futurecoach

I hope I am wrong, but this seems like a game that may go similar to the Vanderbilt game. This team still has a tendency to dig holes for themselves early in games. Which much like the Gonzaga game and Vanderbilt games this year. If they dig themselves a big hole early like in those games, I don’t see them being able to dig themselves out of it in this one like they have done in some other games. Florida 89 UK 69

No doubt as those injuries forced Pope to shorten his rotation. Which in turn helped Pope out, as at times I think he tries to be to nice and keep everyone happy and play everyone. When it really hurt getting guys in a rhythm and figuring out their roles. So those injuries forced Pope’s hand and shortened his bench for him, which needed to happen with or without the injuries.

Let’s go!!! Great win! Even though it was another game getting down double digits in the first half. This one I didn’t feel like was because of lack of effort or anything. The defense wasn’t great in the first half, as they gave Tennessee to many was uncontested shots. However, in the second half they tightened it up and was making every shot tough on Tennessee. I also loved the adjustment Pope made and how he started throwing double teams at Ament early in the second half. The first half of games is getting better. However, if they can find away to completely stop digging themselves hole, this team could possibly be a tough out at least in the big dance. It’s been fun to watch how they have improved overall these last few weeks, credit to Pope for that.

He did. McMillen started the WV program, and then after the first varsity season, he had to step down. Coach Barth then was the head coach for the next 16 years and won many district titles and a regional championship. As for this job, I’m not sure what is going on. If I had to guess it will either be Coach McMillen getting hired back, if he wants to keep coaching. Or it would be Coach Barth taking over. Ludlow will be in good shape either way no matter if it’s Coach McMillen or Coach Barth as both are very good coaches.

Sullivan was and is a great coach. Probably the best coach in the region. However, Cooper still has a great coach now. I don’t think people realize that this was going to be a down year no matter who the coach was this year. As the talent is no where close to the same as it was the last three years. Which is similar to what happened a few years after they made the state title game in 2017. A couple years later the talent went down, and they had two straight years of losing records, before the talented started to come back and then went on that great three year run they just had. The big talent drop was coming this year no matter who the coach was.

The team avoiding horrible starts and getting down double digits has made a big difference these last few games. As things still aren't pretty, but when you are not digging yourself a hole to dig out of every game, it makes it a lot easier to find ways to win and that is what they have done recently. Let's go get another one this Saturday!

Correct I did forget about that Pikeville game, for some reason I thought that was a different year. That was definitely their most competitive game. Which correct on they lost to Bellevue in the season, but then beat Bellevue 35 to 0 in the playoffs. Which gets back to what I said about how that district as a whole that year was very tough.

My favorite team was the 1999 Ludlow Panthers. I remember watching them when I was younger. IMO it was the second best Ludlow team of all time, behind the 1975 state title team. The 1999 team had multiple players that played college ball. They got pounded by Beechwood 62 to 0 in the regular season. They then played Beechwood in the second round of the playoffs, and the game was tied 0 to 0 going into the fourth, before Beechwood wore them down and pulled away in the fourth as Ludlow only played about 14 guys on both sides of the ball. Ludlow gave that Beechwood team their most competitive game overall and their second closest game in the playoffs. As their other closest game came on the state title game when they beat Hancock County by 23. That Ludlow team was capable of being a team that could have made a state run. Unfortunately the best team in the state in 1A by happened to be in their district in Beechwood. In fact that district has multiple teams that could have made state runs that year if it wasn’t for Beechwood. As the district was loaded that year.

Congrats Coach Floyd!!!

Trent Noah played a huge game last night for the Cats, and was a big reason for the win!

Great win! The Cats actually came out and had a great start for once, and kept the intensity going all game. Even fought through some adversity, with some horrible officiating and technical fouls in this one. Last year Cal got a win in Rupp, so good to see Pope return the favor and get one in Arkansas.

I don’t see it as drastic as some others, and don’t think he is a cancer to the team at all. However, he has had a few moments on tv where they have shown him being lazy, not getting back, walking down the court, etc. With that said, sadly we have seen that from almost every player on the team at times. Which to me though falls back more on the coach.

Congrats Coach Brown!

I think you all are overselling the the challenges of coaching going from a small school to a big school. At the end of the day it is still football, and it is still X and O's and being able to teach it, develop players, establish a culture, etc. Quite honestly coaching at a small school like a Bellevue is can possibly be even more challenging than coaching at a big school. As you have less players, less talent, and usually have to play players at positions they probably don't fit best at, but because of numbers you have to use them there. Then having to be creative to find a scheme that best works for those players. At the end of the day one of the biggest things that determines how much you win, is the talent you have. You mention how many wins came against teams with winning records? If I had to guess not many, but based off what they were working with should they have won any of those games against teams with winning records? Probably not? Especially when you consider their best player transferred to Simon Kenton before the season. The majority of the time the team with more talent does win. Its when the talent is pretty even on both sides, when coaching really plays a big factor. If you are a good coach, that jump isn't going to be a huge thing, because it is still football. You now also will have more talent to work with, while also going against teams that also have more talent. We have seen coaches make that jump from a small school to big schools and be successful. Stephen Lickert made the jump from Dayton, to Holmes when Holmes was still a rather big school and was successful. Joe Wynn made the jump from Newport to Mason County and was successful. Randy Borchers made the jump from Ludlow to Cooper, and had Cooper in a state title game 4 years later. Coaching is still coaching no matter what level you are at. Now being at a bigger school it will be important for him to put a good staff around him, and the biggest thing is getting the culture established to where players want to be at Scott and not go elsewhere. As getting talent to stay there is ultimately going to be the key in how successful any coach would do there. It probably won't be pretty this first year, as they just lost some good players, including a very good QB. Quite honestly at best it may be just 3 or 4 wins at most this year, and that is best, as it could be even less. However, as someone else mentioned if they beat Boone County this year, they will be in the playoffs for the first time in years. So even something as simple as that would be something good to build off of.

You may have already said this, as I don't want to go back through all the pages on here. However, your comment about this not being 1a football suggest you are not a fan of the hire. So I am curious on who you think they should have hired then? As their last few hires didn't come from 1A football, and were guys with head coaching experience, and those hires didn't work out either.