Hello HOB. The MP Show will be tonight at 6 p.m. ET. I'll be following along and sharing the major talking points here in this thread. Stay tuned...
* Today was their NCAA-mandated "off day." No practice, just rehab stuff. Tomorrow will be "autopsy" meeting with team and on to prep for Miss. State. Initial film review shows so many areas that they need to grow. Consistency is an issue.
* Miss. State's KenPom numbers look like Georgia's. Really, every team int he league looks like this, Pope adds.
* Listener says Amari seems to make himself smaller than he actually is by playing defense with his hands down... Pope says that's a good question, but sometimes not indicative of what you're trying to do. Sometimes it's easier to move your feet when you're using your length to get wide.
* Listener asks about the development of Perry and Noah... Pope says he's really proud of both. Doing a lot of good work in the gym. Travis is playing some crucial minutes for them, and the numbers are impressive when he's out there. He's not turning it over. Really comfortable. Getting more physical on defense without fouling.
* Asked about being upside down on A/TO ratio last night... You gotta make shots. You could be setting guys up with unbelievable playmaking, and he doesn't have many assists. It can be a false read at times. The coaches break down film for opportunities and conversions to see if they're getting the execution to get a good shot up. "Rim wasn't super-kind to us last night."
* Caller asks about when they are going back to 15 scholarship players for the roster... Pope says there are some things going on behind the scenes with the NCAA and revenue sharing stuff where some things like that might be possible. They'll know more about the future of rosters after April 7.
* Caller says fouls seem to be a big issue right now... Pope pauses and says he has to be careful about how he answers it, but the short story is "We've got to learn how it's being called." Says you have to take how it's being called and make it advantageous to your team. 'We're not interested in what the rules say, we're interested in what is being called... The rules that are written aren't be enforced."
* Listener wants to know what a coach can do for a player to embrace contact... Pope uses Amari Williams last night as an example. Says he came into the game really aggressive and playing physical like they wanted him to, but the game did not treat him well. Picked up 3 or 4 fouls early. They need him to keep the same mindset know and trust that other factors did not serve him well. Adds that a few other guys are dealing with health issues, hurting them in that department. Their 1s, 2s, and 3s concern him more than the bigs.
* Toughness is not punching someone in the face, Pope says. Toughness is being able to focus and execute during the game no matter what is going on around you and the circumstances/distractions.
* Another physicality question comes in... Pope says he thinks every team will play UK physically. "That's just this league." ... "If we think this is physical, I think in month people will look back and say this was just chillin' out."
* Pope raves about Mississippi State... Good guard play. Mobile, elite passing 4 man, kinda like a Draymond Green. Terrific offensive rebounding team. They're really good. They've run a bunch of teams out of the gym. Our guys can't wait to play them.
* Caller asks if Jaxson Robinson would be better served coming off the bench like he did at BYU... Pope says Jaxson has proven he can be elite at either role. Just looking for a comfortable role for all of his players. Notes that we've barely seen what he's capable of doing.
* Next caller also asks about Jaxson, making it clear to Pope that people are wondering what's going on... Pope says he's been working hard on all parts of his game, so don't just focus on the shot. Sounds confident that he will get better.... The one thing that we know about all these guys is we've got a bunch of guys who can make shots. We trust that things will work out because we've got great shooters.
* Caller asks if they plan to use the press more... Pope says yes, but it's a little tricky with depth right now and health. (Kerr)
* Listener wants to know if Pope has ever gotten a technical foul. Pope says yes. Got one last year at Kansas and another one year (I think he said at Baylor).
* Today was their NCAA-mandated "off day." No practice, just rehab stuff. Tomorrow will be "autopsy" meeting with team and on to prep for Miss. State. Initial film review shows so many areas that they need to grow. Consistency is an issue.
* Miss. State's KenPom numbers look like Georgia's. Really, every team int he league looks like this, Pope adds.
* Listener says Amari seems to make himself smaller than he actually is by playing defense with his hands down... Pope says that's a good question, but sometimes not indicative of what you're trying to do. Sometimes it's easier to move your feet when you're using your length to get wide.
* Listener asks about the development of Perry and Noah... Pope says he's really proud of both. Doing a lot of good work in the gym. Travis is playing some crucial minutes for them, and the numbers are impressive when he's out there. He's not turning it over. Really comfortable. Getting more physical on defense without fouling.
* Asked about being upside down on A/TO ratio last night... You gotta make shots. You could be setting guys up with unbelievable playmaking, and he doesn't have many assists. It can be a false read at times. The coaches break down film for opportunities and conversions to see if they're getting the execution to get a good shot up. "Rim wasn't super-kind to us last night."
* Caller asks about when they are going back to 15 scholarship players for the roster... Pope says there are some things going on behind the scenes with the NCAA and revenue sharing stuff where some things like that might be possible. They'll know more about the future of rosters after April 7.
* Caller says fouls seem to be a big issue right now... Pope pauses and says he has to be careful about how he answers it, but the short story is "We've got to learn how it's being called." Says you have to take how it's being called and make it advantageous to your team. 'We're not interested in what the rules say, we're interested in what is being called... The rules that are written aren't be enforced."
* Listener wants to know what a coach can do for a player to embrace contact... Pope uses Amari Williams last night as an example. Says he came into the game really aggressive and playing physical like they wanted him to, but the game did not treat him well. Picked up 3 or 4 fouls early. They need him to keep the same mindset know and trust that other factors did not serve him well. Adds that a few other guys are dealing with health issues, hurting them in that department. Their 1s, 2s, and 3s concern him more than the bigs.
* Toughness is not punching someone in the face, Pope says. Toughness is being able to focus and execute during the game no matter what is going on around you and the circumstances/distractions.
* Another physicality question comes in... Pope says he thinks every team will play UK physically. "That's just this league." ... "If we think this is physical, I think in month people will look back and say this was just chillin' out."
* Pope raves about Mississippi State... Good guard play. Mobile, elite passing 4 man, kinda like a Draymond Green. Terrific offensive rebounding team. They're really good. They've run a bunch of teams out of the gym. Our guys can't wait to play them.
* Caller asks if Jaxson Robinson would be better served coming off the bench like he did at BYU... Pope says Jaxson has proven he can be elite at either role. Just looking for a comfortable role for all of his players. Notes that we've barely seen what he's capable of doing.
* Next caller also asks about Jaxson, making it clear to Pope that people are wondering what's going on... Pope says he's been working hard on all parts of his game, so don't just focus on the shot. Sounds confident that he will get better.... The one thing that we know about all these guys is we've got a bunch of guys who can make shots. We trust that things will work out because we've got great shooters.
* Caller asks if they plan to use the press more... Pope says yes, but it's a little tricky with depth right now and health. (Kerr)
* Listener wants to know if Pope has ever gotten a technical foul. Pope says yes. Got one last year at Kansas and another one year (I think he said at Baylor).
