Coaching Carousel (Basketball)
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First boom 
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I agree this is definitely a fallback option and a bit uninspiring, but I find it hard to believe kids and handlers were familiar with Golden when he arrived at Fla from SF. And though they might not be familiar with Pope, they are familiar with Kentucky and Benjamins. And the latter seems to hold the most weight these days. He won’t bring in a Cal cupboard full of 5 stars and this certainly has the air of a big whiff, but I’m interested to see how he does. Win-win. If he does well, it’s a great story. If he doesn’t, well it’s Kentucky so that’s not a bad outcome either.
I love this outcome lol
Great entertainment on a Kentucky blog this morning. Let it burn! 
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I think whoever said that a UK coach "needs some MF'er in them" was onto something, and in that sense despite being an alum it really just feels like Pope isn't much of a fit for the job, more so than not being good enough.
Kentucky is supposed to be able to hire a successful coach at another power conference program, and if you have an up-to-date chart of the conference realignment carousel, Pope is that.
But it feels like he lacks the credibility and force of personality to avoid getting swallowed up by this situation. I do wish him the best, somebody's gotta beat Bruce Pearl.
Kentucky is supposed to be able to hire a successful coach at another power conference program, and if you have an up-to-date chart of the conference realignment carousel, Pope is that.
But it feels like he lacks the credibility and force of personality to avoid getting swallowed up by this situation. I do wish him the best, somebody's gotta beat Bruce Pearl.
The UK thing reminds me of Auburn FB hiring Bryan Harsin.
IANAL. Out of context but I wanted it on the first page so everyone knew.
The entitlement is strong with that one
OrangeBlue98
- Des Moines, IA
Good morning, everyone! Let’s see how BBN is responding to the news coming out of their basketball program…..
The game has changed. NIL has created parity. What a time!
That's just it. How much better is this job than the other basketball only powerhouses?
You're now facing Cal, Pearl, Barnes, Beard & Oats. And the tier 2 of Buzz, Paris, & Golden aren't shabby either.
When Cal joined UK you had Pearl, Donovan with maybe Stansberry & Grant as a tier 2. It was a pushover league.
That coupled with the insane fanbase, is it worth it for an extra 1-2M in NIL & contract dollars?
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ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Perfect comparison, right down to the "everybody knows the old coach was better, but that situation just couldn't sustain itself any longer because this place is such a looney bin" part.
I totally agree with everything you said. I don't get all the angst over Kentucky's hire. I believe there were many of our fan base asking who is Brad Underwood when he was hired. It is working out for us so far.
Antigua decided to take the guaranteed salary at Arkansas and stay with Cal rather than wait it out with Pope and other teams …
Chin is going to Arkansas … Short ties are already packed …
Chin is going to Arkansas … Short ties are already packed …
what is this 'Gold Standard'? and why is it a proper noun?
is this UK fans riffing on Fort Knox?
OrangeBlue98
- Des Moines, IA
I think it's more about a program like Kentucky whiffing on at least three top candidates, and I'll still say four - Hurley, Oats, Drew, and Donovan. I expect a program like Illinois to probably look at less-established coaches. I remember when Lon Kruger came to Illinois in the mid-1990s and how big of a deal it was that Illinois was able to recruit a coach that was from a power conference and had gone to a Final Four two years earlier.
The Mark Pope hire is one that I would expect much more from a program from Illinois than a program like Kentucky. Kentucky has the perception (whether right or wrong today) that they should be able to pick more or less whoever they want. Sure, maybe they take a swing at Dan Hurley, but you would think that the head coach at Baylor or even a conference rival like Alabama should be a relatively easy sell. But times are changing . . .
Regarding Pope, my comparison to Groce was a lot more about the fact that he was not really in UK's top three choices. Their fanbase expected that coaches of all caliber would be sprinting to take the job. UK fans are incredibly underwhelmed by the hire in the same way we mostly were with Groce.
It's especially damning for UK fans because they've been begging for Cal to leave for two years due to lack of tournament success, and then they replaced him with a guy who's never won a tournament game. There's certainly cause to hire him with the UK legacy and all, but there's no doubting what happened here: they shot for the moon and hit the Rocky Mountains.
It's especially damning for UK fans because they've been begging for Cal to leave for two years due to lack of tournament success, and then they replaced him with a guy who's never won a tournament game. There's certainly cause to hire him with the UK legacy and all, but there's no doubting what happened here: they shot for the moon and hit the Rocky Mountains.
Antigua decided to take the guaranteed salary at Arkansas and stay with Cal rather than wait it out with Pope and other teams …
Chin is going to Arkansas … Short ties are already packed …
Interesting. So then if the assistant of ours takes the interview you mentioned and gets the HC position, who would BU be looking at as a replacement?
The SEC is honestly loaded with coaches. You mentioned 8 good coaches and didn't even get to Chris Jans.
Yeah that’s the best!…Kentucky fans proclaiming they’re now Indiana…and saying Louisville now has a better coach than them. Lol-priceless!
But, this UKCats12-cat, must of been head of his or her class. This person actually gets it:
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