Coaches

[EKYCat]

I want a coach who can recruit first and foremost period, a kid with a copy of NBA JAM can coach the team if he has the talent.

Maybe he's not the coach but we need someone with clout who can convince a highly talented athlete why they should play college basketball at Kentucky period.

If that is not Pope's strong point, then at least hire someone with REAL UP TO DATE INFLUENCE who can paint the picture why coming to UK can accelerate a path to the NBA.

Now again, we don't want a Calipari 2.0 NBA minor league team but Duke sure does seem to have this figured out pretty good...

Duke isn't the only program who has it working. Look at Houston, Michigan, Arizona, UCONN.... They're all thriving and we're just sinking in the quicksand.

[KentuckyWild2020]

This one used to come up all the time and I never understood it. We are average right now because we brought in a guy who wasn't nearly qualified for the job because "he was one of us". And you want to replace him with a guy that has zero business being the coach here because he's "one of us". Never mind the fact he has zero college experience and that never works, since 2014, he missed the playoffs 4 out of 8 years, lost in the 1st round in 3 of those 8 years and won the title in the bubble. There is a reason he's not a head coach right now.

I want a coach who can recruit first and foremost period, a kid with a copy of NBA JAM can coach the team if he has the talent.

Maybe he's not the coach but we need someone with clout who can convince a highly talented athlete why they should play college basketball at Kentucky period.

If that is not Pope's strong point, then at least hire someone with REAL UP TO DATE INFLUENCE who can paint the picture why coming to UK can accelerate a path to the NBA.

Now again, we don't want a Calipari 2.0 NBA minor league team but Duke sure does seem to have this figured out pretty good...

[bthaunert]

Frank Vogel..

This one used to come up all the time and I never understood it. We are average right now because we brought in a guy who wasn't nearly qualified for the job because "he was one of us". And you want to replace him with a guy that has zero business being the coach here because he's "one of us". Never mind the fact he has zero college experience and that never works, since 2014, he missed the playoffs 4 out of 8 years, lost in the 1st round in 3 of those 8 years and won the title in the bubble. There is a reason he's not a head coach right now.

[EKYCat]

oCh from a mid major

REMEMBER LAST YEARS COACHING SEARCH?

The one where Mitch thought he had Scott Drew and then when that didn't happen he immediately turned to option 35? Yeah, I remember that one haha

[KentuckyWild2020]

Frank Vogel..

[Tomcats1990]

Would or should KY go after a guy like Jai Lucas at Miami?

[South jones]

Golden
May
Lloyd

In that order.

oCh from a mid major

I may be dead wrong, but these 3 are not happening. I think most successful coaches at the major level are not going to a pressure cooker like UK. REMEMBER LAST YEARS COACHING SEARCH?

Ideally, the best case scenario would be to hire a young and upcoming firebrand from a mid major and watch him blossom over the next or so.
he is out there some where, just gotta find him.

[rick64]

Golden
May
Lloyd

In that order.

[UKHoops01]

My pick would be Oats right now. I want Pope to be the guy. Next year is critical for him. If next year is like this one, a move has to be made.

I heard recently that the current AD for Alabama is seriously being considered for the job to replace Barnhardt. That might actually make sense if he and Oats have a good working relationship.

[UKHoops01]

Agree I think you go to Golden first but I mean at this point why would he leave Florida for UK.

Then I would go for the following

1. Michigan Coach
2. Arizona Coach
3. Iowa St. Coach

I agree with this 100%. I've become a huge fan of Golden this year. Unfortunately, I think he's Billy Donovan part II. Don't think he would leave Florida,. Lloyd was the guy I wanted when Pope was hired.

4. Pearl
5. Texas Tech Coach

Huge fan of Bruce Pearl, but the time to go after him was when they went after Pope. Pearl was nearing retirement then and has since actually pulled the trigger on retirement. I didn't see him as a long term replacement for Cal 2 years ago, more of a very good stop gap until the right guy emerged for the long term.

[Cawood86]

My pick would be Oats right now. I want Pope to be the guy. Next year is critical for him. If next year is like this one, a move has to be made.

[Pete Hogwallop]

It's all such a crapshoot. If you were to look at the landscape of college basketball, I would argue these are the top 3 coaches in the game (I'm sure others have other thoughts) right now:

1. Dan Hurley - never past the 2nd round prior to UConn
2. Todd Golden - never past the 1st round prior to Florida
3. Kelvin Sampson - 1 Final Four and 1 Elite Eight in 22 years at major schools prior to Houston

Since 1960, there have been 4 guys that left the program they won a national championship with for another college program...Massimino, Norm Sloan, Cal and Tubby. All 4 of them were a shell of the guy who won a title. Hiring someone who has a title in their prime just has not happened.

And fans would have been screaming for Hurley and Golden to be fired well before they won their titles, too, since they both had some really poor seasons - much worse than what we're having now. Golden was 16-17 at Florida in 2022. And he had a losing season at San Francisco 2 years before that. Hurley went 16-17 at UConn in 2018.

And Sampson got in trouble with the NCAA along the way so he wouldn't have lasted either.

[bthaunert]

It's all such a crapshoot. If you were to look at the landscape of college basketball, I would argue these are the top 3 coaches in the game (I'm sure others have other thoughts) right now:

1. Dan Hurley - never past the 2nd round prior to UConn
2. Todd Golden - never past the 1st round prior to Florida
3. Kelvin Sampson - 1 Final Four and 1 Elite Eight in 22 years at major schools prior to Houston

Since 1960, there have been 4 guys that left the program they won a national championship with for another college program...Massimino, Norm Sloan, Cal and Tubby. All 4 of them were a shell of the guy who won a title. Hiring someone who has a title in their prime just has not happened.

[Catsrock]

For guys like Golden and Oats—sure less pressure because they are football first schools. But that also means less appreciation and love from the fanbase. Florida couldn’t keep their arena full when Donovan was winning back to back titles. It may not be every guy out there but there are coaches who crave performing for a rabid fan base. Start at the top, offer everything you can, and if they turn you down you move onto the next guy.

Drew didn’t turn UK down because he didn’t want it. His wife said they weren’t uprooting the kids from a comfortable life. Golden may make a different decision. Sampson probably wouldn’t be uprooting grandkids. Hurley (who I don’t like) turned down UK and the Lakers last time—but he was hunting history with a string of championships at that time. My point is every individual has a different situation. Don’t just assume they wouldn’t want to coach a historic blue blood.

[EKYCat]

I think if Golden leaves Fla it will be NBA.
Pearl is done with college basketball and may go into politics imo.

Mike white might deserve some attention. With the resources and Kentucky name behind him, perhaps he could be what the program needs.

It's a crap shoot regardless of who is hired, BUT THERE IS A COACH OUT THERE SOMEWHERE WHO COULD BRING THE PROGRAM BACK TO PROMINENCE.

Mike White of UGA?

He has about the same career record as Pope except he has one Elite Eight. Other than that he's not been out of the round of 32. Hard pass.