Last season saw Mark Pope abandon his offensive principles for a roster that just didn't fit; there were no floor spacers, and really, just one shooter.
But for Mark Pope to get back to doing Mark Pope things, he has to get back to Mark Pope play. We need the fancy "zoom" actions and fun ball movement we saw in year one. Not the rugged iso ball we saw in year 2.
It was kind of like deciding you needed a new wardrobe, but instead of going to your favorite store, you went to that trendy new place.
It looked great on others, but it just doesn't fit you the way it does other people. That was the narrative pretty much all year long. Kentucky's pieces fought, they looked good at times, but they never really fit.
And now he needs to slip back into his favorite PJ's and get some shooters.
In the Transfer Portal era, what happened a week ago is totally meaningless for what can happen in six months. It really is a new world, and Mark Pope needs to use that to his advantage to get back to Mark Pope basketball.
And that also means laying down a crutch that Mark Pope uses a little too much.
Ignoring the fancy analytics for proven production
Numbers can lie. You can bend them to make you feel like you can get the best out of every player, but it's just not possible. Sometimes a player with a low shooting percentage is just a bad shooter. You don't need to look at the anticipated field goal percentage in a good offense.
Drop the projected shooting percentage bit and find proven shooters who have knocked the bottom out of the net during their careers.
You do not need to use fancy analytics to show what a play might look like in ideal situations. While we can manipulate numbers, what doesn't lie is the ball leaving the hand and going down in that hoop over and over.
Pope must find those guys and get them in Lexington.
Targeting elite shotmakers like Christian Hammond or Demari Wheeler-Thomas
Not all analytics are bad; you need a good analytical approach in certain areas. But shooting doesn’t need complicated analytics to evaluate. Look at the percentage, look at how many they shot, and you will have a clear idea of how good a shooter they are.
When you look at the open market, there are a few guys out there creeping up to 40% from deep. Santa Clara's Christian Hammond is one. And Mark Pope got an up-close look at him in the NCAA Tournament OT win after that wild Otega Oweh shot.
He just hit the portal after a season where he shot nearly 40 percent from three-point range and averaged over 15 points per game.
Or North Dakota State's Demari Wheeler-Thomas, the guard, is now in the portal. He shot around 6 a game and made 2 of them. Right around 38-39% percent. Those are numbers you can live with. Last season, Kentucky had just one player above 37% from deep, Collin Chandler (41%).
Go get three or four of those guys who can make jumpers, grab a really good point guard like Christian Bliss to run the show, and find a big man to completely inhale rebounds.
Do that and get back to the style you played at BYU. A style that is built on hustle, togetherness, and letting that deep ball fly. That is how we build a program, and not just a roster.
If Pope wants his offense back, it starts with players who can actually make it work.