Caleb Wilson will commit in 01/24

[B.B.H.]

Whoa, slow your roll playa. I simply asked you if you was a FSU fan ? I mean why Isaac ? Why a player from 8 years ago ? Has there not been a similar player at UK ? Or a player not from 8 years ago ? Funny though, you have mentioned 2 players Castle and Isaac, neither played at UK, and they play two TOTALLY different positions, and you want me to take you serious ? LOL, maybe not mention PG and PF on different occasions to describe the player ??? Castle and Wilson are not remotely alike, as Castle and Isaac are not remotely alike.

Bro, you’re being vigilant about nothing. Jonathan Isaac is the most popular comp and it doesn’t come from the poster here. You clearly don’t pay much attention the recruiting gurus who analyze these players and draw comparisons. I’ve watched both Jacob Polachek and Travis Branham compare Wilson’s game to Jonathan Isaac. Maybe the poster is or isn’t UK fan but using well-known comparisons to ridicule is not the play.

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

There is a risk in relying on the portal that should be acknowledged too though. There is no guarantee that you get the player you need in the portal, and the the most in-demand portal guys are also some the most expensive.

Balance is key.

Key to portal players are to get players who want to transfer because they want to win something (i.e. the best player from a bad team or smaller school), not because they're looking for a bag (99% of players who transfer from winning teams or successful programs). That's why this year's UK model is working so well...all our transfers come from places that weren't doing a lot of winning, or if they were it was on a smaller stage, and they wanted to prove themselves against stiffer competition. That's where Pope is smart and Cal, who did his portal recruiting the same way he recruits freshman--by a ranking assigned by a 3rd party instead of a personal scout--is dumb.

 

[yoshukai]

Pope will create good strategies for him but won’t allow him to control the ball freely or play whatever he wants, instead, he’ll need to serve the team. However, at North Carolina, he can be the team’s top option and play whatever he likes, just like playing basketball in a random park. He’ll have the freedom to control the ball without discipline, which will definitely be more enjoyable for him personally.

I believe you’re reaching here . Everything I’ve read about him says he is a good “team” player and had no problem playing second fiddle to the Boozer twins as teammates . More importantly, I believe Mark Pope is great at identifying guys that are “fits” for what he wants to do. He wouldn’t be recruiting Wilson he he was a “me,me,me” kind of player.

 

[yoshukai]

Saying we don’t want 5 stars anymore and want lower talent all the time is how we become Indiana. We want 5 star players for sure, we just want the ones that fit popes system perfectly. Wilson would fit great, and is a good player who I want here for sure. But the portal makes it to where a miss here doesn’t kill you. But with that being said we should all want Wilson here.

Ehhh. Indiana was pretty much a one coach program. Bobby Knight has 6 of their 8 final fours. And the 2 national championships that were won by Branch McCracken was before electricity. I want CMP to get who he wants, but I’ll be more than happy to spend that 2 mil on a proven portal player .

 

[catsfanbgky]

Bro, you’re being vigilant about nothing. Jonathan Isaac is the most popular comp and it doesn’t come from the poster here. You clearly don’t pay much attention the recruiting gurus who analyze these players and draw comparisons. I’ve watched both Jacob Polachek and Travis Branham compare Wilson’s game to Jonathan Isaac. Maybe the poster is or isn’t UK fan but using well-known comparisons to ridicule is not the play.

So comparing both Stephon Castle and Isaac to Wilson is not bad ? Also, I simply said "is there not a player more recent than 8 years ago" ?

 

[BarefootBeach]

Randle was always a lock to UK. If you believed the Kansas media or various other schools rags you would have thought he was going to 6 different schools. But there was one recruiting guy who was close to Randall personally and he constantly said it’s Kentucky and don’t believe the misdirection. Can’t remember his name. But I do get your point with those other recruits.

Absolutely. Randle was sitting in the stands after his team played at City of Palms. I walked up to him wearing my UK hat and before I could think up a cool opening he smiled and blurted out 'Go Big Blue'. We spoke for about 5 minutes, he was super nice. I did not worry about his recruitment after that.

 

[B.B.H.]

So comparing both Stephon Castle and Isaac to Wilson is not bad ? Also, I simply said "is there not a player more recent than 8 years ago" ?

People in the know like the Isaac comparison, that’s all. It doesn’t mean there can’t also be comparisons to Castle. I’m just pointing out that a common talking point isn’t worth the aggression on this. GBB!

 

[Dontworryboutit23]

People in the know like the Isaac comparison, that’s all. It doesn’t mean there can’t also be comparisons to Castle. I’m just pointing out that a common talking point isn’t worth the aggression on this. GBB!

Isaac is the best comparison for Wilson there is out there.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

I don't think it's unrealistic to infer that UK can land two guys in the Butler/Oweh level of skill for the cost of one Caleb Wilson.

Let UNC pay the kid $2 million for 11 points and 6 rebounds per game. We'll take two All-Conference level players for that price.

 

[B.B.H.]

I don't think it's unrealistic to infer that UK can land two guys in the Butler/Oweh level of skill for the cost of one Caleb Wilson.

Let UNC pay the kid $2 million for 11 points and 6 rebounds per game. We'll take two All-Conference level players for that price.

Amen to that!

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Amen to that!

By the way, I think Jacob Polachek (spelling) stole my Jonathan Issac comp. I swear I was on that one first. lol

 

[Fox2monk]

when did the winds shift to unc? Have we not been considered the leader for a while now?

For some reason everyone on here thinks this has all changed lol. He’s coming IMHO. It makes no sense that he’s not when his decision has followed the exact path it was said to since November.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

No where near IU, but their fans have been saying stuff like this for years now and wonder why keep slipping further and further from relevance

You need some tip tier talent to win it all.

78 had two 1st round picks and 1 go 3rd.

96 had a ton of first round picks

98 had 3 eventual first round picks.

2012 had 3.

UK needs at least 2 to 3 first round picks to win a title based on the last almost 50 years. So whether that be a 5 star freshman or a transfer guy like a Knecht, you need some dudes.

 

[Fox2monk]

I listened to an Aaron Torres video and he seems to think he's still Kentucky-bound, but the UNC smoke may be an attempt my his agent to get more out of UK.

I think he'd be a good player, but realistically, what does he bring besides athleticism? Is he a great passer? Great shooter? On-ball defense or rim protection? I've not been wowed by his highlights (which, what the hell do I know?), so if we miss him, I'd love for Pope to go after proven guys in the portal.

If we get him, great. If not, like has been said in this thread, get a couple of transfers.

Considering UNC has lost a lot of high profile battles lately because they don’t have the NIL I don’t understand why everyone suddenly thinks they will outbid us for him. It just doesn’t make sense to me. I think it’s just for some drama for the announcement. Obviously he could change his mind, but everything about his recruitment has felt like UK to me the entire time.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

For some reason everyone on here thinks this has all changed lol. He’s coming. It makes no sense that he’s not when his decision has followed the exact path it was said to since November.

I think he's UK-bound as well for the following reasons:

1. Consistent pro-UK smoke.
2. Relationship to Acaden Lewis and Jasper Johnson.
3. UK will have the better team next year.
4. UK has at the very least, a comparable NIL package to UNC (if not better).
5. Wilson has always insisted it would be December of January.
6. UNC is trash this year.
7. Hubert Davis may not even be retained at UNC next year.

And the last one that everyone seems to forget...right after Wilson visited UNC, Pope said his staff had an "emergency" that required them to fly around at the last second and meet someone but that they "put out the fire." That was directly related to Wilson in my view. Then he stated, "But we're fine now."

I think he's UK-bound and has been since October.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

So, Jonathan Isaac is the closest comparison to Caleb Wilson, according to those in the know.

Here are Isaac's stats for his one year at Florida State
12.0 ppg. 7.8 Reb. 1,2 assists.

Compare that to Andrew Carr's numbers after half a season at Kentucky:
11.4 ppg. 6.0 reb. 2.4 assists.

And I think Carr would get an edge in "intangibles" as a 23-year-old who plays a really smart, error-free game most of the time.

So, I'll be happy with Caleb Wilson for one year, who we are told has a chance to be like Jonathan Isaac was in his one year.
But if he goes to UNC-CHeats, is there a good chance someone of Carr's caliber will come to Kentucky, maybe for a more modest NIL hit, freeing up money for other players, and perform comparably?

I'd say yes.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

So, Jonathan Isaac is the closest comparison, according to those in the know.

Here are Isaac's stats for his one year at Florida State
12.0 ppg. 7.8 Reb. 1,2 assists.

Compare that to Andrew Carr's numbers after half a season at Kentucky:
11.4 ppg. 6.0 reb. 2.4 assists.

And I think Carr would get an edge in "intangibles" as a 23-year-old who plays a really smart, error-free game most of the time.

So, I'll be happy with Caleb Wilson for one year, who we are told has a chance to be like Jonathan Isaac was in his one year.
But if he goes to UNC-CHeats, is there a good chance someone of Carr's caliber will come to Kentucky, maybe for a more modest NIL hit, freeing up money for other players, and perform comparably?

I'd say yes.

Here's the other part: It's reasonable to infer UK can essentially add two Andrew Carr level guys for the price of one Caleb Wilson. Wilson's going to cost a fortune by UK NIL standards.

 

[Fox2monk]

As far as having the ball in his hands goes look at how Davis has fared this year. He doesn’t have as much help and his game has suffered being a focus all night long. If he doesn’t have a lot of help he could look bad adjusting to college being the guy. Here the offense will get him looks and he has guys to take pressure off him. That alone could get him drafted higher.

 

[Fox2monk]

I think he's UK-bound as well for the following reasons:

1. Consistent pro-UK smoke.
2. Relationship to Acaden Lewis and Jasper Johnson.
3. UK will have the better team next year.
4. UK has at the very least, a comparable NIL package to UNC (if not better).
5. Wilson has always insisted it would be December of January.
6. UNC is trash this year.
7. Hubert Davis may not even be retained at UNC next year.

And the last one that everyone seems to forget...right after Wilson visited UNC, Pope said his staff had an "emergency" that required them to fly around at the last second and meet someone but that they "put out the fire." That was directly related to Wilson in my view. Then he stated, "But we're fine now."

I think he's UK-bound and has been since October.

I do as well. Plus he has been to major games we have won and has tweeted quite often about us while waiting. It just feels like his timeline didn’t change and I don’t think his decision did either.

 

[Dontworryboutit23]

I think he's UK-bound as well for the following reasons:

1. Consistent pro-UK smoke.
2. Relationship to Acaden Lewis and Jasper Johnson.
3. UK will have the better team next year.
4. UK has at the very least, a comparable NIL package to UNC (if not better).
5. Wilson has always insisted it would be December of January.
6. UNC is trash this year.
7. Hubert Davis may not even be retained at UNC next year.

And the last one that everyone seems to forget...right after Wilson visited UNC, Pope said his staff had an "emergency" that required them to fly around at the last second and meet someone but that they "put out the fire." That was directly related to Wilson in my view. Then he stated, "But we're fine now."

I think he's UK-bound and has been since October.

The only reason I can see it being UNC is because of how desperate they are, like they have to get him. Kentucky would really like him but if he goes to unc we will survive, unc has struck out on everybody. I still think acaden Lewis will be what gets Kentucky the commitment at the end of the day.

 

[mcwildcats04]

 

[Dontworryboutit23]

View embedded media

I used to like those guys but now it feels like both are mad Kentucky is doing well because they both thought pope would be bad

 

[LineSkiCat14]

If someone says Jonathan Isaac's name one more time, Catsfanbgky is gonna have a full on meltdown.

 

[mcwildcats04]

I used to like those guys but now it feels like both are mad Kentucky is doing well because they both thought pope would be bad

I know I'm in the minority but I actually enjoy them (mostly Greg). I don't agree on Greg. He's a Michigan fan and he's already admitted he was wrong on Pope and always has good things to say about us. I think the other guy here is an IU fan. The other guy that is normally on (Carter) is an MSU fan (may have played there before too?). They don't have any special insights normally but Greg usually makes me laugh.

 

[Edgarman]

Would love to have to him but if it’s only about $$$$ then I’d rather hit the portal cause I’m guessing we will be a top option for guys after this season.

The Wilson kid could go to any of 10 or 12 schools and be successful. If he comes to UK he will be in more structured environment but he is going to be a one and done regardless of where he attends school. We would be much better spending Wilson type money on a kid in the portal that will offer much more production than a freshman. We had our fill of talented one and done kids, they can't compete against mature junior & seniors. Let's go get a solid power forward in the portal and roll in 2025 - 2026.

 

[FitchandMurray29]

Assume he’ll make his commitment date official tomorrow.

 

[SemperFiCat]

Spend the money on one or two known commodities instead of a freshman dice roll. Smart money makes money.

I'd much rather have two mature bodies with proven college stats.

 

[bigbluefan81]

I'd feel a lot better with Coach P getting his first 5-star recruit.
Hoping and praying.

Where have you been? He's already got two 5 stars

 

[Padsfs07]

Think we need to recruit one or two more starter or even a star level frontcourt players from portal or Europe guys

That seems like a lot to add. I really like our team already. I’d say we would be top 10 preseason with Lewis, Johnson, Oweh, Wilson, and Garrison. We could use a pure PG perhaps and a PF if we miss on Wilson.

We might get Krissa and Almonor back too due to that rule change.

 

[Padsfs07]

Spend the money on one or two known commodities instead of a freshman dice roll. Smart money makes money.

I'd much rather have two mature bodies with proven college stats.

Wilson is a consensus top 5 freshman. Those are quite a bit less risk averse than any old freshmen. Plus, and most importantly, he would have several veterans surrounding him.

 

[MonsterMash79]

Look I get it and agree. But we already have a great recruiting class coming in with 3 5 stars already. Let’s not act like we only have Travis Perry coming back or that we are only recruiting 2 stars. We’re in the top 2 for Wilson and we have great recruiters on staff, so obviously we’re going after and will get 5 stars (we already do for next year). But I personally will not care that much anymore. We’ve seen 35 NBA players come through in the last 10 years and we haven’t even managed a 1 seed in the tournament. We have a great team this year that was put together in 3 weeks. What I’m saying is I trust Pope and in now way will I possibly be able to give a shit if we get one more 5 stars freshman next year. Because if not we’ll probably get a really good portal player so who cares.

This👆

 

[NerlensCat]

So comparing both Stephon Castle and Isaac to Wilson is not bad ? Also, I simply said "is there not a player more recent than 8 years ago" ?

Wilson is not a Castle. Wilson is a PF/SF. Castle is a SG/Wing similar body style to Oweh. They both have a reputation for playing good defense.

 

[mcwildcats04]

Shaw coming up shortly:

 

[mcwildcats04]

Shaw says his UK sources still feel confident it's UK on Wilson and that hasn't changed and said speaking to sources around the totality of the recruitment, it feels like UNC has "picked up some momentum over the last week or so." Shaw isn't willing to put in a pick right now one way or the other. I feel a bit better now on our odds after listening to that.

 

[bookerfan66]

It never fails that when some don't think we get a recruit the we didn't want him anyway crowd comes out to play.

 

[Padsfs07]

I don't think it's unrealistic to infer that UK can land two guys in the Butler/Oweh level of skill for the cost of one Caleb Wilson.

Let UNC pay the kid $2 million for 11 points and 6 rebounds per game. We'll take two All-Conference level players for that price.

Without knowing our budget, it's hard to really speculate. Why not all three!

Playing time becomes a concern too (for the player). We basically already have 3 spots locked up and several role players filling in behind them (at least a backup PG, SG, SF, and C all from Kentucky)

 

[Supafuzz75]

Not my money,, give him 5 million for all I care.. Or give him nothing.. Makes no matter to me..

 

[jbne222]

It never fails that when some don't think we get a recruit the we didn't want him anyway crowd comes out to play.

Yep. Always makes me laugh

 

[Dontworryboutit23]

It never fails that when some don't think we get a recruit the we didn't want him anyway crowd comes out to play.

Yeah I don’t get it, Wilson is good, and we have wanted him for a while now. Portal guys are great, but you need some talented freshman as well.

 

[Hoskins21]

Yeah I don’t get it, Wilson is good, and we have wanted him for a while now. Portal guys are great, but you need some talented freshman as well.

Who says we won't have talented freshmen?