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GYERO ARCHIVE

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The fiasco that was Senior Night starting with Ellen Calipari wearing Wheeler’s jersey while Wheeler pouted somewhere outside of Rupp Arena finalized by losing to Vandy is just an incredible set of events for Kentucky Basketball. I still can’t believe that night.

Then yesterday the final nail in the coffin was watching first year head coach Jerome Tang postgame swing his nuts all over our program, our players and John Calipari.

I don’t think there’s a separate UK Athletics Board of Trustees anymore , it all flows through the general university BOT.

Whomever these people are need to have a come to Jesus with Mitch Barnhart, and John Calipari yesterday.

It is no longer acceptable to have mediocre regular seasons. It matters at Kentucky to win the Champions Classic, CBS Sports Classic and other regular season made for tv games. It matters to have more than one (if that) marquee non conference game at Rupp. It matters to win SEC regular season and SEC tournament titles. It matters to have teams consistently competing for national championships and advancing far in the tournament on a year to year basis.

Enough of this horse shit. Hold Calipari responsible and demand better.
 
Yep. Nothing complicated about the situation. All very cut and dry!
It is if you look at what is actually happening rather than BS being fed to beat reporters.

I watched him stand there, no boot, no limp, just cutting up at half court during every home game warmup. This just happened to coincide with with being benched. Then, not like we needed more proof, but he allegedly had a minor procedure that required him and his family to miss Senior Night. If that weren't enough, he was supposed to be back and available for the NCAAT and he never got off the bench.

So, he quit when he got benched, which was pretty obvious, yet unbelievable, weeks ago.
 
Wheeler missed senior night because of a procedure that was scheduled the day of despite being announced as participating in senior day the day before and then was back on the bench 3 days later.

I will never get over that. It is without a doubt the strangest thing to happen to UK basketball that I can remember and we had a coach allegedly sleeping with a players girlfriend.
 
The fact of the matter is every top 50 hell maybe 100 recruit thinks they’re one and done lottery material. Most aren’t. But their interest in coming here is showcasing and leaving. It’s an open to the public everybody knows this fact. If you’re a program that gets a couple of those guys and then some solid developing players, you’ll do well. The problem is when your identity is get a whole crop of these guys every year, see what happens, repeat, your basketball team won’t be as good as more experienced/over all more talented teams (that play basketball to win and not just try to showcase guys) you need to beat to win at a level UK fans want/expect.

You’ll luck into some teams that overwhelm people with talent. But that’s getting harder and harder to do because now you’ve got one and done PLUS instant transfer eligibility. The game has literally done changed and if you don’t get a great crop, you’re done.


So like I said before- you’re either built for recruiting and draft night success, or basketball team success.
 
So Wheeler decided he was just going to longer play but continue to sit on the bench. Sharpe decided to practice and get the exposure but refused to play. Vanderbilt and Clark basically did the same. The Dragon quit before the first semester ended. What a cluster fvck.

All the while Cal keeps feeding us a bunch of BS that we used to just go along with because things were ok. Now that the wheels have fallen off no one wants to hear that crap anymore. He won one championship a decade ago and he fully expects us to bow down in front of him, kiss his feet, and thank our lucky stars daily that he allows us to be our “leader”. But this ain’t communism or some bullshit line he likes to regurgitate.
 
What is the floor for next year's team where fans will be ok with Cal coming back the following year? Right or wrong, IMO, at this stage of his tenure its Final Four or bust. Mediocrity cannot be accepted anymore. Either get it done next season or get out.
 
- All of this is why Cal is known as a used car salesman. I know you guys are sick of the lack of wins in March and I get it, but we have been a top 10 team in 2 of the last 5 seasons and a top 25 2 of the last 5 as well.

No administration is firing a coach with that record.

- What I’m sick of is the charade. It’s always been there but it was funny when we were winning and his goofy ass was plastered all over TV with his cliche BS.

I know it’s bad business to let people know all the truth of bad situations and keeping some stuff in house to be dealt with, but Christ like has been said if you see what happening it doesn’t need to be explained.

- There is 0 chance Cal isn’t back coaching UK next year, and when that team, built the way Cal coaches, succeeds by staying amongst the top 10 all year and gets to an E8 as a 1 or 2 seed that will buy another year.

The only thing that matters to me is that when that extra year comes to him if Travis Perry and Reed Sheperd aren’t our starting backcourt then I’ll expect enough noise mixed with the right amount of buyout left to get rid of him.

- At that point hopefully better options for a new coach of this program makes sense because I can’t say I like many options really at this point other than “anyone but Cal” which I get.
 
How did we go from "I can't hide you" to Cal turning into Miep Gies?

"These kids think they poop ice cream" to Cal running behind every top 10 kid he gets with a cone in his hand?

"This place isn't for everybody" to bringing in every 6"10 transfer that feigns interest?

When did we turn into IMG academy? A reality basketball version of Lord of the Flies?

Who's at the steering wheel here? Handlers? Meetch? Eli?

Someone fix this stupid shit already.
 
- Bottom line when it comes to the roster...we need to add two proven Power Five guards(or Reeves and one) to Wagner/Dillingham/Shep. We're always a guard short. ALWAYS. If Shep is the fifth guard who plays only when necessary, that's a sign that the roster is at least a bit more sensibly-built.

- Obviously frontcourt will need help, too. But since the tournament is a guard-driven tournament, that has to be the highest priority right off the top.

- K-State's shots came easier, both the ones they missed in the first half, and the ones they hit in the second half. All season, even the open shots for Kentucky seemed to be a struggle to get to. No flow whatsoever. Reminds me of that quote from (I think) Booker, who said that you better be able to get your own shot, because Cal won't get it for you (heavily paraphrased, but you catch my drift).

- I love Goose and will forever appreciate him carrying the CATS to the '78 championship, but he just doesn't click in the analyst chair for me. Pregame/postgame, the weeknight show on WLEX, etc., all fine for Goose. But it just doesn't work with him calling the game. Then again, maybe it's because I've been so spoiled listening to the Westwood One guys all week.

- I agree with Geese regarding Johnson from Woodford. You can tell there's *something* there, but if you hadn't already told me he was top 40 nationally in his class, I'd never believe it.

- Longest three days of the year start now.
 
- All of this is why Cal is known as a used car salesman. I know you guys are sick of the lack of wins in March and I get it, but we have been a top 10 team in 2 of the last 5 seasons and a top 25 2 of the last 5 as well.

No administration is firing a coach with that record.

Maybe at a place like Tennessee or a second tier program. Not many blue blood programs will accept horrendous losses (both in season and especially during the tournament), the worst season in program history, the utter chaos that is our rosterpocalypse on an annual basis and the fact that we are paying him like he's the best coach in the game when it's proven on a weekly basis that he's college basketball's version of Dr. Frankenstein.

Furthermore, we were top 10 for all of what, two weeks? I don't think a pre-season poll should hold any water when you spent the year playing like a pickup squad at the local YMCA.

This is Kentucky damn it, we don't play this stupid rec league shit.
 
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Maybe at a place like Tennessee or a second tier program. Not many blue blood programs will accept horrendous losses (both in season and especially during the tournament), the worst season in program history, the utter chaos that is our rosterpocalypse on an annual basis and the fact that we are paying him like he's the best coach in the game when it's proven on a weekly basis that he's college basketball's version of Dr. Frankenstein.

Furthermore, we were top 10 for all of what, two weeks? I don't think a pre-season poll should hold any water when you spent the year playing like a pickup squad at the local YMCA.

This is Kentucky damn it, we don't play this stupid rec league shit.

I’m not in a position that I want to defend against what you are saying because I want him gone too, but our last 5 seasons are:

30-7 Top 10, 2 seed E8
25-6 cut short due to covid, clear top 10
9-16
26-8 2 seed in the NCAA Tournment
22-12 6 seed top 25

No one, including blue blood schools is firing a coach with a 40M buyout after that five year run.

I don’t like this anymore than anyone else.
 
He's not getting fired. Krazy is right about that. He's wrong that his recent record is acceptable. We didn't accept it with Tubby, Hall or BCG. However, we probably don't want to get to the point he's fired. Ending this on a sour note would a long lingering issue. I have no idea how it ends, tbh.
 
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I’m not in a position that I want to defend against what you are saying because I want him gone too, but our last 5 seasons are:

30-7 Top 10, 2 seed E8
25-6 cut short due to covid, clear top 10
9-16
26-8 2 seed in the NCAA Tournment
22-12 6 seed top 25

No one, including blue blood schools is firing a coach with a 40M buyout after that five year run.

I don’t like this anymore than anyone else.
- Lost to a 5 seed, a team you had already beaten 2x (once by 30) and was also missing best post player. Choked the life out of that game.

- PG had quit the team!! Seems to be a theme.

- 9-16! 9 and f’n 16!

- Lost to a 15 seed, most embarrassing tourney loss ever

- Preseason top5, on the bubble for most the year.
 
Remember before last year when there was a possibility of Oscar and Cockburn on the same team? I’d love to peek into the alternate universe where that happened. Lordy.

And that’s not a good Lordy.
 
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All of this is why Cal is known as a used car salesman. I know you guys are sick of the lack of wins in March and I get it, we have been a top 10 team in 2 of the last 5 seasons and a top 25 2 of the last 5 as well.
That's some Rafters level take.

- Don't think we'll be able to quantify the mistakes and deficiencies Oscar spakled over until next year. Sure he was a liability in P&R, but he was also the only one who showed out EVERY game and carried this team for long stretches the past two years.

- Cal's players first mentality works, to an extent. You've also got to know when to drop the hammer. Constantly caving and acquiescing over holding any accountability eventually comes back to bite you. I think that's a big element in the team dysfunction the last five years; players realizing they run the show and call the shots, then at the slightest pushback, fold like a cheap suit.

- Was jacked for the tournament but once we lost, I didn't feel anything. Hate it for the players, great group of guys. Unlike like with St Peter’s and years past, there wasn’t disgust or frustration, just indifference. Full blown apathy.

- It’s over. The fans are dejected and it’s clear our coach abhors us. If the administration needs one more year for the buyout to decrease, whatever. The outcome will be no different. No shooters, no depth at guard, antiquated offense and that huge X factor in the middle gone, replaced with frosh with yeoman's exceptions to live up to.
 
Jay Bilas goes on a nationally syndicated program this morning and says our struggles are due to a lack of talent. Boy, let me tell you something Jay. Who from St. Peter's is in the NBA this year? Vandy got some NBA talent sitting on the bench? How about the KSU/Auburn teams we've lost to in our last two main runs?

Cal can get talent, he just can't do shit with it anymore because he's more interested in accumulating it than he is molding it. Roster construction is a nightmare and even when it wasn't (2015), he was still playing the wrong guys in the wrong position.

If we can swing 9 million a year to lose 10 games and do jack shit in the tournament, we can swing 40 million to hire someone for less than half of that to do better. Tommy Lloyd is making 3.6 million a year. Would you switch with Arizona tomorrow?
 
Cal is a one and done coach in a transfer portal world. Forget this incoming freshman class, Cal needs to go out and get at least two impact transfer guards. Not players who will just supplement the freshmen, but ones who will come in and lead the team. These kinds of players are out there.
 
Kills me to hear Cal say that all 6 seniors would leave when asked if all would come back. I’m sick of his attitude on this.

Say we lose the obvious, Wheeler, Canada and Wallace, who is the only projected 1st rounder. Why wouldn’t Toppin, CJ, Oscar and Reeves come back?

3 of the 4 have already stated that they would love to return, only Toppin hasn’t. Likely if the other 3 did return, Toppin would.

None are projected to be first rounders, and would likely make more NIL money here than next year off a 2nd round rookie contract, that’s if they make a roster.

They each play a spot, where we could definitely use them in the lineup next year.

We are bringing in a bunch of guards next year, along with a wing and a big. SG and PF needed.

Injuries should have taught us by now that we need to fill the scholarships from now on.

It may not happen, it may be a pipe dream, but I read where Cal is looking at a Harvard PF in the portal. I would rather have any of our 4 guys back over any transfer.
 
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