Is anyone willing to admit that Cal sticking with this kid when everyone wanted him benched has helped our team?
Edwards' playing time
- Thread starter BBBLazing
- Start date
We weren't winning anything that mattered with Edwards not being a factor. Sticking with him was the right call.
I wish Bradshaw had come along as well but he may have to settle for a Marcus Lee vs. Michigan type cameo/impact in March.
I wish Bradshaw had come along as well but he may have to settle for a Marcus Lee vs. Michigan type cameo/impact in March.
This site is like an etch a sketch for the fan boys. Don’t like the response you get to one of your many accounts? Delete it and start over.
I said all along that he would be okay. The last several games he has shut several people down on this board. Cal knows what he’s doing.
I seem to remember one person on this board saying that “Edwards was giving us nothing!” But also thst “for us to be our best team in March we needed more than our 4 guards, and that Edwards was our best chance at that” (before we knew NCAA would free Z).
He was right.
And he was me.
He was right.
And he was me.
By now, this board should be totally unrecognizable. So many have been so very wrong. There should be plenty of shame to go around and lots of knew accounts because of it.
But, it's much more enjoyable now than it was a short while ago. Amazing what winning does. I'm sure glad we didn't fire Cal midway through the season. Lol! He was right all along, albeit with a few bonehead moves along the way but nevertheless, he was right and is the right person for the job. We're peaking at the right time and defense is coming along too. We proved last night that we can beat any team in the country. I actually think we have nearly as good of a chance to win the ncaa tourney as the sec tourney. We are built for the ncaa tournament. Hard to guard and hard to scout this team with short prep time and we're just a different team now than were were even a few weeks ago. All the pieces are coming together at the right time but Edwards may well be the biggest factor to us making a deep run. We'll see. Time to lace em' up tight and see how it all plays out, but I like our chances with this group.
Yes.
But his play in the first half of the season never warranted the amount of clock he got, and it resulted in some avoidable losses.
Both can be true.
I think it was a bit of a gamble, one that even Cal probably would admit, he wasn't sure if it would work.
But, it paid off. He stuck with Edwards and DJ and they are responding with great performances and heady play. If we benched them and left them for role player minutes, they don't get better, and while we MIGHT have avoided some losses, we are going into the tournament with JUST Shep and Dilly, and we're likely capped at an Elite 8.
Now, we still have Shep and Dilly, but we were able to add two other guard-type players, to create a very explosive 4-player back court. We need that if we want to win a Final4 and beyond.
But, it paid off. He stuck with Edwards and DJ and they are responding with great performances and heady play. If we benched them and left them for role player minutes, they don't get better, and while we MIGHT have avoided some losses, we are going into the tournament with JUST Shep and Dilly, and we're likely capped at an Elite 8.
Now, we still have Shep and Dilly, but we were able to add two other guard-type players, to create a very explosive 4-player back court. We need that if we want to win a Final4 and beyond.
But that doesn’t validate the head clown or his followers when you word it like that.
He didn't bench him, but there was a time when Edwards was getting less minutes because of his play. Anyone saying he should have been completely benched was wrong, but he did play less at times.
I dont think you can pin any of our losses on Edwards. There was always blame to go to various people.
Edwards has been making shots. That’s just about the only difference in his game. He’s defending a bit better, but Cal playing him at the 4 has helped that. He’s still soft at the rim and loses the ball in traffic a lot. Making shots has been the key difference. Why?
I think a huge part of it is his extended minutes at the 4. FINALLY Cal has figured out the best version of this team is three of the four guards playing together, Edwards/Adou at the 4, and Mitchell and the three 7 footers fighting it out for minutes at the 5. The metrics and the eye test both say that’s when this team is at its best.
I think a huge part of it is his extended minutes at the 4. FINALLY Cal has figured out the best version of this team is three of the four guards playing together, Edwards/Adou at the 4, and Mitchell and the three 7 footers fighting it out for minutes at the 5. The metrics and the eye test both say that’s when this team is at its best.
I thought Edwards should have stayed on the bench and I was wrong but not sure about "Cal knows what he's doing". Even a dead clock is right twice a day
I’m not trying to pin losses on Edwards. The losses should be pinned on Cal. I’m glad Edwards has turned the corner. He seems like a great person.
My favorite part is how we still haven’t made a Final Four or been a 1 seed in the tournament in 9 years, but people are still gloating about how great Cal is.
We are all having fun watching this team, but we haven’t done anything more than what most of us have come to expect over the past several decades.
Less, if I’m being honest. Second in the SEC and maybe a 3/4/5 seed? Don’t think we hang banners for that.
If we make a Final Four run I’ll be ecstatic. I’ll give Cal credit for pulling it together like he did in 2011 and 2014.
We still have work to do, so maybe less gloating until we actually win something? Just a thought. Deaf ears, I know.
We are all having fun watching this team, but we haven’t done anything more than what most of us have come to expect over the past several decades.
Less, if I’m being honest. Second in the SEC and maybe a 3/4/5 seed? Don’t think we hang banners for that.
If we make a Final Four run I’ll be ecstatic. I’ll give Cal credit for pulling it together like he did in 2011 and 2014.
We still have work to do, so maybe less gloating until we actually win something? Just a thought. Deaf ears, I know.
I never wanted him benched, and predicted he'd break-out in February. I was about 3 weeks early in my prediction, though, because I thought it would come against Gonzaga...
Him playing a completely different position has been very helpful as well
This. Win something that matters (sec regular season, sec tourney, final four or title).
My son went to the game yesterday and was decked out in his UK gear. I asked him if the TN fans gave him any crap and he said one guy sitting in front of him did. Said he was mid 50’s and turned around and told my son to go back home that our team isn’t even relevant anymore. My son told him to get back with him when they make it past an elite 8 in basketball and their fb program is relevant again.
This is where Cal has let our program slip under his leadership.
I think maybe the Sheppard's can claim a little of the credit, as well. Read somewhere that he started getting into the gym w/ Reed when mom/pops would come in to help him with his shot/game and that they ended up helping Justin figure some stuff out
This has been a team effort by Cal, Edwards, and the coaching staff. Reed has also played a part along with Reed's mom. The Edwards family, in Edwards own words, have leaned on the Sheppards when it was going rough for Justin. Treated his family like part of Reed's family. Even helping Justin with the mental aspect of the game.
This is an amazing team with amazing chemistry. They've had quite a bit of adversity and fought like hell to get through it. Kentucky is now starting to see the fruits of its labor. I cannot wait to see how the rest of this story plays out.
This is an amazing team with amazing chemistry. They've had quite a bit of adversity and fought like hell to get through it. Kentucky is now starting to see the fruits of its labor. I cannot wait to see how the rest of this story plays out.
They also set him up to go see a person to help him with his confidence and relaxing. Saw a couple of interviews about it.
This program could use the Sheppard family a little longer.
This is the correct take. Even yesterday, Cal pulled the air out the ball too early and almost cost us a win. I will not buy in until the farm is bought so to speak. I’ve been fooled too many times before.
The problem with saying it resulted in avoidable losses is you can't say that for sure. This team had a few games won that they completely gave away at the end. Beat LSU and Florida and we're probably a 2 seed or maybe the last 1 seed. You can't prove Edwards getting playing time resulted in losses, and his minutes had been whittled down to the mid-teens at times.
But let's say him playing 100% resulted in a few losses. If he didn't keep playing and develop do we beat Bama or Tennessee without his big games? I'd say there's a good chance we lose at least one. It's probably reasonable to assume our record would be the same or incredibly similar.
But let's take it a step further and say playing him absolutely resulted in us losing out on a 1 seed (which I would not agree with). Would you rather be a 1 seed with Edwards being a 5 minute per game bench piece or a 3 seed with him being a major player on a more well rounded and dangerous team? I'd take the 3 seed with the better team.
Wonder if Cal is comfortable with the Sheppards getting so much press? And some credit for helping Justin from Justin’s own mouth.
I thought it was odd a week or so ago when Chin Coleman came out in an interview saying “Cal is the GOAT”, “Cal is the GOAT”. Just thought it was weird.
I thought it was odd a week or so ago when Chin Coleman came out in an interview saying “Cal is the GOAT”, “Cal is the GOAT”. Just thought it was weird.
Yup, apparently they set him up with the sports physiologist that Reed has been seeing since high school.
LMAO at this asinine post having one like and its jennings the worst UK fan impersonator around .
Hard to understand what your broken English response was meant to say. My point about what was said to my son was that remark wouldn’t have been made by an opposing fanbase 10 years ago.
Cal did stick with him which was good. Reed Sheppard, being the great teammate that he is, helped Edwards as well. Sheppard's Mental Health Coach Helps Justin Edwards
I admit...I was calling for Reed to start in a 3 guard line up and pull Edwards down to minutes in the teens.
He’s been burnt three seasons in a row. You know it was scary as hell rolling the dice a fourth time.
Edwards' game has improved so much to the point where I even hate to see him sub out of the game. When he got a breather in the 2nd half, couldn't wait to get him back in the game the way he was shooting the ball.
Cal sticking by Edwards when many doubted, and now judiciously managing minutes—giving the nod to Ugo and Big Z over Bradshaw—speaks volumes of his coaching nous. It's not just about developing talent but also about making timely tactical decisions that shore up our defense when it matters most. These moves aren't random; they're calculated.
While I agree, if I thought we'd be playing this good at this time before the season started, I'd take it all day long. Looks like we're getting better on defense and we're shooting it really well lately. Team has the feel of those early Cal teams that make a run. I think this team is better than all those.
I mean cal agreed because he dropped Edward’s minutes lol. I guess he kept him in the starting lineup so you can give him that but edwards was never going to be completely benched. We needed him to at least be solid. Regardless him turning the corner is exactly what we needed
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