2022-2023 Basketball Season

[Pelado]

1. Pope is a confidence killer (benched him at one point, hurting the team and his confidence)
2. Played him out of position out of necessity, but did not provide him the coaching to develop an essential mid-range game he would need to be successful
3. Stubbornly stuck with offensive sets that did not play to the strengths of his personnel
4. Failed to adjust defensively (both coach K and the cheater Bill Self went to a zone from time to time during the tournament)

When a guy starts out 0-for-1000 shooting and, when not hoisting airballs and bricks, is turning the ball over willy-nilly, it might be appropriate to try having him come off the bench.

I don't know if Pope broke Lohner, but he was not good offensively this past season.

[Applejack]

It's not possible to build a great program and have to change out the team every season. Sheesh. Just look at the programs that succeed and the ones that don't. Key player transfers are program killers. Yes, the rules are different now. But great coaches will learn to manage the system and keep their returning nucleui intact.

SU speaks from experience.

[Non Sequitur]

1. Pope is a confidence killer (benched him at one point, hurting the team and his confidence)
2. Played him out of position out of necessity, but did not provide him the coaching to develop an essential mid-range game he would need to be successful
3. Stubbornly stuck with offensive sets that did not play to the strengths of his personnel
4. Failed to adjust defensively (both coach K and the cheater Bill Self went to a zone from time to time during the tournament)

Confidence killer? Pope didn't bench him soon enough and gave him the green light to shoot 3's til the end. Lohner failed because he wasn't a very good player, not because Pope crushed his soul. Lohner did one thing well. Rebound. He had no perimeter game. No mid-range game. No post moves. Got more shots blocked for a guy his size than I've ever seen. He didn't play great defense, and he wasn't a great passer. I don't see how any of that is Pope's fault.

[SeattleUte]

There is something like 1600 D1 players in the transfer portal. This is impacting almost every program to a large degree.

This is a self-delusion. I heard Krystkowiak's shills say this for years while his programs steadily eroded (after reaching heights Pope has not nearly attained). Success in college basketball is about continuity, chemistry, and system. Why ones and dones are poison. My guess is mass transfers are a bigger problem for BYU because its pool is so small due to the HC. Who is Lohner making room for who is so great that Pope is likely to recruit? Utah and BYU need to win like Virginia, Villanova, Oregon, and Gonzaga. With real programs and continuity. Not mercenaries.

[Jeff Lebowski]

When a guy starts out 0-for-1000 shooting and, when not hoisting airballs and bricks, is turning the ball over willy-nilly, it might be appropriate to try having him come off the bench.

I don't know if Pope broke Lohner, but he was not good offensively this past season.

Ha. No kidding.

The overwhelming sentiment I saw from BYU fans last year was "why on earth does Pope allow Lohner to shoot so much?". Or "Why does he continue to play Lohner so much?"

[SeattleUte]

Ha. No kidding.

The overwhelming sentiment I saw from BYU fans last year was "why on earth does Pope allow Lohner to shoot so much?". Or "Why does he continue to play Lohner so much?"

I'm sure his replacement will be so much better.

[Jeff Lebowski]

This is a self-delusion. I heard Krystkowiak's shills say this for years while his programs steadily eroded (after reaching heights Pope has not nearly attained). Success in college basketball is about continuity, chemistry, and system. Why ones and dones are poison. My guess is mass transfers are a bigger problem for BYU because its pool is so small due to the HC. Who is Lohner making room for who is so great that Pope is likely to recruit? Utah and BYU need to win like Virginia, Villanova, Oregon, and Gonzaga. With real programs and continuity. Not mercenaries.

None of that changes the point I was making. The transfer portal has upended college basketball. None of this is unique to BYU or Utah.

Funny you should mention Gonzaga. Few gets new blood every year from the portal.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Confidence killer? Pope didn't bench him soon enough and gave him the green light to shoot 3's til the end. Lohner failed because he wasn't a very good player, not because Pope crushed his soul. Lohner did one thing well. Rebound. He had no perimeter game. No mid-range game. No post moves. Got more shots blocked for a guy his size than I've ever seen. He didn't play great defense, and he wasn't a great passer. I don't see how any of that is Pope's fault.

Stop being reasonable. The sky is falling!

[SeattleUte]

One of the pleasures of college basketball is watching players develop. How many times have I seen a player suck as a freshman and help the team soar when he becomes a real adult. This is why this culture of transfer is poison. There's nothing good about it. Nothing.

[SeattleUte]

None of that changes the point I was making. The transfer portal has upended college basketball. None of this is unique to BYU or Utah.

Funny you should mention Gonzaga. Few gets new blood every year from the portal.

Few has moved to a different level. He got there with programs. But I'm not saying don't get new blood. Few doesn't have key players transfer out of the program.

[SeattleUte]

Confidence killer? Pope didn't bench him soon enough and gave him the green light to shoot 3's til the end. Lohner failed because he wasn't a very good player, not because Pope crushed his soul. Lohner did one thing well. Rebound. He had no perimeter game. No mid-range game. No post moves. Got more shots blocked for a guy his size than I've ever seen. He didn't play great defense, and he wasn't a great passer. I don't see how any of that is Pope's fault.

This isn't your field.

[Pelado]

One of the pleasures of college basketball is watching players develop. How many times have I seen a player suck as a freshman and help the team soar when he becomes a real adult. This is why this culture of transfer is poison. There's nothing good about it. Nothing.

It allows young adults a path to a team that might be a better fit for them. What's so wrong with that?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Few has moved to a different level. He got there with programs. But I'm not saying don't get new blood. Few doesn't have key players transfer out of the program.

I am going to go way out on a limb here and speculate that being so highly ranked and making it as high as the NC game cuts down on attrition. Which is why I originally said, "This is impacting almost every program to a large degree." And maybe you missed this tweet from a guy who follows college basketball for a living:

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[Jeff Lebowski]

This isn't your field.

LOL. Is this your field? Do tell.

[Goatnapper'96]

Few has moved to a different level. He got there with programs. But I'm not saying don't get new blood. Few doesn't have key players transfer out of the program.

I am not convinced this is all Pope. I think given his druthers he would prefer to keep Lohner and George. My guess is the other 3 scholarship players transferring out (Baxter, Ericson and Neilsen/Hansen or whatever boring mormon name the other kid had) Pope moved on, but I think Lohner and George are moving on because they think it is in their interests to do so. I believe the reality is that is going to be consistently part of the new normal. While not good for BYU-I don't think either transfer is a program killer. We shall see how Pope does in the portal finding new players.