Pope recruiting

[zoid1]

So everyone wishing he fails...wrong.

#11 composite Johnson
#27 composite Moreno
#35 in 22 Chandler
Top 2 KY kids last year Perry and Noah
- Butler, Kriisa, Brea, Robinson, Almoror, Garrison, Oweh, Carr and Williams.

I'm pretty sure he can get the talent here he did that it what less then 6 months...

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Well.. Let's be honest here, I think it was fortunate for Pope, that his first year at UK was also when the state of KY had two top30 players, and we grabbed both. Them being KY kids certainly helped things. How many years can you say Kentucky basically has two 5* players in state? It's not often, thats for sure.

But you know what, who cares? We got them even if we had a leg up in the recruiting process, and all this does is give Pope a nice way to start his recruiting career. I'd rather have it this way, then Pope have a harder time getting his recruiting going.

 

[will1976]

Coach Pope has built a lovely staff early on in his tenure. It is reaping benefits early. Now where is the Boom! tweet...

 

[kyrx]

CBS Sports ranks our class #2:
"Kentucky with the commitment will move from No. 13...to No. 2, trailing only Iowa State. "

It's early, but looks good so far.

 

[BBNinSC]

Well.. Let's be honest here, I think it was fortunate for Pope, that his first year at UK was also when the state of KY had two top30 players, and we grabbed both. Them being KY kids certainly helped things. How many years can you say Kentucky basically has two 5* players in state? It's not often, thats for sure.

But you know what, who cares? We got them even if we had a leg up in the recruiting process, and all this does is give Pope a nice way to start his recruiting career. I'd rather have it this way, then Pope have a harder time getting his recruiting going.

I think the last 2 commitments are more a product of Pope and his staff’s hard work than geography. Our coach has been putting in the work since he arrived in Lexington.

 

[katwest]

The job Pope did at BYU showed he was a good coach, to think he wouldn't be good at Kentucky just didn't make sense. He's a good coach and has a great personality and played for one of the best coaches in college basketball history. Now he has assembled a great staff and a handpicked team that will be very good this season and he's not done.

 

[ganner918]

Big day for UK basketball but the important thing is that it gives people ammo in their fight against other fans. Fandom of UK is secondary, this board is first and foremost for fans of fighting other fans of their team.

 

[University-6]

Coach Pope has built a lovely staff early on in his tenure. It is reaping benefits early. Now where is the Boom! tweet...

 

[uky8unc5]

We've only had one coach at UK who could not recruit.
Billy G was too drunk or lazy or whatever.

Cal had too much success. Cost him/us in the end.

I believe Coach P can and will use his passion, UK's rep, the NIL + Portal to take us where we ain't been lately.

 

[lazycat75]

This staff is young hungry they know what they're working with here at Kentucky We don't got drunks hanging out bars texting recruits we got guys on recruits ass and eyes in the gyms talking building bonds with the young men we want God it feels great to be a Kentucky fan rn

 

[catsfanbgky]

Locked up the highly rated in state kids, now lets see what he can do on the national level. Not saying it was easy landing those 2, but now he has to finish the class. 2 more (have to have a wing and a four) in November, then maybe take a stud in the spring. I see him signing 4/5 for the class, he just has to hit on a couple more really good ones. Getting two top 25 guys early sure takes a lot of pressure of Pope and now he can zone in on needs for next year. He can afford to be a little selective and sign "must gets" and not just fill spots.
Mullins and Yesoufou would be 2 very good gets. Add a Brown as a true PG and we are cooking with grease.

 

[ORCAT10]

Locked up the highly rated in state kids, now lets see what he can do on the national level. Not saying it was easy landing those 2, but now he has to finish the class. 2 more (have to have a wing and a four) in November, then maybe take a stud in the spring. I see him signing 4/5 for the class, he just has to hit on a couple more really good ones. Getting two top 25 guys early sure takes a lot of pressure of Pope and now he can zone in on needs for next year. He can afford to be a little selective and sign "must gets" and not just fill spots.
Mullins and Yesoufou would be 2 very good gets. Add a Brown as a true PG and we are cooking with grease.

Would love to finish with Mullins, Yesoufou, and Brown. Two of these three would still be excellent.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I think the last 2 commitments are more a product of Pope and his staff’s hard work than geography. Our coach has been putting in the work since he arrived in Lexington

You could be right. Or maybe at least more than we think.. still, it HAD to have helped that Jasper is literally a Lexington Native who has ties here.

What I like most about this is, again, it probably doesn't matter.. because whether these two are KY kids or not, it's going to help "show" that Pope can recruit elite talent. Now, Kentucky has it's star PG and star Center for 2025, it makes recruiting the rest of the class easier, we can focus on 2026 and beyond, etc.

In a way, that's sort of how Cal did it. He showed he could land one of the first uber-classes in years with Wall/Bledsoe/Cousins, and then, his recruiting sold it self. Pope is proving to America's top basketball recruits that he WANTS the top talent, and he has the ability to get them. There was something about Pope, his offense (and again, being KY kids helped here), that enticed these guys, and future recruits will see it.

 

[HagginHall1999]

I think the last 2 commitments are more a product of Pope and his staff’s hard work than geography. Our coach has been putting in the work since he arrived in Lexington.

Yep. Folks discounting the fact that previous staff weren't really touching either guy with a ten foot pole. I apologized for Cal more than anyone, but he didn't want Perry here either. Noah was going to USC!

JJ was an assumed Bama or UNC lock forever. Pope and staff crushed it to get him.

Separate from all of this is the fact he is in on other big recruits. This will likely go swimmingly well.

 

[kydmb99]

who has ever wished Mark Pope to fail?

 

[bnewt]

Would love to finish with Mullins, Yesoufou, and Brown. Two of these three would still be excellent.

yes these 3
adding Wilson wouldn't hurt either

 

[NociHTTP]

We've only had one coach at UK who could not recruit.
Billy G was too drunk or lazy or whatever.

Cal had too much success. Cost him/us in the end.

I believe Coach P can and will use his passion, UK's rep, the NIL + Portal to take us where we ain't been lately.

If BillyG wasn't caught up with the girls and alcohol, how good would he have been at UK?

 

[d2atTech]

If BillyG wasn't caught up with the girls and alcohol, how good would he have been at UK?

If BillyG wasn't caught up with the girls and alcohol, that dude could have been president. I think he's rebuilt his life however, still not a good fit for UK.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Well.. Let's be honest here, I think it was fortunate for Pope, that his first year at UK was also when the state of KY had two top30 players, and we grabbed both. Them being KY kids certainly helped things. How many years can you say Kentucky basically has two 5* players in state? It's not often, thats for sure.

But you know what, who cares? We got them even if we had a leg up in the recruiting process, and all this does is give Pope a nice way to start his recruiting career. I'd rather have it this way, then Pope have a harder time getting his recruiting going.

Billy G couldn't get Hopson when he was here. Also, Billy G wasn't going up against Calipari, UNC, or Nate Oats to get Hopson.

This is huge. Any "leg up" Pope had was negated by the 2+ years that Cal, Davis, and Oats have been recruiting Jasper.

This is a huge recruiting victory. Pope made up the lead those other guys had. Let's not forget, three weeks ago, NO ONE had Jasper going to UK.

This was much more than just some stroke of hometown pressure. Pope did the work. We need to acknowledge that for what it is.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

This is a huge get for UK.

The play on the court this coming season will go a long way to expanding the geographical blueprint for out of state high ranked recruits. He has already proven he can go all over in transfer portal so shouldn't be any issue.

 

[cat tat2]

Coach Pope is the perfect fit for UK Basketball. I truly believe he is going to have an amazing career at Kentucky. GO BIG BLUE!

 

[chroix]

 

[BBNinSC]

You could be right. Or maybe at least more than we think.. still, it HAD to have helped that Jasper is literally a Lexington Native who has ties here.

What I like most about this is, again, it probably doesn't matter.. because whether these two are KY kids or not, it's going to help "show" that Pope can recruit elite talent. Now, Kentucky has it's star PG and star Center for 2025, it makes recruiting the rest of the class easier, we can focus on 2026 and beyond, etc.

In a way, that's sort of how Cal did it. He showed he could land one of the first uber-classes in years with Wall/Bledsoe/Cousins, and then, his recruiting sold it self. Pope is proving to America's top basketball recruits that he WANTS the top talent, and he has the ability to get them. There was something about Pope, his offense (and again, being KY kids helped here), that enticed these guys, and future recruits will see it.

especially since Pope was late recruiting Johnson, the Alabama and UNC staffs had been on him much longer. Coach was able to win this recruitment starting from behind. Mark Pope has a palpable sincerity that will bode well in bringing top guys here.

 

[LmdCat]

who has ever wished Mark Pope to fail?

You must be new to this board, or you have been unconscious since Pope was named head coach.

 

[Codeartist]

We really need to stop being concerned with getting a top recruiting class. Those days left with Calipari and are never coming back and I'm okay with that. I don't judge a year by how good of a recruiting class we get or how many go to the NBA afterwards. I judge the program based on how well the team plays in March. That is the only metric that has significant value to me and I am cautiously optimistic that Pope will be able to deliver.

 

[podgejeff_]

who has ever wished Mark Pope to fail?

Yeah I said this in another thread but I don't think I've seen a single instance of a UK fan hoping Pope fails. If anything everyone seems excited.

Maybe it's targeted at rival fans? I don't know.

 

[Codeartist]

Yeah I said this in another thread but I don't think I've seen a single instance of a UK fan hoping Pope fails. If anything everyone seems excited.

Maybe it's targeted at rival fans? I don't know.

I can't imagine someone who could be more against the Pope hire than me and even I am hoping for success. I would be really interested in understanding the mentality of anyone who is a UK fan who is hoping Pope fails. To me those two positions seem diametrically opposed.

 

[Elliott Tim]

Well.. Let's be honest here, I think it was fortunate for Pope, that his first year at UK was also when the state of KY had two top30 players, and we grabbed both. Them being KY kids certainly helped things. How many years can you say Kentucky basically has two 5* players in state? It's not often, thats for sure.

But you know what, who cares? We got them even if we had a leg up in the recruiting process, and all this does is give Pope a nice way to start his recruiting career. I'd rather have it this way, then Pope have a harder time getting his recruiting going.

Point taken, but you have to show interest in order to find out who's interested.
Think about it.

 

[Blue832]

We really need to stop being concerned with getting a top recruiting class. Those days left with Calipari and are never coming back and I'm okay with that. I don't judge a year by how good of a recruiting class we get or how many go to the NBA afterwards. I judge the program based on how well the team plays in March. That is the only metric that has significant value to me and I am cautiously optimistic that Pope will be able to deliver.

I'm not so sure about that. Pope has shown he is very competitive! It certainly shows up in recruiting as well! It may already be back.

 

[chevyman 50]

Did not know that Ark. was even being considered but good to see that Pope just beat out Cal.

 

[TheDude73]

So everyone wishing he fails...wrong.

#11 composite Johnson
#27 composite Moreno
#35 in 22 Chandler
Top 2 KY kids last year Perry and Noah
- Butler, Kriisa, Brea, Robinson, Almoror, Garrison, Oweh, Carr and Williams.

I'm pretty sure he can get the talent here he did that it what less then 6 months...

I don't recall seeing any UK fan "wishing" Pope failed. I saw a lot of them/us skeptical he'd be hitting it this hard in his first couple of years. That's just the safe bet with any new coach.

 

[sosoblue]

Pope is putting in the work giving maximum effort in recruiting. I'm not concerned at all about his ability to lure in 5 star talent. He is the head coach of Kentucky which is a Blue Blood that is thirsty for another championship. We have all the resources that he needs to be successful. Once he is able to demonstrate he can develop talent and win championships. He will have no problem getting the targeted players he want in his program.

 

[podgejeff_]

Pope seems like a tireless worker with true charisma and people skills. Couple that with UK's resources and it's pretty much a guarantee he's going to land recruits.

He's still only been here, what, less than 5 months?

 

[Fox2monk]

Well.. Let's be honest here, I think it was fortunate for Pope, that his first year at UK was also when the state of KY had two top30 players, and we grabbed both. Them being KY kids certainly helped things. How many years can you say Kentucky basically has two 5* players in state? It's not often, thats for sure.

But you know what, who cares? We got them even if we had a leg up in the recruiting process, and all this does is give Pope a nice way to start his recruiting career. I'd rather have it this way, then Pope have a harder time getting his recruiting going.

That’s true, let’s see if we pull a Caleb Wilson or Ament type recruit next. That will really put people at ease.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

That’s true, let’s see if we pull a Caleb Wilson or Ament type recruit next. That will really put people at ease.

And I'm not even saying I need those recruits, or anything more right now, from Pope. I'm really not worried. It was more just to pump the brakes a BIT on Pope being a masterful recruiter just yet. I think he'll get there, so again, not really concerned.

I look at it this way.. say Kansas gets a new coach in 3 years, and he lands two top30 Kansas kids.. We'd all say the same thing, right?

 

[MrHotDice]

We are Kentucky and that means as a recruit you will have the best of everything to make you as a player successful. No matter who the coach is the above is a given. Anyone who listened to these fools on here downplaying the might of the BBN are just fair weather fans. Don’t believe what you read on here just remember what other school could fill Rupp Arena for a press conference. UK eats first.

 

[bbncal02]

That’s true, let’s see if we pull a Caleb Wilson or Ament type recruit next. That will really put people at ease.

This. But it's a GREAT sign when you can land your top talent in state these days. With NIL roaring like crazy, it's a good thing.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

I felt much better when he hired ab3. Kudos on that and kudos on getting these two guys. My main concern is we basically bought Johnson and not for cheap. The premium we paid him just dipped into our portal money.

I love pope and hope like hell he kills it here. That said he needs to really show well and put some kids in the league so we can set ourself apart in this nil world.

 

[NoDef]

NIL has changed recruiting. Some current blue bloods will be left out ( I don't think UK) and some new names coming in. Clemson football either doesn't have enough money or a stubborn coach. One of the blue blood examples that have fallen off the earth since it started. Either get on the train or be left behind. Pope is off to a good start .

 

[blue cincy]

Look if you like Pope you are fine with the job he is doing. Got a great team together this year in a couple of months. Won recruiting battle for Travis Perry. (kept perry). Then pulled in Noah. Good job either way, what most UK fans want 3 star or above playing for UK over SEC schools or Louisville. Then this fall, getting 2 top 25ish guys for next year. Great job. If you think Pope to UK was a bad choice it will not matter if he pulled MJ, Magic, Larry, Charles, Kareem and so forth, you will find something to hate about it all or downplay it all just like you are doing with other parts of what Pope has done so far. I choose to pull for a man that wants to be here, wants to lift up the spirit of UK, wants the weight on his shoulders.

We will see what he does next. I say he will get 2 more 4 or 5 star guys for 2025 and then he keeps almost all if not all of the guys on the team with time left, and pulls in 2 or3 guys from the portal to compliment next years team (look something like what UCONN has been doing).

We will just have to wait and see.