Great job dook!

[feel_the_mashburn]

After being proclaimed the "greatest team ever assembled", dook finishes 13th in the final coaches poll. Great job there K, way to develop all that talent. It's funny when you go back and read all the shit that K was saying prior to the start of the season and then think about how it turned out for him. Oh, also crazy, the entire coaching staff at dook were praising Bolden, talking about how he was such an incredible talent...hmm, what happened there?

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings

 

[Cat Ballou]

I think even Duke fans would concede that K did an awful job with the team this year. If they don't hit a homerun with recruiting this Spring (they won't), wouldn't be surprised to see him retire next year.

K's problem right now is that he has pretty much turned recruiting over to Capel and others, but Capel targets guys that aren't necessarily kids K would have gone after 20 years ago. Not convinced he's forming relationships with the recruits. They've gotten to where they just roll him out like at celebrity at strategic times to close on guys.

 

[Smashcat]

After being proclaimed the "greatest team ever assembled", dook finishes 13th in the final coaches poll. Great job there K, way to develop all that talent. It's funny when you go back and read all the shit that K was saying prior to the start of the season and then think about how it turned out for him. Oh, also crazy, the entire coaching staff at dook were praising Bolden, talking about how he was such an incredible talent...hmm, what happened there?

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings

You just sent Jay Bilas back to the fetal position under the sheets.

 

[Blueaz]

After being proclaimed the "greatest team ever assembled", dook finishes 13th in the final coaches poll. Great job there K, way to develop all that talent. It's funny when you go back and read all the shit that K was saying prior to the start of the season and then think about how it turned out for him. Oh, also crazy, the entire coaching staff at dook were praising Bolden, talking about how he was such an incredible talent...hmm, what happened there?

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings

and 13 is too damn high...imo

 

[king of cali]

Well they did win 4 games in 4 days of a tournament that is tougher to win the NCAAs lol.

 

[lkc1234]

and 13 is too damn high...imo

At least they finished ahead of Louisville.

 

[anon_9qtxg60vqzy0y]

Prior to this season, the last time K took a mid-season "medical" hiatus was in 1995 I believe. He knew then as he knew this year that the season was doomed. He's running out of excuses. I say he retires in the next 2 to 3 years.

 

[EvilMD]

and 13 is too damn high...imo

And so is the rent.

 

[KY Long Rifle]

I was surprised that Duke never really did any better than they did. They were a good team, but they never seemed to get it together. As for Bolden, it happens. Some guys just don't get to the level they need to be at in their freshmen year. On top of that, K is not Cal in terms of getting young players to reach a high level.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

Several issues. They had no PG. The players did not come together until very late, and turns out it was too late. They went from playing through Jefferson and Kennard early in the season, to going through Tatum. They were again too reliant on 3s. No inside game other than Jefferson, who never regained his spot in the pecking order after his injury. And lastly, Bolden and Giles were huge disappointments. Giles should never have played, as many of us said before the season. Jay Williams said the same thing. K got lucky in 2015 with an easy path, and with us stumbling against Wisconsin. Outside of that, his experiment with the OAD system hasn't worked out well.

 

[YourPublicEnemy]

I always think it's stupid that teams like South Carolina jump up into the top four to six teams simply cause of that run.

Let's just forget that they lost 11 games. Not picking on South Carolina, they did this with us, Butler, VCU, etc.

 

[Elliott Tim]

After being proclaimed the "greatest team ever assembled", dook finishes 13th in the final coaches poll. Great job there K, way to develop all that talent. It's funny when you go back and read all the shit that K was saying prior to the start of the season and then think about how it turned out for him. Oh, also crazy, the entire coaching staff at dook were praising Bolden, talking about how he was such an incredible talent...hmm, what happened there?

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings

Can't stand Duke, never could, never will. Perhaps this will compel K to think about riding off into the sunset. 5 titles. What else does he need to prove?

 

[Federal Cat]

I'm gonna cry them a river, not

 

[Dablueman]

So much more to the one and done system than recruiting. Getting the right kinds of kids is essential. For example this season Wendall Carter started out the summer on Cal's radar. Then Carter came out said a few things about planning on using whatever college he goes too just like they use him. Wendall Carter Sr made some comments too and we'll cal switched his focus to Bamba dropped Carter. Everyone wondered why we backed off of young and went after green well The Young's like to talk as well. Cal wouldn't touch Duval. Duke already signed Carter jr and has made Duval their priority. Wake up the kids have to buy in and Cal is pretty good at finding kids who do that. Would bet money Green and Bamba are more productive as team players as team first players then Carter and Duval if by some miracle Duval is eligible. (He will be if he goes to duke) he probably won't be if he goes to Arizona

 

[J-FIELDS23]

Several issues. They had no PG. The players did not come together until very late, and turns out it was too late. They went from playing through Jefferson and Kennard early in the season, to going through Tatum. They were again too reliant on 3s. No inside game other than Jefferson, who never regained his spot in the pecking order after his injury. And lastly, Bolden and Giles were huge disappointments. Giles should never have played, as many of us said before the season. Jay Williams said the same thing. K got lucky in 2015 with an easy path, and with us stumbling against Wisconsin. Outside of that, his experiment with the OAD system hasn't worked out well.

But Dana O'Neil said K was "doing Kentucky better than Kentucky" after 2015....

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

So much more to the one and done system than recruiting. Getting the right kinds of kids is essential. For example this season Wendall Carter started out the summer on Cal's radar. Then Carter came out said a few things about planning on using whatever college he goes too just like they use him. Wendall Carter Sr made some comments too and we'll cal switched his focus to Bamba dropped Carter. Everyone wondered why we backed off of young and went after green well The Young's like to talk as well. Cal wouldn't touch Duval. Duke already signed Carter jr and has made Duval their priority. Wake up the kids have to buy in and Cal is pretty good at finding kids who do that. Would bet money Green and Bamba are more productive as team players as team first players then Carter and Duval if by some miracle Duval is eligible. (He will be if he goes to duke) he probably won't be if he goes to Arizona

Yeah, I am reluctant to put much stock into reports of Cal backing off guys, because it can come across as justifying why we didn't certain players, but I am starting to think there is something to it. I mean, it's just amazing when you see how many players that we were after, didn't get, and they end up having bad years, or issues on or off the court. At some point, it's not just luck anymore.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

But Dana O'Neil said K was "doing Kentucky better than Kentucky" after 2015....

She would say that. Never mind the fact that since K starting getting OADs, he's been to 1 FF and 2 Elite 8s, while Cal's been to 4 FFs and 6 Elite 8s.

 

[LeonThe Camel]

After being proclaimed the "greatest team ever assembled", dook finishes 13th in the final coaches poll. Great job there K, way to develop all that talent. It's funny when you go back and read all the shit that K was saying prior to the start of the season and then think about how it turned out for him. Oh, also crazy, the entire coaching staff at dook were praising Bolden, talking about how he was such an incredible talent...hmm, what happened there?

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings

Lighten up, he had back problems this year.

 

[Neue Regel]

It wasn't one of K's best jobs but there were also issues beyond his control. The ridiculous plague of injuries cannot be dismissed as a contributing factor. I've never seen anything like it in one season and I've been watching hoops since the late 70's. Jefferson, Allen, Tatum, Jackson, Krzyzewski, Bolden and Giles all missed games this year. As soon as the freshmen were all able to play then Jefferson missed some games including the one at Louisville.

To be fair I also agree there were problems that weren't fixable. No point guard, Bolden (as of the time being and despite his injury issues) wasn't ready and I'm not sure that Giles will ever be what he once was but I hope he has great workouts with the scouts and achieves his dream. Injuries overall were a big deal though and I think there's a few less losses if they hadn't had such bad luck. Too bad Duke couldn't have played UNC for the title though as K has been killing Roy for years with "drive and kick" and Roy never seems to have much of an answer. UNC hasn't beaten Duke twice in a season since 2008-2009 when Tyler Hansbrough was in town.

Frustrating season to be sure but there are worse things in life than a 28-9 record an ACC Championship and beating the hated rival 2 of 3. I'm sure some other schools fans are in some stage of denial or remorse this off-season.

A few examples:

-Who ended the regular season # 1? how are Villanova fans feeling?

- Who can't win a regional if his life depended on it? How are Arizona fans feeling?

-How did the current "king of the regular season" do in March? how are Kansas fans feeling?

There's plenty of misery to be shared. LOL.

 

[LeonThe Camel]

Several issues. They had no PG. The players did not come together until very late, and turns out it was too late. They went from playing through Jefferson and Kennard early in the season, to going through Tatum. They were again too reliant on 3s. No inside game other than Jefferson, who never regained his spot in the pecking order after his injury. And lastly, Bolden and Giles were huge disappointments. Giles should never have played, as many of us said before the season. Jay Williams said the same thing. K got lucky in 2015 with an easy path, and with us stumbling against Wisconsin. Outside of that, his experiment with the OAD system hasn't worked out well.

The lack of a PG crushed them.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

True NR, but those injuries played no role in the loss in the tournament. They looked the best they did all year during the ACC tournament.

 

[YouKay]

I was surprised that Duke never really did any better than they did. They were a good team, but they never seemed to get it together. As for Bolden, it happens. Some guys just don't get to the level they need to be at in their freshmen year. On top of that, K is not Cal in terms of getting young players to reach a high level.

Not having a point guard will do that to you. Thinking you can guard Sindarius Thornwell with Luke Kennard will do that too.

Maybe K should have tried harder not to run off Derryck Thornton.

 

[LeonThe Camel]

So much more to the one and done system than recruiting. Getting the right kinds of kids is essential. For example this season Wendall Carter started out the summer on Cal's radar. Then Carter came out said a few things about planning on using whatever college he goes too just like they use him. Wendall Carter Sr made some comments too and we'll cal switched his focus to Bamba dropped Carter. Everyone wondered why we backed off of young and went after green well The Young's like to talk as well. Cal wouldn't touch Duval. Duke already signed Carter jr and has made Duval their priority. Wake up the kids have to buy in and Cal is pretty good at finding kids who do that. Would bet money Green and Bamba are more productive as team players as team first players then Carter and Duval if by some miracle Duval is eligible. (He will be if he goes to duke) he probably won't be if he goes to Arizona

We never backed off Young until it became obvious he was going elsewhere. The same for Carter.

 

[LeonThe Camel]

Yeah, I am reluctant to put much stock into reports of Cal backing off guys, because it can come across as justifying why we didn't certain players, but I am starting to think there is something to it. I mean, it's just amazing when you see how many players that we were after, didn't get, and they end up having bad years, or issues on or off the court. At some point, it's not just luck anymore.

The same could be said about those that recruited Hump, SKJ, Wynyard, Briscoe. Bam did not play up to his preseason ability.

Sometimes players are just misses.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

Leon, I think the ones who back off first are probably not good fits for UK anyway. I get really tired of many of Cal's go-to catchphrases, but the one about UK not being for everyone is spot on. I think there have only been a few exceptions.

 

[Neue Regel]

Not having a point guard will do that to you. Thinking you can guard Sindarius Thornwell with Luke Kennard will do that too.

Maybe K should have tried harder not to run off Derryck Thornton.

I don't disagree at all but with the number of playmakers they have the point guard situation can be masked somewhat. Jon Scheyer was not a point guard but he helmed a 35-5 NC team. Hell Quin Snyder for that matter wasn't a point guard and he helmed two Final Four squads. From a positional standpoint those guys were really 2's playing the 1.

 

[EMMCAT]

I don't disagree at all but with the number of playmakers they have the point guard situation can be masked somewhat. Jon Scheyer was not a point guard but he helmed a 35-5 NC team. Hell Quin Snyder for that matter wasn't a point guard and he helmed two Final Four squads. From a positional standpoint those guys were really 2's playing the 1.

Despite recruiting "coddled" OAD's , Cal's players have avoided all the off court and eligibility issues plaguing Kansas ,et al . Everyone marvels at how the kids share the ball. Especially revealing is the bond they feel AFTER they leave and reach the NBA. My conclusion: Cal does look for higher character team oriented kids and instills a sense of personal responsibility. Look at the behavior of Wall, Davis, Towns even boogie who has given generously to the community.UK fans would have a melt down if our players behaved like the Kansas recruits off the court.

 

[Neue Regel]

Despite recruiting "coddled" OAD's , Cal's players have avoided all the off court and eligibility issues plaguing Kansas ,et al . Everyone marvels at how the kids share the ball. Especially revealing is the bond they feel AFTER they leave and reach the NBA. My conclusion: Cal does look for higher character team oriented kids and instills a sense of personal responsibility. Look at the behavior of Wall, Davis, Towns even boogie who has given generously to the community.UK fans would have a melt down if our players behaved like the Kansas recruits off the court.

Cal has done a great job with his players and has brought in really good kids. I absolutely agree with that 100%.

 

[Dablueman]

We never backed off Young until it became obvious he was going elsewhere. The same for Carter.

We never backed off Young until it became obvious he was going elsewhere. The same for Carter.

Nope we had made great strides all summer with Carter. Even had a few Crystal ball prediction recently change then the stories came out that UK had cooled on Carter. He was a duke lean but at that time so was Bamba. Young wanted to wait til after Fox and Briscoe declared. Cal would have waited but the other guys Cal was recruiting seemed to think young was selfish and preferred Green. So that is the direction we went in. It wasnt clear Young was going elsewhere til we signed Green. That decision was made for him

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

Could be that, but I think Cal didn't want to wait around and lose both. That's been happening lately, and Cal was going to take whichever committed first, IMO.

 

[LeonThe Camel]

Nope we had made great strides all summer with Carter. Even had a few Crystal ball prediction recently change then the stories came out that UK had cooled on Carter. He was a duke lean but at that time so was Bamba. Young wanted to wait til after Fox and Briscoe declared. Cal would have waited but the other guys Cal was recruiting seemed to think young was selfish and preferred Green. So that is the direction we went in. It wasnt clear Young was going elsewhere til we signed Green. That decision was made for him

We were still recruiting Young after Green committed.

 

[Dablueman]

We were still recruiting Young after Green committed.

You really think so? or do u think Young kept us on his list because it looks good. Quade and his dad was quoted saying that they had their man. Not much from the UK and Cal camp about young after we signed Green. I think Cal may have gave him the option of coming in playing shooting guard and left it up to him but the rumors were Young wanted to be the man. Which goes against the servant leadership attittude Cal wants.

 

[LeonThe Camel]

You really think so? or do u think Young kept us on his list because it looks good. Quade and his dad was quoted saying that they had their man. Not much from the UK and Cal camp about young after we signed Green. I think Cal may have gave him the option of coming in playing shooting guard and left it up to him but the rumors were Young wanted to be the man. Which goes against the servant leadership attittude Cal wants.

Yet we are still recruiting guards.

 

[Dablueman]

Yet we are still recruiting guards.

Not pt guards

 

[bigbluehomer]

Cal wants givers, not takers.

 

[Dablueman]

Yet we are still recruiting guards.

Honestly man I know Cal would have taken young if young had a been willing to come in and play the Jamal Murray role but young wanted the ball in his hands. I don't think young or Carter are bad kids just not willing to sacrifice for the team and that is my point. You can't win consistently taking one and done caliber players if you just look at the stars by their name and not their attitude. I don't think Duke understood that. Hell I would have loved to had Young's shooting him in the back court with Green and Diallo with Washington at pf and Bamba by march would be a very very dangerous team to win it all. Be similar to having the 2016 backcourt and the 15 frontcourt talent wise maybe not experiencewise. With 2 lockdown defenders in the backcourt and versatility and rim protection in the front court. With the stories of the defense Richardson is showing at the hoop summit practices and being able to guard multiple positions. We would be painfully young and would take our lumps but not many weeknesses on that team

 

[LeonThe Camel]

Honestly man I know Cal would have taken young if young had a been willing to come in and play the Jamal Murray role but young wanted the ball in his hands. I don't think young or Carter are bad kids just not willing to sacrifice for the team and that is my point. You can't win consistently taking one and done caliber players if you just look at the stars by their name and not their attitude. I don't think Duke understood that. Hell I would have loved to had Young's shooting him in the back court with Green and Diallo with Washington at pf and Bamba by march would be a very very dangerous team to win it all. Be similar to having the 2016 backcourt and the 15 frontcourt talent wise maybe not experiencewise. With 2 lockdown defenders in the backcourt and versatility and rim protection in the front court. With the stories of the defense Richardson is showing at the hoop summit practices and being able to guard multiple positions. We would be painfully young and would take our lumps but not many weeknesses on that team

The difference is simple. If the kids come here, they are willing to sacrifice. If they go elsewhere, they weren't. We recruited the players, they choose elsewhere.

Attitude was not an issue until they went elsewhere.

 

[Dablueman]

The difference is simple. If the kids come here, they are willing to sacrifice. If they go elsewhere, they weren't. We recruited the players, they choose elsewhere.

Attitude was not an issue until they went elsewhere.

Well maybe attitude is the wrong word. However we backed off carter. We backed off Ayton we wouldn't recruit duval. Ayton and Preston wanted to come here. Preston practically begged for an offer. Young and his dad made lots of quotes and Cal listened to his other recruits took a commit from green when us and ok were neck and neck for him. The point is yes we might would have taken young to back up green and play the 2. But Cal chose not to wait on young it was months later when he committed to OK. He hasn't ever had a problem waiting for the guys he really wants before. Carter when asked about UK said I haven't heard much from them lately. It was a few weeks after the I'm gonna use what ever college I go to quote he made. 2 weeks before the quote we were seen as strong second to duke and no more behind than we were for Bamba. Cal dropped Carter and focused on Bamba for a reason. So you honestly think cal just takes a list of all five stars and tells his assistants go get em? Then why no Ayton who according to everyone was ours to lose for 2 years. But eligibility questions arose. We backed off. Preston transferred to oak Hill hoping for an offer after Cal made it clear he wouldn't take kids from the basketball factory prep school he went to. Look at duke Tatum reputation of being selfish Bolden a waffler who actually played us so we couldn't get Alan even took jabs ar us in the media. Anybody would have taken a chance on Giles but look at what happened stories of team meetings attitude problems and despite how they did the last four games in what turns out to be an overrated ACC. They were losing games they should a won late in the season

 

[LeonThe Camel]

We are just going to disagree. We have taken on players with much bigger issues than any of this year's potential recruits.

 

[Bigblueforever]

Prior to this season, the last time K took a mid-season "medical" hiatus was in 1995 I believe. He knew then as he knew this year that the season was doomed. He's running out of excuses. I say he retires in the next 2 to 3 years.

I hope so, no matter what K is saying or doing it's ok by the media because it's coach K