It takes a whole lot to win at the college basketball level. Coaches also have to recruit players and make sure that every single thing marches accordingly within the program.
Needless to say, that doesn’t leave a lot of time on the table for them to focus on the lesser things. That’s why they inevitably have to prioritize and pick their own battles.
With that in mind, Kentucky coach Mark Pope admitted that he doesn’t even bother trying to fix a player’s shooting mechanics. If it’s not a matter of reps, he won’t even bother recruiting him.
Mark Pope thinks bad shooters can’t be fixed
“I will touch a guy who is a really good player and has got solid mechanics but is not making shots yet. Because I can rep that guy out,” Pope told Certified Kentucky. “So in terms of shooting, I spend zero time coaching mechanics, maybe little tiny tweaks, some balance stuff or some rhythm stuff, but I am just not a good enough coach. So that puts it on you guys, and I do not think that is completely universal at the college level, but I think it is pretty common.”
Of course, this is quite a controversial and unpopular opinion, as we’ve seen players with broken mechanics thrive in the pros. Some don’t even need to fix those shots, like Shawn Marion.
But at the end of the day, every coach has their ways and beliefs, and if Coach Pope doesn’t feel like he needs to spend time fixing what he feels cannot be fixed, so be it.