futurecoach

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Whoops definitely missed that one. 😂🤣

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.

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.

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

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.

Tom Izzo not an option? Did I miss something and he has said he wouldn’t couldn’t UK if contacted? If UK doesn’t get one of the four main targets talked about in Hurley, Oats, Drew, and Donovan. Then I think Izzo would be one of the next group of coaches contacted. He is very similar to Drew in how they both have been at one place a long time, and both won a title. Only difference is obviously Drew’s is much more recent, however Izzo has much more tournament success. So unless Izzo has already came out and said no, I think he very well could be a serious option if UK wanted to go that route. As for Donovan I don’t think the timing is that bad. The NBA season ends Sunday, and his season most likely will end no later than next Wednesday.

Great final message. As I have said before I hope he gets the standing ovation he deserves his first game here as Arkansas coach. Before then it becoming a loud crazy environment rooting for the Cats to destroy his Arkansas team lol. His name will be up in the rafters one day once his career is over.

Which would continue with the normal history of UK hires after legends leave. Hall after Rupp, Tubby after Pitino. The next coach is going to be a good coach, that may even win a title. However is a coach the whole fan base truly never gets behind. Then we will get the alcoholic coach after that. Then they will go for the big personality again that the whole fan base gets behind for the first ten years at least.

I definitely want Donovan over Drew. However, I think fans would much rather have Drew over the other names you mentioned like Miller, Wade, etc.

His banner will be in the rafters, but it probably will come after he retires. I don’t see them doing it when he is coaching a conference opponent. I do think Cal should get a standing ovation the first time he gets announced as Arkansas coach when he returns to Rupp. The last few years hasn’t been great, but he deserves to re recognized by us fans his first time back. Then cheer like crazy with the craziest home environment ever to try to destroy his Arkansas team.

If Purdue could have won this game. Then I think UK would have had an outside shot of getting Hurley. Now with them about to be back to back champs. No way he leaves. He may use UK to get a big pay raise, but no way he leaves now.

that's the thing. The two previous years before this year he did have older experienced rosters, yet failed. This was the first year he went back to the more of a young loaded freshman team approach, since the COVID season.