Bridges Tweets
- Thread starter Cats192
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And that would be more than fine. I've contended that Cal doesn't need much, and his 2008 team proved that he's fine with two quality bigs doing there thing alongside three great guards/wings. Fox/Monk/Alkins would certainly qualify as elite guards/wings, and SKJ/Gabriel would be more than adequate on the low block, especially if Lee returns (which I think is probable given his lack of offensive skillset).
So you're wanting to compare an entire recruiting year (2016) to a mere recruiting season (spring of 2015), while ignoring the summer where UK landed Murray and the fall where UK landed Skal, Matthews, and Briscoe?
Is that even fair at this point?
I would love to get Gabriel at the 3 spot, if Bridges is going to MSU.
I've personally soured on Lyles/Poythress-types at the 3. Put Gabriel at the 4, Alkins at the 3, and have some actual spacing for change. Just my opinion.
Exactly. I can't believe anyone would complain about what Cal pulled off this past offseason with landing Murray.
Personally, I would agree, but I think Gabriel wants to be at the 3 spot and Cal covets size at the 3, so that is where he would play if he came here.
Wow what a statement. So I guess having the #1 class for 2015 kinda sucks, or #2 if u ask ESPN/Duke. Yes waiting to the last minute for a couple guys was hard but atleast it was fun while it lasted.
Disappointing to read, but I am not totally giving up hope on Bridges yet.
If we do lose him, we'll simply move on to the next 5 star guy though, and will compete for the national title again next season.
If we do lose him, we'll simply move on to the next 5 star guy though, and will compete for the national title again next season.
No offense, but there's always a Huntington Prep guy who comes on to say that there's no anti-UK sentiment around that program. There has always been a ton of jealousy/resentment in Huntington about UK dating back to the days when WSAZ televised most of the UK games. It's the same in many border towns (Cincinnati, Evansville, etc.) where there is resentment that the "hometown" television stations give more coverage to UK than they do the in state teams.
I hope Kentucky teams quit scheduling them so that they can't benefit from the gate they get at those events. They want to play in Kentucky because they know that UK fans follow recruiting and appreciate good basketball, and they always have a guy who will list UK to draw in crowds, knowing full well that none of them are actually coming here.
Being from Flint and an MSU fan, this is the most important indicator. That city is so pro-MSU basketball ( since the Flintstones) that I can't imagine the kid announcing anywhere but MSU. Hell, People get shot for far less than that in Flint!!
Stop reading the media tea leaves, no one from UK says anything about kids being a lock so until they sign who knows. Last year 80% of the know its were wrong, most are guessing. But its a mystery how you can be upset about ANY previous recruiting classes?
That's where I was hoping he would announce. That's where Wiggins and a few others have made their announcements.
Hats off to MSU and Izzo, at this moment it appears they went head to head with UK and Cal and won.
But his family lives in Flint, I wonder why he would have made his mother take that trip to HP for a school announcement. Well he sounds like he is Michigan bound.
Nope. I thought UK had a lead and felt confident as most did. I never said 100% he'd be here. Find an actual quote instead of throwing out baseless implications.
Does anybody have any logical reasons for why Cal has such trouble with SF's....it now looks like we have finished 2nd for Bridges, Stanley Johnson, and Shabazz Muhammed. You take out MKG and it's been a wasteland for Cal for "true" small forwards his entire career. Even at Memphis and Umass. It's borderline bizarre how many great guards and big men in such large numbers Cal has put in the NBA at the other 4 positions. But for some reason most years we either have an oversized 3 like Lyles or an undersized one like Murray or Aaron Harrison.
Just to further illustrate my point here are all the NBA guys from UK under Cal and their corresponding positions. (Players who logged any regular season minutes in the NBA)
PG: John Wall, Brandon Knight, Marquis Teague, Andrew Harrison, Eric Bledsoe
SG: Doron Lamb, Archie Goodwin, James Young, Aaron Harrison, Devin Booker, Deandre Liggins,
SF: Darius Miller, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
PF: Patrick Patterson, Terrance Jones, Julius Randle, Karl Anthony Towns, Trey Lyles
C: Demarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, Josh Harrellson, Enes Kanter, Anthony Davis, Nerlens Noel, Willie Cauley Stein, Dakari Johnson
One of these positions is not like the other...and as Jason Spear pointed out above you really can't count Darius because Cal inherited him. What is it with the SF's???????
PG: John Wall, Brandon Knight, Marquis Teague, Andrew Harrison, Eric Bledsoe
SG: Doron Lamb, Archie Goodwin, James Young, Aaron Harrison, Devin Booker, Deandre Liggins,
SF: Darius Miller, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
PF: Patrick Patterson, Terrance Jones, Julius Randle, Karl Anthony Towns, Trey Lyles
C: Demarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, Josh Harrellson, Enes Kanter, Anthony Davis, Nerlens Noel, Willie Cauley Stein, Dakari Johnson
One of these positions is not like the other...and as Jason Spear pointed out above you really can't count Darius because Cal inherited him. What is it with the SF's???????
You could take that even further to say it's hard to count MKG because life-long connections pretty much made that a slam dunk for Cal.
The problem may very well be Alex Poythress, and I don't mean that in a negative way at all, as I love Alex. But you and I know that Alex never was and never will be a SF. But that's what most people had him pegged as coming out of high school. The fact that every other five star to come through the program has come and gone to the NBA, and he's still around for his senior year is probably ammunition for negative recruiting. Come to think of it, you could make a strong argument that the Miles Bridges and Alex Poythress have very similar games at similar stages of their careers. Bridges probably needs to be a 4 in college, but wants to be a 3, just like Poythress. My guess is that Izzo and others have mentioned Poythress once or twice during this recruitment.
I agree Bridges has the ball handling skills to play SF no problem....I love all the UK guys and try to be as supportive as possible but after James Young and Alex Poythress both could not take more than two dribbles on a basketball court without traveling I have come to REALLY value competent ball handling in a player playing the SF. You would think it is the most fundamental basic building block of being a perimeter basketball player but more and more elite guys can't dribble which is maddening.
Yep, it's weird. That and the fact that we've finished 2nd for nearly all of them...
Xavier Henry - finished #2.
Shabaaz Muhammed - finished #2
Andrew Wiggins - finished #2
Kelly Oubre - finished #2
Stanley Johnson - finished #2
Justice Winslow - finished #3 or #4
Jaylen Brown - finished #2
Brandon Ingram - finished #2
Jonathan Isaac - finished #2
Jayson Tatum - finished #3
Miles Bridges - likely to finish 2nd
I'm more than okay with running a three guard offense, but it's strange how we can't get the pure three-man.
Xavier Henry - finished #2.
Shabaaz Muhammed - finished #2
Andrew Wiggins - finished #2
Kelly Oubre - finished #2
Stanley Johnson - finished #2
Justice Winslow - finished #3 or #4
Jaylen Brown - finished #2
Brandon Ingram - finished #2
Jonathan Isaac - finished #2
Jayson Tatum - finished #3
Miles Bridges - likely to finish 2nd
I'm more than okay with running a three guard offense, but it's strange how we can't get the pure three-man.
If we keep finishing #1 for our primary PG , SG, and C targets..... I don't care about missing on our top options for SF since its so easy to go small ball.
Helps when you have Mulder/Matthews coming back with some experience as well.
I agree ... it would be nice to have but it's mostly a luxury as opposed to a necessity. Gotta have an elite PG and C, imo.
I agree that negative recruiting re: Poythress probably plays a part, but look at that list. It's short.
There are usually only 2 elite prototype threes per year, if that. If you don't get one of them, it probably makes as much sense to get a big 2 who can guard multiple spots. Charles Matthews, for instance.
Also, about half of those guys had natural pulls elsewhere. Somebody up thread tried to say that you can't count MKG because he and Cal have a long relationship. That's just silly.
I guess Coach K can't count Tatum since they have a long relationship. I guess UCLA can't count Shabazz. If Bridges goes to MSU because he's from Flint, I suppose that doesn't count either.
It's irksome that we seem to have trouble landing elite guys at the 3 spot, but recruiting is hard. Truth is, there are very few of these guys to go around, and everybody wants them. We might be a little spoiled.
Excellent post, and even though you may only have 2 per year that are outstanding, you almost have to hitch your wagon to ONE.
You can recruit both, but as Aike says, you can bet at least one has long standing ties if not both and these kids want to know they are your #1 option.
Also, SF's seem to be the ones who had guard skills and grew tall at a younger age bringing more attention.
Oubre, Tatum, Winslow, Ingram were tied up early.
Shabazz was a train wreck, who knows what his dad was asking for?
Wiggins didn't appear to want to be a apart of such a large roster.
Henry most likely considered Meeks, his brother, parent's school and his obvious 1st choice pre Cal.
Stanley stayed out west.
Brown....I have no idea.
Bridges, hometown?
Not to say Cal had zero opportunities, but that position is tough when only 2 kids fit the criteria every year.
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I think Cal would love to have Gabriel at the 3.
Getting Lyles into the lottery while playing the 3 spot (on the perimeter) should help Cal sell Gabriel on coming here.
Gabriel is maybe more suited to play the position, since he has a great stroke from the perimeter.
I would love to have Fox, Monk, Gabriel, and Killeya-Jones plus another big as our class.
Not going to lie, I want Bridges in the worst way, but Gabriel would be a great consolation prize.
I have a feeling we are going to end up with a big guard at the 3 (Simmons most likely, maybe Alkins).
Worse case scenario we have Matthews or Mulder starting. That might not be too bad either.
Getting Lyles into the lottery while playing the 3 spot (on the perimeter) should help Cal sell Gabriel on coming here.
Gabriel is maybe more suited to play the position, since he has a great stroke from the perimeter.
I would love to have Fox, Monk, Gabriel, and Killeya-Jones plus another big as our class.
Not going to lie, I want Bridges in the worst way, but Gabriel would be a great consolation prize.
I have a feeling we are going to end up with a big guard at the 3 (Simmons most likely, maybe Alkins).
Worse case scenario we have Matthews or Mulder starting. That might not be too bad either.
Sorry Cats, can't get em all.
Don't rub it in.
You know how it is to think you have someone picked away from the home team and then lose him...ahem... Caleb Swanigan ring a bell.
Ya'll had to feel pretty good when he committed, only to lose him because of his personal connection to Purdue. It's stings, but it's hard to get someone away from a school they have been around their whole life.
Congrats on Bridges, if you get him (looking good for ya'll).
Bridges likely going to MSU is largely in part because of Swanigan. If Caleb did not back out of his verbal, MSU would not have had a scholarship to offer Bridges.
