Still Think Cal Is A Great Coach?

[uk78]

Posts like this are not new where some feel you are being disloyal if you question or debate. Cal is not perfect. Fans here were saying over and over that Skal was not KAT and that Cal trying to have him as a low post offensive and defensive player was a mistake. Nothing wrong it wasn't disloyal and guess what us fans evidently saw it before Cal. Of course, other than one game, it hasn't made much difference changing how he is being played.

The point is that there is nothing wrong with questioning issues with coaching and our team. Questions do not mean we don't love Cal, recognize he is the best coach for us in the college ranks, has done awesome since coming to Kentucky, isn't the best overall, etc.

 

[WeWant9]

This thing has gotten out of hand. Every elite coach is going have those years where they should've won it all. I mean, so many people here pump up Izzo, and he's a great coach, but he's been to 7 FFs and has one title. Please save me the talent argument, MSU has had plenty of draft picks. Pitino and Roy have each been to 7 FFs, and each have two titles. Both coaches have had loads of talent and I'm sure have years where they thought they should've won it all. Hell, Dean Smith went to 11 fricking FFs and only had two titles, one when he had MJ. Is the narrative of Dean Smith he couldn't win more championships?

I do think Cal makes mistakes and at times he just refuses to change the gameplan, but tell me what coach that couldn't describe at times? I think if Cal sticks around another 3-5 years hell get another title. Then he'll have that second title that so many on here are yelling for, but then the narrative will be well why doesn't he have 3 titles..

It takes much more than being good at X and Os and recruiting to make it at UK. You have to have an ego and very thick skin. Cal has that and has taken the criticism in stride, I can't think of a moment where he's ever lashed out at the fans. Think how insane some of our own fans are and then how the media treats UK/Cal, a lot of coaches would crumble under that pressure.

 

[CUT-NETS]

I will say this one thing in defense of Cut, though. Everybody trashes him constantly. And rightly so, I believe, because thinking that Cal is an average or below average coach is really, really ignorant.

But you rarely see Cut get personal with people. I think that's laudable. If he's going to constantly throw fire bombs at the board and spout all kinds of crazy malarkey, at least he's not being rude about it.

Thanks. It's a message board after all.

I don't think Cal is average as much as I just think he's stubborn. And my fear is that it's going to continue to cost him.

 

[catrecruit]

2014
2014
2014
2014

Don't forget....10 losses and still played in Championship game

 

[SomeDudeCRO]

They were struggling because coach K didn't want the one and dones. However, once he decided that he wanted them, he had no problems getting them because they wanted to be at Duke.

What struggling? They were losing in the NCAA tournament as a #2 seed. They won't sniff a #2 seed this year with a great one and done and one of the best recruiting class. They won a title with freshman one and done mercenaries, which used to be what was ruining college basketball before it couldn't even be done.

 

[KentuckyKidd8]

I live in Kansas and was just talking to a K-State buddy of mine at work this morning about b-ball in general. We got on the topic of tournament success and he asked how Kentucky compared to Kansas in the Calipari and Self era's. The quick numbers I came up with are as follows.....
Cal 22-4 6 seasons 4 Final 4's 2 Finals 1 Championship
Self 24-10 11 seasons 2 Final 4's 2 Finals 1 Championship
Self 13-6 last 6 seasons 1 Final 4 1 Final lost to us

I just don't think we have a lot to complain about....at least I don't think so. Yes we have the one NIT year which did suck. Yes we very well could have won 2 or 3 championships but not everyone puts themselves in that position(I agree this also heartbreaking but if we keep getting these results I will be a happy camper). However, Cal has proven that he can take some regular season lumps with our young teams and still get the best out of them come tourney time.

I know we have some post/defensive limitations this season but I still feel like we will be poised to make a run in March. I get as frustrated as anyone when we lose a game but my optimism remains high because of our coach and past results.

 

[ctharris07]

Haha. This thread just got crushed on KSR. Good job.

 

[SomeDudeCRO]

and rightfully so

 

[Chuckinden]

If anyone questions Cal's abilities or practices, it just confirms their lack of intelligence or confirms they are just here to troll. It's completely ridiculous. People like that will never be happy and I feel sorry for them.

So you think those of us that questions anything about Cal are unhappy and lack intelligence or a troll? That's ludicrous. No one, that I know of, is unhappy with what Cal has done here, but we do have issues that we like to discuss. Nothing or nobody is perfect. That's what message boards are for.

Maybe this venue isn't for you.

 

[brianpoe]

I will say this one thing in defense of Cut, though. Everybody trashes him constantly. And rightly so, I believe, because thinking that Cal is an average or below average coach is really, really ignorant.

But you rarely see Cut get personal with people. I think that's laudable. If he's going to constantly throw fire bombs at the board and spout all kinds of crazy malarkey, at least he's not being rude about it.

Thanks. It's a message board after all.

I don't think Cal is average as much as I just think he's stubborn. And my fear is that it's going to continue to cost him.

I suppose I should feel special, since Cuts loves to make personal digs at me...ahhh ..thanks Zip...

 

[MakinMusic]

It's ok to question a situation. The challenge is those questioning a hall of fame coach's ability to coach or know what's best in a given situation is borderline ridiculous. It's usually one of two things: simply whiny "we didn't win and I didn't get my way" and you have to take it out on someone or two, you sincerely believe you know better as a whole than Calipari when it comes to coaching basketball. Both are silly but common responses from overzealous fans.

 

[CUT-NETS]

I suppose I should feel special, since Cuts loves to make personal digs at me...ahhh ..thanks Zip...

 

[brianpoe]

I trust you friend....

 

[CUT-NETS]

I trust you friend....

 

[brianpoe]

1, 1

 

[CUT-NETS]

1, 1

good stuff

 

[Cawood86]

What? That Cal has only one title?

Yes he does. He's also eliminated your guy twice from the tourney recently. You know, that awesome coach you love. Must really sting to know that a guy who can't coach absolutely owns your guy.

 

[Cawood86]

It's too easy for trolls to say Cal isn't a great coach. I would just like those who say that to post the name of the coach they would rather have on our sideline. I'm sure they won't because they like to hide behind the cloak of secrecy and throw darts at Cal every chance they get. Just name ONE damn coach with a better track record than Cal has at UK. If his record means he's a lousy coach, I can live with those results.

They won't and can't. That's how cowards work.

 

[CUT-NETS]

Yes he does. He's also eliminated your guy twice from the tourney recently. You know, that awesome coach you love. Must really sting to know that a guy who can't coach absolutely owns your guy.

Pitino is not my guy, but you hang on to that as its your only go-to. Whats crazy though is that Pitino has the same amount of titles as Cal during the last 6 seasons with no where near the talent.

 

[mapcatfan]

...........They won a title with freshman one and done mercenaries, which used to be what was ruining college basketball before it couldn't even be done.

Lol, I love it. One of the best statements I've read on this thread. My, how the narrative has changed!

 

[Cawood86]

Pitino is not my guy, but you hang on to that as its your only go-to. Whats crazy though is that Pitino has the same amount of titles as Cal during the last 6 seasons with no where near the talent.

Sure he's not. As long as he doesn't have to play Cal, he does ok.

 

[Deli owl]

Jay Williams just listed his top 5 coaches light night during an NBA game and listed Cal as one of the top 5 along with K, Pop, and two others I don't remember. But then again the OP knows more I guess.

 

[nookam]

Keep in mind the talent that Cal has had are freshmen who he has about 5 months to coach. He doesn't have them 4 years like Donovan or multiple veteran teams by K and Pitino.
Now Cal and K both have won 1 with at least 3 being freshmen who were one and done.
Good company.

Hey Matt Jones KSR, do you like my Mr Hankey turd avatar? Please give him a shout out. We have lots of turds on this board, but only 1 Mr Hankey!

 

[Hoskins21]

@ZaytovenCat can't even judge talent, let alone coaching ability. He's still up Malik Newman's butt.

 

[KentuckyRLD]

Because he's not! He's an excellent recruiter who is a "C" bench coach at best. He's stubborn, won't make obvious moves that need to be made and the moves he does make a lot of times hurt more than help.

We will have to have a totally stacked roster to get 9 and even that doesn't give us an overwhelming chance at it.

And to the smartasses, no I don't want him gone because there's nobody else available that's a better option. But he could be so much better than he is but refuses to be out of pride/stubbornness.

You are severely mistaken. Coach Calipari is a great coach and with your limited basketball knowledge you have not realized that some teams require longer to develop than others. This year's team is developing and assuming the development succeeds, it will be an extremely strong tournament team. Coach Calipari is developing some players that have a lot of skill but not much experience. It sometimes takes longer. So maybe instead of criticizing one of the greatest coaches in the game today you should bo back to Louisville and worship your so-called coach down there.

 

[trinity45]

Because he's not! He's an excellent recruiter who is a "C" bench coach at best. He's stubborn, won't make obvious moves that need to be made and the moves he does make a lot of times hurt more than help.

We will have to have a totally stacked roster to get 9 and even that doesn't give us an overwhelming chance at it.

And to the smartasses, no I don't want him gone because there's nobody else available that's a better option. But he could be so much better than he is but refuses to be out of pride/stubbornness.

I am as critical of Cal as anybody but I will not say he can't coach, I will say he is stubborn about the zone. I coached for 26 years at various levels up to NAIA and we adjusted to what ever it took to win, if playing Man or zone whatever it took.

 

[DwayneMeighan]

What sucks is that if Cal doesn't win a 2nd title with all of the talent he's had, that's exactly what the narrative and national perception will be about his career at UK. Lots of recruiting success, all kinds of NBA first rounders, lots of won games, multiple trips to the final four................but only one title.

You keep saying this like it's a bad thing. Do you realize how hard it is to win just one title? You act like they come easy, and that Cal can just throw a bunch of talent together and go win one every other year?

Do you realize there are 340+ NCAA coaches and you can count the number of coaches that have won a championship on two hands? It's not as easy as you seem think. Cal has won one and been to the Final 4 three other times with a chance to win more, all in the span of six years. If that's not elite, then an elite coach doesn't exist.

 

[ace on the river]

What is hilarious is the fact that you people call him stubborn because he doesn't coach like you think he should....I call that pompous and I am not talking about Cal.

What's hilarious is, people like you think basketball is a complex ,technical game, NEWSFLASH, IT ISNT! its played the same, with just about the same rules on most levels, just with a different skill set of people. if you are playing a team that every starter is 6'5 or less and they don't shoot well from the outside, why would you keep letting them have layups? Pretty simple really. Basketball isn't rocket science

 

[DwayneMeighan]

What's hilarious is, people like you think basketball is a complex ,technical game, NEWSFLASH, IT ISNT! its played the same, with just about the same rules on most levels, just with a different skill set of people. if you are playing a team that every starter is 6'5 or less and they don't shoot well from the outside, why would you keep letting them have layups? Pretty simple really. Basketball isn't rocket science

No, what's really hilarious is people like you, who think they know just as much or more about basketball and coaching than Cal. That's what's hilarious.

 

[Graves51]

Kids aren't going to Kentucky to visit the statues of Adolph Rupp and talk about the 1948 team. They're going to Kentucky because Kentucky has a coach with a well-known reputation for preparing young men for the NBA.

Without Cal, there would be no Davis, Wall, Cousins, Randle, Noel, Ulis, Monk, Fox, etc. at Kentucky. They'd have all gone elsewhere and our fans would probably have witnessed an Indiana-like collapse as a program at this point.

and you know all of this how? Just to set the record straight, I GUARANTEE you that without Cal we would still be Kentucky, one of the most storied teams in college basketball. We were the winningest team before he came and we will be after he is gone.

 

[ace on the river]

No, what's really hilarious is people like you, who think they know just as much or more about basketball and coaching than Cal. That's what's hilarious.

I dont think there is ANYBODY as good as Cal at getting players. Let me teach you a little something, GOOD PLAYERS MAKE GOOD COACHES. That has been said for years. There are A LOT of coaches that are as good or better then Cal as a bench coach

 

[Stonewall12]

Then why whine and cry if you personally love the fact that the other team scores. Trying to build up your number of post?

I was being sarcastic, maybe message boards are not your game.

 

[DwayneMeighan]

I dont think there is ANYBODY as good as Cal at getting players. Let me teach you a little something, GOOD PLAYERS MAKE GOOD COACHES. That has been said for years. There are A LOT of coaches that are as good or better then Cal as a bench coach

You aren't teaching me anything. Try reading the thread. I have said good players make good coaches numerous times, just in this thread alone.

Also, you're completely deflecting from the point of my post. I never said anything about other coaches being as good or better than Cal, so what's your point? Of course there are some just as good or better than him, but a lot? I seriously doubt it.

I'm talking about posters on this message board who think coaching basketball is so simple, that they have all the right answers, and if only Cal would listen to their advice UK would never lose.

It's hilarious that they actually think they know just as much or more about the game and coaching as Cal does. Sorry to tell you, but if it was that simple, then BCG would still be the coach.

 

[Krisys]

Because he's not! He's an excellent recruiter who is a "C" bench coach at best. He's stubborn, won't make obvious moves that need to be made and the moves he does make a lot of times hurt more than help.We will have to have a totally stacked roster to get 9 and even that doesn't give us an overwhelming chance at it.

And to the smartasses, no I don't want him gone because there's nobody else available that's a better option. But he could be so much better than he is but refuses to be out of pride/stubbornness.

You are not an intelligent human being, not even close.

 

[Blueaz]

Keep in mind the talent that Cal has had are freshmen who he has about 5 months to coach. He doesn't have them 4 years like Donovan or multiple veteran teams by K and Pitino.
Now Cal and K both have won 1 with at least 3 being freshmen who were one and done.
Good company.

Hey Matt Jones KSR, do you like my Mr Hankey turd avatar? Please give him a shout out. We have lots of turds on this board, but only 1 Mr Hankey!

the anti crowd just wants to scream TALENT...not even potential talent, but TALENT

 

[JohnBlue_]

The irony of this thread and the critics that are only left with the championships are all the matter manta is the simple fact that here they are complaining after a regular season loss that by their own admission doesn't count in the first place.

Think about that...

 

[DwayneMeighan]

and you know all of this how? Just to set the record straight, I GUARANTEE you that without Cal we would still be Kentucky, one of the most storied teams in college basketball. We were the winningest team before he came and we will be after he is gone.

Guess the Tubby and BCG years didn't teach you anything. Yes, we were still Kentucky, but we weren't going to four Final 4's in five years. It was a never ending struggle just trying to make it out of the Elite 8, which we never did until Cal came. Matter of fact, UK was the laughing stock of the nation, headed towards IU level of mediocrity, storied tradition be damned.

Some of you guys are going to be in for a rude awakening when Cal leaves, especially if you think UK is just going to pick up right where they left off with Cal, and not even skip a beat just because of the storied tradition.

That winningest program stat you're crowing about is more than likely going to belong to KU because Bill Self will be feasting on all of the best of the best talent that is no longer coming to UK because of Cal's departure.

That's another thing, not only does Cal's departure hurt UK, but it helps other blueblood programs such as Duke and KU the most. Without Cal/UK on the recruiting trail both of those two schools basically hit the 5* player lottery.

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

Cal's stubborn? He tried playing Mulder like people asked.... We still lost. He started Willis and played him more.... .... then he made Skal a face up player more............ We played some zone earlier in the year..... it didnt work well ... So if he now plays Tai and Hump a little and it doesnt work... Then what the hell more do you want?

Cal's tried a lot of things........ some times it just doesnt work.

 

[Ky_Bred_Cat]

I'm so tired of seeing fanboys throw out the the 4 FF in 5 years. That's fine but the only number that matters is 1, as in the 1 title in those years.

I doubt NBA fans would cling to 4 Western Conference Finals in 5 years. Seriously, you wanna make you argument being happy with 3rd or 4th place? Nobody brags about coming in 2nd, 3rd or 4th. I really, really hope the ones defending Cal aren't the same ones that make fun of Dean Smith for wasting all the talent he had.

All I want is a damn title. At this point, getting to these Final Fours and not winning is just making the tension worse. We should legitimately have 3 titles in Cal's 6 years here, 2 at the very least. But we don't, we have 1, and that 1 took having the best player to ever wear a Kentucky jersey to win. Not to mention a handful of other great players.

If Cal had won just 2 titles at this point then I wouldn't have this problem with him and this thread wouldn't be here.

You're taking this very personal. Tom, this is business and this man is taking it very, very personal.

 

[Aike]

I will say this one thing in defense of Cut, though. Everybody trashes him constantly. And rightly so, I believe, because thinking that Cal is an average or below average coach is really, really ignorant.

But you rarely see Cut get personal with people. I think that's laudable. If he's going to constantly throw fire bombs at the board and spout all kinds of crazy malarkey, at least he's not being rude about it.

He took personal shots at me. I always thought the ignore feature was ridiculous, but he finally changed my mind. Sure that makes him proud.