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Athletic article on Cal (damning quotes from coaches)

How many of them have Kentucky's brand, fanbase and resources at their disposal? How many of them earn 9 mil/year? Cow has a Ferrari of a program and he's driving it like a Camry. Musselman, Oats, Barnes and Pearl all do much more than him with less. Hell, he couldn't even hang with that 1st year Mizzou coach
I am not arguing with you there but I am just saying it is easy to pile on when you aren't sitting in that chair. Other than Mussleman and maybe Pearl I can't think of any other SEC coach that could handle this job. It takes a special guy (guy with an ego) to handle this job like it or not or should I say a certain personality. Calipari used to have it, maybe he lost it when Robic left, I don't know. Seems to be clueless now for whatever reason.
 
On paper, there is no way Shabazz Napier and UConn beat the Wildcats in the national title game in 2014, or Frank Kaminsky and Wisconsin stops the undefeated Cats in the Final Four. Luke Maye had no business dropping 17 in the Elite Eight in 2017. “And I mean seriously,’’ one coach says. “How did Saint Peter’s beat them?”

OUCH!
 
Our coach has to go. Easy as that.

I didn't even bother watching the game on Wednesday. As soon as I saw Wheeler was 1-4 in the first 10 minutes, I knew we were doomed. I like Wheeler, but he shouldn't be starting. He doesn't lead this team. That decision is on the coach.
He has a bad habit of recruiting pgs who can’t shoot.
 
Well, there you go, Cal nut huggers. Come explain this one away. Same shit we’ve been saying on here for years. When your team is constantly getting beat down in a game and the team continues doing the same things that led to said beat down, chances are your coach has no clue how to adjust. That’s what’s been happening here for years! Pathetic!
 
I mean... on 12/30/2014... they were EXTREMELY feared. But you were way ahead of the curve on that one. Haha, just giving you a hard time.
It is still hard for me to fathom that , with that roster , we could only muster 54 points in our loss to Wisconsin . I realize Wisconsin was an excellent offensive basketball team, but not that great defensively. We attempted 5 threes and made 2 (going on memory here).
 
I wonder about 'winning the recruiting wars' - did he really? I'm not a huge BB guy but it seems to me that many of his 'studs' have been the same position and his rosters for years have been missing a couple of critical pieces. We've lamented that it's been several years since we've have a true, star PG. Where is the stretch 4 so many good teams seem to have/need? Where is the 3 who can defend, can shoot the 3, can rebound a bit, can be a matchup nightmare night in and night out? Where are the players who can create their own shot?

Seems like we almost always have a big who plays back to the basket and is good. We have 2-3 designated 'shooters' on the team, almost none of whom can create their own shot and are streaky as spot-up shooters. Cal seems to consistently build the same type of roster with the same weaknesses year after year and we complain that we don't have PG, our team is not particularly quick, athletic but raw, etc. Add in a very simple, antiquated offensive system and this is what you get.

I watched most of the Missouri game and parts of the FAMU game. Are we the only team whose under the basket out of bounds plays have the corner as #1 option and way out beyond the 3-point line as #2? Seems like when I played in middle school, our first option was someone coming off a pick going towards the basket for an easy layup (like many teams execute against us), not throwing the ball out past 20 feet. Missouri got how many layups by guys cutting to the hoop hard in the half court sets - a ton more than UK did, for sure. Not 25 seconds of the weave at 30 feet and then have to isolate to get a hurried shot. I, too, noticed that our players jogged through the motions when in half court offense rather than cut hard and have your hands up to receive a pass. It seems we're just kind of walking through our sets until the clock gets below 10 then we try to create one on one.

I'm not a student of the game like I once was. But, it sure looks to me like the scheme we're running is way behind what every other college team runs both on defense (no zone?) and offense. Cal certainly hasn't evolved over the past 14 years and I doubt he ever will.
I agree - we are not that talented- how many guys can really handle the ball? How many knock down shooters - elite playmakers?
Just a bunch of dudes - athletes
 
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On paper, there is no way Shabazz Napier and UConn beat the Wildcats in the national title game in 2014, or Frank Kaminsky and Wisconsin stops the undefeated Cats in the Final Four. Luke Maye had no business dropping 17 in the Elite Eight in 2017. “And I mean seriously,’’ one coach says. “How did Saint Peter’s beat them?”
Not here to defend Cal, but this is just a stupid quote. On paper half the teams that win games in the tournament had no business winning those games. That's why the tournament is so great. Kinda crazy to use a buzzer beater in the Elite 8 against the eventual national champions as a point against any coach. Unexpected players step up in the tournament all the time. You could reframe the above quote to literally any accomplished coach in America if you wanted to.
 
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“I’ll be honest. We just talked about this the other day. I’m not sure what Cal wants,’’ says one coach, who like all, asked for anonymity when interviewed. “At first it was about talent, beating Duke. Then it was winning the recruiting wars. Now it’s the transfer portal. It’s like get the best players and hope it works. But that’s just not how it works. It’s like there’s an identity crisis.’’

Since Kentucky’s title only one national-championship team — 2013 Louisville — has shot worse than 36 percent from the arc. In that same span, Kentucky has shot better than 36 percent just twice, this year and in 2016. “Their offense is archaic,’’ says one coach. “It’s gotta be the same s— he was running with the New Jersey Nets.” Predictable is how another coach describes it, so much so that his team spent little time worrying about sets and simply concentrated on player tendencies. “Yeah, he’s been running the same stuff for years,’’ adds another. “When you have stud players, though, it works. When you’re running floppy action for Tyler Herro, that’s a bucket. It’s a little different if it’s not him.’’

Calipari purposefully went out and sought shooters in the transfer portal (Antonio Reeves from Illinois State and C.J. Fredrick from Iowa). Yet it hasn’t made a significant bounce in the overall offense. “Well, that’s because if you don’t run good offense to get open shots, it doesn’t matter how many good 3-point shooters you have,’’ a coach says.

Another coach specifically pointed to the Wildcats’ pace and lack of precision, that they “jogged” through cuts. “You sprint, and the defense is like, what are they doing? Where are they going? Otherwise it’s pretty easy,’’ he says.


Oscar Tshiebwe is still putting up big numbers but the reigning national player of the year is being asked to carry UK. (Jay Biggerstaff / USA Today)
The upshot is that not only is scouting Kentucky less than challenging, but it’s also far easier to keep up with the Wildcats than it should be. On paper, there is no way Shabazz Napier and UConn beat the Wildcats in the national title game in 2014, or Frank Kaminsky and Wisconsin stops the undefeated Cats in the Final Four. Luke Maye had no business dropping 17 in the Elite Eight in 2017. “And I mean seriously,’’ one coach says. “How did Saint Peter’s beat them?”

“You know how people always say that with Virginia, you can hang in a game with them because of their style of play?” one coach says. “It’s why they can lose to a 16 (seed) and then win a national championship. But with Tony (Bennett), he’s going to hang on to that defense, on the fact that guys know how to get shots and do what they’re supposed to. That’s who he is and what he trusts. With Cal, you can always hang in because of the lack of an offensive scheme. There’s no sense of purpose. They don’t know who they are.’’

Some of that, coaches believe, is a byproduct of the portal. Tshiebwe (West Virginia), Reeves, Fredrick, Sahvir Wheeler (Georgia) and Jacob Toppin (Rhode Island) are all transfers.
Granted, all but Reeves are at least two years into their Kentucky tenure (Fredrick transferred in 2021 but missed the next season due to injury), but mix in Tshiebwe’s preseason absence due to injury, and there’s a clear lack of connectedness on this year’s roster. “You got guys not knowing what plays they’re running,’’ one coach says. “And you don’t have any leaders that you grew. That’s some of it. Not all of it, but definitely some of it.’’

An offensive intervention might help. Calipari didn’t invent the dribble-drive. He got it from high school coach Vance Walberg and made it his own. Coaches think maybe he needs a similar voice whispering in his ear now. Two of his assistants count as Calipari disciples. Bruiser Flint started on his UMass staff in 1989, and Orlando Antigua joined in 2008 at Memphis. Chin Coleman is in only his fourth year as a high-major D1 assistant. They aren’t, most coaches agree, the sort who are going to push back on Calipari, or even offer much of a dissenting opinion. “An offensive coordinator, someone new or an NBA guy, that could help him,’’ one coach says. “So long as he listens.’’

For the past two seasons, at least, the identity has been pretty clear: get the ball to Tshiebwe. “Tshiebwe is an oak tree,’’ one coach says. Another laughed as he lamented going over and over the scout on Tshiebwe only to watch as his players did everything right and still couldn’t stop the big man. “What can you do?” he says. “Just yell, ‘Try harder.’”

But the solution to Kentucky’s offensive largesse also is part of its problem. Tshiebwe as bailout is not really an offense, and yet it’s the Wildcats’ most effective plan. “He can’t do it alone,’’ one coach says. Teams understandably are collapsing more and more defenders around Tshiebwe, but the rest of the lineup isn’t answering the call.

Coaches question whether some are good enough. Wheeler’s lack of scoring (9.1 per game) and outside shooting doesn’t make him enough of a threat to keep defenses honest, and Reeves, at least in some people’s opinions, shoots too much (he averages the same number of shots per game as Tshiebwe). They wonder if others are in the proper position. “Last year, Washington and (Kellen) Grady could stretch the floor and create lanes for guys,’’ one coach says. “But Toppin isn’t talented enough to be like a dude. He’s a decent player, but he’s not the sort of stretch four now required at the position.’’

It all adds up to a Tshiebwe-or-bust plan. “Tshiebwe is a bucket, but look at (Wednesday). Missouri had a guy who was a bucket (Kobe Brown), too,’’ one coach says. “So what do you do? You need to run good offense. You need connectedness. You need pace. I think a lot of times, he gets the ball and guys stand around to watch him operate. They aren’t cutting off the ball. That’s the thing: What do they do when he has the ball? Are they just waiting and watching? Because in the SEC, you’ve got guys who can negate Tshiebwe.”


Navigating playing time — especially with the lure of the transfer portal — is a nuance for everyone. Keeping players happy and even more, keeping them loyal is maybe more difficult than it’s ever been. Reeves, for example, might be taking as many shots as Tshiebwe, but he’s also taking five less than he did when he was the center of the offense at Illinois State. “I don’t like the word culture,’’ one coach says. “It’s very vague. We use program. Your program is who you are academically, and what’s expected of you. Your program is how you behave socially, and it’s how you’re going to play athletically. It basically means you have a plan. For guys like Cal, it’s so hard to have a plan when you have so many moving pieces.’’

While they missed the NCAA Tournament in 2021, six other SEC teams earned a bid. Along with that, some of the mystique has faded. No doubt they still walk into frenzied road atmospheres — evidenced at Missouri three days after Christmas — but the air of invincibility and inevitability that usually came with the sight of a Kentucky uniform is fading. “People don’t fear them,’’ one coach says. “I think they play hard for the most part. I do. But I also think Cal is trying to figure it out himself. Can he? Absolutely. Will he? That’s a different question.’’










Every single point in there is true, the coaches quotes are exactly what we complain about every game. Good to hear that teams basically love playing us because it’s so easy to negate what we do. Very insightful to see how we have lost so many games in his tenure we should have won and why we disappoint so often now.
 
Not here to defend Cal, but this is just a stupid quote. On paper half the teams that win games in the tournament had no business winning those games. That's why the tournament is so great. Kinda crazy to use a buzzer beater in the Elite 8 against the eventual national champions as a point against any coach. Unexpected players step up in the tournament all the time. You could reframe the above quote to literally any accomplished coach in America if you wanted to.
Half? really? There are upsets. It ain't half.
 
I wonder about 'winning the recruiting wars' - did he really? I'm not a huge BB guy but it seems to me that many of his 'studs' have been the same position and his rosters for years have been missing a couple of critical pieces. We've lamented that it's been several years since we've have a true, star PG. Where is the stretch 4 so many good teams seem to have/need? Where is the 3 who can defend, can shoot the 3, can rebound a bit, can be a matchup nightmare night in and night out? Where are the players who can create their own shot?

Seems like we almost always have a big who plays back to the basket and is good. We have 2-3 designated 'shooters' on the team, almost none of whom can create their own shot and are streaky as spot-up shooters. Cal seems to consistently build the same type of roster with the same weaknesses year after year and we complain that we don't have PG, our team is not particularly quick, athletic but raw, etc. Add in a very simple, antiquated offensive system and this is what you get.

I watched most of the Missouri game and parts of the FAMU game. Are we the only team whose under the basket out of bounds plays have the corner as #1 option and way out beyond the 3-point line as #2? Seems like when I played in middle school, our first option was someone coming off a pick going towards the basket for an easy layup (like many teams execute against us), not throwing the ball out past 20 feet. Missouri got how many layups by guys cutting to the hoop hard in the half court sets - a ton more than UK did, for sure. Not 25 seconds of the weave at 30 feet and then have to isolate to get a hurried shot. I, too, noticed that our players jogged through the motions when in half court offense rather than cut hard and have your hands up to receive a pass. It seems we're just kind of walking through our sets until the clock gets below 10 then we try to create one on one.

I'm not a student of the game like I once was. But, it sure looks to me like the scheme we're running is way behind what every other college team runs both on defense (no zone?) and offense. Cal certainly hasn't evolved over the past 14 years and I doubt he ever will.
That was in the article, just recruit the best players, fit and roster construction be dammed. Just get the highest rating.
 
PLEASE STOP BLAMING THE PLAYERS!! Sure, Cal won the recruiting war. To say otherwise is another attempt at blaming the players for the actions of an incompetent coach. If these players were coached by someone with a clue, they would be #1. Shooting is about confidence and once it is lost it is hard to regain.

If you put someone in the fastest car on the track who can't drive, he will always lose the race to slower cars with better drivers.
It’s also about getting them shots as the article said, nobody cuts hard on the cuts we do, we jog and go thru motions. It’s easy to watch, we are like robots going to spots that’s why our passes get picked off easily some games. He doesn’t have any action to get our shooters good looks.
 
“I’ll be honest. We just talked about this the other day. I’m not sure what Cal wants,’’ says one coach, who like all, asked for anonymity when interviewed. “At first it was about talent, beating Duke. Then it was winning the recruiting wars. Now it’s the transfer portal. It’s like get the best players and hope it works. But that’s just not how it works. It’s like there’s an identity crisis.’’

Since Kentucky’s title only one national-championship team — 2013 Louisville — has shot worse than 36 percent from the arc. In that same span, Kentucky has shot better than 36 percent just twice, this year and in 2016. “Their offense is archaic,’’ says one coach. “It’s gotta be the same s— he was running with the New Jersey Nets.” Predictable is how another coach describes it, so much so that his team spent little time worrying about sets and simply concentrated on player tendencies. “Yeah, he’s been running the same stuff for years,’’ adds another. “When you have stud players, though, it works. When you’re running floppy action for Tyler Herro, that’s a bucket. It’s a little different if it’s not him.’’

Calipari purposefully went out and sought shooters in the transfer portal (Antonio Reeves from Illinois State and C.J. Fredrick from Iowa). Yet it hasn’t made a significant bounce in the overall offense. “Well, that’s because if you don’t run good offense to get open shots, it doesn’t matter how many good 3-point shooters you have,’’ a coach says.

Another coach specifically pointed to the Wildcats’ pace and lack of precision, that they “jogged” through cuts. “You sprint, and the defense is like, what are they doing? Where are they going? Otherwise it’s pretty easy,’’ he says.


Oscar Tshiebwe is still putting up big numbers but the reigning national player of the year is being asked to carry UK. (Jay Biggerstaff / USA Today)
The upshot is that not only is scouting Kentucky less than challenging, but it’s also far easier to keep up with the Wildcats than it should be. On paper, there is no way Shabazz Napier and UConn beat the Wildcats in the national title game in 2014, or Frank Kaminsky and Wisconsin stops the undefeated Cats in the Final Four. Luke Maye had no business dropping 17 in the Elite Eight in 2017. “And I mean seriously,’’ one coach says. “How did Saint Peter’s beat them?”

“You know how people always say that with Virginia, you can hang in a game with them because of their style of play?” one coach says. “It’s why they can lose to a 16 (seed) and then win a national championship. But with Tony (Bennett), he’s going to hang on to that defense, on the fact that guys know how to get shots and do what they’re supposed to. That’s who he is and what he trusts. With Cal, you can always hang in because of the lack of an offensive scheme. There’s no sense of purpose. They don’t know who they are.’’

Some of that, coaches believe, is a byproduct of the portal. Tshiebwe (West Virginia), Reeves, Fredrick, Sahvir Wheeler (Georgia) and Jacob Toppin (Rhode Island) are all transfers.
Granted, all but Reeves are at least two years into their Kentucky tenure (Fredrick transferred in 2021 but missed the next season due to injury), but mix in Tshiebwe’s preseason absence due to injury, and there’s a clear lack of connectedness on this year’s roster. “You got guys not knowing what plays they’re running,’’ one coach says. “And you don’t have any leaders that you grew. That’s some of it. Not all of it, but definitely some of it.’’

An offensive intervention might help. Calipari didn’t invent the dribble-drive. He got it from high school coach Vance Walberg and made it his own. Coaches think maybe he needs a similar voice whispering in his ear now. Two of his assistants count as Calipari disciples. Bruiser Flint started on his UMass staff in 1989, and Orlando Antigua joined in 2008 at Memphis. Chin Coleman is in only his fourth year as a high-major D1 assistant. They aren’t, most coaches agree, the sort who are going to push back on Calipari, or even offer much of a dissenting opinion. “An offensive coordinator, someone new or an NBA guy, that could help him,’’ one coach says. “So long as he listens.’’

For the past two seasons, at least, the identity has been pretty clear: get the ball to Tshiebwe. “Tshiebwe is an oak tree,’’ one coach says. Another laughed as he lamented going over and over the scout on Tshiebwe only to watch as his players did everything right and still couldn’t stop the big man. “What can you do?” he says. “Just yell, ‘Try harder.’”

But the solution to Kentucky’s offensive largesse also is part of its problem. Tshiebwe as bailout is not really an offense, and yet it’s the Wildcats’ most effective plan. “He can’t do it alone,’’ one coach says. Teams understandably are collapsing more and more defenders around Tshiebwe, but the rest of the lineup isn’t answering the call.

Coaches question whether some are good enough. Wheeler’s lack of scoring (9.1 per game) and outside shooting doesn’t make him enough of a threat to keep defenses honest, and Reeves, at least in some people’s opinions, shoots too much (he averages the same number of shots per game as Tshiebwe). They wonder if others are in the proper position. “Last year, Washington and (Kellen) Grady could stretch the floor and create lanes for guys,’’ one coach says. “But Toppin isn’t talented enough to be like a dude. He’s a decent player, but he’s not the sort of stretch four now required at the position.’’

It all adds up to a Tshiebwe-or-bust plan. “Tshiebwe is a bucket, but look at (Wednesday). Missouri had a guy who was a bucket (Kobe Brown), too,’’ one coach says. “So what do you do? You need to run good offense. You need connectedness. You need pace. I think a lot of times, he gets the ball and guys stand around to watch him operate. They aren’t cutting off the ball. That’s the thing: What do they do when he has the ball? Are they just waiting and watching? Because in the SEC, you’ve got guys who can negate Tshiebwe.”


Navigating playing time — especially with the lure of the transfer portal — is a nuance for everyone. Keeping players happy and even more, keeping them loyal is maybe more difficult than it’s ever been. Reeves, for example, might be taking as many shots as Tshiebwe, but he’s also taking five less than he did when he was the center of the offense at Illinois State. “I don’t like the word culture,’’ one coach says. “It’s very vague. We use program. Your program is who you are academically, and what’s expected of you. Your program is how you behave socially, and it’s how you’re going to play athletically. It basically means you have a plan. For guys like Cal, it’s so hard to have a plan when you have so many moving pieces.’’

While they missed the NCAA Tournament in 2021, six other SEC teams earned a bid. Along with that, some of the mystique has faded. No doubt they still walk into frenzied road atmospheres — evidenced at Missouri three days after Christmas — but the air of invincibility and inevitability that usually came with the sight of a Kentucky uniform is fading. “People don’t fear them,’’ one coach says. “I think they play hard for the most part. I do. But I also think Cal is trying to figure it out himself. Can he? Absolutely. Will he? That’s a different question.’’










They are just LOD.

Everything they're saying has already been said here.
 
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How many of them have Kentucky's brand, fanbase and resources at their disposal? How many of them earn 9 mil/year? Cow has a Ferrari of a program and he's driving it like a Camry. Musselman, Oats, Barnes and Pearl all do much more than him with less. Hell, he couldn't even hang with that 1st year Mizzou coach
That is what is really telling, St. Peter’s with a dude nobody knew and a squad of dudes who barely had a gym to workout in and got worked over, then this first year head coach didn’t even look flustered just that his style and preparation would work and it did.
 
Article out about how bad his defense is also. I just don't see how you can fix a coaches ability to coach offense and defense and on top of that has always had a problem motivating. I am afraid we may be in for a lot of dark moments for quite some time. He would have to have the ability to be open to changing and having the ability to change things like he has never done before. If you can't figure out who your best players are weeks ago how could you do any of the things coaching offense and defense?
 
This what bothers me the most. Just a complete lack of urgency/hustle/will to win. It's like they're just sleepwalking.

On the other side of the ball it's the same thing. We have never fought over top of a screen, or hedged the screen. We are so lazy and passive on ball defense, it's crazy. It's no secret how to beat our lazy defense. Pick and roll us to death because we will switch every single screen no matter what.

I didn't read all the quotes but did any coach make fun of call for infamously saying "it's not about wins or losses, it's about DREAMS!". That pretty much sums up his career at this point.
I was at the Florida A&M game and we noticed that they were setting screens for CJ but he was still having a really hard time getting open. I'm sure that's a little on CJ but prob mostly on the screener. I'm positive if you go back and watch him at Iowa the screening was much better for him.
 
Haven’t read the whole thread, so I’m sure it’s already been said: it feels reassuring to hear echoed sentiments from actual professionals. Not that it’s a good thing, but now he can’t fall back on calling us ‘Basketball Benny” when complaints are made, which is no doubt his little inside-joke buzzword that translates to “hillbilly dimwit” in his mind. We’ve all seen these issues, his competition obviously sees it too and finally, there’s a unified, voiced consensus about his offense. I’ll be curious if this causes him to dig in even further or if it’ll open his eyes (I’ll guessing the former).
 
Our coach has to go. Easy as that.

I didn't even bother watching the game on Wednesday. As soon as I saw Wheeler was 1-4 in the first 10 minutes, I knew we were doomed. I like Wheeler, but he shouldn't be starting. He doesn't lead this team. That decision is on the coach.
Some of you just don't get it. You just don't seem to be able to stop piling on Wheeler. Wheeler is far from being the only problem with this team. Wheeler isn't the reason why guys can't hit wide open shots. Wheeler isn't the reason we try to force the ball to Oscar when he is guarded by 4 defenders. Wheeler isn't the reason the coach has no offensive strategy. You could replace Wheeler with any point guard in the country and it wouldn't make a difference because that person would be coached by Cal. Wheeler's ability to push the ball up the court is the only reason we are able to make some easy baskets. THE PROBLEM IS CAL!!
 
Some of you just don't get it. You just don't seem to be able to stop piling on Wheeler. Wheeler is far from being the only problem with this team. Wheeler isn't the reason why guys can't hit wide open shots. Wheeler isn't the reason we try to force the ball to Oscar when he is guarded by 4 defenders. Wheeler isn't the reason the coach has no offensive strategy. You could replace Wheeler with any point guard in the country and it wouldn't make a difference because that person would be coached by Cal. Wheeler's ability to push the ball up the court is the only reason we are able to make some easy baskets. THE PROBLEM IS CAL!!
The problem is Cal playing Wheeler.
 
Those coaches sound like posters here. It’s almost like you don’t have to play or coach high level ball to know crap basketball when you see it. Something many posters on here lack an understanding of.

My question is, where is Cal’s pride? It seems like this stuff does upset him because he chirps back from time to time, but it seems he feels far more comfortable taking out his frustrations on the fans and blaming us instead of taking responsibility and fixing it. You don’t see pride-less empty shell of men quite like this everyday. If you have kids this is a teaching moment for life lessons.
Cal's pride is smaller than his lifetime contract. It isn't that complicated. If he could walk while keeping his money, he wouldn't hesitate to leave.
 
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The problem is Cal playing Wheeler.
You either know nothing about basketball or you simply want to use Wheeler as an excuse for your coach's inability to coach. I don't recall a single one of Cal's peers blaming Wheeler for Cal's coaching. If Wheeler is the problem, why isn't there an improvement when he goes to the bench?
 
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You either know nothing about basketball or you simply want to use Wheeler as an excuse for your coach's inability to coach. I don't recall a single one of Cal's peers blaming Wheeler for Cal's coaching. If Wheeler is the problem, why isn't there an improvement when he goes to the bench?
Thanks for the personal attack. I know you have nothing once you go personal.

There is tremendous improvement when Wheeler is out. First, the defense improves dramatically. Second, you can actually run an offense. Third, we are not playing 4 on 5 anymore. I can go on.

I get it, you have some Wheeler love. That's on you. Your boy couldn't win playing with Anthony Edwards either. Ga got better when Wheeler left too.

Lowest basketball IQ point guard I've even seen on the court. For any team.
 
Amazing, absolutely amazing. A whole lot of us have been saying EXACTLY THE SAME THINGS, yet we get called " basketball bennies" by our crap coach.

Guess we knew what the hell we were talking about huh?
Exactly! The quotes are almost verbatim of our observations on this board. It's just glaringly obvious to everyone, us bennies and coaches alike. It's glaringly obvious to everyone but CCC.
 
Thanks for the personal attack. I know you have nothing once you go personal.

There is tremendous improvement when Wheeler is out. First, the defense improves dramatically. Second, you can actually run an offense. Third, we are not playing 4 on 5 anymore. I can go on.

I get it, you have some Wheeler love. That's on you. Your boy couldn't win playing with Anthony Edwards either. Ga got better when Wheeler left too.

Lowest basketball IQ point guard I've even seen on the court. For any team.
Provide the stats that prove the team's performance improves without Wheeler? You don't have any. However, history has shown the team plays better when Cal isn't on the bench which is why the team looked so strong during the exhibition games last summer. Previous years the team performed better when Cal was tossed from the bench. He realizes this, so he has no desire to get tossed because he doesn't want fans to see the team's improvement when he isn't around them.
 
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. “Their offense is archaic,’’ says one coach. “It’s gotta be the same s— he was running with the New Jersey Nets.” Predictable is how another coach describes it, so much so that his team spent little time worrying about sets and simply concentrated on player tendencies. “Yeah, he’s been running the same stuff for years,’’ adds another. “When you have stud players, though, it works. When you’re running floppy action for Tyler Herro, that’s a bucket. It’s a little different if it’s not him.’’


Another coach specifically pointed to the Wildcats’ pace and lack of precision, that they “jogged” through cuts. “You sprint, and the defense is like, what are they doing? Where are they going? Otherwise it’s pretty easy,’’ he says.

This is what I meant when I said it seemed like he was running an out of date system, and like he was coaching as if he was in the NBA, consequences be damned. It's no wonder it's failing. I'm not the only one seeing it, which makes me feel a little better that I'm not going crazy, and also worse at the same time.
 
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Shucks. If only we had a ripped 220 lb. guy as tall as Chuck Hayes who could handle, play through contact, and put up numbers like say 48% from the floor and 43% from 3.
We used to. Last year as a matter of fact. I know what you are saying. Good point.
 
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