Recruiting "Misses"

[bucsrule8872]

I have never been so happy to have missed on so many recruits.

If we would have signed Brown, Newman, or Ingram, we would likely not have gotten Murray.

Right now he looks like the best guard/wing coming into college.

It's kind of crazy to miss on three top 10 players and still end up with a top 10 player that might very well be the best of the bunch.

Talk about fortunate.

 

[KnowsAllTellsAll]

Not a big fan of Brown, but Newman and Ingram are arguably better than Murray.

 

[KyFord]

Not a big fan of Brown, but Newman and Ingram are arguably better than Murray.

No way man, Murray is the best all around basketball player in the class.

I agree with the OP, missing on those guys was a blessing in disguise.

 

[GonzoCat90]

Maybe more than any other one specific area, our fortune in the players we "miss" on and end up with instead, has been remarkable.

Knight/Selby, Lamb/Barton, Jones/Leslie, Davis/Miller, Andrew/Hill, Aaron/Selden, Randle/Walker, Murray/Newman.

And we didn't land a replacement for them, but missing on Bennett and Muhammad ended up being a good thing.

 

[Bigblueforever]

I have never been so happy to have missed on so many recruits.

If we would have signed Brown, Newman, or Ingram, we would likely not have gotten Murray.

Right now he looks like the best guard/wing coming into college.

It's kind of crazy to miss on three top 10 players and still end up with a top 10 player that might very well be the best of the bunch.

Talk about fortunate.

Agree! Glad we miss on those three.

 

[KyFord]

Maybe more than any other one specific area, our fortune in the players we "miss" on and end up with instead, has been remarkable.

Knight/Selby, Lamb/Barton, Jones/Leslie, Davis/Miller, Andrew/Hill, Aaron/Selden, Randle/Walker, Murray/Newman.

And we didn't land a replacement for them, but missing on Bennett and Muhammad ended up being a good thing.

It's amazing to think that all of those guys we missed on pretty much never lived up to the hype.

 

[BigKari]

Maybe more than any other one specific area, our fortune in the players we "miss" on and end up with instead, has been remarkable.

Knight/Selby, Lamb/Barton, Jones/Leslie, Davis/Miller, Andrew/Hill, Aaron/Selden, Randle/Walker, Murray/Newman.

And we didn't land a replacement for them, but missing on Bennett and Muhammad ended up being a good thing.

Missing on Bennett and Muhammad was a good thing!? We went to the NIT that season. I can see you not wanting Muhammad, because he was pretty selfish at UCLA but we really could've used him on the wing and he was a very good scorer in college. As far as Bennett goes, that was a huge miss and we could've landed him if not for academics so that's not Cals fault. I can only assume you were saying he was a good miss because he is perceived as a bust in the NBA, despite his decent development to this point. He shouldn't have gone number 1, but his career is far from over. You do remember what happened to Nerlens right? So how in the world was missing on Bennett a good thing?

 

[bucsrule8872]

It's amazing to think that all of those guys we missed on pretty much never lived up to the hype.

Or maybe Cal is better at developing guys than we think. It's hard to judge. Who knows if Cal could have gotten Leslie to the same point as Jones after two years?

Aside from Davis, all those guys looked pretty even coming in, but not even close leaving college.

 

[Hoskins21]

Not a big fan of Brown, but Newman and Ingram are arguably better than Murray.

I bet Murray is drafted higher than Newman.

 

[GonzoCat90]

Missing on Bennett and Muhammad was a good thing!? We went to the NIT that season. I can see you not wanting Muhammad, because he was pretty selfish at UCLA but we really could've used him on the wing and he was a very good scorer in college. As far as Bennett goes, that was a huge miss and we could've landed him if not for academics so that's not Cals fault. I can only assume you were saying he was a good miss because he is perceived as a bust in the NBA, despite his decent development to this point. He shouldn't have gone number 1, but his career is far from over. You do remember what happened to Nerlens right? So how in the world was missing on Bennett a good thing?

Didn't really develop that point fully.

I should have said we missed on those guys and didn't replace them with a better player, but they ended up not being as good as advertised and I think would have ultimately gotten us in trouble.

 

[Rupp'sRunt]

I think Newman's getting sold a little short I think the kid can flat out ball. Brown's got more athleticism. At the end of the day Murrays the best fit for this team though.

 

[BigKari]

Didn't really develop that point fully.

I should have said we missed on those guys and didn't replace them with a better player, but they ended up not being as good as advertised and I think would have ultimately gotten us in trouble.

I get what you are saying more now. With Muhammad's situation, we don't want that extra attention. We get enough bs from other fanbases and there is no doubt that his amateurism would've received 5 times as much attention had he gone to UK. Since he was at UCLA people were just like whatever and forgot about it. Then there was the lying about his age issue, which was weird and would've been embarrassing for us as well. His camp was just far too shady and involved so Im glad we missed on him too, and I'm not sure he alone would've vaulted us into the tournament. He and Archie together could well have been an unmitigated disaster.

Bennett on the other hand, the only real issue was academics. I see what your saying, given the academic situation, had we taken him and tried to make it work, he either would've had to sit out the whole year or it could've gotten us in trouble down the road. Had Bennett been fine academically, we absolutely would've done everything to land him and he would've been huge for us that season. Still, we would've been without a PG. I wish we could've gotten Bennett and Mark Lyons that season and we'd be talking about 5 straight final 4s.

 

[BigKari]

I think Newman's getting sold a little short I think the kid can flat out ball. Brown's got more athleticism. At the end of the day Murrays the best fit for this team though.

If Newman doesn't set the world on fire at Miss St. his stock will suffer. He will go lotto but may not crack the top 10. He is crazy talented but he's going to struggle with nothing around him. He is not a good enough distributor to transcend their lack of talent. They need him to be a guy who makes his lesser talented teammates better, but I think he will be unwilling or unable to be that kind of facilitator. Very risky decision for his future.

 

[WildMoon]

Or maybe Cal is better at developing guys than we think. It's hard to judge. Who knows if Cal could have gotten Leslie to the same point as Jones after two years?

Aside from Davis, all those guys looked pretty even coming in, but not even close leaving college.

This, Coach Cal does amazing job at developing these players.

Too many think just because they are rated high that they should be good. I seen too much progress in each of our players that it's crazy to believe they weren't coached extremely well.

 

[ekywildcat]

A miss that worked out well for us was Cliff Alexander. Early in his recruitment, I thought he was pretty much ours. Granted, all my info came from these boards and KSR, but I trust my BBN friends. I believe Cal saw the writing on the wall and backed off, so this probably wasn't actually a miss.

 

[Teachable Moe]

I think Newman's getting sold a little short I think the kid can flat out ball. Brown's got more athleticism. At the end of the day Murrays the best fit for this team though.

Murray appears to be a reliable shooter, and that's a bit unusual for a Calipari recruit. Cal seems to like athletes first, shooters second. I thought Brown was the prototypical Calipari recruit, and I'm surprised we didn't land him. Newman seems to be super hot or stone cold for long stretches. (Newman also seems to have so much swagger that he and Briscoe would ignite musk fires if confined in the same room for long.)

I'm thankful for the reliable shooter. When you get old, those 8 minute stretches without seeing the ball go through the basket are rough.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Ingram and Brown would have been stars at Kentucky, but how would the spacing have been with those guys playing the three alongside Briscoe and Ulis? I like UK's chances at a title much more with Murray than I would have with the others.

College ball is a guards game. We have three elite guards and a dominant 5 man with an elite athlete at the 4 spot. Can't ask for a much better mix of talent.

 

[Nubb16]

I

Or maybe Cal is better at developing guys than we think. It's hard to judge. Who knows if Cal could have gotten Leslie to the same point as Jones after two years?

Aside from Davis, all those guys looked pretty even coming in, but not even close leaving college.

I think if cal gets cj Leslie he is drafted in the first round because he would have thrived at uk. I was so sad watching him play with that mess they had at nc state. I also think he would have developed better and would be in the league right now looking to steal some pt off the bench

 

[westerncat]

What Cal does with the top players coming to UK is he teaches them to play defense. Kids coming out of High School most of them don't play much defense and I think this helps their stock to rise when they are drafted. JMO

I hope when we play Miss. St. we hold Newman to his lowest points for the year and let him see what he miss out on.

 

[utbb01]

I'm from North Carolina and Im a lover of basketball!! If I was a top flight player or the father of one, the reason I'd go to Kentucky is because that's where you'll learn to be a pro!! You'll learn to play with other great players like you must do in the League!! The best compliment I heard about you guys last year was a NBA scout saying they love to scout other kids versus Kentucky cause that's the closet thing to facing NBA competition. I coached Joel Justus in high school who Cal added to your staff this past season for number logistics and I spoke with him about y'all's practices. According to Joel they were fierce and as he put things, only iron sharpens iron!!! I know you guys want titles and I think they'll come but I hope you guys recognize that y'all are the pinnacle!! Coach Cal gets it and as long as he's there y'all will always be contenders for the title!! I root for Wake and I'm not jealous of Carolina or Duke, I'm jealous of you guys!!! Even when y'all miss, y'all hit a home run!! The Murray kid is special as is Skal and they're the best one two punch y'all have had since Wall & Boogie!! I admire Cal for getting it and I'm openly jealous of your program!! I'm even jealous of your true following!!! The name fits you guys, Big Blue Nation!!

 

[bucsrule8872]

Ingram and Brown would have been stars at Kentucky, but how would the spacing have been with those guys playing the three alongside Briscoe and Ulis? I like UK's chances at a title much more with Murray than I would have with the others.

College ball is a guards game. We have three elite guards and a dominant 5 man with an elite athlete at the 4 spot. Can't ask for a much better mix of talent.

Good post.

The thing with Murray is his ballhandling, passing, and shooting is much better than Brown's or Ingram's.

That is exactly what we need on this team.

I think he will fit better than those other guys, especially for our team.

 

[GonzoCat90]

I'm from North Carolina and Im a lover of basketball!! If I was a top flight player or the father of one, the reason I'd go to Kentucky is because that's where you'll learn to be a pro!! You'll learn to play with other great players like you must do in the League!! The best compliment I heard about you guys last year was a NBA scout saying they love to scout other kids versus Kentucky cause that's the closet thing to facing NBA competition. I coached Joel Justus in high school who Cal added to your staff this past season for number logistics and I spoke with him about y'all's practices. According to Joel they were fierce and as he put things, only iron sharpens iron!!! I know you guys want titles and I think they'll come but I hope you guys recognize that y'all are the pinnacle!! Coach Cal gets it and as long as he's there y'all will always be contenders for the title!! I root for Wake and I'm not jealous of Carolina or Duke, I'm jealous of you guys!!! Even when y'all miss, y'all hit a home run!! The Murray kid is special as is Skal and they're the best one two punch y'all have had since Wall & Boogie!! I admire Cal for getting it and I'm openly jealous of your program!! I'm even jealous of your true following!!! The name fits you guys, Big Blue Nation!!

Wow, thanks. Welcome to the board. Post more.

 

[Poetax]

I have never been so happy to have missed on so many recruits.

If we would have signed Brown, Newman, or Ingram, we would likely not have gotten Murray.

Right now he looks like the best guard/wing coming into college.

It's kind of crazy to miss on three top 10 players and still end up with a top 10 player that might very well be the best of the bunch.

Talk about fortunate.

Or maybe it was Cal's plan all along,

 

[mj2k10]

There really was a lot of stuff that had to happen for Murray to end up at UK. Derryck Thornton committed to Duke 10 days after the NHS (and Tyus Jones declared for the draft 4 days after the NHS). If that game had been played 2 weeks earlier, does Duke change its plans and go hard after Murray? You have to think that they might have, and that they would have been, at the least, tough competition. The way it worked out, they were too far along with Thornton to change direction.

One thing about this, though- even if this specific case and some others worked out well, it's really not that shocking. It's just what happens when you're always in the hunt for the very best players. Option B is usually really damn good. And it shows why Cal doesn't rush to sign some very talented low 5 star/high 4 star types who he could probably get early if he really tried.

 

[SosaUK]

I'm from North Carolina and Im a lover of basketball!! If I was a top flight player or the father of one, the reason I'd go to Kentucky is because that's where you'll learn to be a pro!! You'll learn to play with other great players like you must do in the League!! The best compliment I heard about you guys last year was a NBA scout saying they love to scout other kids versus Kentucky cause that's the closet thing to facing NBA competition. I coached Joel Justus in high school who Cal added to your staff this past season for number logistics and I spoke with him about y'all's practices. According to Joel they were fierce and as he put things, only iron sharpens iron!!! I know you guys want titles and I think they'll come but I hope you guys recognize that y'all are the pinnacle!! Coach Cal gets it and as long as he's there y'all will always be contenders for the title!! I root for Wake and I'm not jealous of Carolina or Duke, I'm jealous of you guys!!! Even when y'all miss, y'all hit a home run!! The Murray kid is special as is Skal and they're the best one two punch y'all have had since Wall & Boogie!! I admire Cal for getting it and I'm openly jealous of your program!! I'm even jealous of your true following!!! The name fits you guys, Big Blue Nation!!

Great post. Wake just got a new fan(me) because of you. Stop by anytime.

 

[Blue Decade]

I have never been so happy to have missed on so many recruits.

If we would have signed Brown, Newman, or Ingram, we would likely not have gotten Murray.

Right now he looks like the best guard/wing coming into college.

It's kind of crazy to miss on three top 10 players and still end up with a top 10 player that might very well be the best of the bunch.

Talk about fortunate.

I agree with your comments, except for the word fortunate. Calipari got Murray because he out worked Oregon, Duke, and everyone else. Murray has the best wing skills and best scoring skills in the class. Getting Murray was the best thing that could have happened. But it wasn't fortune. Murray's reclassification sort of muddles this, but Calipari was all over him even when he was a 2016 prospect.

 

[bucsrule8872]

I agree with your comments, except for the word fortunate. Calipari got Murray because he out worked Oregon, Duke, and everyone else. Murray has the best wing skills and best scoring skills in the class. Getting Murray was the best thing that could have happened. But it wasn't fortune. Murray's reclassification sort of muddles this, but Calipari was all over him even when he was a 2016 prospect.

"Fortunate" as in fortunate that Brown, Ingram, and Newman did not go ahead and pull the trigger.

I think Murray is the best of that bunch and we are fortunate that it worked out that he ended up here.

No slight to Cal and his ability to recruit was intended.

 

[stoneycat_20]

I think Newman's getting sold a little short I think the kid can flat out ball. Brown's got more athleticism. At the end of the day Murrays the best fit for this team though.

Not selling Newman short..I was one on this board raving about him and Skal after watching them at MCHF, but the topic is misses and today if i could pick either one Newman or Murray Im picking Murray all day...

 

[Rupp'sRunt]

It's amazing to think that all of those guys we missed on pretty much never lived up to the hype.

The real question is if any of these guys go to UK, would they have stepped into their own? Million dollar question we'll never know

 

[bucsrule8872]

The real question is if any of these guys go to UK, would they have stepped into their own? Million dollar question we'll never know

If you aren't a Cal fan, you say, "It doesn't matter where they go, the best will get drafted high anyway."

Cal fans will say, "Cal improves these players and makes sure they get drafted high and stick in the league."

The truth is probably somewhere in between.

With Cal coaching a player, they have a better chance of improving or at least not hurting their stock than with other coaches.

 

[UK_Johnny24]

Yeah but just think if we had gotten Jaylen Brown too.

 

[bucsrule8872]

Yeah but just think if we had gotten Jaylen Brown too.

Not sure we get Murray with Brown on board.

Might have, but we can't be sure.

I like how it turned out with Murray. I wouldn't change anything that would jeopardize us getting him.

 

[UK_Johnny24]

Murray's better than Newman. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. Newman's just super athletic and flashy. Murray's the better player and the better NBA prospect too.

 

[UK_Johnny24]

Not sure we get Murray with Brown on board.

Might have, but we can't be sure.

I like how it turned out with Murray. I wouldn't change anything that would jeopardize us getting him.

Oh yeah I agree I was just thinking out loud you know. Yeah I'm happy the way it turned out too. I wouldn't trade Murray for nobody else in the class not committed to UK. Murray will have a much bigger impact than Brown will have in college. But just for fun imagine

Ulis
Murray
Brown
Poythress
Labissiere

Briscoe, Mulder, Mathews, Lee off the bench.

 

[UK2005_24]

Murray will be the best player from this class... I for one am so glad we didn't land Brown or Newman because after seeing Murray destroy Melo Trimble Im all in...