https://twitter.com/MattNorlander/status/1778597398505275867
It’s who they could get. I hope he enjoys the paycheck while it lasts.
They might give him two years to win it all before they fire him.
The question is will they do it at the airport, or after a booster dinner?
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The UK message boards about to fire the AD.
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has the byu board started its incredulous “I cant believe Pope would choose UK over BYU, doesn’t he want the Celestial Kingdom” posts?
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Really? Guess I shouldn’t be surprised, it is cougarboard afterall.
Bizarro, but OK, IMO.
UK fans projectile vomiting, chaos and hand-wringing in Provo during the Portal period.
If this can help us a little bit in going into the B12, that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
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What do you think the odds are that Collin Chandler comes to Utah with the coaching change?
Who in the world is BYU going to get to replace him?
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Chris Burgess?
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Some are trying to say (Local here in Kentucky) that he will follow Pope. I don’t know if any of them have any idea who this kid is or how his family will guide him. Seeing what I’ve seen with UK they need a few kids with age on this team. Cal really got stuck with one and done mode and with Covid year extensions really put a beating on those one and done kids when you have players who are sometimes playing their sixth season. Even my Alabama team with all their seniors they are possibly coming back because of Covid year.
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It seems the only difference between UKfan in basketball and Trojanfan in football is so far UK hasn’t been penalized by the NCAA. If they ever are UKfan will spend decades whining about it, just like Trojanfan is still doing to this day.
With the NBA shutting down the G-League, and with what some projecting NIL turning into “Stupid Money” at some institutions, maybe “Them” will be simply buying a winning team.
The can of stuff still has a lot more questions than it has answers; and new stuff is getting thrown into the mix every day.
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“Pope brings a résumé that’s light for a job generally considered the best in the sport.”
espn.com article
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They got a near death penalty and then went on a run with Rick Pitino. That’s when Pope transferred in onto the greatest UK team of all time in 1996.
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UK is one of a few jobs that’s really too big, and if Calipari was struggling to keep defying gravity, everyone else at the top tier smartly backed away.
Hence, Coach Pope, who will say some stupid things and get on the hot seat, maybe before Christmas. A fun little diversion for a lot of other people to watch.
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Is Burgess pretty much gone?
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If my exchanges with other BYU fans are indicative of the overall mood, it’s pretty much a case of take the money and run, no hard feelings, thanks for everything, and all the best in Lexington. Even if Pope crashes and burns, this job should financially set him up for life. Who among us wouldn’t take a job that may be, at worst, short term pain for long term gain? I can’t fault him and wish him well, along with my thanks for all he did, especially in BYU’s inaugural Big-12 season, which far exceeded my most optimistic expectations.
Meaning absolutely no disrespect to Pope, the fact that UK has to reach this far down the coaching totem pole to get its next coach speaks volumes about the school that is second only to Duke on my least favorite basketball program and hasn’t exactly lived up to its blueblood status of late, ala UCLA. Kentucky’s misfortune led to Pope hitting the jackpot, so I’m okay with what’s happening.
In my mind, the bigger questions are what happens to the players, as in will there be a mass exodus, and who will replace Pope? I think the latter question is by far the easier, at present, to answer, with my expectation being that BYU will either promote from within and make a hard push for Chris Burgess. Both are a gamble, though so were Lavell, Bronco and Steve Cleveland. They were all dark horse candidates that initially smacked of borderline desperation, each of whom justified the step in the dark. I’ll take my chances on whomever BYU chooses.
As for the players, that’s a total unknown right now, so I’ll brace myself for some departures and be relieved if the main contributors remain in Provo. It is what it is.
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That’s actually a pretty fair take, SPCoug.
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I’m not sure where I read this, but someone suggested that what will happen with new HC and existing players will largely depend on how large a check Ryan Smith is willing to cut. Will he cut a check big enough to cover Mark Madsen’s buyout from Cal. The only other LDS guy with HC experience is a guy who was at SUU. Burgess and an assistant at Houston are probably the highest regarded current assistants. The best remaining coach at BYU is Cody Fueger, who is not LDS. I just don’t see BYU hiring a non-LDS HC. My money is on Burgess. He has coached at BYU and has great local ties. Like Kalani, it is a gamble.
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Thank you, I appreciate that. Half a century of following BYU has taught me that there (and will be) lots of great moments, as well as disappointments. As a result, I still enjoy the good times as much as ever but find that the losses don’t bother me nearly as much as they used to. I’m happy that Mark Pope gets to live his dream, but won’t lose any sleep tonight over who will replace him and who will enter the portal (Dallin Hall apparently is the first to go).
It’s also been hugely therapeutic and beneficial when interacting with Utah and other fans and how I view them when they’re not present. They’re good people, just like I try to be, just happen to support a different school and athletic program. It also helped that I worked on a PhD (never completed) at Utah and absolutely loved walking to class up Presidents Circle on a fall afternoon. That’s as beautiful as anything near the old president’s house at BYU.
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