When should we be nervous?

[The Last Ronin]

How so? It's April 24th.

And we only have 3 players. 2 of which will be freshman.

 

[storm1507]

Nov. 12th Kentucky vs Duke

 

[JHannibalSmith]

F5…F5…F5!!!!!!!

 

[know1]

So, last week, several people on here and the KSR crew were saying no one should panic unless we get to the end of this week without much movement. Well...we getting close to the end of the week.

While we have gotten coaches in place for the most part, we have only added 1 transfer player, 1 recruit we flipped from BYU and we got Perry to essentially recommit. While none of those are negatives, we are still a long way off from even having a team that can play 5 guys.

The 2 freshman probably shouldn't be expected to play major minutes this year if we hope to be very successful, and we have no idea of how impactful Williams will be at the P5 level.

So, when is it reasonable to start expressing concerns?

It seems every major portal player we are after is spurning us, and there aren't many HS guys we can still get even if we wanted them. The BYU guy that visited seems torn on transfering, and Robinson seems like he would like to go pro of possible.

It seems like we are struggling to get players.

It's Wednesday.

Put down your phone and turn off your computer. Pick it back up in November.

 

[RMorris33]

And we only have 3 players. 2 of which will be freshman.

And we just had a coaching change

 

[UKortho]

No panic at all this year. It's TOUGH to replace an entire roster. We'll get enough to play no doubt, but this year was always going to be a rebuild and it might be an ugly season. THAT'S OKAY! We HAD to get away from Cal, and it was always going to be like this with the current landscape of CBB.

The good part is even if we suck next year, we'll have fun cheering on players and a coach who are not OfCal and his stink.

Great post!

 

[The Last Ronin]

And we just had a coaching change

So did UL. They currently have 6 players.

 

[Eight_Banners]

Here are the studs left on the board, in order based on player efficiency rating in 2023-24:

Vladislav Goldin - C
Amari Williams - C - UK Commit
Aubin Gateretse - C
Jalen Smith - PG
DJ Burns - PF
Matt Cross - PF
Great Osobor - PF
Chaz Lanier - G
Anthony Dell-Orso - SF

From here up had player efficiency ratings higher than Zvonomir Ivisic, Reed Sheppard, Antonio Reeves, and Rob Dillingham in 2023-24. There are a couple more who also did but were left off the list for having less playing time than an average starter.


Jonas Aidoo - SF
BJ Freeman - PF
Jamarii Thomas - G
Johnell Davis - G - Trending Arkansas
Sean Stewart - G
Nana Owusu-Anane - PF
Deivon Smith - G
Clifford Omoruyi - C
Duncan Powell - C
Richie Saunders - G
Jalen Blackmon - G
Khalif Battle - G
Nikita Konstantynovskyi - C
Brycen Goodine - G
Andrew Carr - SF
Cade Tyson - SF
Tyler Bilodeau - PF
Max Shulga - G
Dante Maddox, Jr. - G
Marcus Hill - G
Kevin Miller - G
Dejour Reaves - G
Camren Hunter - G
Felix Okpara - C
Koby Brea - G
Jordan Pope - G
Dakota Leffew - G
Sean Pedulla - G
Aaron Scott - SF
Javon Small - G
Xavier Amos - PF
Brandon Garrison - C

From here up had player efficiency ratings higher than Adou Thiero, UK's 5th rated player in efficiency in 2023-24. There are a couple more who also did but were left off the list for having less playing time than an average starter.

Adou Thiero - SF
Ezra Ausar - PF

Aaron Bradshaw - PF - UK's 6th rated player in player efficiency 2023-24.

At this point, there are many players left in the portal that are below average in player efficiency from 2023-24. The above players listed are all above average. If we get 4-5 of the players listed above, we will be in as good of shape of any of the top programs for 2024-25. Start to worry when all of these drop off the board and there are no other players taking their place. Remember, the portal doesn't close until May 1.

 

[UKortho]

Here are the studs left on the board, in order based on player efficiency rating in 2023-24:

Vladislav Goldin - C
Amari Williams - C - UK Commit
Aubin Gateretse - C
Jalen Smith - PG
DJ Burns - PF
Matt Cross - PF
Great Osobor - PF
Chaz Lanier - G
Anthony Dell-Orso - SF

From here up had player efficiency ratings higher than Zvonomir Ivisic, Reed Sheppard, Antonio Reeves, and Rob Dillingham in 2023-24. There are a couple more who also did but were left off the list for having less playing time than an average starter.


Jonas Aidoo - SF
BJ Freeman - PF
Jamarii Thomas - G
Johnell Davis - G - Trending Arkansas
Sean Stewart - G
Nana Owusu-Anane - PF
Deivon Smith - G
Clifford Omoruyi - C
Duncan Powell - C
Richie Saunders - G
Jalen Blackmon - G
Khalif Battle - G
Nikita Konstantynovskyi - C
Brycen Goodine - G
Andrew Carr - SF
Cade Tyson - SF
Tyler Bilodeau - PF
Max Shulga - G
Dante Maddox, Jr. - G
Marcus Hill - G
Kevin Miller - G
Dejour Reaves - G
Camren Hunter - G
Felix Okpara - C
Koby Brea - G
Jordan Pope - G
Dakota Leffew - G
Sean Pedulla - G
Aaron Scott - SF
Javon Small - G
Xavier Amos - PF
Brandon Garrison - C

From here up had player efficiency ratings higher than Adou Thiero, UK's 5th rated player in efficiency in 2023-24. There are a couple more who also did but were left off the list for having less playing time than an average starter.

Adou Thiero - SF
Ezra Ausar - PF

Aaron Bradshaw - PF - UK's 6th rated player in player efficiency 2023-24.

At this point, there are many players left in the portal that are below average in player efficiency from 2023-24. The above players listed are all above average. If we get 4-5 of the players listed above, we will be in as good of shape of any of the top programs for 2024-25. Start to worry when all of these drop off the board and there are no other players taking their place. Remember, the portal doesn't close until May 1.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[ukwizard]

So did UL. They currently have 6 players.

Considering their coaching change was known for a long time and ours just fell out of the sky with no warning what do you expect?

 

[entropy13]

I just know I picked a bad time to quit drinkin’.

Well, it's never too late to start again. And it's an excuse to make up for lost time as well. 😁

 

[aceman509]

I know 3 players doesn't sound like a lot, but when you break it down that is already 25% of our roster completed. Even in a worst case scenario where we lose out on every player we are in for right now, it would be shocking if we don't get at least 3 more commits by May 1. Thats already 50% of the roster complete.

0 reason to panic

 

[catben]

Kentucky fans asking for a championship caliber roster in 2 weeks.

Exactly!!

Even U Conn and Hurley are not getting the kids they want to just commit right away and they just won back-to-back titles!!!

These kids are going to weigh ALL of their options which in the long run makes the kids that actually end up at UK the ones that see the most upside in Coach Pope’s system. That’s the kids we should ALL want!!

 

[Warf2012]

April 11, 2024 is when you should have started being nervous. That’s the day all this kicked off.

Then the mind boggling move of turning down Antigua compounding it making things worse. Brooks was a good hire but I’m not sold on Hart being able to recruit at the level needed at UK.

Missing on Johnell Davis hurts, a lot. Makes it even worse that Kal is the one taking him. Not worried about Arkansas winning anything though.

I haven’t even seen us being linked to any of the guys leaving Duke except Roach. Really surprised Mitchell wasn’t looked at.

 

[Eight_Banners]

Thanks for sharing.

No problem.

If we could land Osobor and Lanier, that would give us 3 of the top 10 portal players for the year.

Richie Saunders is also a great get, as he was 7th in the Big 12 in player efficiency. If we land Brea/Small, Saunders, and Carr, we have a starting 5 that would really compete.

 

[The Last Ronin]

Considering their coaching change was known for a long time and ours just fell out of the sky with no warning what do you expect?

The coach they got was like their 6th choice. So, no, that wasn't known or expected for a while in a way that aided UK.

I expect us to build a roster a bit faster than we are. So far, things in that front are exactly looking good.

Also, it was supposedly win or bust for Cal all season. So it wasn't exactly completely unexpected.

 

[AbbieLex]

So, last week, several people on here and the KSR crew were saying no one should panic unless we get to the end of this week without much movement. Well...we getting close to the end of the week.

While we have gotten coaches in place for the most part, we have only added 1 transfer player, 1 recruit we flipped from BYU and we got Perry to essentially recommit. While none of those are negatives, we are still a long way off from even having a team that can play 5 guys.

The 2 freshman probably shouldn't be expected to play major minutes this year if we hope to be very successful, and we have no idea of how impactful Williams will be at the P5 level.

So, when is it reasonable to start expressing concerns?

It seems every major portal player we are after is spurning us, and there aren't many HS guys we can still get even if we wanted them. The BYU guy that visited seems torn on transfering, and Robinson seems like he would like to go pro of possible.

It seems like we are struggling to get players.

This was going to happen sooner or later. With Cal retooling every year with freshman it was inevitable that a new coach would come in with nothing on the shelf. We are lucky that the portal is where it is now. I look at 24-25 being on probation and if we do anything it will be a bonus!

 

[AJG-15]

You should never be nervous about basketball in general . Plus this is not something we as fan can control.

Pope is paid a nice salary, has great enthusiasm, loves Kentucky and winning , started assembling a great coaching team, knows what his responsibilities are , so lets relax and enjoy the process.

It’s going to take 2-3 years to rebuild the program and change the culture. What was destroyed in 20 plus years cannot be rebuilt in 2 weeks, or even a year .

 

[Cold Stout Beer]

So, last week, several people on here and the KSR crew were saying no one should panic unless we get to the end of this week without much movement. Well...we getting close to the end of the week.

While we have gotten coaches in place for the most part, we have only added 1 transfer player, 1 recruit we flipped from BYU and we got Perry to essentially recommit. While none of those are negatives, we are still a long way off from even having a team that can play 5 guys.

The 2 freshman probably shouldn't be expected to play major minutes this year if we hope to be very successful, and we have no idea of how impactful Williams will be at the P5 level.

So, when is it reasonable to start expressing concerns?

It seems every major portal player we are after is spurning us, and there aren't many HS guys we can still get even if we wanted them. The BYU guy that visited seems torn on transfering, and Robinson seems like he would like to go pro of possible.

It seems like we are struggling to get players.

Well when someone that joined 9 days ago says we should be nervous, the last thing I'll do is get nervous.

 

[Elliott Tim]

Next week.

Where are all these new posters coming from?
I think they're Hog agents reporting our stress level .

 

[Soupbean]

And we only have 3 players. 2 of which will be freshman.

Im good with just 3 for the season, just so we can finally get that zone I've been looking for.!

 

[Untouchables22]

No panic at all this year. It's TOUGH to replace an entire roster. We'll get enough to play no doubt, but this year was always going to be a rebuild and it might be an ugly season. THAT'S OKAY! We HAD to get away from Cal, and it was always going to be like this with the current landscape of CBB.

The good part is even if we suck next year, we'll have fun cheering on players and a coach who are not OfCal and his stink.

I appreciate your opinion, it’s well thought out and logical. HOWEVER, Mitch told us at the press conference he HAD to hire a coach (Pope) that previous weekend in order to ensure that we were competitive THIS YEAR. So, no I’m not willing to let Mitch off the hook for a rushed and panicked coaching search that he justified by claiming it was necessary to be competitive next year. We need to be competitive this year or Mitch needs to be fired. (None of that is Pope’s fault BTW)

 

[wkycatfan]

Fall 2025, my expectations are not that high for the upcoming season, I'm just glad we've changed direction.

 

[Lempface]

I appreciate your opinion, it’s well thought out and logical. HOWEVER, Mitch told us at the press conference he HAD to hire a coach (Pope) that previous weekend in order to ensure that we were competitive THIS YEAR. So, no I’m not willing to let Mitch off the hook for a rushed and panicked coaching search that he justified by claiming it was necessary to be competitive next year. We need to be competitive this year or he needs to be fired. (None of that is Pope’s fault BTW)

He likely did have to hire a coach in that time frame to have any chance to be successful this year. So from my perspective, he either pulled the trigger and had an opportunity to, or he waited and had very little opportunity. Both could have ended up in success or failure but the odds were in favor of the early hire.

 

[The Last Ronin]

Well when someone that joined 9 days ago says we should be nervous, the last thing I'll do is get nervous.

Lol, can you point to where I said you should be nervous?

Jeez, try not to be the poster child for illiteracy!

 

[JonathanW]

May 1st for me. Gotta have 5-6 dudes by then including another stud. Then get another 4-5 by end of May including another stud.

May 1 is when the Portal entry door closes (for most). Players may not decide instantly, I say give that weekend (3rd-5th) in case they want to visit a school. So on May 6th, if we don't have at least 6-7 guys, including at least 3 I would feel comfortable with as starters (so not Perry or Chandler as FR), will get nervous then.

 

[Cold Stout Beer]

Lol, can you point to where I said you should be nervous?

Jeez, try not to be the poster child for illiteracy!

What was your last smug alias ? You're here to plant doubt. It's not gonna work.

 

[MbergCat]

I think mid May. There's still plenty of time for things to develop and relationships to be made. Now that we officially have our two main recruiters on board, I feel really good going forward.

 

[The Last Ronin]

What was your last smug alias ? You're here to plant doubt. It's not gonna work.

What was yours?

What doubt have I planted? Are you admitting you have doubts? You seem very fragile!

 

[ukfan1622]

Here are the studs left on the board, in order based on player efficiency rating in 2023-24:

Vladislav Goldin - C
Amari Williams - C - UK Commit
Aubin Gateretse - C
Jalen Smith - PG
DJ Burns - PF
Matt Cross - PF
Great Osobor - PF
Chaz Lanier - G
Anthony Dell-Orso - SF

From here up had player efficiency ratings higher than Zvonomir Ivisic, Reed Sheppard, Antonio Reeves, and Rob Dillingham in 2023-24. There are a couple more who also did but were left off the list for having less playing time than an average starter.


Jonas Aidoo - SF
BJ Freeman - PF
Jamarii Thomas - G
Johnell Davis - G - Trending Arkansas
Sean Stewart - G
Nana Owusu-Anane - PF
Deivon Smith - G
Clifford Omoruyi - C
Duncan Powell - C
Richie Saunders - G
Jalen Blackmon - G
Khalif Battle - G
Nikita Konstantynovskyi - C
Brycen Goodine - G
Andrew Carr - SF
Cade Tyson - SF
Tyler Bilodeau - PF
Max Shulga - G
Dante Maddox, Jr. - G
Marcus Hill - G
Kevin Miller - G
Dejour Reaves - G
Camren Hunter - G
Felix Okpara - C
Koby Brea - G
Jordan Pope - G
Dakota Leffew - G
Sean Pedulla - G
Aaron Scott - SF
Javon Small - G
Xavier Amos - PF
Brandon Garrison - C

From here up had player efficiency ratings higher than Adou Thiero, UK's 5th rated player in efficiency in 2023-24. There are a couple more who also did but were left off the list for having less playing time than an average starter.

Adou Thiero - SF
Ezra Ausar - PF

Aaron Bradshaw - PF - UK's 6th rated player in player efficiency 2023-24.

At this point, there are many players left in the portal that are below average in player efficiency from 2023-24. The above players listed are all above average. If we get 4-5 of the players listed above, we will be in as good of shape of any of the top programs for 2024-25. Start to worry when all of these drop off the board and there are no other players taking their place. Remember, the portal doesn't close until May 1.

Thanks for doing the work for us!

 

[cbrwalt]

I wish the kids saw it that way, but I dont think they do.

So Brooks can get players to play for a guy like Scott Drew at Baylor, but he's not going to be able to get them to play for Pope at Kentucky 🤦

 

[jeffky]

 

[Cold Stout Beer]

I think mid May. There's still plenty of time for things to develop and relationships to be made. Now that we officially have our two main recruiters on board, I feel really good going forward.

Why would you get nervous 3 weeks from now? This is his very 1st recruiting class and he had hardly any time to throw it together. You're gonna get nervous over Pope in year 1 when he came in with zero players and had a very short period of time to try and put it together? Wow.

 

[CRZ4UK]

So, last week, several people on here and the KSR crew were saying no one should panic unless we get to the end of this week without much movement. Well...we getting close to the end of the week.

While we have gotten coaches in place for the most part, we have only added 1 transfer player, 1 recruit we flipped from BYU and we got Perry to essentially recommit. While none of those are negatives, we are still a long way off from even having a team that can play 5 guys.

The 2 freshman probably shouldn't be expected to play major minutes this year if we hope to be very successful, and we have no idea of how impactful Williams will be at the P5 level.

So, when is it reasonable to start expressing concerns?

It seems every major portal player we are after is spurning us, and there aren't many HS guys we can still get even if we wanted them. The BYU guy that visited seems torn on transfering, and Robinson seems like he would like to go pro of possible.

It seems like we are struggling to get players.

Everyone seems to be. UCONN has like 5 on their roster right now. Arkansas a Cal have 3. It’s not moving quickly for anyone in rebuild mode right now.

 

[MbergCat]

Why would you get nervous 3 weeks from now? This is his very 1st recruiting class and he had hardly any time to throw it together. You're gonna get nervous over Pope in year 1 when he came in with zero players and had a very short period of time to try and put it together? Wow.

You struggle, don't you? The thread title asked a question. My answer was I would worry if we haven't added anyone else by mid May. That's a pretty logical response.

 

[Cold Stout Beer]

What was yours?

What doubt have I planted? Are you admitting you have doubts? You seem very fragile!

A guy with a screename of a mutant ninja turtle that started a thread wondering when to get nervous is calling others fragile. LOL!!!

Thanks for the laugh !

 

[RondoBaller21]

I’m a little worried . If no Brea and no Davis, then what other good guards are there?

 

[kywildcat41086]

His first steps was to put together one helluva staff and he’s done just that. He added Hart and Fueger officially Monday. He just added Brooks today. So they’ve had respectively 2 days and 1 has had a half a day on the job. So we as fans have got to give these guys some time to be able to do their job and recruit some kids.

 

[Pmalone6719]

Never

Agreed! Never

 

[zgcrawfo94]

So Brooks can get players to play for a guy like Scott Drew at Baylor, but he's not going to be able to get them to play for Pope at Kentucky 🤦

um Yes? Scott drew is a future hall of fame coach