futurecoach

A few years ago there were many people saying they would want Kenny Payne to be the next coach, even though Payne had never been a head coach before. So if people back then were fine with Payne getting it with no head coaching experience back then. Then those same people should be happy about this, because Pope has least been a head coach and been sort of successful at places that not the easiest to be successful at. So I am glad Pope has head coach experience, even though this will be a very big jump for him. 

26 minutes ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

It was just announced at the end of the sports on WKYT and also Matt Jones tweeted as well that Barnhart was all-in on this. The word is the jobs been offered and accepted working out details tonight and a formal announcement tomorrow. 

I hope it works out. It has been done recently by North Carolina and Duke. Go Cats!!

If for some reason between now and tomorrow the deal falls apart I can't say I would be disappointed. If this what we got I wish him nothing but the best! I saw one comment that said while Pope may not have the cache that Cal has but he is a better in game coach in today's games and in his offensive sets.

I have not read about him being one of the better in game coaches. However, he definitely is known for having a very fun innovated offense. Defense has never been great, but I know some of you all will be pleased since he will play some zone lol. 
 

I have no idea if it will work, but as I mentioned in a previous post. His style of play should be fun to watch. His style of play honestly should be perfect for a Big Z. So hopefully he can get him to stay. 

Another article about how is as a coach. 
 

https://www.deseret.com/2022/10/19/23410889/byu-basketball-coach-mark-pope-talks-new-season/

Hopefully he turns into being our version of Dan Hurley, or Nate Oats. Both didn’t do to much before getting their shots at UConn and Bama, and now became two of the best ones in the game. Hopefully that is what we get with Pope, who as I just mentioned should bring a fun style Of play at least. 

Well I figured might as well learn some more things about Pope the coach. I do think he will play a style that fans like. Reading some old articles on his teams and apparently he wants his teams to shoot 30 threes a night. Will press some, zone some, etc. So most likely will see a similar style of play as we saw when Pitino was here coaching him. So in that regard fans should like the style of play. 
 

Here is an article of him and his team back in January of this year. 
 

https://kslsports.com/509433/byu-basketball-mark-pope-big-12-play-expectations-first-season/

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:

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, 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. 

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. 

22 minutes ago, futurecoach said:

I think UK could sign him tomorrow if he wanted to. I think it’s more on his end not wanting to do anything until his season is over. Wouldn’t be the best look for him bailing on his team right before the play in game. Especially with him bailing on the Magic all those years ago too. So I think he is trying to do the right thing by his team. With that said, it doesn’t mean he may not be having his agent do some talking for him right now while he focuses on his current team. 
 

Which I also will add I think that is why Mark Pope’s name is brought up. Barnhardt might as well try to talk to some other people right now as he waits for Donovan. Doesn’t want to be sitting there left out if at the last minute Donovan backs out after the season is over. 

Well I was completely wrong on that. Reports are coming out that looks like they will hire Pope. 

7 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

But this is pro to college. No conflicts.

I think UK could sign him tomorrow if he wanted to. I think it’s more on his end not wanting to do anything until his season is over. Wouldn’t be the best look for him bailing on his team right before the play in game. Especially with him bailing on the Magic all those years ago too. So I think he is trying to do the right thing by his team. With that said, it doesn’t mean he may not be having his agent do some talking for him right now while he focuses on his current team. 
 

Which I also will add I think that is why Mark Pope’s name is brought up. Barnhardt might as well try to talk to some other people right now as he waits for Donovan. Doesn’t want to be sitting there left out if at the last minute Donovan backs out after the season is over. 

2 hours ago, 9068 said:

Donovan has been removed from the college game for several years. I asked one of his former assistants how he enjoyed coaching in the NBA when Donovan was at OKC. His exact words: "Well, there's no recruiting". I guess he's changed his mind? Seems like it would be worse than ever with NIL and the portal. But hey, you never know.

That’s the thing with how things are. He truly wouldn’t have to recruit as much as he use to in regards to travel. With the transfer portal, it is just more wait until the season is over and then go try to get the players that hit the portal. Basically free agency, which he has gotten to experience in the nba. 

2 hours ago, Voice of Reason said:

I see him as more showman than coach. He is someone who I get bad vibes from. I feel like his level of success is not as good as people think it is. Twenty years as a D1 coach. Five times his teams didn't even qualify for March Madness. One fourth of his years he didn't even make the tournament. Of the 13 teams he was in the tourney, 4 round 1 losses, 4 round 2 losses, 3 sweet 16's, 1 elite 8. 1 final four. So most importantly to BBN, I question his ability to win a title.

You are the best person to pose this to. Why do you like Pearl? 

Honestly all your reasons there are very valid. My biggest reason for liking him is I do truly believe it takes a certain personality to be the coach at UK and I think he has that. Now he may not have the overall success that would be expected here at the UK coach. However, he also hasn’t really been at places known for basketball. Yet he has managed to still be successful at those schools and get excitement. Plus players seem to like him, and would probably do a good job with both fronts recruiting and transfers at getting players in.  I think if he were to be here at UK he would do very well. However, in regards to X and O’s I don’t think he would be much of an upgrade. 

11 minutes ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

I would not jump to go after a 2nd tier coach like Pope until after the Bulls are out of the playoffs which will be as soon as next Tuesday and more than likely by next Friday. I would rather wait a week and go after a coach of Donovan's ability and then if it doesn't work those 2nd tier coaches (Pope) will still be there and would still jump at the chance you would not really be wasting anything in my opinion.

You and I seem to be in agreement on things for once in regards to this UK coaching search. 😁

Well the guy I have said now for a couple of years every time a who replaces Cal thread came up seems to be the front runner now in Billy Donovan. I think he would do a great job here, and is worth waiting until next week now for. If he doesn’t come then Pearl, and Pitino would be my next two calls. If you can’t get any of those, then I do think you take a chance at finding the next up and up and coming coach like a Golden from Florida or Pope from BYU. I would rather have Golden than Pope though if we are going to take a chance on someone. 

2 hours ago, Voice of Reason said:

I honestly would become more of a UL fan than UK fan if they hire Pearl.

You may have addressed this before, but I’m curious as to why? Pearl seems very similar to what Calipari was when UK hired him and the past he had. 

24 minutes ago, All State Baseball said:

I think the family had a lot to say about it….

 

on another note the Craft Family plane went north east this morning 

Apparently landed in New York, 40 minutes from where Hurley lives. With that said Pitino is also in New York. So if Hurley still says no, could make their way to Pitino. 

3 hours ago, nikeman49 said:

I’m getting your point, but who’s to say Pitino couldn’t have continued with his fantastic run while here? Lots of if’s with those situations, just personally glad we are getting a new look with a different coach as we needed very badly.

That run he had was so good it was not sustainable. Many people assume if he stayed UK wins three or four more titles under him. Which easy to think that since he left on such a high note. However, if you told people after 2012 that Cal wouldn’t win another title here, people would say you were crazy. If you said 2015 would be the last final four Cal has here after being at four in five years. No way at that time could people have imagined that would be the last one under Cal.  People would have said you were crazy. Pitino left on that high note, so easy for people to assume great things would have kept on happening. He left before things eventually would have came down hill some, since that high level of success when he left wasn’t sustainable. 
 

With that said I do agree it was probably best for both parties to have went different directions. 10 years definitely seems to be the max for a coach here. 

12 hours ago, bugatti said:

You completely misread what I was saying. I was co-signing on your post in about 200 less words 🙂 People believe bringing back Rick will turn the program back into 1996.

Whoops definitely missed that one. 😂🤣

3 hours ago, bugatti said:

As you are alluding to, people do not want Pitino. They want the results and energy UK was having from ‘92-‘97.

No, never said people wouldn’t want Pitino. In fact I think majority of people would be happy to have him back, and so would I.
 

Go back and look at my previous post that he had responded to. Basically saying if Calipari had left for the UCLA job after 2019, many people would have felt the same way about Calipari as Pitino. Would have been mad at Calipari for leaving after 2019, but people would compare any coach to follow to that standard, like they did with Pitino.  So many people haven’t been able to move on from the Pitino years, because he left on the highest of notes. Calipari would be been looked at similar if he had left say after 2019 for the UCLA job which he has said he regrets not taking. Calipari would have left while basically everyone still loved him, and every coach after would be compared to him like they do Pitino still. Which all gets back to the UK coach job has about a 10 year max life, like Cal said during his first year, and we saw it with Cal. The rate Pitino was winning at, and the rate Calipari was winning at were both not sustainable. Pitino left before things could down trend, which they eventually would have, while Calipari waited to long to leave. Which we got to see that love affair change once Calipari couldn’t win at the same level he started at. 

1 hour ago, nikeman49 said:

Cal couldn’t have done any better at UCLA the last five seasons as he produced here! Would love to have Pitino back right now and many others feel the same.

You could be right, or completely wrong. We will never know. Once again though if Cal had left after that 2019 season. Many people would feel about him like they did about Pitino. Pitino left when he was still on top. Can guarantee people would have turned on Pitino eventually too, because he wouldn’t have even been able to keep at the same high level he was at those last couple of years. Yet fans would have expected him too. 
 

Which I would be perfectly fine if Pitino came back and gave us five more years before retiring. 

For those that subscribe to The Athletic. There is a really good article on there now about Calipari and more of what happened over the weekend to why he left. 
 

The biggest thing I took from the article is him privately admitting he regretted not taking the UCLA job after the 2019 season. Saying that was the time to leave the program. Which makes sense, because that would have been 10 years, and he even admitted when he first got the job that the max life span for a UK coach is 10 years. If he left after that 2019 season, many people would have been upset with him like they were with Pitino. However, at the same time the love affair with him would have been the same as with Pitino in regards to people not getting over the Pitino years. He would have left while still loved, and not giving fans a chance to turn. 

For those that subscribe to The Athletic. There is a really good article on there now about Calipari and more of what happened over the weekend to why he left. 
 

The biggest thing I took from the article is him privately admitting he regretted not taking the UCLA job after the 2019 season. Saying that was the time to leave the program. Which makes sense, because that would have been 10 years, and he even admitted when he first got the job that the max life span for a UK coach is 10 years. If he left after that 2019 season, many people would have been upset with him like they were with Pitino. However, at the same time the love affair with him would have been the same as with Pitino in regards to people not getting over the Pitino years. He would have left while still loved, and not giving fans a chance to turn. 

34 minutes ago, D1RTYBIRD said:

Miller is an intriguing candidate. I liked him at Arizona. He has that personality for the job too. Can recruit. I didn’t follow Xavier much but supposedly he revamped his offensive philosophy. 

He just finished 16 and 19 this year at Xavier. No thanks. 

1 hour ago, Voice of Reason said:

I have no problem with Miller. He basically did stuff that is now legal and that other coaches (Bill Self e.g.) got nothing from the NCAA.

I have no problem with Miller in that regard. I just wouldn’t want him here at UK, because I don’t think he is a good enough coach for what is expected at UK.