Miles Bridges
- Thread starter Ughhhh
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Cal also coached at 2 other places, his career in College is what, 21-22 years? Cal is a great coach, but so is Izzo. 2 different approaches that yield the same results.
Yeah, two doormat programs. But now he's been at a legit program look at what he has done. If you think Izzo could have had better results at UMass and Memphis, then you're stupid as hell
That was, statistically, the weakest region in several years. Still, nice job winning it.
UVA without their best player and arguably one of the best players in the country that year. The others were just meh. MSU's path made Duke fans jealous.
Izzo won at a school that is in a state that is was 2nd fiddle to Michigan when he got there. Mark Dantiono in football has done the same thing. If you are a great coach, you can win anyplace. No one thought either of those 2 men would have the type success they are having at MSU. Call it like it is, He are selling something different than Cal and its working for him.
I love how you're just completely ignoring what Cal did at Memphis and UMASS, as you have said, with FAR LESS TALENT than what Izzo has had at MSU...
Izzo is a great coach. Not many KY fans will disagree with that. I don't think he's a great recruiter. If he were, he would be even better as a coach. Recruiting is a huge part of coaching. Honestly, what's the point of bragging about making final fours with less talent when it's clear you don't have the talent to compete in the final four? I mean they get blown out in the final four. As a KY fans, I would be upset making final fours and not having the talent to challenge once you're there. It means you need to recruit a lot better. It looks like Izzo agrees with me judging by the way he's recruiting now. I don't mind losing once we're in the final four, as long as we're talented enough to compete once there. I like Izzo. He's a good guy and great coach. I won't hate him if Bridges decides to go there. If he does, we will move on and recruit another talented kid.
Win, absolutely. Win big, be ranked #1 in the country and go to Finals 4's, not a chance. That's what makes what Cal did at UMass so amazing. I don't care who you are (Izzo included), you simply do not win like that at UMass.
Hell, Cal's UMass team full of 2 and 3* players even beat the '96 UK team, statistically (according to Kenpom) the best NCAA team of all time.
And this is a quality response. Not going to highlight everything, I'll say this not as disrespect but as truth....we also have a strong football program where we want a National Title in the worst way and our 'rage' for a NC is more directed at the football program moreso that Izzo.
Here's what it is:
Since the one and done rule went into effect (what Cal is selling), Calipari is 294-48, with 5 FF appearances and a National Title. His tournament record is 32-7
In the same time frame, Izzo is 230-90 with 3 FF appearances and no title. His tournament record is 22-9.
You can say that what Izzo is selling is working, but it sure as hell isn't working in the same way as what Cal is selling.
And, BTW, to equate Michigan State, an enormous public school in a BCS conference, with a gigantic athletic budget and some major basketball accomplishments pre-Izzo, with Memphis and particularly UMass, is idiotic.
No one is ignoring it.
It just isn't that impressive to us.
It'd be like a Michigan State football fan trying to brag about their accomplishments on an Alabama board...it's just embarrassing
![[eyeroll]](http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/img/emoticons/rolleye/rolleye0011.r191677.gif "Eye roll [eyeroll]")
How many more times is The Server going to mouse trap himself in an arguement before he just goes away?
But some of your fanbase decides to slam a kid for going to MSU over UK and call it a bad business decision trying to pretend Michigan State is aiken to playing for Western Kentucky or some other Mid-Major. The fact is this, if he goes to MSU, just know the NBA was not the only factor in his pick.No one is ignoring it.
It just isn't that impressive to us.
It'd be like a Michigan State football fan trying to brag about their accomplishments on an Alabama board...it's just embarrassing
That said, it is very rare for a school to be very good in both hoops and football at the same time, Kentucky fans would love to have similar experience in football as we are having at the moment. Not sorry for being excited for my alma mater.
And Izzo does not sell 1 and done, he sells getting an education and life lessons with responsibilities while under his watch. Again, he's our coach and the only coach we would trade him for is K, that's it....and that's even iffy because Izzo was a strong avocet on getting the football program turned around. He did not sign off on the Bo Pelini hire that the AD wanted to make in 06 because of charter flaws, and thank GOD he did not.
Why do fans of other programs come to our forum to try and convince us their coach/program is good as ours we don't care, we know are program is the gold standard, we're not impressed, we know basketball and follow recruiting more than the average fan, your beating your head against the wall for nothing, you'll end up getting ignored into oblivion
Surely you've learned by now not to believe that. It's simply not true. For a very few kids it's true. Devin Booker in no shape, form, or fashion would've been a lottery pick if he played college ball at any other school in the country besides UK.
#kyaffect is a real...deal with it
I wouldn't trade an OUNCE of our basketball success for football.
Don't get me wrong, I'm as big of a UK football fan too as you'll find (along with every other UK team), but I'd much rather be the greatest program of all time in basketball, and mediocre in football, then up-and-down and "pretty good" in both, like Michigan State.
Alabama would say the same with football. Kansas and Duke with basketball. Schools like us aren't envious of schools like Michigan State who are sometimes pretty good in both.
We dominate in the sport that we LOVE like no other.
No one loves basketball like BBN, and no ones more passionate and more knowledgable, as you're finding out the hard way in this thread.
It's kind of odd to see people say Bridges was never a sure thing now but just a few months ago everyone was saying Bridges is a KY lock. I don't think it's over and I'm not going to lose hope on Cal getting this kid in blue. I think he's going to come to KY and have thought this for months now. If he doesn't, we will move on and find another talented kid to take his place. Life in recruiting will go on either way. Not sure what has changed. It could be just a case of people not knowing what they are talking about and making a guess about a recruit and stating it as fact. Who knows?
Yeah, because Cal only sells one and done and absolutely nothing else. His players don't focus on their education, nor go to class. They also have no responsibilities, and learn squat when it come to life lessons. All they have to do is show up and put the ball in the basket. Gmafb. Gtfoh with that bs.
We all know Cal's #1 sell is getting players to the NBA. We also know that Izzo's #1 sell is getting an life education under his wing. Again, like I have been saying, 2 different approaches that work for them.
I too want our football program to become great and win titles. With that said, if it meant I had to trade being the best program in the history of the game to do it, I wouldn't make that trade. You talk about having a great football program and that's awesome, but until you win something in football, I would say you haven't done anything in football yet to make us jealous. If you win a title in football, you're still not the greatest program in football and won't be Ever most likely. You wouldn't know what it's like to be the best at your sport. I like our coach Stoops and I believe he will make us a winner sooner than later. You guys ain't Bama so don't come here bragging about football until you do something in football to brag about. Being top 5 is cool and a start. Good luck.
And you simply don't know that for sure. You're underselling his talents to boast the programs " effect". Im not denying theres some kind of effect in play, but its getting overstated here.
And you guys are also turning a blind eye to the players who stocked dipped while playing here. We currently have a player on the roster who at one point as a frosh was #1 on draft boards & now possibly undrafted.
Absolutely, chief. I'm sure all ZBo wanted out of life was just a good life education from Tom Izzo. Thanks for clearing that up.
I'm not bragging about being Bama, I'm bragging about having a strong hoops and football program at the same time. Knock Izzo for this if you want, but If you have a basketball coach who goes on record about the football program, and actually helps the school get it done while maintain his own program, why not have both? It can be done if you have your AD, basketball coach and football coach all in lockstep and helping each other. It's not like Izzo sacrificed the entire hoops program for Mark Dantiono to come in and get the football program back to where it was almost 50 years ago.
Blow that right out of your self-righteous rear end.
As if John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, Anthony Davis, and on, and on, missed out on so much by only playing 1 year of college basketball.
As if Zach Randolph (paragon of virtue) didn't go to Michigan State.
As if Marcus Taylor and Shannon Brown, both guys rated high enough coming out of HS to be considered potential 1 and dones, ended up so much better off because they were in college longer than planned.
This thread started out bad, because you're right that it's silly to knock Bridges for (potentially) choosing Michigan State. Your involvement has only made it worse.
Very, very few players stock dropped here. Harrisons & Poythress are the only 3 I know of.
And how does early entries for MSU go against what Izzo is selling for his program? The biggest MSU name in basketball was a early entry, and he sells the family/education angle to recruits as much as Izzo does. Now you have Draymond Green, Adrian Payne and Garry Harris; another early entrant; selling the exact same thing to recruits. Is it really that hard for people to understand that Izzo is selling something other than making it to the NBA as his main recruiting pitch and having a bunch if former players use the same pitch?
If you think that's the only thing that Cal sells, then I don't know what to tell you except for pay more attention.
Plus, the two aren't mutually exclusive. How much of a close minded fool do you have to be to even entertain that thought? Just because a kid is talented enough at basketball to be one and done, doesn't automatically mean that they care nothing for things such as education, responsibilities and life lessons.
Take Brandon Knight for example ( and he's not even the only example I could have given). Just your typical one and done that cares little for education and such all. Guess what? The kid was offered academic scholarships to Harvard, Princeton and Yale in hopes that he would play basketball for them. That's how much he cared about his education.
Generalizing teenagers (one and done players) as not caring about education, responsibilities and life lesson just because they happen to be super talented at the game of basketball is low brow. You're a disgrace.
We got basketball covered. In the Mark Dantiono era, that really speaks for itself. I do know this, Kentucky would kill to have our football program at the moment while maintaining Cals basketball program.
- Goodwin was projected lotto before his frosh season, ended up at 29.
- Ryan Harrow was projected 1st round , we know how that turned out.
- Marquis Teague was projected lotto. Ended up 28 or 29.
- T Jones projected top 10. Ended up 18.
I wouldn't expect you to.
I mean yeah, why be AMAZING and the absolute BEST in one sport, when you can be mediocre in two sports??
You're right, yours sounds WAY better
Or you can do what Florida did in 06-09, 2 titles in each sport.I wouldn't expect you to.
I mean yeah, why be AMAZING and the absolute BEST in one sport, when you can be mediocre in two sports??
You're right, yours sounds WAY better
If UK hoops was the same, and UKs football program was at the current state of Michigan States football program (#2/3),you would be happy/bragging/gleeful right now and rightfully so.
Right after Izzo got to Michigan State the Mateen Cleaves recruiting trip car accident happened and Michigan was soon put on probation. Steve Fisher left soon after Izzo came to MSU and Michigan State was a huge beneficiary of Michigan's probation.
Learn some history about your team.
Learn some history about your team.
But you are completely wrong. It isn't his #1 sell. It's the #1 question asked by parents and recruits because to a lot of them it's important. They make it #1, not Cal.
Cal has said many, many times that the NBA is always the big elephant in the room when recruiting, and that he purposely ignores it and tries not to bring it up, but he always ends up talking about it because the players, parents, high school coach, etc... always ask about it.
His #1 sell is to challenge recruits. Almost to try and purposely make them think twice, to see where their head is at. He tells them that playing for UK is the hardest thing they'll ever do, that UK simply isn't for everyone and that they better be 100% positive that the "bright lights/fish bowl/circus" at UK is what they want because once they get there, there is no hiding from it.
Like someone else said above, you need to pay more attention; especially, if you're going to try and act like you know what you're talking about.
