pay players lol. And Pope can COACH THEM. Have fun with it.

I agree sustaining our records are the most important thing. Pope has a great shot to do just that.

 

[coachcombs57]

I read the title expecting to read something Colin Cowherd had said

 

[Kyhoward]

The issue is Pope has done nothing to earn the UK head coach position. He's probably a great guy to be around, but lets face it, Barnhart panicked and hired someone underqualified.

110-52 (.679) record.
Has taken low level recruits and produced Top 25 teams.
Let’s face it - he has been fairly successful

 

[jeffky]

The issue is Pope has done nothing to earn the UK head coach position. He's probably a great guy to be around, but lets face it, Barnhart panicked and hired someone underqualified.

 

[RaginRondo]

Serious question…if Pope never transferred from UW back in the day, would you still think this is a good hire based on his resume’?

The answer is pretty obvious, and that’s what makes this so nauseating. But it is what it is.

This is a question that some keep throwing around that I don’t think has any contextual value and frankly doesn’t mean what they think it means.

Would Sheyer have been made HC if he didn’t go to Duke? Hubert? Joe Hall? No, but that doesn’t matter. Pope DID go to UK, and that’s a huge factor in this decision. We needed a guy who understood what this job means, and you might not think he has ENOUGH to be the head coach but that’s just an opinion. What he’s done at BYU is incredible. What you want is to see that he made some deep run this year and he didn’t. Well, it’s a single elimination tournament and what happened happened. But if you look at everything else I’d say there is plenty that says he might be a really good hire. When you add he played here and is well connected to our family component it’s really not a bad hire and might very well pay off. Just look at the 90’s rebrand going on right now, we’re connecting what we are to all of the 30 and under crowd. 90’s UK is selling everywhere, we’re connecting with Pitino again; and the younger generation is watching it all. It’s a really cool and awesome thing. If he doesn’t work we’ll just hire someone else we always do. But this is a really cool thing and I don’t see any way he’s not going to do well. ITs the era of NIL, this is Kentucky, he’s got crazy support everywhere, and an offense players want to play in.

If he ends up a damn good hire we’re going to be glad he played here because had he not we might not have really looked his way and hired Janie Dixon instead. And I believe we would have hired him had we knew enough about him to look his way.

LOL at anyone that expects a guy to do better at BYU than he did. It’s unbelievable.