UK at Bama game thread

[Catsrock]

The JMI agreement has no affect on the product on the floor this year.

I was responding to post 54 suggesting UK eliminate the JMI agreement as if the contract didn’t exist. And I personally don’t know how much effect their restrictions on NIL are effecting prospective players. But if it is true that those restrictions are in fact the reason Yaxel and other top targets who were reportedly nearly in the bag only to choose to go elsewhere then the agreement is having a huge effect on the product we’re seeing. By all accounts we spent big money. But not on the first choice players. But I also agree other factors are in play. Such as an inability to shoot the basketball. And sometimes even questionable effort. And, yes, coaching.

[KentuckyWild2020]

Food for thought, it's almost a decade since Kentucky basketball has been relevant. It's bs and of course I'm irritated, I ain't got time to wait and hope Pope figures it out. Yes Calipari a few teams hit or miss after 2015 but ain't nobody worried about Kentucky, nobody. A blue blood laying on the side of the road in a ditch bleeding out.

I don't a rats blank about Barnhart,never have. Jack Givens could be the new AD as far as I'm concerned, anyone who understands what UK basketball means, it's always win now. Pope could be AD , spend more time with his children, we need a modern day high powered coach who players respect on and off the court. Forget all that being friends and buddy bs .

Frank Vogel, Pearl, Wright. A Calipari player personal type who can actually coach recruit and puts Kentucky first..

[Catsrock]

Food for thought, it's almost a decade since Kentucky basketball has been relevant. It's bs and of course I'm irritated, I ain't got time to wait and hope Pope figures it out. Yes Calipari a few teams hit or miss after 2015 but ain't nobody worried about Kentucky, nobody. A blue blood laying on the side of the road in a ditch bleeding out.

I don't a rats blank about Barnhart,never have. Jack Givens could be the new AD as far as I'm concerned, anyone who understands what UK basketball means, it's always win now. Pope could be AD , spend more time with his children, we need a modern day high powered coach who players respect on and off the court. Forget all that being friends and buddy bs .

Frank Vogel, Pearl, Wright. A Calipari player personal type who can actually coach recruit and puts Kentucky first..

Sounds great. But why believe any of your suggestions want the job? Hurley laughed at the notion. Drew was interested but his wife said no thanks. So Mitch settled for Pope. Pearl had a good gig and wanted to retire. Wright’s been done for 4 years without ever showing interest in returning to the game. Vogel may be interesting but he’s been a career NBA guy. Why think he would want it or that he would be good in the college game anyway? NBA coaches don’t recruit 120 hours per week all year long.

[BJD]

Mitch is retiring in July so he will not be fired

Mitch is having second thought about retiring. So we may be stuck with him for a while?

[Jeffky62]

Sounds great. But why believe any of your suggestions want the job? Hurley laughed at the notion. Drew was interested but his wife said no thanks. So Mitch settled for Pope. Pearl had a good gig and wanted to retire. Wright’s been done for 4 years without ever showing interest in returning to the game. Vogel may be interesting but he’s been a career NBA guy. Why think he would want it or that he would be good in the college game anyway? NBA coaches don’t recruit 120 hours per week all year long.

Good informative post well done ?

[Matt Dillon]

Mitch is having second thought about retiring. So we may be stuck with him for a while?

Is this from a reliable source?

[Mr.Nezzer]

Welp that game sucked!

Seems to me these guys are "playing not to lose" instead of "playing to win". They seem stiff, hesitant and not comfortable with each other when they play these Quad 1 teams. Is that 100% on Pope...probably not 100% but he is the coach so at least 50-75%. It is definitely 100% on the team. They got down and they really started with the me ball and pounding the ball into the wood. 9 assist on 25 made baskets is just sad

[KentuckyWild2020]

Sounds great. But why believe any of your suggestions want the job? Hurley laughed at the notion. Drew was interested but his wife said no thanks. So Mitch settled for Pope. Pearl had a good gig and wanted to retire. Wright’s been done for 4 years without ever showing interest in returning to the game. Vogel may be interesting but he’s been a career NBA guy. Why think he would want it or that he would be good in the college game anyway? NBA coaches don’t recruit 120 hours per week all year long.

Fair enough but to be clear, recruiting and NIL money doesn't require 120 per week and if so, that's why you pay your assistants.

Vogel, NBA..

Fair enough, the best players still dream of the NBA, Calipari had that part right.

That NBA experience tells a young kid the coaching ain't screwing around. Still need big time talent, still need program glue guys in my opinion but with NIL, every year is a possible one and done situation.

I like Pope, still hope he succeeds but the vision of program players and development days may be long gone, that ship has sailed He may be a offensive analytical guru but by the time a new incoming player grasp and understands his system, good chance they are moving on..

We may be in a new era of basketball that stupid simple actually works best Think about the NBA, they throw it up and let them just play, kind of what Calipari did. When talented players performed, it looked easy,when they didn't perform ,it was's AAU Sunday afternoon Park And 1 Street Garbage basketball, sort of what it looks like right now. .

[Catsrock]

I don’t know how much NIL and transfer portal has reduced time allocated for recruiting but it’s still a year round job pro coaches don’t have to deal with. Recruiting and roster construction is probably just as important as the X’s and O’s at the college level. Good complimentary parts last year worked very well when healthy. This years bunch doesn’t seem to jive at all even though they were considered higher ranked players. Very few coaches have really thrived at both college and NBA levels. Very different jobs.

[bthaunert]

Fair enough but to be clear, recruiting and NIL money doesn't require 120 per week and if so, that's why you pay your assistants.

Vogel, NBA..

Fair enough, the best players still dream of the NBA, Calipari had that part right.

That NBA experience tells a young kid the coaching ain't screwing around. Still need big time talent, still need program glue guys in my opinion but with NIL, every year is a possible one and done situation.

I like Pope, still hope he succeeds but the vision of program players and development days may be long gone, that ship has sailed He may be a offensive analytical guru but by the time a new incoming player grasp and understands his system, good chance they are moving on..

We may be in a new era of basketball that stupid simple actually works best Think about the NBA, they throw it up and let them just play, kind of what Calipari did. When talented players performed, it looked easy,when they didn't perform ,it was's AAU Sunday afternoon Park And 1 Street Garbage basketball, sort of what it looks like right now. .

I've never understood the fascination with Vogel. I know he was a team manager here, but since 2014, he has had 1 good year and that was the weird bubble season in the NBA. In those 8 years, he is 313-322. He's missed the playoffs 4 times, lost in the first round 3 times and won the title in 2020.

What's so intriguing about this guy?

[Pete Hogwallop]

It's asinine to even be thinking about replacing Pope at only 1.5 seasons in. Never mind actually calling for it.

[bthaunert]

It's asinine to even be thinking about replacing Pope at only 1.5 seasons in. Never mind actually calling for it.

He's not going anywhere after this year regardless if people want him out or not. Mitch also did one of his great contract negotiations and Pope gets an automatic year added to his contract by reaching the Sweet 16, so he still has 5 years remaining.

One does have to wonder if he is the guy though. There is a reason why a lot of people were scratching their heads at the hire when it was made. Many of which were then taken in by nostalgia and what we had been missing from the Calipari days....a perceived Kentucky first approach. There is a real chance we are fighting for our lives at the end of the season to make the NCAA tournament. That's not good.

[WeWant9]

Unless something crazy happens, I expect Pope back for year 3. I do think a new coach needs 3-4 years to get things going, but that perception is changing in this NIL/portal world. I thought year 1 showed promise and year 2 has shown a ton of bad. Reality is probably somewhere in the middle, but lets be honest...that won't cut it at UK.

One thing I do know is Pope HAS to have shooters for his offense to work. He is going have to tell some guys to find a new team and go hard in the portal on shooters. Defense has been terrible in his time here, don't see that improving unless we bring in a guy to just run/teach defense. I would bet the staff gets a shake up after this season, and then Pope will have to show something in year 3 or else this will be a short stint.

[Pete Hogwallop]

Unless something crazy happens, I expect Pope back for year 3. I do think a new coach needs 3-4 years to get things going, but that perception is changing in this NIL/portal world. I thought year 1 showed promise and year 2 has shown a ton of bad. Reality is probably somewhere in the middle, but lets be honest...that won't cut it at UK.

One thing I do know is Pope HAS to have shooters for his offense to work. He is going have to tell some guys to find a new team and go hard in the portal on shooters. Defense has been terrible in his time here, don't see that improving unless we bring in a guy to just run/teach defense. I would bet the staff gets a shake up after this season, and then Pope will have to show something in year 3 or else this will be a short stint.

I agree with all of this.

[EKYCat]

He's not going anywhere after this year regardless if people want him out or not. Mitch also did one of his great contract negotiations and Pope gets an automatic year added to his contract by reaching the Sweet 16, so he still has 5 years remaining.

One does have to wonder if he is the guy though. There is a reason why a lot of people were scratching their heads at the hire when it was made. Many of which were then taken in by nostalgia and what we had been missing from the Calipari days....a perceived Kentucky first approach. There is a real chance we are fighting for our lives at the end of the season to make the NCAA tournament. That's not good.

I was admittedly excited for the nostalgia after the press conference. However, the hire seemed rushed and like MB didn't go down enough avenues. Pope would have crawled here from Utah the day before the season started last year.

I don't think this team makes the tournament and year 3 will be so pressure packed that Pope won't survive and move on to year 4. I hate it, but I just can't see that he is the guy.