Hello HOB. I'll be following along with the CMP Show tonight and sharing the major talking points for you guys who may not be able to listen along live. The show starts at 6 ET. Stay tuned...
* Pope says both Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson were able to do some limited work at practice today. The big thing to watch will be how they feel in the morning. But hopeful they are making progress.
* On Carr shooting the 3 more at Bama... Says that is a part of being healthier. It's one of the tools in his kit. We've been begging him to shoot it more.
* Caller asks about Oweh having an off-game at Bama and not trying to do too much vs. his old Oklahoma team... He had been the model of consistency. Nobody in college basketball had done it better than him. And he's carried a tremendous load with so many of his teammates being out of action. So if anyone was due to have one, it was him. Regarding Oklahoma, he doesn't have many old teammates on that team right now, but the way college basketball is these days, almost everyone knows someone on these other teams. Brea has an old Dayton teammate on OU.
* Caller asks about not taking the bait from referee Terry Oglesby for a T in the game at Bama... You want to teach your team not to be distracted by the referees. A lot of the times you have to state your case, do it passionately, but at the tipping point, you need to turn your back and walk away. Most of the time they're like cowboys in the old west -- they won't shoot you in the back.
* Caller asks if he is going to tighten his rotation going into March... Pope says they're big on having fresh bodies on the floor so that guys can play their best. We rely on energy in our offensive system, so guys have to be fresh. Says they tracked this early in the season, and saw where guys' performance would dip. But added he definitely wants the most productive guys on the floor for as long as possible.
* Caller asks if there is a certain number of freshmen he'd like to take every year... Notes that his old coach, Pitino, kinda raised some eyebrows by saying he's not going to take many freshmen. Pope would prefer a mix, 2-3 of the best freshmen in a all of basketball who can come in and help you right away, 3-4 guys from college basketball who fit what we do and understand the program. Blend those with a few guys coming back, who have been through it and know what it's like to represent BBN, who completely understand the system. Those middle guys give you continuity in your program and could wind up being the heart and soul of what you do.
* Tom Leach notes this will be the first time UK has ever played in Norman, OK.
* Pope says Sooners are really good in transition. That's a big key for Cats. Jeremiah Fears is really strong in transition. They've been in several close games this season against good teams. Another big challenge for us. Kinda like every game you see in this league.
* Really pushing the guys to be more "decisive" on the defensive end of the floor. They're making some strides on that end, but it's been an obsession for them of late. ... Adds later on that he thinks they'll play their best defensive basketball of the season in the last 6 weeks.
* Yooooooooung caller wants to know if they're going to shoot more 3-pointers... Pope says yes, notes that they're still striving to get to that higher number of 3s they want to take.
* Asked about Amari Williams' minutes, Pope says he's one of those guys who gets cracked a bit energy-wise as he gets past a certain amount of minutes. Says 28 minutes is about where they look to not stretch him beyond.
* Caller asks about Butler and Robinson... Pope asks if the young caller is a gambler looking for inside scoop. Ha. Pope says it will be as soon as possible. Performance staff has been great with them. Positive signs today at practice. The most important part is we want to get them back where we can keep them, not just for a game, but for the stretch run. We are making progress on that. We're excited about it.
* Pope says both Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson were able to do some limited work at practice today. The big thing to watch will be how they feel in the morning. But hopeful they are making progress.
* On Carr shooting the 3 more at Bama... Says that is a part of being healthier. It's one of the tools in his kit. We've been begging him to shoot it more.
* Caller asks about Oweh having an off-game at Bama and not trying to do too much vs. his old Oklahoma team... He had been the model of consistency. Nobody in college basketball had done it better than him. And he's carried a tremendous load with so many of his teammates being out of action. So if anyone was due to have one, it was him. Regarding Oklahoma, he doesn't have many old teammates on that team right now, but the way college basketball is these days, almost everyone knows someone on these other teams. Brea has an old Dayton teammate on OU.
* Caller asks about not taking the bait from referee Terry Oglesby for a T in the game at Bama... You want to teach your team not to be distracted by the referees. A lot of the times you have to state your case, do it passionately, but at the tipping point, you need to turn your back and walk away. Most of the time they're like cowboys in the old west -- they won't shoot you in the back.
* Caller asks if he is going to tighten his rotation going into March... Pope says they're big on having fresh bodies on the floor so that guys can play their best. We rely on energy in our offensive system, so guys have to be fresh. Says they tracked this early in the season, and saw where guys' performance would dip. But added he definitely wants the most productive guys on the floor for as long as possible.
* Caller asks if there is a certain number of freshmen he'd like to take every year... Notes that his old coach, Pitino, kinda raised some eyebrows by saying he's not going to take many freshmen. Pope would prefer a mix, 2-3 of the best freshmen in a all of basketball who can come in and help you right away, 3-4 guys from college basketball who fit what we do and understand the program. Blend those with a few guys coming back, who have been through it and know what it's like to represent BBN, who completely understand the system. Those middle guys give you continuity in your program and could wind up being the heart and soul of what you do.
* Tom Leach notes this will be the first time UK has ever played in Norman, OK.
* Pope says Sooners are really good in transition. That's a big key for Cats. Jeremiah Fears is really strong in transition. They've been in several close games this season against good teams. Another big challenge for us. Kinda like every game you see in this league.
* Really pushing the guys to be more "decisive" on the defensive end of the floor. They're making some strides on that end, but it's been an obsession for them of late. ... Adds later on that he thinks they'll play their best defensive basketball of the season in the last 6 weeks.
* Yooooooooung caller wants to know if they're going to shoot more 3-pointers... Pope says yes, notes that they're still striving to get to that higher number of 3s they want to take.
* Asked about Amari Williams' minutes, Pope says he's one of those guys who gets cracked a bit energy-wise as he gets past a certain amount of minutes. Says 28 minutes is about where they look to not stretch him beyond.
* Caller asks about Butler and Robinson... Pope asks if the young caller is a gambler looking for inside scoop. Ha. Pope says it will be as soon as possible. Performance staff has been great with them. Positive signs today at practice. The most important part is we want to get them back where we can keep them, not just for a game, but for the stretch run. We are making progress on that. We're excited about it.
