I find myself more excited for Pope’s style of players vs Cal’s

[BGWentworth]

I know some folks have said that recruiting won’t be nearly as fun with Coach Pope. However, I love the idea of getting smarter, good shooting, character type of guys versus players with amazing athletic potential that are ranked in the top 20. And I think everybody is waking up to the fact we’re not going to stray away from some of the top guys. I realize NIL is a must, but I hope we stay away from bidding wars. I want guys that want be here (again, understanding we will pay some good 💰). I know some on here won’t like that and think I’m being naive, but it’s just how I feel. I think as long as we have 2-3 future NBA players on the team, that should suffice.

 

[wkycatfan]

I fully expect this to take a couple of years for Pope, but I agree. But the main thing for me now, is the focus is now March, not June.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Gonna have to win bidding wars to get the players needed to win big. Not all, but at least some on the roster each season will be from bidding wars.

 

[know1]

I find myself more excited for Pope actually being the coach vs Cal. I knew I would, though.

I don't think many realized how bad things had gotten in terms of a coach who really wasn't doing anything at all except recruiting high school players and bragging how they got drafted.

 

[TNCatfanforever]

He is trying to quickly assemble a team with the right parts for his style to be competitive next year. Once this is done he will totally be involved in recruiting the AAU circuit as well. He will want a combination of balanced youth and experience. I anticipate 2-3 top 10 HS players coming in every year. The way NIL is currently structured it looks like you will have to rebuild 1/2 your roster yearly. UK boosters and fans must step up and raise 30 million a year if we are going to compete in the major sports.

 

[Elliott Tim]

I fully expect this to take a couple of years for Pope, but I agree. But the main thing for me now, is the focus is now March, not June.

I'm sadly, prone to agree with you.

 

[TM2013]

Agreed. It was to the point where I felt like a giant jackass doing the mental gymnastics to pretend like a bunch of freshman could get the job done. I have zero faith in freshman now.

 

[bluedom44]

I don't like the assumption that Cal's players were somehow 'low character' guys. There were no issues with nearly all of them and we certainly didn't have any problems w/their characters when they were running and dunking all over Rupp. We can celebrate Pope's guys without slamming our former players.

 

[TNCatfanforever]

I don't like the assumption that Cal's players were somehow 'low character' guys. There were no issues with nearly all of them and we certainly didn't have any problems w/their characters when they were running and dunking all over Rupp. We can celebrate Pope's guys without slamming our former players.

I agree. Unlike Bama, U of L and Kansas none of our guys were involved in rape and murder

 

[ukcatz12]

I don't like the assumption that Cal's players were somehow 'low character' guys. There were no issues with nearly all of them and we certainly didn't have any problems w/their characters when they were running and dunking all over Rupp. We can celebrate Pope's guys without slamming our former players.

I would hope one of the few things we could agree on about Cal was that his players were high character guys, with very few exceptions.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

I don't like the assumption that Cal's players were somehow 'low character' guys. There were no issues with nearly all of them and we certainly didn't have any problems w/their characters when they were running and dunking all over Rupp. We can celebrate Pope's guys without slamming our former players.

That's a fair point. They almost all were high character guys and a lot of them were quite smart as well.

 

[NavyCat88]

If you factor in lower turnover and increased player development, Coach Pope only has to score a couple of 4/5 star McD AA types each year. They will be augmented by 3/4 star juniors and seniors...maybe a portal bubba or two.

Con Man Cal put himself on a 5-star consumption treadmill hoping he could catch lightning in a bottle twice a year (once in recruiting and again in 7-month development of freshmen into players of equal station/equal standing with teams packing waaaaaay more experience).

As BBN, we need to get used to some recruits and transfers NOT being ranked the top 20 in their respective classes by recruiting services. Role players in each class who develop into a couple of seasoned senior starters is a good thing.

Its back to smart, disciplined basketball with Coach Mark Pope.

GBB!

 

[dl51344]

I would hope one of the few things we could agree on about Cal was that his players were high character guys, with very few exceptions.

As someone who got to where I totally could not listen to him and have wanted him gone for years, I will give him credit where it is do. He recruited and brought to Ky young men of great character and there were minus a couple of instances no problems with them.

 

[wkycatfan]

I find myself more excited for Pope actually being the coach vs Cal. I knew I would, though.

I don't think many realized how bad things had gotten in terms of a coach who really wasn't doing anything at all except recruiting high school players and bragging how they got drafted.

This was a little bit of a smoke and mirrors thing by Cal, taking a little bit too much credit for the players he recruited making it to the NBA quickly, as if they couldn't have made it that quickly with a different coach. The point is, it was a recruiting tool, but it wasn't maximizing Kentucky's chances in March by any means.

 

[NociHTTP]

Pope's offense is definitely a lot of fun to watch, Cal will not know what to do.

 

[wkycatfan]

Agreed. It was to the point where I felt like a giant jackass doing the mental gymnastics to pretend like a bunch of freshman could get the job done. I have zero faith in freshman now.

It's possible, but I contend without Darius Miller, and a couple of sophomores, we probably would not have won in 2011. More often than not Kentucky has been playing teams in March, fully focused on the tournament, whereas I felt some of Kentucky's players, and perhaps Cal himself, had one eye on the tournament, and one eye on the upcoming NBA draft. IMHO.

 

[ORCAT]

I was very tired of the roster being filled with top 1 or 2 recruiting classes too. Pretty exciting at first but it doesn't work. 1 title in 15 years of having all those future NBA stars. I woukd fell happy with 1 or 2 key burger boys per class to mix in with experienced players/leaders. Only thing that concerns me now is all the transfers in college sports. I'm hoping to have some guys at least 2-3 years and get to know them as players and people but who knows how many will stick around with the transfer rules and NIL these days.

 

[drew_ukfan]

I’m someone who couldn’t care less about the NBA so not having an nba minor league team is awesome to me. If a guy or 2 happens to make it, cool but I’d love a team full of guys who stay 3-4 years..lot to ask with the portal and NIL now tho

 

[dckala2]

So savage he didn’t get a second title here. Honestly felt like he would’ve left if he got a second in the early 2010’s. Oh well.

 

[EliteBlue]

I don't like the assumption that Cal's players were somehow 'low character' guys. There were no issues with nearly all of them and we certainly didn't have any problems w/their characters when they were running and dunking all over Rupp. We can celebrate Pope's guys without slamming our former players.

Not all were, fact is most weren’t, but some were. Which is evident to using the programs facilities, sitting out, questionable injuries and quitting midseason, etc.

I’m looking forward to building teams that compliment each other and not just a bunch of square pegs when the game has holes of every shape.

 

[catsfanbgky]

I know some folks have said that recruiting won’t be nearly as fun with Coach Pope. However, I love the idea of getting smarter, good shooting, character type of guys versus players with amazing athletic potential that are ranked in the top 20. And I think everybody is waking up to the fact we’re not going to stray away from some of the top guys. I realize NIL is a must, but I hope we stay away from bidding wars. I want guys that want be here (again, understanding we will pay some good 💰). I know some on here won’t like that and think I’m being naive, but it’s just how I feel. I think as long as we have 2-3 future NBA players on the team, that should suffice.

We have had some very good character guys. Matter of fact, very few non. So are you saying the guys ranked in the top 20 are not smart, can't shoot, are not good character guys because they are amazingly athletic ?

 

[kyboy1998]

I know some folks have said that recruiting won’t be nearly as fun with Coach Pope. However, I love the idea of getting smarter, good shooting, character type of guys versus players with amazing athletic potential that are ranked in the top 20.

You mean like white kids? Or light skinned or foreign players? Subconsciously of course.

 

[ukfan1622]

About the only positive thing I can still say about Calipari as a coach is that he did recruit mainly kids of
good character.

 

[ukcatz12]

You mean like white kids? Or light skinned or foreign players? Subconsciously of course.

I can't wait to get scrappy, high motor, hard working gym rats that are sneaky athletic with high basketball IQ. This is going to be a team of lunch pail guys, with good fundamentals who play the game the right way. A group of gritty winners with tons of heart who simply out hustle the opposition with their deceptive speed.

 

[UkMccurdy]

I’m excited about running an out of bounds play to score… playing 2-3 zone on defense to keep a team from scoring an unguarded layup or dunk on out of bounds underneath the basket… attempting to defend a ball screen… running something besides floppy action or a horn set… practining end game situations during practice… watching film of other teams… going over scouting reports… being about substance rather than show…

well…

just about everything now that Cal is gone!

 

[*CatinIL*]

Fortunately the Calipari 'One and out the door' era is over. It will take CMP a couple of years to rebuild but anyone that has been paying attention knew this day was coming. Fortunately the band-aid has been ripped off and UKBB can move forward without being harnessed to Calipari's BS.

 

[ukfan1622]

Fortunately the Calipari 'One and out the door' era is over. It will take CMP a couple of years to rebuild but anyone that has been paying attention knew this day was coming. Fortunately the band-aid has been ripped off and UKBB can move forward without being harnessed to Calipari's BS.

I think "one and done" is still here; it'll just be grown man seniors and proven good college players for one year instead of raw NBA prospects.

 

[ukfan1622]

I’m excited about running an out of bounds play to score… playing 2-3 zone on defense to keep a team from scoring an unguarded layup or dunk on out of bounds underneath the basket… attempting to defend a ball screen… running something besides floppy action or a horn set… practining end game situations during practice… watching film of other teams… going over scouting reports… being about substance rather than show…

well…

just about everything now that Cal is gone!

I'd also add no more 12-13 man rosters with 2 being not good enough to put on the court and 4 suitable only for the center position and none of them being big or strong enough to be able to guard anybody near the rim and the worst two of the other 6 or seven both starting.

 

[sk73]

Fortunately the Calipari 'One and out the door' era is over. It will take CMP a couple of years to rebuild but anyone that has been paying attention knew this day was coming. Fortunately the band-aid has been ripped off and UKBB can move forward without being harnessed to Calipari's BS.

Harnessed? I doubt if Calipari has BS to give. He has his own responsibilities and when he gives UK a thought, it will be in preparation for the UK game. You guys have him in your head. His head, I assume, is all Arkansas.

 

[*CatinIL*]

Harnessed? I doubt if Calipari has BS to give. He has his own responsibilities and when he gives UK a thought, it will be in preparation for the UK game. You guys have him in your head. His head, I assume, is all Arkansas.

Calipari isn't in my head. I'm thrilled he's gone!!

 

[MbergCat]

I don't like the assumption that Cal's players were somehow 'low character' guys. There were no issues with nearly all of them and we certainly didn't have any problems w/their characters when they were running and dunking all over Rupp. We can celebrate Pope's guys without slamming our former players.

Agreed. For all the things I can't stand about Cal, he tended to away from trouble kids. We almost always had likable kids under him, whether we loved their game or not.

 

[rivercatinfl]

He is trying to quickly assemble a team with the right parts for his style to be competitive next year. Once this is done he will totally be involved in recruiting the AAU circuit as well. He will want a combination of balanced youth and experience. I anticipate 2-3 top 10 HS players coming in every year. The way NIL is currently structured it looks like you will have to rebuild 1/2 your roster yearly. UK boosters and fans must step up and raise 30 million a year if we are going to compete in the major sports.

$30M? How did you come up with that number?

 

[Skyguyb27]

Pope's offense is definitely a lot of fun to watch, Cal will not know what to do.

Cal’s kryptonite is high screens and pic n roll. If you want beat Cal next year this offense mixed with some good talent is a great way to set it up. That game may very well be an epic battle.

 

[BGWentworth]

I don't like the assumption that Cal's players were somehow 'low character' guys. There were no issues with nearly all of them and we certainly didn't have any problems w/their characters when they were running and dunking all over Rupp. We can celebrate Pope's guys without slamming our former players.

My intent was not to slam our prior players. Just because our new guys will be high character, doesn’t mean our old ones weren’t. In my head, I was thinking of guys that are focused more on the NBA than for playing for the name on the jersey. Not to say that Cal’s players didn’t play hard, but I think it would be fair to say that “some” likely were more concerned about auditioning for the league vs winning a championship. Not all or even most maybe, but some.

 

[DraftCat]

OP you telling me you like offensive plays, shooting and game planning?

Do we still know what that is? I'm excited to find out.

 

[BlueSince92]

Each of Cal’s players had I guess technically a nonzero chance to blow up and be the savior of a failing system if he was able to overcome the fact that Cal most likely wouldn’t use him right, wouldn’t use his teammates right, wouldn’t get him teammates that fit with him, didn’t have an offense or wouldn’t use the offense installed because that would give too much glory to the offensive coordinator, didn’t have a defense that could function outside Anthony Davis or the 2015 roster, and only if he could somehow dodge the one free majorish lingering injury all our players seemed to be handed at the door.

Each of Pope’s is chosen for exactly how well he fits a clear and specific vision of a specific team and how much he clearly raises that team value by doing specific things that Pope can name that are not just go or run. Oh and seems like chances are at least fair to middlin a good bunch of them will stick around and get better. At least in principle.

Even if those were the only reasons, those are enough for me to get more excited about Pope’s recruits.

 

[jethog86]

I know some folks have said that recruiting won’t be nearly as fun with Coach Pope. However, I love the idea of getting smarter, good shooting, character type of guys versus players with amazing athletic potential that are ranked in the top 20. And I think everybody is waking up to the fact we’re not going to stray away from some of the top guys. I realize NIL is a must, but I hope we stay away from bidding wars. I want guys that want be here (again, understanding we will pay some good 💰). I know some on here won’t like that and think I’m being naive, but it’s just how I feel. I think as long as we have 2-3 future NBA players on the team, that should suffice.

Sure you are, see how you feel after Cal visits Rupp and run rules your Pope players next year.

 

[North Carolina Blue Wildcat]

I’m all over the Midwest AAU scene.. help run a 3SSB program and do articles and evaluations for prospect. It’s draining watching this level at times. I prefer structure and sets, not up and down, 1 on 1 basketball. I prefer Pope’s strategy by a large margin and am thankful he is at the helm now.

 

[jwphelps]

I know some folks have said that recruiting won’t be nearly as fun with Coach Pope. However, I love the idea of getting smarter, good shooting, character type of guys versus players with amazing athletic potential that are ranked in the top 20. And I think everybody is waking up to the fact we’re not going to stray away from some of the top guys. I realize NIL is a must, but I hope we stay away from bidding wars. I want guys that want be here (again, understanding we will pay some good 💰). I know some on here won’t like that and think I’m being naive, but it’s just how I feel. I think as long as we have 2-3 future NBA players on the team, that should suffice.

I find myself excited about actually watching a team run a real offense, and not listening to the coach scream make a play because he doesn't run a set offense. I find myself excited that we will not be giving up 4 to 7 baskets on out of bounds under the basket. I find myself excited that we will actually be changing up defenses during the game, and have a coach who can and will make adjustments as the game goes on.

 

[IceManPaulWall]

I know some folks have said that recruiting won’t be nearly as fun with Coach Pope. However, I love the idea of getting smarter, good shooting, character type of guys versus players with amazing athletic potential that are ranked in the top 20. And I think everybody is waking up to the fact we’re not going to stray away from some of the top guys. I realize NIL is a must, but I hope we stay away from bidding wars. I want guys that want be here (again, understanding we will pay some good 💰). I know some on here won’t like that and think I’m being naive, but it’s just how I feel. I think as long as we have 2-3 future NBA players on the team, that should suffice.

LOL at all the code words. Well done.