Baselinethree

@LionTrees_ Nah. Just the toxic fringe basement dwellers.

Unsure what happens next but Mark Pope seems to have lost his fan base.

@KentuckyF34638 Like you know anything lol

JMI never was the issue for Kentucky recruiting. Pope is.

@DylanBallard_UK What facts do you have they are mismanaging these situations? Are you in on the negotiations with these players, agents and families? What’s the inside scoop?

This is not over. There are a lot of big names left on the board, and you can recover. A few big names. I don’t know if Kentucky can get them or not. It’s just alarming that they are really struggling to close these guys and mismanaging these situations so poorly.

@RyanRLipscomb @tyrese1717 Thx for your opinion there “Bucky”.

@tyrese1717 So, bidding 3.5 million is “avoiding overpaying (and prioritizing) system fits.” You don’t even scratch 3.5 million if that’s your strategy. Dude can’t recruit and the ones he can, he can’t coach.

Pope can’t win with our fair weather fanbase, the issues that we had with last years roster construction is exactly what he’s trying to avoid with this years (injuries, overpaying, system fits) yet he’s catching flame for not overpaying for an injury prone forward, good lord.

@tyrese1717 Hoping it’s just the fringe basement dweller type of fan on X that is posting all this Pope hate. Can’t imagine normal BBN fans are this toxic.

@simms13111 @MattNorlander @KySportsRadio That’s what people probably say about you.

@MattNorlander @KySportsRadio Mark Pope is weird. It’s what everyone is thinking but won’t say.

Kentucky went from having the largest NIL budget in college basketball for the 2025-26 season to missing on multiple primary targets in this year's cycle.

@Louisville5980 @MattNorlander You’re kinda’ dumb.

@MattNorlander Two replacement names to watch next year after Pope is let go are Ben McCollum (Iowa) and Jai Lucas (Miami). McCollum won 4 div-2 titles and took Iowa to elite-8.

@BBNTAT0 You are full of shit.

This is debatably worse than the Billy G days. Argue with a brick wall #FireMarkPope

@NotJKLMcClure How dumb.

Pope won’t be the coach at Kentucky in April of 2027. That’s not insider info - it’s just a fact.

@jssharlow @TerrellTres It’s because you are ignorant. Sorry.

@TerrellTres Really? Have you heard his word salad philosophy dissertations in post games? It took me 15 years to be irritated by Cal on a mic, it took me about 6 months to want to vomit every time Mark Pope speaks. He literally makes no sense..

I still don’t buy the narrative that “Mark Pope doesn’t relate to the players” he’s recruiting. You think 73-year old Rick Pitino does? I don’t think so. It’s got to be something else.

@TerrellTres How does Dusty May relate to his players. He seems like an utter goof.

@TristanUda Dink Pate may end up ineligible. Wright was never really leaving BYU. Freeman? Is he really all that good? I mean his team last year went 15-17…

Kentucky has missed out on Dink Pate, Rob Wright, and Donnie Freeman, three of their top 7-8 targets this offseason. I’m usually in the “let it play out” camp, but with a not so deep portal and most top options already off the board, things are looking bleak for UK’s roster.

@LashbrookLuke @BigBlueBud You probably are bad at your job.

@BigBlueBud I’m 100% positive if I was as bad at my job as Mark Pope is at his, I would be fired

“Had him at the one yard line” is an understatement. Kentucky thought they HAD this on like Thursday. They were borderline cocky about it. We let sure-thing Rancik go for him. He entered the portal with the intention of coming to Kentucky. This is the ULTIMATE Mark Pope whiff…

@alveyjr21 @BigBlueBud He didn’t win though. Imagine a coach with two NBA lottery picks and he doesn’t start them!!! LOL!!!

@BigBlueBud Wouldn't have happened under Calipari

@RyanPohle @BigBlueBud Exactly. They both apparently contributed nothing to their former shitty teams.

@BigBlueBud Rancik stinks. Freeman’s overrated.

@drewaustin89 @BRamseyKSR @KySportsRadio You’re not qualified to post on X. Clown.

@BRamseyKSR @KySportsRadio I think we are now seeing the effects of Pope not being qualified to have this high profile of a job… kids aren’t committing because he’s never sent anyone of high regard to the NBA and doesn’t have a proven track record.

This is as frustrated as I’ve been as a Kentucky fan since Coach Pope took over. Again, it isn’t REALLY about Donnie Freeman…though he was the best available forward and, in my opinion, a high upside piece that lifts your ceiling. However, it’s about BEING AT THE FINISH LINE and not closing. It’s about IDENTIFYING HIM EARLY and not landing him. This isn’t a one-off miss either. Those have been consistent problems. Too consistent to be sustainable at Kentucky. You have to be able to close the deal. If that requires more money, then you have to be able to get the money. SPEND ON STARS!!! Now, as usual, I’ll say that two things can be true at the same time. 1) This is a massive miss, another example of a serious problem, and a blow to the program. 2) The transfer portal is a WILD world. You’ve got 26 hours to shake loose some new options. It’s possible it all works out, even for the better, but right now this is NOT GOOD. These next 26 hours better be spent getting someone to enter the portal, giving them a BAG, and getting it done quickly because these PR hits do start to matter and you have to fix the narrative in a hurry. I’m extremely frustrated and I think this is a BAD day for Kentucky Basketball. However, it’s also April 20th. The roster doesn’t need to be set for months. Ultimately, I’ll judge the final product and we are a LONG way from that day. Go ‘Cats!

@BRamseyKSR @bigblueview56 Rancik played on a Colorado team that went 17-16.

@bigblueview56 I disagree with that part actually. Rancik isn’t moving the needle. I agree with holding out in hopes of getting Freeman…but then you probably need to do what it takes to land him. We can find other guys like Rancik.

@BRamseyKSR Freeman was on a Syracuse team that went 15-17 this past season. He must not have been all that.

@chrispeak5280 You’re weak.

Pope is turning this Kentucky basketball program into a complete joke, can’t recruit high school players and can’t recruit the transfer portal… I say this and I don’t care what anyone thinks, Pope needs to go…this job is too much for him

@GoodmanHoops @keithtaylor21 @TheFieldOf68 Pitino hasn’t coached in the pros in almost 30 years.

Source told @thefieldof68 that a huge factor in Donnie Freeman choosing St. John's over Kentucky was Rick Pitino. "He wanted a guy that would coach him hard, and wanted someone who had coached pros."