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SALT LAKE CITY — Please, for the sake of his well-being, somebody tell Nick Emery to cease trashing Mark Pope and the BYU basketball program at every turn. Trust us, anyone with a social media account knows exactly how he feels.
And staying in the mentoring mood, Pope needs to tone down the slogans and sayings relative to his team. The phrase "best locker room in America" is silly, not to mention obviously false given the turbulence of the last week.
Pope enjoyed a charmed professional life his first two years after succeeding Dave Rose, leading the Cougars to two NCAA Tournament bids (counting the season in which COVID-19 canceled the postseason). The bloom came off the rose over the last year, reaching a low point this past week when assistant coach Chris Burgess left for a similar position at Utah and with the expected transfers of starters Caleb Lohner and Gideon George.
For sure, BYU basketball faces a crossroads. Only weeks after failing to make the NCAA Tournament despite starting 17-4, Pope is forced to replace his most important assistant and stock a roster that is short on talent.
As it stands, coming off a program-worst fifth-place finish in the West Coast Conference, the momentum Pope has built has stalled, if not lost. The timing is awful, given BYU will begin play in the Big 12, considered the nation's toughest league, after one more season in the WCC.
Over the next few weeks, Pope has to scour the country in hopes of landing impact transfers. Besides being woefully small, in large part due to multiple injuries, BYU lacked competent shooters last season.
Losing two projected starters next season also is a bad look for the program's image. At the least, it makes Pope's assertion of having the best locker room in America sound foolish.
Same goes for losing Burgess, who is returning to his alma mater as an assistant for second-year coach Craig Smith. A noted recruiter and big-man coach, Burgess is expected to receive a significant salary increase.
It remains to be seen if any Burgess recruits follow him northbound. Given the transitory nature of college sports, more BYU players could look elsewhere.
Suffice to say, Pope faces the biggest challenge of his BYU coaching career.
What have I been saying for the last 3 years?! And y'all think I'm crazy 🤦🏼♂️😂 Players AND coaches wanting out .. I knew time would tell! @byubasketball needs to reconsider 🤷🏼♂️ https://t.co/PHOewgZZVq
— Nick Emery (@04NickEmery) April 18, 2022
The former NBA player and member of Kentucky's national championship team, Pope injected a wave of enthusiasm into a program that had not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2015. Backed by distinguished – and rich – alumni and influential former players, Pope was the obvious choice to succeed Rose in 2019.
He immediately captured the imagination of BYU basketball fans with his infectious personality. Mixing a blend of transfers and holdovers, the Cougars were 24-8 in Pope's first season and beat Gonzaga before a raucous Marriott Center crowd on the way to finishing second behind the Bulldogs in the WCC.
Along the way, the scorned Emery ripped Pope's integrity with numerous social media posts. A highly-touted recruit out of Lone Peak, the sharpshooter saw his college career end in disgrace after his relationship with a booster resulted in NCAA-related sanctions that included having his personal statistics from 2015-16 and 2016-17 vacated by the Committee of Infractions.
In addition, Emery went through a bitter divorce and suffered through serious emotional issues that he detailed in humbling social media posts. A former family member went to multiple media outlets trying to expose Emery's actions that were outside NCAA rules.
Ultimately, Pope didn't want him on the team. Understandably upset with the situation, Emery has made it his charge to expose all of Pope's perceived wrongdoings.
Repeating the same theme, Emery blasted Pope again Monday after Jake Hatch of The Zone Sports Network published the news of Lohner and George intending to transfer. Going on too long, Emery's continuous attempts to embarrass Pope have irritated several of his former BYU teammates and coaches.
And as the world turns for BYU basketball.
