As Much As I Like This Kentucky Team...

[Skyguyb27]

I have said nothing but good things about our team, but the truth is the truth. We cannot always count on an inexperienced coach asking for too much from a 17-year-old freshman. My comments don't mean that we won't win, but it does mean that we need more athleticism.

I would love a more athletic team but it’s hard to argue that Duke as a whole isn’t athletic. I’ll take skill and deadeye shooters over athleticism any day. Cal taught me that. Flag and the athleticism of Duke didn’t overcome UK enough to keep them from being in a position to win at the end of a slugfest. UK didn’t just win because Duke made a single bad play.

 

[Eagles_Ball]

DeVries, the white kid from WVa is more athletic than Oweh?

Buddy, you’ve gone from saying the entire team now down to one specific player. If you just want to be correct, sure. Oweh is more athletic than Devries. Do you feel vindicated now?

 

[Terrapin_Station]

Beat Arkansas, and anything beyond that is gravy this year.

The whole team was manufactured last second. It will only get better down the road as Pope gets his recruits in here

Just getting ranked Top 10, as we are now, is so impressive

I think we win that game. But I also think Thiero and Fland will go off. Would love to see Wagner go 0-10.

 

[Terrapin_Station]

Williams can’t defend guards. Just stop. And he’s ridiculously out of control on offense about half the time. He has absolutely feasted on inferior opponents. He’s fine, but let’s not pretend he’s some sort of poor man’s Joker.

Yeah. Amari was exposed against WKU. Just looks clumsy. Definitely lacks athleticism, touch, handles, and verticality.

I think it’s going to be…

Carr
Oweh
Brea
Robinson
Butler

…down the road

 

[Eagles_Ball]

2 time CAA DPOY. He’s not chopped liver and can distribute the ball on offense. High Basketball IQ.

Correct, I believe I literally said he’s fine. Which is what he is. This ain’t the CAA. And he’s not defending a PG with a pulse. Nor is he handling it against any kind of pressure. And while yes, I agree he can assist on a few buckets, he also turns it over far too much. What if I told you he’s got more turnovers than assists? And that’s against five pretty bad teams and one good one. That needs to improve, especially given how much he’s asked to facilitate.

 

[Eagles_Ball]

Yeah. Amari was exposed against WKU. Just looks clumsy. Definitely lacks athleticism, touch, handles, and verticality.

I think it’s going to be…

Carr
Oweh
Brea
Robinson
Butler

…down the road

I’ve said from the beginning that’s probably the lineup in a nut cutter. The ability to get a stop worries me, but they found a way against Duke. Which, btw, was a bit telling that was the lineup down the stretch in that game.

 

[twwilliams9]

Buddy, you’ve gone from saying the entire team now down to one specific player. If you just want to be correct, sure. Oweh is more athletic than Devries. Do you feel vindicated now?

I was referring to our backcourt on that particular post Buddy.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

We were athletic last year but got beat by an accountant.

That was 99% bad coaching. A real coach could have taken last year's UK team to the sweet 16 or even elite 8 based on talent.

 

[cardkilla]

I have said nothing but good things about our team, but the truth is the truth. We cannot always count on an inexperienced coach asking for too much from a 17-year-old freshman. My comments don't mean that we won't win, but it does mean that we need more athleticism.

we have one of the most experienced teams in the country. That will be our strength in March. I find it funny people start making comments like this over a 'close' win against an instate team that probably practiced all summer for this game.

 

[Cleatortoises]

We got lucky their big guy got fouled out. He was killing us. Now imagine a team like Kansas who has one of the best bigs in the country and several behind him. LMD is right. We are going to have to play much better than last night when we play teams like Kansas. They have seen what aggressive, athletic and hardnosed(some would say hacking) defense has done to our shooting and they will employ the same tactics as long as the refs let them.

In the future, we have to have more quickness, length and explosiveness, with good shooting to keep up. Pope understands that. He is working on it. However when those guys get here, they have to hit the weights. Kansas’ team looked like body builders too.

Oh, we got lucky.
Well, that explains it.
We demand more one and done athletes now!
That shit sucks.
I'll take skill over athleticism.
I can rarely remember the names of half of our athletes over the last few years.

 

[Bluegrass79]

This thread hurts my head. Its deletable. It will stay around all season in good and bad times.
Delete now and save us.

 

[kenton71]

Flagg and Nipple
Nipple and Flagg
Wait for the spin
Games in the bag.

Did you know Flagg is only 17???!! (sorry, couldn’t resist b/c ESPN is not posting in this thread 😎 )

 

[NerlensCat]

Oh, we got lucky.
Well, that explains it.
We demand more one and done athletes now!
That shit sucks.
I'll take skill over athleticism.
I can rarely remember the names of half of our athletes over the last few years.

I didn’t say they had to be one and done. Also, now that Pope has proven he can assimilate a functional team, next year, it will be easier to get the Chaz Lanier’s(who would have been perfect) to come aboard.

The team is playing well on defense. Maybe it is just a matter of continuing to learn each other or the system, but as a team their cuts on offense are not as “violent” as I would have thought. That is what keeps the defense in their face. I think Williams’ inability to shoot allows the defense to sag and makes passing more difficult for him.

 

[megablue]

They are athletic, but it was clear during last night's game that WKU was even more so. What we have seen today has been no less.

To my view, Butler and Oweh are our most athletic players, perhaps the only ones who can attack and create with the ball against aggressive defensive pressure. They can also defend against high-level athleticism.

 

[Cleatortoises]

But why do our "fans" think telling us to "cool our jets" is ok?
I don't have to cool anything.
I'm having fun watching my less than athletic team.
I like my coach changing things mid game to make a difference.
He'll, I even kinda like running an inbounds play or two.
I will cool nothing, win or lose.
Ain't no accountant beating our ass this year.
Now, if we can just figure out how to deal with all of these athletes. 🤷‍♂️

 

[twwilliams9]

I am not sure if you know the definition of athleticism if you don't think WVU is more athletic. Clearly they are.

WVU isn’t more athletic?

Update?

 

[Crums Bald Spot]

After watching the last 3 days and nights of basketball, it is glaringly obvious that Kentucky will have to bring in more athletic players and Pope is clearly doing that. The teams that are winning are not just good shooters, but they are crazy athletic. They are fast, quick, leapers, and defensive juggernauts. This is going to be a very interesting season with lots more surprises to come.

I agree. We have good pieces that fit what Pope wants to do. That will overcome some of the deficiencies but we are a bit behind in the athleticism area compared to some of these teams. We also seem to shine away from contact (save a few guys) and are loose with ball (that will be corrected).

Excited to see what we do this year as this team has desire, can shoot, and will be extremely well coached. But even more excited to see what Pope can do with a roster that has some NBA first round talent sprinkled in.