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Perry is a great example of bad strategy and advice from his people in the new reality.

He swung for the fences. I respect it.

Didn’t work out so now he’s on to Plan B.

Personally, I don’t think there is a need to comment about his camp or family or advisors or his own personal choice to try to make it with the Cats. Who knows what was said to him by Cal by Pope by NIL people etc. Without knowing all the inside information, we would all just be speculating on what his choices came down to.

I’m glad he was here and wish him the best in the future and hope it works out that he can return. But also understand that it may not.
One if the most sensible posts regarding Perry. I wish nothing but the best for him. Everyone wants to play, whether it’s here or somewhere else.
 
That’s the new age mentality. I would be blessed to be on a team that paid my college education. 20 years ago with no shot clock teams played 6 people. Dean Smith 4 corners 5. More than half the team didn’t play and were thrilled to be there. People were different then. Immediate gratification wasnt mandatory. I would have been thrilled.

There was most certainly a shot clock in 2005.
 
Not all that upset, because I'm not sure there's much of a place for him with what we're seeing Pope can do in building a team.

The Kentucky-kid stuff is more for feelings and fans who might have seen these kids play a lot.. which is neat. But IMO if we wouldn't take the 40th ranked player that's from Mississippi, then we shouldn't be taking one from Kentucky. Get the best players available, regardless of the state... unless 1. They are truly legit KY players or 2. They honestly don't mind just being apart of the team. Tyler Perry was neither. And with Mark Pope, recruiting and NIL offerings, this should prove to be a cautionary tale of trying to specifically add in-state guys. It's not a hot bed for basketball talent, we have to realize that.

Ya but those Madea movies are legit
 
Obviously this isn’t how college athletes think because they want to be on the court but to me living first class as a Kentucky player getting all the finest everything you can think of while never really being expected to do much would be the life for me 😂. Sure I could go start at Murray state or somewhere but I’ll ride the pine to experience the bluest of blue bloods in college basketball. All the players you will get to compete against in practice that will be future pros and all the tournament games that will be played and a chance to win a title any given year. Man I’m not giving that experience up to get some clock at a small school. I’ll stay riding private jets at UK😂. But I get it kinda..
Agree but competitors want to compete. If he couldn’t get playing time somewhere else I would understand sticking around. He can be really good offensively at the right place and get lots of playing time. Players want to play and he’s been a player his whole life. I love UK like you do and would have rode it out. Like you I kind of get it
 
Obviously this isn’t how college athletes think because they want to be on the court but to me living first class as a Kentucky player getting all the finest everything you can think of while never really being expected to do much would be the life for me 😂. Sure I could go start at Murray state or somewhere but I’ll ride the pine to experience the bluest of blue bloods in college basketball. All the players you will get to compete against in practice that will be future pros and all the tournament games that will be played and a chance to win a title any given year. Man I’m not giving that experience up to get some clock at a small school. I’ll stay riding private jets at UK😂. But I get it kinda..
My guess is he ends up at another high D just a step down unless he is wanting to stay in state, he isn't chopped liver. He can contribute at the Iowaish level.

He probably not only wants to play but really wants to play the 2 and that is hard to manage at on the top shelf, you would have to sort of build around him and pair him with a really big point and a bunch of defensive dawgs to shuffle him into and he just isn't good enough for us to do that.

We'd need him to be a point to be a major contributor and that adds to his transition timeline and subtracts from what he has been doing for years and is most comfortable.
 
Let me tell you where there is no portal.




PRISON


Awkward Season 3 GIF by The Office
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I’m sure he wants a college basketball career to look back on. If we have 3 or so who don’t get the minutes they think they should this year they will be gone next season also. It’s happening everywhere with the portal and players backing out of commitments. Expanded roster size will make it that much harder to have even a little continuity. If you grab portal guys with multiple years(still have to rerecruit them the following year and raise NIL) then high school kids will be hesitant if they don’t think as a highly rated freshmen they could get at least 10-15 mpg and feel like part of the team. Idk if Lowe cost us Lewis but it may prevent us from getting Kinney. Idk what’s wrong or right just meaning every decision the coach makes has a future domino effect if they aren’t seniors. I hope Noah Chandler Moreno and Jasper get adequate minutes this year. I have no doubts about our talent top to bottom just hope we can give everyone a shot to prove themselves like Noah did last year.
 
Was his NIL $$ really $250,000? If so I wonder what he will get at a smaller school if in fact that is where he goes. Maybe another P5 school picks him up as a backup pg or sg.
 
Well see what happens but kid just gave up$250k in NIL and likely won’t get that anywhere else.

Maybe the kids just loves ball and wants to play.

Welcome him back with open arms after a few years experience? That would be awesome. If not, may both sides win!
 
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Wherever he goes and hopefully gets a lot of playing time will be better than the redshift year he was headed for at UK.
Best of luck to him and I do hope he will be back at UK soon with better experience.
 
I don't like it, but I don't know, maybe it makes sense. He clearly won't play much here, so maybe he goes somewhere else for a couple years and get some playing time. He'd unarguably be on the floor more elsewhere.

Then he comes back here with starting positions under his belt. (It's hopeful thinking that he'd come back, but hey there's a chance.)

That's the problem in this day and age, people can so easily transfer out and back in.
 
I think an interesting thought exercise is had he not been forced into playing time in year 1 due to injuries, does he still transfer or would he still view himself on his original plan/schedule as a 2 year minimum role player with hopes of being a bigger contributor in year 3-4.

Would he have felt recruited over if it wasn’t a clear reduction in role in year 2?

Would he have had as many shooters and NIL offers in his ear had he not played enough to showcase a good freshman base that can be built on?
 
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I don’t understand why you need to play? Go to the school you love. Play ball get a free education. Wow. That’s terrible. lol
A 6 foot slow white guy will never sniff the NBA in a million years. Use basketball to get your degree and have a blast in college.
Well this is easy to say when you’re not Travis Perry who I’m assuming grew up loving playing the game of basketball .

Why should he be satisfied with sitting on the bench just because he loves the University of Kentucky
 
How long before McDonalds creates a Portal Classic? A Jordan Brands for Portal Players?

I get it. KY kid Perry grows up wanting to be a Cat. We all hoped for that as we shot hoops in the driveway. He actually had that opportunity that no one would begrudge him. The problem as I see it, with the ability to portal....did he come in on day one actually believing he would see significant time in Year 1? Did he not realize he would be a 3yr project---embracing that role? Apparently not. 1 and done and portalling DOWN essentially loses him a year in order to get PT experience to once again Portal UP.

My advice would have been.....go to a mid-major school Freshman year that you will see significant PT. PLAYING is how you get better. After that year, be honest about how that went. If you need a Year 2 at the lower D1 then suck it up to get a breakthrough Year 2. In year 3 based on your results THEN try to Portal UP back to UK for JR and SR seasons.

We have a system now that the recruiting has shifted to MEN not HS aged boys. Unless you are a Top 20 HS player, day 1 ready, you are just fooling yourself if you think you come in as a Frosh while knowing that MEN are Portalling in above you, taking the PT.

The WORST possible sport and position is NCAA FB. The QB position. A HS SR QB should NEVER go directly to a Major, SEC or B10 etc... You will NOT get on the field and you will NOT get better. Go to a smaller D1 where you have a chance to get PT...then Portal UP as you start to build your resume.

The College JR or SR and the Portal is the where the new "McD Burger Boys" will come from. Become the "Burger Boy" of the Portal. Not from HS.

My cousin is doing that now. Was D3 last year, D2 this year. Goal is D1 for year 3-4. He could have probably squeezed in somehwere D1 as a FR but knew he would never play.
 
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It’s the right move for him. He’s not a sec guard. He’s way out classed in every game past December. He needs to go develop and can always transfer back after he gets soem
Experience. .
 
How long before McDonalds creates a Portal Classic? A Jordan Brands for Portal Players?

I get it. KY kid Perry grows up wanting to be a Cat. We all hoped for that as we shot hoops in the driveway. He actually had that opportunity that no one would begrudge him. The problem as I see it, with the ability to portal....did he come in on day one actually believing he would see significant time in Year 1? Did he not realize he would be a 3yr project---embracing that role? Apparently not. 1 and done and portalling DOWN essentially loses him a year in order to get PT experience to once again Portal UP.

My advice would have been.....go to a mid-major school Freshman year that you will see significant PT. PLAYING is how you get better. After that year, be honest about how that went. If you need a Year 2 at the lower D1 then suck it up to get a breakthrough Year 2. In year 3 based on your results THEN try to Portal UP back to UK for JR and SR seasons.

We have a system now that the recruiting has shifted to MEN not HS aged boys. Unless you are a Top 20 HS player, day 1 ready, you are just fooling yourself if you think you come in as a Frosh while knowing that MEN are Portalling in above you, taking the PT.

The WORST possible sport and position is NCAA FB. The QB position. A HS SR QB should NEVER go directly to a Major, SEC or B10 etc... You will NOT get on the field and you will NOT get better. Go to a smaller D1 where you have a chance to get PT...then Portal UP as you start to build your resume.

The College JR or SR and the Portal is the where the new "McD Burger Boys" will come from. Become the "Burger Boy" of the Portal. Not from HS.
He absolutely knew he was a multi year player . This is a horrible take
He also saw that he was #13 next year and probably every year so why stay if you want to Play?
 
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I actually said this.

I get it. KY kid Perry grows up wanting to be a Cat. We all hoped for that as we shot hoops in the driveway. He actually had that opportunity that no one would begrudge him.

The fact that he is Portalling out immediately says he also believed he would play. Obviously PLAYING is more important than sitting on the bench developing for year 3 and 4.

Maybe, hopefully, he has worked this out with Pope. Pope tells him to portal out to get REAL playing time that he cannot promise right now ----and then Pope takes him back in a future Portal when he is ready. Risk? yea. The NCAA ending the system.
You don't develop anything sitting the bench
 
I don’t understand why you need to play? Go to the school you love. Play ball get a free education. Wow. That’s terrible. lol
A 6 foot slow white guy will never sniff the NBA in a million years. Use basketball to get your degree and have a blast in college.
Devils advocate, a 6’1 white guy just one sixth man of the year

I don’t necessary disagree with you that I also don’t think Perry has it.
 
I don’t understand why you need to play? Go to the school you love. Play ball get a free education. Wow. That’s terrible. lol
A 6 foot slow white guy will never sniff the NBA in a million years. Use basketball to get your degree and have a blast in college.
Too much work to just accept not playing when you have the ability to contribute at some school.
 
The all-time leading scorer in KHSAA history prolly has a difficult time sitting on the bench.
 
Sorry.... I just hate that he left. I thought that he would be a major part of Kentucky basketball at some point and I looked forward to seeing play for Kentucky and actually get to see him have his senior day at Kentucky. I know it's money... money... money now, but that doesn't keep me from wishing there were still players who loved Kentucky and wanted to play their career there.
 
I don’t understand why you need to play? Go to the school you love. Play ball get a free education. Wow. That’s terrible. lol
A 6 foot slow white guy will never sniff the NBA in a million years. Use basketball to get your degree and have a blast in college.
This just shows you don't have a clue how competitive these kids are. You think Travis Perry became the all-time leading scorer in Kentucky history because he's ok with sitting on the bench? You think this kid isn't driven to be the best he can possibly be, and to prove all the nay-sayers wrong? You, and I'm being very literal here, have no idea what it means to be a competitive athlete
 
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A couple things: first, I don't think Ole Miss would be a good landing spot. Xavier, ok maybe. Cincinatti, that's probably better. An MVC school where he can really showcase and maximize his playing time, that would be best. But Ole Miss, a team that prioritizes length, athleticism, switching on D - I just don't see this as a good spot for him, although it'll be the most appealing probably.

I'd like to see him go to Drake, Bradley, Murray St, etc - really maximize his playing time AND THEN TRANSFER BACK TO UK!
 
Who knows what was said to him by Cal by Pope by NIL people etc.
Good post. Fair.

IIRC, though, Perry committed to UK despite Cal basically telling him that he probably wouldn't play. I swear I remember a Perry article where he was quoted as saying he'll prove that he deserves to play before he's done at UK.

Just seems like there's been a complete mindset reversal of that's the case. I can't imagine Pope would tell a guy who was an ace 3pt shooter in high school (who went through understandable growing pains as a freshman in a loaded SEC) to go kick rocks, so it's gotta be that mindset shift or NIL, IMO. Hoping it wasn't fan noise.

I'm bummed Perry is in the portal and I hope he's considering a return. I think he'd have/can grown into a Cameron Mills role by his senior year.
 
I don’t understand why you need to play? Go to the school you love. Play ball get a free education. Wow. That’s terrible. lol
A 6 foot slow white guy will never sniff the NBA in a million years. Use basketball to get your degree and have a blast in college.
Because it’s such a fun game to play. Real games are much different than pickup.
 
The all-time leading scorer in KHSAA history prolly has a difficult time sitting on the bench.
Don't know how many times I've seen " all time leading scorer in KY history" quoted in the various Perry threads.
Here's a list of top scorers nationally
Not a lot of pro's here.
Perry didn't break the record in 4 years more like six.
There's been a ton of KY kids over the years that averaged more in a season than Perry.
 
This just shows you don't have a clue how competitive these kids are. You think Travis Perry became the all-time leading scorer in Kentucky history because he's ok with sitting on the bench? You think this kid isn't driven to be the best he can possibly be, and to prove all the nay-sayers wrong? You, and I'm being very literal here, have no idea what it means to be a competitive athlete
Like I said with the other poster. It’s just a sign of the times. Guys used to be glad just to receive a scholarship to UK. The school they loved. They never made the starting line up. Camron Mills and many others. They were smart enough to see guys in front of them were more talented. I’m not putting Travis down. If he wants to lower his level of school to play that’s his decision to make. I’m saying kids and reality today are far apart. A 6’ slow white guy doesn’t make the NBA with hard work. There are 100 6’6 guys doing what he can do. Just like NIL has stolen my passion for the game. Kentucky kids who wanna go start for Winthrop make me miss the good ole days.
I do understand competition. I also understand reality.
 
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I wanted him to stay and believed he can contribute but if it's clear that the coaching staff didn't want to make that happen then I'd want to bounce and play somewhere else.

Like go play for Butler or Creighton. That's what I would do.
 
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Perry had an opportunity to live out his dream. I would have went for it too. Unfortunately, there is a glass ceiling above his head at this time. I hope he kills it at his new school. I will never forget his moment at Pope’s arrival at Rupp. When Pope asked if he was there and he stood up and the crowd roared, that was a special moment.
 
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