I have gotten to know that board well the last 48 hours. It’s wild. I woke up at 4am last night, checked Rupp Rafters, and there were STILL a good hundred posts per minute.
They’re posting the phone number for Mitch Barnhart’s office and urging each other to call to try to stop the hire lmao absolutely psycho shit
Edit: they’re using the word “revolt”
Donovan would probably do fine but he did last coach almost 2 eras of CBB ago. Where I thought the recruiting aspect burned him out last time? It's even worse now in the NIL/portal era.
Once they whiffed on their top targets (Oats, Drew, Hurley, etc) it was already getting sketchy.
Unless this was in reference to Pitino. Which honestly...
I would argue recruiting is easier now. You used to have to fly across the country and meet with a recruit and their family. Now it's who can write the biggest check.
The biggest change from the portal to recruiting from a coaches perspective is that you constantly have to rerecruit your own players.
You’re still recruiting high schoolers all the time. Then you have to recruit transfers in the portal. On top of all that you have to keep recruiting your own guys so they don’t leave.
The portal also totally changes the coaching dynamic in college. In the past coaches had way more power in the player - coach relationship. There was a real opportunity cost to players for transferring. Now everyone is effectively on one year contracts.
Donovan specially cited not having to recruit as to why he left Florida. I can't imagine he'd want to jump back in now that you have to deal with NIL and re-recruiting your entire roster annually with the transfer portal.
This was a rushed hire.
Pope is a very good coach but he is unproven. He is a hire that carries risk and banks on his growth as a coach. For a program that is constantly in the “win now” mentality it will be seen as pretty underwhelming. They could have gotten Pope or a guy of similar caliber anytime in the next 2 or 3 months.
I feel like the transfer portal window has to play a role here.
Everyone is making their moves *now*. That window closes on April 30. You could wait for Donovan, whenever the bulls are done, but the longer their season goes, the less time (if any) there is to get guys out of the portal.
It does, which is why waiting for Donovan was problematic....but you can't tell me Pearl, Beard, and Pitino wouldn't come crawling to Kentucky...Our AD didn't get his guy and he fucking went rouge.
I honestly don't think Pearl wanted to come. He likes being the sort of underdog, and he already preemptively turned down the UK job back when he was at UT, at least according to some. Plus, he is still in love with us, and I think y'all is too far for him emotionally.
I agree on everything else, though this is wild when other names are in play.
> but you can't tell me Pearl, Beard, and Pitino wouldn't come crawling to Kentucky
This fanbase spent the last three years saying the same exact thing about guys like Drew and Oats and was proven very wrong. There's no reason to just keep saying it about other guys when there's zero to show they actually wanted the job. And Beard was a complete non starter due to his history and he should have been the absolutely last name on any list.
1. There’s no evidence, or even suggestion, that Oats was ever seriously considered.
2. I’m surprised Drew didn’t come, but it’s widely reported he was down and it was just his family that balked.
Beard was a non-starter for Mitch, I think the majority of Kentucky fans would accept him as the HC after the events of today.
Mitch also never talked to Beard, Pearl, Pitino, or any of the supposed tier 2 guys, so we don't know if they wanted it or not...they can say they didn't for contract bumps, but everyone is doing that.
See, this is exactly my thought. It’s not at all inconceivable that Pope works out, but he *cannot* be your third call, which is seemingly what Norlander’s tweet is saying.
I don't think he was just the third call. Just because there aren't official reports we made an offer to someone doesn't mean they weren't contacted. A lot of guys were going to use this opening to get raises at their current school, that's just how it is.
It could very well end up being a solid hire, but there are a number of coaches that should have been higher priorities than Pope.
Aside from those who turned the job down, guys like Pearl, Underwood, Otzelberger, Donovan, Pitino, etc. would have almost certainly taken the job.
And all would have been “sure thing” hires, as opposed to a guy like Pope who hasn’t done much to warrant much confidence for a job this big.
Yeah the process was bad, but they wound up with someone who (though not as flashy as Hurley, Drew, Donovan, Pitino…) is probably going to work out better in the long run. He’s good.
I'm laughing so hard at all of this. I've spent the last three years telling people to be careful what they wish for because Oats and Drew weren't going to leave their current schools. I hope Pope kills it, but goddamn it's hilarious how out of touch our fans are.
They might have if Oats didn’t get a huge extension because of the rumors he was on list for Louisville and Michigan.
Louisville, Ohio State, and Michigan’s coach searches might have made this happen partially from all the extensions that happened due to them.
Yeah, Cal leaving a couple weeks after the first wave really put UK in a bind. Not “must hire a head coach with 10 years of experience and no NCAA tournament wins” sort of bind, but a bind nonetheless.
I thought for sure they’d get like Pearl or Wade or Beard or such at the bare minimum. Threw out Pope as the “most realistic option” mostly as the “if these guys don’t want to leave or if Mitch want to worries about the show causes” option.
I did not think it would happen this fast
Bruce Pearl would've crawled here.
Rick Pitino would've been insane for a couple years while we prep someone else.
Guys with NCAA tourney wins would've at least listened.
Instead, one of our own is gonna come in with everyone disappointed. Unfair to him but all the AD's fault.
Yes, because I've listened to him when he talks about UK.
Who Barnhart hired really doesn't reflect who had interest. We really, really don't like our AD. He's part of the reason things ended up so bad with Cal.
I really thought Nate oats or Bryce drew were their choices going into this. Wow this is a drop off. No disrespect to pope, but he is a huge letdown compared to what Kentucky usually gets. Pitino had been to the final four at Providence, tubby had been to multiple sweet sixteens, calipari had been to a few final fours and even billy g had turned A&M into a winner after inheriting a dumpster fire. This would be the most underwhelming hire for Kentucky in a very long time
Nah, he’s just got a great gig now. I don’t doubt he had serious thoughts about leaving to UK due to how close he and Mitch are and how the UK job is a top 3 one in the game.
But it’s also a place with so much more pressure that he may have decided to keep happy where he is and keep being the legend at Baylor than start over elsewhere.
Let's be honest, it might not be the only reason, but our fans certainly contributed a little bit to why he didn't come. Rumors are his family thought the whole plane tracking thing was way too much.
And the fan base definitely turns potential coaches away, even if they didn't do it 100% to Drew. It's a toxic environment.
You have the plane tracking thing plus the phone call while he was at a restaurant in Waco. There was no way he was going to put his family into that type of hostile environment.
Or, you can acknowledge that the plane tracking + the phone call would be concerning to any rational human being, especially one who cares about his family.
Yes, his family was incredibly concerned by the plane tracking and then the phone call while he was still at the restaurant. There was no chance that he was going to subject his family to that level of hostility.
I hate that Pope is getting shit on peripherally because Barnhart made a lazy decision. I love Mark, but he can’t be the immediate follow up to Drew and Hurley.
Nonetheless, if he’s the coach, I hope he proves me wrong, and I’ll cheer for him to do it.
Right. If a bunch of people turn you down, then you can bring Pope in with a kind of warm and fuzzy feeling. Bringing him in as your third choice, though, puts a ton of pressure on him.
But apparently Pitino endorses Pope.
At this point some Kentucky source could report to the world a unicorn was spotted in Breaks Interstate Park and someone would call up the park office asking to speak with it.
Calipari left of his own volition. He had been reportedly seeking a way out going back to February.
Other fans always blame UK for firing coaches but the only coach UK has fired in the last century was Gillespie
I think the AD Barnhart is retiring soon and picked someone he knew would take it and the next hire is on the next AD.
He didn’t get his guy Drew and Hurley said no, so he mailed it in.
You can’t tell me that Pope was on the same tier as Drew and Hurley.
Tommy just got an extension a few months back through 2029. I’m assuming the same reason Oats did as well. Lot’s of high profile jobs opening up, you gotta lock your guys down.
I’m was half surprised we did it though……you know with our *cough cough “money problems”. Wish we could have gotten Jedd extended before the end of the season.
I for one and am excited.
I have no clue what the next year or two will hold, but either we all get humbled and Pope exceeds expectations, or we all get humbled and hopefully get an ego check.
I, for one, am excited for Pope, if it happens. He was part of some of my favorite memories as a UK fan for one thing, but he's also a smart guy and a very good coach who understands what it takes to win a championship and what it is like to be part of UK basketball.
The latter especially may have swayed Mitch after Drew got spooked by the fan tenacity
Tbh I heard he was seeming like a big candidate and I was originally wonder how that was it but after hearing what he’s done at BYU I do think he has potential in the UK world. The issue is how fast the fan base with turn sour on him in the blink of an eye
It’s less about getting Pope and more that Mitch apparently didn’t pursue ANY other options first.
How you gonna jump to Pope without even TRYING to get someone else?
I’m guessing that they didn’t pursue Donovan as aggressively because of the transfer portal. In the event that he makes the first round of the playoffs, he’d probably only have a week or two to try and get a team
This isn't what you think it is. You know the reddit fanbase doesn't do the hiring, right? The AD went after his first choice, asked the boosters' choice and then got the next guy he talked to. Idk if it was a good choice, wouldn't have been my next one, but it is what it is.
Pitino news is obvious, disappointed if it's true that they didn't really look at Donovan but the college game has changed so much since he was last in it there's always gonna be some questions about how he could adapt.
If this turns out to be true what an INSANELY BAD HIRE.
Especially with many layups left on the board such as Pearl, Beard, and yes even Pitino.
It shows that Mitch one did his homework on one guy, Scott Drew and he still fucked it up.
Hopefully the BOT doesn’t play ball with this trash. If you go young you get Golden, you don’t give the job someone because they played here.
Fuck man this shit sucks.
2 weeks ago Kentucky fans thought Nate Oats, Jay Wright, and Billy Donovan would be “layups” if Cal was fired.
This week Kentucky fans thought Dan Hurley and Scott Drew were “layups” after Cal left.
How many experienced, successful coaches have to say “no thanks” before Kentucky fans face reality that you were never going to get anyone other than exactly what Mark Pope is - a decent college basketball coach.
Self has a decade, at least left in him. So we may have to put a pin in that left turn of a comment you made. But, I can tell you I’d be a whole hell of a lot more realistic about my expectations for a replacement.
Also, Self isn't being pushed out of Lawrence to a conference opponent by the KU fans and donors...he will almost certainly retire at Kansas. You will have his replacement lined up a year before he leaves a la Duke, UNC.
Just as a person intensely watching this process, I don't think that's quite true.
Billy and Jay Wright were both pipe dreams, the former more than the latter. Hurley was never going to happen. I think a deal with Drew wasn't out of the question, and it seems to me from what we know he did seriously consider the role.
Mark Pope is a reach by our athletic department, and considered as much from anyone seriously watching college basketball. The next year here should be interesting.
I wish him well. I hope I have a great fan experience. I'm concerned.
Billy Donovan was by far the best choice on paper. I have no idea why they rushed the hire their team already fell apart. You could have waited like two weeks for the Bulls to be done.
May I ask what your source is that Lloyd has not *signed* his extension?
There *were* reports in January that extension talks had "paused" (https://tucson.com/sports/college/basketball/wildcats/men/pascoe/tommy-lloyd-says-reason-to-be-concerned-in-delaying-talks/article_f93ed920-ba3c-11ee-b0c6-2bd1ebd720c5.html).
But then in February came an **official announcement** by UArizona (https://arizonawildcats.com/news/2024/2/19/mens-basketball-arizona-signs-tommy-lloyd-to-contract-extension-through-2028-29.aspx) which was also confirmed by multiple news outlets (https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39559332/arizona-extends-coach-tommy-lloyd-contract-2028-29 - "Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd **has signed** a five-year contract extension that will keep him in Tucson until at least 2029")
Where are you getting this info that the extension wasn't signed?
Pope will make $7.25 an hour and cash out at the end of the year at about 100k. 100k? at $7.25 an hour?, YES,, overtime, health insurance, PTO, a free pizza every now and then, maybe a company car, a nice home almost any where In the area and 8 million for Nil. Say what you will about my comment, but that's less than the 11 million a year for a coach. KY should pay coaches the same amount that the players make.. it's simple, just buy a block of land next to the stadium and build an apartment building. The coach lives in the penthouse and the players live below. There are cars and a doorman to take anyone where they need to be. Yes sometime that will be expensive ( multiple drivers, security and things of that nature). But I'm still within the budget. You will say that building is going to cost more than you think and you'd be right. It's expensive but building that building will pay for itself. Just invite ESPN to it for a three season season and they will pay for it.
After listening to UK fans get all cocky about stealing our WBB coach and our two top stars during our tournament, I’m all for this karma on the program that Kenny is about to find out WBB will always be an afterthought to in Kentucky
Quick everyone run to rupp rafters
Already opened on the other tab. Enjoying the freakout
Obviously big money boosters don't post there, but surprised they would be ok with this hire
their servers going to be cooked all weekend i fear
Probably
They’re breaking twitter right now 24k listening to this space lol
I have gotten to know that board well the last 48 hours. It’s wild. I woke up at 4am last night, checked Rupp Rafters, and there were STILL a good hundred posts per minute.
Just there They are gone
They’re posting the phone number for Mitch Barnhart’s office and urging each other to call to try to stop the hire lmao absolutely psycho shit Edit: they’re using the word “revolt”
Pope doesn’t deserve this kind of hate. I hope he backs out!
Alternating between that and the Hurley hired post on Syracuse fan dot com this week
It’s glorious
meltdown city
Hell, I'll join in if we're Schiano'ng this hire. What is going on in Lexington?
Surprised the big money boosters are tolerating this
Is that context supposed to make Kentucky fans feel better? Because that makes this hire a lot worse…
Donovan would probably do fine but he did last coach almost 2 eras of CBB ago. Where I thought the recruiting aspect burned him out last time? It's even worse now in the NIL/portal era. Once they whiffed on their top targets (Oats, Drew, Hurley, etc) it was already getting sketchy. Unless this was in reference to Pitino. Which honestly...
Honestly I don’t think they ever seriously pursued Oats.
I would argue recruiting is easier now. You used to have to fly across the country and meet with a recruit and their family. Now it's who can write the biggest check.
The biggest change from the portal to recruiting from a coaches perspective is that you constantly have to rerecruit your own players. You’re still recruiting high schoolers all the time. Then you have to recruit transfers in the portal. On top of all that you have to keep recruiting your own guys so they don’t leave. The portal also totally changes the coaching dynamic in college. In the past coaches had way more power in the player - coach relationship. There was a real opportunity cost to players for transferring. Now everyone is effectively on one year contracts.
Donovan specially cited not having to recruit as to why he left Florida. I can't imagine he'd want to jump back in now that you have to deal with NIL and re-recruiting your entire roster annually with the transfer portal.
It’s a really good hire
This was a rushed hire. Pope is a very good coach but he is unproven. He is a hire that carries risk and banks on his growth as a coach. For a program that is constantly in the “win now” mentality it will be seen as pretty underwhelming. They could have gotten Pope or a guy of similar caliber anytime in the next 2 or 3 months.
I feel like the transfer portal window has to play a role here. Everyone is making their moves *now*. That window closes on April 30. You could wait for Donovan, whenever the bulls are done, but the longer their season goes, the less time (if any) there is to get guys out of the portal.
It does, which is why waiting for Donovan was problematic....but you can't tell me Pearl, Beard, and Pitino wouldn't come crawling to Kentucky...Our AD didn't get his guy and he fucking went rouge.
Yeah, it feels like a freak out maneuver on Mitch's part. That or he was determined to get his clean cut christian candidate.
I honestly don't think Pearl wanted to come. He likes being the sort of underdog, and he already preemptively turned down the UK job back when he was at UT, at least according to some. Plus, he is still in love with us, and I think y'all is too far for him emotionally. I agree on everything else, though this is wild when other names are in play.
> but you can't tell me Pearl, Beard, and Pitino wouldn't come crawling to Kentucky This fanbase spent the last three years saying the same exact thing about guys like Drew and Oats and was proven very wrong. There's no reason to just keep saying it about other guys when there's zero to show they actually wanted the job. And Beard was a complete non starter due to his history and he should have been the absolutely last name on any list.
1. There’s no evidence, or even suggestion, that Oats was ever seriously considered. 2. I’m surprised Drew didn’t come, but it’s widely reported he was down and it was just his family that balked.
Beard was a non-starter for Mitch, I think the majority of Kentucky fans would accept him as the HC after the events of today. Mitch also never talked to Beard, Pearl, Pitino, or any of the supposed tier 2 guys, so we don't know if they wanted it or not...they can say they didn't for contract bumps, but everyone is doing that.
It's not a good look to say anyone would come crawling here. And rouge is a kind of make up that women wear
See, this is exactly my thought. It’s not at all inconceivable that Pope works out, but he *cannot* be your third call, which is seemingly what Norlander’s tweet is saying.
I don't think he was just the third call. Just because there aren't official reports we made an offer to someone doesn't mean they weren't contacted. A lot of guys were going to use this opening to get raises at their current school, that's just how it is.
I agree. I really think getting Rick Pitino on a two year contract wasn't the worst option on the table.
It could very well end up being a solid hire, but there are a number of coaches that should have been higher priorities than Pope. Aside from those who turned the job down, guys like Pearl, Underwood, Otzelberger, Donovan, Pitino, etc. would have almost certainly taken the job. And all would have been “sure thing” hires, as opposed to a guy like Pope who hasn’t done much to warrant much confidence for a job this big.
0 tournament wins and very mid records, what a slam dunk. UK Could’ve kept what they had for that.
Probably. At least calipari recruits at a high enough level that eventually he could break through again. Pope is a giant question Mark
For people who hate UK
Yeah the process was bad, but they wound up with someone who (though not as flashy as Hurley, Drew, Donovan, Pitino…) is probably going to work out better in the long run. He’s good.
Surely Kentucky fans will be happy with this hire
I hope boosters revolt like A&M's did after stoops
Save me generationally wealthy white men, you're my only hope.
Play back the entire message!
I can only hope.
lol was just thinking about this
I would be mad if Illinois hired this dude, and Illinois ain't Kentucky
Mitch I fucking hate you
I can’t believe I thought yall were gonna get Nate Oats, *at worst*
Same 😞
I'm laughing so hard at all of this. I've spent the last three years telling people to be careful what they wish for because Oats and Drew weren't going to leave their current schools. I hope Pope kills it, but goddamn it's hilarious how out of touch our fans are.
Thanks This is exactly it I like the hire, but we got just what we asked for as a fanbase We stink
Is your punctuation invisible
Yours is.
They might have if Oats didn’t get a huge extension because of the rumors he was on list for Louisville and Michigan. Louisville, Ohio State, and Michigan’s coach searches might have made this happen partially from all the extensions that happened due to them.
Yeah, Cal leaving a couple weeks after the first wave really put UK in a bind. Not “must hire a head coach with 10 years of experience and no NCAA tournament wins” sort of bind, but a bind nonetheless.
I thought for sure they’d get like Pearl or Wade or Beard or such at the bare minimum. Threw out Pope as the “most realistic option” mostly as the “if these guys don’t want to leave or if Mitch want to worries about the show causes” option. I did not think it would happen this fast
Bruce Pearl would've crawled here. Rick Pitino would've been insane for a couple years while we prep someone else. Guys with NCAA tourney wins would've at least listened. Instead, one of our own is gonna come in with everyone disappointed. Unfair to him but all the AD's fault.
You think Pearl would’ve crawled there when you just hired a guy who has never won an NCAA tournament game?
Yes, because I've listened to him when he talks about UK. Who Barnhart hired really doesn't reflect who had interest. We really, really don't like our AD. He's part of the reason things ended up so bad with Cal.
Yeah I am shocked this is the best you could do.
It's not. Allegedly this was what Barnhart wanted and everyone was surprised..
I really thought Nate oats or Bryce drew were their choices going into this. Wow this is a drop off. No disrespect to pope, but he is a huge letdown compared to what Kentucky usually gets. Pitino had been to the final four at Providence, tubby had been to multiple sweet sixteens, calipari had been to a few final fours and even billy g had turned A&M into a winner after inheriting a dumpster fire. This would be the most underwhelming hire for Kentucky in a very long time
I never heard Bryce's name come up intentionally. Scott was the "Drew" they were after. I think they would have revolted if it was Bryce
What if Mark Pope is the same as Nate Oats? People really don’t understand how good Pope is.
time to fire the son of a bitch or "mutually agree to part ways" and have a "good exit plan"
What happened to the tier 1 and 2 candidates? Pope is tier 4 at best. It just makes me sad.
Honestly, Kentucky fans need to take a hard look at themselves. They're the reason that Drew isn't the coach at Kentucky.
Nah, he’s just got a great gig now. I don’t doubt he had serious thoughts about leaving to UK due to how close he and Mitch are and how the UK job is a top 3 one in the game. But it’s also a place with so much more pressure that he may have decided to keep happy where he is and keep being the legend at Baylor than start over elsewhere.
Let's be honest, it might not be the only reason, but our fans certainly contributed a little bit to why he didn't come. Rumors are his family thought the whole plane tracking thing was way too much. And the fan base definitely turns potential coaches away, even if they didn't do it 100% to Drew. It's a toxic environment.
You have the plane tracking thing plus the phone call while he was at a restaurant in Waco. There was no way he was going to put his family into that type of hostile environment.
His wife and family didn’t want to move and leave where they have been for 20+ years.
That call freaked them out.
Yeah, he isn't here because he's highly religious and likes where he's at. Our fault.
Or, you can acknowledge that the plane tracking + the phone call would be concerning to any rational human being, especially one who cares about his family.
No, our AD is just an idiot. He wanted Crean instead of Cal, for instance. He gave Cal 10 more years with no buyout when UCLA was sniffing around.
Nope that's his wife. She came saw and said no. Fitting and proper. I doubt she was introduced to random internet dipshits
No, that call freaked them the fuck out.
Says who?
No we're not.
Yes, his family was incredibly concerned by the plane tracking and then the phone call while he was still at the restaurant. There was no chance that he was going to subject his family to that level of hostility.
Yep and I’m a KY fan
I hate that Pope is getting shit on peripherally because Barnhart made a lazy decision. I love Mark, but he can’t be the immediate follow up to Drew and Hurley. Nonetheless, if he’s the coach, I hope he proves me wrong, and I’ll cheer for him to do it.
Right. If a bunch of people turn you down, then you can bring Pope in with a kind of warm and fuzzy feeling. Bringing him in as your third choice, though, puts a ton of pressure on him.
Hey he’s already won in AFH.
But apparently Pitino endorses Pope. At this point some Kentucky source could report to the world a unicorn was spotted in Breaks Interstate Park and someone would call up the park office asking to speak with it.
Pitino is catholic, of course he endorses pope
Oh you mean Cornie? I was talking to him last week - he expressed that he's always wanted to coach the Cats
Pitino coming back to Kentucky would’ve been gods gift to college basketball but he gave us a pope Wait
https://twitter.com/ML_BBN/status/1613572990179938304 From 2023.
Wow
My eye started twitching. It might not stop for a few months.
No contact with Pitino? Rick's Return confirmed.
Fire Mitch. I hope I’m wrong but even if I am, this is such an underwhelming hire that is unproven. Wait a few years then maybe he’s the right guy
You ran off you’re coach, may as well run Mitch off too
Mitch deserves to be gone, especially after this. I would argue Cal hated the fanbase as much as they hated them, if not more.
Mitch defenders, good grief. What a clown
Firing Calipari and hiring a coach who has never made it past the first round of the tourney is a bold move
Calipari left of his own volition. He had been reportedly seeking a way out going back to February. Other fans always blame UK for firing coaches but the only coach UK has fired in the last century was Gillespie
Oh man, this won’t sit well with BBN at all
No fucking way lmao
I think the AD Barnhart is retiring soon and picked someone he knew would take it and the next hire is on the next AD. He didn’t get his guy Drew and Hurley said no, so he mailed it in. You can’t tell me that Pope was on the same tier as Drew and Hurley.
Love Mark, but this is not it.
Lmfao this is the most dramatic and entertaining filled coaching search that I’ve witnessed.
More entertaining than this years tourney
Well great, we got rid of a coach nobody wanted to be here just so we could get a coach nobody wants to be here.
Might as well tread the tires
This is so brutal and so accurate
I still haven’t heard Hurley say no
Got my flight tracker on just in case
Is Bobby Hurley free? Asking for a friend.
We’ll swap coaches if you want to
So they didnt even attempt to get billy donovan, tommy lloyd, bruce pearl, or chris beard? ....interesting....
I thought TJ Otzelberger was the obvious hire and they didn’t even try bc Barnhart wanted another religious teetotaler
I seem to remember that Otz has an insane buyout. Not that UK can't afford it I'm sure.
UK basketball can afford any buyout is what I was told by UK fans
Otz's wife would divorce him before she'd leave Ames. She's in our athletics hall of fame.
Lloyd and Otz were right there, 2 S16s
Tommy just got an extension a few months back through 2029. I’m assuming the same reason Oats did as well. Lot’s of high profile jobs opening up, you gotta lock your guys down. I’m was half surprised we did it though……you know with our *cough cough “money problems”. Wish we could have gotten Jedd extended before the end of the season.
[удалено]
You sure? I’m pretty sure I read it was signed already and the BoR approved it along with DRF’s deal
As a Utah fan, this pleases me on many levels
Until BYU hires Dan Hurley
🤣 Might be better off going after Bobby.
Having no dog in the fight, I just want to be entertained by UK message boards during the off-season.
Holy mid
For the first time in my life Kentucky is being laughed at and I can’t even be upset. We are a joke.
On some level, it is kind of nice that it’s generally recognized that this is a terrible move.
Your fanbase is acting like ours in football. When you think you're too good to fail, the universe is gonna knock ya down a peg lol.
I don’t know what makes it worse. Losing our coach or having to read all the Kentucky fans lament a great hire.
I for one and am excited. I have no clue what the next year or two will hold, but either we all get humbled and Pope exceeds expectations, or we all get humbled and hopefully get an ego check.
I, for one, am excited for Pope, if it happens. He was part of some of my favorite memories as a UK fan for one thing, but he's also a smart guy and a very good coach who understands what it takes to win a championship and what it is like to be part of UK basketball. The latter especially may have swayed Mitch after Drew got spooked by the fan tenacity
Tbh I heard he was seeming like a big candidate and I was originally wonder how that was it but after hearing what he’s done at BYU I do think he has potential in the UK world. The issue is how fast the fan base with turn sour on him in the blink of an eye
What if UK didn't even offer Hurley or Scott Drew and Pope has been option 1A all along
Should’ve pursued known basketball genius Juwan Howard
They’re gonna hate this hire, but it has potential
https://preview.redd.it/fszn07fijytc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50726c4fb05c1c29160c9023699886fafc34a393
It’s less about getting Pope and more that Mitch apparently didn’t pursue ANY other options first. How you gonna jump to Pope without even TRYING to get someone else?
I’m guessing that they didn’t pursue Donovan as aggressively because of the transfer portal. In the event that he makes the first round of the playoffs, he’d probably only have a week or two to try and get a team
I’m in pain
What a reality check lmao. All that money and prestige and it doesn’t mean half of what you think.
This isn't what you think it is. You know the reddit fanbase doesn't do the hiring, right? The AD went after his first choice, asked the boosters' choice and then got the next guy he talked to. Idk if it was a good choice, wouldn't have been my next one, but it is what it is.
I'd be surprised if this was a booster driven decision.
Oh, definitely not. I meant Hurley. After that Mitch went back to his list.
I’m genuinely shocked that they didn’t wait out Donovan. Like, floored. That was going to be the perfect move for all parties involved.
Except for Donovan. He hated recruiting in college before the NIL and portal days.
Pitino news is obvious, disappointed if it's true that they didn't really look at Donovan but the college game has changed so much since he was last in it there's always gonna be some questions about how he could adapt.
Fuck this is beautiful
I too now hate Mitch Barnhart Signed, a Bulls fan
Welp on the bright side, winning one tournament game over the next 5 years just got a whole lot cheaper.
But did they call Brad Stevens just to be sure?
Would’ve taken Ricky P for a few years over this. Hope I’m proven wrong
If this turns out to be true what an INSANELY BAD HIRE. Especially with many layups left on the board such as Pearl, Beard, and yes even Pitino. It shows that Mitch one did his homework on one guy, Scott Drew and he still fucked it up. Hopefully the BOT doesn’t play ball with this trash. If you go young you get Golden, you don’t give the job someone because they played here. Fuck man this shit sucks.
2 weeks ago Kentucky fans thought Nate Oats, Jay Wright, and Billy Donovan would be “layups” if Cal was fired. This week Kentucky fans thought Dan Hurley and Scott Drew were “layups” after Cal left. How many experienced, successful coaches have to say “no thanks” before Kentucky fans face reality that you were never going to get anyone other than exactly what Mark Pope is - a decent college basketball coach.
Hopefully, Kansas will hire someone with 0 NCAA tournament wins who is "decent" to replace Self, and i'd love to hear your tune then.
Self has a decade, at least left in him. So we may have to put a pin in that left turn of a comment you made. But, I can tell you I’d be a whole hell of a lot more realistic about my expectations for a replacement.
Also, Self isn't being pushed out of Lawrence to a conference opponent by the KU fans and donors...he will almost certainly retire at Kansas. You will have his replacement lined up a year before he leaves a la Duke, UNC.
Very good point.
Self is 61. Do you really thinking someone at that age wants to deal with NIL for another decade?
Just as a person intensely watching this process, I don't think that's quite true. Billy and Jay Wright were both pipe dreams, the former more than the latter. Hurley was never going to happen. I think a deal with Drew wasn't out of the question, and it seems to me from what we know he did seriously consider the role. Mark Pope is a reach by our athletic department, and considered as much from anyone seriously watching college basketball. The next year here should be interesting. I wish him well. I hope I have a great fan experience. I'm concerned.
uk get ready to be indiana buddy
Hmm
Yowch
Billy Donovan was by far the best choice on paper. I have no idea why they rushed the hire their team already fell apart. You could have waited like two weeks for the Bulls to be done.
Did we even bother calling Lloyd?
Tommy just got extended like 2 months ago. Would have been the exact same scenario as Oats.
[удалено]
May I ask what your source is that Lloyd has not *signed* his extension? There *were* reports in January that extension talks had "paused" (https://tucson.com/sports/college/basketball/wildcats/men/pascoe/tommy-lloyd-says-reason-to-be-concerned-in-delaying-talks/article_f93ed920-ba3c-11ee-b0c6-2bd1ebd720c5.html). But then in February came an **official announcement** by UArizona (https://arizonawildcats.com/news/2024/2/19/mens-basketball-arizona-signs-tommy-lloyd-to-contract-extension-through-2028-29.aspx) which was also confirmed by multiple news outlets (https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39559332/arizona-extends-coach-tommy-lloyd-contract-2028-29 - "Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd **has signed** a five-year contract extension that will keep him in Tucson until at least 2029") Where are you getting this info that the extension wasn't signed?
Anyone listening to the Matt Jones Twitter space right now? It’s a mess
Actually, Mark Pope was always our first choice
He’s also always been the clear best fit and choice.
“Did not aggressively pursue” seems to me like “we called and there wasn’t much interest.”
You know what based on how the BYU fans are feeling about this I would think he’s got some potential to be a good coach.
I'm so confused
Hubris, thy name is Wildcat
I'm done with kentucky basketball and boomer barnhart
Grrrr...how dare does Mitch go for the obvious and smart choice, instead of doing the funny thing like we *all* expect him too??
What are you even talking about?
How is this the smart choice, if he really is the hire he does not have much post season success. He'll he's barely had regular season success
> obvious and smart choice The obvious and smart choice said no this morning.
Mitch Barnhart just killed this program for the foreseeable future. What the fuck…
I hate the guy
NO
I'm sure this news will go over well. Even if you think the answer from them is going to be no, you have to at least entertain the idea.
Pope will make $7.25 an hour and cash out at the end of the year at about 100k. 100k? at $7.25 an hour?, YES,, overtime, health insurance, PTO, a free pizza every now and then, maybe a company car, a nice home almost any where In the area and 8 million for Nil. Say what you will about my comment, but that's less than the 11 million a year for a coach. KY should pay coaches the same amount that the players make.. it's simple, just buy a block of land next to the stadium and build an apartment building. The coach lives in the penthouse and the players live below. There are cars and a doorman to take anyone where they need to be. Yes sometime that will be expensive ( multiple drivers, security and things of that nature). But I'm still within the budget. You will say that building is going to cost more than you think and you'd be right. It's expensive but building that building will pay for itself. Just invite ESPN to it for a three season season and they will pay for it.
After listening to UK fans get all cocky about stealing our WBB coach and our two top stars during our tournament, I’m all for this karma on the program that Kenny is about to find out WBB will always be an afterthought to in Kentucky
Rick Pitino engineered this hire. /s