Kentucky basketball's future

[caneintally]

Love Cal and I hope he stays here for another 10 years.
But I'd be lying if I said I didn't want him to change his model just a little bit. I wish we could retain our players longer. I get it, if you're a guaranteed first rounder, you have to go, but the culture right now at UK is one and done and if you're at UK for a second year it's a crime.
Winning with Freshmen is damn near impossible, but Cal has us in the mix every year through extremely hard work.
But he's a much better coach than most realize, if he retained players for more than one year, he would crush it. I mean really good players, not the Derek Willis' or Hawkins type players, top notch players.

Give me a 2 year rule and UK would reel off an obscene amount of titles under Cal.

As far as the next coach, I feel he needs to get his fair share of elite players, he should, this is UK. But I hope the next coach is a passionate X's and O's coach that has an eye for talent and has proven himself on the big stage. That last one is key, don't want a dude that has nothing on the resume, give me a Brad Stephens, I think that guy is the perfect fit for this job and he's young.
By the time Cal hangs it up, BS might be ready to take that spot.
At this time, I don't see any other worthy candidates. Sorry, but Sean Miller needs to not be mentioned here, he's done less with more too often. He's snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory too often when it really counts.

There are 10 guys I would be happy taking over UK right now but Sean Miller ain't no where near that list. I think Cal retires around 2025 or so.

 

[Beast Johnson]

The Future of Kentucky Basketball

 

[CHAMPCAT11]

This is a refreshing thread. Posters seeing good things in the post-Cal era is encouraging.

 

[TheAnonymous13]

BCG loves some of the responses in this thread

Hahaha! I was thinking the same!

 

[awf]

Your veiled attempt at injecting politics into sports failed. Terribly.

Terrible analogy but probably closer to the truth than we know. Just recently a professor at Harvard corrected a student for using the word "mankind" in a writing assignment.
It is call the demasuclation of society. Listen to the news, it is being reported.

 

[awf]

I have heard the saying that, "UK makes the coach, the coach doesn't make UK". I think if you could sit down with Cal over a cup of coffee that he would tell you that the UK tradition is the root of his success. So that being said I feel like the beat will go on.......Just like it has for many years.

 

[jackcarlson]

My only change would be that we get at least one Kentuckian in every recruiting class. I would propose, although it does not have to be a rule, per se, that if the best player in Kentucky wants to come to UK, he should be offered a scholarship.

 

[truebluewildcat]

Whenever the time comes UK will go after the best available regardless of philosophy and style.

Chris Mack
Brad Stevens
Mike White
Billy Donovan
Sean Miller
Frank Martin

 

[Swifterz]

in 5 or 6 more years, or whenever... Donovan to UK (finally)

 

[JulesCamara=GOD]

Whenever the time comes UK will go after the best available regardless of philosophy and style.

Chris Mack
Brad Stevens
Mike White
Billy Donovan
Sean Miller
Frank Martin

I think if Cal retires after 4 or 5 more years that could be around the time Donovan wants to bail on the Thunder Train. He will make the playoffs each year Russell is there, but I don't think they will ever reach the finals so long as SA and Golden State remain. Could see it as an opportunity to take over at UK.

Similarly with Brad Stevens. East is weak, so he will routinely make the playoffs, but so long as Toronto and Lebron remain, it will be also tough to contend. No faith in management either. So I could see him leaving for greener pastures eventually.

 

[WildMoon]

I have heard the saying that, "UK makes the coach, the coach doesn't make UK". I think if you could sit down with Cal over a cup of coffee that he would tell you that the UK tradition is the root of his success. So that being said I feel like the beat will go on.......Just like it has for many years.

He will say that, but the reality is...it's really not the case.

So many on here are persistent that UK will exist after any coach. That thinking will crash and burn UK.

We have to keep hiring major coaches and can't let it slip like we did with Tubby and drunk. If Cal wasn't a perfect hire, we might not have won the NT AND lost the most wins to both UNC and Kansas. Legacy will slowly fall down.

 

[ORCAT]

I'm not looking to pick a fight either but it kinda sounds like you are sick of UK's annual success.

GTownDawg is a great rival SEC poster and has shown nothing but respect for UK when on this board. I enjoy reading his posts any time he visits here. Having said that, I doubt very much he is sick of our success but I do know he wishes his Dawgs could have more success than they've been having and can't blame him for that at all. Anyway, he's a super poster with solid basketball knowledge and no one to go after or doubt, I respect and trust the guy.

 

[ZaytovenCat]

Some of y'all live in fantasy land.

UK will always win just because we are UK.

Signed,
Billy Gillespie

Co-Signed,
Tubby Smith

 

[EclipsingYou]

If if were in the next 3 seasons, I think our list should be...
1. Sean Miller
2. Jay Wright
3. Avery Johnson

That's just this single hardcore fan's opinion. Miller is #1 due to the classes he is bringing to ARIZONA.

Replacing Arizona with Kentucky will give us Calipari type classes every year, IMO. 6 out of 8 elite 8s with a great chance at winning a title every 3 years would be my expectation based on his results at Arizona.

I'm sure that several will disagree, but he is my #1 pick, hands down.

In my completely worthless opinion as always.

 

[true blue1]

If if were in the next 3 seasons, I think our list should be...
1. Sean Miller
2. Jay Wright
3. Avery Johnson

That's just this single hardcore fan's opinion. Miller is #1 due to the classes he is bringing to ARIZONA.

Replacing Arizona with Kentucky will give us Calipari type classes every year, IMO. 6 out of 8 elite 8s with a great chance at winning a title every 3 years would be my expectation based on his results at Arizona.

I'm sure that several will disagree, but he is my #1 pick, hands down.

In my completely worthless opinion as always.

No way. It will be Donavon.

 

[cawoodsct]

No to Avery Johnson

 

[Gary4UK]

Settle down, soldier. We have had our down years just like every other blue blood. Don't think we were setting the world on fire during Tubby's last two years followed by the BCG years. (84-52 winning at a 62% clip). That being said, we have many more great years than terrible years, but we aren't invincible like you might like to think.

Why do I need to settle down...Listen to me, don't think loud! That is called a forum nerve pill... Think slow mannered and low... You're thinking fast and loud!!! See?

Show me Kentucky's down years... 2 of them in the last 50 years? I don't know what the record is...I think that Rick was 16-16 his rookie year at UK... I think that the drunk we had as coach, and possibly Eddie Sutton had a down year... We went to the NIT at least one time under each coach... Hall won the NIT...

Other than those times, you can take it back to when Rupp begin... We've had very few down years... Actually some teams don't consider 16-16 as a down year... lol

 

[cal=8]

I've always been curious about what Big Blue does post Calipari. Do y'all try and go after someone who uses the same one and done model? Or go the more "traditional" route where your better players, er more impactful players are your upperclassmen? Obviously, both can and have worked in the past. Would y'all be disappointed if the next coach doesn't reel in the McD's AAs at the rate Cal has? It would damn near be impossible, but that doesn't mean the next guy couldn't be as successful. Just wanted to gauge yalls thoughts on that.

Kentucky Basketball will always be elite. Coach Cal. has set the standard of what Ky basketball is all about. Never again will we accept mediocrity. That will be Cal's legacy.

 

[Blueathletics]

We'll have to wait and see if Mitch does a butcher job again

Right now it should be:

1) Donovan

1A) Brad Stevens

 

[UKWildcats#8]

We win either way, so we just go with UK... Period!

May not win as much though. People need to prepare themselves for that. New coach is screwed...he will be pitchforked after 2 seasons if he has not made a Final four and gone after 3 if he hasn't won the fans another natty title.

 

[gracetoyou]

When Cal leaves I'll cry! And then I'll listen to BBN talk about the "good old days" in reference to Cal era. Many that will call it the good old days will forget about how much they bitched during it