That would really disappoint me. I love having Ulis on the bench and it would be a nice olive branch to the Cal players.
Coach O rumor?
- Thread starter TCurtis75
- Start date
Would a previous presidential admin want the former chief of staff to stay on?
No. You need your own guys in.
i hear you on that. I was initially thinking: if he wants to work hard and put kentucky first, wouldn't we want O? but maybe pope had that exact convo and felt it wouldn't work.
That's what I was thinking. he could be a Cal spy. He might be an okay guy, but if i were Coach Pope, (that does sound good, doesn't it...Coach Pope🥰) I would want my own team of people I trust...not someone who was heavily invested in the prior coach, who tried to destroy the program. You would never really know.....
Nope, we need a clean break from Calipari. Nothing against OA, but he’s a Cal guy. Needs to move on
Let’s be honest out of anyone on Cal’s staff he’s the one I loved when he came back. I mean we haven’t done anything as far as winning anything of meaning since 2015. So really what had any of the coaching staff really done to help us get over any kind of humps? The bad part is Cal wouldn’t listen to anyone on the staff and it seemed like Cal was taking point on a lot of recruitments . So really what was any of the coaching staff doing other than just showing up and collecting a check.
There are other great recruiters out there that Pope can snag up and hire. Pope is a very smart man it isn’t like Coach O is the only one that recruits in all of college basketball.
Why in the world would Ulis be iffy? He's supposedly been nothing but a positive and the kid is one of the great competitors ever to play guard for us.
This is just a shot in the dark but maybe someone told them Cal would blacklist them if they stayed. I have no info, just giving a reason why some would stay with Cal after all this..
We could all see the stress Cal put on himself this season especially and there were times(multiple, that the Cal and Antigua relationship looked a bit stressed too. I know nothing except what we all saw on the tv. Maybe nothing but you hire the best available that fits your system. He'd be a big time solid hire IMHO. I will say that Pope needs some people around him that there is familiarity with, both ways, too, though.
Of course, you hope an asst. coach is more than just a recruiter. That he brings value in planning, scouting, developing, etc. But if a program can’t get the type of players that can win at the high level we want UK to play at, then all the coaching in the world won’t get us there. But I definitely don't think that means luring per-determined OAD high school recruits to UK. You need 2-3 high school recruits each year who you think will develop into high level upperclassmen (at least Sophomores). So, I think to win and keep UK consistently in the hunt year-after-year, UK needs asst. coaches with the skill to evaluate and forecast high school players (you know the traditional “eye for talent” good coaches used to be expected to have), not look at the top 10 ranked players on a recruiting service list and sell Kentucky as an OAD destination. Would Antigua be great at this or was he just an OAD whisperer? I don't know.
But even if Antigua was just the latter, maybe he would have the makings of a strong recruiter in the transfer portal. The top transfer portal guys have mostly shown what they’re going to be, and so I would think that forecasting potential is not as big a thing.
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I am good with whatever Coach decided. It's his staff. I don't have a strong opinion either way. Antigua is a great recruiter, but not sure he can coach worth a sh*t. Depends on what he needs and he knows better than I do.
I heard that Orlando gets a $500,000 retention bonus if he is still on staff on 6/1.
The Cal assistant coach gravy train is over.
The Cal assistant coach gravy train is over.
It's curious to me that you have less than 50 posts in 16 years, but this comment provoked a response. Do you have a personal connection to Coach O?
Hence their appearance together in Phoenix during Final Four week to catch a Suns game. Yes, Ulis was there to support Book but he was also playing tag along with Cal.
I think Coach Pope should reach out to John Wall. John was contemplating starting a coaching career and expressed desire to stay involved with Kentucky and developing a relationship with the new coach.
Exactly. He posted GOAT w a pic of Cal when he took the Ark job. Antigua has been Cals right hand man for YEARS. Theyre both 100 percent loyal to Cal. It’s perfectly fine to love Tyler Ulis the player and appreciate what he did at UK and separate it from him being a good fit on Popes staff because of those ties w Cal (who does not wish this program well at this point).
I’m all on board w the Pope hire, but if he’s naive enough to even consider this for more than a minute I’m second guessing this hire.
Exactly. I don’t care if Orlando never did a single second of coaching. His recruiting alone is worth him being here. He maybe the single best recruiter UK has ever had. That’s not someone you turn down. Especially when his specialty is by far the biggest weakness of Pope.
I'm sure he's got loyalties/fondness for Kentucky but when it comes to coaching career, he'll side with Cal over Pope if he has an opportunity.
I remember seeing a gif a year ago or so of Cal giving Antigua a little shove while Antigua was trying to call a play, and got outyelled by Cal. I imagine it's been brewing for awhile.
He had to get O out of the way so he could yell "Gooo"
I personally would have kept him for recruiting which is the one question about pope. But maybe there’s something I don’t know
Was it 'Gooo' or 'Ruuuun'??? It would have made for a BIG difference in Calipari's offense... 🤣
He was implying that any of Cal's assistants might act as a "double-agent" if we kept them on to be one of Pope's assistant. That is forking bonkers. The fever dream land some people live in is just nuts.
Not crazy. If Coach O is considered for a job under Pope.
I’m sure a board that approves the hire as well as Pope himself would have to consider this.
I'm curious as to what he would go tell Cal. Our offense, our defense, our recruiting targets? Well, the first two won't change much Cal does...we've seen that. As to recruits...REALLY? He builds a home and wants to stay in Lexington, where his family has roots but he gives his recruiting tips to the guy coaching a conference competitor? For what...job security? I don't get it. I might be wrong but it sounds like "hogwash" to me. If he's more loyal to Cal than himself and his family, then yes, he should absolutely go anywhere but here. I'm just not buying the conspiracy theory being pitched here that apparently even has zero basis. Hire the best man for the job! Period!
He didn't say anything--someone asked about him being on Pope's staff or he'd be a great fit and I mentioned how he's a Cal guy so don't see that happening. Wouldn't mind being wrong here but seems pretty attached to Calipari.
Sorry, I need to pay attention to grammar. For whatever reason I thought I saw "Tyler Ulis's comment"
Do you think Pope may have asked some very important Uk fans thoughts on Coach O ?
Keeping O to recruit could reap immediate benefits.
For those that think he would tell “secrets” to Cal, that’s just being childish,
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For those that think he would tell “secrets” to Cal, that’s just being childish,
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I’m surprised Pope turned him down. He’s a recruiter. Hopefully that means he has someone better lined up.
You guys all act like this is all sinister. Yall watched too many Jason Bourne movies. . This is basketball dudes. relax. Pope would love to have Orlando or Ulis and its already been reported UK is interested in retaining him but they are up against several other programs.
I’m not saying it’s sinister. I’m saying I wouldn’t want the previous staff on board. It’s not much different than the corporate world where you need a complete overhaul of staff.
Ever see a new manager come in and doesn’t let stuff fly that was previously okay with the old boss and the employee can’t handle it and creates a toxic world? I have. That’s not to say that’s what O is going to do but O is tied to the old culture. We don’t want that.
