Hello HOB. Back again for another edition of the coach's show news and notes for those of you who may not be able to listen along live. The brand new UK head coach will be having his first show at 7 ET. Stay tuned for more from Mark Pope...
* Incredible to witness what yesterday was like at Rupp Arena. The whole family was blown away. May not have believed the stories he has told about BBN for 20 years, but they know now. "There's nothing like it at all in college sports."
* "This is our lifetime dream as a family." Said there was really no decision to be made for him, his wife, and his kids.
* Super lonely sitting alone in the office, Pope jokes. Needs to get that core staff put together and get rolling.
* Pope jokes that they need to have a promotion where they see who can survive a workout with Rock Oliver. Winner gets courtside seats for UK-Arkansas next year. Ha.
* On constructing a roster... Not about just collecting the most raw talent. Need pieces that fit. "There's a real artistry to it." Needs veteran leadership from the portal, guys who can hold teammates accountable. Wants a "sherpa" to guide guys "up the mountain."
* On Reed Sheppard... He's in elite territory as a lottery pick. Not to be taken lightly. He has to search inside himself and find where his heart is pulling him. Sheppards are spiritual people, and they'll listen to God for guidance. "I know I'm praying for him to come back to Kentucky." (Laughs)
* On his offensive style... A lot of "catch on the move," guys in motion and reading each other all the time. Moving without the ball is such a key part of today's game. Cites the Golden State Warriors as an example of that. Being great cutters is important. "Great cutters get paid in basketball right now... You're creating space and actions for your teammates." You gotta punish opponents for switching.
* On his defensive style... Still evolving. Started out with a Tony Bennett (UVA) type of vibe. They found over time that there were little spaces in the game where they could change it up when they read the data. There are situations coming out of a timeout or a certain OB play where they switch it up, take a bigger risk based on the analytics. They like to chart it during games and see how many times they throw off an opponent.
* Texter wants the "Chicago Bulls lineup music," (Sirius-Eye In The Sky) and the denim uniforms. Admits he liked the uniforms but wasn't the biggest fan of the denim shoes back in the day, but he'd be in favor of putting it up for the fans to decide.
* Texter wants to hear philosophy on fouling while up 3 late in the game... The data they get from KenPom says it comes out neutral. It's one area where the analytics don't help you much, so you have to play it situationally.
* Staff believes in analytics so strongly, they do an "autopsy" after every game to see what the data tells them.
* On conversations with recruits... It's been fun. Building relationships is the best part of the process. The job is not to convince, the job is to build the relationship where they understand this is where they want to be. Phone is blowing up with guys interested in coming here. All it comes down to is finding the right guys to put together, guys who want want to live and die to wear that uniform.
* Asked about advice from his former teammates... You better win, man, or forget the fans; we're gonna crush you." LOL
* Incredible to witness what yesterday was like at Rupp Arena. The whole family was blown away. May not have believed the stories he has told about BBN for 20 years, but they know now. "There's nothing like it at all in college sports."
* "This is our lifetime dream as a family." Said there was really no decision to be made for him, his wife, and his kids.
* Super lonely sitting alone in the office, Pope jokes. Needs to get that core staff put together and get rolling.
* Pope jokes that they need to have a promotion where they see who can survive a workout with Rock Oliver. Winner gets courtside seats for UK-Arkansas next year. Ha.
* On constructing a roster... Not about just collecting the most raw talent. Need pieces that fit. "There's a real artistry to it." Needs veteran leadership from the portal, guys who can hold teammates accountable. Wants a "sherpa" to guide guys "up the mountain."
* On Reed Sheppard... He's in elite territory as a lottery pick. Not to be taken lightly. He has to search inside himself and find where his heart is pulling him. Sheppards are spiritual people, and they'll listen to God for guidance. "I know I'm praying for him to come back to Kentucky." (Laughs)
* On his offensive style... A lot of "catch on the move," guys in motion and reading each other all the time. Moving without the ball is such a key part of today's game. Cites the Golden State Warriors as an example of that. Being great cutters is important. "Great cutters get paid in basketball right now... You're creating space and actions for your teammates." You gotta punish opponents for switching.
* On his defensive style... Still evolving. Started out with a Tony Bennett (UVA) type of vibe. They found over time that there were little spaces in the game where they could change it up when they read the data. There are situations coming out of a timeout or a certain OB play where they switch it up, take a bigger risk based on the analytics. They like to chart it during games and see how many times they throw off an opponent.
* Texter wants the "Chicago Bulls lineup music," (Sirius-Eye In The Sky) and the denim uniforms. Admits he liked the uniforms but wasn't the biggest fan of the denim shoes back in the day, but he'd be in favor of putting it up for the fans to decide.
* Texter wants to hear philosophy on fouling while up 3 late in the game... The data they get from KenPom says it comes out neutral. It's one area where the analytics don't help you much, so you have to play it situationally.
* Staff believes in analytics so strongly, they do an "autopsy" after every game to see what the data tells them.
* On conversations with recruits... It's been fun. Building relationships is the best part of the process. The job is not to convince, the job is to build the relationship where they understand this is where they want to be. Phone is blowing up with guys interested in coming here. All it comes down to is finding the right guys to put together, guys who want want to live and die to wear that uniform.
* Asked about advice from his former teammates... You better win, man, or forget the fans; we're gonna crush you." LOL
