PJatHome

This was pretty much a no-brainer. I hope he has a stellar career in the NBA.

The wailing is pretty much over. This kid was a top 35 recruit his senior year.

It took me about three years to learn the correct pronunciation.

Will the fans boo Calipari? Or will they be more accommodating? We were pretty tough on Pitino when he went to UofL. Both coaches had some admirable accomplishments at UK.

I had heard previously that this was a likely occurrence. Some BYU talking heads were speculating.

Wish I could have been there. I had a lot of friends who attended.

I hope you got to see the press conference to introduce Pope yesterday. I think it is safe to say that winning with freshmen is a thing of the past. If you didn't get to see it it is available on YouTube on the O_Ball_O channel.

If he doesn't want to be at UK, he will be better off somewhere else (and we, also.)

My biggest concern, at this point, is whether the student-athletes that are up and coming will be willing to assimilate the traditions of UK basketball into their learning process, or whether they will be too interested in the short-term gains. I think Pope will insist that all up-and-coming 'stars' will have to sincerely want to be at UK and will have to demonstrate this by showing appreciation for the stars of years gone by. It is an absolute turnaround from the Calipari years. If he can persuade them that it really is an 'honor' to don the uniform then there are good things to come. That seems to be one of the main things I gleaned from the introduction, and I can now see why his hiring makes a lot of sense. I do not doubt his coaching ability at all. He will be swimming upstream from the main currents and if he can bring the players along then there are plenty of good times ahead. I think he will succeed, but we will have to wait and see. He certainly has no illusions about why he is here. He made that very clear. Overall, I think he was probably the best hire for the program at this time.

I am looking forward to the baseball game, also. We are doing well this season; however, we have the top teams coming up at the end of the season. I hope we can keep it up against the best teams. Our pitching is significantly improved over last year and our hitting has been improving. Should be a good series vs. the Vols.

It was free, but the equivalent of a 'sell out.'

I think the Pope may have resurrected the dead and awakened a sleeping giant. That was one heck of a 'press conference.'

Apparently, the coaching staff will be following Cal to Arky, according to reports I have heard. That surprises me, if it happens.

I agree with everything you said. Wait and see. You can never know in advance who will hit and who will miss. I think this is going to be a 'hit.' But, we'll have to wait and see.

Very hard to recruit at BYU (Mormon school) due to university regulations related to student conduct - no drinking, smoking, pre-marital playing around, etc. Still, he beat Kansas (at Kansas), Baylor, and other high-ranked teams. My first impression was disappointment, but I am now pretty high on him as a coach. He probably won't get a massive influx of top 50 players, but UK is his passion and the boosters are stepping up. Even Rick Pitino has offered to cut an NIL check to help the team. If a large crowd shows up at Rupp Arena today to welcome him back home, then I believe the future is bright. It remains to be seen how he will pan out in the long run, but it wouldn't surprise me if we are back in the game pretty soon. It is definitely an abrupt departure from the Calipari era. We will be a different kind of team.

And he was their captain. His teammates said he was the heart and soul of that team. I’m looking forward to next season.

As the Big 12 was probably the toughest conference in which to win the past couple of years, a 5th place finish is not at all bad. That is about where we finished in the SEC this year and we were really a good team before the post-season.

He was signed to a five-year contract, so I would imagine that we passed on the future Donovan option. Sounds like he is our guy. Now I am itching for basketball season to begin when I should be thinking about football. Hey, how about the Bat Cats? That is a bigger surprise than the Pope hire.

I think you are right. This was probably the best guy for the job.

Not so sure about that. If there is a large crowd at Rupp tomorrow to welcome him back to Lexington, then I will say you might be wrong. I wish I could be there.

I think most of Mark's former teammates, if not all, will be there tomorrow to welcome him back home. I would love it if Rick Pitino showed up and cut that NIL check that he said he would (if we needed it). That would mend a LOT of fences in old relationships. I think they may already be discussing a game with St. John's.

I saw blue smoke from the Joe Craft Center.

NIL starting to come in. Apparently a lot of boosters were holding back until Cal was gone, at least according to some reports. A $4M commitment has already been pledged (from two individuals).

The folks in Utah seem to be very disappointed that he is leaving, but understanding his decision and wishing him well.

See you in Rupp next year. Should be a good (and very interesting) game.

I agree…and the same goes for Arkansas.

After what crawled out of the woodwork this week, an abrupt departure from the last few years may be just what we need. I’m happy with the hire.

Nervous = stage fright...not a bad thing in most cases. He will have something to prove.

Yes, let's do exactly that. The more I think about, the more I am pleased with the hire.

I doubt that any of Cal's assistants will follow him to Fayetteville. I sure hope Ulis and the others stay at UK.