Anyone have ESPN+ that would like to share UK's grading on the coaching hire?
- Thread starter Creed Bratton
- Start date
Kentucky Wildcats: Mark Pope
Pros: For his introductory news conference at Kentucky, Pope emerged from a bus full of former players and other supporters as thousands of fans at Rupp Arena roared. Pope won a national title as a player with the Wildcats in 1996, and he has used that history to court the fan base. It also has helped him attract the NIL cash he required to recruit talented transfers, such as Otega Oweh (Oklahoma) and Lamont Butler (San Diego State).Cons: Kentucky is arguably the most prominent brand in men's college basketball. The school's wish list included UConn's Dan Hurley, Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan and Baylor's Scott Drew. Pope knows he wasn't the top choice for Kentucky. He had a solid run at BYU, but he's not in the same stratosphere -- based on his résumé -- as the other targets who were ahead of him or his predecessor.
Initial grade: C
Grade now: B+
Others of note:
Cons: Despite having access to multiple future NBA prospects over the past decade, Calipari failed to lead Kentucky to the Final Four after 2015 and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament in two of the past three seasons. That's a lengthy stretch of underachievement. Sure, the name is strong. But it's also fair to question whether Arkansas is getting a once-superb coach who is now past his prime.
Initial grade: A
Grade now: A
Cons: Louisville is a basketball-crazed school with a yearning to return to its glory years. Between a slate of NCAA violations and lackluster results in recent years, however, the Cardinals are a long way from their 2013 national title run, which was vacated by the NCAA. Kelsey, a former mid-major coach who hasn't won an NCAA tournament game yet, will be asked to achieve a feat his more experienced predecessors could not.
Initial grade: B-
Grade now: B
Arkansas Razorbacks: John Calipari
Pros: Calipari, who replaced Eric Musselman, is a Hall of Fame coach with a national title under his belt and a reputation as a stellar recruiter. That already has helped him at Arkansas, where he has lured former Kentucky commit Boogie Fland and Florida Atlantic transfer Johnell Davis as part of a strong class in Calipari's first season in Fayetteville.Cons: Despite having access to multiple future NBA prospects over the past decade, Calipari failed to lead Kentucky to the Final Four after 2015 and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament in two of the past three seasons. That's a lengthy stretch of underachievement. Sure, the name is strong. But it's also fair to question whether Arkansas is getting a once-superb coach who is now past his prime.
Initial grade: A
Grade now: A
Louisville Cardinals: Pat Kelsey
Pros: Kenny Payne's replacement has displayed a different kind of energy that has impressed a fan base recovering from three consecutive sub-.500 seasons and has helped Kelsey nab top players, including Chucky Hepburn (Wisconsin) and Aly Khalifa (BYU). Per EvanMiya.com, Kelsey currently has the No. 2 transfer class in the country.Cons: Louisville is a basketball-crazed school with a yearning to return to its glory years. Between a slate of NCAA violations and lackluster results in recent years, however, the Cardinals are a long way from their 2013 national title run, which was vacated by the NCAA. Kelsey, a former mid-major coach who hasn't won an NCAA tournament game yet, will be asked to achieve a feat his more experienced predecessors could not.
Initial grade: B-
Grade now: B
Arkansas will get young talent and won’t win dick.Others of note:
Arkansas Razorbacks: John Calipari
Pros: Calipari, who replaced Eric Musselman, is a Hall of Fame coach with a national title under his belt and a reputation as a stellar recruiter. That already has helped him at Arkansas, where he has lured former Kentucky commit Boogie Fland and Florida Atlantic transfer Johnell Davis as part of a strong class in Calipari's first season in Fayetteville.
Cons: Despite having access to multiple future NBA prospects over the past decade, Calipari failed to lead Kentucky to the Final Four after 2015 and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament in two of the past three seasons. That's a lengthy stretch of underachievement. Sure, the name is strong. But it's also fair to question whether Arkansas is getting a once-superb coach who is now past his prime.
Initial grade: A
Grade now: A
Louisville Cardinals: Pat Kelsey
Pros: Kenny Payne's replacement has displayed a different kind of energy that has impressed a fan base recovering from three consecutive sub-.500 seasons and has helped Kelsey nab top players, including Chucky Hepburn (Wisconsin) and Aly Khalifa (BYU). Per EvanMiya.com, Kelsey currently has the No. 2 transfer class in the country.
Cons: Louisville is a basketball-crazed school with a yearning to return to its glory years. Between a slate of NCAA violations and lackluster results in recent years, however, the Cardinals are a long way from their 2013 national title run, which was vacated by the NCAA. Kelsey, a former mid-major coach who hasn't won an NCAA tournament game yet, will be asked to achieve a feat his more experienced predecessors could not.
Initial grade: B-
Grade now: B
Lets revisit this in 5 years and see where Pope is and by the time Hog fans catch on to the joke that is CCC.
It's not surprising that ESPN began their grade as a C. I'm kind of surprised the final grade is a B+.
Can we really complain much about either original C or the B+? I don't think so. Being honest, my initial response was very bad. In fact, I made a few posts on that first day that I'm kind of embarrassed about. I was mostly angry with Barnhardt but it was because of Pope. But once I researched it, took a closer look at Pope's offense and especially after that introductory press conference, I went from thinking it was a bad hire to thinking it's a homerun.
Can we really complain much about either original C or the B+? I don't think so. Being honest, my initial response was very bad. In fact, I made a few posts on that first day that I'm kind of embarrassed about. I was mostly angry with Barnhardt but it was because of Pope. But once I researched it, took a closer look at Pope's offense and especially after that introductory press conference, I went from thinking it was a bad hire to thinking it's a homerun.
Seeing their fans on YouTube videos I can’t wait until they fall flat on their face.
I honestly don’t know what to think. We did much of the same rationalizing when Billy was hired…lol.
Pope looks to be the real deal but that may just be my fandom speaking. We haven’t played any games yet.
Yeah, you're right chulo. We don't really know for sure. We will all find out together. There is no doubt, we can rationalize anything as UK fans. I remember when Gillispie came, we all talked about how great he was gonna do and how good we were gonna be. That lasted through almost his first season. And his 2nd season started off well, and then the wheels fell off. I don't feel like Pope is the same kind of thing, though, and I think that feeling is not just wishful thinking. But we're gonna find out one way or another, aren't we? I'm all in.
But I'm not surprised that ESPN has doubts and I can't honestly be upset by it. If I were on the outside, looking in, I'd be making some jokes about Pope and his lack of experience and lack of NCAA-T wins.
Oh I was fuming. I was ready to burn Mitch’s house to the ground. And mind you, I still think the right move wait and see what the Bulls did in hopes of landing Donovan. But Pope has absolutely won me over with his incredible roster construction in such a short time. I think we’ll see teams with a lot better chemistry in the next few years, and as he gets his name out there, they are going to be a lot of guys; both freshmen and transfers; that want to play for him and Kentucky.
Last edited:
Yeah I am trying to wait and see. I believe he will do great but it will not happen overnight. The board has a lot of toxic positivity right now, which is better than when we had too much of the alternative a few months ago.
Yeah, if the proof is in the pudding, Pope definitely went to work putting his team together. I think the staff he's brought in is excellent. The players he's signed all fit the system, and he's not done. Those last 2 pieces could be the 2 most talented if we get who I think we will. But even if we don't get those 2 guys, Pope has proven he's gonna put in the work to get this done. I don't think he's in over his head at all. There is much reason at this point for positivity, and it's not pie in the sky.
Last edited:
Kentucky Wildcats: Mark Pope
Pros: For his introductory news conference at Kentucky, Pope emerged from a bus full of former players and other supporters as thousands of fans at Rupp Arena roared. Pope won a national title as a player with the Wildcats in 1996, and he has used that history to court the fan base. It also has helped him attract the NIL cash he required to recruit talented transfers, such as Otega Oweh (Oklahoma) and Lamont Butler (San Diego State).
Cons: Kentucky is arguably the most prominent brand in men's college basketball. The school's wish list included UConn's Dan Hurley, Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan and Baylor's Scott Drew. Pope knows he wasn't the top choice for Kentucky. He had a solid run at BYU, but he's not in the same stratosphere -- based on his résumé -- as the other targets who were ahead of him or his predecessor.
Initial grade: C
Grade now: B+
He's an A+ in my book strictly due to his pedigree..... MAN it feels GOOD to be led by A KENTUCKY HEART!!!
Mark Pope has a KENTUCKY HEART!!!!
I AM thankful!
Others of note:
Arkansas Razorbacks: John Calipari
Pros: Calipari, who replaced Eric Musselman, is a Hall of Fame coach with a national title under his belt and a reputation as a stellar recruiter. That already has helped him at Arkansas, where he has lured former Kentucky commit Boogie Fland and Florida Atlantic transfer Johnell Davis as part of a strong class in Calipari's first season in Fayetteville.
Cons: Despite having access to multiple future NBA prospects over the past decade, Calipari failed to lead Kentucky to the Final Four after 2015 and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament in two of the past three seasons. That's a lengthy stretch of underachievement. Sure, the name is strong. But it's also fair to question whether Arkansas is getting a once-superb coach who is now past his prime.
Initial grade: A
Grade now: A
Louisville Cardinals: Pat Kelsey
Pros: Kenny Payne's replacement has displayed a different kind of energy that has impressed a fan base recovering from three consecutive sub-.500 seasons and has helped Kelsey nab top players, including Chucky Hepburn (Wisconsin) and Aly Khalifa (BYU). Per EvanMiya.com, Kelsey currently has the No. 2 transfer class in the country.
Cons: Louisville is a basketball-crazed school with a yearning to return to its glory years. Between a slate of NCAA violations and lackluster results in recent years, however, the Cardinals are a long way from their 2013 national title run, which was vacated by the NCAA. Kelsey, a former mid-major coach who hasn't won an NCAA tournament game yet, will be asked to achieve a feat his more experienced predecessors could not.
Initial grade: B-
Grade now: B
So...
Coach Pope, "ain't" no drunk and doesn't do bathroom stalls... Nuff said...
It's called, "Do the right thing(s)." Coach Pope is doing that. Doing the right thing(s) is hard to be overcome by failure. Coach Pope is doing all the things it takes to win. Hard to be a loser doing the things he is doing. IF UK loses, it will not be due to the lack of effort and doing things the right way to build a great program. I'd take the over (If that is the correct betting term.) that Coach Pope WILL succeed at Kentucky!
Last edited:
I would give him an A at this point. Hiring top notch recruiters on his staff shows he’s committed to long term success. Starting with no players and building a competitive, complete roster from scratch has been extremely impressive
Not a bad evaluation by ESPN. I was shocked (not angry or even disappointed) when we hired Pope. It seemed to just come out of nowhere. Pope is the 8th UK basketball coach since I've been following. Of the previous seven, five were successful. Two wound up being disasters. The two that were a disaster shared a common thing in that they were both raging alcoholics. I'm pretty sure Pope doesn't have an alcohol problem. Based on that alone, I think Pope will be successful to some degree, just like the other five who were. 🤔
I don't disagree with anything written in the ESPN+ piece about Pope. But I sure do like what is implicit in the increase in the "grade" from "C" to "B+".
They lost a crap ton of games last season and a few guys still won “dick”!
I think the initial grade was mostly about not a soul in the basketball world knew a single thing about Pope (outside of BYU). Most UK fans (myself included) wouldn't have been able to tell you a single thing about Mark Pope the coach. I'm glad to see BBN has seemed to have really warmed up to him.
Agreed. The staff he has assembled really went a long way in giving me some confidence in him and the ceiling we have. Initially I was worried he’d have an all white staff with majority white players. But that isn’t the direction he’s gone thankfully.
And the team he has assembled to this point doesn’t look like a stinker on paper.
There is some consolation in the fact he knows exactly what he’s getting into as the coach at Kentucky. Billy did not. He seems to have the drive to hold the reins of this position but this job can and does change people. Or maybe exacerbates existing weaknesses. Hopefully his family and his former teammates can give him the support he will need.
I’m not sure what would be the best outcome for this coming season: crushing it and making a deep run or a gradual progression each season? Tubby was done in a bit by reaching the pinnacle his first season. Tough to have an encore to match that first performance.
