Is Pope the best x and o's coach we have had?

[uk78]

Not counting Rupp, I think Tubby was an excellent "x and o's" coach but could not recruit enough top talent. But, Pope has made different adjustments throughout the season based upon the opposition. Yes, we have had some sad losses but it is hard to put that on Pope given injuries and limitations of the current roster. I am surprised no one is talking about the adjustment yesterday that had Williams and Garrison in at the same time. Pope saw our advantage on the interior and made that adjustment. Who can forget the zone against the Zags? His huddle prediction to watch Flagg making a spin which allowed the steal to win against Duke, having Williams bring the ball up, and so on. I am so impressed in addition to having a team assembled that started with no players at all.

 

[docholiday51]

I think it is too early to tell for sure Tubby gets the nod right now. I hate to say it but Sutton
was pretty good. Another question, was it Pitino or his assistants?

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

Hard not to say Rick.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Have to consider Pitino. And the fact that he's doing it at his 5th college/team is really all the proof we need.

 

[docholiday51]

Have to consider Pitino. And the fact that he's doing it at his 5th college/team is really all the proof we need.

Hard to dispute this line of thinking

 

[YardCat]

Eddie Sutton is the best X and O’s coach we have had in my opinion. If the game was close with 5 minutes left, we were going to win most of the games. He just had some issues and you can’t believe that UK was mailing cash to players in UK Athletics envelopes, there was a lot more to the story than what we had heard.

 

[chroix]

Pitino doesn’t get enough credit because he ended with power houses. Can’t dismiss the beginning of his career at Kentucky which might be some of the best coaching ever. I feel like Pope is working at a similar level but in more of a modern iteration.

 

[65pacecar]

Tubby/Pitino. So far Pope is in good company to be mentioned with them. Tubby was the best at calling a play out of timeouts or inbound plays, Pope seems to have that knack too

 

[westerncat]

Pope is very good "x and o's" coach but Rick and Tubby was right up there as some of the best.

 

[docholiday51]

Eddie Sutton is the best X and O’s coach we have had in my opinion. If the game was close with 5 minutes left, we were going to win most of the games. He just had some issues and you can’t believe that UK was mailing cash to players in UK Athletics envelopes, there was a lot more to the story than what we had heard.

Yes and it will never be widely known. Joe Bill Campbell and a few others know but I doubt it will ever come out. It was sealed in the law suit settlement.

 

[TucsonCat]

Let's win at least one NCAA tournament game first before ranking him among any other coaches.

 

[cal=8]

Pitino was more of a system Coach when he was at UK. We lost a lot of close or overtime games but the system worked so well we were seldom in that position once he started getting the talent.

 

[jwphelps]

Not counting Rupp, I think Tubby was an excellent "x and o's" coach but could not recruit enough top talent. But, Pope has made different adjustments throughout the season based upon the opposition. Yes, we have had some sad losses but it is hard to put that on Pope given injuries and limitations of the current roster. I am surprised no one is talking about the adjustment yesterday that had Williams and Garrison in at the same time. Pope saw our advantage on the interior and made that adjustment. Who can forget the zone against the Zags? His huddle prediction to watch Flagg making a spin which allowed the steal to win against Duke, having Williams bring the ball up, and so on. I am so impressed in addition to having a team assembled that started with no players at all.

Pitino was a great game planning coach.

 

[jmw23712]

Tubby always gets credit for being a great coach but a poor recruiter. He landed a couple solid classes one of them with Rondo, Crawford, Bradley, and Morris. I believe all of them but Ramel were 5 star recruits and he still didn’t get much done with that class.

So that being said, Pitino would be my choice.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Eddie Sutton is the best X and O’s coach we have had in my opinion. If the game was close with 5 minutes left, we were going to win most of the games. He just had some issues and you can’t believe that UK was mailing cash to players in UK Athletics envelopes, there was a lot more to the story than what we had heard.

Couldn't agree more. Other than Rupp.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Pitino was more of a system Coach when he was at UK. We lost a lot of close or overtime games but the system worked so well we were seldom in that position once he started getting the talent.

Pitino's strength was always preparation and motivation. Also being in better shape than the opponents. X & O was never his calling card. And still is not. Although he is much better at it now than he ever was here.

 

[Zissou87]

I don't know about the best of all-time, but certainly the best in 17 years.

 

[L.O.D.]

Pitino's strength was always preparation and motivation. Also being in better shape than the opponents. X & O was never his calling card. And still is not. Although he is much better at it now than he ever was here.

Pitinos strength was in motivation he knew what buttons to press an when. Also his major thing was conditioning so he could run the press of the 90s.

He was still a good coach but not on the level of Sutton or Pope in regards to XO. Was a good not quite great recruiter consistently but got enough an mostly the right ones. He was also good at developing his players.

 

[Zissou87]

Tubby always gets credit for being a great coach but a poor recruiter. He landed a couple solid classes one of them with Rondo, Crawford, Bradley, and Morris. I believe all of them but Ramel were 5 star recruits and he still didn’t get much done with that class.

So that being said, Pitino would be my choice.

That was also the class that Tubby decided to finally not recruit an in-state kid. That kid he didn't recruit ended up being future multiple All-American and SEC POY Chris Lofton.

 

[NociHTTP]

In my mind it's Pitino, Pope, Sutton, Tubby in that order.

 

[Gimels_mustach]

That was also the class that Tubby decided to finally not recruit an in-state kid. That kid he didn't recruit ended up being future multiple All-American and SEC POY Chris Lofton.

We got Bradley, Rondo, Crawford, and Morris that year. I wouldn't have recruited Lofton either. Also Lofton would've sucked under Tubby. He would've never had the green light to shoot like he did at Tennessee.

 

[cal=8]

Pitino's strength was always preparation and motivation. Also being in better shape than the opponents. X & O was never his calling card. And still is not. Although he is much better at it now than he ever was here.

I completely agree with that assessment. He's definitely changed a lot over the years which his probably why he is to this day a very successful coach. I have to say though, his full court press and trap was the funnest to watch of any Coach and team.

 

[JimBR]

Joe B Hall was no slouch. Very innovative for his time.

 

[Ripcord65]

I think it is too early to tell for sure Tubby gets the nod right now. I hate to say it but Sutton
was pretty good. Another question, was it Pitino or his assistants?

Doc ... you're always right ! <thumbs up> Of all of Pope's predecessors, for X's and O's I'd take Sutton over everybody except for Pitino (and, as you suggest, it may have been his assistants).

 

[FurdTerguson]

It's so funny to me how coaches get reputations. Is Pope the guy who outschemed Scheyer and Few or the guy who got embarrassed by Ohio State? Is Cal the bum who cost us the West Virginia game or the guy who beat Ohio State and UNC the next year? Is Tubby the guy who out coached K in 98 or the guy who blew the Michigan State game in 05?

There was an anonymous coach's poll way back when where coaches named Pitino as the coach they were most scared to play in the tourney. And yet to this day he's synonymous with the phrase "not guarding the man inbounding the ball" and and Dean Smith coached rings around him in 95.

Is Joe B. the guy who beat undefeated IU in 75 and sat his starters against FSU in 78, or the guy who lost to UAB and Middle Tennessee?

Who writes the narrative?

 

[Dore95]

Pitino was innovative with his presses and three point offense. And he is still successful 40 years later when everyone shoots threes and teams are used to being pressed. Pitino is a great X’s and O’s coach. It is dumb to even compare Pope to him at this point.

 

[Zissou87]

We got Bradley, Rondo, Crawford, and Morris that year. I wouldn't have recruited Lofton either. Also Lofton would've sucked under Tubby. He would've never had the green light to shoot like he did at Tennessee.

I don't blame Tubby either. The 3 previous Mr. Basketball winners prior to Lofton were Josh Carrier, Brandon Stockton, and Ross Neltner.

 

[rick64]

Pitino

 

[ukfan1622]

I think it's between Pope and his former coach.

 

[ukjenning44]

I know who the worst was.

CCC

 

[ArcadiaFan]

Tubby. Master of x's and o's and to this day the ball line defense was the best I've seen out of any UK team.

 

[megablue]

Sutton

 

[FurdTerguson]

Tubby. Master of x's and o's and to this day the ball line defense was the best I've seen out of any UK team.

Devil's advocate: why did we fall behind in so many tournament games under Tubby? Duke, Stanford, Utah, Kansas, USC, Marquette, Michigan State.

 

[Eagles_Ball]

The X of X’s and O’s is defense. Pope hasn’t proven to be very good at that, even by his own admission. Eddie was better than all of them. If the game was close, he figured out a way to pull it out. Rick was ahead of his time with scheme. Tubby ran really good stuff on both ends. IMHO…Rupp, Eddie, Rick, Tubby, Pope.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Pitinos strength was in motivation he knew what buttons to press an when. Also his major thing was conditioning so he could run the press of the 90s.

He was still a good coach but not on the level of Sutton or Pope in regards to XO. Was a good not quite great recruiter consistently but got enough a mostly the right ones. He was also good at developing his players.

I think we said the same thing?😆

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Tubby. Master of x's and o's and to this day the ball line defense was the best I've seen out of any UK team.

The zone?

If Tubby was so good then why didn’t he win anything before here or after here?

 

[CatFanInIlliniLand]

I’m enjoying this team almost as much as Pitinos early teams.

Pitino was/is an amazing college coach. That being said, he didn’t guard the inbound pass or better prepare his team to defend that. Sorry, he comes down a notch for that in my mind. Great motivator, great all around, always had his team in top condition. If I need someone to draw up a play, it’s Tubby. Hopefully Pope can end up in that convo.

 

[billoliver40]

Too early for me to make a call. I REALLY like this guy, but his sub patterns have been awful or awful strange at times.

We have really had some good coaches in my fan time… I’m hard on Sutton due to Kentucky Shame, but he was a really fine coach before and after.
Pitino….man the lifetime body of coaching work is amazing. Smith likely consistently did more with less.
If Pope makes it through his contract I’ll be better able to make a call.

 

[berniecarbo]

It was football, but Vince Lombardi said, "Guys who can draw up plays are a dime a dozen."

 

[CGblue]

It was football, but Vince Lombardi said, "Guys who can draw up plays are a dime a dozen."