Hello HOB. I'll be following along with Mark Pope's weekly radio call-in show tonight and sharing the major talking points here on the HOB for those of you who may not be able to listen along. Show starts at 6 ET. Stay tuned...
* On the Ole Miss "autopsy." It's a tough one, but one that we have to do. It was exactly what we saw in real time. There were a lot of things where we underperformed. You try to find some positives, but the team we saw in the second half was going against a team that was nursing a huge lead, so there's that dynamic you have to look at, too. A game like that shows you some cracks in the culture of what you're trying to build, and I think our guys will take it personally. Our guys were really disappointed with what they put on the floor, and I think you'll see that in how we respond.
* Caller asks whether they have a leader who can get after other guys... Pope says they have leaders, but it's kind of a group of guys, and it's not really big vocal leadership. Lamont Butler, when healthy, is clearly a guy like that on the floor. We certainly need leadership right now.
* Listener asks why they came out flat... Pope gives credit to Ole Miss for a little bit of that, but why they didn't meet that challenge has perplexed them the last 24 hours. Some of it, he says, he'll keep quiet for now. Some issues they're dealing with and distractions. Concedes that this is a bad patch they're going through, but he maintains that there is good stuff ahead for this team.
* On 3-point defense... Pope notes they're the 37th best team against the 3-point shot this season, but the opponent is over 50% the last two games. Sometimes, that's a product of picking your poison, what to focus on, what to concede a bit. May just need to demand more from them to do two things at once. Says his guys will do it if they demand it. Pointed to rebounds. That was a big issue for the team early in the season. They made a point to demand it, and it got a lot better.
* Pope notes they've been able to stay the No. 2 efficiency offense in the country despite missing Butler and Kriisa.
* Very clear what we need to do moving forward, Pope says of the data/analytics. That's the good news. They know what they need to lock in on.
* Listener wants to know if he needs to be more stern with the team... Pope says that's a great question, that he can talk to you for hours on this topic. The way I coach, you get moments where you can burn white hot, and if you pick those moments carefully, it can be effective. But you have to be really intentional about it and not emotionally belligerent. This game begs you to lash out at your players and be belligerent, but that has limited short-term returns. I have to be intentional about when I do it.
* Pope: We have a really high standard at the University of Kentucky, and right now we're not living up to it. It means a lot.
* Caller says it appears Oweh has lost confidence in his shot... Pope says he's proud of the jump he's taken in his game over the last year. Asking so much out of him right now. He's digging deep into his emotional reservoir trying to carry the team right now and do it all. He has shot the ball well this season, but a challenge for him right now is drawing that second defender and creating something for one of his teammates.
* Listener asks if he may consider the Paul Westphal approach of just realizing you have to outscore opponents... Pope laughs, says that's one thing he loves about UK fans, always looking for answers. To do that, though, you can't have a first half like we had last night. Spacing issues hurt us. Struggled to find our pace. Although he's a fan of Westphal, says he's not ready to go that direction yet.
* Pope talked about a "Jenga" moment they're looking for with their pace. That moment where it just crumbles for the opponent. We've lost that a little bit with our point guards out. We have to find a way to get that pace back.
* Caller takes Pope to task for lack of effort shown at Ole Miss. Pope says he can hear the pain in his voice. None of us are proud of what we put on the floor down there. It was unacceptable. I feel you more than you know. In terms of the effort and fight and passion on the floor, we understand there's no world in which that is acceptable at the University of Kentucky.
* Pope: We've got a lot left in the tank, and we're going to make you proud of what we accomplish the rest of this season.
* On Lamont Butler... Making progress. It's a complicated situation. We're going to continue to hope for the best.
* Working hard on a game with St. John's next year or as soon as possible.
* On the Ole Miss "autopsy." It's a tough one, but one that we have to do. It was exactly what we saw in real time. There were a lot of things where we underperformed. You try to find some positives, but the team we saw in the second half was going against a team that was nursing a huge lead, so there's that dynamic you have to look at, too. A game like that shows you some cracks in the culture of what you're trying to build, and I think our guys will take it personally. Our guys were really disappointed with what they put on the floor, and I think you'll see that in how we respond.
* Caller asks whether they have a leader who can get after other guys... Pope says they have leaders, but it's kind of a group of guys, and it's not really big vocal leadership. Lamont Butler, when healthy, is clearly a guy like that on the floor. We certainly need leadership right now.
* Listener asks why they came out flat... Pope gives credit to Ole Miss for a little bit of that, but why they didn't meet that challenge has perplexed them the last 24 hours. Some of it, he says, he'll keep quiet for now. Some issues they're dealing with and distractions. Concedes that this is a bad patch they're going through, but he maintains that there is good stuff ahead for this team.
* On 3-point defense... Pope notes they're the 37th best team against the 3-point shot this season, but the opponent is over 50% the last two games. Sometimes, that's a product of picking your poison, what to focus on, what to concede a bit. May just need to demand more from them to do two things at once. Says his guys will do it if they demand it. Pointed to rebounds. That was a big issue for the team early in the season. They made a point to demand it, and it got a lot better.
* Pope notes they've been able to stay the No. 2 efficiency offense in the country despite missing Butler and Kriisa.
* Very clear what we need to do moving forward, Pope says of the data/analytics. That's the good news. They know what they need to lock in on.
* Listener wants to know if he needs to be more stern with the team... Pope says that's a great question, that he can talk to you for hours on this topic. The way I coach, you get moments where you can burn white hot, and if you pick those moments carefully, it can be effective. But you have to be really intentional about it and not emotionally belligerent. This game begs you to lash out at your players and be belligerent, but that has limited short-term returns. I have to be intentional about when I do it.
* Pope: We have a really high standard at the University of Kentucky, and right now we're not living up to it. It means a lot.
* Caller says it appears Oweh has lost confidence in his shot... Pope says he's proud of the jump he's taken in his game over the last year. Asking so much out of him right now. He's digging deep into his emotional reservoir trying to carry the team right now and do it all. He has shot the ball well this season, but a challenge for him right now is drawing that second defender and creating something for one of his teammates.
* Listener asks if he may consider the Paul Westphal approach of just realizing you have to outscore opponents... Pope laughs, says that's one thing he loves about UK fans, always looking for answers. To do that, though, you can't have a first half like we had last night. Spacing issues hurt us. Struggled to find our pace. Although he's a fan of Westphal, says he's not ready to go that direction yet.
* Pope talked about a "Jenga" moment they're looking for with their pace. That moment where it just crumbles for the opponent. We've lost that a little bit with our point guards out. We have to find a way to get that pace back.
* Caller takes Pope to task for lack of effort shown at Ole Miss. Pope says he can hear the pain in his voice. None of us are proud of what we put on the floor down there. It was unacceptable. I feel you more than you know. In terms of the effort and fight and passion on the floor, we understand there's no world in which that is acceptable at the University of Kentucky.
* Pope: We've got a lot left in the tank, and we're going to make you proud of what we accomplish the rest of this season.
* On Lamont Butler... Making progress. It's a complicated situation. We're going to continue to hope for the best.
* Working hard on a game with St. John's next year or as soon as possible.
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