There is a lot of chatter about Pope not being able to bring in guys and us "missing" on players. Honest question, after Pope was able to recruit last season, what guys were available that we "missed" on, that you wish we had gotten? Who would you have replaced? If you say you replace Kerr, we have to assume the person you pick is hurt too, to make it apples to apples.
Missed portal recruits
- Thread starter LXA_chop
- Start date
Kerr wasn't very good. Injured or healthy
I think the portal class he brought in was probably one of the better ones in the country. 2nd team all sec out of that haul
Don't put too much stock on missed recruits. UK is under more of a microscope that ANY program. Do we have any idea who Barnes is targeting? Who Pat Kelsey went after? Pitino? All coaches are putting out offers, but since we're in the limelight most, we know who turned us down.
Most of this is BS. I read over 100 posts lamenting that we "missed" on one guy in portal we were TALKING to. Later after he committed elsewhere it was revealed we had NEVER offered him. It illustrates that our fans know NOTHING about what's really going on. Doing due diligence and talking to prospective players to see whether they are a good fit is not OFFERING them. Why can't you IDIOTS chill out and let our coach do his job. If after the portal is OVER that's we you should evaluate the staffs performance
Easy big guy, no reason to call people idiots. The point of my post is to illustrate that Pope knows what he's doing. I honestly can't remember a guy we missed on last season that was a make or break for us, but when we missed on them, people were quick to criticize Pope for not getting top talent.
Oweh wasn’t rated very high out of Oklahoma. He surprised everyone, even the coaching staff I think. Maybe there will be another big surprise in someone he brings in. The only one that I think we almost got but didn’t that could’ve really helped us would’ve been Saunders at BYU
I’d say Lanier was the biggest miss. That said, if you look at the 2024 portal rankings, I’d say Pope overachieved.
Lamont Bulter is now number 5 on my list of all time favorite cats. Didn't think he would unseat double zero delk, but that dude willed us to the sweet 16.
So you don't think we missed out on any important players last year, but you were honestly asking others for their opinion? No, you just wanted to disprove what others had to say, and defend Pope. Right now he's getting his ass handed to him on the recruiting trail, he has a problem with his messaging and game plan, just as he did this past season. Last year it wasn't that terribly difficult to recruit players, because we didn't have any. He COULD end up with some gems out of the portal, but there is real cause for concern at present. And MY OPINION is he's getting played like a fiddle by agents and kids who just want to use the Kentucky name to bring attention to themselves.
Bro, please. TD’s jersey is in the rafters. He won a National Title. Butler was a gamer but let’s not get carried away.
You weren't here all season, but show up to cheer on mediocrity. I am very lovely, I don't bite, and I've got all my teeth.
Butler was great. He is very likable and hustles as much as anyone in recent memory. But, edging out Delk? I can’t go down that path with you.
I'm not sure winning more games against top 10 teams than anyone else in the n nation and the sweet 16 in your first year, with a month to recruit is mediocrity. You just have unrealistic expectations. We only have 8 national titles, but if we aren't winning one every other year we are mediocre. Please. You're the UK fan that makes the rest of us get a bad name. Please get off my thread with your negativity and toxicity.
Lanier was very good. If we get him, who wouldn't have come? How do you believe it changes the season?
Noci over negative, and maybe a man baby. Last year pope did great and our players were half injured. Same people not giving it time. Wait till end of may and June and then cry like babies.
Where is the chatter coming from? Message board warriors? The media people don’t know shit they just look for hits and try to stir the pot. I could talk basketball with any of them and they wouldn’t have a clue about the game or players being discussed. So much BS out there it’s not even worth reading any more.
You're right. Just like Louis said above, it's only a big deal because it's UK AND as Noci has exhibited in this thread, some UK fans are just a little to unrealistic. So keyboard warriors and media propaganda seems to drive the bus straight off the cliff. Sometimes, it's hard to follow this board with the amount of people that "love" UK and bleed blue, but also never have anything good to say.
There were PLENTY of guys we missed on last season. I even put together a list of them that we were actively recruiting. Just to name a few from the top of the head was Chaz, McNeely, Poplar, Richmond, and even Will Riley.
People are going to dismiss Great Osobor because he did not individually lead Washington to anything, but this team would have been very interesting with him. I think he used UK to get max money from Washington, and he was never really going to come here anyway because of Danny Sprinkle; but all that aside, UK lacked a consistent physical rebounding presence this past season. It was one of the worst rebounding teams that I can remember. He would have changed that.
He lead Washington in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. He has the talent to do a lot of things that make a difference on both ends. I absolutely would have taken him over Almonor, and he probably would have absorbed some minutes from a combination of multiple other players that maybe played too many minutes (could have contributed to injuries throughout the season).
Q000⁰
It was him or Robinson last year
I personally thought Lanier was overrated. All season he came up quiet in big games. The post season was a little better but he wasn't some dynamic superstar.
It was him or Robinson last year
You don't know that he's getting his ass handed to him. It doesn't look good on a couple of players but that doesn't mean anything. 2 West Coast kids who decided to stay in California . The Demary one is what confuses me. He tried hard with the kid and got not even a visit.
Portal recruiting is completely different than regular recruiting. The game is so strange now. I can't help but wonder in 10 years how much this help destroy the game
Yes Pope overachieved and the players did too. Evidently you have to have the total package especially to win Nattys. We need game changers both freshman and Portal players.
Butler was good but to unseat Delk it’s going to take more than just a run to a sweet 16. Delk is my all time favorite UK player and helped UK to a National Championship.
It's just an opinion. Try to not let that bother you so much.
You really have turned into one of the worst posters on this board and a few months ago, I would have never expected that. I've been here all season and for MANY seasons before this one and this past season was a success. Mark Pope was hired late, but he jumped in and recruited a team that fit his style and his team was very successful. Did they win a championship? No, but who ever thought they would? He put a team together that fit his style, played hard and learned to love being at Kentucky. They made Kentucky fans proud and if they hadn't been plagued with injuries, they may have shocked everyone and brought a title home. There was nothing mediocre about Pope's first season at Kentucky.
Your OPINION is that he's losing on recruits, but you don't know that. Thank goodness he's not Cal and just trying to recruit players based on their rankings. Rational peoples opinion is that Mark Pope has done a great job at Kentucky and he's made the program something to be proud of again. GO BIG BLUE!!
Fair, maybe this is a good way to for me to rethink. I think i've been jaded about just not caring about players during Cal's latter years.
My top favorites are:
1. Tayshaun Prince
2. Chuck Hayes
3. Patrick Patterson
4. Erik Daniels
5a/b. Lamont Bulter + Delk
6. Darius Miller
7. Tyler Herro
8. Scott Padgett
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Everyone's fav list is different. There's no wrong one, but I'm curious How'd Herro make your list over say; Wall, Davis, Murray, Monk, Ulis, Fitch, etc?
Is he related to you or something?
1. Rondo
2. Meeks
3. Ford
4. Sheppard (Jeff)
5. Hayes
6. Wall
7. AD
8. SGA
9. Booker
10. KAT
Haha, I'd be famous if that were true! I liked that herro was aggressive and just made things happen.
I forgot about this comment Wall had made: something along the lines of Cal told him he'd be number one in the NBA draft wherever he went, but he convinced him to come to UK and pull others with him. it's what we need.
Some of yall don't get it yet. Every player that we retain could have entered the portal and it looks like we're returning some really key pieces, so far.
I've said this for a while but I'll say it again, for the ones in the back...
Every day, every practice, every game and every interaction a coach has with his own players is now critical. We are now recruiting our own guys to stay as well as filling key spots for those that leave or run out of eligibility.
I would not wanna be a coach today but Pope is as close to perfect for that role as anyone without great hair. Lol
Maybe we can add someone like Salma Hayek to the coaching staff.
I've said this for a while but I'll say it again, for the ones in the back...
Every day, every practice, every game and every interaction a coach has with his own players is now critical. We are now recruiting our own guys to stay as well as filling key spots for those that leave or run out of eligibility.
I would not wanna be a coach today but Pope is as close to perfect for that role as anyone without great hair. Lol
Maybe we can add someone like Salma Hayek to the coaching staff.
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