Had to have been impressed with UK's performance.
Ament on unofficial vist at Tennessee for tonight's game
- Thread starter bigblue1971
- Start date
Sweeeeetttt! Hopefully he could see how Pope is doing so much more with less than almost any coach!
He also understands basketball a little better than alot of vets. Hence, doing more with less.
Why would you not want to play in Popes offense. The writing’s on the wall with the wins he’s totaled, but a lot of young guys don’t see it the same way we do
And if he can beat his man off the dribble he will excel in this offense.
Maybe we can throw some of that Vandy court storming money we got coming.
That has nothing to do with it anymore. These kids would gladly pick EKU over UK if they offered more
well, the flip side of argument is he was able to see that UT needs shooters DESPARATELY! 😁
Maybe he sees himself as a guy who could've made 1 of the 34 missed 3pt attempts??? 😆
Maybe he sees himself as a guy who could've made 1 of the 34 missed 3pt attempts??? 😆
Yep, not about winning anymore just collecting that bag of cash. We could match any offer if we’re willing to do so, but I understand that’s not the kind of guys Pope wants
dont know if it helps but it cant hurt'
already beat 2 teams on his list duke and tenn
already beat 2 teams on his list duke and tenn
That's pretty much it. We just have to do the absolute best we can with what we have, as UK has always done, and win championships in spite of not purchasing them as UCLA did. Nothing more you can do.
If he watched how Pope allowed Amari to be more than just a low post center including handling the ball he would be a major league idiot to pick Tennessee instead of Kentucky.
And hopefully he noticed the Go Big Blue chant in there
Loved that chant and the players acknowledged it at the time when we had the win in hand. One of my favorite moments from the night.
which is great
hate this NIL and hired gun philosophy
Pope will likely have his choice of three or four players from the portal. Can have 15 next year and he will fill the roster. Coming back will likely be Kerr (if he is granted a medical hardship year as I do not believe he comes back this year) , Oweh, Perry, Noah, and Garrison. That leaves 10 spots ! Currently three Freshman and may add a fourth. So still room for up to 6 transfers. As I mentioned Pope's style will attract some of the best players in the portal and he will likely roster build in a similar fashion to this year but I suspect he will focus on a monster rebounder and some high end shooters .
I really love Ament’s game, always have but he needs strength in the worst way. He can still be effective but to bang in the SEC with the athletes and size it has he better bulk up quick.
Not seen him play. Could he be Newell at UGA?
Better IMO, he is really good offensively and would put up great numbers in this offense. His problem will be defensively, although we have proven we can win off mainly offense under Pope already so…
I really doubt Pope is recruiting this kid as a PF given what he has seen from opposing teams this year. Make him a SF. With his height he can get his shot off over pretty much any wing and be effective on defense.
See flagg, not heavy but has physically. Definitely could handle physically in sec.
Ament could be similar type of player
The question is are we still recruiting him?
So while I was fine losing Caleb Wilson due to NIL.. I think we have to sort of pivot here and maybe pay this guy. At least close to what he's asking. Caleb Wilson was kind of a lesson, in that these 5-star guys want to get SOME money. I'm not saying we just throw them whatever they want. But if we want a top talent, which might be the final piece to Pope becoming the best coach in the nation, you gotta pay the money.
Give this guy to Pope, and watch what UK can do, he's earned it.
Further, I think these early years will be pivotal for Pope. If he can get a Sweet16 this year, and a Final4 with Nate next year.. that will REALLY open up the door for recruiting. Put a "down payment" on the program today, to better it tomorrow.
Give this guy to Pope, and watch what UK can do, he's earned it.
Further, I think these early years will be pivotal for Pope. If he can get a Sweet16 this year, and a Final4 with Nate next year.. that will REALLY open up the door for recruiting. Put a "down payment" on the program today, to better it tomorrow.
LOVE IT!
Especially with the "GO BIG BLUE" chants that you could easily hear towards the end of the game
I wonder when and if a program will say "We will throw you another $100k in NIL if you reach a Final 4". I'd be fine to give the same $2 million to someone like AJ Dybantsa, but I wonder if you can do it in a way that incentivizes success. For example, he gets that $1mil up front, and another $200k for every game he wins in the tournament.
AJ gets you a Final4, will make it worth our while to pay him more. Where as if he's a bust and we go nowhere with him, well then we get to recoup some money. Would be nice to tie SOME of this NIL to on court success.
AJ gets you a Final4, will make it worth our while to pay him more. Where as if he's a bust and we go nowhere with him, well then we get to recoup some money. Would be nice to tie SOME of this NIL to on court success.
He would benefit greatly from having Lewis and Johnson helping to open up the floor and driving the ball like really only Oweh does on this team. Then, add some portal rebounding/paint scoring and point guard play.
As someone else mentioned, I think he is a SF first who can play PF in small doses, at least until he adds about 20-30 lbs.
In one of his more recent games, against Peterson and Bundalo’s team, he seemed to have gained a “Dawg’s” mentality to the point that Bundalo didn’t push him around much. He is learning to use leverage and position instead of brute strength, which bodes well for his future as he gains muscle. He isn’t there yet, but he has some fight in him.
As someone else mentioned, I think he is a SF first who can play PF in small doses, at least until he adds about 20-30 lbs.
In one of his more recent games, against Peterson and Bundalo’s team, he seemed to have gained a “Dawg’s” mentality to the point that Bundalo didn’t push him around much. He is learning to use leverage and position instead of brute strength, which bodes well for his future as he gains muscle. He isn’t there yet, but he has some fight in him.
Anyone know if we are still recruiting him? I think a mix of talented freshman with portal guys is the recipe for success nowadays but would love to have him as a SF.
My understanding is that we are recruiting him. I think we slowed the recruitment thinking we had landed Wilson. However, during the December/January timeframe we seemed to pick that up. And, now that Wilson is off the market, we are working to gain ground.
I personally think Ament visiting Tenn last night was as much about Ky as it was Tenn. This gave him the opportunity to see how Pope and his offense would use him against a very tough Tenn defense. We have a lot of ground to make up, but we also have a lot of playing time on a very big stage to offer. I am sure, if we want him, we will be competitive with NIL.
I personally think Ament visiting Tenn last night was as much about Ky as it was Tenn. This gave him the opportunity to see how Pope and his offense would use him against a very tough Tenn defense. We have a lot of ground to make up, but we also have a lot of playing time on a very big stage to offer. I am sure, if we want him, we will be competitive with NIL.
Pope knows what's going on and is talking to these players. They know what's required of them if they come here, regardless of the money. If Wilson didn't choose us, it wasn't because of money. It was because he wasn't willing to give what was required of him if he came here.
A player can say it is about money, but if they want promises of shots, PT, touches, or freedom without accountability, then it's not really about money. It's about the game. They'll keep us on the table as an option long after we're not because it drives the price up and nothing else. Why is that ok with me?
It's OK because it makes other schools spend more for something that they don't know we don't want.
We don't want the players that are watching the door, the bank account, and counting their touches. We want the kids that are working hard on the court and off to be better players and teammates. We want the best of those.
If a recruit is committed to that kind of hard work and selflessness, and they give us a fair shot at matching a dollar amount, I don't think for a minute that we wouldn't do that. If they don't do that, they weren't really committed to the effort.
All JMO of course
I think Pope is also weary of guys like Wilson, who had their offer from Ky for 4-5 months, seemed to if not commit, definitely gave very positive vibes only to continue shopping for a better offer. This as much as anything speaks to his unwillingness to buy into Popes program. Say what you want about Ament. But he hasn’t played this like anyone has the upper hand. He is letting it play out and I think his approach makes sense. Find out where the other guys are going and then look for a program where the system and players compliment his game. I like our chances.
Yeah i mean that's definitely possible. But unless I missed something, I don't think anyone knows what the real reason for Caleb picking UNC was. I have to suspect it was money and false promises by a more desperate caoch.. but, I do think that goes hand in hand with a recruit who might not want to work hard. So maybe it was both. We didn't want to pay and therefore we were able to ascertain that this was a more selfish recruit who didn't have the same vision that Pope and staff had.
And yes, I don't really want these types. More so, I think we need to make sure that we aren't being cheap, IF we want to secure some of the top talent. I can lose our on a Caleb Wilson.. but if we lose out on Nate for a similar reason, then it starts to turn into a question of what WE are doing wrong.
Not worried about that yet though. There's still a lot of time and I suspect that Pope might not be fully up and running for another year or two. It's gonna take him a few seasons to really get the team he wants, where he has some guys like Noah and Perry as 3rd or 4th year players.
I don't know. I think we project a lot of our weariness and expectations onto people. I'd expect Pope knew where this was going before it went and isn't going to waste time thinking about what he doesn't have or regretting what didn't get. Doesn't seem to be his style.
I think we get our hopes up because we like what we see without knowing anything about the person they are recruiting.
I would prefer honesty from recruits. That they would tell us they're keeping the hat on the table to drive the bidding up, but they don't want to work or share the ball here if they don't. That's just not how negotiations work, as you know, and agents are involved in things now.
I'm definitely glad I'm not the UKHC and that Pope IS. He seems to relish it.
He has a more versatile game than Newell. Ament is more than a rebounding / put back, scoring around the rim type player. Newell's offensive game / range is limited. He is just a freak of nature athlete and jumps over everyone, has a soft touch around the rim. Ament can put the ball on the floor, true 3 level scorer, and a nice passer. Really solid handles. He is wayyyy more advanced offensively than Wilson is, if only he had the defensive ability Wilson has. He is not bad, just not at Wilson's level on defense. If I could chose between Wilson and Ament, give me Ament.
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I think if we got Ament, by the end of next season, he will have caught Wilson on defense. He is growing into his body more everyday. You mentioned his passing. I am not sure if it was always there and is just now getting into highlight videos, but he is very good at driving and finding an open man when the defense collapses on him.
Really hope he chooses Ky.
Do not think we are actively recruiting ament now
Coaches watched lewis a few days ago but did not watch ament who had games in same place
No scheduled visit and we may already out for this recruitment
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