It’s nice to have a coach that understands the assignment
- Thread starter LXWildcat
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To Trent and Travis it means a lot no doubt. I don't buy that it means much to the others as it's all about the money in sports now.
I sincerely want Pope to get the final roster together and get this thing off the ground with a bang. He's a few pieces away from us having a real shot at making some noise.
100% agree. It's all about buying you the best team money can buy. These guys are essentially employees and most employees are about getting paid. It's why we work after all, to make money and provide for ourselves and our families.
Pope is right when he says that but reality says otherwise. Robinson is a perfect example. Apparently if he doesn't stay in the draft a school is going to pay him a whole lot of money to play one year. These players are just about who offers the most money.
I don't know as much about the other players and their motivations. They may not be complete mercenaries. I'll give the team the benefit of the doubt and see how it goes this season before casting that wide of a net.
Really a great interview that the quote doesn’t do justice due to being one of his talking points.
He does say a line about the roster “so far” which is encouraging for people that feel something else is still needed.
He does say a line about the roster “so far” which is encouraging for people that feel something else is still needed.
Playing for the name on the front of the jersey sounds good .
It’s not reality for most guys in college. It’s just up to the coach to manage the egos .
It’s not reality for most guys in college. It’s just up to the coach to manage the egos .
Money spent wisely reaps rewards.
Money spent irrationally creates anxiety, duress and depression.
Money wasted is a disgrace.
rr
Money spent irrationally creates anxiety, duress and depression.
Money wasted is a disgrace.
rr
yep, wish coke was still cola and a joint was a bad place to be
This plays well to the fanbase but talented recruits and highly rated transfers don't care a bit about this pitch.(Obviously)
Pope would have been the perfect coach 20 years ago. Seems to be saying everything the fans want to hear which needs to be the case when you have his resume.
Great message and strategy that will take time to develop (years) but will ultimately pay off considerably with maintaining continuity and a winning culture.
The Cola started out with the coke though!
Now they just skim the flavor from the leaves.
Love pope, one advantage of being at UK is that the pool of interested players is deep. If you have 5 players for 1 spot and they are close in talent then he can use personal attributes to weed out who he picks. I completely think this is the right approach.
I've always said it's a bit of a misconception to say that it's National Championship or get fired at UK. We've only fired one coach for not winning enough in the last 100 years. That was Gillispie, and he obviously had a lot of off court issues as well. Rupp hit mandatory retirement age. Hall retired, under some pressure, but he wasn't about to get fired. Sutton was winning big until the investigation, and the NCAA investigation is what got him fired. Pitino left for the Celtics. Tubby left for Minnesota under a lot of pressure, but he wasn't going to get fired, and had a great class lined up. Cal left after UK had already said he was returning.
Even if it takes 2-3 years to get a roster we know is at the top I love seeing this. It feels like Kentucky basketball is back to the fans.
Tubby would have had a bad seasons 11 through 15 if he had stayed. He was smart to get out when he did.
I don’t think that quote is out of touch with NIL. People can come to an opportunity like playing for Kentucky for the money and then get here and realize it’s more than money that motivates them to have passion and work hard and take pride.
The number one thing Pope can sell in these first formative years of his coaching tenure is the passion and what it means to play at a place like UK. Pope does not lack passion.
The number one thing Pope can sell in these first formative years of his coaching tenure is the passion and what it means to play at a place like UK. Pope does not lack passion.
That’s great he can talk the talk, but he’s gotta actually do it at a high level. He’s never won a ncaa tournament game, so he has lots to prove in my book
If you want guys who play for the name on the front you better recruit all Kentucky boys not good enough to have NBA aspirations. I want to recruit players who gives us the best chance to win.
John Wall, Brandon Knight, Anthony Davis, MKG, Nerlens Noel, Booker, Ulis, the twins, Julius, Fox, Monk, Bam, and most others came to UK because it was the best place for them to reach their dreams. Even UK legacy Reed Sheppard said bye bye the first chance he could. Playing for the name on the front is a corny saying that has no basis in reality for a power program.
John Wall, Brandon Knight, Anthony Davis, MKG, Nerlens Noel, Booker, Ulis, the twins, Julius, Fox, Monk, Bam, and most others came to UK because it was the best place for them to reach their dreams. Even UK legacy Reed Sheppard said bye bye the first chance he could. Playing for the name on the front is a corny saying that has no basis in reality for a power program.
Pope is in a unique situation where he literally can relate to every player he's recruiting. He's been a big time recruit who signed with a power conference program out of HS. He's transferred and chose a school that he's now working at and turned his playing experience into a 10 yr NBA career. He can speak literally to players/their camps about what it takes to stay in the NBA and what does/doesn't work for guys who are Lottery picks (he played with enough of them) or guys who had to take detours to get in the League/stay there. He's won SEC Championships, gotten to the Final Four and won a National Championship. If there's a basketball question that he can't answer, then it's going to be pretty interesting to figure out because he covers about every/any perspective you could ask.
What I like about his potential to recruit/retain is that he's got a guy who coached at the G-League level and another who coached at Baylor when they have contended/won in Big 12 and a National Championship. When you are at G-League-you are developing guys to adjust their games to fit in the NBA. For every star/franchise player--you need role players. The "assignment" a lot of times with communicating with big time recruits is letting them understand what they translate to at the NBA level (yes UK fans--guys in HS are fixated on the NBA and even more now you see the base salaries of contracts--SGA is eligible to make $85M PER YR) and how winning at the college level only enhances your value as a talented prospect. Winning matters.
Now he's got to do it and I don't piss on anyone's take that they are skeptical--they may end up correct, but he's got a lot more to him then his "I understand the Assignment" schtick with fans....he's someone who can sit in any living room and talk about the NBA in a manner that few who coach or advise these players ever could begin to understand. Same with Jason Hart. When you stick in the NBA, and aren't an elite star player-you have value as a teammate/practice player and are professional. That keeps you employed/paid and paid well. So if anyone understands that name on the back of the jersey also matters but you better commit to what is on the front-it would be those 2.
So that's why I'm optimistic and then add player development aspect. When you invest in development, you get greater gains. We saw that return with Welch joining Cal's staff this past year. Players improved who put in the work. That was a staple of Cal's program when he took over and then it faded for several reasons...but think we'll see that aspect that was fantastic under Cal initially return with a twist of also realizing that Kentucky fans want to be invested to win every game and not throw away opportunities to be head and center when it comes to big CBB events. Cal was too "big" for that aspect and as a lot of older coaches in any sport do-they want to skip the details/work and get to the Postseason and it doesn't work that way and never will. That's the assignment. Embrace the entirety of what this program expects, crazy/impossible as the standard is, you take that on and accept it or move aside and let someone who gets it have their run at it.
What I like about his potential to recruit/retain is that he's got a guy who coached at the G-League level and another who coached at Baylor when they have contended/won in Big 12 and a National Championship. When you are at G-League-you are developing guys to adjust their games to fit in the NBA. For every star/franchise player--you need role players. The "assignment" a lot of times with communicating with big time recruits is letting them understand what they translate to at the NBA level (yes UK fans--guys in HS are fixated on the NBA and even more now you see the base salaries of contracts--SGA is eligible to make $85M PER YR) and how winning at the college level only enhances your value as a talented prospect. Winning matters.
Now he's got to do it and I don't piss on anyone's take that they are skeptical--they may end up correct, but he's got a lot more to him then his "I understand the Assignment" schtick with fans....he's someone who can sit in any living room and talk about the NBA in a manner that few who coach or advise these players ever could begin to understand. Same with Jason Hart. When you stick in the NBA, and aren't an elite star player-you have value as a teammate/practice player and are professional. That keeps you employed/paid and paid well. So if anyone understands that name on the back of the jersey also matters but you better commit to what is on the front-it would be those 2.
So that's why I'm optimistic and then add player development aspect. When you invest in development, you get greater gains. We saw that return with Welch joining Cal's staff this past year. Players improved who put in the work. That was a staple of Cal's program when he took over and then it faded for several reasons...but think we'll see that aspect that was fantastic under Cal initially return with a twist of also realizing that Kentucky fans want to be invested to win every game and not throw away opportunities to be head and center when it comes to big CBB events. Cal was too "big" for that aspect and as a lot of older coaches in any sport do-they want to skip the details/work and get to the Postseason and it doesn't work that way and never will. That's the assignment. Embrace the entirety of what this program expects, crazy/impossible as the standard is, you take that on and accept it or move aside and let someone who gets it have their run at it.
I just hope we get a team in the next 5 years that truly wants to win games.
That will be the start of greatness again.
That will be the start of greatness again.
Go to Arkansas. Your savior is there now. Get out of here.
I know other's have said the same, but it's so refreshing to hear OUR coach talking about goal setting, analytics, culture, etc. without the tired tropes and abstractions. I nodded throughout that interview. He laid it our there simply and earnestly. There's no real attempt at showmanship in his delivery.
I always root for UK to win everything, but I will be rooting for Mark Pope to succeed because of him in addition to the team he coaches.
I always root for UK to win everything, but I will be rooting for Mark Pope to succeed because of him in addition to the team he coaches.
It's never not revealing of your level of delusion when you tell legitimate fans of this program to root for a program they have no relation to and didn't grow up rooting for. Who the F--- do you think you are telling people who to root for? Especially when the problem is clearly with you and not the person voicing legitimate concerns. Grow up.
Neither had Coach K when he took over Duke after coaching 5 years at Army. Don’t think Knight did either. Both are in the HOF.
Coaching at Army had restrictions and limitations just like BYU so that “ not winning a tournament game” doesn’t mean that much, at least to me.
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