I am also I am of the opinion that out of the tree freshman Noah is the best.
They all need time. And they will produce in their Junior and senior years.
At least for next year, Pope needs to recruit over Perry, Noah, Chandler, and Lewis in the portal.
- Thread starter Son_Of_Saul
- Start date
They all need time. And they will produce in their Junior and senior years.
They're both possible OAD's so even though Pettiford doesn't start and Philon is an occasional starter, they are a lot closer to Rob Dillingham level than Acaden Lewis.
I like Noah. He'll end up being a favorite after 4 years.
I couldn't agree more! Those posts have gotten really old and don't serve any purpose.
So it is your belief the had if jasper and moreno simply did not exist we would only have lewis as a top recruit? I'm going to mail you my lotto card to fill out please.
Disagree with this. They can be bigger contributors their Jr/SR year. Noah and Chandler both have more physical tools to be top 7 contributors on a top 15 college basketball team. Perry can be a Patrick Sparks type off the bench to gun shots for 10-15 min a game on a high level team…more like an 8th or 9th man, but Pope likes playing an extended lineup.
If they are ok w their projected future roles 2 years then no need to transfer. We just can’t rely on the current 19 year old version of them as the meat and potatoes of next season.
This isn't really relevant though. They were NOT starters but they were top 5 PG's in their class and top 30 recruits. Exactly what Lewis is.
The point was, IF Kentucky wants to be close to what Auburn/Alabama are this year, Lewis is a guy that should be their 6th/7th guy and NOT be relied on as their lead point man.
It's a good problem to have, but that's gotta be the expectation.
Agree PG should be a top priority in the portal.
Just hope that Pope doesn't fall in love with the idea of a Kriisa/ Lewis combo
We absolutely tell our three freshmen we value them and need them in our program. We develop them and most likely they'll be much better down the road. I think each year pope should find atleast one talented 3 star that wants to play for the name on the front of his jersey. The rest are the most talented transfers and high schoolers. Pope already knows that even with the remote chance we get ament we'll need another stronger player at the same position to help. We need an inside player that can play both pf or center to a decent degree and a combo guard. We can't ever have to rely on a true freshman pg that has quickness issues or rely on a backup pf that seems to only shoot well. Pope knows we need more talented options in the future. In the next few months I have a feeling we'll be very optimistic for next year.
I like Garrison as well and was very excited when he came to Uk, but he has been a disappointment. Yes, he has had some good "moments" but nothing extended. One good game & then disappear for a couple. I though with his athletic ability, he would have been more of a shot blocker, but then thought the same of Williams. The lack of aggression from both is also disappointing. The best players have that killer instinct, none of UK's players display that. Instead of becoming angry when someone pushes them around or hits them in the mouth, they say thank you, please do that again. I know that isn't true, but Kerr is the only one that displayed that "swagger" and fire, but he isn't the most talented either. Major upgrades at every position is needed, but I don't think UK has that much $ to throw around.
I can handle BG's disappearing act this season, but I would definitely expect more out of him by this time next season. Freshman Garrison hasn't "disappointed" me. More like he's set some expectations, for me, moving forward. Those expectations need to be met.
They had two freshman and a sophomore lottery picks on their two national championship teams.
Totally different world then. You can't compare now and then, mostly because the players had nowhere to go. If they transferred, they had to sit out a year. No money, or not as much money, was involved.
Did I say I heard this from the staff? I didn’t know we had to start every post off with a disclaimer.
I completely agree with this, but it is harshly worded. They can certainly win a spot. If Trent Noah is better than Nate Ament, I don't think Pope is going to cater to the 5-star freshman.
We need Newport Kinney 2026 we need small forwards and power forwards for next year . I don't like recruiting over kids like the #$%hole did that's now in Fayetteville .lewis Perry chandler and Johnson are enough guards for next year .
Retention is the key to long term success.
I agree that Chandler, Noah, and Perry cannot be relied upon next season as main rotational players.
But we don’t need these kids leaving. They need to be here in ‘27 and ‘28 to be key role players off the bench.
But for next year, they should accept their roles and work and be ready to contribute when needed. If this year taught them anything, there will be times when the deep bench guys will need to step up.
Pope’s priorities for next year:
1. Convince Oweh to return.
2. Convince Garrison to return.
3. Make sure the current trio of Freshmen understand their role next season.
4. Get the best possible fit for a starting PG.
5. Get the best possible fit for a starting PF.
6. Build depth by adding a stretch 4, a rim protector at the 5, and another wing shooter.
7. Bring in a couple of Freshmen willing to stick around for four years and help build the program.
Ideal situation:
PG Portal/Lewis/Perry
SG Johnson/Portal/Freshman
SF Oweh/Chandler/Noah
PF Portal/Portal/Freshman
C Garrison/Portal/Moreno
I agree that Chandler, Noah, and Perry cannot be relied upon next season as main rotational players.
But we don’t need these kids leaving. They need to be here in ‘27 and ‘28 to be key role players off the bench.
But for next year, they should accept their roles and work and be ready to contribute when needed. If this year taught them anything, there will be times when the deep bench guys will need to step up.
Pope’s priorities for next year:
1. Convince Oweh to return.
2. Convince Garrison to return.
3. Make sure the current trio of Freshmen understand their role next season.
4. Get the best possible fit for a starting PG.
5. Get the best possible fit for a starting PF.
6. Build depth by adding a stretch 4, a rim protector at the 5, and another wing shooter.
7. Bring in a couple of Freshmen willing to stick around for four years and help build the program.
Ideal situation:
PG Portal/Lewis/Perry
SG Johnson/Portal/Freshman
SF Oweh/Chandler/Noah
PF Portal/Portal/Freshman
C Garrison/Portal/Moreno
I think it's odd that as week as some think Perry is playing 28 minutes in a SEC game without a turnover isn't hardly mentioned. Noah's rebounding per minutes also says alot. Chandler has abilities but really needs to improve his ball handling to go to another level. Most 18 &19 year olds are going to look bad against grown men. Perry will be a hand full by his Junior year. Thank goodness your not a coach.
