Coach Cal's USA U19 Loss Changed Everything

[Philstat]

He was going to get the chance that Coach K. had enjoyed for years, getting an opportunity to work with the absolute best recruits and getting the exposure and benefits of being the lead for Team USA. Instead, the complete opposite happened, he just sat on his six and did absolutely jack to scheme a defensive plan against R.J. Barrett who picked the USA team apart with 38 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Cal never made a SINGLE adjustment the entire game to slow him down, ever. Shortly after Cam and others looked to play elsewhere, the guy is similar to Coach Roy Williams, he has to have an absolutely stacked roster to compete, he can't coach a team up - simply put, he is what he is!

Duke set aside nearly ten days since their last exhibition to prepare for last night, they wanted a chunk of our rear and it showed, our guys look completely unprepared and shell shocked, that's on Coach Cal. Coach K. once again, outfoxed Cal, at this point, he owns him.

 

[docholiday51]

I disagree,that whole U19 was set up (probably by K)for Cal to fail.Many of the best players didn't go because of where it was held(safety issues) K was too chickenshit to go himself. Cal got offered the job in a no win situation , he couldn't turn down a chance to represent his country and he didn't have the horses to win.

It was a mistake to take the job but he had really no choice,Cal and UK have paid for it ever since.

 

[KentuckyCat420]

Been saying it since the day RJ Barrett single handedly destroyed a Calipari coached team, the first time.

 

[DrH. Lecter]

Been saying it since the day RJ Barrett single handedly destroyed a Calipari coached team, the first time.

And I think you saw last night that no matter who coached the USA team....RJ Barrett would have done exactly the same thing.

 

[Smashcat]

Don’t limit it to Cal. Barrett’s been destroying everybody. Rare talent.

 

[Smashcat]

And I think you saw last night that no matter who coached the USA team....RJ Barrett would have done exactly the same thing.

Agree. He’s that good.

 

[TheySoSensitive]

Yep, feels that way.

Cal needs to do something to shake things up. Stockpiling 10-25th ranked kids who think they're all top level elite players and leave as soon as they can isnt working. We're losing less talented players at the same rate we were losing star players....and it doesn't effing work.

 

[Philstat]

I disagree,that whole U19 was set up (probably by K)for Cal to fail.Many of the best players didn't go because of where it was held(safety issues) K was too chickenshit to go himself. Cal got offered the job in a no win situation , he couldn't turn down a chance to represent his country and he didn't have the horses to win.

It was a mistake to take the job but he had really no choice,Cal and UK have paid for it ever since.

I do recall that being the case and good point, though ultimately he did accept the assignment. You make a very valid case, and I'm sure there's a lot of truth in how and why things unfolded as they did. Not only was it the big loss then there were some of the odd exchanges with Romeo Langford and Bol Bol, which didn't help matters. It made Coach Cal look horrible, that Coach K. had won multiple gold medals and Cal loses at his first opportunity.

 

[Mike-D]

No it didn’t. Jeff Capel going to Duke, and losing Antigua did. This is just part of the myth some like to make up. Lol, like recruits still remember that game. How many of the top dudes were missing off USA? Quite a few didn’t even go.

 

[Philstat]

No it didn’t. Jeff Capel going to Duke, and losing Antigua did. This is just part of the myth some like to make up. Lol, like recruits still remember that game. How many of the top dudes were missing off USA? Quite a few didn’t even go.

No doubt about it coaches (K) used this scenario, no doubt and then he has the gold to show for it, Cal doesn't. Losing Antigua was massive, I couldn't agree more - we should bring him back. Shortly after that loss, Cam, and Zion immediately lost interest in UK.

 

[blubo]

I disagree,that whole U19 was set up (probably by K)for Cal to fail.Many of the best players didn't go because of where it was held(safety issues) K was too chickenshit to go himself. Cal got offered the job in a no win situation , he couldn't turn down a chance to represent his country and he didn't have the horses to win.

It was a mistake to take the job but he had really no choice,Cal and UK have paid for it ever since.

I think some people have forgotten Cal didn’t have the best players with him because of the terrorism in egypt.

 

[Philstat]

I think some people have forgotten Cal didn’t have the best players with him because of the terrorism in egypt.

Of course, though many won't make that distinction, they'll just see and know that he lost - think the biggest issue was the same as last night, he just sat there mesmerized and watch RJ completely annihilate his team, with ZERO counter.

 

[docholiday51]

I do recall that being the case and good point, though ultimately he did accept the assignment. You make a very valid point, and I'm sure there's a lot of truth in how and why things unfolded as they did. Not only was it the big loss then there were some of the odd exchanges with Romeo Langford and Bol Bol, which didn't help matters. It made Coach Cal look horrible, that Coach K. had won multiple gold medals and Cal loses at his first opportunity.

When I say K was too chickenshit to go it was because it wasn't a cod lock winning situation.K knew some players wouldn't go and he knew how good the competition was. K doesn't like to play on a level playing field,he always has an edge if there is one to be had or manufactured. He knew(probably as did Cal) what whoever coached was getting into and he(K) wanted no part of it.

 

[Mike-D]

No doubt about it coaches (K) used this scenario, no doubt and then he has the gold to show for it, Cal doesn't. Losing Antigua was massive, I couldn't agree more - we should bring him back. Shortly after that loss, Cam, and Zion immediately lost interest in UK.

Cam was already going to Duke. Most already knew where he was going. Of course, Cal never gives up. The only recruit we lost because of that trip was Langford. Langford and his dad pissed Cal off that trip. Lied and hid a back injury to make the team. That’s a whole other story in itself. You could say we lost Bol Bol too, because Cal had to cut him. But we had another opportunity to get the kid, and Cal backed off. Bol came down for a visit, everything was going good, and then they had a meeting. Bol Bol wanted to be a ball handler. Bring the ball down the court. Pretty easy to guess what Cal’s answer was. We stopped recruiting the kid after that visit, and he went to Oregon.

 

[KentuckyCat420]

And I think you saw last night that no matter who coached the USA team....RJ Barrett would have done exactly the same thing.

Negative, good coaches have the ability to do this thing called an “in game adjustment.” For those who have followed John Calipari’s career, he does not have this ability.

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

And I think you saw last night that no matter who coached the USA team....RJ Barrett would have done exactly the same thing.

Ummmmm he only scored 21 ppg in the U19 games....... so .... pretty much other coaches did keep him under wraps better than Cal

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

Cam was already going to Duke. Most already knew where he was going. Of course, Cal never gives up. The only recruit we lost because of that trip was Langford. Langford and his dad pissed Cal off that trip. Lied and hid a back injury to make the team. That’s a whole other story in itself. You could say we lost Bol Bol too, because Cal had to cut him. But we had another opportunity to get the kid, and Cal backed off. Bol came down for a visit, everything was going good, and then they had a meeting. Bol Bol wanted to be a ball handler. Bring the ball down the court. Pretty easy to guess what Cal’s answer was. We stopped recruiting the kid after that visit, and he went to Oregon.

We were never getting Langford anyways. Adidas paid his father to run the AAU team.... Langford was always going to an adidas school.

 

[Philstat]

We were never getting Langford anyways. Adidas paid his father to run the AAU team.... Langford was always going to an adidas school.

Probably so, unfortunately this is playing a much more substantial role in collegiate sports than many want to realize. Remember Tyler's mom's position at UNC, same thing with Trajan at Duke, now with Zion and his parents moving to NC in a very exclusive neighborhood, KNOWING good and well, he will be at Duke for less than a season. I know a father who's son who is a highly rated FB player and he recently went and visited one of the top elite prep-boarding schools in the country and was offered a 72k per year scholarship, (religious school, of course) nothing is amateur anymore...

 

[MEMEBLUE]

Yep, feels that way.

Cal needs to do something to shake things up. Stockpiling 10-25th ranked kids who think they're all top level elite players and leave as soon as they can isnt working. We're losing less talented players at the same rate we were losing star players....and it doesn't effing work.

You sir are correct.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Red herring. Nike made sure most their top players didn't go. Adidas did the same. Cal never had a chance.

Nike and K made the first iteration of their deal when k took over as USA coach. Nike runs USA basketball.

It's all right there

 

[Flipflopsandsocks]

He was going to get the chance that Coach K. had enjoyed for years, getting an opportunity to work with the absolute best recruits and getting the exposure and benefits of being the lead for Team USA. Instead, the complete opposite happened, he just sat on his six and did absolutely jack to scheme a defensive plan against R.J. Barrett who picked the USA team apart with 38 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Cal never made a SINGLE adjustment the entire game to slow him down, ever. Shortly after Cam and others looked to play elsewhere, the guy is similar to Coach Roy Williams, he has to have an absolutely stacked roster to compete, he can't coach a team up - simply put, he is what he is!

Duke set aside nearly ten days since their last exhibition to prepare for last night, they wanted a chunk of our rear and it showed, our guys look completely unprepared and shell shocked, that's on Coach Cal. Coach K. once again, outfoxed Cal, at this point, he owns him.

Cam was always being sent to Duke, same as Barrett, and Zion Williamson too after Nike took him from Adidas.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Can't beat the three pronged machine that is Nike/Team USA/media. Duke owns all fronts.

Time to retool. The system needs some adjustments.

 

[Col. Angus]

Yep, feels that way.

Cal needs to do something to shake things up. Stockpiling 10-25th ranked kids who think they're all top level elite players and leave as soon as they can isnt working. We're losing less talented players at the same rate we were losing star players....and it doesn't effing work.

What I've been saying for 4 years now. Getting top 10-50 ranked guys is just fine if you're gonna employ the UNC, Kansas, Villanova method and keep most of em for 3-4 years. UK doesn't do that. UK gets those guys and they all still leave after 2 years max for a multitude of reasons, usually to transfer or to the draft knowing they're not even likely getting drafted.

Getting top 10 guys and understanding they're leaving after a year... fine. But when your top 10-50 recruits leave and you're ALWAYS having to rebuild new teams, you get significant inconsistency.

 

[kybassfan]

I think some people have forgotten Cal didn’t have the best players with him because of the terrorism in egypt.

Dude, don’t interrupt the Cal haters when they have a good hate going. They get all teary, start snacking and retaining water. The fact that you are absolutely correct just means they have to ignore something else.

 

[UK90]

Man, Cal must hate RJ Barrett. The same kid who single-handedly ruined Cal's international coaching reputation while he playing for Canada now delivers Cal's worst ever college beatdown while playing for Duke.

That kid is like Cal's kryptonite.

 

[TheWyldKat]

It doesn’t appear that we will lose as many bigs as we thought. I wonder what ramifications last nights game will have on upcoming recruiting. We may not be able to get any of the big targets that we are wanting if we only lose Travis. If PJ continues to play like you did last night Well he definitely isn’t going pro.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

It doesn’t appear that we will lose as many bigs as we thought. I wonder what ramifications last nights game will have on upcoming recruiting. We may not be able to get any of the big targets that we are wanting if we only lose Travis. If PJ continues to play like you did last night Well he definitely isn’t going pro.

I would caution you against hoping some bigs return. Most of us thought it would be difficult for UK to lose more than a few from last year. Then we lost 7 guys, including two transfers.

UK sells these guys on NBA. They leave for the NBA at their first sight of dry land or transfer when it becomes clear they'll have to wait.

It's a flawed system wherein even the most hopeful can merely point to games like UNC in 2017 and claim, "Well if only they didn't cheat us in that game, Cal would have #9 for UK."

 

[bnewt]

Bolling was lost after he wasn't picked

Play a zone against Cal & he is lost

 

[GonzoCat90]

So everything changed when Coach O left, when we lost to Wisconsin, when we platooned, and when Cal coached the U19s, and it's all settled science that has clear correlation to support it if you ignore the right evidence and grant the right assumptions.

I, for one, am convinced.

 

[crawfords corner]

UConn loss planted a seed about coaching. Wisconsin loss hammered the point home.

 

[GonzoCat90]

UConn loss planted a seed about coaching. Wisconsin loss hammered the point home.

Then no coach can coach.

It's a completely shortsighted and egocentric way to look at it. Every coach has lost a big game, or to a team with less talent, or has blown a big lead, or whatever metric you want to use.

It's dumb to only focus on our coach and think that it's true of him but not apply that standard to everyone else or believe that everyone focuses on our guy just because we do.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

So everything changed when Coach O left, when we lost to Wisconsin, when we platooned, and when Cal coached the U19s, and it's all settled science that has clear correlation to support it if you ignore the right evidence and grant the right assumptions.

I, for one, am convinced.

Most are missing the point, a point that had nothing to do with Calipari or Kentucky. The real difference maker was when Colangelo gifted Coach K Team USA.

Cal's sale's job became somewhat stifled after K's second appearance with Team USA. Hard to compete with the guy who led those squads to multiple gold medals.

 

[UKCATSFREAK]

He was going to get the chance that Coach K. had enjoyed for years, getting an opportunity to work with the absolute best recruits and getting the exposure and benefits of being the lead for Team USA. Instead, the complete opposite happened, he just sat on his six and did absolutely jack to scheme a defensive plan against R.J. Barrett who picked the USA team apart with 38 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Cal never made a SINGLE adjustment the entire game to slow him down, ever. Shortly after Cam and others looked to play elsewhere, the guy is similar to Coach Roy Williams, he has to have an absolutely stacked roster to compete, he can't coach a team up - simply put, he is what he is!

Duke set aside nearly ten days since their last exhibition to prepare for last night, they wanted a chunk of our rear and it showed, our guys look completely unprepared and shell shocked, that's on Coach Cal. Coach K. once again, outfoxed Cal, at this point, he owns him.

Geez, the idiotic posts continue. Let's just fire Cal, aye?? So, who do want to take over for him?


I'm all ears sir.........

 

[Creed Bratton]

Yep, feels that way.

Cal needs to do something to shake things up. Stockpiling 10-25th ranked kids who think they're all top level elite players and leave as soon as they can isnt working. We're losing less talented players at the same rate we were losing star players....and it doesn't effing work.

I have said the same thing for the past 3 seasons.

 

[Philstat]

I have said the same thing for the past 3 seasons.

Yeah, same - it's a formula that doesn't produce desired results!

 

[kb22stang]

There is conspiracy, K is better than Cal. Kids want to play for him.