before I hit the sack. I will admit you could have knocked me over with a feather over the Mark Pope hire. Even when the word got out today that he was being interviewed I thought it was sort of a formality. From my understanding according to a source, there were Zoom interviews Thursday with Pope and Shaka Smart. But my thoughts were more with Billy Donovan. I heard from two sources Thursday afternoon/evening that he was in play. One is a mutual friend with both of us. He said Donovan could not do anything until the season was over, but he thought he would be interested. He also added that his family would have been supportive of the move. My other source closer to the university felt that Barnhart was waiting on Donovan's season to conclude then would pursue. Maybe there was a concern that if he said no we could be in late April with no coach. That is understandable, but Coach Pope would have probably come in July if his dream job was available. It does seem like a rushed decision.
There are things I like about him. He runs a beautiful, modern day offense which is something that had been a problem at Kentucky for a couple of years until last season. It's got a lot of Nate Oats in it. His teams will play fast and shoot three's from everywhere. There are concerns too such as his lack of big-time experience and success. But Bruce Pearl and Nate Oats were mid-major coaches before coming to the SEC. If he is hired, Big Blue Nation needs to support him no matter what the feelings were about the hire. We can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. We have all seen coaches come into negative environments, and never be able to get off the ground. He may not have a top-25 roster next season, but fans need to support, and give him a chance. He may be the next modern day genius. He may not, but no matter what, he will be Kentucky's coach, and he needs to be given every opportunity to succeed.
There are things I like about him. He runs a beautiful, modern day offense which is something that had been a problem at Kentucky for a couple of years until last season. It's got a lot of Nate Oats in it. His teams will play fast and shoot three's from everywhere. There are concerns too such as his lack of big-time experience and success. But Bruce Pearl and Nate Oats were mid-major coaches before coming to the SEC. If he is hired, Big Blue Nation needs to support him no matter what the feelings were about the hire. We can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. We have all seen coaches come into negative environments, and never be able to get off the ground. He may not have a top-25 roster next season, but fans need to support, and give him a chance. He may be the next modern day genius. He may not, but no matter what, he will be Kentucky's coach, and he needs to be given every opportunity to succeed.
