Freshman heavy team

[LXA_chop]

If we had 2013-14 roster this season would we all still be this bitter? It was very Freshman heavy with a returning WCS that avg 8pts/game as a freshman the year before and a APoy that hadn't lived up to hype being the "seasoned" vets coming back.

We should have won the ship that year. Why is this roster so far removed from that?

 

[UKWildcats1987]

That team lost 10 games and was an 8 seed. They could have lost in 1st round as well or any game after that.

 

[LXA_chop]

That team lost 10 games and was an 8 seed. They could have lost in 1st round as well or any game after that.

But didn't. They were 31-11. I would say if you tell me this team finshes 31-11 and makes the championship game I would say, I'll take that.

 

[Rockfly78]

But didn't. They were 31-11. I would say if you tell me this team finshes 31-11 and makes the championship game I would say, I'll take that.

We would all take that. Is that what you see happening with this team? What’s the point of this?

 

[LXA_chop]

We would all take that. Is that what you see happening with this team? What’s the point of this?

The point is, I'm seeing a lot of negative on here about us being so freshman heavy and missing on transfers. Our fan base have developed a defeatist attitude. We just need to be fans, cheer on our team and be optimistic it works out. Because in reality none of us know if it will or won't.

 

[Jmeeks54thebest]

The point is, I'm seeing a lot of negative on here about us being so freshman heavy and missing on transfers. Our fan base have developed a defeatist attitude. We just need to be fans, cheer on our team and be optimistic it works out. Because in reality none of us know if it will or won't.

Probably because the most recent freshmen heavy team we had went 9-16. This group also doesn’t have an obvious superstar. There is no Julius Randle level talent in this recruiting class and none of our guards have the chemistry that a pair of twin guards would have.

 

[ukypug]

Well, we have all witnessed Cal can’t coach older transfers, so maybe he gets his fire back with Freshman.

 

[dcw62]

The Cal then is not the Cal now.... that's why you can't compare the 2 teams

 

[kartmd]

Cal couldn’t win with arguably one of if not *the* best team in modern college bball history in 2014-2015. I’d love to be wrong, but I’m not holding my breath for this upcoming season

 

[ArtLaibsGhost]

Probably because the most recent freshmen heavy team we had went 9-16. This group also doesn’t have an obvious superstar. There is no Julius Randle level talent in this recruiting class and none of our guards have the chemistry that a pair of twin guards would have.

You have no idea if we have a Randle type talent in class,nobody has ever seen them play a second of college ball. Might have a superstar or it could be a bust. No reason some of this shouldn't be opti istic

 

[Jmeeks54thebest]

You have no idea if we have a Randle type talent in class,nobody has ever seen them play a second of college ball. Might have a superstar or it could be a bust. No reason some of this shouldn't be opti istic

You want to put money on it?

 

[BBNinSC]

There is a superstar on this roster. It will be Wagner or Edwards

 

[dl51344]

But didn't. They were 31-11. I would say if you tell me this team finshes 31-11 and makes the championship game I would say, I'll take that.

That is not Ky basketball. Loose 11 games is suppose to be good?

 

[Wildcats1st]

Times have changed folks. College basketball has become a man’s game. I say it over and over but look at the talent on the 2018 team and the time it took it to develop? This team who knows? But the problem is inexperience, the learning curve and early losses leading to bad seeding, no leadership, very little experience when every team winning it all is experienced. And this isn’t what cal wanted. He was unable to find any success once we were bounced from the tourney. Man what a shame to waste that class without bringing back some toughness and leadership. Reeves would help but maybe that gets us to top 25 level. We are going to be young and raw. 2020 flash backs

 

[BlueSince92]

Lol. The twins were top-15 and top-5 recruits respectively *in a very very strong overall recruiting class*. Plus they had grown up together minute by minute and had next-level synergy between them that blew away anything you can normally get from kids playing together even all four years. Randall was number 2 in most rankings and was one of the best power forwards to ever play here and he looked it coming in. It was about more than just ranking numbers for him: he was a Godzilla among munchkins. He had an NBA old-school 4 body before he ever set foot on campus. He had speed, height, size, strength, very very highly developed post moves. It was frankly about even more than both rankings and synergy for the twins too: at 6'6" and solid they gave us way more options to shred defenses than you almost ever have from guards. WCS had already turned in five 4-block games and one 7-block game as a frosh. That team was also one of Cal's most well-crafted rosters ever, with highly ranked kids playing their natural positions at every spot 1 through 5. And that class was so freaking deep that no matter what you did you always had at least 3 top-25 guys sitting on the bench drooling to come in.

We're not being bitter; we're being objective. In contrast, some people are straining so hard to condemn us they have clearly lost all sense of objectivity.

 

[UKBB4Ever]

That team lost 10 games and was an 8 seed. They could have lost in 1st round as well or any game after that.

Yet it made the title game. Can you find anything else to whine about?

This year's winner could have lost in any game too. That team took a while to get but they ended up a great team. So now it's the season? Last year when we earned a 2 seed because of our season it didn't matter to the Cal hate cult because we got upset in the first round. Now '14 was bad because even though the made the FF they lost 10 games?

 

[BBNWildcat]

If we had 2013-14 roster this season would we all still be this bitter? It was very Freshman heavy with a returning WCS that avg 8pts/game as a freshman the year before and a APoy that hadn't lived up to hype being the "seasoned" vets coming back.

We should have won the ship that year. Why is this roster so far removed from that?

Bad enough you don't spell check, but to neglect it in your headline is inexcusable.

 

[LXA_chop]

Bad enough you don't spell check, but to neglect it in your headline is inexcusable.

Thanks grammar police.

 

[rob_47]

Probably because the most recent freshmen heavy team we had went 9-16. This group also doesn’t have an obvious superstar. There is no Julius Randle level talent in this recruiting class and none of our guards have the chemistry that a pair of twin guards would have.

The gaurd play between this team and the 9-16 team is night and day difference. I mean I'm concerned because I think we need more guys as well but we will have 3 or 4 guards who are all better than guards who started on that team. That team was severely flawed in many respects I don't understand comparing this coming up team to that year.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Yet it made the title game. Can you find anything else to whine about?

This year's winner could have lost in any game too. That team took a while to get but they ended up a great team. So now it's the season? Last year when we earned a 2 seed because of our season it didn't matter to the Cal hate cult because we got upset in the first round. Now '14 was bad because even though the made the FF they lost 10 games?

No 2014 was a good season but only because of that. If they had lost to wsu would have been a disaster season.

And uconn could have lost any ncaa game? Tell me u didn't watch without telling me u didn't watch. Unless u are babbling about something else.

 

[JonathanW]

The 13-14 team had IMO better FR Randle, the twins, Young. Actually the main difference is Randle. You can make the case that Wagner, Dillingham & Sheppard can match the twins. And I think Edwards can be as good or even better than Young. But in no way do I think skinny weak Bradshaw comes close to Randle, he was a FR w/ the body of a 5th year SR.

Also they returned more, WCS filled in nicely for the injured Noel. Yeah he was 8.3-6.4-1.7 his FR year, but after the Noel injury he was 9.6-7.7-3.0 with good defense. And Poythress was better than many claim 11.2-6.0 as a FR.

And the 13-14 team struggled. They just got hot at the right time (like UNC did 2 seasons ago).

But I think comparing next year's team to the 13-14 team or the 17-18 team are pretty good comparisons in age, and talent, and probably outcome. Both of those teams entered the NCAA-T at 24-10.
And given the past 2 tournament outcomes, and the disasterous season the year before that, we need more than a 24-10 team with an outside shot to get hot.

 

[AGEE11]

Biggest difference between this roster and 2014 is who will be the Randle player. We could give him the ball and let him go get a bucket.

I think Wagner has that kind of dog in him and Edwards is definitely talented enough, but can they do what Randle did? If so, add some role player and we will be good.

I have concerns about the man driving the ship, but he's what we got. I think the addition of Welch could pay off in Robic like dividends.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

The 13-14 team had IMO better FR Randle, the twins, Young. Actually the main difference is Randle. You can make the case that Wagner, Dillingham & Sheppard can match the twins. And I think Edwards can be as good or even better than Young. But in no way do I think skinny weak Bradshaw comes close to Randle, he was a FR w/ the body of a 5th year SR.

Also they returned more, WCS filled in nicely for the injured Noel. Yeah he was 8.3-6.4-1.7 his FR year, but after the Noel injury he was 9.6-7.7-3.0 with good defense. And Poythress was better than many claim 11.2-6.0 as a FR.

And the 13-14 team struggled. They just got hot at the right time (like UNC did 2 seasons ago).

But I think comparing next year's team to the 13-14 team or the 17-18 team are pretty good comparisons in age, and talent, and probably outcome. Both of those teams entered the NCAA-T at 24-10.
And given the past 2 tournament outcomes, and the disasterous season the year before that, we need more than a 24-10 team with an outside shot to get hot.

I'd like to think this class can outmatch that one. Randle will be tough to beat, because he was proven, and he was one of the best players in college that year. But Wagner SHOULD be better than the Twins and Edwards should be better than James Young. Honestly Young and the twins weren't really all that great to me. As other shave said, this team was only an 8 seed and the twins were really frustrating for the entire year.

But still, rolling into this season eith all freshman isn't ideal. Who knows maybe Wagner winds up being the kind of "bust" that BJ Boston was. We can't afford that. We need all of these recruits to be fairly close to their ranking.

 

[ukjenning44]

The point is, I'm seeing a lot of negative on here about us being so freshman heavy and missing on transfers. Our fan base have developed a defeatist attitude. We just need to be fans, cheer on our team and be optimistic it works out. Because in reality none of us know if it will or won't.

The past 3 seasons would make any fan base have a defeatist attitude. Cal’s lack of coaching ability has been exposed. He couldn’t win with a veteran roster last season. The upcoming season could be a nightmare.
All we have anymore is team turmoil. The players look miserable!

 

[EdgeHD]

After watching clips and reading about the AAU performance, Burks is a better player than people think. Forget the star rating and look at his game. He needs to add muscle but Burks is skilled, confident, and aggressive. Everyone is penciling Bradshaw as a 4 but Bradshaw is a 5 who wants to be a 4 for the same immature reason that many high school 5s think they are 4s. So 4 is a positional need that must be addressed. Kaluma appears to be the 4 we need but getting both Burks and Kaluma at this point would be huge for this team.

I have acknowledged that my confidence in Cal has been waning for some time. Remains to be seen if Cal can push the right buttons and guide the team. But if we get Reeves, Kaluma, and Burks, then we will have a chance to compete and be successful against a respectable schedule. I remain skeptical about Cal's methods and social priorities. But you have to have players. If you don't have enough players, it doesn't matter what your philosophy is. With Kaluba, Burks, and Reeves, we get closer to having a viable roster. One more would be even better.

 

[JonathanW]

But still, rolling into this season eith all freshman isn't ideal. Who knows maybe Wagner winds up being the kind of "bust" that BJ Boston was. We can't afford that. We need all of these recruits to be fairly close to their ranking.

If it makes you feel any better 🤣 , since I was the one on this board that correctly predicted top rated recruits Whitney, Boston, Collins, & Livingston to be a disappointments; I think Wagner will be really good. Not great, but very good. That he'll make a Fox level impact on the team, and Edwards will be even better than that.
But on the other hand, I also think Bradshaw is too weak and will be a disappointment, and that barring adding someone like Kaluma, that Theiro may be our most effective PF/4 next year (but Bradshaw will play more).

 

[Seth_C]

The point is, I'm seeing a lot of negative on here about us being so freshman heavy and missing on transfers. Our fan base have developed a defeatist attitude. We just need to be fans, cheer on our team and be optimistic it works out. Because in reality none of us know if it will or won't.

Ah, delusion and blind support. Which person in the administration at UK are you?

 

[KYFOSSIL]

That is not Ky basketball. Loose 11 games is suppose to be good?

I believe your post is a perfect example of what he’s talking about you focus on the 11 losses not the 31 wins and runner up game

 

[UKWildcats1987]

I believe your post is a perfect example of what he’s talking about you focus on the 11 losses not the 31 wins and runner up game

The team actually won 29 games. I remember the title game run about that team but the other posters point is losing 10 games pre ncaa can put you in a bad spot seed wise, which it did.

Kudos to the team for winning 5 straight close games but that's rare, especially with a young team.

 

[UK_Born_an_Bread]

The point is, I'm seeing a lot of negative on here about us being so freshman heavy and missing on transfers. Our fan base have developed a defeatist attitude. We just need to be fans, cheer on our team and be optimistic it works out. Because in reality none of us know if it will or won't.

Oh we KNOW already how this ends. You conveniently left out that there was no transfer portal in 2013-2024.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

But didn't. They were 31-11. I would say if you tell me this team finshes 31-11 and makes the championship game I would say, I'll take that.

They were 29-11.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Yet it made the title game. Can you find anything else to whine about?

This year's winner could have lost in any game too. That team took a while to get but they ended up a great team. So now it's the season? Last year when we earned a 2 seed because of our season it didn't matter to the Cal hate cult because we got upset in the first round. Now '14 was bad because even though the made the FF they lost 10 games?

The point is that you can't depend on a freshmen-dominated team unless they have superior talent.

The jury is out on whether or not we have that. Edwards will have to be the Duke-version of Jayson Tatum and/or Wagner will have to be Brandon Knight level.

I don't see either happening.

 

[Smashcat]

Speaking of frosh.

 

[ukcat27]

The point is, I'm seeing a lot of negative on here about us being so freshman heavy and missing on transfers. Our fan base have developed a defeatist attitude. We just need to be fans, cheer on our team and be optimistic it works out. Because in reality none of us know if it will or won't.

well said

 

[JonathanW]

I believe your post is a perfect example of what he’s talking about you focus on the 11 losses not the 31 wins and runner up game

I think you have to consider ALL OF IT. Not just the W-L totals, not just the NCAA-T outcome, but BOTH.
13-14 was a big failure during the regular season, but a big success in the NCAA-T, so the ENTIRE SEASON was good, but not great.

 

[ganner918]

"Freshman heavy" is underselling what we're looking at. We might end up with 7 freshmen, 2 untested sophomores, and maybe a couple of upperclassmen (Reeves/transfer) if we're lucky.

 

[JonathanW]

The point is that you can't depend on a freshmen-dominated team unless they have superior talent.

The jury is out on whether or not we have that. Edwards will have to be the Duke-version of Jayson Tatum and/or Wagner will have to be Brandon Knight level.

I don't see either happening.

Edwards not as physical as Tatum. But I do believe he can be that good (or close to it), better than James Young or Kevin Knox, maybe just a baby step behind what Brandon Miller was last year or Tatum.
And I think Wagner can be close to if not equivalent to Knight and Fox. Not the shooter Knight was, but he does seem to have that alpha/gamer quality in him.
The bigger issue is interior, we need Onyenso to be really good, or Bradshaw to be better than I expect (wrt being able to handle more physical players), or add someone like Kaluma.

 

[STL_Cat]

That was a really below average season with an awesome run in the NCAA tournament that salvaged it. But make no mistake, the season sucked.

 

[seccats04]

That was a really below average season with an awesome run in the NCAA tournament that salvaged it. But make no mistake, the season sucked.

Yes. Even though that was a really fun run in the NCAAT it could've easily ended in the 2nd round against WSU. WSU missed a jumper at the buzzer that would've won it.

That team was basically this past year's regular season and then a good run in the NCAAT was the only difference. I don't want UK to just be a 3 week season in March. We are the number one program for many reasons. Used to be the all time wins leader, dominated the SEC and SECT, second most titles, most E8's, etc. Bottom line, the regular season counts too and I'm tired of ugly basketball.