Feels like we're going back to Tubby era recruiting
- Thread starter Jgrass34
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Tubby era recruiting with good NIL purchases will equal a lot of success in today’s landscape
I'm hopeful, he just has a lot of questions to answer. Ingredients are there for a great coach.
Love/understanding for the program? No questions, Pope gets it.
Recruiting? Still a huge question mark, NIL support helps a ton, again the ingredients are there but Pope is coming from a situation that's impossible to compare to here. For all we know he's Cal 2.0 on the recruiting trail...or he's Tubby. NIL should help regardless.
Offense? Seems to be one of the brightest offensive minds in coaching today.
Defense? So far, not impressive. But again, being at anywhere other than BYU could help with this.
Tubby didn’t an offensive system that players wanted to play in. Totally different situation now, Popes schemes are modern and with his own twist, there’s no chance top guards and wings are not going to want to play in it when they’re going to be paid as much or more here. They get the money, the modern schemes, and a blue blood program.
As soon as players see what he’s doing it’ll take off from there. The first big recruit he gets will make the dominos fall. And the defense around 100 is simply due to a lack of athleticism because he had to take guys that fit his offensive system and none are overly athletic. It’s Byu. That’s going to change too.
First even Tubby brought in some NBA talent he just did not want the head case's. Calipari brought in 48 NBA drafted players and what did we get for it, bounced in the first round twice and second round once in the last 4 years. And no offense look at the teams who made it to the final 4 the last 2 years, almost no 5 star types on anybody's roster. To win today you need 3 and 4 year players and a actual coach. Tired of watching roll the ball out Cal yell "GO" or "Make a play". Tired of watching teams score out of bounds under the basket repeatedly, tired of watching guard drive over and over again to the basket and never be challenged, tired of watching teams back door us to death. We actually have a X&O's coach with more NIL money (which came flowing in once Cal left) than any other team.
And playing time, but what did you think all these freshmen 5 stars are interested in. Cal can talk about putting players in the NBA but out of the 48 he put in at UK I will go out on a limb and say all but maybe 5 or 6 were going to the NBA no matter where they went to school.
You need to relax. A new era has entered Kentucky basketball. A new era that has a Rhodes scholar candidate as a coach--a Rhodes scholar candidate who has chosen to dedicate his substantial gray matter to the study of basketball. Not to mention he happens to have been the captain of one of the most dominant teams in Kentucky basketball history--a Captain who has the love and support of every member of those powerful late 90s teams and their coaches.
Kentucky is entering the Mark Pope era. It could very well be very shaky at first. In fact, it probably will. But Kentucky basketball is now in the hands of people who knew it when it was about as good as it's ever been.
This bunch will *not* try to bull**** you through the shortcomings. They will not put a one and done player through the program while he sits on the bench waiting to go to the NBA. They will not sacrifice a NCAA championship in order to showcase an NBA point guard prospect.
That crap is over.
Get on the bus.
Pope and the spirit of '96 is back and ready to take Kentucky basketball back to where it belongs.
Kentucky is entering the Mark Pope era. It could very well be very shaky at first. In fact, it probably will. But Kentucky basketball is now in the hands of people who knew it when it was about as good as it's ever been.
This bunch will *not* try to bull**** you through the shortcomings. They will not put a one and done player through the program while he sits on the bench waiting to go to the NBA. They will not sacrifice a NCAA championship in order to showcase an NBA point guard prospect.
That crap is over.
Get on the bus.
Pope and the spirit of '96 is back and ready to take Kentucky basketball back to where it belongs.
Based on what? Mark hasn’t brought in or recruited a single player yet. This doesn’t really make sense.
One thing I’m sure of, is that Mark Pope is going to build a college basketball program and not an NBA G League farm team. I, for one, cannot be more happy about that.
One thing I’m sure of, is that Mark Pope is going to build a college basketball program and not an NBA G League farm team. I, for one, cannot be more happy about that.
I've been really taken aback by how many UK fans are clamoring for BYU's players. Outside of Robinson (who would be a nice bench piece on a good UK team), there's not a single guy on that team that is a UK-level player. Khalifa, Dallin, etc will get eaten alive in the SEC over the long haul.
After the 1996 team, that 2003 squad was my all time favorite UK team. I can still argue Keith Bogans was greatest all-around player in Wildcat history. May not be the career leader in any one stat, but his combined numbers are other worldly.
As long as we get NIL straight we will bring in players because they all care about that first and foremost now. I hope we recruit basketball players. Yes it will be different recruiting maybe the #45 ranked player over the #5 ranked player but what did that get us anyway? Let’s give him a shot and see the classes he can bring in.
They survived the Big 12 so they can survive the SEC. I agree we only need the best ones but we shall see.
You know, they played in the Big 12 this year …which was the strongest conference in the country according to the computers …and did pretty damn well. If they could handle themselves there then I’m guessin they can also handle SEC competition.
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2024 Men's College Basketball Conference NET - a ranking of conference based on the average NET Ranking of the teams in the conference.
I enjoyed a lot of the Tubby era outside the last couple years when he gave up and recruited the Adam Williams of the world.
We won’t know about his recruiting until year 3.
It’s unfair to judge it this year . I doubt he has any kind of relationship with the top players HS/Transfer portal due to him knowing his limitations at BYU .
It’s unfair to judge it this year . I doubt he has any kind of relationship with the top players HS/Transfer portal due to him knowing his limitations at BYU .
Let's be honest, you are pretty negative. Pope will have to use the portal to field a team. You putting a negative spin on the portal is predictable.
Same! But Calipari hadn’t got us there for nearly a decade. So if I have to choose between not going to the Final Four with Cal, or not going without Cal…I happily choose without. I’ll hope for the best.
How many UK game are “clamoring” (lol really?) for BYU’s players? Specifically how many posters here have you seen clamoring for BYU players and that’s it?
What you probably meant to say was we have a lot of fans who want players that fit a system. Not necessarily 5-7 new freshmen every year, most of which want to go to the NBA as soon as possible and if not on mock boards declare anyways or transfer.
Perhaps bring some BYU players over. Maybe. But nobody is clamoring for only BYU players lol.
Nobody wants a team of only random 1-2 star players. You know that though.
Look at UConn’s last few recruiting classes (based on rank). I think most of us want recruits that are really good/ solid and not necessarily looking to bolt after one year in ADDITION to really good/ solid portal players.
People are sick of having 18 freshman 5 stars come in every year only to disappoint and bolt after seasons end.
First Tubby did more with his recruiting than Cal did with his 5 stars. Next seems to me Pope with all BYU's restrictions put a competitive roster, he beat Kansas at Kansas, something Cal couldn't do with all his NBA talent. And it is not like UK never got talent before Cal. Hell back in the summer of 78 I was at UK camp and they brought in Sam Bowie, Steve Stevanovich, counselor said Sampson had been there the week before, I played with Melvin Turpin, and they brought in several other top recruits in as well, wined and dined them.
You have to look at like this: we had a fully loaded Cadillac Escalade but we were driving it around in maddening circles looking for water in the desert. In the middle of the desert, we found this really really smart guy driving a Jetta who knew the way to where we needed to go. Now we just gotta get in the car and let him drive. It’s that simple.
It’s crazy. I mean we don’t even have a staff fully set yet and we’re already panicking.
And everyone acting like Cal’s recurring gave is so damn much lately excerpt false prophets (
with a few minor exceptions). Not a single one of Cal’s dudes have led us to the promised land in nearly a decade. Shoot the last ones that got us close were Fox and Monk.
This year’s FF had TWO five stars between four teams. The title game had ONE.
Let’s give Pope a chance before we declare tempe sede vacante
It was. The problem was who preceeded it (Bobby Perry, Woo, Shagari, Sheray) and who followed it (Rekalin Sims, Jared Carter, Adam Williams). The recruiting classes of 2003 and 2005 are what killed OTS at UK.
IMO: Fitch was one of the most underrated players ever to play for Kentucky. Tough as nails and clutch.
Chuck Hayes, Rondo. Also remember we had a 5 star center pass away before he ever got to play
This. BYU usually has 3-4 mission trip guys who added maturity, knowledge and strength to their team. Prob the reason BYU has even been on the map for college basketball over the last 40 years. Pope is about to have much more in resources.
Tubby didn't have access to a transfer portal where players are immediately eligible. He also didn't play ball with the recruiting hustlers of his era. Now, everybody can drop a bag of cash in the name of NIL. That's an even playing field in terms of legality of how you recruit; and then, UK has an advantage of having more money to float than most other programs.
Wonder what name he usually posts under and why he isn't using it now. An agenda perhaps.
Best interior passing UK team I ever saw. A shame that Bogens had a bum ankle at the end of the year.
+1
Erik Daniels and Chuck Hayes have been recognized by many as two of the best passing "big men" to ever suit up in Blue/White. They were something to watch.
As a recruiter, Pope is a relative unknown on the national stage. Players and handlers may see him as a risky choice. Give him a year on the national stage and he should be fine.
How about, recruit like Cal, but actually coach them? How would we have done the last few years with the same teams, but Pope at the helm?
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