All Hogs

Kentucky Fans Have Already Handed Calipari, Hogs First Win

Meltdown, desperation in Lexington tip recruiting balance in Arkansas Razorbacks' favor

Kent Smith

New Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari at press conference after introduction Wednesday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
New Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari at press conference after introduction Wednesday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas. / Craven Whitlow-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – One of the best parts of the John Calipari hire to Arkansas are the wars that will take place over the next few years between Kentucky and the Razorbacks.

The initial battle will be on the recruiting front and it appears the Hogs may win this one without firing a shot. The Kentucky basketball coaching search has led to all the shots needed and they're all self-inflicted by the Big Blue Nation itself.

This isn't a hit job on Mark Pope. He's the right guy for the job. He was on the original allHogs list of coaches who should be considered for the Arkansas job because he's a great coach with wins over teams like Kansas, Baylor, Iowa State and San Diego State this year and he knows the SEC landscape.

He did all of that despite the built-in restrictions that come with trying to lure basketball players to BYU as opposed to a place like Arkansas or Kentucky. Yet, even though he's also a former captain of a Kentucky national championship team, the Lexington blue bloods are acting like their AD just went out and hired basketball Chad Morris.

The hate elicited by Kentucky fans about Pope's hiring is extreme. It's created so much desperation in the past 24 hours.

First, Pope put out a video of himself ripping off his clothes to show Wildcats fans how excited and bought in he is to be coaching his alma mater. Then, Rick Pitino, who helped Pope bring that national title to Kentucky as his coach, filmed a video from Mike Anderson's old office at St. John's begging fans to believe in Pope.

"What special day for the University of Kentucky. The leader, the captain of the Untouchables is coming home to lead the Wildcats. A lot of people out there talk about Jay Wright, Danny Hurley, Billy Donovan. They all had their trials and tribulations as well early on, but Mark Pope went into the went into the Big 12 this year, beat Kansas at Kansas, beat Baylor at home, and in his first year got to the NCAA.
Mark Pope, offensively, no one does it better. The way his teams move, the way his teams shoot the three, the ball movement, the player movement is outstanding. What you don't realize, it took Jay Wright 11 years to finally get an NCAA win. Billy Donovan was at Marshall for two years, didn't have an NCAA appearance. He went on to greatness. Mark Pope will go on to greatness. You can put it down.
He's not only a Rhodes Scholar candidate, but I remember as if it's yesterday, John Pelphrey getting misty eyes in my first year as a basketball coach in Kentucky. Every time he put on the uniform, he was near tears and I said to him 'John, what is with you every time you put that uniform on?' He said 'Coach, you just don't understand what this means to all of us from Kentucky.' Well, I can guarantee you one thing, nobody, nobody epitomizes the name Kentucky on the front of the jersey more than Mark Pope.
What some of you don't realize is how good a basketball mind he has. How much of a relentless recruiter he will be. Now recruiting is different today. We're now coaching all pros. The NIL has has taken away amateur basketball and has made them professional athletes. I'm sure Kentucky's going to have a strong NIL.
You have one of the premier young coaches in the game. Relish it because he will do you proud. I know I sit here today at St. John's and I couldn't be any more proud than to see Mark Pope lead to Kentucky Wildcats to another championship. He'll get it done. He's got the right stock. He's got a beautiful family and he loves, absolutely loves, Kentucky across his chest. Get it done. Mark. I love you. You're gonna do a fabulous job."

It didn't work. In fact, the video probably made Kentucky fans long for Pitino's return, and it should be noted that evoking the name of John Pelphrey, the actual Chad Morris of college basketball, did nothing to ease concern.

Had Pope been pick No. 11 or 12 in the coaching search, they would have been frustrated, but would have accepted it. However, a coaching search that ended after roughly 48 hours with perception being this was only the fourth coach to whom the big blue van full of cash was presented, it's being viewed in Kentucky as a panic move by Mitch Barnhart.

Fans are hopping mad Bruce Pearl and Billy Donovan didn't get a chance to publicly say no well before Pope was given the keys because Wildcats fans are convinced, much like they were with Dan Hurley, Scot Drew and Nate Oats that coaches will ignore how exhausting they are and show up at a discount because it says Kentucky on the jersey.

All this public grumbling by Kentucky fans and boosters along with these two moves that pretty much scream "Please, we're begging you to just at least sorta try to pretend to like him because he's one of you," isn't lost on recruits. Meanwhile, Calipari spent the day flipping on social media to Razorbacks fans falling all over themselves for him, a coach Kentucky fans no longer wanted, while a top notch recruit changed his social media to "Chicken Man."

Pope has all the potential to be a great coach at Kentucky. Unfortunately, for Wildcats fans, but great news for Arkansas, that potential will not be fully realized this year. He's already been cut off at the knees and it would take a miracle to recover to what it could have been had all the fans and boosters gotten his back.

Because of this underwhelming reception, the gates seem fully open for the Razorbacks in recruiting. The handful of non-native Kentucky players who might have considered going back to Kentucky under the new coach have little incentive to step into the dumpster fire that has been created there rather than follow Calipari and his giant bag of NIL money to Arkansas.

It may turn out different once they're finally on the court because no one can ever predict how an Arkansas-Kentucky game will play out regardless of records. However, for now, Round 1 decidedly goes to Arkansas with literally no effort needed.

HOGS FEED:

• Arkansas unable to keep Smith's no-hitter going against Alabama in series opener

• Remarkable path to Fayetteville for one of Arkansas' new assistants under Calipari

• Arkansas football will start season earlier, locks up national TV spot for opener

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Kent Smith
KENT SMITH

Kent Smith has been in the world of media and film for nearly 30 years. From Nolan Richardson's final seasons, former Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner trying to throw to anyone and anything in the blazing heat of Cowboys training camp in Wichita Falls, the first high school and college games after 9/11, to Troy Aikman's retirement and Alex Rodriguez's signing of his quarter billion dollar contract, Smith has been there to report on some of the region's biggest moments. 

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