10 hours ago, ChuckT said:

Raise your hand if you think Mark Pope can out Coach any of the following:
Nate Oates
Rick Barnes
Chris Beard
Buzz Williams
Cal

I don’t get it.   

Smells like a panic hire!!

I am raising my hand.  He out coached Self and a few others this year!

I would love to see Pope add Sheppard to the coaching staff.

53 minutes ago, FrankNicodemus said:

Another thing on Pope, the dude has basketball in his blood.  The guy super smart was going to Med School to be a Doctor!!!  After a few years at Med School, said you no what I miss basketball too much and want to get into coaching!  This guy is going to put every ounce into this program.

Plus in my mind I just (it's a feeling I get) think he is going to care more about hanging Final Four/Championship banners in Rupp then recruiting 1st round NBA draft picks.  I just feel like he is going to build a team that is built to WIN in college for his beloved UK Wildcats.  I realize I am bias b/c I can't stand NBA and could care less that Cal has 50+ UK players playing or played in the NBA, what I care about is the fact that he had all that NBA talent and we hung 1 Championship banner in Rupp in 15 years!

I can't compare what he has done at Utah Valley and BYU and think its going to hinder his ability to succeed at UK.  It's like The Field of Dreams, if he builds it, People will Come!!!  When People show up, so will their $$$$.  I love the fact that he will have all those Old School Mid 1990s players around the program when BBN was created!!!! 

Kool - Aid has been drunk baby!!!!

Agreed with mostly everything in this post. Only thing I disagree with and this is just not you, but everyone that acts like Cal didn’t care about winning championships. Way to many people took what Cal to serious when he talked about getting players to the NBA and draft night. He is a salesman, and knew saying that is what players and parents wanted to hear. How he is going to do what is best for them to be successful in life and achieve their dreams.
 

Cal has a huge ego and so I guarantee there is nothing more he wanted than to have had gone 40 and 0 and hung as many banners as possible and be ahead of UCLA. Which he believe the best way to do that was getting the best talent, and to do that was to say things like he did about the NBA. Which that philosophy worked great his first 9 years. Just unfortunately that all changed when covid came and the game got older very quickly. 

2 minutes ago, MaddenCurse44 said:

I would love to see Pope add Sheppard to the coaching staff.

I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he did add a former wildcat to his staff. I don’t it would be Sheppard though, I could see Scott Padgett who has been coaching. I also hope he can keep Tyler Ullis. I think Ullis is a very good up and coming coach. Then fill out the rest of the staff with people good at recruiting, and or good at whatever he views his weakness is as a coach. 

1 hour ago, FrankNicodemus said:

I realize I need to eat crow from my post yesterday saying Mark Pope should be in the 30-40th choice to be the UK Head Coach.  I am man enough to put that aside and be his biggest supporter.  I read a fantastic tweet from Seth Davis from last night, let me repeat it:

Quote:

The year before he was hired at Duke, Coach K went 9-17 at Army

Roy Williams was the 3rd assistant at UNC when he was hired by Kansas

Tom Izzo never been a head coach when he was hired at Mich State.

Jay Wright never won a tourney game at Hofstra

Lastly, on a "sign" perspective....I woke up today and asked for a sign to tell me as a BBN loyalist what I should do.....got in my car and what started playing "Faith" by George Michael....

I am ready....whose with me!  GO BIG BLUE!!!!!

 

 

 

Count me in, the hiring of his staff will probably be VERY important, needs a good, young one that can knock it out of the park on the recruiting trail 

1 hour ago, okie1 said:

I am raising my hand.  He out coached Self and a few others this year!

Agree.  He is a MUCH better in game coach than Cal

Looks like BYU Colin Chandler could be following Pope to UK…