Are the days gone when a kid came to Kentucky because they always

[23jumpboy]

wanted to play here? Or are they just coming because Cal can create a fast track to the league?(notice I didn't say the NBA) I miss a group that was like the 92 team who were the heart of the team and were homegrown with an outside guy(Mash) to go with them. Will those days ever return or does the state lack that type of talent that wants to stay home and go to UK?

 

[namnik]

C'mon. It's definately Cal. These one and done kids grew up with LeBron jerseys not dreaming of UK. Ky needs to fix high school basketball to start producing those kids again.

 

[SaguaroCat]

The fact you had to use 1992 as your example should answer the question. That was 23 years ago.

Actually, some kids do grow up wanting to pay for kentucky. But the fact is that any of kids we want are smart enough to base their future on stuff more important than that.

 

[23jumpboy]

I guess I'm an old fashioned..... I guess all the early defections to the league from college waters down the pros. Can't bare to watch the pro game any more.

 

[lwbb]

Do fans like being in the talk for a championship ever year or do you like having a team that has to wait,i like what we have now a coach that has us in the hunt ever year.......GO CATS!!!

 

[docholiday51]

wanted to play here? Or are they just coming because Cal can create a fast track to the league?(notice I didn't say the NBA) I miss a group that was like the 92 team who were the heart of the team and were homegrown with an outside guy(Mash) to go with them. Will those days ever return or does the state lack that type of talent that wants to stay home and go to UK?

Sadly I think those days have been gone for a while,not only here but most other places as well.

When AAU ball burst onto the scene recruiting forever changed,the priorities of the kids changed.In our case when Pitino left and Tubby came along he fell out of favor with the AAU circuit and we (UK) never recovered till Cal got here

 

[joester5612]

James Young said he always wanted to play for Kentucky because he loved Prince. They love UK when they leave and seem to always follow the team, so that is cool. The bottom line is, if we only got guys who have always dreamed of playing for Kentucky, then we would suck annually.

 

[23jumpboy]

True. AAU ball should change its name to MEME ball. Making a point to poster lwbb, way before Cal we were in the mix to make a run every year. If you look at the 70's, early 80's and with Rick's teams we had veterans that kept us in the mix. And it was with 4 year players. Again though, this was before AAU and other leagues.

 

[Hoskins91]

The good players come for coaches, not the university. It has been that way for a long time now. I also disagree that it waters down the NCAA and the NBA. If you let guys go straight to the NBA, then we would never see any of these guys in college. That obviously doesn't help. And the NBA is the best it has been in the last 20 years.

 

[23jumpboy]

James Young is a player who should have stayed another year and loved it some more. He was definitely a player who needed ( and still does) development. He still has no right hand and can't guard a fence post.

 

[23jumpboy]

Ah, 20 years ago the NBA was loaded. and Jordan came back to the league. All was normal in the universe.

 

[kyboy1998]

The days of kids wanting to come to Kentucky because they dream of playing for the Cats isn't over.

The days of us offering scholarships to them are, and for a few exceptions here and there they have been a while.

I have 2 boys right now who would give anything to be Cats in about 7 years. I'm going to guess they never get that offer. I know I'm still waiting on mine. Our lack of need for 6' 2" decent guards is all that held me back.

 

[catfaninsc]

Those days are gone for the most part. There might be an exception here and there with a kid who may have dreamed of playing here, but it is almost always get me to the league mentality. But it is this way with most big time programs now.

 

[kats23]

2 more wins in the tourney and threads like this would never appear on here this year. It's one of the reason's it's the most sickening losses.

Cal is bringing them here. Same goes for any high profile school. Okafor didn't go to Duke for the Cameron Crazies. If K retired tomorrow and Duke hired Wojo they would lose a lot of verbals

 

[23jumpboy]

Yep. I'm almost a half century old and still the dream of putting on the UK jersey still gives me goosebumps.

 

[23jumpboy]

It would be refreshing to see kids stay 3 or 4 years. We may get to really know them. Hell, I'm starting to forget who we had this year!! Ha! Or is that just dementia....

 

[BlueRunner11]

If things keep going the way they are now, the majority of the NBA will end up being be ex-UK players who will raise their genetically basketball gifted athletic children to grow up loving UK basketball which then may be their deciding factor for one day choosing to come to UK to play ball themselves.

2035 roster
John Wall Jr. ?
Eric Bledsoe Jr. ?
Demarcus Cousins II ?

But right now? nah, its Cal, the league, and the UK brand.

 

[brianpoe]

Why do people think it is just UK? 90% of kids go to a school because of the coach and/or playing time. 99% of the best kids do the same.

The OP has not been paying attention for a long time.

 

[23jumpboy]

Would love to see that roster!!!!

 

[brianpoe]

wanted to play here? Or are they just coming because Cal can create a fast track to the league?(notice I didn't say the NBA) I miss a group that was like the 92 team who were the heart of the team and were homegrown with an outside guy(Mash) to go with them. Will those days ever return or does the state lack that type of talent that wants to stay home and go to UK?

Do you ever see the KY-IN all star game scores? We never win and you want all of these kids and one outsider?

 

[Bluegrassking]

It was borderline miraculous even in 92, we just don't produce enough in state talent to consistently compete on a high level. That group was an anomaly 25 years ago and only happened because of probation and being very lucky with the group we had from a basketball IQ and shooting point of view to make up for some talent flaws.

Even then we greatly over achieved and still came up short of a championship, it is essentially a ridiculous model to build on and somewhat romanticized as there were several out of state contributors.

 

[Poetax]

Players were losing interest in schools back when Tubby was still coaching. AAU has all the elite players on a fast track and that is another reason that you hear more about kids not wanting to sign a LOI, just in case the coach leaves. And even others seeking to play overseas for a year instead of going to college. Playing for your hometown or home state school for the top recruits isn't really normal but it still does happen like in the case of Zimmerman and Newman but usually its who do I play for to get me ready for the next level.

 

[hoodro]

I guess I'm an old fashioned..... I guess all the early defections to the league from college waters down the pros. Can't bare to watch the pro game any more.

This is simply false. Although, right now, the NBA might not be the best it's ever been, it's still being played at a very high level. There are some times in the NBA you can point to and say it was better then, but that list is very short.

 

[Hoskins91]

Ah, 20 years ago the NBA was loaded. and Jordan came back to the league. All was normal in the universe.

Not really. You had MJ, but the league was going through expansion, and it really watered down the overall quality of the league. There are legitimately 5 or 6 teams that could win the finals this year. Did anyone really think anyone but the Bulls were winning in the late 90's?

 

[23jumpboy]

Maybe, but it was a hell of a ride and a truly a building process that we all watched take place over two years of probation. And then the 93 team was a true joy to watch. In both cases, if Mashburn doesn't foul out we win both games. Duke nor Michigan couldn't guard him.

 

[23jumpboy]

Oh, the OP is paying attention. Just missing the old days when the jersey mattered..

 

[Bluegrassking]

Maybe, but it was a hell of a ride and a truly a building process that we all watched take place over two years of probation. And then the 93 team was a true joy to watch. In both cases, if Mashburn doesn't foul out we win both games. Duke nor Michigan couldn't guard him.

I think the last probation team was actually better. That was unexpected lightening in a bottle. Don't pretend it is a template that can reasonably be expected to build to consistently now as it was an anomaly even at the time with about everything ever snapping into place.

 

[Ripcord65]

If the norm is for U.K. to have 6 or 7 "Kentucky boys" on the team, then the most you can reasonably expect is to get to the Elite Eight about every 5 years and to get to the Final Four about every 10 years. I'd rather have a shot at a national championship every year.

And I say that as I die-hard Kentuckian who was born and raised there and lived and worked in the Commonwealth for 55 years. That's just the way it is.

 

[23jumpboy]

Again, I'm loving the ride that Cal is giving us. don't get me wrong.

 

[23jumpboy]

Speaking of the 92 and 93 group, could college coaches nowadays get kids to play at the pace that Rick put those guys through? They were some of the most well conditioned players we've ever had. You had guys like Mash, Woods, Pel, Feldhaus, Delk, McCarty and more that played 94 feet and played 30+ minutes a game.

 

[lwbb]

True. AAU ball should change its name to MEME ball. Making a point to poster lwbb, way before Cal we were in the mix to make a run every year. If you look at the 70's, early 80's and with Rick's teams we had veterans that kept us in the mix. And it was with 4 year players. Again though, this was before AAU and other leagues.

When in Kentucky history has the Cats been to four final fours in six years .Yes Kentucky basketball has always been good but i believe it has been no better than now.Pitino was good here but not as good as Cal.

 

[docholiday51]

On the subject of paying attention,it would seem that more of this years recruits would have paid attention to what has been going on at UK for the past 6 years and maybe want to be part of that but that doesn't seem to be the case

Which adds to the point of the OP.

 

[crazyqx83]

I guess I'm an old fashioned..... I guess all the early defections to the league from college waters down the pros. Can't bare to watch the pro game any more.

The pros are as good as its been in 30 years (other than all but 1 of the good teams being concentrated in the west).

 

[23jumpboy]

When in Kentucky history has the Cats been to four final fours in six years .Yes Kentucky basketball has always been good but i believe it has been no better than now.Pitino was good here but not as good as Cal.

I hear you. Not knocking Cal nor his six years. Just missing the old days and the way it was done before the microwave....

 

[lwbb]

And 92 to 98 was a great time here some of the best basketball ever but not like now

 

[Mossip]

I guess I'm an old fashioned..... I guess all the early defections to the league from college waters down the pros. Can't bare to watch the pro game any more.

Well then you don't know much about basketball. The NBA is really good these days. Tons of talent.

 

[kyboy1998]

And 92 to 98 was a great time here some of the best basketball ever but not like now

Not like now?

I've enjoyed the last 6 years a lot, but can honestly say I enjoyed 92-98 as much (if not more) than them.

 

[DwayneMeighan]

Oh, the OP is paying attention. Just missing the old days when the jersey mattered..

Yeah, you're right. None of the players that have played here under Cal care anything for the jersey, university, city, state and/or fans. They're all just a bunch of mercenaries biding their time until they get to the NBA.

Look, just because a better opportunity presented itself - an opportunity to get paid, to live out a life long dream, and to provide for their families for generations to come - doesn't mean that the jersey didn't matter to them. You might not believe this, but to some people there are far more important things in life than UK basketball, and that's perfectly okay.

 

[Elliott Tim]

wanted to play here? Or are they just coming because Cal can create a fast track to the league?(notice I didn't say the NBA) I miss a group that was like the 92 team who were the heart of the team and were homegrown with an outside guy(Mash) to go with them. Will those days ever return or does the state lack that type of talent that wants to stay home and go to UK?

 

[Mike-D]

The "old days" are gone, but if you would like to continue to talk and cry about how it used to be, go right ahead. Go find a flux capacitor while you're at it.