He's also showing spurts of consistency handling the situation 😂
Buyout is imminent
- Thread starter $Z71$
- Start date
Yeah I can't say I'd pick us to win our first tournament game anymore. More that, that's what the likely scenario is going to be. One more year, a team that gets to a 3 or 4 seed.
One thing I hope the department is doing: contacting every single player. "Did you like Cal? Would you play for him again? Would you play for a different coach next year? Are you gone regardless?".
One thing I hope the department is doing: contacting every single player. "Did you like Cal? Would you play for him again? Would you play for a different coach next year? Are you gone regardless?".
Yeah, like would he do this again? Start Fland over Reed? Lmfao, that'd really be the cherry on top.
No player on this team could return and make me excited for next season. I just don’t believe in the hype surrounding them besides Reed. If I’m Reed I’m getting as far away from this program as possible
Outside of Reed I can’t see any of them staying. DJ and Adou are Cal legacy guys, they’re not staying for some random coach(they can be easily replaced mind you). Is Z staying across the globe from family, friends, girlfriend for a coach he doesn’t have any relationship with?
The guys I omitted I think are already gone or are inconsequential(ie Hart).
Maybe adou with the right coach and system, but Wagner, Edwards, and Bradshaw, and most likely ugo are gone. Add z as well
It's likely DJ and Z are gone even if Cal stays.
Patrick Patterson came back under the idea of a new coach in Calipari.
I would think if the right coach is hired - but admittedly there are only maybe 3 names out there that could do it, it would convince some of these guys to come back, especially if Cal has some administration role as mentioned
I would think if the right coach is hired - but admittedly there are only maybe 3 names out there that could do it, it would convince some of these guys to come back, especially if Cal has some administration role as mentioned
Yes. Many here only have UK basketball. It’s their only thing that they look forward to. Only thing getting them through their miserable lives. They’ve turned it into a lot more than a basketball decision. They attack him personally and can’t separate a bad result in basketball to the rest of their life. So they call cal names and wish harm and clutter this board with so much crap that it makes us all look like morons who don’t know a thing about basketball- there isn’t one cal hater on here that could dissect a play and tell us if it was new, old, what was the intent and/or what went wrong. These guys will completely forget the absolutely AMAZING first decade we had under cal. It was incredible. We were in the national discussion every single day.
I defend cal against those type of people. I’ve been on the fence if I want him gone. With Gillespie(was a 100% yes) cal was there to get us excited. I don’t see a coach out there like that right now. Regardless, something has to change. Whether that’s the name of the head coach or the philosophy of the head coach is yet to be determined. But relying on timid freshmen to go against 4/5/6 year seniors that have all transferred to make a skilled veteran team is not the approach that’s going to win in todays game.
Cal changed the game. Then the game changed. Should he get the chance to adapt again? Maybe. This year was prettt dang fun with kids who were easy to like but it still relied too heavily on youth. But luckily this fanbase is too dumb to see it as evidenced below.
Lmao. Cal got their son to the number one pick in some mock drafts. He did everything right by Reed Sheppard and probably masked a lot of his deficiencies. Many of us saw them throughout the year but the bash cal no matter what club couldn’t see the glaring issues and probably would have been fine with 4mpg if it meant it was the first four.
But to your point above, and I preface this with saying it’s definitely time to be exploring options - we were in position to blow that team out but execution was non existent.
We constantly got the ball to the free throw line early on with wide open driving lanes. We simply missed so many easy shots. Even got blocked by the rim on a dunk. We had the people on that future insurance salesman. They just weren’t good enough and got pump faked, pass faked, eye ball faked, out jumped or any of the other things future pros should be able to stave off. You Say Jeff is angry about a squandered opportunity - no Jeff is a competitor and basketball genius and knows Reed played like absolute dog crap. We didn’t squander anything because of the starting lineup other than probably getting beat worse. The two all y’all whined all year about 3-5 game minutes were the reason we lost this year. Not coaching/gameplan. Game plan was fine and should have led to a W. The players- minus reeves(who coincidentally was the one who didn’t show up last season) squandered the opportunity. And I’m willing to bet all of them will admit that.
But alas, something needs to change. Either the coach or the team construction strategy. Freshman reliance - no matter who the coach is- needs to decrease drastically. It’s a different game starting post Covid.
He would most definitely do this again. He will never stop putting certain NBA prospects over better players. He will come in and start Fland and Reed would again come off the bench, and Cal would just say "it worked for most of last year and I like his energy off the bench" and blah blah blah blah horsesh*t blah blah manuremouth yadda yadda yadda.
These guys will completely forget the absolutely AMAZING first decade we had under Coach Bob Knight. It was incredible. We were in the national discussion every single day.
Well, oddly the players don't appear to see Cal as the fans do. They are standing right with him and defending him, per reports I've been reading. And if they all band together and say they're coming back, it won't be for fans or for Kentucky (except maybe Reed) - it will be to show their support for Calipari.
For whatever reason they seem to love him. Must be something fans never see. But in reality, I don't care how much the kids love him as long as 1) they don't hate him like BCG, and 2) he wins games and competes in March.
Of course they do. Cal sold them on a get rich quick scheme. If a man says he's going to make you a mutli-millionaire, you're sticking with him.
maybe, but 99.9999% of coaches who do everything right by the player would have started him and put him and the program in the best position to win. Yes, Reed didn't have a good game, those things happen, but UK just lost to Oakland. So yea, I'm gonna bash Cal. You want to put the loss to Oakland on Reed? On any player? This team had the talent and the ability to win it all but the coach was incapable of instilling basic fundamentals into them, having them prepared to face a shooter who had one skillset and a team that had one specific matchup.
That's got nothing to do with Reed. If Jeff isn't wondering what could have been had Cal been more prepared, then something is wrong with him.
which also means in order to gain that, they have to show zero loyalty to the program
that's the irony of them supporting Cal. They aren't coming back to UK unless there is a financial incentive that is favorable to them.
Not a single player on that team is going to make a choice to come back to UK to show support for Cal.
Last edited:
Wait, CAL got Reed to lottery pick status? How? By hamstringing him at every opportunity? By not starting him when literally everyone else in the country knew that Reed Sheppard should 100% be starting for this team?
Give me a break. Reed got to where he is because he was a lot better than anyone else thought he’d be, and he did that DESPITE Cal, not because of him.
Give me a break. Reed got to where he is because he was a lot better than anyone else thought he’d be, and he did that DESPITE Cal, not because of him.
Not a single player on any team is going to come back to support the coach, so whatever point you're trying to make falls flat.
Saban said the 1st question the majority of the players asked in their end of season inteview so "how much do I make if I come back?" None of these top tier kids care about the coach. Some act like everything is because of mean old Cal. Saban's players didn't give a squat about him and no top echelon player cares about their coach. It's not an isolated incident.
apparently what I proved is you have poor reading comprehension skills.
my last comment
"Not a single player on that team is going to make a choice to come back to UK to show support for Cal."
more concerning is the point missed - Reed Sheppard didn't choose Kentucky for being a draft pick. Jeff Sheppard didn't want his son to play at Kentucky for being a draft pick.
They both wanted to play a part in a championship run at Kentucky. I'm not saying draft pick wasn't important but to make that the focal point while diminishing that Reed didn't come anywhere close to the glory his father had at the program (or for that matter, his mother) has to have them questioning Cal
I love all these guessing threads. He is staying. He is getting fired. He is staying in a different capacity.
One of the guesses will be correct.
Kind of like 10 people saying one of the tournament teams is going all the way. And 10 other people saying that same team is getting bounced early.
One of the guesses will be correct.
Kind of like 10 people saying one of the tournament teams is going all the way. And 10 other people saying that same team is getting bounced early.
People are just desperate for any news. The unrest is real.
Yeah like the media always scrambling to be FIRST to report things.
Even see this was first reported by So and so .
Who cares who is first to report a story. Just report the facts correctly if you're first or the 51st
Very few of Cal's former players have anything but great things to say about him. Even the guys who didn't get a lot of time or weren't one of his five star recruits. There's a real disconnect between what the fans think the players think and what they actually think.
How many times have you read this season Reed and his parents must be pissed with Cal? Well every single thing to come out of that family about Cal has been glowing. If there's anyone who would have an issue with Cal recently it's Reed and Rob and neither of them do.
Say what you will about his Xs and Ox, but the vast majority of his players have no issue with how he manages the team and the lineups. And it's more than just him making them rich. Guys from decades ago still call the man for advice.
This is not in anyway a defense of Cal's last five years here. But it is another example of the message board narrative not being the real life reality.
There's also the inverse. A lot of older players don't think he's a good coach. Jon Hood's dad calling Cal out in 2022, Derek Anderson, etc etc.
He is their friend, not a coach that makes hard decisions
I get the sentiment, but I don't think anyone cares as much about UK Basketball as the UK fans. No one cares about the state of the program in the admin. They're more worried about politics and perception nationally and internationally. It's disappointing but there's little we can do besides DIVEST and DIVERT. STOP WATCHING. STOP SHOWING UP. STOP BUYING GEAR FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS OR MORE.
There will always be the glad-handers that love the coach because he said hi to them or shook their hands once. That's why the rest of us have to put pressure on the UK wallet and attendance. That's something an accountant AD can understand.
Take signs to other venues/events like softball, baseball, etc, or just stop attending all of it until they get a coach that understands the value of the fans and WINNING, COACHING, and building a TEAM.
Why wouldn't they? He is willing to sacrifice the program to help them use UK as a stepping stone to NBA glory
What coach would have made the decisions Cal made with Shaedon Sharpe? The result? The worst tournament loss in UK's history. But Shaedon Sharpe got a Porsche and a budding NBA career.
Hood's dad is definitely one of the high profile ones to speak against him. But I'm not really talking about his coaching, just more how he manages his players. They all buy into the approach for the most part and hold him in high regard. With very few exceptions the players in the program who are with him day in and day out love playing for him. Sure there are outsiders or former players who would disagree, but they're not there every day.
A lot of the players love him, because they prepared them for the NBA, got them rich, let them do whatever they wanted. Fox laid this out nicely. He said everything Cal ran was iso. Total freedom to let him showcase to the league. Of course you're gonna say you loved playing under a man who let you showcase to a league, that will pay you millions of dollars.
I don't think this is the reason. We have guys immediately after losing looking visibly upset saying how much they love playing for the coaching staff. You gotta be a pretty good actor to do that if you're really only happy with the fact that Cal is getting you drafted.
Look I expect him to be back - they will dump Chin & Bruiser - say they are getting defensive help the rough coaching and roster and going to try and get older tougher players in portal
This is the kind of arrogant condescending bullshit that echoes Cals mindset. More eloquently than Cal can, but the same nonetheless. I’m sure you, like Cal, are
mystified why no one considers your opinion relevant anymore.
Last edited:
at some level they have to have a love for the game and in the moment I'm sure they are
but that love for the coach, love for the game doesn't translate into love for Kentucky.
They love him because he uses this program as a development/exposure platform for them.
There really isn't more to it than that. From the time they get here, they are prompted on how to speak to the media, how to have the talking points that resonate with the fans but there is no shortage of players recruited by Cal who have expressed the sentiment you come here for your year of obligation and then go on to the NBA
and in return Cal , if you are one of the chosen ones, Cal will play you even if you don't deserve it, he'll run interference for you to the extent he will lie to the fans to cover for you and he'll make sure your level of commitment to the program is never greater than your commitment to moving on to the next level, whatever that may be.
The good news is - that era of Calipari basketball is now officially over, even if he comes back
I know that guy. He hates Shopping Cart Sallies more than Basketball Bennies.Blue coat greeter
