Defending Mark Pope

What a wild week it was in the ecosystem that is known as Big Blue Nation (BBN) From tracking private jets to leaving Yelp reviews for Mexican restaurants in Waco. They even got Chip Gaines of all people to get chesty on Twitter (that’s what I’m calling it in perpetuity). You guys really deserve an applause. To call it a passionate or rabid fanbase would be underselling those adjectives.

That being said— the backlash that the Mark Pope hire is eliciting is equally impressive to behold. I am not going to defend Mitch Barnhart here. That being said. He had been turned down by BOTH Scott Drew and Dan Hurley. At each step, BBN took an odd delight in how much money they were going to throw at those two.

I don’t quite understand that psychology there. Maybe because I’m not wealthy or a fan of a blue blood. But this just seems like an odd way of thinking.

“We know you have a good job and you don’t really want to come here. But we will throw such an ungodly sum of money at you— you will be forced to say yes!!!”

Did I miss something? Was Robert Redford’s character the protagonist in Indecent Proposal? Does our culture pull for Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk?

The Bluegrass intelligentsia can talk about patience all they want. But as they great American philosopher Fat Joe once said “yesterday’s price is not today’s price”. If you think Bruce Pearl wasn’t going to ask for 15 million a year to jump across conference at 64 years old. You haven’t been paying attention the past decade. Heck Auburn just left Under Armour to ink a new deal with Nike. They might have matched it. How would that have played in Lexington?

Why should Barnhart wait possibly weeks to throw eight figures at Billy Donovan? Donovan has not even coached in college eight years. Too bad nothing had changed in the landscape during that time. Rick Pitino is 71 years old and has Louisville tattoo on his back. Nate Oats’ team needed their own security detail in last year’s tournament. Sean Miller had an assistant go to prison (unjustly) This is really what the fanbase is longing for.

It’s an inconvenient truth but John Calipari left. He wasn’t fired. Should Barnhart have been more prepared? Of course, but there was no John Calipari waiting in the wings. That is ultimately why he wasn’t fired. Mitch Barnhart took a giant poo platter and made something edible. He hired someone who answers many of the complaints of the insatiable fan base. Let’s go through list….

“We want players to play for the name on the front of the jersey— not the back”

This complaint is disingenuous and shortsighted. But if they really feel this way, I’ll give you the name Colin Chandler. Who is that? Chandler is one the highest rated recruits in BYU storied basketball history. The top 35 recruit hasn’t scored a single point for the Cougars since Pope secured his commitment in 2022. That doesn’t sound comforting. However this has nothing to do with development or injury.

Chandler is off the grid somewhere performing his two LDS Church mission. At the risk of sounding trite or sacrilegious. Pope has been recruiting players that do not play for the name on the front OR back of their jerseys. They are often playing for something higher than that. While adhering to a strict “honor” code that derailed the last BYU team with Final Four aspirations. Within these “challenges”, Pope has been successful. He has proven he can build a winner with players from diverse backgrounds. In an environment that is not necessarily conducive to that. He will not have a challenge getting a team to buy into his system at Kentucky.

John Calipari took pride in getting kids to the NBA. I don’t know why that seemed to bother elements of the fanbase so much. He was a near permanent presence at the draft. Frequently and justifiably touting the success of his former players. Pope doesn’t need to resort to that tactic. He knows what it takes to get to the league because he spent six years there as a player. That is a currency Calipari never had.

“We need a coach who can adapt to the modern game”

While I’m here to defend Pope. I am not a person who cuts up film professionally. I am a scout who works in evaluating player’s individual skill sets and tendencies. I can throw around words like “floppy” or “zoom action” and have an idea of what I am talking about. However that is not what I am hear to do.

What I am is a nocturnal college basketball viewer. Which means a lot West Coast Conference (WCC) basketball late nights on ESPN. Trust me Pope runs a modern style of basketball that is aesthetically pleasing. With heavy movement and a reliance on the three point shot. If numbers are your thing. The vaunted and respected Kenpom rankings bear this out. BYU finished in the top 20 (18) and ahead of Kentucky (23) this past season. Did this while moving from the WCC to the Big 12 conference. Both the eye test and numbers say Kentucky should be in for a welcome stylistic change.

“We need someone who can handle the pressure of Kentucky”

BBN might not want to hear it. The Scott Drew incident was a self inflicted wound. You don’t put your family on a plane to Lexington if you are not interested in the job. Tracking said plane and forcing it to land at a different airport— while that’s not uncommon, its a little extreme. Now tracking a local restaurant in Waco from a menu in a picture. Then double checking Family Feud TV listings to see if the picture was from the present day. THEN calling the restaurant yourself to talk to Scott Drew while he was eating. That is somewhat unprecedented. In my generation we called that going after a girl with “crazy eyes”

You know who is not put off by these “crazy eyes?” It is important to note that goes beyond Mark Pope just playing at Kentucky. When I told you on Monday this was the best and most attainable candidate. I mentioned this. It bears repeating

I am not member of the Church of Latter Day Saints. That being said I know enough to have a grasp on the gravity Pope’s position holds. Having a few message boards mad at you would pale in comparison to being one of the prominent faces of an international religion. The Marriot Center seats 19,000 people. Rupp Arena was built to surpass BYU’s hold as the largest college basketball arena. The Cougars have a rabid and passionate fan base.”

Pope knows the Kentucky fanbase and will not intimidated by it. This is the one college basketball coach with a “bigger” fan base than Kentucky. If BBN’s obsession borders on religious fervor. Pope already has experience and is comfortable in that lane.

Lastly…..he’s not John Calipari

This is not a dig at Cal. Simply put, Kentucky is not a job with a long shelf. Both sides were ready for a divorce. The fact remains, a 65 year old well compensated coach took a pay cut to take a lesser job. He was done and BBN was ready for a change as well. That’s partly why I identified Pope and Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd as the best candidates. They were successful and different from Calipari.

Honestly how much of a change would Bruce Pearl, Nate Oats, and Danny Hurley have been? Successful, brash, east coast personalities (excluding Oats) Billy Donovan and (gulp) Rick Pitino are just call backs to the past. Drew would have been a distinct change, but it wasn’t happening.

Much maligned Mitch Barnhart (that has a nice ring) made a save here. As much as the fanbase doesn’t want to admit it. I think they were getting a lot closer to Mick Cronin than they know. If Pope turned them down it could have gotten bleak. Barnhart knew he wouldn’t, so he went to the emergency button quicker than most thought he would.

Why are there emergency buttons on nearly everything we ride on. We might not like them or appreciate their presence. But when you need them— they work. Mark Pope is going to work and win in Lexington. That is all BBN should care about at this point.