Pope recruiting

[yabbadabbadoo]

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 agree with this cat.
No more stressing about recruiting rankings, NBA draft stock, and all that business.
Pope gets it.
I can feel good about having a guy that cares about our beloved program and understands what it’s about now rather than worry if we can out-talent other opponents because we all know the previous regime couldn’t coach their way of a paper bag, whether or not they tried.
Too many promises and agendas for the past decade +

 

[AzubuikeandFitch]

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.

Absolutely. He made inroads traveling abroad to keep up with several guys including Jasper Johnson. If we can land Mullins, and Cenac or Yessoufou then we'll be shaping up nicely.

 

[chevyman 50]

What Pope has did so far at recruiting at Ky is amazing.

 

[zoid1]

I know A LOT of people didn't think Pope could recruit to UK standards. I read it in a bunch of threads when he got hired. I'm just saying this was a big get for us no matter how you spin it. Pope just beat out Oats and UNC for a recruit another Blueblood and one of the hottest teams Bama and coaches Oats in college basketball who had been on JJ much longer.

I'm just proud our coach was only here 6 months and landed a full team and then 2 five stars already fo next year and is in the mix for multiple high skilled players in HS and portal. I think he's going to crush it here with the brand and resources he will get at UK opposed to a BYU. Anyway I was never worried about Pope getting talent here and he just proved he can beat a Blueblood and hot team and coach for a national recruit.

 

[smallmouthhog]

They werent. Pope did not beat out Cal for this recruit.
If Pope gets Wilson you can say that. But not here.

 

[Elliott Tim]

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.

Tubby was not exactly a stellar recruiter.

 

[BarefootBeach]

They werent. Pope did not beat out Cal for this recruit.
If Pope gets Wilson you can say that. But not here.

So Cal did not want jasper or Moreno? You are joking right?

 

[chroix]

 

[dl51344]

How many freshmen will be starters in that season?

 

[bucsrule8872]

How many freshmen will be starters in that season?

Next season?

I figure Johnson will start.

Probably at least one more Freshman.

I really hope we have some returnees and then use the portal to reconstruct the lineup.

I really hope we don’t have 3+ Freshmen in the starting five.

 

[Ron Mehico]

How many freshmen will be starters in that season?

After the last 10 years I want as few as possible lol

 

[smallmouthhog]

So Cal did not want jasper or Moreno? You are joking right?

He wasnt recruiting them to Arkansas. He is after others. He will mostly like take three maybe 4 freshmen.
Pope beats out Cal for Wilson, Thomas or Cenac you will be correct. But not Moreno or Johnson.

 

[zoid1]

He wasnt recruiting them to Arkansas. He is after others. He will mostly like take three maybe 4 freshmen.
Pope beats out Cal for Wilson, Thomas or Cenac you will be correct. But not Moreno or Johnson.

So Cal didn't want the #11 overall recruit and top center recruit in the nation? I'm pretty sure had they picked Arky he would not have said no thanks Moreno I'm liking the 4 th best center and no Jasper I like the 29 th ranked guard better...???

 

[UKWildcats1987]

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?

No, no one would say that about Kansas.

Not sure why anyone would say he is close to a masterful recruiter though. Long way to go and a lot to prove on the court.

We don't need a masterful recruiter to win though. If you aren't a drunk you are gonna win a title at UK and we have 50 years of coaching evidence post Rupp to verify that.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

No, no one would say that about Kansas.

Not sure why anyone would say he is close to a masterful recruiter though. Long way to go and a lot to prove on the court.

We don't need a masterful recruiter to win though. If you aren't a drunk you are gonna win a title at UK and we have 50 years of coaching evidence post Rupp to verify that.

Ha, I would. If a brand new coach at Kansas or Tennessee got two top30 in-state recruits, in states that don't really produce a lot of basketball talent.. I'm gonna make a safe assumption that geography helped the recruitment at least some. That those coaches got a bit of a .. how would I say it.. a "layup"?

And honestly I can't say anyone here wouldn't call that out if some of our Kansas lurkers came here bragging about that. There's no way we wouldn't say "well, hold on here..". And we wouldn't really be wrong.

 

[GoAndRunIsGoneAndDone]

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 think it is likely to get even better because I believe his system will help recruiting. If UK wins a lot with his system, it will be different and better for recruiting than the same system at BYU. We are UK and the wins and the exposure are a different level than most any place. Not to mention the NIL and facilities etc. I hope Pope continues to make believers from the naysayers.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Tubby Smith had ten recruiting cycles.

In that time, he landed only 7 McDonald's All-Americans (Prince, Bogans, Stone, Carruth, Rondo, Crawford, Morris).

Pope might get that amount in his first three official recruiting cycles. I bet you he passes Tubby's Mickey D totals by his fourth full recruiting cycle.

 

[MrHotDice]

I know A LOT of people didn't think Pope could recruit to UK standards. I read it in a bunch of threads when he got hired. I'm just saying this was a big get for us no matter how you spin it. Pope just beat out Oats and UNC for a recruit another Blueblood and one of the hottest teams Bama and coaches Oats in college basketball who had been on JJ much longer.

I'm just proud our coach was only here 6 months and landed a full team and then 2 five stars already fo next year and is in the mix for multiple high skilled players in HS and portal. I think he's going to crush it here with the brand and resources he will get at UK opposed to a BYU. Anyway I was never worried about Pope getting talent here and he just proved he can beat a Blueblood and hot team and coach for a national recruit.

Bama and Oats was never on JJ longer than Kentucky. Kid was a Wildcat at birth.

 

[true blue1]

The naysayers (including myself) had doubts but damn he’s working his butt off! Props to Coach Pope!!!!!

 

[electricat2]

anybody that has coached at uk, and made an effort, has recruited well.
bcg was either drunk or incompetent.
tubby could recruit. i just feel like he did not like it and therefore didnt play the games that coaches have to play to get the elite recruits.
the rest recruited great.
and pope will as well

 

[SSGNate]

Pope has done well so far. Johnson was a bigger fight than you would hope though. I’m from the same town as his family and it personally feels it shouldn’t have taken as much fight to get a Ky kid to go to UK. He never been a top 15 player though so what do I know. He needs to pull some players from other states and then win games to prove he has what it takes. Honeymoons end quicker at UK than anywhere, which, is one of the reasons other coaches didn’t want this job. I think he can do it and I really hope he does.

In another topic, If the creator of this post, Zoid1, has the initials JS and knows CSMS, he knows me and my UK fandom.

 

[DreadLox]

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

A #11 recruit is that kind of recruit. There are zillions of schools. 2 top 40 recruits. There are only 40 of them and Pope has already recruited 5% of them. There are only 38 more for the entire range of Div 1 schools.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

They werent. Pope did not beat out Cal for this recruit.
If Pope gets Wilson you can say that. But not here.

We're laughing at your ignorance.

Cal's been recruiting Johnson for over two years. He kept recruiting him when he went to Arkansas. Try reading an article instead of smoking your piggy pipe. https://247sports.com/article/jaspe...-in-top-5-john-calipari-recruiting-234124731/

Cal knew he was a very distant fourth place on this one. You Hog fans are delusional. Go back and play in the pig pen if you're not going to bring strong arguments here.

Time to go home, pig.

 

[YankeeCpt]

who in the eff is rooting against him here?

 

[Fox2monk]

They werent. Pope did not beat out Cal for this recruit.
If Pope gets Wilson you can say that. But not here.

Cal has been recruiting him for well over a year, and continued to do so at Arkansas. He got beat and he doesn’t get every kid he recruits.

 

[zoid1]

Yes Cal recruited both JJ and Moreno at UK and Ark. I just read it on 247. I know I seen a red pig on a cup for JJ on the table can't remember what Moreno did but he had a piggy on the table too. Both kids had Ark in their final 5 or something.

And yes Pope will get more McDonald's kids then Tubby heck he's got 2 now and trying for several more and will get at least one more that will be 3 in his first class. He will have 7 or more by 2 Year's time easily 3 year's.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Ha, I would. If a brand new coach at Kansas or Tennessee got two top30 in-state recruits, in states that don't really produce a lot of basketball talent.. I'm gonna make a safe assumption that geography helped the recruitment at least some. That those coaches got a bit of a .. how would I say it.. a "layup"?

And honestly I can't say anyone here wouldn't call that out if some of our Kansas lurkers came here bragging about that. There's no way we wouldn't say "well, hold on here..". And we wouldn't really be wrong.

Sorry, I worded it poorly but I agree with you. If Kansas got 2 local guys and fans were saying it proved the new coach was an elite recruiter no one on here would give them any credit or agree with that.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

He wasnt recruiting them to Arkansas. He is after others. He will mostly like take three maybe 4 freshmen.
Pope beats out Cal for Wilson, Thomas or Cenac you will be correct. But not Moreno or Johnson.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Ha, I would. If a brand new coach at Kansas or Tennessee got two top30 in-state recruits, in states that don't really produce a lot of basketball talent.. I'm gonna make a safe assumption that geography helped the recruitment at least some. That those coaches got a bit of a .. how would I say it.. a "layup"?

And honestly I can't say anyone here wouldn't call that out if some of our Kansas lurkers came here bragging about that. There's no way we wouldn't say "well, hold on here..". And we wouldn't really be wrong.

I look at it differently. If ever there was a time for an elite Kentucky native to spurn the Cats, it would be now. New coach. Iffy relationship. No history of being recruited by the guy outside of the last few months. Playing for a school outside of the state to alleviate hometown pressure. Jasper could have reasonably just used the excuse that Alabama was on him longer, and it would have hurt locally, but nationally Pope would have gotten a pass because that's actually factual.

This wasn't a "layup." It was softened somewhat by the family dynamic, but we've seen guys like James Blackmon Jr. say "no thanks" to that dimension of a recruitment, even when guys like Calipari were at the height of their recruiting powers.

This was somewhere between layup and four-point play. It was a difficult "and-one", going up against an elite shot blocked called "time", as in, Oats and Davis had two+ years of recruiting that Pope didn't have.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Here’s the thing that has me most excited, even if we don’t sign another high profile recruit, we have a coach that knows how to use the portal and does not have to have lottery picks to be successful. He has a system. He does not just roll the balls out and scream “Go!” His success does not hinge upon being able to “out athlete” everyone (which clearly does not work in this era). He has a plan and players can be successful playing for him even if they are not 5-star blue chip guys.

I’m excited for the next two seasons and beyond. It should be fun to watch the program in the hands of someone who cares about the name on the front of the jersey again.

 

[Rockfly78]

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

Dude he sucked. He still sucks. He was out there offering 7th graders

 

[catsfanbgky]

Cal has been recruiting him for well over a year, and continued to do so at Arkansas, he got beat, Cal loses too, he doesn’t get every kid he recruits.

I honestly think JJ only really and truly had 3 schools he was considering. UK, Bama, and UNC. That is it, that's the list.

 

[RunninRichie]

They werent. Pope did not beat out Cal for this recruit.
If Pope gets Wilson you can say that. But not here.

And so the cope begins.


"Calipari has been recruiting me since he was at Kentucky," Johnson told Jenkins. "I have not been able to see the school. He tells me he wants me to be one-and-done, so that is good to hear."

Arkansas makes final cut for 2025 five-star Jasper Johnson

Another five-star player in the 2025 recruiting class has included John Calipari and the Razorbacks in his final five list.

247sports.com

 

[Hoskins91]

He got a couple Kentucky kids he went all in on. That should be expected.

 

[GoBigBlue1280]

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...

Show us one example of ANYONE wanting Mark to fail. Just one…

 

[GoBigBlue1280]

View embedded media

“They” said, bullshit. This is UK.

 

[G-PIP]

"He tells me he wants me to be one-and-done...."

That quote about says it all for me in regard to the reason Calipari failed in the end - and will continue to fail. There was talk that Calipari was going to change his roster building model at Ark., but it doesn't sound like it. Unless he is saved (to a degree) by no longer being able to get a team full of OADs, Ark. is now going to become the side-show act in the SEC. I know a lot of you were already convinced as to what I'm going to say next, but I now think Calipari really is more concerned with getting the top ranked freshmen, top ranked recruiting classes and 1st round draft picks than winning.

 

[zoid1]

“They” said, bullshit. This is UK.

They is most of the UK fan base, college basketball fans, national media, opposing fans, etc. I know I read a bunch of times Pope will not be able to recruit at this level and that to me means he's gonna fail to recruit at a high level like to UK's standards of getting 5 star players. You answered your own question you posted the example. I just simply said "they" were wrong he's got a full team and two 5 stars in less than six months.

 

[Slowwalker]

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...

So who is everyone who said that they “wishes he would fail?”

I can’t recall seeing one post stating that.

 

[WildcatSir]

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 not true. He pulled a miracle in the form of landing Jasper. He will land 3 or 4 top 25 guys every single season.