Thoughts on our freshmen

[billoliver40]

All three have a ton of talent, and if they stick with it will be real nice college players.

But right at this moment they are out of sync with the flow of the game. Rushing shots. Overplaying and missing defensive position. These three are really true freshmen and are going to have to figure it at their own pace. All 3 hustle, all 3 want to do well. Their time will eventually come….perhaps even this year. As of last night though they struggled.
In this day of transfer with immediate eligibility they may not stay. I hope they do. They have skills. Not Chapman or Sheppard skills but that’s pretty high level. I’m more than willing to be patient and hope they are as well.

 

[uk78]

It would be a lie to say Perry hasn't been a disappointment so far. He is the leading scorer in Kentucky high school basketball history. Held his own against Sheppard and scored more in the All-star games. He won the 3 point shooting contest and so far he has been Josh Carrier in the games. His shots have not even been close. It is surprising to me.

 

[I-Move-Like-The-Pope]

To be honest, Noah looks to have the most potential out of Perry and Chandler based on in game tendencies. He acts like he belongs. Perry and Chandler play at a sped up pace acting like they need to prove that they belong.

 

[ukfan1622]

It would be a lie to say Perry hasn't been a disappointment so far. He is the leading scorer in Kentucky high school basketball history. Held his own against Sheppard and scored more in the All-star games. He won the 3 point shooting contest and so far he has been Josh Carrier in the games. His shots have not even been close. It is surprising to me.

He is pressing; he is a much better shooter than he has shown yet in UK games. But when he knocks one down don't be surprised if he then hits several in a row.

 

[bbncal02]

Chandler will be fine. Again, he didn't play ANY organized basketball for two years.

Noah looks to be the most capable at the moment against any competition.

Perry will be fine as well, but he has newborn deer in the headlights syndrome right now.

 

[BluPappi81]

I always wanted Cal to recruit more 3 and 4 star players who were likely to stay-hopefully for 4 years-to have mature, strong players to blend in with the spaghetti armed one and done high level talent that got worked over by veteran teams come tourney time. The challenge of course in the NIL era is not having them poached after you’ve developed them. So, I’m patient to wait on a Perry and a Noah for the good probability that they will be solid contributors as juniors and seniors if we’re fortunate to keep them.

 

[bluefaithful]

He is pressing; he is a much better shooter than he has shown yet in UK games. But when he knocks one down don't be surprised if he then hits several in a row.

Oh I will be surprised, very surprised

 

[billoliver40]

^^^^^that is likely one reason at least once a week Pope makes sure to point out the talents of the three young guns. He doesn’t want them to feel under appreciated

 

[oldsports_]

Noah looks comfortable, Chandler isn't far behind, Perry looks lost and shots aren't even close.
That's why they are freshmen, and in time, they will be awesome.

 

[catsfan325]

Perry is the only one I'm worried about. Still extremely early in his college career but there is clearly a size and athleticism deficiency that is not going to be overcome. I think his man got to his spot every single time last night - minimal resistance.
Not to say he can't become a meaningful contributor for a winning team at this level, but I think the path is somewhat limited. Going to have to obviously get comfortable with the speed of the game and start making the shots when he takes them. He's going to have to succeed by being the grittiest player out there.

I'm not counting him out, but if I'm Pope I'm also not counting on him being anything better than the 12th man for next year

 

[DraftCat]

I never watched Perry in high school so don't come at me... but I'm assuming he's a volume shooter.

It's tough to get going coming off the bench and playing 3 minutes a game with maybe 1 shot.

All the freshman are projects and likely will need to get stronger to get on the floor.

 

[ukfan1622]

Oh I will be surprised, very surprised

So you really think he is a poor shooter? You can question his quickness, height, athleticism and that is reasonable but if you really think he's a bad shooter that is kind of ridiculous.

 

[Zissou87]

Regardless of what they did in the state of Kentucky, neither Perry nor Noah were ranked in the top 50 for their class. Generally speaking, the state of Kentucky doesn't graduate great basketball talent. Going forward, UK fans need to lower their expectations of the impact of freshmen at UK. The all-SEC players at UK will probably be upperclassmen, potentially even from the state.

 

[UKWildcats1987]

Weakest class Pope will ever sign at UK. That's my overall theme and not really shocking.

I think they can all be solid contributors to future UK teams and be part of a title team down the road, most likely as contributors off the bench. Chandler may be the one who could start if he gets it.

 

[Deli owl]

Not ready

 

[NerlensCat]

I think most of you get too rapped up in the moment. What I saw mostly were 2 ultra high BB IQ/Shooters with less than ideal athleticism/length in Noah and Perry who are trying to learn a very read and react system that most of the Seniors are still trying to figure out. Chandler too. His athleticism allows him to defend a little better. If the were not working hard while they are out there, then I would be worried.

It is not like the rest of the team is killing it from 3. Brea and Almanor are the only 2 volume shooters who are knocking down what you would expect. This team has so much room to grow because Pope valued very good defensive players for his starting group. That is likely why Brea was not starting.

Pope’s offense is at times going to look brilliant and other times like “what the heck are we doing” because the timing was just slightly off. It doesn’t help that at times it doesn’t look like anyone knows how to hit a layup. They are all going 100 mph. We saw how, at times during the Gonzaga second half, it was like poetry.

This is why Pope has said he wants some Burger Boys, but what he covets most is continuity from year to year. Harrison, Oweh, Chandler, Perry and Noah are going to be critical to the next few years.

I have confidence that the freshman will look dramatically different by the end of next year. It would be great if one of them steps up this year. But the nice thing is that we don’t really have to have them, at least not for any substantial minutes.

 

[BlueSince92]

I think they will all stay. We are not dealing with Cal recruits anymore, thank God.

 

[BCD]

The best thing about freshman is they become sophomores.

 

[NothinButNylon]

I know that we live in a different era and most want instant gratification.. I get that, me too. But what I used to love about UK basketball back in the day was watching players grow each year. I miss seeing player development and watching their stats improve each year.

Once we get Lamont and Kerr back in the lineup, the freshmen will go back to their intended role for this year. And I hope that all three of them stick around, work hard, learn from the upperclassmen, and then come back next year with poise and confidence and be able to handle the tempo of college ball.

I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the ride this year and hope all who can come back next year will. So far it's been very refreshing to watch these games. My excitement is back and I'm back to looking forward to each game with the expectation of winning every one of them.

 

[MegaBlue05]

I see three old school, pre OAD true freshmen who were not blue chip recruits. I am OK with that.

Noah seems to be the most game ready right now and has good size, Chandler is by far the most athletic and Perry is behind them.

I have also noticed Perry and Noah look like children compared to their teammates. Guys like Carr and Williams are five years older than them.

Hopefully they stick it out and develop into contributors/starters by the time they’re juniors.

 

[ncaaky]

In the age of transfer portal, it would not bother me at all if any or all of them transferred. None have shown promise yet and we don’t need 3 guys that might not make any impact filling 25 percent of the roster.

In the old days it would be worth waiting and hoping for them to help out as 3rd or 4th year players. In today’s world I’d rather they all leave and we fill the spots each year with proven impact juniors or seniors.

 

[NerlensCat]

In the age of transfer portal, it would not bother me at all if any or all of them transferred. None have shown promise yet and we don’t need 3 guys that might not make any impact filling 25 percent of the roster.

In the old days it would be worth waiting and hoping for them to help out as 3rd or 4th year players. In today’s world I’d rather they all leave and we fill the spots each year with proven impact juniors or seniors.

Wow! Interesting take. Of course, I completely disagree. But interesting.

Are you one of those who expects Ky to just out bid everyone for Portal and HS talent as well? I hate to tell you, but other schools, a lot of other schools, have big money donors. Just take a look at BYU right now. Money alone is not going to be the answer.

 

[ncaaky]

Wow! Interesting take. Of course, I completely disagree. But interesting.

Are you one of those who expects Ky to just out bid everyone for Portal and HS talent as well? I hate to tell you, but other schools, a lot of other schools, have big money donors. Just take a look at BYU right now. Money alone is not going to be the answer.

We have a lot of NIL resources plus a great system to play in.

The main point is I would rather continue to bring in a Carr, Oweh, Butler type every year instead of hoping Perry, Noah and Chandler develop into impact players. They might but they might not. We will be losing at least 4 starters and 2 of our top 4 reserves for sure next year. I’d rather replace them with proven players.

In a few years, Pope will be able to get better balance on the roster so a couple developmental players a year will be fine.

 

[Fox2monk]

To be honest, Noah looks to have the most potential out of Perry and Chandler based on in game tendencies. He acts like he belongs. Perry and Chandler play at a sped up pace acting like they need to prove that they belong.

I think that Chandler will evenetullay be the best player.

 

[Zissou87]

We have a lot of NIL resources plus a great system to play in.

The main point is I would rather continue to bring in a Carr, Oweh, Butler type every year instead of hoping Perry, Noah and Chandler develop into impact players. They might but they might not. We will be losing at least 4 starters and 2 of our top 4 reserves for sure next year. I’d rather replace them with proven players.

In a few years, Pope will be able to get better balance on the roster so a couple developmental players a year will be fine.

Agreed. Get old and stay old.

 

[NociHTTP]

I never watched Perry in high school so don't come at me... but I'm assuming he's a volume shooter.

It's tough to get going coming off the bench and playing 3 minutes a game with maybe 1 shot.

All the freshman are projects and likely will need to get stronger to get on the floor.

What he's doing is what freshman SHOULD be doing. Coming off the bench, spot minutes, an opportunity here or there. That's how you develop the depth needed to win at the highest level.

 

[NothinButNylon]

We have a lot of NIL resources plus a great system to play in.

The main point is I would rather continue to bring in a Carr, Oweh, Butler type every year instead of hoping Perry, Noah and Chandler develop into impact players. They might but they might not. We will be losing at least 4 starters and 2 of our top 4 reserves for sure next year. I’d rather replace them with proven players.

In a few years, Pope will be able to get better balance on the roster so a couple developmental players a year will be fine.

I definitely get what you are saying, but there would be room for 4-6 top transfers even if they all came back along with our incoming freshmen. I don't think anyone is saying that if they come back they have to be a starter.

 

[JonathanW]

It would be a lie to say Perry hasn't been a disappointment so far. He is the leading scorer in Kentucky high school basketball history. Held his own against Sheppard and scored more in the All-star games. He won the 3 point shooting contest and so far he has been Josh Carrier in the games. His shots have not even been close. It is surprising to me.

Ford was not good as a FR at Missouri or a Soph at UK. Nobody would have imagined what Feldhaus and Pelfrey would become after their FR year.
Patience!

 

[cat tat2]

Chandler, Noah and Perry are all going to be fine. I believe Coach Pope and these guys will accomplish great things.

 

[FitchandMurray29]

I think that Chandler will evenetullay be the best player.

I hope so. Sadly I’ve lost my confidence in that though. Don’t think he can play point and isn’t a great great shooter. The athleticism he has is mainly bounce.

Weird Chandler observation: he always looks to me to have tiny extremities. He looks like he has no wingspan, tiny hands, and small feet. It’s a weird aesthetic to me for some reason.

 

[Fox2monk]

I hope so. Sadly I’ve lost my confidence in that though. Don’t think he can play point and isn’t a great great shooter. The athleticism he has is mainly bounce.

Weird Chandler observation: he always looks to me to have tiny extremities. He looks like he has no wingspan, tiny hands, and small feet. It’s a weird aesthetic to me for some reason.

That’s what happens with 2 years off. He will get it back IMO.