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Not a great start for roster building

Improvement over Cal is not enough. That is not my standard for Kentucky basketball. Improvement over Cal or at least Cal from the last few years is my standard for year one. I would be willing to entertain the Pope experiment for another year if he can make it to the second round or make it to the tournament and keep the team together. Do you really feel that even in the current situation he should be retained if he fails to make the NCAA tournament?
YOU’RE the one that shouldn’t be retained. Do you even think before you spew this nonsense ?
 
Everything you post (all 11 of them) is either Debbie Downer or flat out negative. Give us a damn break. Let it shake out. Mark Pope can’t fix the sh*t Triple C left us with over night. BBN will never except losing but you want to go negative before we even get started. If you want to go negative then go to the Arky board and blame the POS that put us in this mess. Geez.
Do you really feel not making the NCAA tournament is acceptable? All I'm saying is that should be the standard for year one. If we as the big blue nation have fallen so far that we don't have that as a minimum standard then I don't know what this program has come to.
 
South Carolina coach did that and thought he did it well.
That's not exactly true. I think he brought in 4 transfers this year. The rest of the team were either freshmen or returning players. Pope might have to bring in 10 transfers to field a team by the time it's all said and done.
 
It's sad when the argument that Kentucky should make the NCAA tournament every year at a bare minimum is viewed as nonsense.
Do you not know what Triple C did to this program. We ALL expect banners. Mark Pope expects banners. But Triple C tried to burn it all down and he did it at the absolute worst time possible. We’ll be back and we’ll be back quickly but expecting miracles when we’re about six months from getting started is asinine and you know it. Just stop.
 
That's pathetic. We better do way better than that.
I hope I’m wrong. If we can hire a bunch of transfers and Pope is able to bring them together as a true team then we can do better. But we won’t be competing for anything in my opinion. I will hope for more but I just don’t see it at this point. In 2-3 weeks when we have a better idea who is on our roster then will have more insight. There is none right now.
 
Improvement over Cal is not enough. That is not my standard for Kentucky basketball. Improvement over Cal or at least Cal from the last few years is my standard for year one. I would be willing to entertain the Pope experiment for another year if he can make it to the second round or make it to the tournament and keep the team together. Do you really feel that even in the current situation he should be retained if he fails to make the NCAA tournament?
Yes. And he will be retained. Fortunately, neither of our opinions matter. He won't have much of a freshman class because the recruiting cycle is over. Most of the current roster will leave. He may have 3 or 4 players return. He will have to bring in 9 or 10 players from the portal just to field a team. I'm not saying we can't put together a good roster. I'm saying you can't judge how good he will be based on this set of circumstances. And he won't be judged by UK based on these circumstances.
 
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That's not exactly true. I think he brought in 4 transfers this year. The rest of the team were either freshmen or returning players. Pope might have to bring in 10 transfers to field a team by the time it's all said and done.
Utah State did essentially just that, brought in an entirely new team (all portal guys) with a new coach in the offseason.... and ended up fielding their best team in decades. Which again, we should definitely kick the tires on Great Osobor and see if he might be interested in Kentucky.
 
Do you not know what Triple C did to this program. We ALL expect banners. Mark Pope expects banners. But Triple C tried to burn it all down and he did it at the absolute worst time possible. We’ll be back and we’ll be back quickly but expecting miracles when we’re about six months from getting started is asinine and you know it. Just stop.
What exactly do you view as a miracle? Making the NCAA tournament?
 
I’d say we’re looking at a few guys in the portal probably more than we even know. They are guys that Pope knows are going to fit his system. He’s talking to Z today , Reed isn’t for sure one way or another, Perry is probably 90% sure going to be here next year, Fland said he would still listen to Pope, and the 4 star big guy Somto says he’s still open to hear from Pope.

Like someone said if we are having this discussion 2 weeks from tomorrow when the portal closes then yea I’ll be worried but until then I have faith in Coach Pope.
I would have like to see Fland do that before opting out of his LOI.
 
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Yes. And he will be retained. Fortunately, neither of our opinions matter. He won't have much of a freshman class because the recruiting cycle is over. Most of the current roster will leave. He may have 3 or 4 players return. He will have to bring in 9 or 10 players from the portal just to field a team. I'm not saying we can't put together a good roster. I'm saying you can't judge how good he will be based on this set of circumstances. And he won't be judged by UK based on these circumstances.
I feel it's a low standard at Kentucky to make the NCAA tournament. If you feel that's a standard Pope can't meet and a standard the big blue nation shouldn't hold ourselves and our coach to then I can only hope that mindset is not the majority.
 
Utah State did essentially just that, brought in an entirely new team (all portal guys) with a new coach in the offseason.... and ended up fielding their best team in decades. Which again, we should definitely kick the tires on Great Osobor and see if he might be interested in Kentucky.
I would imagine Utah State fielding one of it's best teams from portal transfers doesn't really compare very well with UK trying to do the same. I'm not saying we will suck or even miss the tournament. His argument is if we aren't better than Cal has been in the very first year, with no roster, Pope should be fired. That's beyond ridiculous.
 
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I would have like to see Fland do that before opting out of his LOI.
I know that would’ve been nice it’s kind of strange to see them opt out and then see them say they will listen to the new coach. My translation of that is they are going somewhere else or they wouldn’t have opted out.
 
That's like watching bulldozers knock down a burned out house where a new house will be built and saying, as the scorched walls fall, "the new house doesn't look so great."

It's sad to see the level of excuse making so many are already capable of. Pope should be viewed as a failed experiment with any result that is less than what Cal did this past year. We will see if mediocrity is now the new standard of Kentucky basketball.
Every coach deserves 3 yrs max w/ time to recruit, install a system, and get their footing.
 
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I feel it's a low standard at Kentucky to make the NCAA tournament. If you feel that's a standard Pope can't meet and a standard the big blue nation shouldn't hold ourselves and our coach to then I can only hope that mindset is not the majority.
You are moving the goal posts and putting words in my mouth. UK should make absolutely make the tournament in normal years. This isn't one. I have no idea what kind of team we will have. Noone does at this point. If you think that his first year will indicative of his tenure at UK, I can only hope the majority of fans don't agree with you. Either way, he won't be fired after one year, irrespective of what you think.
 
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I would imagine Utah State fielding one of it's best teams from portal transfers doesn't really compare very well with UK trying to do the same. I'm not saying we will suck or even miss the tournament. His argument is if we aren't better than Cal has been in the very first year, with no roster, Pope should be fired. That's beyond ridiculous.
Oh, most definitely that is ridiculous.

The point I was trying to make is that a team full of portal guys can be successful. The talent pool that UK is fishing in should be much deeper than what USU was looking at.
 
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Oh, most definitely that is ridiculous.

The point I was trying to make is that a team full of portal guys can be successful. The talent pool that UK is fishing in should be much deeper than what USU was looking at.
I agree. I'm not being pessimistic about our chances. I think it's possible and Pope seems to have the personality that should attract players. And supposedly we have a pretty good war chest of NIL money. I am cautiously optimistic that we will see rebirth of UK basketball.
 
You are moving the goal posts and putting words in my mouth. UK should make absolutely make the tournament in normal years. This isn't one. I have no idea what kind of team we will have. Noone does at this point. If you think that his first year will indicative of his tenure at UK, I can only hope the majority of fans don't agree with you. Either way, he won't be fired after one year, irrespective of what you think.
No, Kentucky should make the tournament every year even on down years, should be competing for titles on good years and in great years should be adding championships to the best college basketball program in the country. That's the standard I hold. That's the standard we all used to hold. I refuse to settle for less. In another school absolutely but this is Kentucky. I only hope that the prevailing opinion is never to tolerate not making it to the NCAA tournament.
 
This was expected.

Key will be can Pope recruit at a level that will make him and the team successful here.

It might take awhile tho.
 
Dallin is Mormon, spent the standard two years on a Mormon mission trip and was never going to leave BYU due to that. Has nothing to do with either recruiting or confidence in Pope.

Bradshaw would not fit at all in Pope’s system.

Wagner might, if his late improved perimeter shooting is sustainable. But he is one datapoint total. And opening up his recruitment is a perfectly reasonable thing to do, one which does not rule out him coming here.

Keep your shirt on.
He has listed Creighton, Cincy, Florida, Clemson, Utah, Utah State, Washington all as possible destinations. So being Mormon is not ALL of it.
 
He has listed Creighton, Cincy, Florida, Clemson, Utah, Utah State, Washington all as possible destinations. So being Mormon is not ALL of it.
If you had a premium account you would have known that CMP was not pursuing him . And it’s because he is going after bigger fish .
 
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Not saying anything negative towards Pope, but things are starting as expected. Bradshaw gone to OSU, Dallin rules out UK, and Wagner enters portal. I'm sure we will get some good news too though.

Debbie Downer Snl GIF by Saturday Night Live
 
And, THANKFULLY, unlike Cal, Pope will not take his time sitting around waiting on player decisions.
I am 100% on board with Pope. Give him time to get HIS roster and he will kill it. But it is not like Pope can take his time sitting around and waiting, the players are making the decision for him. He doesn't really have a choice in the matter, they are all leaving to other teams, and didn't even give him a chance to sell UK and his vision. Can't really say these mass exodus are because Pope is not waiting around, the players are the ones not waiting. I get your point, Cal would have been waiting for these players to stay or go to the draft. I honestly feel that hurt us with the portal the last couple years. Hopefully Thiero and a couple guys will give Pope a chance and hear what he has to offer. We can't depend on the portal for full roster makeover, need some returning players to help, along with 3 or 4 portal guys, couple of BYU kids. I would have loved to had Dallin, 6 assist per game is pretty damn good.
 
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Is mediocrity now acceptable for Kentucky basketball? My fear is that too many fans will accept it as the new normal. If I had to predict the future I'd say you were correct about next season which is why I am not investing into the program next year and will not be invested until Pope shows me that he is capable of something more than mediocrity. I won't be disappointed or surprised in Pope for performing as I expect him to. I will be disappointed in our fans if there is a mediocre season and there's not just as much pressure to hire someone that can give Kentucky the program it deserves.

Mediocrity just left because it wasn't acceptable. Stupidity should follow it.

No one would reasonably expect a program without a roster to be rebuilt in a season. Even CCCal had some great pieces in place when he came in. He NEVER leaves anything in the cupboard when he's gone, tho. If you're looking for someone who accepts mediocrity, he's the HC at Arkansas now.
 
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If you had a premium account you would have known that CMP was not pursuing him . And it’s because he is going after bigger fish .
I know that, I was talking about the poster who said being Mormon was what it came down to. it wasn't, he is going to a school that is not a Mormon school.
 
Is mediocrity now acceptable for Kentucky basketball? My fear is that too many fans will accept it as the new normal. If I had to predict the future I'd say you were correct about next season which is why I am not investing into the program next year and will not be invested until Pope shows me that he is capable of something more than mediocrity. I won't be disappointed or surprised in Pope for performing as I expect him to. I will be disappointed in our fans if there is a mediocre season and there's not just as much pressure to hire someone that can give Kentucky the program it deserves.

What Cal did in 2009-10 is an anomaly and not the norm and was in a different era. Don’t expect that for 2024-25 or you will be disappointed.

I don’t expect to win the championship next year. Is it because I’m a bad fan who accepts mediocrity? Nope. It’s because I am a grown adult who lives in reality and understands we’re not going from OAD factory to core program guys in a single offseason.

Some of y'all act like you’re owed annual national championships and it’s kind of ridiculous.
 
What Cal did in 2009-10 is an anomaly and not the norm and was in a different era. Don’t expect that for 2024-25 or you will be disappointed.

I don’t expect to win the championship next year. Is it because I’m a bad fan who accepts mediocrity? Nope. It’s because I am a grown adult who lives in reality and understands we’re not going from OAD factory to core program guys in a single offseason.

Some of y'all act like you’re owed annual national championships and it’s kind of ridiculous.
My position is that Kentucky basketball should not tolerate failing to make the NCAA tournament no matter what the circumstances. That's my position. I don't understand why you think I said he should have a championship next year.
 
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One could make the case that Bradshaw was perhaps the most overrated of UK's freshman. DJ second. Honestly Edwards showed a higher ceiling down the stretch. We'll get by without these guys.
 
My position is that Kentucky basketball should not tolerate failing to make the NCAA tournament no matter what the circumstances. That's my position. I don't understand why you think I said he should have a championship next year.
So Pitino should have been fired after his first year?
 
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