The sad thing is if Cal just even matched Alabama, he wouldn't be at risk of losing his job. Sure, we would want more, but he would have done just enough to stay the media critics.
Alabama makes 3 Sweet 16's in 4 Years
- Thread starter SBKY
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It's better than Cal. Anything is at this point.
Wouldn't be may top choice but knows how to work the transfer portal, which will probably come in handy if Cal is canned.
I wouldn’t be upset if Oats was our guy. He should be in the list for sure.
Oats isn't really an option after he signed his new contract with Bama. His buyout is 18 million. We're worried they don't want to give Calipari 33 million. I really doubt they're going to pay 51 million in buy outs and then pay a coach what it takes to bring them out of their current program.
Most, if not all candidates for the UK job will have some sort of buyout… except for 2,
Jay Wright and Billy Donovan.
One of those 2 will be the next HC at the University of Kentucky. My gut says, Jay Wright 💯
Jay Wright and Billy Donovan.
One of those 2 will be the next HC at the University of Kentucky. My gut says, Jay Wright 💯
I don't think they take the job.
Jay walked away from 6 million dollars at Villanova to retire and stop coaching. If he wanted or needed money, he'd still be taking 6 million. If you're able to walk away from 6 million, I don't believe 10 brings you back.
Billy: He wants to be in the NBA. He's turned down the Kentucky job in the past. He's currently making in the realm of 6 million. Sure, we can offer him "more." I'm just not sure that 10 million makes your life that much better than 6 million. I don't think he wants to give up the NBA over 4 million. If he gets fired, maybe it's a different story. But he's had his chances at the job and didn't take it.
Yes we would be.. however the media people that agree Cal should be gone would not.
I wish like hell we could get Jay, Billy, Brad, or Dan. That’s the four and the best of the bunch. Don’t see it, but wish like hell.
Oats is regularly successful at a football school. Meanwhile Cal is regularly unsuccessful at a basketball school. Oats would be a MASSIVE upgrade. He would win big here.
Oats is a tough chip on the shoulder guy. Hungry. Does seem kind of surly which wont work here. Could that be changed?
It’s a lot easier to build a great basketball 🏀 team than football.
This “basketball school”/“football school” crap needs to cease.
Agreed. Any change at this point would be a step in the right direction. Even if that change has to be reassessed in a few years. No change says that they don't care about the program.
Then how come Cal can't? If you don't understand that Bama places more importance on football and UK places more importance on basketball then you aren't living in reality.
If you’re talking investing, UK places a TON more emphasis in football. Hell, Mitch cut off Cal midstream for his dumb comment. UKs mens basketball team is great, but football feeds the bulldog. We need to up our fb recruiting budget. That’s where we are remiss imo.
Football is also larger scale. A squad of 85 vs 15? Equipment? Forget it. UK BETTER be putting more emphasis on football.
Basketball will take care of itself and prosper
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The days of BBN fan arrogance about other programs and their coaches should be buried until it is deserved. I am typing here thinking how I have gone from such a Cal fan to wanting him out badly. It's on him. Cal's own arrogance exceeded everything else. Probably why he will try and stay and cost us or the school even more heartache.
Alabama's been to the Sweet 16 as a program a TOTAL of 10 times. Nate Oats is responsible for 3 of those in the last 4 yrs. So 30% of their NCAA Tournament success as a program has taken place under his guidance. Alabama has the same makeup as this year's Kentucky team-they are offensively centered and a horrible defensive team. It's interesting how Cal talked about "fixing" it. He played it off, talked of excuses, etc...coddled people. Oats? He mentioned "LACKING competitive integrity", "not being tough" "do you care enough to want to win"? He called it out. Yesterday was a hideous game against Grand Canyon that took mental/physical toughness to win. Not only did they step up, but they figured out a way to win a game that a Cal coached team would've lost and talked of "not defining their season by this".
Oats is the best coach in the SEC right now. What he's doing at Alabama is being recognized by those who get the big picture of how hard it's been to win there and the stat above is a reason why. John Calipari himself has been to the Sweet 16 or beyond 15 times. Alabama has been there 10 as a program. The fact Oats is doing what he's doing is pissed on by people who get off on Scott Drew who has been a Big 12 version of Cal since Jerome Tang left his side. Now Oats isn't coming here but there were so many who crapped all over the idea of him, now concede "I want change for sake of change".
You do something that stupid, you are playing a game that ends up turning a fixable situation if you have a leader/plan (yes, another shot at inept Barnhart) into a mess where you are keeping a fill in because you got angry enough to not have planned (again Barnhart's fault) and got caught thinking everyone was fine with the crown jewel program of the University sinking into mediocrity.
Oats is the best coach in the SEC right now. What he's doing at Alabama is being recognized by those who get the big picture of how hard it's been to win there and the stat above is a reason why. John Calipari himself has been to the Sweet 16 or beyond 15 times. Alabama has been there 10 as a program. The fact Oats is doing what he's doing is pissed on by people who get off on Scott Drew who has been a Big 12 version of Cal since Jerome Tang left his side. Now Oats isn't coming here but there were so many who crapped all over the idea of him, now concede "I want change for sake of change".
You do something that stupid, you are playing a game that ends up turning a fixable situation if you have a leader/plan (yes, another shot at inept Barnhart) into a mess where you are keeping a fill in because you got angry enough to not have planned (again Barnhart's fault) and got caught thinking everyone was fine with the crown jewel program of the University sinking into mediocrity.
No doubt we’ll know more later in the week, but has there been anything else updated about that kid that got hurt for Alabama?
Surly as compared to a buy-here-pay-here car salesman.
That right there. Oats is at a school that lives and breaths football. THE football school.
Being at UK is a complete different level. I think he would do great at UK.
Wrightsell is cleared to play Thursday.
They had the number one team last year. Sweet 16 isn’t really something to brag about.
And they didn’t go further because oats runs a one trick pony. Either the 3s are falling or they’re toast.
And they didn’t go further because oats runs a one trick pony. Either the 3s are falling or they’re toast.
Laugh at idea of Barnhart not liking Oats.
Has Mark Stoops come close to winning the SEC East, let alone the SEC in the same role/different sport at Kentucky? But all the love/attention goes into that for Barnhart. Oats has won the SEC/SEC Tournament 2 times each in his 5 years. Been to 3 Sweet 16s which is FB Equivalent of an Elite Bowl Game like the Sugar/Rose/Cotton and Stoops is getting a train run on him by UGA/Bama (no disgrace, just reality) when they play.
This is why Barnhart is an idiot. He can't figure out what is needed. The fact he's high on Scott Drew circa '21 made sense. Problem is Drew has morphed into '24 John Calipari without Jerome Tang. Meanwhile Oats who has been at Power Conference level for 5 years--is already doing things that never happened at Alabama. Drew did a great job building Baylor and staying with it and succeeded. He deserves praise for that. But he's got a total of 6 Sweet 16 appearances and been in Big 12 for his career. Oats is doing this immediately and at a school with little basketball tradition. He was there for taking but Greg Byrne--a real AD--was proactive.
Now we're hoping Jay Wright has an itch to want to coach after leaving the game due to not wanting to be part of how things were shifting. Hearing asinine ideas like Dan Hurley leaving UConn for Kentucky. Why would he do that? Rick Pitino 2.0 would be a far better move then Drew or most the names thrown out there.
Best plan for Kentucky is when you move on from Calipari-you move on from Barnhart who doesn't know a ****ing thing about what it takes to be an elite program in any sport.
For football, I’m afraid we need Stoops to stay for continuity. Getting good assistants and letting them do their jobs is key. We also need to p our recruiting budget.
As for contending for SEC championships, I hope you realize football and basketball are like night and day.
When you are at a Program that has only been there 10 times EVER and has 1 Elite 8 appearance in their history, it's pretty impressive. Specifically when they clearly are a FB School. This isn't some Power conference experienced coach who walked into the job either. This is a guy who came from Buffalo.
So winning the Conference, Conference Tournament 2x each, making 30% of the schools' Sweet 16's ever in his 5 yrs at a Power Conference isn't impressive to you?
Do you think Mark Stoops is an impressive FB coach for Kentucky? He's in the same boat Oats is as in terms of where he's coaching and what they are known as--yet many love what Stoops is doing and got angry when Cal called this a "basketball school". Stoops would give his left nut to do what Oats has done in the time he's done in his sport.
Also have to side with Greg Byrne on this one. He's 100X the AD that Mitch Barnhart is. Just sucks that is the case.
Agree it's easier for a quicker change in basketball but the same premise is there with Alabama and Kentucky in those sports. Alabama had not invested in basketball and focuses on FB-and under Barnhart Kentucky is focusing on FB and letting Cal do whatever it is he he can do while not really wanting to do too much more because they have to suck off the FB program.
The difference is Alabama has Greg Byrne and Kentucky has Mitch Barnhart. That's the AD equivalent of having Michael Jordan face off against Stink Watkins in a game of 1 on 1.
Not like this. Losing in the first round or not making the tournament is much different feeling than losing in the Sweet 16.
Look at the buzz around the 16 teams that will be playing this next weekend.
We are no longer in the conversation with anything good. All negative. How can any blue blood program/ fanbase be happy about where we are right now?
That would not even be a part of the discussion if we were playing this weekend. Stop deflecting and defending the real problem with UK basketball.
And yes Houston, we do have a big problem with the state of UK basketball.
Heck if Greg Byrne can make us more competitive in both major sports—especially football which is this conference’s bread and butter, I’m all for it.
Absolutely we would but not even making it to the sweet 16 to get bounced is further testament to how bad of a job cal is doing.
We all need to see what DeBoer does at Bama but an AD with a plan gets things done. Byrne needed less than 48 hrs to replace Nick Saban with a guy who is 114-12 as a HC, won 3 NC's at lower level, went 25-3 with a Pac 12 Championship, National Championship game appearance in 2 yrs at Power 5 level. Of the contemporaries that Bama fans wanted--he's 5-0 head to head (Lanning and Sark) with only 1 game being played in Seattle (this past season against Oregon) and he is known to hire elite staffs who have eyes for talent. When he was at Fresno State briefly, he got Cowboys CB Doron Bland from Sacramento St for instance. Look how many UW players are seen highly by the NFL this year too. Many were in the program when it was a dumpster fire under Jimmy Lake prior to his arrival.
He also hired Nate Oats and got that buyout up to $18M just in time to prevent schools needing a coach to just get him on the cheap.
Byrne would kill it at Kentucky. But that's not going to happen.
Just can't emphasize enough how much of a detriment it is to have Mitch Barnhart in this position when you need to fix the Basketball program. The one guy he didn't want to hire saved the program and he just got lazy (Barnhart) and gave the declining version of that coach an extension that has us where we are today. Pisses me off and know it pisses everyone off. But the long game thinkers realize that Barnhart has to go along with Cal-not just Cal.
Mitch wants to change that narrative? Go get Jay Wright. Go Get Dan Hurley. Go get an elite HC. Odds of that happening? The names I've heard him "like" were at one time Chris Holtmann (laughable--hell I'd take Jake Diebler now over Cal btw and Ohio State saw they had someone better but waited a month too long to pull trigger) and now Scott Drew--who without Tang is basically current day John Calipari.
There’s some merit to that with what oats has done for Bama basketball but to me the difference is football in sec by most schools is taken to a far higher level of importance than basketball , but saying that todays sec basketball is not the same as fifteen or twenty years ago. So Stoops is competing against the best football schools in America.
Hey Ralphdaltonfan, really appreciate your thoughts. What you think of Todd Golden?
Huge fan of him. He was a guy I actually mentioned liking in a few threads as a coach to watch years ago when he was at San Francisco.
