Ah, to be a Louisville Cardinal fan. The playbook isn’t complicated. When the spotlight drifts away from their own programs, they go looking in the one place they know they will get some attention. They just talk about Kentucky, and then they get clicks their own fanbase won't give them.
Right on cue, after Louisville crashed out in the NCAA Tournament, Raashaan Myers stepped in to do exactly that. Even though Louisville football had just landed Ja'Hyde Brown, Myers was more worried about what Mark Pope and Kentucky basketball were up to.
After reports surfaced that Mark Pope is adding Mo Williams to the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball staff while also signing Mason, Mo's son, Myers fired off a take that felt less like analysis and more like rage bait.
“Hmmm UK giving away assistant coach spots to the father of a borderline Top 150 player? Sure. I guess so. Things are changing in Camelot.”
If you’re calling this a “giveaway,” you either didn’t look at the resume or you’re hoping nobody else will. And you are just hoping people click your tweets to get some attention.
Hiring Mo Williams isn’t nepotism. It’s about adding real value to the coaching staff. Kentucky didn’t “hand out” anything. They added a coach with a profile most programs would line up for.
Williams isn’t just a parent attached to a recruit, though that relationship will be there. He’s a former Division I head coach who spent the last four years running his own program, managing rosters, and navigating the SWAC.
But reducing him to “a father of a recruit” ignores the part that actually matters. The part Louisville doesn’t want to talk about
There are plenty of assistants in college basketball. There are not many who can walk into a recruit’s living room and point to his finger and ask them if they want to win an NBA ring.
Williams can.
He won an NBA championship alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. That kind of cred isn't going to be taken lightly in recruiting circles. It's not talking about how you can help people; it is showing them that you know what it takes to actually get it done. That’s lived credibility, and you can't fake that.
And in an era where recruits are evaluating pro pathways as much as anything else, that matters more than ever.
The bigger picture Myers missed
This is where his bad take completely totally falls apart. Modern staffs aren’t built the way they were ten years ago. It’s not just about drawing up plays, while that matters a lot. It’s also about relationships, credibility, and if players will buy in to what you are actually selling.
Williams checks every box you can think of. He has head coaching experience, he has an NBA ring, and he has played with some of the best players in the world.
This isn't hiring a guys uncle to get him on campus, and then firing him when he leaves. It is not a favor to be paid back. This is just a good basketball move.
Shots like this don’t come from deep analysis. They come from a need to stay in the conversation. When Louisville clicks dry up, just mention Kentucky and you'll get a few clicks. He is seeking that attention that his own fanbase isn't giving him.
But attention doesn’t make the take right. Mark Pope didn’t weaken his staff. He added one of the few voices in college basketball who can back up every word he says with real, on-court experience at the highest level of the sport.
Louisville media can keep trying to spin it. But this was a good move made a staff that is looking to upgrade.