[Old School Hound]

How do you think Cal will be treated by fans? Will be be booed loudly, met with just a smattering of boos, or greeted with applause. I say it should be the latter. My sister had a good point. She said that Pope needs to address BBN prior to the Arkansas game and remind them of how much Cal did for the school and how they need to show class when welcoming him back. I couldn't agree more. Pope needs to do just that. If he does, I think Cal will be greeted, mostly, with applause?

How do you think it will go??? If you were in Rupp for the game, how would you greet the former UK coach?

[King Kong]

Coach Cal done a lot of good things for the UK program, both on and off the court.  If there,  I would clap and show appreciation for him. 

I have a feeling though he'll be met with a lot of booing.  Could be a mixed reaction of booing and clapping/cheers. 

I really can't remember the reaction Coach Pitino received his first time back,  coaching the opposing team in Rupp,  which was UofL.  I don't think he was warmly received,  which I could be wrong.  

Be interesting to see how it unfolds.

[Old School Hound]

Coach Cal done a lot of good things for the UK program, both on and off the court.  If there,  I would clap and show appreciation for him. 

I have a feeling though he'll be met with a lot of booing.  Could be a mixed reaction of booing and clapping/cheers. 

I really can't remember the reaction Coach Pitino received his first time back,  coaching the opposing team in Rupp,  which was UofL.  I don't think he was warmly received,  which I could be wrong.  

Be interesting to see how it unfolds.

Yeah, Rick wasn't well received. His flipping off fans didn't help endear him to Big Blue fans, either.

[Van Hagar]

No, Rick was public enemy number one for a while with the UK fan base, but the passage of time has a way of making us have a little more perspective. Now we embrace Rick. And hopefully we will Cal as well. I thought it was time, actually past time, for him to move on, the game had changed and he wouldn’t change with it. But I also appreciate all the juice and excitement he brought back to the program over his first seven years or so. So I would stand and clap for him if I was there that night. I’ve always thought the beginning of the downfall of Cal was the Wisconsin loss when we were 38-0. We were that close to probably being hailed as the greatest college team of all time, and it slipped away and I don’t think he ever recovered from that.

[-STAT-]

Well, I have never been a fan of Cal, dating back to when he was at Memphis, so in the 15 years he was at Kentucky, I never went to a game, and found myself rooting for them less and less in that time. Funny now that I have been to 2 games this season already.

Didn't take long for me to see what was going on, first couple of seasons Kentucky had players leaving one-and-done, going pro, so it was time to reload and learn all the new players names, that grew tiresome to me. Then just the perception of what he turned the program into, a passerby for players for a few months, then go pro. Kentucky basketball always recruited itself, never needed any other reason than wanting to play for the greatest tradition in College Basketball, but he quickly took away that tradition. I'm definitely not faulting the players, most of them dreamed to play in the NBA, make millions and take care of their families, and most of them accomplished that, but at the same time, this is Kentucky, just took away from the tradition of it all.

Cal always thought he was bigger than the program, bigger than the game, that HE was the brand, and the program not the brand. Things definitely went sour the last 4-5 years, I'll agree with the comment above me that he never got over that Wisconsin loss to end the 38-0 season, slowly but surely, you could tell that took everything out of him.

I'm also a realist tho, there's no denying he had a ton of success in Lexington, a lot of great moments. National Championships are the standard here, and with all that talent he & his staff recruited, only 1?

I guess its personal preference and depending on how you felt about the program during his tenure there, I'm sure it will be mixed with boos/applause. Me? I'd boo the hell out of him, but that's just me.

[Granny Bear]

No, Rick was public enemy number one for a while with the UK fan base, but the passage of time has a way of making us have a little more perspective. Now we embrace Rick. And hopefully we will Cal as well. I thought it was time, actually past time, for him to move on, the game had changed and he wouldn’t change with it. But I also appreciate all the juice and excitement he brought back to the program over his first seven years or so. So I would stand and clap for him if I was there that night.  I’ve always thought the beginning of the downfall of Cal was the Wisconsin loss when we were 38-0.  We were that close to probably being hailed as the greatest college team of all time, and it slipped away and I don’t think he ever recovered from that.

UK fans embracing Rick can be attributed somewhat to Pope's introduction.  He obviously loves and respects Rick, and I am grateful for that.  I hope, and think, that Pope will do the same kind of thing for Cal.  I hope UK fans greet him positively, but I don't think they will.  Both coaches added a lot of positive things to UK's program, and they are both history now.  It's just time to move forward.

And I agree with the Wisconsin loss being the beginning of the end for Cal.  Him taking a knee during the National Anthem offended me.  That's just my personal feelings.  He had every right to do that, but I have every right to be offended by it.

[jetpilot]

Rick got a huge cheer and standing ovation at Rupp. OSH's TV is playing tricks on him again lol.

Cal lost me when all those guys got drafted in the first round and he said it was the biggest day in the history of UK basketball. I knew then he was either full of sh!t or just dumb. He never understood UK basketball or this state.

[-STAT-]

Rick got a huge cheer and standing ovation at Rupp. OSH's TV is playing tricks on him again lol.

Cal lost me when all those guys got drafted in the first round and he said it was the biggest day in the history of UK basketball. I knew then he was either full of sh!t or just dumb. He never understood UK basketball or this state.

Exactly! He never understood the history or the tradition, it was all about the name on the back of the jersey instead of the front.

[Granny Bear]

I would stand and cheer for Pitino and for Cal.
I would boo at Barnhart.

[jetpilot]

I'm not booing anyone but the refs lol.

[Old School Hound]

I would stand and cheer for Pitino and for Cal.
I would boo at Barnhart.

Why?

[Granny Bear]

I think he exercised poor judgement in negotiating the length of the contracts for both Calipari and Stoops.

[plantmanky]

Should get a ten minute standing o


He will hold the last Kentucky Championship in Basketball that I will see in my lifetime.

[Bluecat]

I would stand and cheer for Pitino and for Cal.
I would boo at Barnhart.

Only thing Barhart done was sign a bad contract with Cal and Stoops. Other than that the other sports and hires have been spot on. I think he learned from those mistakes. Onec we can get away from Stoops, hopefully we won't be too far gone to come back.

[Old School Hound]

Should get a ten minute standing o


He will hold the last Kentucky Championship in Basketball that I will see in my lifetime.

They are hard to win. You might be right. I would give Cal a standing  ovation. He deserves it. He made a lot of dudes multi-millionaires and won more games that any UK coach not named Rupp.