Kentucky coach Mark Pope said he's in "heaven" trying to put the pieces together for this team. (Vicky Graff Photo)
After Kentucky lost to Michigan State, nothing seemed right with coach Mark Pope.
It took him 50 minutes to arrive at his postgame press conference and then many of his comments were confusing. His UK Radio Network interview with Tom Leach was short.
After Kentucky beat Loyola (Md.) 88-44 on Friday in Rupp Arena, even media members were asking Pope if he was okay.
“I’m so good guys, I’m really good. I’m pissy, but I’m good,” Pope said.
The Cats’ Pause publisher Darrell Bird told Pope UK fans had called him to ask if the coach was okay because of his words and body language after the Michigan State loss.
“Are you asking if I’m sick? No, we need to play better and we got to get better. We will stop at nothing to get better. There’s nothing that will stop us from getting better and we won’t sleep, we won’t eat. We won’t do anything until we get better. We are going to get better,” Pope told Bird.
“That’s going to take every ounce of our soul to do it. There’s nothing that will stop us from getting better and achieving what we are going to achieve this year. If you feel anything from me, feel that. I might not sleep as much, that’s great, because this is the greatest opportunity and a great group of guys. We are destined to do something really special and we are far, far from that and it’s not acceptable.”
Pope said he appreciated the concern but he was in his “happy space” now.
“The determination to like get down in the mud and grow and do it sleeplessly and relentlessly and get better every single day and push every single button and try every single new thing. That’s actually how you build something great and we are in it now,” Pope said.
“We are not leaving it. We are in it and we are going to push it and we are going to make progress. I’m actually better than okay. Like I said, this is my heaven right here. It’s hard. But we have something really good here and we are going to make sure that we get there. Thanks for your concern.”
So what is Pope’s recovery timeline like after a loss like the one against Michigan State?
“I stunk after Michigan State. I was terrible. I’m a terrible, terrible loser. I’m the worst. Maybe that disqualifies me from having this position. I hate it with a passion that’s unknown on the planet earth. I hate it. Especially here,” the Kentucky coach said. “We are representing. This jersey matters, this thing matters.
“Sometimes when you are holding back all of your emotion, I think that was probably more of a manifestation of me after the Michigan State game. I was so proud of myself for not saying the things that I wanted to say, actually. But we have a long slog ahead of us. I’m hyped, I’m telling you, this is my heaven space right here and it’s ugly and it’s tough it’s great and it’s what I’m born to do and that’s what this group is born to do.
“We are going to hit some hard space, but bring it and let’s go. I’m actually so happy in the misery of it. I just love every second of it and I love the fact that we are in a little bit in the hole and we have to dig ourselves out, I think that’s inspiring to me. I’m so good guys, I’m really good. I’m pissy, but I’m good.”
10 Responses
Lots of words. Just do.
That comment “I’m Pissy” ???! That sounds like Pope should get that crazy Guy from Minnesota to come and help him install tampons in the Basketball Men’s Locker Room!
We only have 3 cupcake games left. There will be no easy SEC games. Will this bunch put team before self? I am not so sure anymore…there are only 5 positions and one ball on the floor at any given time. This team needs a game that has 10 positions on the floor with 8 balls in play. Maybe that will be possible when we colonize Mars.
Am guess we have set ourselves up for at least another 10 loss season if not more.
Just saw a good report on JQ.
Quaintance needs to play Wednesday night against Tech.
Coach Pope
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It's like I can hear CAL's voice inside my head when I read these words, even though I know it isn't really CAL–reading the words and what Pope is saying, it invokes the sound of CAL's voice in my head, because it's like Pope is actually saying OUT LOUD publicly all of the gobble-dee-gook that was actually living inside of CAL's head or inside of his soul, but that CAL would just try to talk AROUND, or dance around, or talk his way OUT OF. But with Pope, he is actually saying everything that is in his psyche, in his mind, in his soul, in his subconscious—he is saying everything that u SHOULD NOT BE SAYING OUT LOUD!! Reading these quotes invokes the signs of someone who is deeply, deeply disturbed, deeply troubled, and quite frankly, somebody who is a bit of a looney-bin! I mean, im sorry, but I used to get on here doggin CAL for alot of the same, and one thing I'm not is a hypocrite—-but Pope clearly has major, major demons–im not exactly sure what they are, or what they stem from–i mean, I definitely always saw him as somebody who was a goober, or a goofball, a dorkish type, even when he was a player here–but being a goofball dork is one thing–this other stuff is a different matter altogether. Is it something as simple as he just isnt up to the task of being the KY coach? I mean, I thought last year, with the fact he only had 6 weeks to assemble a team, and it wasn't a group of all stars, and they had those 10 wins against top 25 teams and made the Sweet 16, and BEAT LOUISVILLE—I thought for his first season on this level for a subpar team that that wasn't too bad. Not at all saying it was GREAT. but with all the obstacles they had, thought it was respectable. But this brings me to one big comparison: Pope did fail one big test last year–and that was CAL's first return to RUPP as the opposing coach after leaving KY. If u are Mark Pope, the new coach of KY, and the KY bball program really means all the things to u that u say it does, then U ABSOLUTELY CANNOT LOSE THAT GAME TO CAL AND ARK LAST YEAR!!! Did he not have any pride at all for himself and his own legacy in that matchup? Did he not understand and feel what was on the line in that game? If I were Pope, I would have had my guys jacked sky-high before coming out for that game. I would have been breaking chairs and tables and just going crazy, and had my players ready to run thru walls for me. I would have told them how much that moment meant to me personally, but also how big of a moment it was for the program, and how they were going to be a part of history. Instead, it was like we got a preview that night of the Mark Pope we are getting NOW, TODAY–thats the same Mark Pope that showed up for the LOU game, and the MICH ST game. In over his head, outclassed, out-chess-matched, out-athleted….. that's what CAL did to Pope last year in that game against ARK in RUPP. That is EXACTLY the way ARK won. That game was a home game for CAL and a road game for us and Pope, which is the complete opposite of what u gotta have. All of the intangible factors that would have given CAL the edge in that game came into play and were indeed the determining factors in ARK getting the win. Pope had the team totally unprepared for what they were facing in CAL and ARK, and unfortunately for us last year, CAL just had the athletes and we didn't…….and that's how they beat us. And it was as if Pope treated that game as if they were bringing back a KY legend to honor him for a homecoming, as opposed to it being the OPPOSING COACH who is coming back to the site of his old team to KICK YOUR ASS!!!! which he proceeded to do!! There was like no sense of urgency, and Pope treated that meeting like they were going to be friends! And the one of two times last year that CAL ACTUALLY COACHED HIS TEAM TO WIN, AND BECAME THE OLD COACH THAT HE ONCE WAS LONG AGO!! against KY and against St Johns–the two teams with which he had a major personal grudge and had something he wanted to prove: he wanted to stick it to KY for wanting him gone so bad, and inside our own arena, no less, and Pope just let him come in and do it, and then he beat the only coach in the country that brings out the BEST in CAL ACTUALLY COACHING. CAL absolutely goes into another level when he faces Pitino, and that St Johns/ARK game last year in the tournament was one of the best games of the year, period, from a bball perspective. But St Johns dominated teams all year long, esp with their bigs, with the exception of one game, and that was ARK. I have never seen a meltdown on the level of St Johns in the last 6-7 mins of that game against ARK. If CAL coached every game the way he does against KY and Pitino, be really WOULD go 40-0. If I were Pope, I would have been embarrassed on a level like no other after that beatdown we took from CAL. He should have been able to have seen that coming. But if u recall, the bad taste from that ARK loss carried over into the next game, which resulted in one of our worst losses and worst performances of the season: at OLE MISS. That particular stretch of SEC games last year from late JAN to mid FEB is what pretty much died our entire season, and ended for good any momentum the team had early on. By that time, they no longer had Robinson playing, and Butler was 50% at best when he did play. Like someone else said today, now it's every year we never have our entire roster of players that we are supposed to have, due to "injuries", but are those "injuries" due to "illegal gambling"? I tell u this: if there is anything like that going on inside the KY program and Pope at the helm, that is going to be a recipe for complete and entire destruction. That would be a crippling of the bball program comparable to the scandal and sanctions from the late 1980's, and the end of Pope's career at KY, and maybe in coaching, period. I pray to GOD there is nothing like that going on. But there is definitely SOMETHING going on, because Pope has not been the same guy as he was last year–I mean, last year he had the fans backing him, and they were coming out to road games, and win or lose, after the game, he would come out and spend time with all of those fans. Im not seeing that same guy so far this year. And I know it's early–which means there is time to fix everything–but last year, all the fans definitely gave him his first year to adjust without much judgment, and he passed the majority of his tests, with the exception of a couple……but the fans truly did give him his honeymoon year and reserve their judgment. If there was any grumbling going on, it was going on behind closed doors, and not publicly. I said all along that we would find out more so about what Pope the COACH, the RECRUITER, and the DEVELOPER, would be like in years 2 and 3. And so far, in year 2, we have major red flags and major concerns/questions. Here's hoping and praying that Pope and the team both get the questions and concerns addressed and answered!!
It's time for Pope to get his act together or there might not be a year 3. He is on the verge of losing control of this team and BBN is not going to stand for another Billy Clyde type season.
I Totally Agree with You Barry. Just saw on CBS Sports the Cats have dropped to #22 in the top #25 The writer said; I'm not sure voters drop Kentucky out of the rankings this week but the Wildcats are very much in jeopardy of that playing out. They looked listless vs. Michigan State in the Champions Classic on Tursday. Last week: No. 12. I looked at the 9 teams we have played (already lost to Louisville & Michigan State) or teams we are going to play and it could be at least 9 losses to the ranked teams. Vanderbilt is looking better than the Cats are now. Very much could be double digit losses at the end of the SEC schedule?