I Don't Hate The Hire (*Ducks Down As Things Get Thrown At Me*)

[HeismaNole]

This is like the dumb fans back in the day who wanted Pelphrey or Ford all of the time.

This is awful! If you would’ve told me to make a top 50 list, Mark Pope wouldn’t be an option. I didn’t even know this would remotely be a possibility.

How does a guy who has no ncaa tournament wins or recruiting experience get this job? HOW?!

 

[RondosRevengeTour]

It’s a laughably stupid hire

Is it worse than joker Phillips?

 

[JFCats22]

Is it worse than joker Phillips?

Yes, 100% worse.

 

[shaudyshaud]

I have no choice but to support the man

 

[johnc17]

How do you think UNC fans felt when they hired Hubert Davis? A guy with 0 career wins

This isn't North Carolina. The standard at Kentucky has been slipping for years now because many of us have been going along to get along. No more.

 

[Tampa_cat54]

It’s a laughably stupid hire

I take zero issue with anyone who thinks this- I get it.

But idk, I just don't hate it. I somehow like this one more than Scott Drew.

Scott just felt like SUCH a bad fit for Kentucky. Same that I felt about Tubby for years- like a fish out of water.

I don't feel like that with Pope. Idk, maybe I will be very wrong, or maybe like Scheyer and Hubert Davis, hiring a former player who really gets it will work.

 

[ralphdaltonfan]

Pay his assistants $1.5 mil/year and go get the best ones in America.

I am looking at YOU, Luke Murray.

I am looking at YOU, Jai Lucas.

I am looking at YOU, anyone else from Purdue, Houston or UCONN

Jai Lucas actually sucks royally. I hope he stays at Duke for another 5/10 years. The hype of him and what you actually get don't mesh. He's not his Dad or Brother when it comes to player development.

Luke Murray isn't going to come work for Mark Pope. That's just not happening.

Like your idea but he needs to get some up and comers and I'd go get some Mid Major HC's as Assistants too-they are looking to leave knowing what is coming in the next 3/5 yrs.

 

[KAB Cats]

Fun style.Fast pace. Good coach, Recruiting is the question

 

[Tampa_cat54]

This isn't North Carolina. The standard at Kentucky has been slipping for years now because many of us have been going along to get along. No more.

Idk what you mean.

Since 2010, Kentucky has more wins, more final fours, more conference championships, more NCAA Tournament wins, more NBA draft picks, and the same amount of championships as UNC.

 

[Elliott Tim]

This. I'm not accepting a down year next year because he sucks at recruiting.

Hope for Pope!

 

[Kycatspaws]

Well...

 

[RondosRevengeTour]

I take zero issue with anyone who thinks this- I get it.

But idk, I just don't hate it. I somehow like this one more than Scott Drew.

Scott just felt like SUCH a bad fit for Kentucky. Same that I felt about Tubby for years- like a fish out of water.

I don't feel like that with Pope. Idk, maybe I will be very wrong, or maybe like Scheyer and Hubert Davis, hiring a former player who really gets it will work.

Pastor Scott walks miles around pope. He could forget about Jesus and be completely lost as a human being and would still be better than pope.

 

[johnc17]

Idk what you mean.

Since 2010, Kentucky has more wins, more final fours, more conference championships, more NCAA Tournament wins, more NBA draft picks, and the same amount of championships as UNC.

Reading comprehension is hard

 

[ABLCommenter]

We eat first.

 

[RondosRevengeTour]

Hope for Pope!

Ditch Mitch!

 

[Smashcat]

It’s whatever, but they could have hired him next week or next month. They didn’t have to move so quickly.

Thats what I'm thinking. Looks like they got dinged by their top choices then started to panic.

 

[ralphdaltonfan]

Won’t matter we’re looking at 2-3 more years to make the tournament maybe 4-5 to advance to a sweet sixteen. This hire is a program killer for what you’ve just laid out. No connections to fill a roster and may bring 1 guy

This will test the stature of Kentucky's brand big time. They'll have a ton of NIL $ to offer and if guys are going to end up where they get paid the most--we'll see how good this place truly is and how good of a hire this is.

I don't hate Pope. I hate the man who hired him because he doesn't know what he's doing. This process was about Scott Drew and then finding someone as non confrontational as possible for him.

Many people were concerned with Barnhart. He's hired 2 coaches now--Billy Gillespie and Mark Pope. He was TOLD to hire Cal. This is why many wanted to wait until BOTH were gone because they feared this day would come.

Wish Pope the best but not enthused completely because I think Mitch Barnhart is a clueless dickweed.

 

[Big BlueBeard]

Pastor Scott walks miles around pope. He could forget about Jesus and be completely lost as a human being and would still be better than pope.

And he said no.

 

[Tampa_cat54]

Reading comprehension is hard

Well yeah when you are forced to read utter nonsense that lacks basic sentence structure and punctuation, yeah it can make it difficult to understand.

 

[sambowieshin]

Idk guys. I don't hate it.

He GETS it. Duke and UNC hired Davis and Scheyer with ZERO head coaching experience because they were former players who just got it...they just understood UNC and Duke respectively and what it means to be great there. Guys who both won national titles wearing those jerseys and understood what that means.

That is the same mold as Pope.

Mark Pope GETS Kentucky basketball. He knows what it means to play here and he respect what it means to this state. His offense is super fun, and he'll recruit at a high level and blend talent and experience.

He would not have been in my top-5, obviously, but I don't HATE the hire. I'm intrigued.

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When the media that hates us loves the hire, you know it's a disaster in the making.

 

[wildcatcorner]

If he's smart enough to switch from man to man to a zone when it's not working, then I'm in. If he gets us to the 2nd weekend, I'm in. That's already better than Calipari the past 5 years or whatever. If Cal didn't leave, we'd be stuck with 1st or 2nd round exits for the next several years as he's demonstrated his refusal to change. So might as well give Pope a chance. 🤷‍♂️

 

[RondosRevengeTour]

Thats what I'm thinking. Looks like they got dinged by their top choices then started to panic.

When pastor Scott didn’t walk down the aisle to Mitch it was over, you knew then and there this was going to be someone that we never even conjured as a possibility.

 

[meow_cat]

I don't hate it... yet. I'm more intrigued than anything. We'll know within a few weeks/months if we'll have any sort of team to put out there.

Idk guys. I don't hate it.

He GETS it. Duke and UNC hired Davis and Scheyer with ZERO head coaching experience because they were former players who just got it...they just understood UNC and Duke respectively and what it means to be great there. Guys who both won national titles wearing those jerseys and understood what that means.

That is the same mold as Pope.

Mark Pope GETS Kentucky basketball. He knows what it means to play here and he respect what it means to this state. His offense is super fun, and he'll recruit at a high level and blend talent and experience.

He would not have been in my top-5, obviously, but I don't HATE the hire. I'm intrigued.

View embedded media

 

[Phil_The_Music]

Idk guys. I don't hate it.

He GETS it. Duke and UNC hired Davis and Scheyer with ZERO head coaching experience because they were former players who just got it...they just understood UNC and Duke respectively and what it means to be great there. Guys who both won national titles wearing those jerseys and understood what that means.

That is the same mold as Pope.

Mark Pope GETS Kentucky basketball. He knows what it means to play here and he respect what it means to this state. His offense is super fun, and he'll recruit at a high level and blend talent and experience.

He would not have been in my top-5, obviously, but I don't HATE the hire. I'm intrigued.

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You're gonna get crucified on here but I'm with you! I'm excited!

 

[bookerfan66]

You're gonna get crucified on here but I'm with you! I'm excited!

You poor souls.

 

[RondosRevengeTour]

I don't hate it... yet. I'm more intrigued than anything. We'll know within a few weeks/months if we'll have any sort of team to put out there.

Your cat was a better man for the job unfortunately. This is almost as bad as it could’ve gotten.

 

[deplion]

This will test the stature of Kentucky's brand big time. They'll have a ton of NIL $ to offer and if guys are going to end up where they get paid the most--we'll see how good this place truly is and how good of a hire this is.

I don't hate Pope. I hate the man who hired him because he doesn't know what he's doing. This process was about Scott Drew and then finding someone as non confrontational as possible for him.

Many people were concerned with Barnhart. He's hired 2 coaches now--Billy Gillespie and Mark Pope. He was TOLD to hire Cal. This is why many wanted to wait until BOTH were gone because they feared this day would come.

Wish Pope the best but not enthused completely because I think Mitch Barnhart is a clueless dickweed.

Nailed it.

No offense to Pope, who I genuinely like, but this is complete incompetence on the AD's part.

 

[sambowieshin]

Was not the sexy homerun hire that we expected. But falls in line with how historiclly we have got coaches. You ask/offer a few homerun gems, then get a up and comer that with the resources Kentucky has, and hope it all takes off. Not so much concerned with Pope, but more so in the administration, in that they don't hamstring the program with insane buyout and length of contract. Laden it with huge incentives, and always leave an out.

He will get a Kenny Payne contract giving Mitch the opportunity to GTFO and retire before the fans burn down his house. I hope I'm wrong about this nutty hire.

 

[RondosRevengeTour]

Nailed it.

No offense to Pope, who I genuinely like, but this is complete incompetence on the AD's part.

Malpractice to the highest degree. How he can operate with such negligence is shocking. I guess it was just Siri pick a number 1-10 and it landed on pope. Probably was too busy wiping his tears from the pastor Scott breakup to make a decision.

 

[Phil_The_Music]

You poor souls.

Nah. You're the one that's miserable. If he doesn't work out, we try again. It happens. But I think if he's given the right support he will do well here.

 

[JBHolmesfan]

There’s a transfer portal that needs plundering and UK players (see Reed Sheppard) that need some convincing into maybe staying.

Those factors alone mandated moving quickly on this hire.

I’d rather suck next year with the right coach that can build than suck slightly less because we had more time to fill out the roster.

 

[nssdigitalchumps]

I just want to know who his staff will be--he needs recruiters and he'll have a budget because they saved a shitload of $ getting him. This is vital. This isn't Utah Valley or BYU--he needs an elite staff.

Secondly--bring Jaxson Robinson with him from BYU and keep Reed Sheppard and you have 2 All SEC caliber players. Now fill out the rest of the roster.

I certainly think UK is a step up with financial support for him to build an epic staff. I like Pope, enjoyed him as a player, and think we should all wait and see how he does. Turning BYU into a national mentionable is a bigger feat than most realize.

 

[KyCatFan]

Pastor Scott walks miles around pope. He could forget about Jesus and be completely lost as a human being and would still be better than pope.

You know he beat Drew's Baylor team this year right? He also beat Iowa State handily and Kansas at Kansas. Plus wins against Texas and NC State. He did that with weak recruiting classes. Imagine how well he could do with much better players.

 

[bookerfan66]

You know he beat Drew's Baylor team this year right? He also beat Iowa State handily and Kansas at Kansas. Plus wins against Texas and NC State. He did that with weak recruiting classes. Imagine how well he could do with much better players.

Oh wow.That makes him ready to coach UK>

 

[RondosRevengeTour]

You know he beat Drew's Baylor team this year right? He also beat Iowa State handily and Kansas at Kansas. Plus wins against Texas and NC State. He did that with weak recruiting classes. Imagine how well he could do with much better players.

Or, and hear me out. Imagine he doesn’t get any recruits like he hasn’t yet to do, if we want to roll out the Kentucky high school all star team then this is great. If we want to win championships this is awful.

 

[KyCatFan]

Oh wow.That makes him ready to coach UK>

Nothing makes anyone ready to coach at UK besides coaching at UK. No one is ever ready for it until they experience it. Hopefully Pope's experience here as a player will be a big benefit.

Or, and hear me out. Imagine he doesn’t get any recruits like he hasn’t yet to do, if we want to roll out the Kentucky high school all star team then this is great. If we want to win championships this is awful.

He's at freaking BYU. No one gets top recruits there. These big names we didn't sign started the same way I'd bet. Every coach that comes here was living off of mostly 2 or 3 star caliber players before Kentucky. Cal is the only one that recruited at a high level. When they got here their recruiting got a big boost.

If Pope hires big time assistants to help with recruiting, there's no reason he can't bring in top 10 classes. Recruiting is only half the battle. He probably could coach circles around Cal. We've seen coaching is more important by the number of times we kept losing to lesser talented teams. Best thing about Pope is if it doesn't work out, he will be cheap to get rid of and if it does, we've got a lifer.

 

[Wildcats1st]

This will test the stature of Kentucky's brand big time. They'll have a ton of NIL $ to offer and if guys are going to end up where they get paid the most--we'll see how good this place truly is and how good of a hire this is.

I don't hate Pope. I hate the man who hired him because he doesn't know what he's doing. This process was about Scott Drew and then finding someone as non confrontational as possible for him.

Many people were concerned with Barnhart. He's hired 2 coaches now--Billy Gillespie and Mark Pope. He was TOLD to hire Cal. This is why many wanted to wait until BOTH were gone because they feared this day would come.

Wish Pope the best but not enthused completely because I think Mitch Barnhart is a clueless dickweed.

Where’s the nil coming from man? Matt Jones said this was the president and the AD wo input and that donors are furious. All it does it take a decent guy like pope and set him up to fail so Barney can save a dollar. Like I said he should have never been interviewed bc Barney would give him the job. The guy is a sucker.

 

[RondosRevengeTour]

Nothing makes anyone ready to coach at UK besides coaching at UK. No one is ever ready for it until they experience it. Hopefully Pope's experience here as a player will be a big benefit.


He's at freaking BYU. No one gets top recruits there. These big names we didn't sign started the same way I'd bet. Every coach that comes here was living off of mostly 2 or 3 star caliber players before Kentucky. Cal is the only one that recruited at a high level. When they got here their recruiting got a big boost.

If Pope hires big time assistants to help with recruiting, there's no reason he can't bring in top 10 classes. Recruiting is only half the battle. He probably could coach circles around Cal. We've seen coaching is more important by the number of times we kept losing to lesser talented teams. Best thing about Pope is if it doesn't work out, he will be cheap to get rid of and if it does, we've got a lifer.

If we can offer Hurley over 100 million then saving money shouldn’t be a top priority for the hire after Hurley says no.

 

[KentuckyMildCats]

I won't justify it, I just hope I get proven wrong.

 

[Snarks0]

Will save this post for when he fails miserably. Horrible hire