UK just released a statement on Big Z…
- Thread starter BassProCat
- Start date
Look at what’s been happening at Michigan. They have a Stanford transfer and he lost basically his whole major credits. He’s now doing general studies just to graduate. The open transfer portal has opened up issues in academia that mostly wasn’t an issue because most were grad transfers. Most admissions offices probably haven’t transitioned fast enough to compensate for the 1000% increase in work. The portal has made it very messy.
The point is we just don’t know. You are assuming things to fit your narrative. You may be right but you may be wrong.
The other point is you out the entire blame on Cal for recruiting Z late. As good as he is, it doesn’t appear that any other programs were recruiting him any earlier than when we got word. There is a good chance that Z didn’t decide he wanted to consider college until late either. Maybe Cal had no choice but to recruit him late. There are plenty of reasons why Cal didn’t appear to recruit him until late. Only one of which puts the fault on Cal and that’s the one you choose as the reason.
Yet another thread devolves into the civil war between fans of Cal and those who are not. Those seeking info and discussion of the matter at hand are out of luck. As I see it this situation has little to do with Cal one way or another.It seems to be a problem of insular self serving academia arogantly exercising there power. Do they dislike Cal, I have no idea, but to suggest that academia bears no animosity toward the athletic dept is niave. Anyone who has ever worked in or around a college knows there is deep resentment and down right hatred in some cases toward athletics. It appears someone in the admissions office has decided to stick it to our basketball program ,it is also painfully obvious our University president lacks the fortitude or motivation to step in and solve the problem
I don't have any insight on the recruiting of Z. But I have to believe getting him inked became a lot easier after Oscar stayed in the draft, Bradshaw broke his foot and Ugo went down with a fairly significant injury. I mean interest on both sides had to heat up after each occurrence, right?
"How many damn centers do you morons actually expect us to have?"
Well, obviously Cal thinks we need another one, if not, why the hell is Cal working so hard to get Z here?
The 2 we have don't have 2 good feet between them
Apparently there is a meeting today to determine Z's fate. If we lose this kid to Duke or Michigan, the fan base should riot.
Post #114, this is what I said: "The administration is the biggest issue here by a mile, but Cal didn’t help his own cause either."
I didn’t put the whole thing on Cal, I put most of the blame on the administration.
But, I want to make a couple points here:
1) When you have to rebuild your roster every year, you end up flying by the seat of your pants too often, because you are now depending on kids and people to do their jobs and NOT string you along. Too often, these things don't happen.
2) How you talk to people and how you treat people, matters. Cal has gotten really fat on himself and has pissed some people off. We can act like that is just an opinion, but come on, we have seen too much.
We have referees that hate Cal enough to screw us over when the games mean the most.
We have media members that are just waiting for Cal to screw up (Goodman and Thamel).
The NCAA is so done with Cal that they told him his 500 win ball can't be recognized.
We have an AD that is now denying things that Cal wants (practice facility).
Now, we appear to have people within the UK academic side that are sending a message.
The amount of people that have been rubbed wrong by Cal, is growing and he consistently shows us that he doesn't care to fix that.
Exactly, but it appears @YoureAMiserableBunch doesn’t realize that.
I didn’t say you put the entire blame on Cal for the admissions issue. I said you out the entire blame on Cal for recruiting him late. Those are 2 entirely different things.
Hopefully common sense prevails, but I won’t be holding my breath.
I couldn’t imagine a kid getting accepted into Duke or Michigan, but getting declined by Kentucky. That would be madness.
He would already have been accepted anywhere else in college basketball
I can agree with most of this. I hate the culture of
I think the roster was fine when Bradshaw and UGO were healthy and we had a guy that could spread the floor at the 5 spot (really probably a 4) in Mitchell. When Bradshaw hurt his ankle and more urgently, UGO hurt his in Canada, the need for another 5 smacked in the face. That's when I noticed and read about Z being pursued. In fact, I'm not sure I ever read of any other school pursuing Z - making me think he hadn't really thought about being a college player.
What's happening right now is squarely on UK admissions...and I would further say all school administration from politicians to the elementary/middle/high schools and even colleges is atrocious. There is no reason to deny him admissions because of a "standardized English test" when he speaks 4 languages fluently - and even English (I've listened to his interviews). This is not a Calipari thing, it is a UK administration issue that needs resolved now.
Not sure. That's just what is being said. Whether we know the results of that meeting today, that' s another story.
If he ends up playing for freaking Duke, that's a firable offense. Duke has a 6% acceptance rate. SIX.
So basically UK says Z is not in the 94% acceptance rate for us, but fits the 6% for Duke if that happens.
God help the admin office if that comes to pass.
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I’m pretty sure he is referring to Kel’el Ware, not Nfaly Dante. Ware absolutely did enter the portal and wound up at Indiana.
Surely these blowhards in the admissions office know how ridiculous they are being now,
Never doubt bloated incompetence. We see it all the time. For those that watched the Ball State game, the ref that pointed to the ground on that fumble is a perfect example.
If I were cal I would get a giant poster-board, write 94% exceptance rate, and then walk in say what the hell are we doing here
i am not the one that made the original comment you are
show any proof the BS you said has any basis of truth
keep spinning, that is about all you are good for
instead of acting like you know something (we all know you do not), just be honest and admit you have no idea when Cal contacted Z or even when Z decided to go to college
But if recruiting Z late isn’t on Cal, who is it on then?
I get it, we have injuries, but Bradshaw and Mitchell are going to be fine.
I was also responding to a guy that said "how many centers do you think we need?".
But you were complaining earlier that wasn't sufficient and he should have been better prepared. So, again, how many do you want?
I was complaining what wasn't sufficient? The amount of bigs we have? No I wasn't, I think you have me confused with someone else.
Yes, Cal should have been better prepared. Nobody should be debating this. By now, he should be a whole lot better than he is, considering he has had to fully rebuild his roster most years he has been here. We keep hearing about how the players on some of our teams weren't good enough, well, who's fault is that?
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Great post with facts and very accurate.
My main point is, when you have to flip your roster every year, this stuff is going to happen. Cal has to depend on way too many people to be honest, do their jobs and not string him along. That’s impossible these days.
It could be on Z deciding late that college is an option for him. Do you not want Cal to recruit someone like that? It could be that he has been recruiting him since last January and we just didn’t hear about it until recently. Maybe Cal hasn’t been recruiting him late. Maybe Cal had no choice to recruit him late because Z made himself available late. Maybe Cal chose to recruit him late. All 3 of those are possible but only one is potentially negative for Cal. I tend to think the recruitment was late but I don’t think that was necessarily because of Cal. I think more of it was Zs play in the world basketball showcase and subsequent spotlight.
So was Cal recruiting him in June, or not? That's what I said. I knew Z committed in August, just didn't know when. This was a late recruitment either way you shake it.
Damn...Cal started recruiting him in August and got him to commit on August 1? That's hella impressive!
Again, this isn’t on Cal, but damn, every year we have a bunch of roster anxiety due to his one-and-done culture.
Is your issue the culture or because the past few years we haven’t won with it? I don’t remember you or many complaining about roster management up to roughly the 9 and 16 Covid year. Cal’s approach hasn’t changed but now people who didn’t mind that approach before suddenly don’t like it.
I was just thinking …damn it’s Thursday and haven’t heard much since this broke the other day ….and some media said something needs to be done by the weekend so we getting to close to crunch time…🤞
I would like to see Cal hit the portal early next year We should have money to spend and lots of minutes.
the approach was never ok but winning fixed it.
Depends on who you ask. I am completely ok with it and it’s the way basketball is today. It isn’t going back to stars staying 3 and 4 years. If you want the stars, you just need to accept it.
first of all, the Ware kid from Oregon did enter the portal & will be playing for IU next year........so keep up with what is going on before your criticize. Ware is much like Z can shoot from outside, block shots & rebound. Yet the all knowing ccc did not even look his way.
secondly, Ugo is the only center or again did you forget that ccc promised Bradshaw the forward position to get him to UK, just as his handlers wanted. Ugo was promised the center position when he was in the portal & then all of a sudden decided to return to UK
thirdly, Mitchell is not a center but a fairly skilled forward, that just fell into UK's lap because Huggy made a bad decision not a center.
By my count, that leaves 1 center with ZERO experience because ccc did not have the sense to let him play
last year. But that is mute as now his foot is broken & who knows if his handlers will let him play.
True no one knows exactly when UK started recruiting Z, but it appears that it was after the Canada trip.
Again, why so late if this kid is such a talent. Should have been on him much earlier & then the admission fiasco would have been over by now. If this is truly a power struggle between athletics & academics, then ccc deserves everything that he is getting do to his arrogance. It is bad for the fans that have supported this program for so many years and have watched this supposed coach destroy it brick by brick. It is also unfortunate for the youngster that just wants to play college ball.
It would have been much easier for you to just type I hate Cal and nothing he does will ever be good enough.
Well, you're making a lot of excuses for Cal. I used to do that, but dude is 14 years into this thing, yet crazy shit keeps happening each year. It’s been out of control since he got here, so in my mind, it's crazy that this crap is still happening.
My complaint has always been the culture. Guys like Wall, Cuz, KAT and Ulis definitely help, but kids aren't coming here for UK anymore, they are coming here to leave.
It happens at other schools, yes, but in 99.9% of the other college basketball programs, they manage to keep their kids for 3+ years and the ones that are best at retaining their players, are the ones getting to final 4's.
The roster is in flux every year, it's so beyond ridiculous now.
Same here. No need to wait, most of this roster is gone after this year whether they win it all, or go 9-16. Hopefully Cal doesn't find a way to allow a lottery pick to string him along again.
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