Arkansas fans then and now.
- Thread starter Smashcat
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I believe he can coach. I believe he gave up on coaching with the focus to win games. I truly believe he exists to prepare kids for the NBA and no longer cares about winning. Enjoy it Arkansas, I have had my fill of it...
My complaint about Cow was he’s lost his edge the last few years. One of the big things that always made him an elite coach was how demanding he was of his players. I don’t feel that’s the case anymore in his old age
Spain was once the most powerful country in the world as well.
People- among many other failures- have a distinct inability to distinguish what was vs. what is. As we all saw over the last few years, many UK fans fit that description as well...
People- among many other failures- have a distinct inability to distinguish what was vs. what is. As we all saw over the last few years, many UK fans fit that description as well...
Rivalry? Nolan was 7-12 vs. UK when in the SEC. That's not even a .380 winning percentage. In his 11 seasons in the SEC, he had the chance to win 22 trophies (regular season and tournament), he won three. Three. UK won thirteen. Rivalry? Nope.
Supposedly there was a rivalry in the stands according to some hack from Arkansas two weeks ago, but when Atlanta is called CATlanta, and Nashville, CATSville - not the PIGpen or SLOPbucket, there has never been a doubt who rules the turnstiles either. Rivalry? Nope.
Probably will be today. Yet when UK loses a coach with the worst five year run in its modern history, I suppose one can see why the other is ecstatic given their program's history against the greatest program in the sport's history...
Supposedly there was a rivalry in the stands according to some hack from Arkansas two weeks ago, but when Atlanta is called CATlanta, and Nashville, CATSville - not the PIGpen or SLOPbucket, there has never been a doubt who rules the turnstiles either. Rivalry? Nope.
Probably will be today. Yet when UK loses a coach with the worst five year run in its modern history, I suppose one can see why the other is ecstatic given their program's history against the greatest program in the sport's history...
Cal started losing his best staff and relaxing his standards in the late 2010s. He's an excellent motivator, recruiter, and has a big enough personality to kill it at the biggest program in college ball. Losing Robic hurt badly. Losing Antigua hurt badly. Losing Payne hurt badly. They were replaced with guys who, by a lot of sources, did jack shart.
I believe Cal is a great coach because of the staff he assembled around him at the heights of his career. Without a lights out staff, even being at one of the premier basketball programs in the country, things went downhill in a hurry.
That said, I'm ecstatic with where our program is now with staff and recruiting. Arkansas is excited. I get it – they have a winning coach. But, they'll learn eventually that the success wasn't predicated on Cal himself, per se. Let Arkansas media sing his praises. That's fine. They'll figure it out soon enough.
I believe Cal is a great coach because of the staff he assembled around him at the heights of his career. Without a lights out staff, even being at one of the premier basketball programs in the country, things went downhill in a hurry.
That said, I'm ecstatic with where our program is now with staff and recruiting. Arkansas is excited. I get it – they have a winning coach. But, they'll learn eventually that the success wasn't predicated on Cal himself, per se. Let Arkansas media sing his praises. That's fine. They'll figure it out soon enough.
Make no mistake, Cal will be on a mission to win next season to prove he is bigger than UK. The question really is not can he but will he? He always could win with the talent if he had changed his ways and listen to his assistants.
Cal from early 90s to mid to late 2010s is dead.
The guy marching out there the past 4 years especially is a fraud.
The guy marching out there the past 4 years especially is a fraud.
I think that Cal can coach ONE STYLE, and that style doesn't work any longer.
He can't teach a zone, and he can't teach to ATTACK a zone.
He can't teach a zone, and he can't teach to ATTACK a zone.
Cal can motivate and gather good/great players. Usually he wins on that alone.
But the moment the guy needs to make an in-game adjustment or really dish out some x's and o's during a critical game moment the man will fall directly on his face.
But the moment the guy needs to make an in-game adjustment or really dish out some x's and o's during a critical game moment the man will fall directly on his face.
Fans will be fans, doesn’t matter the team. It’s why I chuckle when people act like BBN is the only crazy fanbase. Ark fans yelled at and called Cal every name in the book for the last 15 years, now they are all
giddy about him.
giddy about him.
Cal can't coach. Look what happened when Robic left.
Won’t coach is worse than not being able too. To me though there’s no difference. If you won’t coach as far as I’m concerned you can’t.
The hypocrisy is funny, you gotta say. 🤣
Now, can Calipari coach? Yes and no.
Yes, he's good at team building and getting guys to play for each other instead of just looking for their own.
Yes, he's pretty good at figuring out a way for his personnel to play best together and even adjust the approach from year to year. His plan is usually good, until teams figure it out and he must adjust.
But, in order to win big, Cal must have the top talent in the country. When he got the top talent from 2010 to 2015, his teams won big. When he wasn't able to get the top players, his teams hit a ceiling pretty quickly. Now that teams have gotten older, players have been given extra years, NIL has spread the talent pool around, and the transfer portal allows schools to build a team of older and more physically mature transfers, he has struggled. Unless Cal's approach changes, this won't change. A team of mainly talented freshmen can't win in this current situation. For Calipari, if talent, skill, and strength between teams are equal or close to equal, he struggles.
Cal struggles in game adjustments in a big way. Truth is, UK fans have known this from pretty much day one. Tubby was a better in-game coach than Calipari. Pitino would bury them both. Cal won because of elite talent. If he can't get the best players and must depend on his coaching acumen and ability to adjust, he can't do it well enough to win.
Bottom line: Arkansas fans will return to hating Calipari soon enough. Cal is already calling Arkansas "Calipari University" that has just changed location. They will see. The first time Cal pushes out a guy to the NBA to make room for the next class, or pushes guys out to the portal who didn't live up to the expectations, eyes will be opened. It happened nearly every year under Calipari at UK. I don't expect Arkansas fans to acknowledge these today. It will take some time, but they'll get there.
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Don’t forget he’s great at teaching how to attack a 1-3-1 zone and defending the pick and roll.
In fairness, our collective opinions of Cal circa 2007 were the same as this dude’s before Cal became their coach.
The era Cal dominated is over.
If I'm an Arkansas fan I couldn't help but wonder how he couldn't cut it at Kentucky for 5 years but he's going to do better at Arkansas.
If I'm an Arkansas fan I couldn't help but wonder how he couldn't cut it at Kentucky for 5 years but he's going to do better at Arkansas.
Good post, but I disagree w/ this part. Pitino was GREAT at game planning/game prep. Noone was better at scouting a team, finding their vulnerable spots and preparing a gameplan accordingly. This worked 95% of the time. Those few times when it didn't work, he never seemed to be able to make those in game changes. He'd just double down on his original plan. I believe Tubby was the better in game coach; he adjusted on the fly better. imo
Yeah, you may be right about Pitino. He would double-down on his original plan. But his teams could win without the very best talent and at a high percentage, as you said. He showed that early at UK and also at Louisville, and again at St John's just this season. As for Cal, he could never adjust in-game very well. If the first plan didn't work, the team would just lose.
That's true. He's on a mission, without a doubt. And the truth is, he needed a reset and a change of scenery as badly as UK needed it. This could be the shot in the arm he needed. But his problem with coaching has always been there, in my opinion. Even when he had John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, et al, he still struggled with in-game adjustments. West Virginia's 1-3-1 ate his lunch. The changes we saw in the offense last season came from assistants as much as anything. We heard about Welch being the X&Os guy, but Welch is not with him anymore. My opinion- Calipari's issues have been well-established all along. The old dog needs some new tricks if he's going to win big at Arkansas. Otherwise, it will be the same thing as usual. His team may get out of the first weekend (for the first time in 5 years) but they're gonna hit their ceiling pretty quickly. That may sound like a "salty ex-fan" kind of reply, but that's just what I believe is true. I believed it when he was at UK. My only hope was found in the elite talent. When our talent was very good, I hoped they'd overcome Cal's deficiencies. Last season was our best hope (best talent) since 2019, maybe since 2015, and we lost to OAKLAND!
Ah you can find that with this own fan base before April 2009.
I don't really care what Cal does next year. He was never going to change for UK and that's all I care about. I'm sure he's inspired with a new place but like MJ said, "He'll change for the second wife. He wasn't going to change for the first wife."
Yep, I'm guilty. I remember saying "He won't have to cheat to win at UK." I also gushed over the talent he had coming with him and had stars in my eyes about potential championships and thinking of a UK dynasty like we had going in the mid-90s with Pitino and then Tubby. When we won the 2011-12 title, I was sure more were on the way. Had you told me after that title that Cal wouldn't win another in the next 12 years at UK, I would have likely laughed in your face and accused you of wishful thinking.
And that is always the argument, isn't it? Well, sure he didn't win THERE but he will win HERE. Sure, he didn't win a single SEC tournament game in the last 5 seasons at UK, but he will for Arkansas. Sure, he recruited over guys at UK and pushed out the experienced players to make room for more one-and-done freshmen at UK, but he won't do that at Arkansas! I said the same things in 2009. And he did have 6 great years that are undeniable. Maybe Arkansas will get 6 great years out of him. Who knows? But don't be a fool. Open your eyes and your ears and understand we're glad he's gone. It was time for him and it was time for UK.
Robic was with him at every successful stop. The minute Robic lost his daughter we've been hot garbage. That was the year we had the losing record and Robic later moved to an administrative job. Then the next 3 years we had 1 win in the NCAA Tournament and 1 win in the SEC Tournament. Seems to line up with the loss of Robic. He was a big part of Cal's success I'd betCal can't coach. Look what happened when Robic left.
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Cal does not run a set offense, he expects players to go out and make plays, which is why using a heavily based freshmen roster has not been working. Basically Cal is an extremely well paid AAU coach.
All I know is they have been obnoxious insufferable little c*nts all over social media since Cal was hired.
Cal was losing to teams that had no business beating Kentucky to much. These teams were beating us with the oldest plays in basketball, pick and rolls and back doors with average players and little known coaches. He didn’t make in game adjustments or try others ways of stopping teams because of his stubbornness. When you have elite players, you can win with with a mediocre coach, then when you play teams with equal talent and good coaching, you are going to lose. That’s been what Kentucky has been like the last 5 years, Arkansas will find this out. Cal may not better Musselman’s record, he’s got to do better than Muss or he will be an underachiever like he was here the last 5 years.
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