And truth to the Andrija jelavic buzz?

[bnewt]

Ok, but can we stop acting like a better offensive system won’t help Lowe.

maybe it will, who knows, but it would help him more if there were other shooters around him

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

maybe it will, who knows, but it would help him more if there were other shooters around him

There are though.


pg - Lowe
sg - Johnson - 3 level scorer, shooter with deep range
sf - Oweh
pf - Folguereis - Much better shooter than Carr
c - Garrison - Far above average for position shooter

 

[JPFisher]

I keep thinking that CMP has 1 or 2 more guys he's in with and is being very quiet about things for a reason. I get the sneaky suspicion that he's going to have a surprise or 2 left for us that will please us very much.

Just gotta be patient with the process. Things have shaped up fine already.

The returning pieces with the lineup we already have looks good to me. A few roster spots that can be filled and we're good to go.

does anyone have a thread on next year's current roster and what it looks like so far ?

I'm too lazy to dig it up or go look. And my memory is getting worse as I get older.

Who do we have already ?

I made a thread about height, and that includes this year's and next year's rosters (as it stands).

 

[SemperFiCat]

People keep focusing on guys that score, and not nearly enough on guys who can defend and rebound.

 

[bnewt]

The one thing that really gets me is we have an ELITE shooter on the team that played minutes this year. Travis Perry will be a high level shooter at this level. You put him on the floor with other athletes/shooters he will knock shots down. The issue with him this year was he came in as a freshman and got thrown into PG minutes guarding guys he couldn't guard. Trust me his will be an elite shooter, and because he is a competitor his defense will improve. He won't be a 30 minute a game guy but he will be a guy you have to have 15-20 minutes and a known commodity as a shooter.

just can't agree.
he may have been an elite shooter in high school, but college is different. He is just too slow, short, and less athletic than his opponents.
He can not create his own shot, so he is basically a smaller Almanor.

 

[bnewt]

People keep focusing on guys that score, and not nearly enough on guys who can defend and rebound.

true, but no matter how good your defense is, if you can't score, you can't win

 

[SemperFiCat]

true, but no matter how good your defense is, if you can't score, you can't win

You can't win if the other team scores at will. Def is more reliable, travels better and wins big games. High scoring offense wins you games in November. Def wins you games in March. Don't you remember how frustrating it was not being able to get stops, just a few weeks ago? Heck, seems like Tennessee scored on 20 consecutive trips. We need Def and rebounding. Pope will get us points through the system.

 

[CincinnatiWildcat]

Why are we worried about guys being happy with playing time at the end of the bench in the portal era where half the guys enter the portal every offseason anyway? So what if the 12th and 13th man aren't happy, let them enter the portal and get new ones next offseason if that is what they choose.

 

[Tampa_cat54]

If you can acknowledge Butler was not an elite shooter, you see Pope doesn’t have to have “elite shooters” for his offense to work. We brought in three elite shooters for last years team: Robinson, Brea and Kriisa.

Kriisa had a season ending injury less than ten games into the year and Robinson had a major shooting slump that tanked his efficiency. Only one of the elite shooters we brought in put up elite shooting numbers and we were still a top 15 team……even without athleticism, depth or talent.


People that don’t think we will be better should at least consider those factors.

His offense will work, sure, but I am not trying to go to Sweet Sixteens. I am trying to go win National Championships.

I can fairly confidently say, that if we don't add ANYONE else to our perimeter core, we won't compete for a Final Four or National Title this season.

Teams like Illinois had a better perimeter group than that this year and we see their ceiling.

I'm really surprised that a small portion of this board seems to be AGAINST the idea of adding more talent. No idea how you can watch Pierre or Yates play and NOT want them on this roster.

And again, I know Pope & Co agree with me because they are out there recruiting these guys (and others) for another perimeter spot.

But to each their own.

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

His offense will work, sure, but I am not trying to go to Sweet Sixteens. I am trying to go win National Championships.

I can fairly confidently say, that if we don't add ANYONE else to our perimeter core, we won't compete for a Final Four or National Title this season.

Teams like Illinois had a better perimeter group than that this year and we see their ceiling.

I'm really surprised that a small portion of this board seems to be AGAINST the idea of adding more talent. No idea how you can watch Pierre or Yates play and NOT want them on this roster.

And again, I know Pope & Co agree with me because they are out there recruiting these guys (and others) for another perimeter spot.

But to each their own.

I’m not against it, I think they still add one more guard.

 

[hs_sportsfan]

just can't agree.
he may have been an elite shooter in high school, but college is different. He is just too slow, short, and less athletic than his opponents.
He can not create his own shot, so he is basically a smaller Almanor.

College is different, but he was put in a really bad spot this year. So by your theory we don't judge any kids shooting in high school. He wasn't ready to be thrown in a the point, but he is a two guard and can shoot the lights out. We don't need the ball in his hands we need the spacing his shooting will provide. You won't be able to leave him which will make teams play more honest. Don't know him personally but I know he can shoot it and if you can do that you can play in that system. Again he won't ever be elite but he will be better than Kerr Kirisa!

 

[tf4fun]

Yep, I kind of chuckle every time I see people write up their mock rotations and Chandler is like the 12th man. Not happening. Will be a big part of plans this year.

If he puts in the work,and I have no reason to believe he won't. He will be a very good 3 point shooters. If he improves his ball handling he will be a problem. I really like his game, and what it can develop into. Between him and Johnson I'm just not very concerned about scoring from our guard position.

 

[EliteBlue]

If Pope is to be attractive to the top freshman, he also has to show he is willing to invest in them and play them. Jasper is a pretty known commodity and I think most people can comfortably tell how he will fit

This.

This is the season that dictates if Pope will be able to recruit top 15 freshman over the next 5 years.

1) Jasper is #13 nationally. If he comes here and barely plays then we are fully committed moving forward to the Pitino method of building via proven portal guys only.

2) If you want to be in MCDAA recruits living rooms then 1 or 2 of Moreno/Lewis/Jasper have to be key pieces and productive this season…w hopefully 1 of them going 1nD.

Not saying 1 or 2 is the right way forward….you can make a case for either…I believe the best guys you can get should play regardless of the recruiting pipeline…but good luck recruiting top 10 recruits if they are concerned they will sit behind a portal upperclassmen that gets added after the season ends and post the HS recruits commitment

 

[yes_takeaside]

Then we won't be very good.

Plain and simple.

That isn't enough shooting or experience to do what we want to do next year.

If Pope isn't willing to go out and make hard choices and get the best players available, then idk what we're doing.

Let's pass on the nation's leading scorer or an NBA talent from the Big-10 because we signed 2 freshman and 9PPG scorer from Tulane and a PG from Pitt that can't shoot the ball that well.

It would be like if Rick Barnes decided not to go get Chaz Lanier this year because he already had Gainey and Zeigler and Mashack and Dunbar, etc.

If we don't go out and land another scorer, I have serious doubts about our ability to compete next year.

Nevermind the fact that if we pass the ball to the PF position right now, there will be no one there to catch it.

Can’t have too many guards. Gators play three guards a lot with two bigs and it’s obviously working for them. They have a 4th guard who plays a lot as well

CMP likes to play a lot of guys. The ‘96 team had a lot of guys who could play

Can you say platoon?

 

[Bluesnky]

A lot of our fans really overrate how good of a shooter you need to be to stretch the floor. Pope’s last BYU team shot 33% from 3 during Big 12 play but still made the most threes and had the highest two point percentage. It pays to have more players who are well rounded, as opposed to standing around the perimeter waiting to shoot threes.

 

[Sparkaces1]

College is different, but he was put in a really bad spot this year. So by your theory we don't judge any kids shooting in high school. He wasn't ready to be thrown in a the point, but he is a two guard and can shoot the lights out. We don't need the ball in his hands we need the spacing his shooting will provide. You won't be able to leave him which will make teams play more honest. Don't know him personally but I know he can shoot it and if you can do that you can play in that system. Again he won't ever be elite but he will be better than Kerr Kirisa!

Kirisa was the starting PG for Arizona when they were a 1 seed and a top 5 transfer portal player the first time around, not sure Perry is that kind of player.

 

[Padsfs07]

Kirisa was the starting PG for Arizona when they were a 1 seed and a top 5 transfer portal player the first time around, not sure Perry is that kind of player.

Are you referring to when he left Arizona to go to WVU? Because he wasn’t that high going from WVU to UK.

 

[UKSanders]

maybe it will, who knows, but it would help him more if there were other shooters around him

There are though.


pg - Lowe
sg - Johnson - 3 level scorer, shooter with deep range
sf - Oweh
pf - Folguereis - Much better shooter than Carr
c - Garrison - Far above average for position shooter

Chandler is another shooter... he was hitting around 50% from 3pt range the last 10 or so games of the season...

In addition, there will be PGs that are quick enough and SF that are long enough to create mismatches with him, but he's big & athletic enough to guard the 1-3 positions against many opponents. .

I can still agree with going after Pierre or Yates, but just wanted to add that it's reasonable to expect Chandler to be a consistent perimeter threat next season.

 

[AzubuikeandFitch]

I get the feeling Alvaro and this Croatian guy or Alvaro and another big might be all we add. I don’t feel as good about Pierre and Yates anymore

If so, I don't believe UK will have the guard/wing production to be top tier. Need experienced scoring depth, a stretch 4, and another big for defense and rebounding.

 

[Smashcat]

have got to have another shooter

If we land Alvaro, and I hope we do, we get a PF and a shooter. Hit better than 40 percent from behind the arc last season.

 

[Wildcats1st]

Now of course I hope I’m wrong, I really like Yates and Pierre and want one of them here, but the more I say and thought about it the less sense it made

I think pope is gonna bring in another pg or guy who can handle the ball. I wouldn’t be surprised if he brought two more guards so we can defend stronger without foul worry or the lesson he learned last season. Stack the roster in case of injury or to rest guys. You want to be able to match up with every team on the perimeter. We need a pg too who can defend. More guards give us greater chances especially Pierre and Yates.

 

[AzubuikeandFitch]

I think it's clear that Williams is probably going to serve that Almonor type of stretch 4 role, maybe sometimes playing the 3 but not as much.

Jasper and Lewis are complete unknowns. We can't go into the year relying on Oweh and Lowe being the only 2 upperclassman perimeter guys on the roster, that would be malpractice.

NEED another guy on the perimeter who can put the ball in the bucket.

Agree 100% I'll add that I would prefer for Chandler, Noah, and Perry to be developmental/depth pieces beyond an 8-9 man rotation.

 

[Wildcats1st]

I think it's clear that Williams is probably going to serve that Almonor type of stretch 4 role, maybe sometimes playing the 3 but not as much.

Jasper and Lewis are complete unknowns. We can't go into the year relying on Oweh and Lowe being the only 2 upperclassman perimeter guys on the roster, that would be malpractice.

NEED another guy on the perimeter who can put the ball in the bucket.

Cam Williams? No he’s so much more dynamic than almanor who could do one things. He’s positionless

 

[Wildcats1st]

If we land Alvaro, and I hope we do, we get a PF and a shooter. Hit better than 40 percent from behind the arc last season.

Is Alvaro the Spainiard?

 

[Digger-Cat]

Word from who?

Larry

 

[Dontworryboutit23]

I think pope is gonna bring in another pg or guy who can handle the ball. I wouldn’t be surprised if he brought two more guards so we can defend stronger without foul worry or the lesson he learned last season. Stack the roster in case of injury or to rest guys. You want to be able to match up with every team on the perimeter. We need a pg too who can defend. More guards give us greater chances especially Pierre and Yates.

That’s why they just got Jaland Lowe. He is the PG. I can see Yates or Pierre

 

[Dontworryboutit23]

Some smoke with Kentucky and Dioubate of bama according to pilgrim

 

[sefus12]

Agree 100% I'll add that I would prefer for Chandler, Noah, and Perry to be developmental/depth pieces beyond an 8-9 man rotation.

I agree with Perry/Noah, but not on Chandler. He looked very capable as being a main rotation guy at the end of the season. Any sort of development in the offseason and that guy should get minutes. Solid shot, long/athletic for his size, showed some defensive instincts. Guy looked like a legit D1 player by the end of the year.

 

[UKSanders]

If we land Alvaro, and I hope we do, we get a PF and a shooter. Hit better than 40 percent from behind the arc last season.

yep, if Pope gets 2 more bigs (like Alvaro & Jelavic), then you have legit perimeter threats with them. Plus, with Jelavic, he appears like he could also create a mismatch against most opposing PFs putting the ball on the floor as be a driver.

So, legitimate 3pt threats would potentially be:

PG: Lewis, Lowe (again - not elite but think he will be good enough that the defense can't totally sag on him)
SG: JJ, Chandler (35% in 2024-2025 but ~50% the last 10 games of the season)
SF: Oweh (35% in 2024-2025), Kam Williams ( >41% in 2024-2025), Noah (33% in 2024-2025...think he shoots better next season)
PF: Alvaro (41% in 2024-2025),
C: Garrison (well, hopefully he shoots A LOT this summer ...maybe becomes adequate, meaning ~35% for 2025-2026)

There are no ELITE shooters like Brea, but there are still multiple shooters who are at least a legit threat behind the arc.

 

[HoneyMoon155]

College is different, but he was put in a really bad spot this year. So by your theory we don't judge any kids shooting in high school. He wasn't ready to be thrown in a the point, but he is a two guard and can shoot the lights out. We don't need the ball in his hands we need the spacing his shooting will provide. You won't be able to leave him which will make teams play more honest. Don't know him personally but I know he can shoot it and if you can do that you can play in that system. Again he won't ever be elite but he will be better than Kerr Kirisa!

I like Perry but i just don’t ever see him even being better than Kerr krissa, I really think you’re just being biased because he’s from Kentucky. I would love to be wrong but I just don’t ever see him as being a main rotation piece

 

[HoneyMoon155]

Some smoke with Kentucky and Dioubate of bama according to pilgrim

Does he play the 4?

 

[UKSanders]

Some smoke with Kentucky and Dioubate of bama according to pilgrim

If he is willing to accept battling for the starting PF but if he doesn't win that, be ok as the backup PF as the rebounder/defensive muscle, I would definitely take him

 

[SemperFiCat]

I agree with Perry/Noah, but not on Chandler. He looked very capable as being a main rotation guy at the end of the season. Any sort of development in the offseason and that guy should get minutes. Solid shot, long/athletic for his size, showed some defensive instincts. Guy looked like a legit D1 player by the end of the year.

Personally, I think Noah will be just as valuable, if not more, than Chandler when it's all said and done. I like Chandler, just think people are sleeping on how good Noah is going to be. He'll be a big contributer as early as next year, IMO. Perry, I just can't see really being relied on too much. I don't see him getting bigger or faster.

 

[Digger-Cat]

Guys I get it but we also gotta stop acitng like guys can’t make major jumps. Chandler is gonna get better, jasper will be good, same for Lewis, Williams will as well. Yates or Pierre was always going to be a luxury add and not a necesssity add

I get what you're saying, but you can't roll the dice on these guys.

If Pope just assumes these guys are going to be good enough, he is taking one hell of a risk.

If Chandler is one of your top 5 pieces, you're going nowhere. Yes, he improved, but we have to be real here, he isn't a guy that's going to carry much water, he's a role player.

Jasper and Lewis are unproven high school kids. Pope would be a fool to roll the dice and bet on the guys you listed.

The last thing Pope needs, is to enter conference play with 5+ losses. That's what he would be risking by not bringing in a Yates, or Pierre type guy.

 

[Digger-Cat]

Let’s say we get Yates. Lowe, Lewis, Yates, Oweh, Johnson, Williams, chandler thats 7 guys, who is getting left out and not getting mins?

It's up to the players to get better if they want playing time.
Pope can't base his rosters on whether or not he's going to hurt someone's feelings. No coach (except Cal) does that.

 

[sefus12]

Personally, I think Noah will be just as valuable, if not more, than Chandler when it's all said and done. I like Chandler, just think people are sleeping on how good Noah is going to be. He'll be a big contributer as early as next year, IMO. Perry, I just can't see really being relied on too much. I don't see him getting bigger or faster.

I like Noah a lot. Think he may need another year developing before he gets major minutes. But Noah has a complete nose for the ball when it comes to rebounding and looks like he could grow into one of those guys that is never threatening all-conference, but is a reliable 11 pt/6 rb guy while knocking down a three or two. I think his ceiling would be a lot higher if he were 6’7 or 6’8. Chandler just has more positional size based on how he plays, if that makes sense.

 

[JonathanW]

People keep focusing on guys that score, and not nearly enough on guys who can defend and rebound.

That's what I've been saying.

 

[UKSanders]

Personally, I think Noah will be just as valuable, if not more, than Chandler when it's all said and done. I like Chandler, just think people are sleeping on how good Noah is going to be. He'll be a big contributer as early as next year, IMO. Perry, I just can't see really being relied on too much. I don't see him getting bigger or faster.

I agree that Noah has such good court awareness that he is so often getting a key rebound/loose ball, etc that leads to winning.

How awesome would it be if Noah hit a late growth spurt and ended up a legit 6'8-6'9 & 230-240 lbs??

 

[SemperFiCat]

That's what I've been saying.

How quickly we forget. We have to get stops and rebounds.

 

[UKSanders]

I like Noah a lot. Think he may need another year developing before he gets major minutes. But Noah has a complete nose for the ball when it comes to rebounding and looks like he could grow into one of those guys that is never threatening all-conference, but is a reliable 11 pt/6 rb guy while knocking down a three or two. I think his ceiling would be a lot higher if he were 6’7 or 6’8. Chandler just has more positional size based on how he plays, if that makes sense.

Didn't see this as I posted almost the same thing at the same time...