Georgia at UK game thread

[Pete Hogwallop]

I don't think it's going to work. But I agree that he gets one more year. The question is, what needs to happen next year that he gets year 4 and beyond. It cannot be another Sweet 16.

I agree with this.

[EKYCat]

I don't think it's going to work. But I agree that he gets one more year. The question is, what needs to happen next year that he gets year 4 and beyond. It cannot be another Sweet 16.

I think he gets another year as well. A sweet 16 next year would be light years better than we're seeing right now.

[WeWant9]

But how long is enough sample size? That's the question. Let's say he'd started 0-2 last year. Would you say since his winning % is 0 that he should be fired or wasn't going to work out?

I'm not defending his record. I'm saying it's not quite long enough to be certain he can't make it at UK at a rate acceptable to our standards.

He has been a head coach since 2015. Most of that was spent in the Western Athletic Conference and West Coast Conference. He never won those leagues or tournaments. That is a concerning sample size right there. He was never a guy who was killing it at a mid-major.

I know he gets year 3, but I think that is it. We have no incoming recruits and are back to battling it out in the portal. In this era, with UK's resources and NIL, most coaches should have a team that is competing for the SEC by year 3. I sadly don't see that happening next year either.

[Pete Hogwallop]

He has been a head coach since 2015. Most of that was spent in the Western Athletic Conference and West Coast Conference. He never won those leagues or tournaments. That is a concerning sample size right there. He was never a guy who was killing it at a mid-major..

Did we use Cal's NBA record in judging him? What about Bobby Hurley's first few years at UCONN? We would have fired him here.

I'm just saying it's not as cut and dried as some people want to say it is.

[EKYCat]

But how long is enough sample size? That's the question. Let's say he'd started 0-2 last year. Would you say since his winning % is 0 that he should be fired or wasn't going to work out?

I'm not defending his record. I'm saying it's not quite long enough to be certain he can't make it at UK at a rate acceptable to our standards.

And I don't think we can downplay the fact that 3 very significant players essentially haven't played or barely played this year. Pope should get a little bit of a pass due to that...unless we feel that a large percentage of the players in the game these days are basically going to be out for the season. Are other teams having this much of an injury issue?

If his sample size was too small (it wasn't because he'd been a head coach for 9 years) he shouldn't have been a serious candidate for the job. Kentucky isn't a school where you hire an inexperienced coach.

[WeWant9]

Did we use Cal's NBA record in judging him? What about Bobby Hurley's first few years at UCONN? We would have fired him here.

I'm just saying it's not as cut and dried as some people want to say it is.

Cal took two mid-majors to the FF, so not a good example. Dan Hurley is a better example and I guess what we have to hope happens, but hope is never a great strategy.

[EKYCat]

Did we use Cal's NBA record in judging him? What about Bobby Hurley's first few years at UCONN? We would have fired him here.

I'm just saying it's not as cut and dried as some people want to say it is.

What does Cal's NBA record have to do with the fact that he'd been to 2 Final Fours as a college coach and was signing number 1 recruiting classes at a place like Memphis?

[EKYCat]

I really hope Pope can get it right. I'd love to eat crow in this instance. He gets it insomuch as what this program means to the fanbase. He does all kinds of cool stuff for fans and for media folks alike. I love that about him and I love that his family is so supportive.

[Catsrock]

Wasn't that when we lost to Robert Morris ?

Don’t remember. Tried my best to block it out.

[WeWant9]

I really hope Pope can get it right. I'd love to eat crow in this instance. He gets it insomuch as what this program means to the fanbase. He does all kinds of cool stuff for fans and for media folks alike. I love that about him and I love that his family is so supportive.

Agreed. In a perfect world he gets a few more years coaching BYU in the B12. Learns the ropes of recruiting and competing at this level before coming to the pressure cooker that is UK.

[Pete Hogwallop]

Cal took two mid-majors to the FF, so not a good example. Dan Hurley is a better example and I guess what we have to hope happens, but hope is never a great strategy.

Yep - got messed up on my Hurleys there :-)

[Pete Hogwallop]

If his sample size was too small (it wasn't because he'd been a head coach for 9 years) he shouldn't have been a serious candidate for the job. Kentucky isn't a school where you hire an inexperienced coach.

Pitino had been a college coach for only 7 years (only 2 in a "major" conference) and had a conference record of 63-39. He did go to the one Final Four. Would he have gotten a look today from UK?

[bthaunert]

Did we use Cal's NBA record in judging him? What about Bobby Hurley's first few years at UCONN? We would have fired him here.

I'm just saying it's not as cut and dried as some people want to say it is.

I think we used Cal's success at Memphis leading into the Kentucky job and not the job he had 11 years earlier. As for Danny Hurley, he took over an absolute mess at UConn (back-to-back losing seasons and put on probation) prior to the transfer portal.

I don't think it's as cut and dried, but Pope has shown nothing in his career that gives me hope. He finished in 5th place in his conference all 3 seasons prior to coming to UK (2 of those in the West Coast Conference). If he hadn't played here, he would have been 30th on the list of available coaches. He doesn't all of a sudden turn into a great coach because he got to Kentucky.

[bthaunert]

Pitino had been a college coach for only 7 years (only 2 in a "major" conference) and had a conference record of 63-39. He did go to the one Final Four. Would he have gotten a look today from UK?

100%. He took Providence to the Final Four in his final year of coaching college and then took over a Knicks team that was 24-58 the year prior to his arrival and they went 52-30 and won the Atlantic Division in his second and final year. So, 3 years removed from Providence to the Final four and coming off a divisional championship in the NBA. He would have absolutely been a good candidate.

[Pete Hogwallop]

I think we used Cal's success at Memphis leading into the Kentucky job and not the job he had 11 years earlier. As for Danny Hurley, he took over an absolute mess at UConn (back-to-back losing seasons and put on probation) prior to the transfer portal.

I don't think it's as cut and dried, but Pope has shown nothing in his career that gives me hope. He finished in 5th place in his conference all 3 seasons prior to coming to UK (2 of those in the West Coast Conference). If he hadn't played here, he would have been 30th on the list of available coaches. He doesn't all of a sudden turn into a great coach because he got to Kentucky.

Yeah - I think my comment about Cal in the NBA was misguided and I wish I hadn't added it to the discussion. I was thinking about how Cal did so poorly in the NBA and how that would look if we factored it into his overall record prior to UK. But I was wrong on that.