The light bulbs are finally turning on.

[know1]

The difference is that he didn't do that to intentionally hurt the program. He did it to prop his kids up for success in the NBA. I'm not saying it was right (far from it), but I don't think he was maliciously trying to hurt UK. He just thought he was doing what was right. Even though it was idiotic.

Says who? Maybe his goal wasn't to hurt the program, but he obviously didn't care if harm was done or he would have changed his ways.

 

[St.PatterSoN-54-]

Says who? Maybe his goal wasn't to hurt the program, but he obviously didn't care if harm was done or he would have changed his ways.

Maybe go back and read what was written. I dislike Cal as much as the next guy, but I'm saying that in his mind, he thought he was doing the best he could.

It just turns out he wasn't doing a good job, and certainly wasn't keeping UK's best interests in the forefront.

 

[NociHTTP]

Could you imagine this Ark roster at UK this year? This is the least talented class and roster he has had in many years. It's not even better than our 20/21 team, that team had 3 future NBA players on it. After the talent he squandered last year, how could we get excited about THIS roster + Quaintance, - Aidoo?

Now, after you wipe the puke off your lips, go ahead and focus on Cal's coaching staff. He replaced Welch with Brad. Wow.

KP and Coleman are okay, but who is replacing Orlando Antiqua? Who is going to talk Cal into anything? He has a bunch of yes-men on his staff.

Good luck Arkansas fans.

Cal's moves have been one middle finger to the fan base after another. He truly does not care what anyone else's goals are.

 

[NociHTTP]

Maybe go back and read what was written. I dislike Cal as much as the next guy, but I'm saying that in his mind, he thought he was doing the best he could.

It just turns out he wasn't doing a good job, and certainly wasn't keeping UK's best interests in the forefront.

I don't think Cal has cared about UK in a long, long time.

 

[susan2361]

A slight tangent:

Time heals most wounds. But Cal is a wound that will fester for a long time.

I never thought there would be a more egregious slap in the face than when Pitino went to Louisville. But now Pitino has been welcomed back by many (most?).

But Cal did something that many will never forgive. He dissed the fanbase. He dissed the program. He snubbed his nose at big-money boosters that supported the program financially for decades. He fought with the administration. He bad-mouthed his boss. He called us Basketball Bennies. He preached the player was more important than the University. I could go on.

I'm not sure I'll ever forgive Pitino for what he did, but he at least has always professed love for UK. Cal? Not so much.

Of all those things you listed that Cal did (to the fans, the donors, the school, the State), the only thing I remember Pitino doing directly was going to Louisville. He always coached the best he could (which was GREAT) and wanted to win. He never put the draft ahead of winning. So even though Pitino was welcomed back, I don't think Cal will be.

 

[Digger-Cat]

Cal's moves have been one middle finger to the fan base after another. He truly does not care what anyone else's goals are.

He got fat at UK. He wanted to be the mob boss of college basketball and he worked hard for it at first, but he got the notoriety, the money and the HOF status. When you have all that, why work hard? Why care about what anybody says?

It gives me the willies though, because there is no way I could screw my reputation up like that. He seems fine with it. He knows everyone thinks he's a D- bench coach that squandered more talent than anyone in the history of the game, but he doesn't care, he's going to continue to cater to kids that have 5 stars next to their names.

Maybe Ellen can get through to him some day. These kids are going pro regardless, they aren't learning anything they won't learn in the NBA and newsflash, if you just play your best team and win, all that other stuff will work itself out.

He's turned into an ignorant old man that just refuses to adapt.

I can't thank Mr. Tyson enough, he did us a massive favor. He must hate the University of Arkansas.

 

[d2atTech]

Yep, I've said it for years. Cal is actually a tremendously poor leader. If you've spent a lot of time under strong leadership, you can recognize poor leadership easily. Cal never takes accountability. And what makes it worse, his pride and ego deflect blame to others. And his condescending attitude towards BBN is a defense mechanism.

BANG ON THE MONEY @SemperFiCat !

 

[North Carolina Blue Wildcat]

It comes down to what we were saying for years.

Cal is a horrific in-game coach.

He's good at signing key talent, and developing players individually and sometimes it comes together to achieve surprising wins (despite the Frankenstein team assembly), but it will never again yield high-end cohesive TEAM oriented results.

I struggle a little with him developing players. When we lost Robic and Payne, we struggled badly,

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

Should have been gone after 2021 when he went 9-16. And if that wasn’t enough the Shaedon Sharpe crap should have earned him his walking papers.

Sharpe fiasco was the straw that broke the camel's back for me

 

[Digger-Cat]

Sharpe fiasco was the straw that broke the camel's back for me

That's when it became very obvious that draft picks were all that mattered to Cal and as long as he stayed here, the program would always be held hostage by spoiled kids.

 

[rick64]

CCC is going to go down as the most underachieving D1 coach in history when you consider the number of draft picks that have passed through his program. Rughead was in the discussion but he got his 2nd natty.

 

[ccukuk]

Me personally, not wasting time caring or concerning myself with him or how he does.

He's gone thank goodness. Don't really care what he does or says. Ain't our problem no more.

So why are you in this thread reading about cow and posting about him. Wouldn’t it make more sense not caring by actually not caring?

 

[irishcat1965]

Absolutely anyone with a functioning brain knew to start Sheppard and Dilly after about the third game last year. By March, they would have been impossible to handle by other teams. Cal knew this- but wouldn’t do it out of spite for the fanbase and to moronically protect Wagner and Edwards potential draft stock. He was going to do it his screwed up way even if it meant deep sixing the season. And guess what? It did. Screw that fat POS.

 

[Jim Malone Lt.]

Should have been gone after 2021 when he went 9-16. And if that wasn’t enough the Shaedon Sharpe crap should have earned him his walking papers.

Yeah. No UK coach should keep their job after that.

 

[Rockfly78]

I don't think Cal has cared about UK in a long, long time.

He’s gonna pull a Pitino in 10 years. Gonna wanna come back and stand at mid court with all his NBA guys. If Kentucky has big success then he will probably get his wish.

 

[Cawood86]

So why are you in this thread reading about cow and posting about him. Wouldn’t it make more sense not caring by actually not caring?

 

[ManitouDan]

He knows the Bennies were right. He’s destroyed his legacy trying to prove us wrong. But he knows.

Yep, ego couldn't handle average Joe at the barbershop was more in tune with our team than he was . So he doubled. and tripled down .

I’m very confused as to why they are playing Aidoo, Brazile, and Z all at the center position. Cal could play Z at the PF spot and one of the other two at center, put Theiro at SF, and then play Fland/Davis/Wagner at the guard positions. He finally has a roster where he could play a very big lineup without anyone playing out of position, but he’s not doing it.

You mean Johny cant manage a roster or play the best 5 ? SHOCKING !! Screw him forever .

 

[ccukuk]

You just made the list

 

[CastleRubric]

No shame in being grateful for the coach we have - the level of change is still rippling out

Watching an old NFL clip with Mark Gastineau - dude was amazing fast

💨
Anywho

 

[Bluesnky]

Cal is terrible at roster construction. His teams look like Frankenstein’s monster every year because he tries to get the best talent regardless of positions because of this whole “positionless basketball” philosophy he believes in. He puts the biggest, most athletic players on the floor together as much as possible.

Look at Cal’s roster and look at Pope’s roster.

Which coach do you think put the most thought into constructing their rosters?

I’m just saying if you prefer to play bully ball, and you have a roster built for bully ball, why are you not playing bully ball? Does he even know what he is trying to do any more? It used to be pretty clear that he wanted one moutain at center, an athletic bully at PF, two slashers, and maybe one shooter. Slashers were to get to the bucket and shoot layups in a way conducive to offensive rebounding, or kick out to a shooter. And everyone had to play defense. But he hasn’t successfully recruited those offensive prototypes and made his team play defense in years.

 

[Cawood86]

You just made the list

Excellent sir.....well done

 

[wildcatcorner]

All those years uk fans defended "he just rolls the ball out" quips. Turns out those were mostly right all along.

Robic did the coaching. After he left, Cal really was exposed as a fraud. We would've been fortunate if that was all he did. Unfortunately he inserted his awful attempts at coaching into the equation.

I was one of those idiots that was saying, "hE dIdN'T Forget hOW to cOACh..."

Then it dawned on me a few years ago when colleges were able to assemble a team of veterans, he never knew how to coach. He just overwhelmed teams with athleticism. And he refuses to adapt.