Reed is such an outlier it’s hard for me to bank on the improbable when making a projection. Every pull of the slot machine could be a jackpot, so the chance exists.
Jasper johnson nears commitment after peach jam
- Thread starter BStockfan01
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I've seen several of his games. I'll admit I'm not sure what to make of Johnson. He's a 5 star in-state legacy recruit and you take him if you can get him, for the look of it, alone. But if he goes elsewhere I won't cry about it.
Tons of 2nd gen players decide to go elsewhere. They want their own legacy and do not want anything to do with their parents school. He might be in that category. One of my 3 kids like UK. One got her Doctorate at Central Michigan U and is there for life, the other went to UofL. He does not follow any sport from any school (like his grandfather (wifes side)). My middle son and I are UK fans. I typically watch games alone and am on the phone with my brother. My wife does not watch any UK sports. She does not like sports what so ever. Time have changed with these guys.
Haven’t we learned anything. I’m more concerned with what transfers we can get to put together a team that can win number nine . Five star freshmen don’t get it done in one year and then they are gone . If he wants to come for a year and earn his spot that’s ok.
So no red flag on ANY freshman.
So no red flag on ANY freshman.
I think it's going to be different with CMP. He bleeds blue, and loves to talk about UK. The previous coach did NOT bleed blue and constantly talked about the NBA and talking down to the fans.
He said he was a UK and UNC fan. Weird, but whatever.
I'm sorry, but you've got to land Johnson if you're Pope. Those of you downplaying the significance of this recruitment are delusional. At some point, Pope has to prove that he can land elite top 10ish guys. This is that time.
Make it happen, Coach.
Make it happen, Coach.
This is an extremely deep class with guards/wings. If you land Johnson, good win for Pope for optics and people in the state who want to make this #1 priority. If you don't, you can land several guys who are as good if not better.
Story by Jasum Marcum says that AL and NC lead for Johnson. Also said that IU leads for Moreno. He said it would be 'devastating' if Pope loses them. That is crazy. Has Marcum not seen all the players that Pope is recruiting? It would be nice to get a couple of Kentucky boys but there are several better players Pope is recruiting if they don't want to be a Cat.
As many have said. NO HE DOESN"T.. The world is not going to end. UK will still play basketball come fall.... Life s we know it will move on and Pope will have plenty of success. This is not University of CAL anymore.
Perception matters. If Pope wants to run with the big dogs, he needs to break into the 5 star world at some point to prove that he can get it done at the highest level, going against the best recruiters in the world.
Downplaying that provides a nice emotional parachute, but it also denies the reality that Pope will have to start landing top 10 guys at some point if he wants to get it done at Kentucky. I get that BBN is providing some nice padding for Pope right now, but that shelf life will wear off soon and people will start analyzing his recruiting like they did with Tubby Smith.
Watch and see. That's how BBN works and will always work.
We'll see. Trilly has Indiana leading for Boogie Fland and had us leading for Chaz Lanier. He's certainly more connected that Marcum and yet he was still wrong.
Not sure if I’m a cynic or a realist, but it’s all about money.
You don’t make money being nice. You make money through leverage.
I translate it all as “pay me more.”
You don’t make money being nice. You make money through leverage.
I translate it all as “pay me more.”
Lol, could not disagree more. You can sit and bitch and moan all you want. Who cares. The rest of us will cheer on UK, pope, and the guards he gets that want to play for us.
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While I think getting Johnson and Moreno is important, I don’t think it’s critical.
As long as Pope gets us back to the Final Four in the next few years and gets us a title.
That’s the only “must” for Pope. He better get us back to regularly getting to Final Fours and win at least one title within the next decade or he needs to move aside and let someone else give it a try.
As long as Pope gets us back to the Final Four in the next few years and gets us a title.
That’s the only “must” for Pope. He better get us back to regularly getting to Final Fours and win at least one title within the next decade or he needs to move aside and let someone else give it a try.
In a CBB realm of One&Done freshmen, wide-open transfer portal, and NIL, I really question the premise that Pope ever needs to land a high school kid ranked in the Top 10 of the current recruiting services to compete for National (or SEC) titles. Is there proof of this in the current environment, or is it some conventional wisdom tied to a bygone era where top recruits stayed multiple years and developed more of that talent upside into winning production? Personally, I think I would take the highly skilled, hard-working, proven winner, high floor/lower ceiling 4-stars over the OAD almost every time. Multiple years of development, experience and maturity are hard for projectable talent to beat before that talent is no longer mostly projectable.
UNC has been recruiting this kid for years. Pope 2 months, since he had to spend his first 2 months hete compiling a team for this year. To say this is a MUST get make or break guy for Pope is ABSURD.
All for the instate guys but there are players in the 2025 class better than either and likely fit Pope's system better.
Seriously, many 2025 guys are just now being offered by coaches. If you say Pope came in late to Johnsons and Morenos recruitment, wouldn't you have to say the same for every recruit he has offered. Johnson and Moreno have visited UK unofficially and officially since Pope has been here. I will consider this a big miss if he can't get both of these guys.
If I paid over a million balloons to ANYBODY it would be to a PROVEN top portal guy after the season, not a high school kid that NOBODY can predict his college performance. We don't NEED 5 star high school kids any more to compete for a title. The new portal has changed all that people need to catch up
Pope is TWO years behind on the next two recruiting classes. He was not in the mix for the top of the rankings in his previous job. Any of the top kids he goes after for the next two classes have had contact with our competition for the last two years.
If he can catch lightning in a bottle this year that could help or if we just flat out outbid for mercenaries. The former is a long shot and I don’t think the latter is in Pope’s playbook.
Dan Hurley and Bill Self seem way less sure of this than you are.
What is this we don't need no stinking 5 star freshmen coming from other than mental/emotional over correction for Calipari overly depending on them?
If he commits just 3 months after Pope took the job and doesnt give UK even an official visit, what the hell do you think Pope could have done?
PG is not the position to promise starting and shots and playing time under Pope's system. This isnt stripped down offense and defense so guys can learn in 3 months that Cal did.
I’m sorry but a kid born and raised in Kentucky with family that are UK alumni and legends that’s a UNC fan sounds like huge douche. THAT is a red flag
Lol, he said he was a UNC AND UK fan. Weird as hell. How do you like one of UK's biggest rivals? Vice versa for UNC.
The only 2 Kentucky people I’m familiar with that are unc fans was that god awful poster UNCfaninky and UKO. They’re both awful. I mean he has no connection to UNC and his dad played for UK and he still says he’s a UNC fan? HARD PASS
I don't buy that he goes anywhere but UK. He was very close to his grandpa and he was UK to the bone. Just don't see it but maybe I'm wrong?
Based on Rivals’ site, it looks like Kansas and UConn each signed one (barely) 5-star and a couple of 4-stars. Kansas’ 5-star is basically a rebounder at this point (which is not bad to have) and UConn’s 5-star, Mckneely, was a guy who decommitted late and is not a guy UConn is or was counting on to carry them (may not even start). Now maybe that was a recruiting mistake on the part of Kansas and UConn. Maybe they should have followed Calipari and Scheyer’s model. But to me – and I could be wrong – the value today of any 5-star that isn’t going to play multiple years is debatable in regard to increasing a team’s chances of winning a title.
As another poster in this thread stated, what you really want is a college All-American (two if you can get them). Those are the players that I believe are proving to have the biggest impact on winning and they are overwhelmingly upperclassmen. In fact, if signing a freshman prevents you from signing a top transfer (which I don’t think it really should, unless the coach has a reputation for playing freshmen over better upperclassmen), I think it’s usually a mistake to sign the 5-star. Again, to me in the current CBB game it just seems that the value of 5-star freshmen is way overstated by most.
Thank you. Sounds like a dipsht type honestly, a kid that wants to sound different and I’m not a fan of those personalities. I know nothing about him so no I’m not necessarily taking a shot. Just from the limited info.
@Son_Of_Saul we usually agree but this time you’re missing it. You can’t make that judgement this season because he’s never recruited him. Which can easily mean unless we offer the most money we’re not getting him based off of a RELATIONSHIP, which has nothing to do with coach P’s program. If this was year 3 maybe, but we don’t go after freshman point guards and give assurances in this system. And we’ve seen these freshman aren’t worth what they used to be worth.
He might have picked UNC with Calipari here, he might just be one of those. And we can’t draw any conclusions when Pope doesn’t even know him. No way I’d pay this kid over 1 million, no way. He’s not a studded hot shot so it really doesn’t matter. I want the best from the portal.
I would feel you during the old way I’d want every kid ranked that high at UK, but this kid is not Reed Sheppard.
What every recruiting person is saying. Maybe Kentucky can win out, but what is being said now is bama and oats are going all out and have a a very established relationship with him
Why would an avatar of a president getting up from taking a bullet to the head be hilarious in any way? It was the day after a former president was a quarter inch from having his head blown off just the day before. It was to show respect. Very suspect person to take issue with that especially at that time. I see avatars of politicians all the time, one JFK avatar is on here right now I don’t recalling you finding that funny, or asking why he’s got the avatar, and I know you’ve seen it.
Something tells me if I had Obama in my avatar you’d pass right along. Also there is more than one board on this platform so not everything here is about basketball. Do you suggest I change my avatar every time I change boards so you’re not easily triggered? Does it hurt?
You guys are so disingenuous it would be laughable if it wasn’t so tiring.
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Very interesting take and made me think you might be correct. No more o &d mercenaries!
