Just now, DragonFire said:

Reeks of panic. Not to mention, this is a guy you can get in a week, two weeks, month from now. I get you’re worried about players and the portal but holy cow. 
 

I’m sticking with the belief that the change was needed but man…. this is a potential faceplant. I immediately thought of Doherty at North Carolina. That’s not a good thing. 

100% this.

6 minutes ago, ChuckT said:

Wow!!! I just hope that one of Mark Popes wives says no!!  

This made me laugh pretty hard. 

Yooooo

 

All about the hire before the hire… that’s what I keep telling myself at least.

3 minutes ago, TheDeuce said:

Yooooo

 

Not gonna lie.   Spit root beer all over the keyboard.

11 minutes ago, DragonFire said:

. I get you’re worried about players and the portal but holy cow. 

If this is true hiring him is not going to do anything to help that or improve anything in my opinion. 

7 minutes ago, DragonFire said:

Reeks of panic. Not to mention, this is a guy you can get in a week, two weeks, month from now. I get you’re worried about players and the portal but holy cow. 
 

I’m sticking with the belief that the change was needed but man…. this is a potential faceplant. I immediately thought of Doherty at North Carolina. That’s not a good thing. 

Agreed! I know it was pretty well known Mitch and Cal didn’t have much of a relationship the last few years, and Cal felt like Mitch and the administration wasn’t doing much to help keep UK basketball at the highest levels. He basically said that again in his Arkansas presser about how administrations won championship’s. This type of hire seems to support what Cal was saying IMO, in how Mitch doesn’t seem to have the right idea on how to to be great. 
 

With that said if Mark Pope does get the job. I hope he goes out and proves all of doubters wrong and ends up being one of the top coaches in America. I mean Dan Hurley had never did to much as a coach when he got to UConn and now is he the top coach in basketball. So hopefully Mitch sees that in Pope and Pope knocks it out of the park. 

1 minute ago, bugatti said:

All about the hire before the hire… that’s what I keep telling myself at least.

There’s a lot of Billy G in this hire so yeah, maybe that’s true. 
 

Unfortunately, that may be too kind given that Billy had actually won some NCAA tournament games before coming.

Just now, 16thBBall Fan said:

If this is true hiring him is not going to do anything to help that or improve anything in my opinion. 

Agreed. Maybe could help in regard to Reed Sheppard, since Jeff and Mark are close. However, other than that  I see most of the players being gone. Maybe Big Z would stay though, since Pope was a big guy too and could relate. 

1 minute ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

If this is true hiring him is not going to do anything to help that or improve anything in my opinion. 

He’s a body who can go ahead and start working as compared to the worry of waiting on someone like Donovan. Best I got. 

Just now, DragonFire said:

There’s a lot of Billy G in this hire so yeah, maybe that’s true. 
 

Unfortunately, that may be too kind given that Billy had actually won some NCAA tournament games before coming.

It seems like since Mitch couldn’t get Dan Hurley, he is hoping to find his own Dan Hurley with this hire. Hurley had never accomplished much either when he was hired as UConn. Hopefully this works out. 

Just now, futurecoach said:

It seems like since Mitch couldn’t get Dan Hurley, he is hoping to find his own Dan Hurley with this hire. Hurley had never accomplished much either when he was hired as UConn. Hopefully this works out. 

It’s A way to go, but it’s risky. If this goes poorly, Barnhart is most assuredly out. 
 

Also RE: Hurley, he wasn’t an alum at UConn, so clearly something else got him the job. Does anyone believe Pope sniffs this job if he’s not a UK alum? I mean ANYONE?

Obviously hope he does great but it is a surprise 

1 minute ago, DragonFire said:

It’s A way to go, but it’s risky. If this goes poorly, Barnhart is most assuredly out. 
 

Also RE: Hurley, he wasn’t an alum at UConn, so clearly something else got him the job. Does anyone believe Pope sniffs this job if he’s not a UK alum? I mean ANYONE?

I don’t think many people were really going for the UConn job when Hurley got it. Also you are correct if he Pope wasn’t an Alum, he wouldn’t have even gotten a call. If they were going to take a chance on someone, I would have much rather taken a chance on Golden from Florida. 

Just now, DragonFire said:

It’s A way to go, but it’s risky. If this goes poorly, Barnhart is most assuredly out. 
 

Also RE: Hurley, he wasn’t an alum at UConn, so clearly something else got him the job. Does anyone believe Pope sniffs this job if he’s not a UK alum? I mean ANYONE?

In defense of Mitch, he went hard after two legitimate candidates.  One is the best in the nation.  Offered him more than anyone has ever been paid to coach in college basketball.  Both turned us down.

I don't know if he reached out to any others, but he swung for the fences.  Two high-profile rejections and I don't think Mitch can be blamed for those.  I really think those are on a large group of fans who are incredibly fickle and difficult to please.

Still, there most certainly had to be a better candidate than Pope.