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Optimism for next season

W

WV Wildcat

Jan 26, 2003
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I have a different feeling about next season than a lot on this board. We have 2 of the 5 starters back from last season (Wheeler and Oscar), one of which was the National player of the year. Last year’s team was on the verge of a 1 seed and blew out the eventual winner. Injuries and Cal’s stubbornness caught up with us.

TyTy was injured and never really provided what I think he could have. A healthy Wallace should hopefully provide more. Grady had plantar fasciitis which limited him as the season went on. A healthy Frederick should replace him. We all wanted Toppin in over Brooks anyway. To me, that makes next year’s team better at all positions. You have Reaves replacing Mintz. Livingston joining in. Collins should be much better in year 2 and Ware is a 1 year older Ware.


I think next season can be great. The only thing that really concerns me is the cutting the playing time to 7 players philosophy. It doesn’t work and will Cal be so stubborn that he does it again and derail the chance of success come tourney time.
 
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Depth is great but it doesn’t really matter if you only play 7 when the time comes. We win that game if we rotate like we did through the part of the season that was successful. I just think the pieces are better next season if all stays healthy and I say that because I’m comparing it to last year when health was a problem.
 
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WV Wildcat said:
I have a different feeling about next season than a lot on this board. We have 2 of the 5 starters back from last season (Wheeler and Oscar), one of which was the National player of the year. Last year’s team was on the verge of a 1 seed and blew out the eventual winner. Injuries and Cal’s stubbornness caught up with us.

TyTy was injured and never really provided what I think he could have. A healthy Wallace should hopefully provide more. Grady had plantar fasciitis which limited him as the season went on. A healthy Frederick should replace him. We all wanted Toppin in over Brooks anyway. To me, that makes next year’s team better at all positions. You have Reaves replacing Mintz. Livingston joining in. Collins should be much better in year 2 and Ware is a 1 year older Ware.


I think next season can be great. The only thing that really concerns me is the cutting the playing time to 7 players philosophy. It doesn’t work and will Cal be so stubborn that he does it again and derail the chance of success come tourney time.
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Appreciate your positivity
We do have some good to great pieces

what really has to change is how Calipari coaches the team. Agree with what you say about the short roster. He does need to develop the rear of the bench
He also needs to put the guys out there who are putting in the work. Even if they aren’t the most talented.
We have no set offense, don’t play any kind of zone, inbounds are atrocious..and one of Calipari’s calling cards used to be defense. Dont see that as much either

I’d like to think..and hope..Calipari will understand this, but his ego may not let him

you don’t know how bad I hope I’m wrong about that
 
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I can say I’m a little more optimistic now after seeing how well Wallace has been doing. I think he could be the star we’ve been missing in the backcourt. The best lineup will probably be Wallace CJ Livingston Toppin Oscar. But I know Cal will stick with Wheeler.
 
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WV Wildcat said:
Depth is great but it doesn’t really matter if you only play 7 when the time comes. We win that game if we rotate like we did through the part of the season that was successful. I just think the pieces are better next season if all stays healthy and I say that because I’m comparing it to last year when health was a problem.
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The problem is that one of those pieces in CJ has been hurt every season he played.Hard to depend on that and Cal doesn't seem to be after anyone else.
 
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WV Wildcat said:
I have a different feeling about next season than a lot on this board. We have 2 of the 5 starters back from last season (Wheeler and Oscar), one of which was the National player of the year. Last year’s team was on the verge of a 1 seed and blew out the eventual winner. Injuries and Cal’s stubbornness caught up with us.

TyTy was injured and never really provided what I think he could have. A healthy Wallace should hopefully provide more. Grady had plantar fasciitis which limited him as the season went on. A healthy Frederick should replace him. We all wanted Toppin in over Brooks anyway. To me, that makes next year’s team better at all positions. You have Reaves replacing Mintz. Livingston joining in. Collins should be much better in year 2 and Ware is a 1 year older Ware.


I think next season can be great. The only thing that really concerns me is the cutting the playing time to 7 players philosophy. It doesn’t work and will Cal be so stubborn that he does it again and derail the chance of success come tourney time.
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Gotta see what the final roster looks like first. Obviously, Oscar returning was critical and that has been accomplished.
 
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Lempface said:
Yet we still had #1 scoring offense in SEC.
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Yep, because of the stretch starting after the ND loss, when Cal backed off and let Wheeler run the show. We were running teams out of the gym during that time. Unfortunately, late in the season Cal retook the reigns and we reverted back to the same offense that ends our season every year.
 
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Also, I am 50 years old. We have won the title 4 times in my lifetime. That means we didn’t win it 46 times. These are better numbers than most programs by the way. I can deal with seasons not turning out like I want. I just hope that with all of this talent, the philosophy changes that gives us a chance to succeed when it matters.
 
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WV Wildcat said:
I have a different feeling about next season than a lot on this board. We have 2 of the 5 starters back from last season (Wheeler and Oscar), one of which was the National player of the year. Last year’s team was on the verge of a 1 seed and blew out the eventual winner. Injuries and Cal’s stubbornness caught up with us.

TyTy was injured and never really provided what I think he could have. A healthy Wallace should hopefully provide more. Grady had plantar fasciitis which limited him as the season went on. A healthy Frederick should replace him. We all wanted Toppin in over Brooks anyway. To me, that makes next year’s team better at all positions. You have Reaves replacing Mintz. Livingston joining in. Collins should be much better in year 2 and Ware is a 1 year older Ware.


I think next season can be great. The only thing that really concerns me is the cutting the playing time to 7 players philosophy. It doesn’t work and will Cal be so stubborn that he does it again and derail the chance of success come tourney time.
Click to expand...
7 players doesn’t work? Did you see Kansas, UNC, Duke, or Villanovas rotation last year? You know, the final four.
 
WV Wildcat said:
I have a different feeling about next season than a lot on this board. We have 2 of the 5 starters back from last season (Wheeler and Oscar), one of which was the National player of the year. Last year’s team was on the verge of a 1 seed and blew out the eventual winner. Injuries and Cal’s stubbornness caught up with us.

TyTy was injured and never really provided what I think he could have. A healthy Wallace should hopefully provide more. Grady had plantar fasciitis which limited him as the season went on. A healthy Frederick should replace him. We all wanted Toppin in over Brooks anyway. To me, that makes next year’s team better at all positions. You have Reaves replacing Mintz. Livingston joining in. Collins should be much better in year 2 and Ware is a 1 year older Ware.


I think next season can be great. The only thing that really concerns me is the cutting the playing time to 7 players philosophy. It doesn’t work and will Cal be so stubborn that he does it again and derail the chance of success come tourney time.
Click to expand...
Optimism and support for UK not permitted here. Stand against the wall between Cal and UK while haters and fans from other programs sling crap at you. Let this be a lesson.
 
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Teams can’t load up with talent very easily anymore in the age of the transfer portal, so the dream of 13 All-Americans (remember that BCG classic) is pretty much over. So a roster with 9 guys that should be able to play at this level is pretty good. Add a guy or two that could help in the long run and that’s about all we can hope for.

As for injuries, those can’t be helped or predicted or accounted for. An injury to the right player and the season is pretty much sunk. You aren’t signing a suitable replacement for Tshiebwe in the portal or in HS. So I don’t lose sleep in the offseason over injuries. It’s part of the game and it’s out of everyone’s control.
 
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WV Wildcat said:
I have a different feeling about next season than a lot on this board. We have 2 of the 5 starters back from last season (Wheeler and Oscar), one of which was the National player of the year. Last year’s team was on the verge of a 1 seed and blew out the eventual winner. Injuries and Cal’s stubbornness caught up with us.

TyTy was injured and never really provided what I think he could have. A healthy Wallace should hopefully provide more. Grady had plantar fasciitis which limited him as the season went on. A healthy Frederick should replace him. We all wanted Toppin in over Brooks anyway. To me, that makes next year’s team better at all positions. You have Reaves replacing Mintz. Livingston joining in. Collins should be much better in year 2 and Ware is a 1 year older Ware.


I think next season can be great. The only thing that really concerns me is the cutting the playing time to 7 players philosophy. It doesn’t work and will Cal be so stubborn that he does it again and derail the chance of success come tourney time.
Click to expand...
I agree with a lot of what you say in comparing last season’s players to the potential of the upcoming team. Although, I suspect that Grady may be a better college SF than UK can put out there this upcoming season. BUT Grady’s lack of sufficient aggression (in my opinion) for whatever reason (maybe plantar fasciitis) caused him to be less than he could have been. Therefore, I think Reeves overall scoring ability may be able to offset Grady’s loss.

Fredrick is a great shooter, and has proven when healthy he can also play Div. I level basketball. But I just don’t know how much anyone should be counting on him. Also, my guess is that his athleticism has taken somewhat of a hit with this last injury. Trying to be positive about it, I think about Tommy John surgery in baseball and how a good many of those pitchers come back after replacement of a ligament in the same arm they’re using (overusing) - although many admit they’re not exactly the same afterwards. Still, a hamstring is vastly larger than an elbow ligament. So, I just cross my fingers on that.

Basically, I would like to see a couple more 2Gs for depth and development. I’m good with Adou Thiero as one of those.
 
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bucsrule8872 said:
Teams can’t load up with talent very easily anymore in the age of the transfer portal, so the dream of 13 All-Americans (remember that BCG classic) is pretty much over. So a roster with 9 guys that should be able to play at this level is pretty good. Add a guy or two that could help in the long run and that’s about all we can hope for.

As for injuries, those can’t be helped or predicted or accounted for. An injury to the right player and the season is pretty much sunk. You aren’t signing a suitable replacement for Tshiebwe in the portal or in HS. So I don’t lose sleep in the offseason over injuries. It’s part of the game and it’s out of everyone’s control.
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You can with a guy like CJ who is injury prone.Cal has to find another guy at his level.It's not like he's a star.
 
Blue63Madison said:
Only if Cal hires an offensive coordinator.
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We were a top 3 offense according to kenpom the majority of the year. Schemes, plays, plans only work if you make shots. We made shots throughout the year and got cold at the worst time. We weren’t ourselves under cal defensively this season and that’s what cost us.
 
kybassfan said:
Optimism and support for UK not permitted here. Stand against the wall between Cal and UK while haters and fans from other programs sling crap at you. Let this be a lesson.
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You’re correct. I can still hope for the best. I have no blinders on. I know the issues with this coach. He has things he must fix within himself. Let’s just hope we have a good season.
 
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Blue63Madison said:
Yep, because of the stretch starting after the ND loss, when Cal backed off and let Wheeler run the show. We were running teams out of the gym during that time. Unfortunately, late in the season Cal retook the reigns and we reverted back to the same offense that ends our season every year.
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Nothing changed. We just stopped making open looks that we were making. Grady got ice cold and tyty did the same.
 
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G-PIP said:
I agree with a lot of what you say in comparing last season’s players to the potential of the upcoming team. Although, I suspect that Grady may be a better college SF than UK can put out there this upcoming season. BUT Grady’s lack of sufficient aggression (in my opinion) for whatever reason (maybe plantar fasciitis) caused him to be less than he could have been. Therefore, I think Reeves overall scoring ability may be able to off-set Grady’s loss.

Fredrick is a great shooter, and has proven when healthy he can also play Div. I level basketball. But I just don’t know how much anyone should be counting on him. Also, my guess is that his athleticism has taken somewhat of a hit with this last injury. Trying to be positive about it, I think about Tommy John surgery in baseball and how a good many of those pitchers come back after replacement of a ligament in the same arm they’re using (overusing) - although many admit they’re not exactly the same afterwards. Still, a hamstring is vastly larger than an elbow ligament. So, I just cross my fingers on that.

Basically, I would like to see a couple more 2Gs for depth and development. I’m good with Adou Thiero as one of those.
Click to expand...
Valid points! As far Grady and Mintz are concerned. Can Frederick and Reaves equal or better what they did. If that happens and Wallace equals or betters TyTy, then we should be better. I’m speaking roster wise. I’m aware that philosophies must be changed to make it work better.
 
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cornbreadnmilk said:
You can with a guy like CJ who is injury prone.Cal has to find another guy at his level.It's not like he's a star.
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Who is out there that fits that criteria and is okay with being our 10th man waiting just in case Fredrick gets hurt so he can move up to 8th or 9th man?
 
I think Ky will be decent next season only because of Oscar coming back he does what it takes to win.
 
Blue63Madison said:
Yep, because of the stretch starting after the ND loss, when Cal backed off and let Wheeler run the show. We were running teams out of the gym during that time. Unfortunately, late in the season Cal retook the reigns and we reverted back to the same offense that ends our season every year.
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So no credit given for the overall performance, got it.

Injuries had nothing to do with it.
 
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We have Oscar which maybe can't be overstated.

Wallace looks even better than peak TyTy which is damn good.

Toppins/Collins seems an upgrade over Brooks/Toppins to me, possibly significantly so.

Wheeler is back and is a force despite his detractors opinions and his real deficiencies, who should be at least a little version of himself and more removed from his one man gang Georgia days which I think every day helps a little breaking those old and ingrained habits of necessity.

So to me we have a similar but improved build which I love despite the early exit last year and that means the question is can Livingston, Fredricks, and Reeves can replace Grady and Mintz and how well.
It is a question going in for sure but not one I think there is a need to be overly concerned either. It could definitely work out as upgrading the 3 and 6 without any stretching at all.

I'd like another true point maybe above all other worries really. Another shooter would be great and someone coming up behind Oscar other than Ware would be wonderful but it closer to luxury than necessity.

I think we are in good shape. Not quite excellent but very good shape.
 
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You guys hoping for change from Cal must be blind to history . The guy doesnt change . Ever . The NCAAT comes around he's going possession by possession . The closer the game the slower he plays . And he will mismanage the roster somehow , he's done it for several years in a row now , why expect change ? Sounds like Obama's hope n change BS
 
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This is where Cal proves once and for all if he still has it. He’s had one bad year, last year had a bad finish in the last three seasons.

Can he show Mitch and BBN that he take a team to a FF or will it be his last go round at UK?
 
bbncal02 said:
This is where Cal proves once and for all if he still has it. He’s had one bad year, last year had a bad finish in the last three seasons.

Can he show Mitch and BBN that he take a team to a FF or will it be his last go round at UK?
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I don't think he needs a FF, but he needs at least 2 tournament wins.
 
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