Another elite 2023 SF slipping away from Calipari
- Thread starter Smashcat
- Start date
They went to Final 4 this year, what did we do, oh yeah crapped out in first game
I think that is a very real possibility. If he has another 3rd in SEC and tourney flameout, he will resign, would bet money on it.
KJ Evans and Kentucky are fading by Kentucky's choice and smart decision based on his poor play this Spring. JJ Taylor hasn't been a priority for a while with UK.
Justin Edwards is a talented guy they are recruiting. Apparently he prefers hearing he'll be the man rather than part of an "ensemble" lineup via Andrew Slater.
There's plenty of talent available and plenty of players who are ranked beneath where their level of play has been so far this Spring. If you want to believe Kwame Evans Jr is really the #2 player in the country after seeing his games this Spring....enjoy. That's a putrid ranking right now.
It's not nearly as dire as you want to make it, but if drama and negativity is your thing, keep doing it! Understand some grieve and some dwell, but it's not nearly as horrible as this post makes it seem right now.
Nah. Cal's just continuing his tradition of flaking out on elite wing forwards.
So fill out the roster for 2023 if you will a bit
Pg: Dejuan Wagner…if he comes to UK which is iffy. Dillingham if we don’t get Wagner
Sg : Reed shepherd
Sf: ? If it’s not Traynor or Evans…Edwards is Tennessee bound now. And we’ll need wings badly as I’m not imagining Livingston will be at Ky for more then 1 year
PF: it’s a ghost town on Ky fronts in recruiting front. Toppin will be gone and not holding my breath Collins will be back for third year
C: Bradshaw is the main recruit and what else? Oscar I doubt come back for third year. Ware should be around
I know some names will emerge after all the camps are complete…but UK has tons of holes to fill with the way Cal rosters leave…and the top kids are coming off the boards and we’ve just got Shepherd. It’s early but it honestly doesn’t look good
This is getting so old…now UK pride is based on hoping Duke faltering? That is such a Louisville mindset
Duke is clearly better than Ky even with their coming up short.
Even with coach K gone…how long do you think it will be that they ain’t running into a title if they keep running out 4-5 NBA first round draft picks on their roster? I know for damn sure we ain’t winning a title with our trajectory
Evans is so inflated in the rankings it's obscene. I expect Taylor to go G League. I really hope UK can land Buzelis, Wagner, Bradshaw and Stojakovic but unfortunately I think the only way Buzelis comes here is if Duke has too many commitments at the 3-4 spots. He just can't control himself in every interview I've seen of him when somebody mentions Duke...ugh. I'd like to see UK get involved with Xavier Booker but I'm guessing he's Michigan States to lose.
Again you made a statement, that had nothing to do with titles...you said nobody can land most of the top 10 players I gave you evidence you denied it .
It's bad but that should be adjusted by end of Summer unless he really puts in work and transforms how he shoots the ball in games. Just seeing Evans yanked from that one game after having a basketball "breakdown" in EYBL opening session was a rough look. I mean 1-17 from 3 at his size/talent--some point quit shooting 3's and do what you can do.
Buzelis is more about UNC/FSU than Duke in addition to UK right now. Also would keep an eye on Pro route. I really like his teammate Taylor Bowen too. I'd give them a better chance should they drop someone from their class. Was interesting that Buzelis left Mac Irvin for Expressions. While Chin Coleman has ties to Mac Irvin--that program is garbage right now aside from JJ Taylor. Saw it 3 levels in person up in Twin Cities event (Taylor no showed as expected--not a criticism just not a big time event) and nobody was high major prospect. Expressions is program that had Nick Richards and Terrence Clarke. And Buzelis is at Brewster with Bowen which is allows players to make their decisions.
Keep hearing positive things about UK-DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw but they are recruiting Dillingham hard (know it's not been officially ruled out but I don't see he/DJ Wagner at same school) and numerous bigs hard just in case they slip which is different then past. They have Sheppard committed and he's an excellent player and was a must get for many UK fans that doubted he'd be recruited hard enough to want to choose UK.
Stojakovic has his visit scheduled.
With the amount of roster spots needed for '24 season, I'd guess they will target a few Transfers too--don't want to sign 7 to 8 HS guys and obviously nobody has a clue as to who that will be as of now. Just don't think things are as rock bottom as some want it to be or think it to be. If they whiff/miss on everyone, then fire away but I loved how they recruited in '22 and it paid off with who they signed....now from there the Sharpe situation soured everyone and that I fully agree/understand but the staff's job was to land top talent and in Sharpe/Wallace/Livingston that was 3 Top 15--2 Top 5 including a #1 overall and if Cal listened to staff he'd have had a great chance with Nick Smith Jr by dumping Clark earlier and while that may have initially cost you Livingston (him thinking it would be Sharpe/Wallace/Smith Jr) you may have had Brandon Miller too. Just shows how things can/will change.
Only place that was an L was big man recruiting and with Oscar returning for '23 season, you get NPOY back and that is better than any HS recruit and salvage losing out on Lively and Bona.
It's going to be a big overhaul which will include some Transfers too.
But HS wise at the positions you covered, the PG/SG you have top priorities/committed player in Sheppard.
SF spot is very deep in this class and Matas Buzelis is top of UK's list right now but a guy like Andrej Stojakovic has his OV scheduled for UK/BBM, you have several other options as well that they've been monitoring. UK is in top 3 for Justin Edwards who is leaning to TN right now, but Kentucky can't control his reasoning and that isn't going to work if a guy wants to be "the man" as opposed to playing with other big time players. It will be interesting to see who else is being recruited by UK next Live Period.
PF--I really like Taylor Bol Bowen. He's been recruited by UK for over a year is a teammate of Buzelis and plays elite competition at Brewster Academy as well as on EYBL. This time last yr he mentioned UK was one of the 3 schools recruiting him hardest, he has ties to Nerlens Noel and UK is still on him. Now they also watched Baye Fall play all last live period-every game. So a guy I'd written off completely, they obviously feel differently. This is a position you can also fill in Portal too.
C--Bradshaw. Kingsley--who may reclass this summer to '22. You have several transfer options and will seeing what happened with Tshiebwe. The Bacot rumors were true until UNC made that deep run and changed season. He was interested in UK and was for 2 yrs. HS big man development takes time and guys always emerge too. As we've seen with Bradshaw and last year Lively. They were seen as awkward and potentially good and then it clicked--and they jump up the rankings and produce more. I mean Aaron Bradshaw is avg 12 ppg, 7 rpg, 3 bpg shooting 66% FG and 90% from FT line as a 7'0 Jr in HS. This time last year he was seen as a rotational project. Things change in a hurry.
I'll counter your take with imagine this place if Sheppard wasn't committed based on how negative everything is/has been? LOL
I expect any year going forward we should expect 2-3 good transfers coming in. No way to predict a year in advance who they might be.
I would be very happy with a class of Wagner or Dillingham, Sheppard, Stojakovic, one of the top forwards, and a decent big.
I would be very happy with a class of Wagner or Dillingham, Sheppard, Stojakovic, one of the top forwards, and a decent big.
I really think we will have Fredrick, Reeves, and Collins back next year and all three could be starters. Add in Sheppard, Wagner, and a guy like Buzelis or Edwards, and all we have to nail down is a frontcourt transfer.
Cal won one title with all his 5 stars and that was with a once in a generation player. I wouldn't go throwing stones at other coaches.
Thanks for the information, refreshing to see actual insight rather than the usual nonsense repeated ad nauseum.
Other than Stojakovic, do you have an idea as to who Kentucky's other major SF targets are? Assuming Holland and Buzelis?
Buzelis definitely, Holland has been watched/recruited but for whatever reason they haven't gone all in, then they've watched some bigger wings-who can be 2G/WF types like Kaden Cooper, the wing player who plays with Xavier Booker, etc...and it's very interesting how much attention they've given Ian Jackson despite him being a '24 player. They've recruited him as if he's a '23. Someone from UK has been at just about every game possible, which you would do anyways because he's that level of talent.
Think you might be on to something with Jackson. The USA Basketball site has him 17 years old currently with a February birthdate. So he would be able to reclass to 2023 and be in the 24 draft if he wanted to.
Sounds familiar...tell me please Mr. CCC BOOT licker when did your spooning buddie win 2-3 in a row?
My bad I did it was someone else who said that ignorance I apologize bro!
Wow, I don't think anyone would take kindly being compared to EJ. Never developed despite having it all right these in front of him. Hope EJ's enjoying Hungary.
I like Evans all around game better than EJ but that's how he's shot the ball from deep trying to prove he's this stretch 4. I mean the guy was 1-16 from 3 at an EYBL session and was benched in last game after starting out 0-3 from 3 and turning it over 3 times in opening 3 mins of last game. If people think it's sour grapes, trace his recruitment...for a guy who narrowed things down and was so coveted. it went from UK leading to Oregon will lock him up after official visit to him expanding his list (twice) and now Arizona is coming on as the "leader". He needs to play better and I've never seen much from him at Montverde to think he warranted his status either. His AAU team did play better after they moved Treynton Flowers over from Vegas Elite to help him out. He's a '24 prospect.
Know you didn't ask of him but I think JJ Taylor needs to leave Mac Irvin personally. That program is awful, shows little promise moving forward. Now it's AAU, things can change but they took a beating when Matus Buzelis left their program for Expressions. Their team was only good when he played with Taylor last year. JJ has played alright, but he has 0 help.
Good catch there! Since your post there is now a Sisk story and Travis Graf lead discussion on HOB about Jackson/where UK stands.
He seemed to be really interested in going the Pro Route and not playing CBB and if there's another reason I trust they have good intel on it since Coleman has good relationship with Mac Irvin Fire AAU people having been a former coach for them.
