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A week in….what are you most excited about?

Popes been here around a week now.
He’s made some moves on hires. So far the roster is pretty bare but that was expected.

If you can name one thing you’re most optimistic about and only ONE, what would you pick? Potential recruit he could steal? One of the coaches he’s hired? Etc etc

Also, feel free to name ONE thing that worries you the most.

And feel free to update as time goes on.

I’ll start.
I’m very optimistic about the move away from cow and trying something different. I don’t care if Pope goes 5-30 this year, it’s worth the chance to get away from a guy who we know couldn’t win anymore.

The thing I’m most pessimistic about is the roster. Unless pope gets some of these names we’ve contacted that are good, this potential roster is going to struggle to compete.

Curious how some are feeling

I was wondering how some of the biggest Cal supporters, like @UKBB4Ever are feeling about the Pope hire.

I know he was adamant that Cal wasn’t going to be leaving for a long time, while many of us thought the clock was ticking.

Not calling him out. Genuinely curious what he thinks of Pope. I know he played college basketball and has spent a lot of time traveling to support the team.

Any others huge Cal supporters who want to chime in with opinions are more than welcome, of course.

Request for Prayers and Support

I'm reaching out to you today with a heavy heart and a plea for support. Normally, I'm a private person, but recent circumstances have pushed me to seek peace in the community I hold dear.

I'm currently facing immense challenges as I care for my uncle, who is battling dementia. The weight of this responsibility, alongside his declining health, has become overwhelming for both myself and his wife, who is also his primary caregiver. We've sought assistance from the VA hospital, and it appears that hospice care may soon become necessary.

While my uncle is not on his deathbed, the gradual deterioration of his health is taking its toll on all of us. I find myself struggling to maintain my mental well-being amidst the demands of caregiving. Living with them, I do what I can to ease the burden by handling daily tasks like cooking and cleaning, etc but the emotional strain is immense.

What adds to the difficulty is the absence of support from his own son, who fails to step up in the way one would expect. It's disheartening to witness, especially when I, as his nephew through marriage, find myself taking on more responsibilities than his own flesh and blood.

Amidst this turmoil, I find comfort in the simple joys, like watching our beloved Cats play. It was a temporary escape from the stress, as was streaming games for all of you and providing downloads afterward. Your unwavering support over the years has meant the world to me, and for that, I am truly grateful.

However, I now find myself in need of your prayers. I ask for strength and peace of mind to navigate through these trying times. Your thoughts and well-wishes would mean more to me than words can express.

Thank you for standing by me, for your support, and for being a source of comfort during this challenging journey. Your kindness is a beacon of hope in the darkness.

With heartfelt gratitude,
(BWO)

Partial solution to the current era: limit transfers

It’s crazy that we can refresh a Twitter feed every few minutes and see a new high-level transfer in the portal. Not just guys worried about getting more time like years past, but major contributors on great teams. This is a totally unsustainable model in its current form.

My proposed (and possibly poor) solution:

Allow for one-time immediate eligibility transfers. You want more money, PT, just move for the sake of moving? That’s cool once. You want to do it twice? You sit a year like the ‘old’ days.

Exceptions to the above given for certain circumstances, like a coach leaving, extenuating family situation, etc. In those cases, immediate eligibility remains, even if the player has already transferred once before.

This gives guys the freedom to chase the almighty dollar once and move again on a case-by-case basis. I see guys entering the portal that have hopped schools every year of their eligibility and while I understand free markets and such, it just doesn’t seem like a suitable model for the sport long-term.

Way off base with any / all of the above?

For those of you who hate the hire...

Once Hurley and Oates gave us a big fat no, that left Donovan. I think it's a good chance that Donovan was contacted under the table. He would be, I think, an unknown quantity because of his time removed from college and NIL.

That leaves
1. Pearl and Sampson who have their sons as coaches in waiting,
2. Pitino who could be a PR nightmare
3. Several guys, including Pope, who are "up. and comers"
To me Pope is as good as anybody that was available.

Not trying to fight, just my 2 cents

Potential way to Fix NIL

This off season is wild due to the NIL and businesses throwing big bucks to college players.

NIL = Name, Image and Likeness.

This whole thing started because the schools make money off the players NIL? Right? It was to also negate the already cheating of paying players anyways.

There are a plethora of advantages and disadvantages from NIL. Right now, just like the big issue is in the video game industry, NIL is basically free agency, and the "Pay to Win" model.


The Potential Fix
If the universities are making money off players NIL, why not do revenue or profit sharing with the players? Come up with a potential percentage of revenue or profit sharing for the team that they have to pay. Give 25% of that paycheck every 2 months or something until the end of the school year.

Right now, most NIL is based off marketing dollars to advertise businesses and using the players to be that catalyst for that.

I don't know... I think eventually the NIL will simmer down in a year or two because these businesses are not getting a high ROI.

Jeff and Pope

Jeff Shepperd knew the ins and outs...details of this team way better than the rest of us. At the least, he had Reed keeping him informed on players etc. I'd say his old buddy the new head coach, has a pretty good feel for who he wants around and who he definitely does not. I liked Burks and was hoping he'd stay but I'll trust coach on this one and see how it works out.

Seems like Nobody Cares about Championships

It’s all about the bag of cash. Kinda sickening really. Traveling all star teams, pretty soon they will stop calling traveling and palming the ball. There has to be some parameters set. This process of portaling every damn year will be maddening. Sadly, it’s still a process of one and done. You should only be able to attend 2 schools in a 4 year period. There should be a cap on the amount of money involved. College Basketball as we have known it is over. Not sure I like this shit.
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