Kentucky Basketball, Mark Pope S1: An unapologetically biased state of Affairs by BBdK.
-Jaxon Robinson was HUGE for soooo many reasons. 1.) He's a legit baller & shooter, who is primed for a breakout season. He's familiar with his coach & system, and he's proven in the best conference in the nation as 6MOY in what was his breakout year when he really settled in. It was also huge for optics for Pope to have at least ONE of his guys follow...and it just happened to be the best one. Big win.
If there is one thing we're lacking, it's +athletes outside the paint. I reckon Oweh is the best, but Jax helps in that regard. He's far from some freak, but he's able to get/create shots and finish at the rim with ease, and the talent he's surrounded with is now on a clearly different level. He can really do it all, and can be a natural leader and "guy" from Day 1 with his coach & system familiar.
Simply put, with all of the above included, adding THIS as your class capper is a blessing:
-BYU was 12th in the NET heading into the NCAAT: 19-2 v Q234, and finished 5th in again, the best/deepest conference in the nation in year 1. At BYU. And beat 3 of the 4 teams ahead of them. (Kansas, Baylor, ISU), among others.
-Regarding our incoming portals, all of which are good-to-very good already, you have to take into account where they came from & their cast. Good shooters/defenders then? Well how about when they aren't THE focus of either end on a team full of help? + another year of experience, which rules the day in the new NCAA. They're not ALL gonna explode to another level, but a few will, and I don't see why any of them, already proven, would get worse aside from just a random shit year, which happens.
-Andrew Carr was born to play for Mark Pope. Not sure what else you could want from your 4 man, and I low-key think he's may be the prime candidate to be the biggest breakout star of the group/leading scorer. I'd be shocked if he wasn't T3.
For all the talk about "who do you go to when you need a bucket", he's gonna be in the conversation. Pick & Pop may be his game, but he's underrated in Iso/post. There is a video out there of nothing but his post ISO touches (which I can't find) and he's basically unstoppable at 6'10 with elite shooting/passing/skills for a big -- has a sweet lil NBA style just turn/fade if stuffed. And a + defender. SUPER high on him.
-Amari was super huge. He's a willing/++ passer for a big, finisher, and 3x DPOY and Sr grown man. The perfect anchor for a whitey leaning squad...we;ve been lacking true interior defense for years despite the endless 7' FRESHMAN pipeline.
-Brea? Really felt like we had no shot as that one developed, what a snag!
...best returning shooter in CBB. Size, can get his shot off vs anyone, and had to force a lot. And has never been blessed with being on a fully talented roster, nvm one DESIGNED on creating open 3s. He's not some questionable % guy who was just timely in spots, he
shot 201 3s, and made 100.
For reference, Travis Ford shot 191, made 101, in the best shooting year in UKBB history, feeding off Jamal Mashburn kicks in '93. And Brea is 6'7. And surely confident AF ala Reeves heading into his finale....
-Oweh: a crucial piece & also wildcard to me. He's basically the main/only "rugged" utility guy, Butler/Ans maybe. But again, OU was pretty weak last year, and he was somewhat of a standout. Physical/dirty guard, defender, can shoot it when open, and was pretty comfortable in a 3rd scoring option role, vs the best competition in cbb nightly. Huge fan, especially given the overall 'finesse' makeup of the non centers. He made a significant jump last year, and suspect he may be the most underrated signee of them all.
,,which brings me to Butler. Clutch hero, Aztec legend, played for a Natty. And widely considered on of the best, if not THE best, on ball guard defenders in the country. Capable guy to get buckets and make open shots, but his value is as a steady hand, leader, and defender. Imagine he feels pretty good about all the new toys at his disposal. Could have been THE guy for an ever-solid program who's done more than we have of late, but wanted to go compete on the biggest stage, and take a chance for his final year. Captain. Love
-I keep forgetting about Ansley Almonor (my sister's name), but hey. Another proven player, All Conference, with a quick trigger (40% 3), who's got some size and has improved at a + rate each year he's been in college. Played in big games (Purdue upset), can defend 2-5, and had to, and a mostly forgotten high quality add.
-Brandon Garrison, to me, was maybe the biggest BOSS add we had, given the circumstances. Pope convinced a 5* MCDAA, and highly regarded prospect with endless potential by all, to come be a backup for a year. That's big time. He's not some scrub either, 8 & 6, 2 blk/apg, in 21 min, on 57%....in the B12 on a horrific team.
Also had 3 20+ nights. Bigs improve rapidly, and he has a vet mate to beat him up and bring him along.
-I guess the major question & controversial add is Kerr Kriisa. I get it. But the guy was a darling early at AZ, and stepped into the biggest shit show in CBB last year at WVU. He's not a feature guy, just in the headlines. Knockdown shooter, lifetime 2:1 ato, and he seems to know his role coming in. Confidence in outer space, and relishes being a villain. Not a bad thing given our Head Coach's purity, and the other guys we're adding imo. Pope absolutely loves the guy, and has been trying to add him for years now.../trust
-Add 2 of the T5 scorers in KHSSA history. Perry has defied odds at each stop, and Noah has LEGIT potential imo. Local flavor and continuity ftw, they aren't going anywhere.
-Oh, lol. Chandler Who could very well be a star sooner than later.
The Homer Conclusion: Given the outlash, followed by the magic, followed by having legit 0 players/assistants....I award an A- for Coach Mark Pope.
B+? I'd hear it. Anything less than that i can't really get down with imo. I dunno what else you want really, unless it's just Cal style ADD EVERY ATHLETIC STAR LEGGO $$$. Been there, done that.
I see a lot of thought into this roster, and system fits (another topic) , and given the situation, I'm beyond pleased and pleasantly surprised.
***OH, and forgot to mention that absolute homerun staff put together on the fly. JFC. A++
We asked for this. We have it. So if you find yourself starting to get nervous about our roster compared to say, ARKANSAS, or counting ***** just take a step back & deep breath. Who knows how it turns out? But I'm genuinely excited about this bunch, and think we have a chance to be *really* good, and set the tone for a new era.
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517 D1 starts among the group. Five Hundred & 17. Most of which are P5, and to be fair, SDSU should count there. Regardless. Impossible it's ever been higher, for a roster, in UKBB history. Average age of the non-KY/Mormon freshman = basically legal adult+
Even if you dismiss of any/all of that ^^^ dave baker-esque nonsense, it feels like, and is, KENTUCKY BASKETBALL again, in too many ways to count. So my advise -----> Be excited, be optimistic, be proud that our team is back in the hands of us (of which our coach is one), and not some egomaniac coach - we all deserve that
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...now, let's go make a legit move on the gridiron. Summer over yet? Can't F**cking Wait! #GoBigBlue!
