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Would it have made a difference?

KyFord

Freshman
Sep 21, 2006
815
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Kentucky
There are a few high profile players since Cal has been here that chose to play elsewhere. Guys that we felt pretty good about wearing blue.

My question is this, would these players have had a better college career and a higher stock in the draft had they chosen UK? If so, doesn't this prove that it does certainly make a difference in where a top recruit attends college?

Xavier Henry
Josh Selby
CJ Leslie
Shabazz Muhammad
Cliff Alexander
Chris Walker
Dejaun Coleman

I am sure I am forgetting some names as well...
 
Some were attitude problems, some were coaching.

That could just be me looking at it through blue tinted glasses though.
 
There's no way to prove that any of those players would have had a better college career or a higher draft pick. Some of those guys (Walker, Coleman) probably would have failed at UK as well.

I think Xavier Henry and CJ Leslie both made big mistakes not picking UK. Will Barton was another name. He picked Memphis because they offered his brother. He spent 2 years in Memphis and then went #40 in the NBA draft.
 
There's no way to prove that any of those players would have had a better college career or a higher draft pick. Some of those guys (Walker, Coleman) probably would have failed at UK as well.

I think Xavier Henry and CJ Leslie both made big mistakes not picking UK. Will Barton was another name. He picked Memphis because they offered his brother. He spent 2 years in Memphis and then went #40 in the NBA draft.

That's true, I totally forgot about Barton.
 
I will say that for the most part UK was able to pick up replacement players that filled in just as nice, if not better than the players that went elsewhere.

Xavier Henry/ no real replacement
Josh Selby/ Brandon Knight
Will Barton/ Doron Lamb
CJ Leslie/ Terrence Jones
Shabazz Muhammed/ Julius Mays(?) not an upgrade
Dejuan Coleman/ WCS
Chris Walker/ Julius Randle
Cliff Alexander/ Trey Lyles
 
I will say that for the most part UK was able to pick up replacement players that filled in just as nice, if not better than the players that went elsewhere.

Xavier Henry/ no real replacement
Josh Selby/ Brandon Knight
Will Barton/ Doron Lamb
CJ Leslie/ Terrence Jones
Shabazz Muhammed/ Julius Mays(?) not an upgrade
Dejuan Coleman/ WCS
Chris Walker/ Julius Randle
Cliff Alexander/ Trey Lyles

It's amazing looking at the replacements, we have been very fortunate.
 
It should be interesting to see what happens with Jalen Brown, Malik Newman, and Caleb Swanigan. I think each of these kids made a big mistake. It will be interesting to see if their draft stock holds up (at least for the first 2, Swanigan is a multi-year guy).
 
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I will say that for the most part UK was able to pick up replacement players that filled in just as nice, if not better than the players that went elsewhere.

Xavier Henry/ no real replacement
Josh Selby/ Brandon Knight
Will Barton/ Doron Lamb
CJ Leslie/ Terrence Jones
Shabazz Muhammed/ Julius Mays(?) not an upgrade
Dejuan Coleman/ WCS
Chris Walker/ Julius Randle
Cliff Alexander/ Trey Lyles
Exactly.

6 of the 8 would have made a difference in a negative way. And Shabazz had off-court stuff going on. Henry might have made 09-10 unbeatable, and Cal did everything he could to get him. He was clearly part of Cal's plan, and though Cal got him once, he just couldn't swing it a second time.
 
I agree on Henry.

But actually the one we lost from 2009-10 that hurt most was Jodie Meeks, IMHO. I can't blame him for leaving, but he would have made us nearly unbeatable if he would have stayed.

No way we go 2-20-something from 3 against WVU with Meeks on that squad.
 
I agree on Henry.

But actually the one we lost from 2009-10 that hurt most was Jodie Meeks, IMHO. I can't blame him for leaving, but he would have made us nearly unbeatable if he would have stayed.

No way we go 2-20-something from 3 against WVU with Meeks on that squad.

Yep I've always said the same thing. Imagine Wall, Bledsoe, Meeks, Patterson, and Cousins with a really, really deep bench. We would have won the NC for sure IMO. And actually we may have won if we had gotten Henry instead of Meeks coming back. I though we were definitely getting Xavier Henry.
 
I agree on Henry.

But actually the one we lost from 2009-10 that hurt most was Jodie Meeks, IMHO. I can't blame him for leaving, but he would have made us nearly unbeatable if he would have stayed.

No way we go 2-20-something from 3 against WVU with Meeks on that squad.

4/32 from three, and 16/29 from the FT line. Just SMH as those lines will be embedded in my brain for as long as I live or until I go senile/lose my memory.
 
I agree on Henry.

But actually the one we lost from 2009-10 that hurt most was Jodie Meeks, IMHO. I can't blame him for leaving, but he would have made us nearly unbeatable if he would have stayed.

No way we go 2-20-something from 3 against WVU with Meeks on that squad.
I agree, and WVU would have had to come out after Meeks which would have opened up Cousins, it would have been a totally different game.
 
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