Kentucky Hires Mark Pope as Men's Basketball Coach
Mark Pope named head coach of Kentucky men's basketball, bringing hope for championship glory.
Kentucky was the talk of college basketball this week after John Calipari departed Lexington for Fayetteville. Even as UConn's Dan Hurley was cutting down the nets after the championship game, the question was whether he would say yes or no. Hurley, Baylor coach Scott Drew, and Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan were the top three coaches in the search. Drew slept on it but decided to stay at Baylor.
It wasn't until Thursday night when eyes started turning to former UK player/captain and BYU coach Mark Pope. By the end of the night, it was all but official. The university made it official on Friday morning when Pope was announced as the 23rd coach in program history. Everyone has their own thoughts but I'm giving him a chance. Pope is the first UK coach since Joe B. Hall to have played for the Wildcats. I was excited to watch him play in the 1990s and bring home a banner and I'll be just as excited to watch him coach on the sidelines and bring more banners home to Lexington.
UK AD Mitch Barnhart:
“Mark Pope not only brings an impressive record in nine years as a head coach, but also a love of the University of Kentucky and a complete understanding of what our program means to the people of our state. As a captain on the ‘96 championship team, Mark was a beloved and respected teammate. As a head coach, he is highly regarded nationally as an innovator. His teams run a unique and dynamic up-tempo offense and they get after it on defense. He is a strong recruiter with international ties and a person of integrity.
“He fully embraces our high expectations and standards and I know that as our fans get reacquainted with Mark, they will be eager to join him on what promises to be an exciting ride.”
UK Coach Mark Pope:
“The University of Kentucky is the pinnacle of coaching in college basketball. It’s the definition of blueblood program where hanging a banner is the expectation ever year. Equally as important, UK changed my life forever as a human being. The love and passion I have for this program, this University and the people of the Commonwealth goes to the depth of my soul.
“I’m thankful to Dr. (Eli) Capilouto and Mitch Barnhart for this opportunity. I’m proud to be your next head coach and I can’t wait to do this together!”
During the KSR broadcast on Friday morning UK AD Mitch Barnhart announced that the press conference will probably be on Sunday at Rupp Arena and the public will likely be invited. This is a first that I can recall but that just shows how big UK basketball is in Kentucky. UK is still working out the logistics--sorry to any media with plans--but at least I have something to look forward to watching on Sunday.
I call on my fellow members of Big Blue Nation to give Mark Pope a chance. He'll bring UK back to the Promised Land and championship glory.
Last Friday, I watched another documentary about the Nova Festival massacre as it screened during the Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema. It took several days just to emotionally recover from feeling emotionally numb after watching. Watching Airplane on Monday night after the championship game didn't do the trick. Rewatching The Brady Bunch Movie, A Very Brady Sequel, and just going down The Brady Bunch rabbit hole may have helped. Was it enough? No, sports has also helped. I had a few STL games to watch in addition to the coaching search. Plus, Jackson Holliday made his MLB debut on Wednesday for the Baltimore Orioles.
One problem that I'm seeing from leftists and liberals on social media is the outright dismissal of Jews and our lived experience when it comes to antisemitism in left-wing spaces. This shit is real, people. I need liberals and leftists to understand that antisemitism is not just limited to the right-wing. Right-wing hate may be violent but left-wing antisemitism is more dangerous as it comes from the people I thought were friends and allies. When you dismiss concerns of Jews regarding left-wing antisemitism, don't come running back when we stop voting for Democrats. I don't know if and when the day is coming but it's becoming increasingly hard to remain in the party. I'm not about to vote GOP anytime soon, what with the election deniers, antisemites, and transphobic bigots. But when it comes to antisemitism, there is a serious problem with the left and it cannot be ignored under any circumstances.
Since sending out my last newsletter, I lost a number of subscribers. It's unfortunate because it also impacts my income. I've lost a substantial amount of freelance work so the bulk of my income--what little there is right now--is coming from paid subscribers. If you're on a free subscription and in a position to upgrade, please consider doing so.
Listen, I wish I was talking more about movies during the past six months but it's really become impossible with antisemitism back at 1930s levels. The rising Jew-hatred is not helping with my focus at all. I'll start watching a movie and then almost immediately start checking the news.
Film reviews:
TV reviews:
News:
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Opinion: