Why the Kentucky Basketball silence is a good thing
Mark Pope hasn’t spoken much in over a month, leaving some fans and media frustrated.
If you listen to Kentucky Sports Radio right now, Mark Pope should be standing up on a podium and talking with the media.
While Matt Jones and company are openly begging for some kind of communication, even joking about sending up “smoke signals,” the Kentucky basketball program has effectively gone completely dark.
Aside from a video asking fans for questions about the program and the obligatory social media graphics announcing player signings and assistant coaching hires, we haven’t heard a peep from Mark Pope since his final radio show back in March.
But is this silence actually a bad thing?
No. In fact, I think they are doing the right thing by remaining silent and doing the work that this roster desperately needs.
Coach speak doesn’t win games
Regardless of how you feel about where the roster currently sits, speaking to a hounding media and a fanbase that has been living on edge for weeks wouldn’t actually accomplish anything.
If Pope sat down at a podium tomorrow, what could he really say? We would get 20 minutes of standard coach speak. We would get a few optimistic quips about how “things are going to be good” and how much they “love the guys in the locker room.” Is that going to move the needle in a positive way for this program? Absolutely not.
So, the best thing Pope and his staff can do right now is put their heads down, ignore the outside noise, get to work, and figure out a way to fix this thing.
A massive offseason to-do list
When you actually look at the logistical nightmare the staff is currently navigating, you realize why they don’t have time for empty press conferences.
First, there are massive staffing questions that will probably be addressed in the next month. Cody Fueger and Mark Fox are currently sitting on expiring contracts that run out on June 30th. On top of that, Kentucky is still down an assistant coach, meaning the current staff is spread incredibly thin.
Then, there is the recruiting trail. Pope is still trying to fill out the last two spots to make sure year number 3 is better than year number 2. He flew out to Israel to meet Marcio Santos, all while meeting and having conversations with recruits from this year and next.
I don’t want him taking 20 minutes out of that schedule to sit down in front of a camera and tell us “everything is fine.” It would do absolutely nothing except provide a few fleeting clicks.
Leave a Reply