This group Pope has put together so far is such a great example of smart roster construction and I'm loving how these pieces are going to fit together. First off, look at the situation Pope walked into: he literally had to put together a complete roster and a complete coaching staff from absolute scratch and do all of that with an unrelenting time crunch hanging over him every day. And over the course of three weeks he's put together a very impressive coaching staff that has this team poised for big time success over the next five years and hopefully beyond + a roster that is skilled, tough, smart, and has big potential.
The reaction from some fans online has been embarrassing. The usual reactions in those situations are as follows: 1) Word leaks out that a player is close to coming here, 2) they scurry off to ESPN to check the box score stats because they've never watched the guy play for more than two minutes, 3) they take 30 seconds scrolling through Twitter or Discord to see what others are saying so they can be told how to feel about it, and 4) they come back here to Rafters and post something like "Well, this better not take us out of the running for player x or Pope is going to be on the hot seat quick..." Just stop. Three weeks ago hardly anyone on this board had ever heard of Great Osobor and now our season is ruined if we don't have this guy on the team for one season? Get real. Keep an open mind. Some coaches actually accentuate the skills of the players on their team and *gasp* make them better and get the best out of them. This is going to be a new change for us this year!
Just some running thoughts (and apologies for the KSR-like format, but I was feeling fancy):
-- Koby Brea has one of the best three point strokes you'll ever see and he's one of the best shooters that we've ever had put on a Kentucky uniform. Kind of reminds me of Klay. He made 100 threes last year. You know, the same amount as Reed Sheppard and Tre Mitchell did combined. He has legit deep range all over the floor that is going to open our action and make everyone else on the floor better. Pope is going to absolutely love drawing up looks for this guy and he's going to have some massive games at Rupp that blow the top off the building. Can't wait.
-- Collin Chandler is getting slept on. This dude was built to play in up-tempo, aggressive style and will fit in perfectly here. A top 30 player who's a three-level scorer and will be the age of a junior as a freshman. And despite the hard work and sacrifices this guy had made off the court, he's still dreaming of going to the NBA and is going to put in the work to do just that. He's not just going to be some guy who gets 10 minutes a game. He's going to be an important player for us.
-- Otega Oweh is a terrific slasher who is just tapping into his potential. He's an explosive athlete and his game still has another level or two that it can go to. I have a feeling he's going to be our do-everything guy and is a perfect fit for this group and the space he should be playing with. Last year he played on a team with a plodding pace (299th in FGA a game) that wasn't very skilled. Next year will be the complete antithesis of that for him. He's gonna feast.
-- Kerr Kriisa makes so much sense on this roster. Pure looking stroke. Fantastic off-ball action that you know had to attract Pope, like this:
The guy led the Pac-12 in assists and was the PG on some great Arizona teams. He stuck with his decision to stay with the sinking ship at WVU after Huggins' exit and played on a dog shit team last year. Now he's playing at the Mecca of college basketball. He's going to be 24 years old by the time we're playing in postseason play next year. A playmaker with great vision, a smooth stroke, and plays with a chip on his shoulder. Love it.
-- Lamont Butler is so much better than the box score stats. Arguably one of the best defensive guards in the country. And going from the slow death of San Diego State basketball to Pope's offense will be a night and day difference. Look at how different Keshod Johnson looked at Arizona last year compared to his time at San Diego State. I expect an even more significant jump for Butler coming to what we'll be running and the shooters we've got on this team. Love his winning experience as well.
I'm genuinely excited. It's not going to be easy, but it's going to be fun watching how Pope molds this group into hopefully something special. And if we add another high level piece or two? Hell yeah, even better.
The reaction from some fans online has been embarrassing. The usual reactions in those situations are as follows: 1) Word leaks out that a player is close to coming here, 2) they scurry off to ESPN to check the box score stats because they've never watched the guy play for more than two minutes, 3) they take 30 seconds scrolling through Twitter or Discord to see what others are saying so they can be told how to feel about it, and 4) they come back here to Rafters and post something like "Well, this better not take us out of the running for player x or Pope is going to be on the hot seat quick..." Just stop. Three weeks ago hardly anyone on this board had ever heard of Great Osobor and now our season is ruined if we don't have this guy on the team for one season? Get real. Keep an open mind. Some coaches actually accentuate the skills of the players on their team and *gasp* make them better and get the best out of them. This is going to be a new change for us this year!
Just some running thoughts (and apologies for the KSR-like format, but I was feeling fancy):
-- Koby Brea has one of the best three point strokes you'll ever see and he's one of the best shooters that we've ever had put on a Kentucky uniform. Kind of reminds me of Klay. He made 100 threes last year. You know, the same amount as Reed Sheppard and Tre Mitchell did combined. He has legit deep range all over the floor that is going to open our action and make everyone else on the floor better. Pope is going to absolutely love drawing up looks for this guy and he's going to have some massive games at Rupp that blow the top off the building. Can't wait.
-- Collin Chandler is getting slept on. This dude was built to play in up-tempo, aggressive style and will fit in perfectly here. A top 30 player who's a three-level scorer and will be the age of a junior as a freshman. And despite the hard work and sacrifices this guy had made off the court, he's still dreaming of going to the NBA and is going to put in the work to do just that. He's not just going to be some guy who gets 10 minutes a game. He's going to be an important player for us.
-- Otega Oweh is a terrific slasher who is just tapping into his potential. He's an explosive athlete and his game still has another level or two that it can go to. I have a feeling he's going to be our do-everything guy and is a perfect fit for this group and the space he should be playing with. Last year he played on a team with a plodding pace (299th in FGA a game) that wasn't very skilled. Next year will be the complete antithesis of that for him. He's gonna feast.
-- Kerr Kriisa makes so much sense on this roster. Pure looking stroke. Fantastic off-ball action that you know had to attract Pope, like this:
The guy led the Pac-12 in assists and was the PG on some great Arizona teams. He stuck with his decision to stay with the sinking ship at WVU after Huggins' exit and played on a dog shit team last year. Now he's playing at the Mecca of college basketball. He's going to be 24 years old by the time we're playing in postseason play next year. A playmaker with great vision, a smooth stroke, and plays with a chip on his shoulder. Love it.
-- Lamont Butler is so much better than the box score stats. Arguably one of the best defensive guards in the country. And going from the slow death of San Diego State basketball to Pope's offense will be a night and day difference. Look at how different Keshod Johnson looked at Arizona last year compared to his time at San Diego State. I expect an even more significant jump for Butler coming to what we'll be running and the shooters we've got on this team. Love his winning experience as well.
I'm genuinely excited. It's not going to be easy, but it's going to be fun watching how Pope molds this group into hopefully something special. And if we add another high level piece or two? Hell yeah, even better.
