Ulis may be the best pure point guard...

[bigbluelou]

...I've seen at UK in a long, long time...perhaps ever in my lifetime. The kid just has "it".

Every move is deliberate, his head is always up, he runs the offense like a coach, doesn't make mistakes, sees every part of the floor, has the ball on a string, is tough as nails, and can shoot and score, too. Smart on smart and quick on quick. I NEVER worry when the ball is in his hands. Transcendent imho.

I am in love with this young man. In a strictly platonic sense, of course.

 

[bigbluelou]

Oh yeah...tenacious defender.

 

[W2R]

If anything. I think he and Davis go down as all time Favs. I hear rival fans respecting Ulis

 

[BBUK]

...I've seen at UK in a long, long time...perhaps ever in my lifetime. The kid just has "it".

Every move is deliberate, his head is always up, he runs the offense like a coach, doesn't make mistakes, sees every part of the floor, has the ball on a string, is tough as nails, and can shoot and score, too. Smart on smart and quick on quick. I NEVER worry when the ball is in his hands. Transcendent imho.

I am in love with this young man. In a strictly platonic sense, of course.

Dang dude..you "ain't" prejudiced. AC/DC maybe but you "ain't" prejudiced......

 

[JonathanW]

Ever!

 

[CatsIndy2010]

I think he has the ability and he made some excellent drives to the basket last night. I am glad he is on our team.

 

[Stonewall12]

The best pass I saw him throw was the lob to Willis which Willis throw to somebody else. He knew where Willis was the whole time. Just a very smart basketball player.

 

[kyjeff1]

I defended the rankings that came out last week that showed Tyler as the 6th best pg in the country. I think those rankings are accurate based on what non-biased analysts have seen. The other guys on that list have had 2 or 3 years to show what they could do. Tyler split time last season so he was at a disadvantage . I think Tyler will show the country that he is the best PG in the nation . his assist to TO ratio will be better than everyone else simply because he's smart and he's on a better team.
But all I want at this point is for him to stay healthy. No more injuries to key players please. We've had enough of that.

 

[Chuckinden]

Ulis is relentless and goes full speed all the time. I felt we should have used him more last year than we did.

 

[KWilt43atbuzz]

He ight.

 

[Aike]

Ulis is relentless and goes full speed all the time. I felt we should have used him more last year than we did.

How much more? He was 4th on the team in minutes played. 2 mpg less than Andrew.

 

[Chuckinden]

How much more? He was 4th on the team in minutes played. 2 mpg less than Andrew.

I should have said more in crucial moments.

 

[Aike]

I should have said more in crucial moments.

Gotcha.

 

[Blue Decade]

...I've seen at UK in a long, long time...perhaps ever in my lifetime. The kid just has "it".

Every move is deliberate, his head is always up, he runs the offense like a coach, doesn't make mistakes, sees every part of the floor, has the ball on a string, is tough as nails, and can shoot and score, too. Smart on smart and quick on quick. I NEVER worry when the ball is in his hands. Transcendent imho.

I am in love with this young man. In a strictly platonic sense, of course.

Many fans are placing Ulis on a pedestal. It's understandable. Ulis is a fine player. When it comes to naming great Kentucky point guards, we have had so many. Kron, Macy, Davender, Turner, Wall, Knight, Teague. I am leaving out a few names there. I would just remind the OP that Wall IS a pure point guard. Ulis is a nice player, but he is no John Wall. Anyone who doesn't get that should just wait a couple of years. How quickly people forget. Kentucky basketball tends to bring out overreactions from our fans. There is a lot of euphoric exuberance this year over Ulis, but I think the focus placed by some people on individual players really overlooks the fact that basketball is a team sport. And this team will go as far as Murray, Poythress, and Labissiere take it, although that doesn't change the fact that Ulis is another very important piece.

 

[KWilt43atbuzz]

BD, I get what your saying but the concensus around the country is that Ulis is or will be the best PG in America this season. Sorry but that transcends a fine player.
He is a game changer.

 

[UKWildcats#8]

Many fans are placing Ulis on a pedestal. It's understandable. Ulis is a fine player. When it comes to naming great Kentucky point guards, we have had so many. Kron, Macy, Davender, Turner, Wall, Knight, Teague. I am leaving out a few names there. I would just remind the OP that Wall IS a pure point guard. Ulis is a nice player, but he is no John Wall. Anyone who doesn't get that should just wait a couple of years. How quickly people forget. Kentucky basketball tends to bring out overreactions from our fans. There is a lot of euphoric exuberance this year over Ulis, but I think the focus placed by some people on individual players really overlooks the fact that basketball is a team sport. And this team will go as far as Murray, Poythress, and Labissiere take it, although that doesn't change the fact that Ulis is another very important piece.

Exactly. Anyone who would take Tyler Ulis over John Freakin Wall if we could somehow have a 19 year old Soph Wall this season instead is crazy. I love Ulis though and he is definitely going to be a stud at PG this season getting the majority of the minutes there.

 

[Chuckinden]

Many fans are placing Ulis on a pedestal. It's understandable. Ulis is a fine player. When it comes to naming great Kentucky point guards, we have had so many. Kron, Macy, Davender, Turner, Wall, Knight, Teague. I am leaving out a few names there. I would just remind the OP that Wall IS a pure point guard. Ulis is a nice player, but he is no John Wall. Anyone who doesn't get that should just wait a couple of years. How quickly people forget. Kentucky basketball tends to bring out overreactions from our fans. There is a lot of euphoric exuberance this year over Ulis, but I think the focus placed by some people on individual players really overlooks the fact that basketball is a team sport. And this team will go as far as Murray, Poythress, and Labissiere take it, although that doesn't change the fact that Ulis is another very important piece.

I agree with that. John Wall is the best PG I have ever witnessed at UK and I go back 50 yrs.

 

[hotelblue]

Ever!

could be if he stays four years. could win three titles lol. as a player (not stats necessarily) i rank his ability above a lot of our greats. as far as potential it would take a lot to overtake beard. two titles, olympic gold, multi-aa, rupp's self proclaimed best guard. but as far as since turner, macy etc he has a chance to move way up there if he comes back, and plenty if he leads us to a title this year. which would be crazy even with our talent, because we lost so much and all of america knows he is our floor leader.

 

[Chuckinden]

could be if he stays four years. could win three titles lol. as a player (not stats necessarily) i rank his ability above a lot of our greats. as far as potential it would take a lot to overtake beard. two titles, olympic gold, multi-aa, rupp's self proclaimed best guard. but as far as since turner, macy etc he has a chance to move way up there if he comes back, and plenty if he leads us to a title this year. which would be crazy even with our talent, because we lost so much and all of america knows he is our floor leader.

I never understood why anyone ranks how good a player is playing a team sport based on the number of titles the team won. This is not a shot a Beard, but just in general. If we win the next three titles, will the equipment manager be the best equipment manager of all time since he was part of a TEAM?

 

[hotelblue]

I never understood why anyone ranks how good a player is playing a team sport based on the number of titles the team won. This is not a shot a Beard, but just in general. If we win the next three titles, will the equipment manager be the best equipment manager of all time since he was part of a TEAM?

i could argue the same thing asking why people rank how good basketball players are as individuals when basketball is a team sport. if you want to argue that distinction we can. looks to me this conversation could be about what you think makes a player great. and we could do that if you wish. but you weren't too specific and basically just made a general statement.

 

[hotelblue]

ulis is great because he runs the team and doesn't make mistakes, and hits timely threes at a high volume, and can defend full court. not many guys can do that. running the team is most important.

this is what i've been seeing lately...ulis calls a play that doesn't involve him and it gets executed. when's the last point guard we've had like that?

 

[hotelblue]

sorry, i should have just said the proof is in the pudding. i really can't think of a past champion who didn't have a floor leader to ulis' ability, and all the ones i could think of that didn't were busy hitting game deciding threes. if you win titles on this level you are great. that's what decides it for me as a fan. the brandon knight, john wall stuff seems normal at uk right now, but it's not in ccb history. those are special cases.

and they are proving their uniqueness on the next level right now. doesn't mean title winners are better individual players, just means they executed what they needed to win on the college level. as for the difference in generations that's too broad a topic. beard has two titles though and we're still counting all eight.

 

[Brando Mac]

Yes, of course basketball is a team game, but Ulis makes the TEAM better when he's on the court. His unselfishness and good decision making is contagious and I'm already starting to see that. We already know that he's a strong defender and has good shooting ability (I don't think the percentage last season was a fluke or too small of a sample size like some have tried to put out there as a preemptive false narrative). I honestly don't see how anyone could have a problem with his play or this thread for praising him. The guy runs through a brick wall for this team and anyone with two eyes can see that. That's why people love him, it's not just hype for hypes sake.

No one is saying that he's a better talent than John Wall. Wall is a freak and once in a generation talent, IMO. I don't, however, think that it's absurd to say that Ulis might be a better leader than Wall and some other recent point guards we've had. That's what I want from my point guard, especially when they've got the talent to go with it. From everything I've seen, he's a great one.

 

[Chuckinden]

i could argue the same thing asking why people rank how good basketball players are as individuals when basketball is a team sport. if you want to argue that distinction we can. looks to me this conversation could be about what you think makes a player great. and we could do that if you wish. but you weren't too specific and basically just made a general statement.

I don't want to debate this here and hijack the thread, but think of Robert Horry. He has 7 NBA rings.

 

[hotelblue]

I don't want to debate this here and hijack the thread, but think of Robert Horry. He has 7 NBA rings.

i see what you're saying, but tyler hansbrough is one of the great college players ever. and he's just a nba role player at best. although he participated in cheating you can't really argue that statement. yet. between wins, stats and all the things people use to designate greatness on the court he was a great college basketball player. a better college basketball legacy than john wall. so you see the difference in analyzing greatness between nba players and college players? it's two different things.

 

[Stonewall12]

Many fans are placing Ulis on a pedestal. It's understandable. Ulis is a fine player. When it comes to naming great Kentucky point guards, we have had so many. Kron, Macy, Davender, Turner, Wall, Knight, Teague. I am leaving out a few names there. I would just remind the OP that Wall IS a pure point guard. Ulis is a nice player, but he is no John Wall. Anyone who doesn't get that should just wait a couple of years. How quickly people forget. Kentucky basketball tends to bring out overreactions from our fans. There is a lot of euphoric exuberance this year over Ulis, but I think the focus placed by some people on individual players really overlooks the fact that basketball is a team sport. And this team will go as far as Murray, Poythress, and Labissiere take it, although that doesn't change the fact that Ulis is another very important piece.

There is nothing wrong with what he said. Ulis in his opinion might be the best PG he has seen at UK. So what? He is in the consveration. Wall is unreal but he is just now understanding on how to be a PG. he jumps higher and is taller than Ulis but other than that Ulis has him beat. One of the worst things about wall was he was a TO machine especially the first 10 or so games here at UK. Ulis of course is just the opposite. The one and biggest thing how they are alike is... They were the best college PG in the nation.

 

[jrpross]

Oh yeah...tenacious defender.

No kidding. I watched him specifically a couple times when his guy had the ball. And he was
CONSTANTLY poking his hand at the ball going for the steal without letting his guys get in front of him until he had to just throw it to someone else. It's harder for him to defend than some of the longer guys, but he is a pesky little turn on defense.

On offense, he kind of showed us both sides of himself over the last 2 games. Against Ottawa he had 10 assists, he created so much for the team. Whereas against Kentucky State, he was in more of an attack mode. Getting inside, shooting a short jumper or finishing at the rim surprisingly well for a midget among trees. It's awesom that he has both sides to him.

So no, he's nowhere near John Wall's stratosphere of freakish skill, but Tyler knows his role and executes it to precision. He's a big part of why I think this team will be really special.

 

[Fancatstik]

Cousy winner for sure!

 

[bigbluelou]

Yes, of course basketball is a team game, but Ulis makes the TEAM better when he's on the court. His unselfishness and good decision making is contagious and I'm already starting to see that. We already know that he's a strong defender and has good shooting ability (I don't think the percentage last season was a fluke or too small of a sample size like some have tried to put out there as a preemptive false narrative). I honestly don't see how anyone could have a problem with his play or this thread for praising him. The guy runs through a brick wall for this team and anyone with two eyes can see that. That's why people love him, it's not just hype for hypes sake.

No one is saying that he's a better talent than John Wall. Wall is a freak and once in a generation talent, IMO. I don't, however, think that it's absurd to say that Ulis might be a better leader than Wall and some other recent point guards we've had. That's what I want from my point guard, especially when they've got the talent to go with it. From everything I've seen, he's a great one.

You completely understand the point of my OP. Thanks.

 

[1991greywildcat]

Ulis really turned his game up over the summer, just watch his ball is life video...there is no one else I would rather have in clutch time this year, UK s back court this year will be absolutely deadly!!!

 

[Dakota25]

I agree with you that the backcourt is loaded this season and so is the front court. Excited to watch this team play this year!

 

[bigbluelou]

Many fans are placing Ulis on a pedestal. It's understandable. Ulis is a fine player. When it comes to naming great Kentucky point guards, we have had so many. Kron, Macy, Davender, Turner, Wall, Knight, Teague. I am leaving out a few names there. I would just remind the OP that Wall IS a pure point guard. Ulis is a nice player, but he is no John Wall. Anyone who doesn't get that should just wait a couple of years. How quickly people forget. Kentucky basketball tends to bring out overreactions from our fans. There is a lot of euphoric exuberance this year over Ulis, but I think the focus placed by some people on individual players really overlooks the fact that basketball is a team sport. And this team will go as far as Murray, Poythress, and Labissiere take it, although that doesn't change the fact that Ulis is another very important piece.

Just a couple of comments.

I was in no way trying to suggest that Wall wasn't a great, even "pure" point guard. He was just a different type of point guard IMHO. Certainly an athletic freak and one who could take over a game. I also remember from Mike Flynn to Macy and on, and I hold them in extremely high regard. Macy, Turner, Davender (great defender)...heck even Ramel Bradley and Anthony Epps were pretty darned good.

I am also not one given to hyperbole. You can check my post history and will find very few posts where I give such effusive praise for a single player. I'm not that type of fan. Of course it's a team sport, but this doesn't mean we can't talk about the amazing individual skills of certain players. If it did, you wouldn't need to mention Murray, Poythress and Labissiere as you did...and rightfully so.

This UK fan is not one who falls into the "how quickly they forget" category. I remember all of the aforementioned guards very well. It was also not my intention to put Ulis on a pedestal, because that would suggest he is bigger than the team. Not the case. But, I stand by my original assertion. As far as a "pure" point guard, I'd take Ulis to run my team over just about anyone we've ever had, perhaps even Wall.

 

[brianpoe]

I defended the rankings that came out last week that showed Tyler as the 6th best pg in the country. I think those rankings are accurate based on what non-biased analysts have seen. The other guys on that list have had 2 or 3 years to show what they could do. Tyler split time last season so he was at a disadvantage . I think Tyler will show the country that he is the best PG in the nation . his assist to TO ratio will be better than everyone else simply because he's smart and he's on a better team.
But all I want at this point is for him to stay healthy. No more injuries to key players please. We've had enough of that.

You were right to defend those rankings.

Ulis has to prove to the country what we all have seen. He has to produce as the main man before he can get the accolades over those proven players.

Skal has no real comp at the Center spot.

 

[brianpoe]

BD, I get what your saying but the concensus around the country is that Ulis is or will be the best PG in America this season. Sorry but that transcends a fine player.
He is a game changer.

I have not seen any consensus that he is the best in the country.

Do you have a link?

I have seen him ranked 6th.

He has the potential but he is not getting the accolades of Paige, Melo, VanVleet, DUnn, or even Jackson or Yogi.

 

[jrm693]

I have not seen any consensus that he is the best in the country.

Do you have a link?

I have seen him ranked 6th.

He has the potential but he is not getting the accolades of Paige, Melo, VanVleet, DUnn, or even Jackson or Yogi.

That pretty much tells the story, Cal has blown him up and we all like him and he is great...with Briscoe and Murray keeping opposing teams from focusing on him he should have a great season.

 

[Blue Decade]

Yes, of course basketball is a team game, but Ulis makes the TEAM better when he's on the court.

No one is saying that he's a better talent than John Wall.

Actually, all of our starters and our top bench players make our team better. That's precisely the reason Calipari plays them.

And the OP DID say Ulis is the best point guard he has seen at UK in a long time. But that's goofy. Ulis is a nice player, but he isn't in Wall's category, and never will be.

 

[Blue Decade]

There is nothing wrong with what he said. Ulis in his opinion might be the best PG he has seen at UK. So what? He is in the consveration.

I disagree with you that Ulis is even in the conversation. When I see comments like that, I wonder how old the poster is. I don't even know how many All Americans Kentucky has had over the years, but the number is really high. I hate these kinds of discussions because I really like Ulis as a player and don't want to say anything that even suggests otherwise. Ulis is a very nice player, but I don't think he is even in the top 5 point guards in Kentucky history. Kentucky has had a lot of really amazing guards. But Wall is seriously in that conversation, maybe at the very top. Although it's true that there is nothing wrong with what he said, who cares? There was nothing wrong with what I said either. There is nothing wrong with what anyone says. That doesn't mean we can't disagree with a goofy statement like that. But I really like Ulis. Who doesn't? I really like Labissiere too, but I wouldn't even try to convince anyone that Labissiere is the top center at Kentucky in a long time because that would obviously be wrong.

 

[brianpoe]

Just a couple of comments.

I was in no way trying to suggest that Wall wasn't a great, even "pure" point guard. He was just a different type of point guard IMHO. Certainly an athletic freak and one who could take over a game. I also remember from Mike Flynn to Macy and on, and I hold them in extremely high regard. Macy, Turner, Davender (great defender)...heck even Ramel Bradley and Anthony Epps were pretty darned good.

I am also not one given to hyperbole. You can check my post history and will find very few posts where I give such effusive praise for a single player. I'm not that type of fan. Of course it's a team sport, but this doesn't mean we can't talk about the amazing individual skills of certain players. If it did, you wouldn't need to mention Murray, Poythress and Labissiere as you did...and rightfully so.

This UK fan is not one who falls into the "how quickly they forget" category. I remember all of the aforementioned guards very well. It was also not my intention to put Ulis on a pedestal, because that would suggest he is bigger than the team. Not the case. But, I stand by my original assertion. As far as a "pure" point guard, I'd take Ulis to run my team over just about anyone we've ever had, perhaps even Wall.

I disagree with you that Ulis is even in the conversation. When I see comments like that, I wonder how old the poster is. I don't even know how many All Americans Kentucky has had over the years, but the number is really high. I hate these kinds of discussions because I really like Ulis as a player and don't want to say anything that even suggests otherwise. Ulis is a very nice player, but I don't think he is even in the top 5 point guards in Kentucky history. Kentucky has had a lot of really amazing guards. But Wall is seriously in that conversation, maybe at the very top. Although it's true that there is nothing wrong with what he said, who cares? There was nothing wrong with what I said either. There is nothing wrong with what anyone says. That doesn't mean we can't disagree with a goofy statement like that. But I really like Ulis. Who doesn't? I really like Labissiere too, but I wouldn't even try to convince anyone that Labissiere is the top center at Kentucky in a long time because that would obviously be wrong.

I think Lou is leaning to the most complete traditional pure PG.


Ulis protects the ball way better than Wall did. John had some double digit TO games it seemed, averaged over 4 a game.

Ulis can hit the open jumper. Wall was never reliable from outside.

Ulis runs the team as well any point guard we have had.

Teague struggled early. Knight was the offense. Wall and that group were the most athletic but worst offensively-ran team. 2013 never existed. Andrew was not a floor leader.


So I see his point. Would he take Tyler over Wall?

I know I wouldn't. I would take Wall, Knight, and at this point maybe even Teague over Tyler but I am anxious to see what he can do.

 

[Poetax]

One thing is certain, if he leads us to #9, his legacy will be put in stone.

 

[Jkwo]

Many fans are placing Ulis on a pedestal. It's understandable. Ulis is a fine player. When it comes to naming great Kentucky point guards, we have had so many. Kron, Macy, Davender, Turner, Wall, Knight, Teague. I am leaving out a few names there. I would just remind the OP that Wall IS a pure point guard. Ulis is a nice player, but he is no John Wall. Anyone who doesn't get that should just wait a couple of years. How quickly people forget. Kentucky basketball tends to bring out overreactions from our fans. There is a lot of euphoric exuberance this year over Ulis, but I think the focus placed by some people on individual players really overlooks the fact that basketball is a team sport. And this team will go as far as Murray, Poythress, and Labissiere take it, although that doesn't change the fact that Ulis is another very important piece.

Saying that Poythress is better or more important than Ulis to this team is way, way, way, more irrational than saying that Ulis could end up being as good a *college* point guard as we've had here.