Mark Pope on Big Z hehe
- Thread starter Smashcat
- Start date
Haha love it.
It sucks because Big Z would have been perfect for this offense (defense is another story) but having Big Z would have been super fun in Pope's offense.
Instead he hitched his wagon to Cal and barely plays in most games because Cal has zero idea how to get the most out of him.
Maybe he comes next year. Still think he would be unstoppable if used correctly
Big Z should probably find new handlers. They single-handedly made the kid follow Cal to Arkansas. Why? Who the fk knows. Cal is horrid with stretch bigs. This has been proven time and time again.
He would’ve done well in Pope’s system, but I’m not blaming a guy from across the world following the people he already knew.
My thoughts exactly. Great situation for him here, but I can't fault him for following the one role model he knows in a completely new country.
Big Z would have been the perfect fit for how Pope likes his teams to play.
Good passer and shooter, can handle the ball, runs the court well, blocks shots. Not sure how good a screener he is, but you can't have everything.
Look at all the bigs Cal put in the NBA. We had no Idea how good rhey could shoot the 3 until they got to the NBA.
we had no idea the bigs could shoot three pointers because ... well .... Cal's teams didn't employ the kind of spacing the modern game does, nor did he ever emphasize that aspect of the game.
and there's many more reasons why the bigs never shot many threes, if they were truly capable or could have developed that shot earlier in their careers here, who knows? we never will. sad
If I was Pope, I'd hand out my business card to every player in the handshake line after we win by 16.
Since Cal began to go off the rails in the late 2010's, we've seen at least a few players jump ship every year. There are going to be some guys who want out.
So much for that false narrative from some of our fans who claim that Pope didn't want any of Cal's former players to stay at UK.
Some just can't accept what Cal intentionally did to this program and the coach that had to follow him into UK. Real class.
Some just can't accept what Cal intentionally did to this program and the coach that had to follow him into UK. Real class.
I do think Pope would gladly take Z back if Z decided to transfer at the end of the year (which I think is highly likely)
I’d kiss a pond fish if it would cause it to happen
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Nah I'll take this guy if he goes to the portal. High efficiency and a good rebounder.
Wouldn't it be wild if we were to get BOTH Big Z and his brother thru the portal ?
I like that thought !
I like that thought !
Totally agree. I hope Pope wont even look at Big Z. Let him stay with Cal. His brother on the other hand. Twice the player. He is getting 13pts & 8.5 rebs a game.
Agree - take them both...Z as the stretch 4, his brother as the stretch 5. Get Almonor and Garrison back, and allow Moreno to battle against those guys in practice so he can improve before being thrown in the fire.
That would be an incredible front court going into 2025-2026
He probably will go to nbaTomislav Ivisic - Illinois Fighting Illini Center - ESPN
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Nah I'll take this guy if he goes to the portal. High efficiency and a good rebounder.
Already have solid second round prospect
