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This is the problem with unrealistic expectations.
Posted on 4/11/24 at 9:57 pm
Posted on 4/11/24 at 9:57 pm
The same thing happened to UT during the whole Schiano fiasco.
UT, if you’ll recall, had convinced themselves that Jon Gruden was going to be the guy. They had “insiders” filling them full of bullshite about it being a done deal, etc. Then, when that fell through and it ended up being Schiano, a guy who could have been a great hire for a program that had been turned on its head and needed a complete rebuild, the fans lost their minds. Their response was so visceral that it forced UT’s AD to reverse course. Their eventual outcome was to hire Jeremy Pruitt, which was an abject disaster.
Fast forward to UK’s basketball coaching search, where right out the gate - their first targets were Dan Hurley, who is unquestionably the biggest name in basketball right now, and Billy Donovan - who was once viewed in the same light. Either of those guys would have certainly galvanized the UK fanbase and made the Cal fiasco at least feel like it was worth the trade.
Pope could end up being a solid hire, but I’m not sure UK fans will let that happen.
UT, if you’ll recall, had convinced themselves that Jon Gruden was going to be the guy. They had “insiders” filling them full of bullshite about it being a done deal, etc. Then, when that fell through and it ended up being Schiano, a guy who could have been a great hire for a program that had been turned on its head and needed a complete rebuild, the fans lost their minds. Their response was so visceral that it forced UT’s AD to reverse course. Their eventual outcome was to hire Jeremy Pruitt, which was an abject disaster.
Fast forward to UK’s basketball coaching search, where right out the gate - their first targets were Dan Hurley, who is unquestionably the biggest name in basketball right now, and Billy Donovan - who was once viewed in the same light. Either of those guys would have certainly galvanized the UK fanbase and made the Cal fiasco at least feel like it was worth the trade.
Pope could end up being a solid hire, but I’m not sure UK fans will let that happen.
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Posted on 4/11/24 at 9:59 pm to Tuscaloosa
Timing has a lot to do with it. It's April 11th. Most tournament coaches don't get fired, so...you either lure away a guy who's comfortable somewhere or hire an NBA guy.
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:02 pm to 3rdandLong1983
quote:
Timing has a lot to do with it. It's April 11th. Most tournament coaches don't get fired, so...you either lure away a guy who's comfortable somewhere or hire an NBA guy.
Or keep the guy who took you to 4 Final Fours, 7 Elite 8s, 8 Sweet 16s, won a National Championship & 6 conference championships.
That probably would have been the best choice.
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:03 pm to Tuscaloosa
quote:We didn't fire him
keep the guy who took you to 4 Final Fours
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:04 pm to Tuscaloosa
Well they were obviously so unhappy with Cal that they didn't care.
I remember during Coach Ks career at Duke theynhad a dry spell in the mid 90s and even had a losing season, but they kept him. And won 3 more titles.
I remember during Coach Ks career at Duke theynhad a dry spell in the mid 90s and even had a losing season, but they kept him. And won 3 more titles.
This post was edited on 4/11/24 at 10:06 pm
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:04 pm to LouisvilleKat
quote:
We didn't fire him
Perhaps not, but the fan base certainly forced him out - and proudly so. This was being bragged about just a couple short days ago.
This post was edited on 4/11/24 at 10:05 pm
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:05 pm to Tuscaloosa
You are taking this really hard. Can’t imagine why an Alabama fan would be so invested in Kentucky. They’ll be alright
This post was edited on 4/11/24 at 10:05 pm
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:05 pm to Tuscaloosa
Rabid fanbase
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:06 pm to Tuscaloosa
quote:Supposedly wasn’t ever really contacted. It was literally Hurley —> Drew —> Pope.
Billy Donovan
quote:They shouldn’t. It reminds me of the Matt Luke hire we made when Freeze was fired. The only way I would have accepted Luke as our head coach is if he won the west or bare minimum 10 games the first year.
Pope could end up being a solid hire, but I’m not sure UK fans will let that happen.
Fair or not, Kentucky fans should put the exact same expectations on Pope as they were going to put on Cal next year. Final 4 or get the frick out.
This post was edited on 4/11/24 at 10:07 pm
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:06 pm to Mr Roboto
quote:
You are taking this really hard. Can’t imagine why an Alabama fan would be so invested in Kentucky. They’ll be alright
It’s the biggest story in sports, and 11x Award Winning SECRant user Tuscaloosa is a man of the people.
Enjoy.
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:06 pm to Tuscaloosa
Does this mean Alabama is out of the woods now?
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:06 pm to LouisvilleKat
quote:
We didn't fire him
No, the fans ran him out of town.
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:07 pm to Tuscaloosa
quote:
It’s the biggest story in sports
Maybe for you. The masters is ongoing and NBA playoffs are about to start. I’d even wager the Shohei gambling story is bigger.
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:08 pm to Tuscaloosa
quote:His famous quote was "I can't hide you here" in his pitch to recruits. Apparently it also applied to him
Perhaps not, but the fan base certainly forced him out - and proudly so. This was being bragged about just a couple short days ago.
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:11 pm to Mr Roboto
quote:
Maybe for you. The masters is ongoing and NBA playoffs are about to start. I’d even wager the Shohei gambling story is bigger.
ESPN dot com says it’s the Top Headline. I don’t make the rules, I only report the news.
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:13 pm to Tuscaloosa
quote:
ESPN dot com says it’s the Top Headline. I don’t make the rules, I only report the news.
I’m not surprised since they are actively trying to bury the Ohtani situation
Seriously though, you have been obsessed with Kentucky lately. I don’t get it
Posted on 4/11/24 at 10:19 pm to Mr Roboto
It’s a hobby
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