Cal on Big Z

[KAB Cats]

It is interesting to note that while the NCAA looks into money Big Z may have earned overseas, if he is cleared to play, he will be ineligible to earn NIL money inside the United States as there are visa restrictions that prohibit it. Just interesting to note that if/when cleared, Big Z won’t be eligible for the same benefit his teammates will have the opportunity to receive. Some of his teammates will make big money, while he won’t…but if he earned a little money playing ball in Europe the NCAA examines it under an apparent microscope for months. It may be the current rules, but it just doesn’t make much sense that the NCAA follows old rules for foreign-born players (which make up about 15% of Division 1 athletes), yet other college players can now make big bucks and transfer schools and that’s completely fine. Seems the NCAA needs to adjust guidelines for foreign athletes, atleast clearance-wise….even though they won’t get NIL benefits (Visa prohibited) once enrolled and playing here.

Yep. And that's the key deficit of the NCAA. In efficient bureaucracy & archaic rules that defy common sense.

The thing is, the intent of the rule to prevent pro players from playing NCAA basketball arguably has good intent. It's also antiquated and doesn't reflect the modern environment of NLI, OTE or other prep/pro academies.

What the NCAA wants to say is that NBA players shouldn't return to college basketball. What the rules say is that if an organization paying a player is deemed as a pro sports club that they can not play college basketball. Never mind that there is a canyon difference in both quality & salary between the AdmiralBet ABA League's SC Derby and the New York Knicks.

And to compound all that, HS players can now make hundreds of thousands of dollars...just so long as it's not coming from a "pro club".

 

[JonathanW]

Calipari should've known better. He already got burned with Enes Kanter. He needs to stop signing foreigners with questionable eligibility concerns expecting the NCAA to clear them, when there's a good chance they will not. No one benefits from this debacle in the end. And he wasn't even needed this season to make it even more ridiculous.

Recall, both our big guys had surgery. It was looking very possible play first dozen games with Mitchell and a bunch of wings/guards.
Plus I think in both cases (Enes and Z) had they gone elsewhere they would have been cleared.

But I do lay part of the blame on UK admissions for taking so long.

 

[WildcatforLife1965]

You have to have your AD stand behind you on this but I say play him and sue them. It’s time for somebody and why not Kentucky to stand up to these lame brained fools. At this point it’s beyond ridiculous. Just play him and piss on them.

 

[yoshukai]

Agree. Z nor Kanter was to blame. Guys went above and beyond to play here, jumping through nonsense hoops, etc.

Wouldn't hold it against them at all.

Im not a “conspiracy theory “ type guy but , I will always 100% believe Kanter would have been eligible if he had stayed committed to Washington.

 

[NociHTTP]

You have to have your AD stand behind you on this but I say play him and sue them. It’s time for somebody and why not Kentucky to stand up to these lame brained fools. At this point it’s beyond ridiculous. Just play him and piss on them.

I agree with this. The NCAA has already proven beyond a doubt that they won't counter legally.

 

[WildcatNC]

Im not a “conspiracy theory “ type guy but , I will always 100% believe Kanter would have been eligible if he had stayed committed to Washington.

Oh, I agree. I also think if Z was at Duke he'd have been cleared in 30 days or less.

 

[WildcatFan60]

Pilgrim said a while back, that UK wishes they would just go ahead and rule him ineligible, so they could sue the NCAA.

Eventually, the money the foreign players get, will not be an issue for the NCAA. Problem is the NCAA landscape is changing faster than they can deal with it. And they are on a losing streak in the courts.

The issue will be, can they resolve this gray area fast enough to help BigZ?

 

[SaltyCat25]

Go watch his highlights. He would have helped.

Go watch Ryan Harrows highlights.

 

[jameslee32]

You are the worst, the absolute worst poster on this forum.

 

[GoBIG BLUE]

Go watch Ryan Harrows highlights.

Was harrow 7'2 with mobility, fluidity, and finesse?
Edit: had to look him up for the sake of it, and the dude is my size 6'2" 160lb ...
Very difficult thing to overcome in the jump from hs to college. Cant work on and i.prive size or length.

 

[SaltyCat25]

Was harrow 7'2 with mobility, fluidity, and finesse?

No but using highlight tapes to evaluate is ridiculous. Watch actual games then evaluate.

 

[GoBIG BLUE]

No but using highlight tapes to evaluate is ridiculous. Watch actual games then evaluate.

I agree to an extent. Although I have in length, watched Big Z play. And if healthy, I firmly believe he would be an improvement on both our other two 7 footers. Ive made tgis same claim for months; this whole time.

 

[Blue Bigfoot]

ON3.com: "John Calipari offers clarity on Z"

Cal:
“He’ll be back in town, but it’s got to be a total fight or — you know, I just don’t know how long,” Calipari said. “I mean, you can’t — it’s not working with, it’s like, ‘Hey man, let’s go.’ I mean, I had to send him home. He’s 242, down to (219). Come on, man. He wasn’t sleeping, eating. This stuff has gotten to him.”

 

[NociHTTP]

ON3.com: "John Calipari offers clarity on Z"

Cal:
“He’ll be back in town, but it’s got to be a total fight or — you know, I just don’t know how long,” Calipari said. “I mean, you can’t — it’s not working with, it’s like, ‘Hey man, let’s go.’ I mean, I had to send him home. He’s 242, down to (219). Come on, man. He wasn’t sleeping, eating. This stuff has gotten to him.”

Cal purposely being vague on what "stuff" has gotten to Z. Maybe if UK actually DID something about this, then Z wouldn't be stressed out over it. You know Z sees other players being to play and they likely received benefits, too. Utterly disgusting that Z is being blamed for ANY of this. It's completely on the school and/or the NCAA. Cal needs to shut up.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

Pilgrim said a while back, that UK wishes they would just go ahead and rule him ineligible, so they could sue the NCAA.

Eventually, the money the foreign players get, will not be an issue for the NCAA. Problem is the NCAA landscape is changing faster than they can deal with it. And they are on a losing streak in the courts.

The issue will be, can they resolve this gray area fast enough to help BigZ?

Pilgrim , as usual, doesn't know what he's talking about.

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

ON3.com: "John Calipari offers clarity on Z"

Cal:
“He’ll be back in town, but it’s got to be a total fight or — you know, I just don’t know how long,” Calipari said. “I mean, you can’t — it’s not working with, it’s like, ‘Hey man, let’s go.’ I mean, I had to send him home. He’s 242, down to (219). Come on, man. He wasn’t sleeping, eating. This stuff has gotten to him.”

Clarity...pffft

 

[docholiday51]

Clarity...pffft

That was my thought. Glad he addressed the issue but what exactly did he say? Was he talking about his health, the NCAA, a mixture of both? I'm not bashing Cal but it seems when he tries to give a straight answer he just can't

 

[Mike-D]

No but using highlight tapes to evaluate is ridiculous. Watch actual games then evaluate.

Who are you again? He's a 2nd rounder on mock drafts. Where is Ryan Harrow on your draft boards? And why did Cal recruit the kid to UK if he didn't like this kids film and potential? Let us know.

 

[Mike-D]

Was harrow 7'2 with mobility, fluidity, and finesse?
Edit: had to look him up for the sake of it, and the dude is my size 6'2" 160lb ...
Very difficult thing to overcome in the jump from hs to college. Cant work on and i.prive size or length.

Exactly. This dude is annoying.

 

[crawfords corner]

What a great young man. He could have just decided to give up and go home and go a different route to the NBA.

There should have never been any doubt he was going to come back. He isn't from one of the 50 states. People not from here often think of things very differently than we do.

He's not like that POS that plays for the Trailblazers.

 

[TheDude73]

Cal purposely being vague on what "stuff" has gotten to Z. Maybe if UK actually DID something about this, then Z wouldn't be stressed out over it. You know Z sees other players being to play and they likely received benefits, too. Utterly disgusting that Z is being blamed for ANY of this. It's completely on the school and/or the NCAA. Cal needs to shut up.

Huh? Blaming Z?

I took it this way:

Cal is pussyfooting around in the interview because our administration is weak ass Barney, and Cal doesn't want to over speak when he's probably been told not to say anything about the Z situation publicly. Cal wants to say "f*cking NCAA is screwing with this kid, the UK admin doesn't have the balls to step up for him, and whole situation has the kid tied up in knots, losing weight, etc". But Cal can't say this because Barney is a sensitive diplomatic foot clown who kowtows to the NCAA regularly.

Cal isn't blaming Z, he's blaming the NCAA for putting this kid through all of this waiting, and quite possibly creating additional administrative hoops to drag this out even longer. The kid wants to play basketball, and Cal wants him on the team. Nowhere in there do I read that Cal is blaming the kid for anything.

Just a very, very bizarre take you have here (or is it "spin"?).

 

[davekersey]

We need rebounding badly. Z should be able to grab some much needed rebounds Plus I think he would be our best oop guy.

 

[Mike-D]

We need rebounding badly. Z should be able to grab some much needed rebounds Plus I think he would be our best oop guy.

I think he would be our best defender at the rim. He averaged around 3 blocks per game in the under 18 league or whatever the division was called.

 

[JFCats22]

Cal purposely being vague on what "stuff" has gotten to Z. Maybe if UK actually DID something about this, then Z wouldn't be stressed out over it. You know Z sees other players being to play and they likely received benefits, too. Utterly disgusting that Z is being blamed for ANY of this. It's completely on the school and/or the NCAA. Cal needs to shut up.

You clearly can’t read. But that’s not surprising because all of your posts reveal your complete lack of education.

 

[NociHTTP]

You clearly can’t read. But that’s not surprising because all of your posts reveal your complete lack of education.

You are obviously able to interpret Cal's cryptic mumbo jumbo, being a his right fruit and all.

 

[JFCats22]

You are obviously able to interpret Cal's cryptic mumbo jumbo, being a his right fruit and all.

Well, you proved it with this post. Now we know that you cannot read OR write.

 

[mebeblue2]

You are the worst, the absolute worst poster on this forum.

i do believe that is yet another morg, grom account.

 

[SaltyCat25]

Exactly. This dude is annoying.

OK Mr I saw his highlight tape. I didn’t say he wasn’t good or wasn’t worth a scholarship, judging players based on highlights is silly. Be mad but it will still be silly.

 

[cats2010]

Anyone who says “we don’t need him” is seeing a different Bradshaw and Onyenso than I am.

Agreed. Onyenso is better this year than I gave him credit for but even still is nothing more than rim protection, Bradshaw showed promise in back to back games against Penn and UNCheat but has gone MIA last two games since. Seems to be way too frail to hang with bigs on the inside.

 

[SaltyCat25]

Huh? Blaming Z?

I took it this way:

Cal is pussyfooting around in the interview because our administration is weak ass Barney, and Cal doesn't want to over speak when he's probably been told not to say anything about the Z situation publicly. Cal wants to say "f*cking NCAA is screwing with this kid, the UK admin doesn't have the balls to step up for him, and whole situation has the kid tied up in knots, losing weight, etc". But Cal can't say this because Barney is a sensitive diplomatic foot clown who kowtows to the NCAA regularly.

Cal isn't blaming Z, he's blaming the NCAA for putting this kid through all of this waiting, and quite possibly creating additional administrative hoops to drag this out even longer. The kid wants to play basketball, and Cal wants him on the team. Nowhere in there do I read that Cal is blaming the kid for anything.

Just a very, very bizarre take you have here (or is it "spin"?).

LOL at the fairytales y’all completely make up with zero evidence then treat as fact.

 

[Mike-D]

OK Mr I saw his highlight tape. I didn’t say he wasn’t good or wasn’t worth a scholarship, judging players based on highlights is silly. Be mad but it will still be silly.

Ive watched him play too. I told someone to check his film, highlights, whatever. If you wanna die on that hill, go for it.

The bottom line is that the kid could have picked his college, and if they had an available scholarship, he would have got it. And them some schools would have made room for em regardless.

 

[TheDude73]

LOL at the fairytales y’all completely make up with zero evidence then treat as fact.

You talking to me, or the poster I quoted? Because I'm not making anything up, I'm explaining how I took what Cal said.

 

[SaltyCat25]

Ive watched him play too. I told someone to check his film, highlights, whatever. If you wanna die on that hill, go for it.

The bottom line is that the kid could have picked his college, and if they had an available scholarship, he would have got it. And them some schools would have made room for em regardless.

Die on what hill? Sure. It’s silly to judge a player based on highlights? Bottom line is irrelevant, I was solely talking about judging players bears off of highlights.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Die on what hill? Sure. It’s silly to judge a player based on highlights? Bottom line is irrelevant, O was solely talking about judging players bears off of highlights.

No one worth a grain of salt is judging this kid solely off of highlights. At the U20 Championships, he put up solid numbers, averaging 11 points and 5 rebounds, and over 3 blocks per game, while shooting 74% on two point field goals and 34% on threes (plus 70% from the line).

The kid is a baller, and he would have helped Kentucky significantly this season.

 

[NociHTTP]

i do believe that is yet another morg, grom account.

What I think of when people can't come up with their own thoughts. You two are cute.

 

[Slowwalker]

Calipari should've known better. He already got burned with Enes Kanter. He needs to stop signing foreigners with questionable eligibility concerns expecting the NCAA to clear them, when there's a good chance they will not. No one benefits from this debacle in the end. And he wasn't even needed this season to make it even more ridiculous.

He may have gambled with bringing him in, but had he gotten cleared, I think it would be him and Bradshaw getting the lions share of the minutes. How we can say we don’t need a 7 footer with professional experience who can stretch the floor is silly. Ugo cannot do any of that at this point.

Big Z was coming no matter what. You would rather him go to another school?

 

[Slowwalker]

Cal purposely being vague on what "stuff" has gotten to Z. Maybe if UK actually DID something about this, then Z wouldn't be stressed out over it. You know Z sees other players being to play and they likely received benefits, too. Utterly disgusting that Z is being blamed for ANY of this. It's completely on the school and/or the NCAA. Cal needs to shut up.

Who is blaming Z? How is this on Cal or the school? It is 100% on the NCAA.

Talk about needing to shut up.

 

[ala_kat2]

John Calipari says Zvonimir Ivisic is 'dying to get back,' hopes he plays 'sooner than later'

John Calipari offered clarity on Zvonimir Ivisic's situation, adding that he is expected to return to Kentucky this week

www.on3.com

“He’ll be back in town, but it’s got to be a total fight or — you know, I just don’t know how long,” Calipari said. I mean, I had to send him home. He’s 242, down to (219). Come on, man. He wasn’t sleeping, eating. This stuff has gotten to him.”



I am curious about the part "its got to be a total fight". Makes me think he may be talking about a legal fight with NCAA.
Then tried to make sense of the second part which all if it is so very chopped up its certainly difficult to understand at all; but he says afterward,
“I mean, you can’t — it’s not working with, it’s like, ‘Hey man, let’s go.’ "
All so very confusing.
Just wanted to sare what I had read.
The 'Hey man, lets'go' part has to be referring to NCAA

Sure hope we hear something soon
FREE BIG Z

That’s why I do not listen to the guy. Incomplete sentences, disjointed thoughts and can’t stay on topic. I usually get summaries of what he said or didn’t say here.

 

[NociHTTP]

Who is blaming Z? How is this on Cal or the school? It is 100% on the NCAA.

Talk about needing to shut up.

Let me enlighten you. UK Admissions took forever and a day to get him admitted. Cal took interest in Z too late. I don't dislike Cal as a person. He's a very fine person IMO. But he does not know when to stop talking, and when to be transparent.

EDITED: let me also say that the NCAA does indeed have their hand in what's going on, but the school knows a lot more about what's going on than what they're releasing. Let's play the kid, and take it to court and let the NCAA file their appeals and objections.

 

[KAB Cats]

Let me enlighten you. There was ZERO need for Calipari to say anything regarding Z, saying that Z needs to toughen up (paraphrasing here) regarding all of this is inappropriate. Z has nothing to do with what's going on. UK Admissions took forever and a day to get him admitted. Cal took interest in Z too late. This isn't on Z. Cal's go-to, if Z is deemed eligible, is that Z "just wasn't physically ready, underweight". I'm defending Z here, not the other numbskulls. I don't dislike Cal as a person. He's a very fine person IMO. But he does not know when to stop talking, and when to be transparent. I don't expect anyone to agree with me or speak for me, I speak my own mind. I also don't think anyone should be trashing me or anyone else here.

EDIT: let me also say that the NCAA does indeed have their hand in what's going on, but I also know that the school knows a lot more about what's going on than we do, they're not telling the whole story. The best thing that could happen here, if there truly aren't any legitimate factors holding this up, is for UK to take this to courts, and play him in the meantime. Let the NCAA be the ones who file appeals and objections

yikes