1. It really, really sucks that Jaxson is out for the rest of the year. I hate it so much for him, coach, the team, and the fan base. I'm trying not to be too too negative about it, but man. Really hate that we're not going to be able to see this team at its full strength in March.
2. Mark Pope walked into/has endured some really, really tough circumstances. Most fans weren't INITIALLY excited about the hire, looked like a stretch. But off the court, he did about as well as anyone could reasonably hope for. Putting together a roster on the fly. Hitting all the right notes from a PR perspective. Changing the tone of the program.
3. Mark Pope has done a really nice job in his first season, especially in light of those circumstances. Has won some BIG games. Games that Boss Hawg would have lost based on recent history.
4. There have been some blemishes, both from a W-L perspective and from a more bird's eye, long-term angle. True, he's dealt with injuries, and this is his first season. But in my opinion, that doesn't mean he gets a 100% pass from any criticism. If you're running with those blemishes though and exaggerating the bad while ignoring the good, you suck.
5. This season has not been so successful that we can just hand wave away anyone who questions whether CMP is "the guy". To me, that would have required really, really elite results; in the thick of it for an SEC title/1 seed, one of a few favorites to reach a final four, etc. That would have put all reasonable debate to bed in my opinion. We're 8th in the SEC, clinging to top 20ish in the rankings, etc. And, this was true before the season, but CMP still doesn't have a tourney win. After what I've seen, I'm very optimistic that CMP is the right guy (and i was a big doubter at the beginning of the year), but I also don't see how anyone could say its beyond dispute that he's gonna be successful here.
6. My biggest concerns going forward with CMP are:
7. "The program" is still nationally elite and relevant. It is absolutely idiotic, absurdist doom-and-gloom to argue otherwise.
2. Mark Pope walked into/has endured some really, really tough circumstances. Most fans weren't INITIALLY excited about the hire, looked like a stretch. But off the court, he did about as well as anyone could reasonably hope for. Putting together a roster on the fly. Hitting all the right notes from a PR perspective. Changing the tone of the program.
3. Mark Pope has done a really nice job in his first season, especially in light of those circumstances. Has won some BIG games. Games that Boss Hawg would have lost based on recent history.
4. There have been some blemishes, both from a W-L perspective and from a more bird's eye, long-term angle. True, he's dealt with injuries, and this is his first season. But in my opinion, that doesn't mean he gets a 100% pass from any criticism. If you're running with those blemishes though and exaggerating the bad while ignoring the good, you suck.
5. This season has not been so successful that we can just hand wave away anyone who questions whether CMP is "the guy". To me, that would have required really, really elite results; in the thick of it for an SEC title/1 seed, one of a few favorites to reach a final four, etc. That would have put all reasonable debate to bed in my opinion. We're 8th in the SEC, clinging to top 20ish in the rankings, etc. And, this was true before the season, but CMP still doesn't have a tourney win. After what I've seen, I'm very optimistic that CMP is the right guy (and i was a big doubter at the beginning of the year), but I also don't see how anyone could say its beyond dispute that he's gonna be successful here.
6. My biggest concerns going forward with CMP are:
- Defense. CMP brought in an extremely experienced team this season. And, he brought in several guys with solid (or better) reputations as defenders. Despite that, we've still been a mediocre defensive team. I've got supreme confidence in CMP to put together a great offensive unit. Can he grow as a coach and learn to develop/teach a great defense?
- Recruiting. The recruiting class is really good. We'll see on the transfer portal. How is he going to build his teams going forward? Unlike a lot of people here, I don't think it's a given that next year's roster will automatically be better than this year's roster, just because CMP has more time to put it together this year. It doesn't always work that way. Will be very, very interested to see what next year's roster looks like and who we can land from the 2026 class.
7. "The program" is still nationally elite and relevant. It is absolutely idiotic, absurdist doom-and-gloom to argue otherwise.
