Rob Wright's return looks fantastic for BYU, awful for staggering Mark Pope and UK

Kentucky fans are not very high on their team's head coach, Mark Pope, after he fumbled at the goal line with BYU's Robert Wright III. All indicators suggested that Wright was heavily favored to find a home in Lexington for his junior season, with just the official visit standing in the way.

So what happened during that visit? Because it certainly didn't sway the portal's top point guard away from a return to BYU. Just two days after his trip to Kentucky, Wright was back in the Beehive State, inking a deal to return to Kevin Young's BYU program.

For Kevin Young and BYU, Wright's decision is confirmation that what the former NBA assistant is building is working. With Egor Demin already through his rookie season, and AJ Dybantsa the favorite to be the next number one pick in the NBA Draft, Wright is bought in to the system in Provo and wants to spend another year in the place he's called home for the last year.

The opposite is true of Mark Pope's program at Kentucky. The coach bolted from his gig at BYU to the Kentucky vacancy for one reason: blue blood programs get better recruits, better funding, and better success than up-and-coming teams like BYU.

That's exactly why his failure to outrecruit the program he abandoned reflects incredibly poorly on Mark Pope: how much more could he be set up for success?

Whiff after whiff in the transfer portal has tainted his reputation as a recruiter, and the failure to meet the on-court standard of success for a premier program like Kentucky has stained his reputation as a coach. It's unsurprising that the social media firestorm has only picked up with the news of Wright's BYU return.

Here are some of my personal favorites from Kentucky fans.

Social Media firestorm hits Mark Pope as Rob Wright returns to BYU basketball

Remembering the moment Pope took over the program, one fan was reminded of Interstellar's heartbreaking return to the past.

Micheal Scott parallels aren't often complements when it comes to describing a boss.

"Whiff" has become a popular word among Kentucky fans, as Pope has missed on recruit after recruit. Not even the signing of Washington guard Zoom Diallo can temper their rage.

The sky is falling in Lexington, because a program with the pedigree of Kentucky should have enough allure to get the top players in the nation anxious to join the history. But when players like Wright and top recruit Tyran Stokes take official visits, they should leave awe-struck at the prospects of playing at a program of that level. Instead, they're leaving with no desire to lace up their shoes at Rupp Arena.

A monumental success for BYU, and an equally major slip-up for UK. The failure to secure Rob Wright has Big Blue Nation in panic. Could this be Mark Pope's final season with his alma mater?

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