Well...I'm not going to sulk on negativity...I've gotten better as I've gotten older. I watched the Tubby era go down in flames...I watched Billy's drunken adventure...I watched Robert Morris in the NIT. I've seen bad and I've seen good.
2023...the Rollercoaster that never took off...here are my thoughts on the year that was and why it happened...
1. We weren't all that talented, but that's no excuse.
-Oscar was maxed out for his ability...but was a 4-star undersized Center.
-Toppin, Reeves, Wheeler, Thiero, & Fredrick were all 3-star talent and below
-Ware & Onyenso are decent 4-stars
-Wallace, Livingston, and Collins were your only 5-stars
Our transfers weren't high caliber Power 5 starters other than Oscar...projects, mid-majors, P5 role players, etc.
Baylor Scheierman averaged 13 & 8 on 35% from the field
Terrence Shannon averaged 17/5/3 this season
Marcus Carr averaged 15/4/3 this season
Those are transfers who we didn't get because Cal wanted guys like Wheeler, Reeves, & Toppin in those roles...I think you need guys who can put it in the basket and are athletic.
Imagine tonight we started...Oscar/Scheierman/Shannon/Wallace/Carr....much more scoring options and a defensive stopper....
2. Oscar(and others) didn't really improve...we tried to be the same team as last year...didn't fix weaknesses
Once Grady went cold in 2022....we didn't look the same. Calipari thought it was just his injury and we'd be fine...Oscar would be back and better. Wheeler is back and better. Toppin slides into the Brooks spot...Collins/Ware improve. Replace Tyty with Cason....Reeves/Fredrick replaces Mintz/Grady. Livingston adds another body.
Oscar was pretty much the same this year...Wheeler too.....Toppin wasn't much better either....Ware/Collins offered nothing....teams just figured out how to stop them and exposed weaknesses. Reeves wasn't Grady...he needed a different style.
We wasted the whole first half of the season trying to just plug in the lineup and play like 2022 and assumed it would work...it didn't and it wasn't. During that time we played guys way too many minutes in lineups that never maximized our strengths until the Tennessee game. We worked our way out of a big hole...but that first half of the year we lost a lot of time
Oscar wasn't tall....so we needed Onyenso/Collins to develop some sort of rim-protection threat. In those early games we should've played them more minutes to get them ready...because once it's March it's too late to put them in a big game.
3. This team did not have any chemistry
Although the post-Tennessee game run until the Kansas game it looked strong...we never saw this team really click consistently. Bright spots and such...but you never felt like they really liked playing together. They stood around...I didn't see passion outside of Oscar at times. You didn't see leadership.
Oscar, Wheeler, Fredrick, Reeves, Ware, & Toppin are ALL UPPERCLASSMEN. Most of them have played multiple years in this program and under Cal. Yet there was NO LEADERSHIP from these guys. Our biggest loss in 2022 was the Grady/Mintz leadership. As the game got bigger...our guys shrunk and no one wanted to step up. We didn't have a go-to guy. We weren't confident about any one guy doing one thing consistently other than Oscar rebounding.
Something happened...these guys didn't like each other or something was holding them back. Oscar's frustration and flagrant fouls were a sign. Wheeler's mysterious injury and disappearance tells a story...and the fact that when he got hurt that our team played better...
Reminds me of 2006...we knew something was up...we lost Chuck Hayes and Azubuke as leaders...Rondo/Morris/Crawford...should've been better....later on we find our Sparks/Rondo had a BIG BEEF and it destroyed the team. I just think there was a power struggle...I think it was internal and Cal couldn't get them to bond.
4. In Conlcusion
It all runs together....Cal didn't learn the mistakes from the collapse in late 2022 and wrote it off to injuries. He replaced our Tyty with Cason...added Livingston for Brooks....and pretty much ran it back with the same team and style. It wasn't working. IT wasn't clicking. We did find a groove late...but it was too late.
Yes...injuries hurt. Cason was never 100%. Fredrick not being healthy sucked. Collins losing his father derailed his season. Oscar wasn't 100% to start the year....but there were bigger issues.
My lesson is Cal needs to go back to getting the best and not worry about hurting someone's feelings...or being loyal to one guy. If Marcus Carr is available...don't settle for Sahvir Wheeler.. You get Terrance Shannon or Baylor Scheierman if you can at all costs...
There's two type of DUDES you need if you're Cal...
1. A DUDE who can get a bucket
2. A DUDE that is an athlete and can lock down and out jump any player in their way
2023-2024 is the year for Cal that will define his legacy...
1. He can dominate and start a resurgence and become the modern legend that we put up with Rupp...
2. A guy that will need to leave who we'll remember fondly with time like Joe B and Tubby....
2023...the Rollercoaster that never took off...here are my thoughts on the year that was and why it happened...
1. We weren't all that talented, but that's no excuse.
-Oscar was maxed out for his ability...but was a 4-star undersized Center.
-Toppin, Reeves, Wheeler, Thiero, & Fredrick were all 3-star talent and below
-Ware & Onyenso are decent 4-stars
-Wallace, Livingston, and Collins were your only 5-stars
Our transfers weren't high caliber Power 5 starters other than Oscar...projects, mid-majors, P5 role players, etc.
Baylor Scheierman averaged 13 & 8 on 35% from the field
Terrence Shannon averaged 17/5/3 this season
Marcus Carr averaged 15/4/3 this season
Those are transfers who we didn't get because Cal wanted guys like Wheeler, Reeves, & Toppin in those roles...I think you need guys who can put it in the basket and are athletic.
Imagine tonight we started...Oscar/Scheierman/Shannon/Wallace/Carr....much more scoring options and a defensive stopper....
2. Oscar(and others) didn't really improve...we tried to be the same team as last year...didn't fix weaknesses
Once Grady went cold in 2022....we didn't look the same. Calipari thought it was just his injury and we'd be fine...Oscar would be back and better. Wheeler is back and better. Toppin slides into the Brooks spot...Collins/Ware improve. Replace Tyty with Cason....Reeves/Fredrick replaces Mintz/Grady. Livingston adds another body.
Oscar was pretty much the same this year...Wheeler too.....Toppin wasn't much better either....Ware/Collins offered nothing....teams just figured out how to stop them and exposed weaknesses. Reeves wasn't Grady...he needed a different style.
We wasted the whole first half of the season trying to just plug in the lineup and play like 2022 and assumed it would work...it didn't and it wasn't. During that time we played guys way too many minutes in lineups that never maximized our strengths until the Tennessee game. We worked our way out of a big hole...but that first half of the year we lost a lot of time
Oscar wasn't tall....so we needed Onyenso/Collins to develop some sort of rim-protection threat. In those early games we should've played them more minutes to get them ready...because once it's March it's too late to put them in a big game.
3. This team did not have any chemistry
Although the post-Tennessee game run until the Kansas game it looked strong...we never saw this team really click consistently. Bright spots and such...but you never felt like they really liked playing together. They stood around...I didn't see passion outside of Oscar at times. You didn't see leadership.
Oscar, Wheeler, Fredrick, Reeves, Ware, & Toppin are ALL UPPERCLASSMEN. Most of them have played multiple years in this program and under Cal. Yet there was NO LEADERSHIP from these guys. Our biggest loss in 2022 was the Grady/Mintz leadership. As the game got bigger...our guys shrunk and no one wanted to step up. We didn't have a go-to guy. We weren't confident about any one guy doing one thing consistently other than Oscar rebounding.
Something happened...these guys didn't like each other or something was holding them back. Oscar's frustration and flagrant fouls were a sign. Wheeler's mysterious injury and disappearance tells a story...and the fact that when he got hurt that our team played better...
Reminds me of 2006...we knew something was up...we lost Chuck Hayes and Azubuke as leaders...Rondo/Morris/Crawford...should've been better....later on we find our Sparks/Rondo had a BIG BEEF and it destroyed the team. I just think there was a power struggle...I think it was internal and Cal couldn't get them to bond.
4. In Conlcusion
It all runs together....Cal didn't learn the mistakes from the collapse in late 2022 and wrote it off to injuries. He replaced our Tyty with Cason...added Livingston for Brooks....and pretty much ran it back with the same team and style. It wasn't working. IT wasn't clicking. We did find a groove late...but it was too late.
Yes...injuries hurt. Cason was never 100%. Fredrick not being healthy sucked. Collins losing his father derailed his season. Oscar wasn't 100% to start the year....but there were bigger issues.
My lesson is Cal needs to go back to getting the best and not worry about hurting someone's feelings...or being loyal to one guy. If Marcus Carr is available...don't settle for Sahvir Wheeler.. You get Terrance Shannon or Baylor Scheierman if you can at all costs...
There's two type of DUDES you need if you're Cal...
1. A DUDE who can get a bucket
2. A DUDE that is an athlete and can lock down and out jump any player in their way
2023-2024 is the year for Cal that will define his legacy...
1. He can dominate and start a resurgence and become the modern legend that we put up with Rupp...
2. A guy that will need to leave who we'll remember fondly with time like Joe B and Tubby....
