IF UK can snag Jaylen Brown

[mj2k10]

That would give UK 2 top 5 players for the 4th time since Cal has been here. The only other school to do it in the last 10 years was UNC, with Brandan Wright and Ty Lawson in 06.

And just a reminder of how elite top 5 players are, here's the list (RSCI consensus) for the 1 and done era:

06- Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Brandan Wright, Spencer Hawes, Ty Lawson
07- OJ Mayo, Kevin Love, Eric Gordon, Michael Beasley, Derrick Rose
08- Brandon Jennings, J'rue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, Samardo Samuels, DeMar DeRozan
09- Derrick Favors, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Avery Bradley, John Henson
10- Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Kyrie Irving, Brandon Knight, Tobias Harris
11- Anthony Davis, Austin Rivers, MKG, Bradley Beal, Quincy Miller
12- Shabazz Muhammad, Nerlens Noel, Kyle Anderson, Isaiah Austin, Steven Adams
13- Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, Jabari Parker, Aaron Gordon, Andrew Harrison
14- Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay, Stanley Johnson, Cliff Alexander, Karl Towns

There are 7 guys on that list who've already appeared in All-Star games, including 2 guys who've won MVP awards, and the vast majority are starters or key parts of an NBA rotation.

 

[StubbornPenny]

Pffft haven't you heard? This class is a failure on Cals part!

Seriously though, that's amazing. We all know recruiting doesn't win titles, BUT if stack a blackjack deck with extra aces, you're more likely to get 21. That's what Cal is doing with recruiting.

 

[buckkiller]

Nice and would be 3 in top 10 4 if we can get Maker.

 

[Bigkyfan10]

^^^ honestly I'm not so sure we are even recruiting Maker anymore. Even if he does select us, the earliest he could enroll in school is second semester

 

[crazyqx83]

UCLA did it with shabazz and Slomo.

 

[buckkiller]

I guess no way UK can get Brown so everyone says.

 

[UKcatXXXL]

Nice and would be 3 in top 10 4 if we can get Maker.

If that ends up happening this class is seriously LEGENDARY because Skal, Brown, and Maker are all serious ballers..................

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

The Crystal Ball thing was just about even between UM and UK until the 27th, when 17 predictions came in a 25 hour period. All for UM. But I have not found any reason for the avalanche of predictions in 1 day. Diallo had just committed to KU, but I don't see how that would be behind that. More likely it was that Georgia, UCLA, and one other team were cut, and KU looked even less likely, so a bunch of them went all-in with UM. Given that LaVert came back though, I don't understand why that wouldn't make some of them reconsider. Whatever, I don't think any of them have any inside info.

 

[catsfan3523]

I'm pretty sure most of the crystal ball picks they got in that time was people just changing their pick from ucla.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Michigan's starting wings - Irvin and LeVert - will both be back next year. Both of them averaged over 14 ppg and each played at least 36 minutes/game.

There's no way Brown will want to play the 4, right? Certainly not in a rational world. I can't see why he'd pick Michigan with two potential All-Big 10 guys already well entrenched at the 2/3 positions.

This stuff is insane. At this point, it would be great landing Brown for so many reasons, not the least of which would be the make the Crystal Ball "experts" look like the amateurs they really are.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Brown will be the 4 in Beilein's system. Bank on it. He likes to play 4 out, 1 in.

 

[UK_Johnny24]

What about if Murray reclassifies and we get both? Murray will be ranked in between 7-12 I'd say so we could possibly end up with two top 5 players, and 4 of the top 10.

 

[3rex]

I think it's a really good class now. The addition of Brown would make it another great class.

But if 2-3 of them are heading to the NBA right after this season, then it is a failure, in my opinion..

 

[Joneslab]

I think it's a really good class now. The addition of Brown would make it another great class.

But if 2-3 of them are heading to the NBA right after this season, then it is a failure, in my opinion..

By that logic the Davis/MKG class was a failure.

I'm always surprised when these debates break out because it's almost as if people don't know the deal at this point. It was pretty clear when Wall and Cousins were brought in how things were going to go and the methodology Cal was using.

Get them in here. Open up transparency w/r/t their NBA stock. Give them the option of going. Step back. Rinse and repeat.

There are times when something happens to put a kink in the process--Terrence Jones' maturity; Doron Lamb's marketability; the twins' lack of athleticism--but more often than not it's a pretty obvious system.

And yet still Kentucky fans seem baffled and/or infuriated when it happens.

 

[3rex]

By that logic the Davis/MKG class was a failure.

That is a valid point. I deleted part before I posted & should have left it there.

That part was that it is a failure..."barring a championship."

And yes I understand how hard a championship is to win & I appreciate that, but if we're gonna have OAD's every single year lets win it all more than 1 out of every 23 years. We can get guys who want to be here for longer than 10 months & do that.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

I think it's a really good class now. The addition of Brown would make it another great class.

But if 2-3 of them are heading to the NBA right after this season, then it is a failure, in my opinion..

No class is a failure that seriously contends for a Final Four.

I feel retaining Matthews/Mulder and turning Briscoe/Skal/Brown loose to the NBA would be the best-case scenario, and I would gladly welcome it. A long-term Charles Matthews is going to do wonders for this program.

 

[3rex]

No class is a failure that seriously contends for a Final Four.

I feel retaining Matthews/Mulder and turning Briscoe/Skal/Brown loose to the NBA would be the best-case scenario, and I would gladly welcome it. A long-term Charles Matthews is going to do wonders for this program.

I don't know Saul. I will be cheering for them next season, despite what some on here think, but if we reach the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 (assuming that's what you mean by seriously contending for a Final Four) and than bow out, followed by those 3 walking out the revolving door, then I think it would be a failure.

Just my opinion.

 

[Joneslab]

I remember the Pitino years fondly as we all do, but it yielded "only" one title. Still, it was an incredible success.

For me this era is the same and will continue to be as long as we're in the national conversation IMO. The players leaving doesn't do anything to bring down my own joy, because I want to win. If I thought a person could win like this with four-year players I would prefer that, but I'm not sure it's possible in 2015--as Coach K has sort of figured out.

Whether Cal himself is a legend in the game is another discussion entirely. That's for others to figure out when he's finished. But I think there's this chasm between "success" and "failure," and with the exception of 2013 Cal has kept the meter pretty solidly toward the former.

 

[Ripcord65]

Joneslab ... I respectfully but fervently disagree with your statement that "the Pitino years" produced only one national championship. IMHO, Rick Pitino is a despicable human being, and I regret that his banner hangs in Rupp Arena. But ...

The 1998 national championship was won by players whom Pitino recruited, whom Pitino coached for 2 and 3 years, AND ... by players who, at the end of the 1998 season and throughout the 1998 NCAA Tournament, simply refused to play "Tubby Ball" and instead played the same kind of basketball - under the principal leadership of Jeff Sheppard -- that the 1996 and 1997 teams had played under Pitino.

Tubby Smith is a nice human being. I'm sure he's a wonderful husband and father. But he is and always has been a mediocre college basketball coach who "gets a star by his name" because he followed Pitino in 1997-98 under extraordinary circumstances.

Just MHO, of course.

Go 'Cats ! ! !

 

[UK CAT in FL]

The 1998 national championship was won by players whom Pitino recruited, whom Pitino coached for 2 and 3 years, AND ... by players who, at the end of the 1998 season and throughout the 1998 NCAA Tournament, simply refused to play "Tubby Ball" and instead played the same kind of basketball - under the principal leadership of Jeff Sheppard -- that the 1996 and 1997 teams had played under Pitino.

Just MHO, of course.

Go 'Cats ! ! !

If Pitino couldn't win with his 96/97 players what would make anyone think he could win the championship with his 97/98 players?

Pitino does not deserve the 97/98 championship.

 

[caneintally]

What about if Murray reclassifies and we get both? Murray will be ranked in between 7-12 I'd say so we could possibly end up with two top 5 players, and 4 of the top 10.

Who knows with Murray though . I think we might get him but it will be in next year's class. We are good at guard with Mulder coming in ( who looks damn good ) but we need a guy who drive and rebound and Brown does that in spades.

 

[caneintally]

Joneslab ... I respectfully but fervently disagree with your statement that "the Pitino years" produced only one national championship. IMHO, Rick Pitino is a despicable human being, and I regret that his banner hangs in Rupp Arena. But ...

The 1998 national championship was won by players whom Pitino recruited, whom Pitino coached for 2 and 3 years, AND ... by players who, at the end of the 1998 season and throughout the 1998 NCAA Tournament, simply refused to play "Tubby Ball" and instead played the same kind of basketball - under the principal leadership of Jeff Sheppard -- that the 1996 and 1997 teams had played under Pitino.

Tubby Smith is a nice human being. I'm sure he's a wonderful husband and father. But he is and always has been a mediocre college basketball coach who "gets a star by his name" because he followed Pitino in 1997-98 under extraordinary circumstances.

Just MHO, of course.

Go 'Cats ! ! !

I support everyting Rip says in this post . Spot on . We won the title just as much because Pitino is not moreseo . Tubby was good in his best years and average most of them.

 

[mj2k10]

I think it's a really good class now. The addition of Brown would make it another great class.

But if 2-3 of them are heading to the NBA right after this season, then it is a failure, in my opinion..

Then you may as well stop watching college basketball.

 

[Ripcord65]

Thanks, caneintally.

BTW ... I spent the fall semester of 1965 in Tallahassee. Just FYI.

 

[Poetax]

I don't know Saul. I will be cheering for them next season, despite what some on here think, but if we reach the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 (assuming that's what you mean by seriously contending for a Final Four) and than bow out, followed by those 3 walking out the revolving door, then I think it would be a failure.

Just my opinion.

I guess I don't understand why fans get so butt hurt over kids leaving early if the draft says they will go first round or so. If it was our kids we would be ecstatic.

 

[Hoskins91]

I think it's a really good class now. The addition of Brown would make it another great class.

But if 2-3 of them are heading to the NBA right after this season, then it is a failure, in my opinion..

How can a recruiting class be a failure? Plus, shouldn't we wait to see how the year turns out?

 

[3rex]

I guess I don't understand why fans get so butt hurt over kids leaving early if the draft says they will go first round or so. If it was our kids we would be ecstatic.

I agree. We would be ecstatic. Can't argue with that at all.

But that doesn't mean I enjoy us recruiting 2-4 players every single year who have absolutely no intention of being here for even a calendar year...two different things, in my opinion. I'm happy for the kid. But I'm not happy for us, because it means run the next batch through & watch it happen again & again.

 

[Mojocat]

I never really understood the lamenting over kids leaving after a year. Well, I guess I can understand it, I just don't relate to it. What does it matter to me if a kid stays 1, 2, 3 or 4 years? More memories I guess. But I have plenty of memories of, for ex, Wall and Davis. What would matter is if those kids were disrespectful of UK, using the place, just passing through, not going to class after Christmas and crushing our APR. You know, everything rivals say. But from all indications it's the exact opposite of that. Far as I know, Orton is the only kid to quit on us. UK and UNC are the two best programs all time. The only thing I sorta envied them was the family thing. Jordan wearing UNC shorts under his Bulls shorts, all that. We for the first time are developing that in the UK program - ironically, at a time when our best players are only here a year.....

 

[Poetax]

I agree. We would be ecstatic. Can't argue with that at all.

But that doesn't mean I enjoy us recruiting 2-4 players every single year who have absolutely no intention of being here for even a calendar year...two different things, in my opinion. I'm happy for the kid. But I'm not happy for us, because it means run the next batch through & watch it happen again & again.

I hear that thing about, "wow, we don't even get to know the players," really? I didn't get to know Macy, Givens, Lee, Robey, or any other 4 year player that played at Kentucky before Cal came. And actually I stay up with those who were OADs in the pros more then I ever did any of the kids before. I just think you being unhappy "for us," is a real waste of time and the only way that feeling is going to stop for you I guess is when Cal stops recruiting the best players in the nation and I personally hope that never happens.