So the platoon DID kill us
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No don't really think so. We sent 7 kids to the league. Cal said it was a one time thing. Not a lot of talent this year and a few kids wanting to be the team star.
So, who shouldn't have gotten minutes?
Saw your post at KSR. Johnson and Lee deserved the minutes they got, imho. Maybe Lee should have gotten a few more.
I do agree, though, 100%, that the platoon thing was preached loudly by our competition for players this spring, and the spring recruits bought it.
Saw your post at KSR. Johnson and Lee deserved the minutes they got, imho. Maybe Lee should have gotten a few more.
I do agree, though, 100%, that the platoon thing was preached loudly by our competition for players this spring, and the spring recruits bought it.
I don't buy the platoon thing. Kids would have to be serious idiots to think we are going 10 deep with next year's roster.
I do think our overwhelming fan and media attention may have hurt us with Wiggins and brown, though.
I do think our overwhelming fan and media attention may have hurt us with Wiggins and brown, though.
Maybe 5 out of 7 get drafted...not all will end up in the league. We sent some players but who knows where
I've had my disagreements with MJ, but I think he nailed it on this one.
I bit my tongue when people criticized Jay Williams for saying he wouldn't want to play in that system, thinking people would blast me for supporting a Duke player, but I agreed with him. Most star players are concerned about playing time and getting to the NBA as quick as possible, not sharing or even *GASP* winning a national championship. That's part of it, but not usually the driving force.
Negative recruiting works, just like negative campaigning does in politics. We like to think these kids are smart enough to see through the BS, but they're just not. You play on someone's fear long enough, there's a good chance it will have an impact. This class was a little odd, but it wasn't batshit crazy. There had to be other factors at play.
I bit my tongue when people criticized Jay Williams for saying he wouldn't want to play in that system, thinking people would blast me for supporting a Duke player, but I agreed with him. Most star players are concerned about playing time and getting to the NBA as quick as possible, not sharing or even *GASP* winning a national championship. That's part of it, but not usually the driving force.
Negative recruiting works, just like negative campaigning does in politics. We like to think these kids are smart enough to see through the BS, but they're just not. You play on someone's fear long enough, there's a good chance it will have an impact. This class was a little odd, but it wasn't batshit crazy. There had to be other factors at play.
I don't buy it.Zimmerman wanted to stay home,Newman play point guard,Ingram was never leaving the state and Brown sure knew playing time was no problem.
He actually didn't specify much about why platoon hurt.
He assumed at one point Kentucky was the lead at all these kid is what they said...
Seems like assumption, and not facts. I think to be honest we are still loaded in some areas and that knocked some of our recruits.
If you think about newman. If he really wanted to play PG...we have Ulis, Briscoe, and Hawkins. Obviously a guy who's trying to convert to PG would have hard time outplaying Ulis and Briscoe.
Then you got brown, which there's a comment about all the UK attention would HURT his recruitment. Not to mention, since we don't have a clear SF...why would platoon of last year have any impact of this year? Makes no sense.
I think brown though these two things. UK attention isn't what he want. He also viewed Poythress as a 3, while most UK fans know that he should play the 4. I believe our baseline was different.
Did Zimmerman and Diallo really want to play with Skal? Considered the #1 pick now. I think they were thinking potential fighting for minutes and potential back up role.
At least that's how i would break it down. Not that shocking why they picked other schools.
He assumed at one point Kentucky was the lead at all these kid is what they said...
Seems like assumption, and not facts. I think to be honest we are still loaded in some areas and that knocked some of our recruits.
If you think about newman. If he really wanted to play PG...we have Ulis, Briscoe, and Hawkins. Obviously a guy who's trying to convert to PG would have hard time outplaying Ulis and Briscoe.
Then you got brown, which there's a comment about all the UK attention would HURT his recruitment. Not to mention, since we don't have a clear SF...why would platoon of last year have any impact of this year? Makes no sense.
I think brown though these two things. UK attention isn't what he want. He also viewed Poythress as a 3, while most UK fans know that he should play the 4. I believe our baseline was different.
Did Zimmerman and Diallo really want to play with Skal? Considered the #1 pick now. I think they were thinking potential fighting for minutes and potential back up role.
At least that's how i would break it down. Not that shocking why they picked other schools.
This strikes me as pretty weak 'journalism,' mostly opinion, a reference to murky 'sources' and a contradictory statement by Brown that the reason he didn't come was the fear of the Big Stage.
But say it is so: What was the UK coaching staff supposed to do: Not recruit Towns, Ulis, Lyles and Booker? Or refuse to let WCS, Dakari, and the Harrisons return?
Once the recruits were signed and the returnees returned, what was the better course, in terms of attracting future recruits: Bury Lee or Dakari or Ulis on the bench? Or let everybody play, make a virtue of it, invite scouts in, and then see seven players likely drafted?
If it did hurt recruiting this year, it was just an unforeseeable circumstance. But I find the reasoning suspect: AFTER everyone declared, Newman couldn't see playing time? Or Brown? Or Diallo? Or ZImmerman? Are we to believe these kids and their advisors are so stupid they couldn't look at a roster and make the easy calculation they'd get 25 minutes plus on the floor, in the case of Newman and Brown especially?
Not buying it. The answers are more simple and obvious: Newman wanted to play point guard and UK had Ulis and Briscoe. ZImmerman understood he was not as good as Skal and wanted to stay close to mom. Brown said himself he was scared of the UK stage. Etc.
I think the criticism that Cal wasn't ruthless enough in paring down the line-up earlier is valid. But the logic that playing everyone and getting them a shot at the league hurt recruiting is flawed.
But say it is so: What was the UK coaching staff supposed to do: Not recruit Towns, Ulis, Lyles and Booker? Or refuse to let WCS, Dakari, and the Harrisons return?
Once the recruits were signed and the returnees returned, what was the better course, in terms of attracting future recruits: Bury Lee or Dakari or Ulis on the bench? Or let everybody play, make a virtue of it, invite scouts in, and then see seven players likely drafted?
If it did hurt recruiting this year, it was just an unforeseeable circumstance. But I find the reasoning suspect: AFTER everyone declared, Newman couldn't see playing time? Or Brown? Or Diallo? Or ZImmerman? Are we to believe these kids and their advisors are so stupid they couldn't look at a roster and make the easy calculation they'd get 25 minutes plus on the floor, in the case of Newman and Brown especially?
Not buying it. The answers are more simple and obvious: Newman wanted to play point guard and UK had Ulis and Briscoe. ZImmerman understood he was not as good as Skal and wanted to stay close to mom. Brown said himself he was scared of the UK stage. Etc.
I think the criticism that Cal wasn't ruthless enough in paring down the line-up earlier is valid. But the logic that playing everyone and getting them a shot at the league hurt recruiting is flawed.
Ummm...I don't think most people are arguing Cal shouldn't have played who he did, it's just an unfortunate consequence (the only one) of having so many good players.
Nobody is blaming Calipari.
Nobody is blaming Calipari.
I truly believe this. These kids want minutes. They are not selfish. They just want to play more than 18-20 minutes a game. If I were another college coach going after these same players I would also be using it as a negative recruiting tool. And Cal not winning it all with the platoon system probably hurt worse than anything. Cal gave these other coaches WAY too much ammo!
It shouldn't have had any role in Brown's decision. He was the last SF we were going after and we have no true 3 on the roster. No chance he would lose PT to a platoon. It may have been an issue early on, but as time went on and it was apparent we were not going to be 10 deep again, it shouldn't have been an issue.
Folks can believe whatever they want. I didn't just write that for my health, I believe it to be true. There are no "facts" when it comes to why recruits make decisions...whatever they say publicly often has little to do with what happened. At the end of the day, if you want to follow recruiting and have any idea what is going on, you pick who you trust and go with their opinions. I do that and feel very confident about what I wrote. If you don't trust mine, so be it.
I still think by the way that platooning was the right call by Calipari, led to a great season and also kept at bay what nearly everyone thought would bring this team down (internal dissent from playing time disputes). It was by far a net positive and helped us have a year to remember and put UK in a position to make history.
It did have the unintended consequence however of hurting 2015 recruiting. I dont think it will have an effect beyond this year, because Calipari will show next year he is not platooning. But coaches have been pounding these kids with the idea that "platooning is Calipari's new style"...and Calipari can say it isn't and fans can say "logically" it isnt, but it will only go away when the kids can see it...which will be next season.
I still think by the way that platooning was the right call by Calipari, led to a great season and also kept at bay what nearly everyone thought would bring this team down (internal dissent from playing time disputes). It was by far a net positive and helped us have a year to remember and put UK in a position to make history.
It did have the unintended consequence however of hurting 2015 recruiting. I dont think it will have an effect beyond this year, because Calipari will show next year he is not platooning. But coaches have been pounding these kids with the idea that "platooning is Calipari's new style"...and Calipari can say it isn't and fans can say "logically" it isnt, but it will only go away when the kids can see it...which will be next season.
Well now that his anonymous winky face sources are obsolete, he has to post something to get hits and keep feeding off the recruiting frenzy.
If the kids we missed had gone to blue blood schools, I'd buy it. It's an entirely different set of circumstances and priorities that lead kids to LSU, Mississippi State, UNLV and Cal.
If the kids we missed had gone to blue blood schools, I'd buy it. It's an entirely different set of circumstances and priorities that lead kids to LSU, Mississippi State, UNLV and Cal.
If you don't want attention and don't like the spotlight, why in the hell are you planning to become a professional basketball player in the NBA?
That would be my question to some of these kids.
It's incredible how naive some people can be about human nature, that logic is the driving force in making decisions, especially when they're teenagers.
I love the "get hits" comment. Makes me laugh every time. Again, feel free to not believe anything I say...it is more than your right. But for some who like to criticize (or dont like me) they dismiss anything I say as "getting hits." We all need hits in order to have a job, but covering UK sports will get KSR plenty of hits regardless of what I write...tonight's post has literally zero effect.
Coaches have been pounding recruits with the idea that platooning is now Calipari's style. Next season Calipari will show that isn't true...but for now, this group believed it. Disagree if you like, but I can tell you that the platoon factor was one (but not the sole) factor that hurt UK this year.
We all have a right to our opinions.I don't think yours should be valued more than anyone else.I would like some actual names for your sources so we can actually see for ourselves.
Well if names of sources (which of course would lead to them no longer being sources since things are told under the assumption of anonymity) are what you require, then I won't be able to make you happy.
Everyone has a right to their opinion no doubt. Some opinions are more informed than others and thus I tend to give them more credibility. If you don't think mine is in that category, that is your right.
Who cares! If these kids are so selfish that they are choosing Cal and the like instead of UK then so be it. Id rather have kids who aren't scared of competition or sacrificing for teammates.
That's not to say all these kids won't be good/great etc. However, the landscape of college basketball is no gauntlet and our team is in really good shape to be in the thick of things!
That's not to say all these kids won't be good/great etc. However, the landscape of college basketball is no gauntlet and our team is in really good shape to be in the thick of things!
I've watched Brown for 3 years of HS ball in Georgia. His center from last year, Daniel Giddens, is the #9 Center of 2015 and left to go to Oak Hill and will attend Ohio State next year. Brown stayed at Wheeler to be the man. He was and without Giddens won the state title in 6A (largest schools). I know a couple Wheeler folks and just knew he wasn't going to be a Cat and said so. He wants to be the star, and now he will be at Cal for one year. I'm surprised no one else has mentioned this or knows about Wheeler. Been here for over 30 years and Wheeler has been the best HS recruiter in Georgia. Just the facts. Started with Abdul Raheem in 1995.
I didn't post it as "real news"...I told a story on the radio show about it and we laughed and joked about it. It was not posted as "real news" and the only way one could take it as "real news" is if you have the sense of humor of a cucumber. This may surprise you, but when I give out "real news", I tend to not use the term "678 winky face" in the process.
Why in the hell would MJ name his sources??? Are some of you that dense? Say it's Rock Oliver. MJ names him and then the entire staff freezes MJ out and maybe cost Rock his job
Some of you dislike MJ's success to the point you don't think rationally.
Some of you dislike MJ's success to the point you don't think rationally.
So he's a bad person because he didn't come here? You know how petty that sounds?
Matt - appreciate you posting and the insight. Don't always agree with you but enjoy your site, show, and passion for UK.
Haters are always gonna hate. Mostly out of jealousy.
I don't get the folks on here who are obsessed with being anti-MJ, last time I checked we are all rooting for the same team.
It is weird to me.
Haters are always gonna hate. Mostly out of jealousy.
I don't get the folks on here who are obsessed with being anti-MJ, last time I checked we are all rooting for the same team.
It is weird to me.
I could maybe buy that at Newman's position (since he wanted to be a PG and we've got 2 studs there) and Zimmerman (since he would be competing with Skal and Lee for time at the 5), but with Brown I think it was something else completely. There is no true 3 on the roster, closest thing is Matthews who Brown would've solidly beaten out for the majority of minutes. I really think with Brown, Abdur-Rahim got in his ear about California and sold him-- and especially his parents-- on how he was a "OAD" and still went back to finish his degree at a top rated University. It's what his family really wanted and at the end of the day that's what won out, not "platooning"
He's proven over time that he will claim things with very little actual evidence, or take other people's work and pass it on as his own. He's a personality, not an analyst or journalist. I'm an occasional listener, and enjoy the show, I just know not to take them seriously.
Just look at the schools. That's the answer.
This has very little to do with the platooning. Anyone with half a brain knows why we platooned last year. Its not something that was intended or going to be the norm. Also negative recruiting would have made sense had these recruits landed at say, Kansas or Duke.
Cal? Miss State? UNLV? Not buying a minute of it.
This is why so many people decide against having much to do with KSR.
This has very little to do with the platooning. Anyone with half a brain knows why we platooned last year. Its not something that was intended or going to be the norm. Also negative recruiting would have made sense had these recruits landed at say, Kansas or Duke.
Cal? Miss State? UNLV? Not buying a minute of it.
This is why so many people decide against having much to do with KSR.
