Pope is aggressively trying to transform a program by turning it upside down from its core base. The talent needed for his style (see Kentucky -late 90’s) is never walking in to Provo with the honor code and the academic rigors of BYU He has zero NCAA tournament wins on his resume.
I think he can be a great coach and take a school to a high level — but not at BYU with this style. And if you think Hall is the future, then you’re banking on a slow guy who will get torched against big time programs (watch Creighton guards in a few weeks blow past him )
I like Pope - but I think he’s in it for himself more than the program — and his loyalty towards players (cuts scholarships ) has a damaging effect in the locker room
Lohner is playing well at Baylor — could have used him now.
Also - these kids seem to get burnt out during the season because Pope pushes them so hard — these kids are not the same make up as the hard core kids Rick Pitino brought in to Kentucky. Pope is a grinder and super motivated — but sometimes that doesn’t transfer over to players day in and day out. Pope seems like he would be a great missionary companion for about 3 weeks — but then he would wear you out and it seems like he seeks the attention instead of the overall mission and cause. I think he is at BYU to move on to the next school — not build a long term winning program like Gonzaga, Randy Bennett at StMarys , etc.
This current team may finish 3-6 in the wCC this year.