This is what some of us wanted.

[Elliott Tim]

You stop it with your rationailty! There's no room for that here with the sky falling and all!

23 and me told me I'm from an unknown rationality.

 

[Elliott Tim]

Hey you remember that time people said calm down, Skal was gonna stay? Or briscoe has to come back for a 3rd year. ? Or where on earth would Matthews go or where can humphries possibly end up except for UK for a jr year?

Fans assuming players will return here makes me wonder if they have long term memory problems

Just doing what we all do on here. Expressing our opinions.

 

[Elliott Tim]

Agree with this. And maybe Cal has already adjusted, we might be in the middle of it.

We need a good cornerstone to build on. Who knows who that may be.

 

[Col. Angus]

how cool will it be in 3 years when we have 7 seniors to celebrate on senior night?

Are there still 7 guys living from the '51 title team and would they really celebrate that team on senior night? Because that's the only way UK will be celebrating 7 seniors in 2021.

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

Just doing what we all do on here. Expressing our opinions.

Got no problem with opinions like that but some posts about getting what we want in players coming back should have the word "if" in there dont ya think?

I think we're gonna flame out in the first game of the NCAAT but its not happened yet so I wont act like its completely set in stone.

 

[Elliott Tim]

Got no problem with opinions like that but some posts about getting what we want in players coming back should have the word "if" in there dont ya think?

I think we're gonna flame out in the first game of the NCAAT but its not happened yet so I wont act like its completely set in stone.

I hear you. Truth is we all speculate. All the recruiting misses has made me gun shy. I understand the wait and see approach. I see the sport programs as companies within a big company. There's probably so many things going on behind the scenes that it would rock our world if we really knew the whole truth.

 

[Blueaz]

This is not what a 2/3 year program looks like. A team that does this regularly, does not have 7 freshman they depend on. If you do It right you have 5 or so upperclassman you depend on themn 1-2 freshman. Anytime you depend on 5-7 freshman, this is the risk. This only works if you do it every year. Not by taking OAD’s and missing.

But don't we already do that most years?

Guys come back. Even this year Gabriel came back, SKJ came back.

That's not good enough tho for most people.

where were they gong?

 

[UKCATSFREAK]

This is not what a 2/3 year program looks like. A team that does this regularly, does not have 7 freshman they depend on. If you do It right you have 5 or so upperclassman you depend on themn 1-2 freshman. Anytime you depend on 5-7 freshman, this is the risk. This only works if you do it every year. Not by taking OAD’s and missing.

But.. ..We don't do this regularly. Not sure of your point here.

 

[UKCATSFREAK]

That's ridiculous. You can have a team with both, that eventually progresses. That is, we could also have a star freshmen capable of pushing this team over the hump this season, and return the rest of the freshmen. There is no reason that is impossible.

Please show me a team that does both regularly and contends every year. I'm sorry but I may not be impossible but it's pretty damn difficult. If it were so easy like you make it out to be, all the teams would be doing it. It's a very rare thing.

 

[KyLegacy]

Too bad...3-5 will be drafted somehow

 

[millayc]

Got no problem with opinions like that but some posts about getting what we want in players coming back should have the word "if" in there dont ya think?

I think we're gonna flame out in the first game of the NCAAT but its not happened yet so I wont act like its completely set in stone.

IF, does that make you feel better. I'm not a fortune teller, so I just assumed an opinion would have an element of "if" to it without me actually saying it. Stupid me!

 

[armchairpg]

Agree with this. And maybe Cal has already adjusted, we might be in the middle of it.

I have had that thought. These are the growing pains of his change in approach.

 

[kybassfan]

I'm not going to get into it long, because it's pointless, but you're just arguing the straw man that was set up.

Yes, you have to deal with them as freshman in year one, but a traditional route usually has other underclassman turning to upperclassman. We don't, because we would rather save scholarships than hand them out to guys to will return. It was part of the image Cal wanted to project, the pros come here, college athletes don't - essentially.

I'm fine with this as long as Cal makes the adjustment and stops risking our seasons on an old and wore out recruiting philosophy. It's over, this is a new era of recruits and what worked on Wall isn't working on them.

Start mixing it up and accept a traditional recruiting philosophy sometimes. You can still bring in AD but you need to sell it differently now.

Don’t think you are thinking this through. What you see now is exactly the type transition we’ll see with a coaching change. Well, not exactly, the players will be of lesser quality. Now, I don’t think we’re seeing a transition at all. We had some past players make bad decisions which led to an inordinately large number of freshmen. It wasn’t preventable except by those that left before they should have.

The really bad news is that we are in a very similar position this year. Folks get confused over who is ready to play in the NBA versus who the NBA thinks has the POTENTIAL to play in the NBA. Further complicating matters are those kids who fall prey to family, prior coaches or agents who lead them astray. Every single player on this team would benefit from another year in college. I expect 4 - 7 to leave.

I don’t think Cal has an adjustment to make which can be practically implemented. His only option is to recruit players which clearly do not have the option to leave after the first year. Were he to do that, our whiny Nancy boy fan segment will be in absolute floods during the 2 - 3 yr transition period required to develop that group into solid upper classmen.

I don’t expect an adjustment in recruiting simply because I don’t think there is an implementable one to make. Teams go through cycles. We’re just in a down one.

 

[morgousky]

Don’t think you are thinking this through. What you see now is exactly the type transition we’ll see with a coaching change. Well, not exactly, the players will be of lesser quality. Now, I don’t think we’re seeing a transition at all. We had some past players make bad decisions which led to an inordinately large number of freshmen. It wasn’t preventable except by those that left before they should have.

The really bad news is that we are in a very similar position this year. Folks get confused over who is ready to play in the NBA versus who the NBA thinks has the POTENTIAL to play in the NBA. Further complicating matters are those kids who fall prey to family, prior coaches or agents who lead them astray. Every single player on this team would benefit from another year in college. I expect 4 - 7 to leave.

I don’t think Cal has an adjustment to make which can be practically implemented. His only option is to recruit players which clearly do not have the option to leave after the first year. Were he to do that, our whiny Nancy boy fan segment will be in absolute floods during the 2 - 3 yr transition period required to develop that group into solid upper classmen.

I don’t expect an adjustment in recruiting simply because I don’t think there is an implementable one to make. Teams go through cycles. We’re just in a down one.

Maybe. I'd bet against it but maybe.

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

IF, does that make you feel better. I'm not a fortune teller, so I just assumed an opinion would have an element of "if" to it without me actually saying it. Stupid me!

thank you

 

[arenk]

If they transfer are they any less gone than if they are playing for pay somewhere,they are here or they are not.If they are not then we are shorthanded.

I was just adding that as a possibility since that is what a certain radio personality is suggesting may happen. I think the majority of them will stay. If I had to guess, I would say Knox, Diallo and Alexander leave.[/QUOTE]

I've said this before, but how does SGA play pg or sg in the NBA without a decent jumper from 15-18 feet? Thus far, he has yet to demonstrate that he can do anything on offense aside from taking people off the dribble and finishing or taking a mid-range jumper. I can't recall too many NBA pg's that can't hit an outside shot. There are guys like Wall and Rondo who aren't great outside shooters, but their athleticism is off the charts. Shai doesn't compare with either one in terms of athleticism and really, he's taken so few 3's this year that we cannot say whether he is or is not capable of draining the 3. That is very strange considering that he is a goof FT shooter. I just don't see him going in the first round unless it's very late, as in 27 or so. Just my opinion.

 

[bloodguard13]

Including myself. I'll admit it. I found myself longing for the old days when players stayed for more than one year. Now we have that team and we are all feeling the pain. Next year we will have 3 Juniors, several Sophomores and at least 3 Freshman (possibly more). Some of us have forgotten that this is how teams are normally built. I hate it right now. You hate it right now, but we are going to have a great team next year. We just have to get through the normal growing pains first. We haven't had to to this in awhile.

Somebody missing them some Tubby ball?

 

[Sawnee Cat]

No this is no what we wanted or do want. We wanted a basketball program with stability and one with the majority having high basketball IQ and competent in a game situation. You can have one and dones and have experience too. Our problem is we want to set a record for the most one and dones in a single draft. I don't want 6 or 7 or 8 players drafted from one team in one season. A couple or three at the most with the rest coming back and improved for next year.

That is all we ask, not a team of 5 freshmen starters. That is a recipe for disaster as we have proven.

 

[Blue Decade]

Including myself. I'll admit it. I found myself longing for the old days when players stayed for more than one year. Now we have that team and we are all feeling the pain. Next year we will have 3 Juniors, several Sophomores and at least 3 Freshman (possibly more). Some of us have forgotten that this is how teams are normally built. I hate it right now. You hate it right now, but we are going to have a great team next year. We just have to get through the normal growing pains first. We haven't had to to this in awhile.

I think Knox, Diallo, and SGA will be evaluated this year as 1st round choices. NBA GMs draft on athletic tools and performance ceiling, not popularity. Once you get past the middle of the 1st round, there is significant risk in every draft choice. Looking at Wildcats most likely to return, I believe Richards and Washington will be the biggest beneficiaries next year. Both should be among the better players in the SEC a year from now. I don't think SKJ is big enough to be an impact SEC player, and I don't think Gabriel will ever be strong enough. Whether next year's team is significantly improved compared to this year's version will depend a whole lot on Richards, Vanderbilt, Baker, Quickley.