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If we still have room for Garrison

chasingwildcat

Sophomore
Dec 23, 2024
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I mean we are now crowded in frontcourt

Assume with no major injuries, dioubate, jq, jelavic should be higher priority than Garrison in rotation, Moreno could as well..

So Garrison's role is not larger than last year

I really want him to stay but I am concerned if he may consider leaving
 
I mean we are now crowded in frontcourt

Assume with no major injuries, dioubate, jq, jelavic should be higher priority than Garrison in rotation, Moreno could as well..

So Garrison's role is not larger than last year

I really want him to stay but I am concerned if he may consider leaving
According to the other site and thread this has no impact on his decision. So yeah!
 
I see him starting at the 5 next year starting out.. AJ will need to get used to american college basketball plus JQ will need to be brought along slow until leg completely heals up and MM brought along slow too.. So starting out you'll probably have BG,, JQ and MM at 5.. Then MB,, AJ with BG filling in as needed and KW in there somewhere I'd guess.. Could be wrong though,, am a lot..
 
I mean we are now crowded in frontcourt

Assume with no major injuries, dioubate, jq, jelavic should be higher priority than Garrison in rotation, Moreno could as well..

So Garrison's role is not larger than last year

I really want him to stay but I am concerned if he may consider leaving
How can you say 3 new players will be a higher priority than a returning player?
 
Here's what you tell these players. You want to play at the next level, right? You earn PT in a crowded roster, that goes a long way to proving you can play in the pros. Go to a school with guaranteed PT, you aren't making that case as well. Not entirely compelling, but if they don't buy it and leave, you move on. Can't not take guys because someone might leave.
 
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That timeline for JQ is extremely optimistic and I don't think it's really fair to him either. A 6-month return from an ACL sounds crazy. If he could be back in 8-9, with maybe a few warmup games before the SEC meatgrinder, that'd be good with me.

Still plenty of time for Garrison to play. If he's a competitor, then he needs to play like he wants to take over the position for the entire year.
 
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Could it be that some overestimate the value of a couple of unproven (in college) Freshmen and underestimate the value of a Junior to be who had a decent, but not earth shattering, first season in Lexington?

We shall see.
Agree if we ASSume they should improve doesn’t mean they will then we will have people saying the same ole thing. Well Pope should’ve known they may not increase their production he should’ve gotten better players.
 
Of course we have room for Garrison. The better the talent we have; BG would certainly benefit. He should want to surround himself with the best possible talent.
Iron sharpens iron.

This team's practices are going to look like war zones on any given day.

We now have five players at 6'8 or taller: Williams at 6'8, JQ at 6'9, Garrison at 6'10, Jelavic at 6'11, and Moreno around 7'1.

I saw where Jelavic has a 7'2 wingspan. Heard JQ has between a 7'3-7'5 wingspan, and that Williams had a better than 7' wingspan.

That's insane. We're going to be a nightmare on defense next year.
 
Love the frontcourt talent and depth.

Quaintance (6’10, 230)- proven guy, former Burger Boy.
Garrison (6’10, 240)- proven guy, former Burger Boy.
Dioubate (6’7, 220)- proven guy, played in Final Four.
Jelavic (6’11, 225)- played in Europe, should be tested.
Moreno (7’0, 225)- Burger Boy.

The experienced guys are going to get the minutes, unless the Freshmen prove they deserve more. So the Freshmen should not feel the pressure to carry the load. Give them time to get acclimated.

Also, we’ve got the depth so that if Quaintance isn’t ready when the season starts, we should be okay.

Overall, on paper, we’ve got a pretty solid frontcourt.
 
All these players sound great but I’m also excited about having an in game coach. All this talent we have seen before but not with a coach that can adjust in the game and win it. Yes, Pope has his own things to work on, but the guy is a hell of a coach. I’m really excited to see what a coach like Pope can do with upgraded talent and athleticism as the years progress.
 
Lots of people on here have the “shiny new toy” syndrome going on. I think they caught it from years of exposure (Calipari).
Lot of people could be young, and just not remember the pre-Calipari days. We used to watch guys for a year or two and say "oh man, that guy does some things that are really nice, give him some time to put it together and he's gonna be great." I remember being impressed with a freshman Erik Daniels, but he wasn't a major contributor until his junior year, then he was a bad mofo as a senior.

People are also used to Calipari's short rotation and aren't realizing that 9, 10, 11 guys can get minutes. Rick's and Tubby's teams would have 10 guys play 10 mpg. Pope is building that kind of team, that kind of program.
 
I love our frontcourt. Call it crowded but when:

--You run a highly uptempo offense
--Your offense is designed to cover a lot more ground than average per possession regardless of game pace
--Your flagship guy is coming off ACL surgery
--One of your guys is a freshmen not named Terrence Jones
--The SEC and a few other assorted schools beat the living ish out of us last year in more than one way

I'm really thinking five guys manning the post is just about right. Especially in the 15-ride era.

Just give me one cold-blooded sniper guard. Lamar's level or above if we can get one. And then just stand aside.

(We coming in your windows.)
(We snatching your people up.)


Bedintrudercoverwiki.jpg
 
Love the frontcourt talent and depth.

Quaintance (6’10, 230)- proven guy, former Burger Boy.
Garrison (6’10, 240)- proven guy, former Burger Boy.
Dioubate (6’7, 220)- proven guy, played in Final Four.
Jelavic (6’11, 225)- played in Europe, should be tested.
Moreno (7’0, 225)- Burger Boy.

The experienced guys are going to get the minutes, unless the Freshmen prove they deserve more. So the Freshmen should not feel the pressure to carry the load. Give them time to get acclimated.

Also, we’ve got the depth so that if Quaintance isn’t ready when the season starts, we should be okay.

Overall, on paper, we’ve got a pretty solid frontcourt.
Looking at those numbers......

Excited Fuck Yeah GIF by UFC
 
Garrison will get plenty of minutes this season. JQ may not be 100% starting out and his conditioning is not going to be up to par. So he's going to need to be brought along a bit more slowly than if he wasn't coming off an injury. That means he and JQ will split time at the 5, regardless of who starts. Besides, with the sort of whistle we get, Garrison will still get plenty of PT when JQ inevitably gets into foul trouble. And with the pace we play at, we will need to sub in and out frequently anyway to keep everyone's legs fresh. Some of the back-ups will end up getting nearly as many minutes as the starters. This team will be fun to watch and will crush many teams simply by running them to death.
 
Hopefully so, seems that Garrison really loves Pope

But it is likely he will be bench warmer...

Do not think he will be definitely better than freshman Moreno

If he actually stays, he must love Kentucky and Pope very much
Garrison is staying because he will be the starter at the 5 for Kentucky. He has SEC and Big 12 experience. He also is aware of the skills he needs to work on and UK's staff will make sure that happens. He will be much improved next season. It's doubtful that Quaintance will be ready to play in games before the SEC schedule. Until then, Moreno will get about 10 minutes a game in relief of Garrison. When JQ is ready to go, however, Garrison and JQ will share the minutes--beginning at maybe 30/10 and progressing to 20/20 when matchups will dictate the split. At some point, if JQ progresses as expected and earns the position, he will become the starter and receive the majority of the minutes; but Garrison will still play a significant role and will never be a "bench warmer".
 
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Lot of people could be young, and just not remember the pre-Calipari days. We used to watch guys for a year or two and say "oh man, that guy does some things that are really nice, give him some time to put it together and he's gonna be great." I remember being impressed with a freshman Erik Daniels, but he wasn't a major contributor until his junior year, then he was a bad mofo as a senior.

People are also used to Calipari's short rotation and aren't realizing that 9, 10, 11 guys can get minutes. Rick's and Tubby's teams would have 10 guys play 10 mpg. Pope is building that kind of team, that kind of program.
Even with Cal their were instances where guys would improve over time.

Liggins was nearly unplayable in 2010 and then a major contributor in 2011.

We called Darius Miller “Disappearius” Miller until his Senior year.

I remember this board on Nick Richards:

After his Freshman year- “this dude can’t even chew gum and walk at the same time.”

After his Sophomore year- “this dude is not good enough to play for UK.”

After his Junior year- “this dude is a stud, wish he would come back next season.”

But, yeah, it’s the young ones I would say or maybe some old fans who can’t remember very well.

Players can improve with time. And it takes big men even more time on average to get their bearings.

Hopefully Garrison makes a big jump as a Junior.

If not, then maybe one of the Freshmen steals his minutes.

Time will tell, but I am betting on a Junior to make strides over a Freshman coming in and being a major contributor.
 
Garrison is staying because he will be the starter at the 5 for Kentucky. He has SEC and Big 12 experience. He also is aware of the skills he needs to work on and UK's staff will make sure that happens. He will be much improved next season. It's doubtful that Quaintance will be ready to play in games before the SEC schedule. Until then, Moreno will get about 10 minutes a game in relief of Garrison. When JQ is ready to go, however, Garrison and JQ will share the minutes--beginning at maybe 30/10 and progressing to 20/20 when matchups will dictate the split. At some point, if JQ progresses as expected and earns the position, he will become the starter and receive the majority of the minutes; but Garrison will still play a significant role and will never be a "bench warmer".
Exactly.

Once JQ is ready to be impactful, it’s going to be a rotation with him at the 5, Dioubate at the 4, and Garrison at both spots. All getting over 20 minutes a game. Then whoever wins out between Moreno and Jelavic will get the rest of the minutes. I think it will be Jelavic, because he is older and has the European experience.

Until JQ is ready:

PF Dioubate(26)/Jelavic(14)
C Garrison(26)/Moreno(14)

After JQ comes back:

PF Dioubate(22)/Jelavic(14)/Garrison(4)
C Quaintance(22)/Garrison(18)

Something like that.

Maybe Moreno stays in the rotation, but I think JQ takes all of his minutes and some of BG’s and MD’s as well. Jelavic is older and has international experience and a unique skill set that probably keeps him in the rotation over Moreno.
 
Lot of people could be young, and just not remember the pre-Calipari days. We used to watch guys for a year or two and say "oh man, that guy does some things that are really nice, give him some time to put it together and he's gonna be great." I remember being impressed with a freshman Erik Daniels, but he wasn't a major contributor until his junior year, then he was a bad mofo as a senior.

People are also used to Calipari's short rotation and aren't realizing that 9, 10, 11 guys can get minutes. Rick's and Tubby's teams would have 10 guys play 10 mpg. Pope is building that kind of team, that kind of program.
Daniels and Hayes were a nasty combo, some of the best interior passing we've seen in Kentucky uniforms.

#44 was my all-time favorite Cat
 
Garrison has SEC experience, and is physically ready. Moreno is an unknown. JQ's knee is an unknown.

I think BG is the starter to start the year and JQ is eased in.

I think Dioubate can give you minutes at the 3. But with Jelavic in the fold as a 4, I don't think we see Garrison at the 4 other than short stretches.

I think Moreno probably has to wait his turn. He can certainly earn the PT year 1. But I expect a big leap from BG. I expect JQ to be up and running strong come SEC play at the worst.
 
Garrison has SEC experience, and is physically ready. Moreno is an unknown. JQ's knee is an unknown.

I think BG is the starter to start the year and JQ is eased in.

I think Dioubate can give you minutes at the 3. But with Jelavic in the fold as a 4, I don't think we see Garrison at the 4 other than short stretches.

I think Moreno probably has to wait his turn. He can certainly earn the PT year 1. But I expect a big leap from BG. I expect JQ to be up and running strong come SEC play at the worst.
I completely agree with this. Pope must be over the moon to snag Dioubate, such a versatile guy with toughness and SEC experience.
 
Garrison has SEC experience, and is physically ready. Moreno is an unknown. JQ's knee is an unknown.

I think BG is the starter to start the year and JQ is eased in.

I think Dioubate can give you minutes at the 3. But with Jelavic in the fold as a 4, I don't think we see Garrison at the 4 other than short stretches.

I think Moreno probably has to wait his turn. He can certainly earn the PT year 1. But I expect a big leap from BG. I expect JQ to be up and running strong come SEC play at the worst.
Agreed. I’m not sure Moreno or most Freshman bigs are ready for the physicality of high major basketball. He’s going to take the longest to adjust and, not to turn this into a Cal discussion, we are not forced to rely on him to be great like we may have been 3 years ago.
 
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I believe Moreno is far better than Garrison and will outplay him in practice and earn more minutes.

But if he doesn’t then we have Garrison. And a junior Garrison should be better than sophomore Garrison.
 
Even with Cal their were instances where guys would improve over time.

Liggins was nearly unplayable in 2010 and then a major contributor in 2011.

We called Darius Miller “Disappearius” Miller until his Senior year.

I remember this board on Nick Richards:

After his Freshman year- “this dude can’t even chew gum and walk at the same time.”

After his Sophomore year- “this dude is not good enough to play for UK.”

After his Junior year- “this dude is a stud, wish he would come back next season.”

But, yeah, it’s the young ones I would say or maybe some old fans who can’t remember very well.

Players can improve with time. And it takes big men even more time on average to get their bearings.

Hopefully Garrison makes a big jump as a Junior.

If not, then maybe one of the Freshmen steals his minutes.

Time will tell, but I am betting on a Junior to make strides over a Freshman coming in and being a major contributor.
This. This. This.

Miller was the key to the 2012 title (other than AD). It took him 2.5-3 years to turn into that.

Jones year 2 was significantly better than year 1

Junior Nick Richards was SEC POY caliber

BG has a ton of raw potential…here’s to hoping he puts it together this year. If he improves his face up ball handling from the perimeter to the point he’s comfortable attacking 1v1 with 3 power dribbles either direction, then he will be an all SEC player
 
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I believe Moreno is far better than Garrison and will outplay him in practice and earn more minutes.

But if he doesn’t then we have Garrison. And a junior Garrison should be better than sophomore Garrison.
Moreno is a project and will be buried on the bench when SEC play starts.
 
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