Next Year's Class Are Not top ten guys.

[ArtLaibsGhost]

They ARE top ten guys, maybe not as good as some of the all time greats whose names are being thrown out there, BUT they are top ten for this year. No one knows how they will turn out yet.

Including you.

I never said they weren't top 10 high schoolers. They obviously are but so were Skal, Boston,Clarke,Devin Askew and a host of others I could name. They ratings are meaningless hype till they step on a college court. These guys may be the real deal but I will reserve my hopes till I actually see them play

 

[Fox2monk]

Wonder how many people have paid attention to the past HS kids 3 point percentages like they have for DJ Wagner and Rob Dillingham ? I’m going to go out on a limb and say most HS kids 3 point percentage isn’t as high as people may want them to be .

Wagner went from a must get to now an underrated prospect on here lol

I swear, I think a lot of the board hasn’t even seen him or Dilly even play much. They aren’t Wall or Fox talents IMO but the can be very high level college starters next year easily. Dillingham has everything needed to be great. If Cal can rein him in, teach him the college game, and he refines his jumper he will be really good. Wagner is tough and can get in the lane and finish, he hasn’t been around the top spot his entire career for nothing. Again if he refines his jumper he will be very good.

 

[Fox2monk]

I never said they weren't top 10 high schoolers. They obviously are but so were Skal, Boston,Clarke,Devin Askew and a host of others I could name. They ratings are meaningless hype till they step on a college court. These guys may be the real deal but I will reserve my hopes till I actually see them play

The only thing I’m worried about from the guards is defense and if Bradshaw can put on enough weight and strength needed to play at a high level in college. His best bet may be a 4 kinda like Toppin played early on. I don’t know how his handle or shot is for a big man though. That’s important in college. His highlights look like he has decent form and touch on his jumper out to the 3, and he can definitely get up and goes for dunks which is nice to see. He looks to protect the rim pretty well too.

 

[Fox2monk]

Here’s a nice highlight of Bradshaw that show some of his skills.

 

[Fox2monk]

Here is Edwards, definitely the most polished and overall prospect right now IMO.

 

[Fox2monk]

Here is our back court: First up we have the most exciting prospect and one of the highest ceilings of any guard IMO, Rob Dilly. Dilly appears to have that speed and handle Cal’s best guards have possessed at Kentucky. #1 issue is keeping his posse out of UK for the season as much as possible.



Here is the former #1 overall player and UK lock since birth DJ Wagner. Definitely tough and can drive which is a good strength to have in our offense. Needs to work on his shot all summer and here daily. Love his game though.

 

[Fox2monk]

The Unsung recruit of the Top 10 studs is no slouch himself (#24 last I checked) and is probably one of the best college ready games of our prospects. He can shoot, is more athletic than you think, and has a high IQ. His teams were always amazing even competing against some of the best AAU squads out there. Reed Sheppard, the Legacy Prodigy and guaranteed fan favorite. I think he could be Tyler Herro like off the bench for us next year.

 

[Greatestalltime]

It is always entertaining when people that know very little about player evaluation make these unsolicited “bold proclamations.”

That’s what the internet is for, I guess.

 

[Bluegrass79]

The only way I feel super confident about next year's team is if we have Oscar back. Other than that I'll be nervous.....

 

[WestKyCatFan58]

Haven't finished this year and we're already ripping apart next years Cats
. Some of you are sick.....

 

[irishcat1965]

Unlike some others, I get what you are trying to say. The collection of talent coming in isn’t talented enough to overcome Cal’s lack of coaching ability, thus, don’t expect next season to be any different, just because those guys have 5* as their rankings.

See, not everyone is a contrarian. Personally, I don’t believe Califailure will be UK’s HC next season, so some of that class probably won’t be as well. We shall see in a couple/ few months.

Cal is going to be the UK coach next year unless he drops dead. That isn’t even up for debate.

 

[irishcat1965]

As far as how good the recruits will be, I have absolutely no idea. None of us will know until they hit the floor at Rupp. To be perfectly honest, I am hoping Livingston, Ugonna and Thiero return. If all three return, that is a nice start to the roster.

 

[Fox2monk]

As far as how good the recruits will be, I have absolutely no idea. None of us will know until they hit the floor at Rupp. To be perfectly honest, I am hoping Livingston, Ugonna and Thiero return. If all three return, that is a nice start to the roster.

I posted some clips above so people who haven’t seen much of them can check them out at least in a highlight setting to see some skills they have.

 

[EliteBlue]

Is all that Cal's fault. And the fact that this years class doesn't measure up to some all time greats change the fact that the experts think they are the best available THIS year?

Didn’t say it was Cals fault. No need to get defensive. I stated facts that have played into the slide the last 5-7 years (other school
Adopting and going all in on 1nD causing us to not get half the top 10 like the early years; and weaker highschool talent in single classes). You actually said exactly the point…”they’re the best available THIS year” all high schools classes aren’t equal. Hopefully this one excels.

When you use the One and Done model then yes all you can do is recruit the guys from that class that are top 10 against their peers and hope that it’s a future NBA Allstar type of class…it’s a yearly roll of the dice. When there is a culture of you either make it pro or transfer within 2 years bc 5 new guys are coming then you lose the ability to build rosters so you’re dependent on the 5 new guys to be top end college players day 1.

This is the first year in a while that we’ve got the majority of the top 10 as well. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it’s practically immediately after K, Roy, Jay Wright all retired and Self never went all in on 1nD but instead stayed the course of roster building and upper class heavy teams and only going after the obvious superstars like Zion. Self recruited gaps in his roster but not an entire new roster that w elect to play every year.

When Cals model works it’s absolutely electric but you’re going to have bigger down years…so the up years better result in hardware to counter the big misses.

It’s tortious vs hare methods essentially

 

[trueblujr2]

Dj Wagner is no where near John Wall/Brandon Knight or Fox.

Rob Dillingham isn't even close to Eric Bledsoe IMO

And A. Bradshaw is definitely no Boogie Cousins, Towns, Julius Randle or Bam Adebayo.

Justin Edwards may be the only one that would actually be top ten in other previous recruiting classes.

2023 is a down year, possibly from 2 years of covid restrictions on athletic development on those young players.


really hope I'm wrong... used to love Cal, have no confidence in him anymore and this class next year is one of his slow start 10 loss freshman teams that aren't good till the end

If we got the best of a bad class then doesn’t that still make us the best? It’s all relative. They may not be 2010-2012 level but neither will anybody else.

 

[bucsrule8872]

I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts all five Freshmen. Let the young guys loose.

G Wagner
G Dillingham
G Sheppard
F Edwards
F Bradshaw

Shep is least likely to start, on paper. Still, he is ranked in about the same range as Herro, SGA, Booker, Bledsoe, etc. He seems underrated to me. High basketball IQ kid.

I like the idea of basically playing 4 guards together. Edwards is 6’8 with guard skills. That would be a young, yet athletic lineup.

 

[reggis1]

I never said they weren't top 10 high schoolers. They obviously are but so were Skal, Boston,Clarke,Devin Askew and a host of others I could name. They ratings are meaningless hype till they step on a college court. These guys may be the real deal but I will reserve my hopes till I actually see them play

I have seen wagner and bradshaw play and they will be legit top 10 in freshmen class

 

[DreadLox]

I have seen wagner and bradshaw play and they will be legit top 10 in freshmen class

CAUTION: I'm not very good at evaluating talent.

However, Bradshaw seems far too skinny to be effective as a freshman. The only one who looks ready, physically, to compete at a high level is Shepherd. He seems strong, durable, and plays with his head up. Alertness and poise are undervalued because there's no number to relate them to, but I think Shepherd has them in addition to his impressive skills.. Edwards is the guy who may shine the most eventually, but good 6'8" guards are scarce for a reason.

I'm simply amazed at how skinny the incoming freshmen are. Is UK going to change conferences?

 

[CRZ4UK]

Every class from here on out will be relatively weak bc of Gleague, and reclassifications

Also because of AAU ball. No defense at all.

 

[giffhawk]

Has Cal ever developed a player? When was the last time Cal had a player that wasn't a top 20 recruit and made him into an All-American?

 

[kybloo92]

Has Cal ever developed a player? When was the last time Cal had a player that wasn't a top 20 recruit and made him into an All-American?

WCS & Oscar All-Americans, not in the Top 20. Ulis All-American, not every recruiting service listed him in the Top 20.

 

[Big Cat fan]

Edwards makes this class. The others are kinda unknown. But ranked high. Probably Cals 3 or 4th best class which saved him. We will be a Sweet 16 team. All part of Cal getting back into it.

 

[LosGatos]

Interesting thread. Can someone/anyone find DJ Wagner's three point shooting percentage over a full year? I've looked all over and all I can find is for seven games in some under 17 tournament. How about for the previous high school year. Seven games is not unough to draw meaningful conclusions.