Will Stein hired a GM immediately. Mark Pope is still waiting. The JQ injury proves why that hesitation is costing UK.
Will Stein has been a head coach for just a few months, but he moves like a veteran executive. From the moment he arrived in Lexington, Stein understood that the job was too big for one man.
To succeed in the SEC, he knew he needed an elite front office. He didn’t hesitate. He brought in Pat Biondo from Oregon as his General Manager and Pete Nochta from Louisville as assistant GM to help build the roster. The result? A strong portal haul and a roster that makes sense.
Mark Pope is in Year 2, and he has taken a different approach. He has leaned on his coaching staff to double as his front office, trying to close out recruitments while also scouting opponents and developing players. The results have been mixed at best.
The ‘do no harm’ trap
Pope has been open about his hesitation to hand over the keys. “We’ve seen places around the country where it’s been an epic disaster, and we’ve seen places where it’s been functional,” Pope said back in December. “When it lands right, we’ll do it. But it’s not something that we want to rush into, because it can be really costly. There’s the do-no-harm vibe.”
That “do no harm” vibe is understandable, but in 2026, inaction is harm. While Pope is worrying about disrupting the culture, Will Stein is adapting to reality. “That’s why I’m hiring a general manager… To help us through this,” Stein said. “You just gotta be adaptable. You know? You gotta be able to change with the times. It is what it is.”
I love the coach’s “I can do it all” approach, but sometimes less is more. Hire someone you can trust, who shares your vision of success, and let them do their job.
The Jayden Quaintance case study
You don’t have to look far to see where a GM could have saved Kentucky basketball a major headache this season. Look at the Jayden Quaintance situation. Pope bet big on the young big man, despite the fact that he was coming off an ACL injury.
This is not to shade Quaintance; when healthy, he is a unicorn. But betting a significant portion of your NIL budget and a roster spot on a teenage giant transitioning from a major knee surgery is a massive risk. A General Manager’s job is to mitigate risk. A GM would have been on the phone with doctors and surgeons. A GM would have likely advised Pope that the risk was too high and pointed him toward a safer, more productive option.
A GM could have made the business case: Save the money on the gamble, buy the sure thing.
Instead, Pope made the emotional choice to bet on talent; he isn’t the only person to do that. If he had been healthy, I think probably 90% of college coaches would want Quaintance.
But he isn’t, and the roster may end up paying the price if he can’t get back on the court.
Looking ahead to 2026 yields more questions than answers
It seemed like Kentucky was in a really good spot to land a couple of difference makers out of the high school ranks. Tyran Stokes was rumored to commit before Halloween, and that kind of faded away. Now, most people believe he is a Kansas lean if not Kansas-bound.
Then you have Christian Collins. The number 2 player in the class of 2026 seemed to be ready to sign, until he wasn’t. There are some real complexities to this relationship. First, a kid from California wants to stay in California more often than not. You can go back to Johnny Juzang, who came to Kentucky for Cali, only to transfer back to UCLA. Whatever the case may be, Collins is now most likely heading to USC.
Mark Pope said he was excited about where recruiting was heading for 2026, but it is tough to see where the momentum is coming from. Caleb Holt recently spoke on where he was going; most people have it down to Arizona or Alabama. That seems to be the most likely situation.
Then you have Jordan Smith, but he is almost certainly heading to John Calipari. While Brandon McCoy is focusing on Michigan, Alabama, Arkansas, and Miami (FL).
So, who is left?
Miikka Muurinen is a player that Pope has been in contact with, and he recently confirmed his goal was to play in the NCAA. However, he is currently playing professionally in Serbia, and with the Charles Bediako case taking center stage, the NCAA may make some changes to eligibility rules.
Then you have a Malian Phenom, Sayon Keita, who is currently playing professionally in Spain.
So, the whole class likely hinges on 2 guys who may not get cleared by the NCAA. That is not where you want to be with all the resources that have been dedicated to closing the deal. Of course, high school recruiting can flip on a dime, but there is not a lot for fans to get excited about.
The CEO needs a CFO
A GM could have identified the roster imbalance at point guard. They could be fielding calls from agents during recruiting and portal season. They could be building a list of targets for next season, so Pope doesn’t have to waste time scrolling through text messages. The head coach should always have the final say on who plays and who gets on the team. But he shouldn’t be the one negotiating the contracts, checking the medicals, and vetting the agents. That is just too much for a one-man job in today’s NIL world.
Will Stein figured that out before he coached his first game, impressive. Mark Pope is a brilliant basketball mind, but he needs to stop trying to be the GM, too. It’s time to hire help so he can get back to doing what he does best: Coaching the team.
