Mark Pope’s Kentucky have had a more than decent NIL budget for two seasons now. Last season, Pope gathered around a bunch that was worth $22 million. Unfortunately for the Wildcats the combination did not work. There were multiple injuries to different players at different times in the season.
The squad lacked stability and bench depth due to all the unavailabilities. As a result, Kentucky never could really find their form and momentum. They lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Following a disappointing season, their transfer portal has been bad as well. Multiple players have rejected Mark Pope’s Kentucky and team still does not look promising.
Recently, Hall of Famer Dan Issel commented on the current state of the Wildcats. Kentucky alum was an instrumental figure in the growth of the basketball program in the late 60s. The 77 year old made an appearance on Run It Back podcast with Michelle Beadle, Chandler Parsons and Lou Williams.
Lou asked Issel to answer his question like a GM. He mentioned how Kentucky hasn’t won the national championship since 2012 and why has there been such a gap for the Wildcats.
“A couple of reasons, Lou,” Issel started answering. “I think with NIL, we can’t cheat like we used to. I was hoping Bougie was on the show because we need Boogie to kick in more NIL money, help us out a little bit,” he joked.
Kentucky great Dan Issel comments on impact of NIL on marquee teams
Like Kentucky, Duke, Kansas and North Carolina has also not tasted success for a while now. There is an argument which suggests that the Blue school dominance has died down in recent years. Now reputation of a school is not the only and in some cases the biggest criteria for student athletes. NIL money plays a major role in recruiting.
Talking about how college basketball has changed, Issel continued, “But I think the landscape of college basketball, with the transfer portal and with NIL, has really, really changed. And it has brought a lot of equality to college basketball. When you used to carry on Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Kansas being at the very top, I don’t think that’s going to happen anymore.”
Read more:
Mark Pope’s Adversities Keep Piling on As Will Wade’s LSU Bring in Major Kentucky Target
Can Mark Pope Lose Malachi Moreno Despite Withdrawing from NBA Draft? Exploring Viral Possibility
Mark Pope Admits to Embarrassing Fact As Kentucky Continue to Struggle in the Transfer Portal
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