futurecoach

Eh a turn around yes. However, Michigan has a good history of success. Indiana football has basically 100 straight years of being horrible before this turn around lol

I addressed that in a longer post. The big reason why they missed on their first few choices was because of who they were targeting. As coaches even 20 to 30 years ago weren’t leaving for another college if their current team was in the final four that year. Yet when UK was looking Hurley and Oats were in final four. This year literally three of UNC targets were in final four in Hurley, May, and Arizona coach. Those coaches weren’t leaving now, and they weren’t leaving 30 years ago either, when they had current teams in the final four.

Plus honestly people need to consider the timing of the targets both UK and UNC targeted. UK went after Hurley after two straight titles, no coach even 20 years ago would have left. Shoot we we say that even with Donovan. Coaches who already won titles at their current schools were leaving today, or 30 years ago for another college. Two of the other coaches UNC was rumored to be looking at, was playing in the final four this weekend. So once again coaches no matter no or 30 years ago weren’t leaving at those moments. Same with Nate Oats when UK was looking, he had his team in the final four that year. There is not many of any instances of a coach making the final four and then leaving for another college job that that off season, except maybe if a mid major made a run to the final four. Yet even Dusty May who took FAU to the final four, stayed one more year before making his move to Michigan. So these guys they are targeting have been guys who currently are final four guys and why they are failing. Shoot even when UK landed Pitino and Calipari. They both had very good resumes when they got the job, but they also weren’t coming off final fours when they got it.

UK hired a leftover with zero resume for the job. UNC is hiring a coach who literally has a NBA championship on his resume, that he just won a few years ago. So UNC is not hiring a nobody, he is someone with a good resume and well respected for his X and Os. UK though you are right, they settled and hired someone with no resume of winning at anywhere he has been.

If Michigan wins tomorrow I would say the subject is closed. If Michigan loses then I think there is still a chance.

I believe there are some multi year contracts/NIL. As we have seen that in football. The Washington QB tried to enter the transfer portal, but he had a two year NIL contract and Washington was going to take him to court if he left and broke the deal. We also seen it with the Duke QB who transferred to Miami two months ago. He has a multi year deal with Duke, and so had to work out a settlement type thing for him to be able to transfer.

In the grand scheme of things I would agree that I prefer getting to have players more than one year. With that said, I am perfectly fine with not running it back with most of these players. As this roster was just a very poor roster construction by Pope to begin with.

Would you prefer they run it back with this same roster for the most part?

My question is what rules are there even anymore in college basketball? Besides truly illegal criminal activity, what rules are there now to even be broken? Also keep in mind a lot of his “bosses” at LSU who let him go are now gone. Also as I mentioned in the post above this. If other schools are going to be willing to give a coach a second chance. Why shouldn’t the school that originally let him go be willing to do the same and be the ones who benefit from it, rather than someone else? Auburn benefited from being the one to give Bruce Pearl a second chance. Iona and now St. John’s has given Pitino a second chance. Those schools that gave Pearl and Pitino a second chance have benefited from it. Why shouldn’t the school that initially let a coach go, benefit from then getting him back after a decent amount of years away?

This! Quite honestly with how the transfer portal is. Going to the smaller schools, go get a lot of minutes. Then if you go out there and bal out, you will get your chance to possibly transfer to UK and be in a position to then play.

Wow! What a game!! I know a lot is always said about Calipari not winning another title or two over the years with the talent he has. A similar thing can be said about Duke. Who hasn’t won a title since 2015 and have had guys like Zion Williamson, Cooper Flagg,and now Boozer. This tournament with it being one and done, is simply a hard tournament to win. Which makes it that much more special when it does happen!

The have easily been the best performing team so far this tournament.

Sounds like from reports we can expect a mass exodus, with at least half or more of the team gone. As many of the players will have to accept making less money this year, if they want to stay. The the funny thing is for years many people complained that they wanted to have guys who would be here more than a year. However, I think the majority of the fan base will actually feel just fine if most of this roster was gone.

I will say this, while this is a weird situation. If other schools were going to give him a second chance, why shouldn’t LSU. We seen it with other coaches like Bruce Pearl broke rules at Tennessee. Auburn gave him a second chance an he made Auburn a great basketball team and delivered a final four. Rick Pitino broke rules at UL, Iona and then St. John’s was willing to give him another chance. So while it is weird to see. If other schools are willing to give a good coach a second chance. Then why shouldn’t the school that he broke rules at, not be able to? Especially after a good amount of years has passed.

Probably because the rule he broke, wouldn’t be something that would get him in trouble now. So they don’t think that will be an issue, since the rules are different. Which in fact is there really any true rules left in college sports in its current form state, besides truly criminal illegal stuff?

In today’s college basketball landscape. I would be very surprised if Cal would have brought him in. I don’t even think Pitino would have either. As a lot has changed from 34 years ago when Pitino did rely on some Ky boys for that memorable 92 team. It is always great seeing Ky boys play for UK. However, it needs to be Ky boys that would play at a lot of top schools. As we have seen with Noah, Perry, etc. Great high school players, but doesn’t necessarily mean they should be at UK. At least not in a role that is expected to help. Moreno made sense, Tay Kinney would have made sense, and I think Jasper did too. As all guys were guys other big schools would have wanted too. With the transfer portal. You basically need to be bringing freshmen in that can help now, or leave that spot open for a proven transfer. So I don’t think Cal or Pitino would have been in on him. Which I think even Pope may be learning that now too.

St. John’s played about as well as they could, especially in regards to shooting the ball, but still lost. Duke keeps finding ways to win, but they have looked very beatable in all three games. Kind of reminds me of the year they had Zion. They were dominate in the regular season, but in the tournament they had a couple of close games. Before eventually losing in the elite 8. I think it will be the same this year and they will lose next game.

Nice half by St. John’s. They haven’t been a good shooting team all year, but are shooting well in the tournament. If they can keep shooting it well, they are dangerous because they play tough defense.

It would be a little weird for his dad to give up a head coach job to be an assistant. With that said, if that means giving your son a better opportunity, while also being with him. Then I can definitely see that.

Well at least we know we have one PG on the roster for next year. If Lowe returns, then we would actually have two PG's which is something we didn't have this year. Also I am kind of interested in Mo Williams will be joining the staff. He currently is the head coach at Jackson State University. His son Mason was committed to there, before backing out and now signing with the Cats. Makes you wonder, if the reason he backed out was because it is a package deal for his dad to come here too.

That's a big jump from being a Belmont signing, to being a UK signing. Would be awesome for him, but not sure exactly if is something that truly helps UK much. As the whole getting "Ky boys" hasn't been working out to great for Pope so far, and honestly hasn't been working out to well for the players either.

A lot of people seem to forget that even Coach K had a similar type of bad run as Calipari. In 2012 and 2014 Coach K lost in the the first round to a 14 and 15 seed just like Cal. Coach K also had a losing record during the covid year. Quite simply though, the UK fanbase truly does make this job a 10 year at most type of job. I know most like to think great things would have continued with Pitino if he never left. However, I think we would have seen a similar type of turn with fans wanting him out too, if he had stayed. However, he left before he got to the 10 year mark.

It was more of a classic Cal response, with just a little subtle jab without referencing Pope by name. Which Cal has always been really good at those little subtle jabs lol. I think it was more just to let Pope know, yeah I heard your comments. Also I agree, those comments by Pope weren't a good look. I get it, he is probably a little beaten down right now, as this fanbase is tough. So he was trying to put things in a positive light. However, he knew that about this job when he took it, and just wasn't a good look.

At the end of the day he wouldn't have been fired back then, with how college basketball is now. So with the new rules of college basketball and players getting paid, I guess they assumed there is no reason not to bring him back. When what he did would be just fine in todays college basketball.

We had to know Calipari would have some kind of response to the comment Mark Pope had the other night. Calipari in his post game presser last night after the loss, talked about the state of college basketball teams right now. Which he definitely took a little shot back at Mark Pope in his comments, without actually saying his name. This could be the start of a nice little heated rivalry now between coaches, after both coaches up until Mark Pope's comments the other night had always been very complimentary of each other. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/arkansas-john-calipari-takes-subtle-recruiting-dig-at-kentucky-in-response-to-mark-pope/ar-AA1ZwZhH