Pope is an ABSOLUTE Disaster!

[blueheretic]

And the worst is yet to come.

This is likely the worst hire in the history of college basketball bluebloods.

Mitchy B should be run out of town on a rail.

Once Jasper transfers at the end of the season, the train will really come off the rails.

Can't win against anyone decent.

Can't get a recruit signed.

JMI deal is a bust.

Mitch needs to go now.

Pope needs to be eased out.

Then they need to hire the Bama coach or, as I wanted in the beginning, Todd Golden.

FIRST, though, MITCH HAS GOT TO GO!

[blueheretic]

MITCH BARNHART CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO HIRE THE NEXT KENTUCKY BASKETBALL COACH!

This is 1988 all over again without the fake @ss NCAA violations.

[Cawood86]

And here we go

[TrueblueCATfan]

I used to be excited about Kentucky Basketball but not this season...This is a complete disaster....I dont look forward to games..Im tired of The excuses...UGH

[blueheretic]

I'm premature by about 310 or so days. Just thought I'd get the ball rolling.

[South jones]

Pope does deserve some of the blame. He can't get the guys motivated and at times his game decisions are questionable.
pope is not the one missing wide open threes, point blank putbacks and layups along with all of the bad passing .the players at times don't rebound or play defense neither of which takes a lot of talent, just a desire to compete and win.

I think there is plenty of responsibility to be taken for the poor results we're seeing.from both coaches and players.

Having said that, lt would not surprise me to see them beat the hogs sat although the odds are against it.

[blueheretic]

I asked ChatGPT:

pope has coached about a decade. is there anything in his resume or "make up" that would lead you to believe that he will win at an elite level such that he can make the final four or win a championship

ChatGPT answered thusly:

I’ll answer this directly and unsentimentally, based on what actually predicts Final Fours, not hope or vibes.
Short version first:

There is nothing in Mark Pope’s decade-long head-coaching résumé that positively signals he will reach an elite postseason level (Final Four / title) — but there are a few traits that keep it from being impossible at Kentucky.

That’s the honest answer.

---

What predicts elite postseason success (historically)

Coaches who make Final Fours or win titles almost always show at least one of these before the breakthrough:

1. Repeated seed outperformance in March
2. Elite efficiency identity (top-10 offense or defense over multiple seasons)
3. NBA-level shot creation on roster
4. Demonstrated in-game adjustment advantage
5. Tournament track record (even without titles)

This is true across eras and programs.

---

Mark Pope’s résumé — what it does and does not show

1) Tournament performance

This is the biggest issue.

• Across ~10 years as a head coach (Utah Valley, BYU, now Kentucky), Pope has:
  • No Final Fours
  • No Elite Eights
  • No sustained NCAA Tournament outperformance
• At BYU, his teams were generally seeded where they finished.
• There’s no pattern of:
  • “Upset machine”
  • “March coach”
  • “Second-weekend specialist”

This is the single strongest negative indicator.
Elite coaches almost always show something here before the big run.

---

2) System / identity

Pope’s teams tend to be:

• Offensively competent
• Ball-movement oriented
• Analytics-aware
• Not physically dominant
• Not defensively elite

What’s missing historically:

• A calling-card advantage (e.g., Pitino’s pressure, Bennett’s defense, Few’s offensive spacing + creators)

At Kentucky so far, the identity has been fluid, not sharp.
Elite March teams usually know exactly who they are.

---

3) Roster construction history

Before Kentucky:

• Pope did not routinely coach:
  • NBA lottery talent
  • Elite shot creators
  • Multiple pros simultaneously

At BYU, he maximized good players — he did not elevate teams into elite tiers.
That matters, because:

March titles are almost always won by teams with one or two players who can break basketball.

---

The one thing that changes the calculus: Kentucky

This is the only reason the answer isn’t a flat “no.”
Why Kentucky matters

Kentucky provides:

• Talent access Pope never had before
• NIL/portal leverage
• Brand gravity
• Administrative patience (within reason)

Kentucky has won titles with multiple very different coaches, which means the environment can carry someone who’s “very good” into “champion” territory if things align.

---

Pope’s personal makeup — where he helps himself

These traits do matter, but they are secondary:

• Extremely prepared
• Communicative
• Modern thinker
• Adaptable
• No ego problems
• Stable program builder

These traits help him stay employed and win 22–26 games consistently.
They do not, by themselves, predict Final Fours.

---

What is missing — and this is decisive

There is no evidence yet that Pope:

• Outcoaches peers in March
• Creates matchup nightmares
• Adjusts faster than elite opponents
• Wins when talent is equal
• Elevates ceiling outcomes

That’s the gap.
Until you see:

• A top-2 seed
• Followed by two wins against equal athletes
• With tactical advantages, not just hot shooting

…there is no data-based reason to believe a Final Four is coming.

---

Final assessment (plain language)

• Can he win 25 games consistently at Kentucky? Yes.
• Can he run a stable, competitive program? Yes.
• Is there anything in his decade of coaching that predicts a Final Four or title?
  No.

That does not mean it cannot happen.
It means it would be a career-altering leap, not a continuation of an established trajectory.

---

Probability framing (honest)

• Final Four at Kentucky: possible, but unlikely without a major roster + identity breakthrough
• National championship: low probability unless:
  • He lands a true alpha (NBA-level creator)
  • Establishes a dominant identity
  • Demonstrates March outperformance quickly

Kentucky can carry a coach.
It does not turn a decade-long profile upside-down without new evidence.

[BJD]

And the worst is yet to come.

This is likely the worst hire in the history of college basketball bluebloods.

Mitchy B should be run out of town on a rail.

Once Jasper transfers at the end of the season, the train will really come off the rails.

Can't win against anyone decent.

Can't get a recruit signed.

JMI deal is a bust.

Mitch needs to go now.

Pope needs to be eased out.

Then they need to hire the Bama coach or, as I wanted in the beginning, Todd Golden.

FIRST, though, MITCH HAS GOT TO GO!

I agree with everything except Pope being eased out. He should not be allowed to coach another game for UK.

He has embarrassed UK.

[Cawood86]

I really like Pope. I would love for a former player to be able to lead UK to titles like Joe B Hall did. Would love for him to be able to turn this around.

This team today though, is not good enough to fo that. The problem is, he put this team together. Either he didn't have enough info or his staff didn't. It's very possible this teams misses the Tourney. If that happens, my whole view will change.

[South jones]

I think pope needs one more year. I don't know who was responsible for putting this team together or how much Input pope had but he better make some changes there.
imo, recruiting and trying to give 12 players equal minutes is insane.
use 90 % of nil on 8 quality players and let the rest fall in.place

[KentuckyWild2020]

My last Thursday night bourbon rant, not really!!

Hope im wrong but after Calipari spanks that blank on Saturday, the walls will officially be crumbling down for Pope.

It was fun until it wasn't, this job is out of his league it seems. Yes he gets it, the fanbase, the expectations, everything on and off the court but that still doesn't mean it translates to Kentucky glory.

The way we have lost games this year is a total and I mean freaking total embarrassment.

Whether it was 5,10,15,20,50 million spent who cares, its feels like it's buck of 5 and you keep the change..

From coaching decisions, rotations, player personnel, what a freaking disaster..

Sorry not sorry, would not hurt my feelings to start a journey and a new era AGAIN.

First things first, better RE hang every freaking Kentucky ex NBA player poster on every wall. If you don't think that crap sells i don't know what to tell ya. The best recruits see fame and fortune on the horIzon. This old school Pitino era of players all thinking "we are taking our school back " is a crock.
Pitino did great things but Cal recruited like some MAD MAN SCIENTIST ,Pitino never did it like that at all.
in reality. Yes i loved the 90's, Pitino is and will always be my favorite coach (trap basketball). Still to think that someone like Pope little experience who really has never won anything on a coaching level could actually come in and follow Calipari's footsteps , it's foolish and un realistic, dilusional to say the least.

The problem for quite a while now with Kentucky basketball (yes the Calipari end days) is that we haven't had that coach who could both master recruit and coach on the floor. Not only do we need and deserve a coach that can recruit the best of the best year in year out, but also a coach who is superior with on the court coaching and off the court with the players mental prep (Calipari was the master at the mental part of it).

If you can honestly say Pope checks all those boxes then he's your coach.

If not, I think the answer is very obvious..

I would rather have a sideline coach who can relate and get things done. At this point, i would almost rather see a basketball minded genius with a guy like Rajon Rondo who's liable to beat a players you know what on the sidelines, anything but this that we are seeing now. The clueless looks the bs excuses has got old real quick....

I tried with a open mind, just don't think this will work.

It may have been time for Cal to go and i know he felt disrespected but right now, he's getting the last laugh and if you know Cal, " I told you"

JQ issue?? Don't even get me started. If you can't handle NBA talent you don't need to be the coach at Kentucky.

Maybe the health is and has always been a issue with JQ but if that 's the case, why even bring him here in the first place? You trying to win now or what??

[blueheretic]

My last Thursday night bourbon rant, not really!!

Hope im wrong but after Calipari spanks that blank on Saturday, the walls will officially be crumbling down for Pope.

It was fun until it wasn't, this job is out of his league it seems. Yes he gets it, the fanbase, the expectations, everything on and off the court but that still doesn't mean it translates to Kentucky glory.

The way we have lost games this year is a total and I mean freaking total embarrassment.

Whether it was 5,10,15,20,50 million spent who cares, its feels like it's buck of 5 and you keep the change..

From coaching decisions, rotations, player personnel, what a freaking disaster..

Sorry not sorry, would not hurt my feelings to start a journey and a new era AGAIN.

First things first, better RE hang every freaking Kentucky ex NBA player poster on every wall. If you don't think that crap sells i don't know what to tell ya. The best recruits see fame and fortune on the horIzon. This old school Pitino era of players all thinking "we are taking our school back " is a crock.
Pitino did great things but Cal recruited like some MAD MAN SCIENTIST ,Pitino never did it like that at all.
in reality. Yes i loved the 90's, Pitino is and will always be my favorite coach (trap basketball). Still to think that someone like Pope little experience who really has never won anything on a coaching level could actually come in and follow Calipari's footsteps , it's foolish and un realistic, dilusional to say the least.

The problem for quite a while now with Kentucky basketball (yes the Calipari end days) is that we haven't had that coach who could both master recruit and coach on the floor. Not only do we need and deserve a coach that can recruit the best of the best year in year out, but also a coach who is superior with on the court coaching and off the court with the players mental prep (Calipari was the master at the mental part of it).

If you can honestly say Pope checks all those boxes then he's your coach.

If not, I think the answer is very obvious..

I would rather have a sideline coach who can relate and get things done. At this point, i would almost rather see a basketball minded genius with a guy like Rajon Rondo who's liable to beat a players you know what on the sidelines, anything but this that we are seeing now. The clueless looks the bs excuses has got old real quick....

I tried with a open mind, just don't think this will work.

It may have been time for Cal to go and i know he felt disrespected but right now, he's getting the last laugh and if you know Cal, " I told you"

JQ issue?? Don't even get me started. If you can't handle NBA talent you don't need to be the coach at Kentucky.

Maybe the health is and has always been a issue with JQ but if that 's the case, why even bring him here in the first place? You trying to win now or what??

What kind of bourbon?

I need some.

See here. I love posts like this. It's a pouring out of feeling. It's real.

Too much fake online.

People trying to act like they "have class" or whatever nonsense. Holding in everything so they can have a heart attack. Emotionless.

I don't see anger.

I see emotion. Passion! Energy! I see a fan.

Not everything that people say with feeling is anger or "OUTRAGE" driven. Only simpleminded people react to a post like this with "imagine being outraged by....blah blah blah".

Emotion.

It's good.

It's what being a fan is all about.

If you can't be emotional about Kentucky with a bunch of fellow Kentucky Wildcat fans, why even have a board like this?

People who hate these kinds of rants boggle my mind. Those who whine about them, I find irksome.
HOOAH!!!

[KentuckyWild2020]

What kind of bourbon?

I need some.

Been hitting Buffalo Trace here lately. They did some business with me a few years so I feel obligated.

In the meeting room with CEO and his minions, after the deal was made i asked about a bottle of Bourbon, he said down at the gift shop lol lol lol ( I get it, liability).

Anyways, I charged extra lol lol..

Anyways, i feel bad for Pope. He will always be a Wildcat, unfortunate situation..

[blueheretic]

I agree with everything except Pope being eased out. He should not be allowed to coach another game for UK.

He has embarrassed UK.

I hate it.

HATE HATE HATE!!!

I wasn't a huge fan of the hire. This was all but predictable. Mitch got scared and panicked.

But once the hire was reality, I want[ed] it to work. I wanted Pope to prove my misgivings to be naught but churlish nonsense.

Alas....

I want Pope to be gently eased out the door. Preferably in about 44 days. The Monday after the SEC Tournament.

I don't believe that will happen. I think he'll get another season. I fear he may get another two seasons.

I think he's in over his head.

[CATHYnKY]

Nashville has to be sweating bullets. If Cats play on Thursday, UK attendance will be hurt. My crew won’t go. ?