Those 4 guys sure looked like an attempt by Admin to keep Pope under tabs. Pope wanted unrestricted recruiting budget, including unrestricted NIL $$$. The Ques Glover fiasco made it obvious that there was a significant divide between Pope and Admin. Kudos to both sides for figuring out how to bury the hatchet enough to have a very successful 2024 season, after a painful 2023 season. But, Pope applied to every lateral position that he could. He had a different vision than Admin., that much is clear.

Kentucky provides Pope all the things he wants to implement his vision. Basketball comes first, No HC standards. No grade standards. All that matters is your ability to help win games on the court. And there is a wide open NIL budget to attract the best of the best, including plenty of guys who are one and done. After this year, the COVID bubble will be gone and recruiting one and done talent will again take center stage, not that Pope isn't a portal fiend also.

At BYU, Admin has a different vision. BYU has always done best when it attracts the best LDS talent. Pope was allergic to LDS big men. Not sure why. Even though there were several LDS big men available, they all ended up elsewhere. While Pope wants to reload every year, Admin seems to want to bring in guys and develop them over several years. No more triple transfers in their last year of eligibility, like Ques Glover, Rudi Williams, Brandon Averette, etc. In short, have fewer mercenaries and focus on developing the guys you have.

I admit, I became frustrated with Pope when he ran off Kolby Lee, Connor Harding, and Wyatt Lowell in favor of guys like Seneca Knight. Pope even started Seneca Knight over Caleb Lohner, which was rank stupidity. In short, Pope repeatedly showed zero loyalty. That had to bug Admin.

Again, I wonder whose idea it was to plant 4 mental strength coaches in the middle of the BYU basketball program. That is one for every 4 players. If you did that for the football program, that would be 30 guys. In other words, when it came to Pope, Admin did something extraordinary and Admin had its strong reasons for doing so. I wish that I had an insider in Admin, but I don't. These are just observations from a fan on the top row in the Marriott Center.