I'm going pro and giving up college eligibility....thats how you do it...no drama no hey look at me waiting til last minute...All others rake notes please.
Wallace and Toppin did it right.
- Thread starter ukcat27
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For sure I agree. Wallace was even so kind to do it before he enrolled in classes at UK.
Right, how dare these guys reach for their dreams? They’re acting like their future is more important than our entertainment.
Yes and the funny thing is these fans who criticize them for doing it would do the exact same thing if it was either their future or their child’s
Yes, maybe. I don’t fault the players (although I‘ve had a problem with a couple). But I do blame the coach for allowing the players to hold him hostage while he waits on their decision. They certainly have every right to do their due diligence, however the coach should do what HE has to do so a player’s delayed decision does not potentially harm the program.
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Their future is supposed to be to their education. That's what school is for, and their athletic scholarship is given with the hopes that they'll do their part to bring success to the program. At UK that's supposed to mean titles. Not sure how I'm the world that got perverted, and why this perversion is okay with fans.
There are 114 college players who are still testing the waters. 21 schools have multiple guys still considering leaving college.
I have zero issues with it.
I have zero issues with it.
If memory serves me correctly Toppin entered last year also and waited a while before announcing he was coming back. Once he announced this year he was entering he couldn't come back
I have no issues with it either. We will all know their decisions in 2 days. The first real game is more than 5 months away. UK will have a formidable roster set soon.
Yeah, not sure why some fans are delusional and don't understand this is 100% a business now with NIL.
You think elite athletes with the ability to play basketball professionally go to college for a communications degree? LOL. Well no one lives in that fantasy world. Also when we had four year guys that came in got their degree like Bobby Perry Brandon Stockton and Sheray Thomas y’all hated them too. You don’t want those kind of guys, you want high caliber players who have NBA futures. That’s when it got perverted.
If you were going to college for Astrophysics, and NASA offered you a job for $4million a year, would you turn it down and stay in school? 99% of people would take the money and run. Why is this different for basketball?
Your statement sounds easy and like the best way (at least for fans) regarding how to handle decision to leave. Yet, reality is more difficult and often stranger than fiction.
Wallace decision was easiest decision. (1st rounder)
Toppin made his decision.
Oscar - I don't think he has an easy decision. This is an instance where NIL possibilities make returning a possibility. Without NIL, Oscar would have made same announcement as Toppin. I don't expect Oscar back, but NIL creates a security blanket if he discovers his only pro options are overseas or G-League.
Livingston - I think UK and NIL are his last resort. He's stated his plans since before arriving to Lexington.
Reeves - This is where things get dicey. NBA is not an option. He should be a sure-fire returning player. Cal and staff should have known his plans in April.
My fan perspective (with blue-tinted glasses) - "Go find out if you have a chance at NBA. If not, make your announcement about returning early so it helps the team recruit, fill out roster with transfers, etc ...)
Player/family Perspective - "I have one more year. Who's going to pay me the most $? Do I want to be one of the main go-to players, or do I want to be a possible role player? Do I want to have a guaranteed starting spot, or possibly come off the bench with fewer minutes? Will they give me some more guaranteed $ if I hold out an extra week or two?
I don't like where college sports are heading. I admit to looking at things through the lens of being a fan. However, I understand the players and their families see it as a business decision.
Well Wallace is a top 10-20 pick of course he wouldn’t still be leading us on thinking he could come back .
Fair enough,I get what your saying but I also look at what's best for the program.Waiting on 3 players to decide shouldn't shortchange the roster when we currently have only 7 players..There is room to add 3 more players while we wait.Now some will say players won't come knowing that our 3 are still deciding..that's why you make no promises,tell players straight up that competition will decide minutes,nobody is guaranteed a starting spot and how you perform in practice will decide things.We have 13 spots..why can other power 5 schools fill theirs but we go shorthanded and then injuries hit and the team suffers.
I have heard of capitalist, but athletic scholarships were intended for athletes who could perform well on the court and off. NIL was never part of the plan. So if you want professional money, then get lost while you earn that money. College athletics was never designed for what we're seeing. Anyone who would try and argue otherwise hasn't been around long or they don't have what I call good principles.
Taking a job with NASA and leaving school is fine with me. That wasn't my argument, and I assume you know better. NIL, playing for pay while in college, I have a huge issue with.
Your archaic and backwards living in the past is over. That's what everyone is saying.
And if it's about an education then why do we care if we ever win another sec or national title?
Give everyone a participation trophy
The NBA deadline to withdraw from the draft is May 31st. It has always been May 31. At that date we will know all 3 of our guy’s situations and there will be an influx of guys available in the portal, and potential transfer will be able to see clearly where they fit in on this roster. I’m not sure why people are freaking out in the middle of the process.
Agreed, but what are we not doing that other schools are? I hate the current college sports model but we are Kentucky. We ain't eatin' anymore. We got teams like St Freaking Johns beating us to build a complete roster. Cal has let our players dictate how he builds a roster. We're hamstrung. It's a "me" world today and not just in sports. I don't blame these guys one bit for following the dough, but we gotta change our model as far as NIL is concerned. Where are our boosters?
You act like colleges are paying these guys? They make money off their name image and likeness. What does that have to with a scholarship?
You're saying that everyone who enjoyed college hoops and liked the way it was before NIL is backwards thinking? Sorry, friends, not going to exchange insults with you. No one's advocating for participation trophies.
We have the #1 recruiting class in the country but we’re not eating? Y’all can’t even say what our NIL model is but we have to change it. Specifically how do we need to change our NIL model? I guarantee no one who bitches about NIL will answer that question.
The coach should treat them the same way, make the team the best it can, if they come back they can fight for their spot.
That’s all we have, it’s not enough to win anything. 7 guys who are mostly freshman won’t win shit under Cal now. They will be worn out and injured by February.
Boosters....9-16,worse loss in NCAA tourney to St Peters and a mediocre early exit last season from the dance,no SEC regular season titles or tourney titles...Boosters aren't donating $$$$
When we have 7 guys less than 6 weeks away from playing and bonding time we aren't eating. Things can change but Cal rarely has a full roster of contributors. Prove me wrong.
You honestly think we’re gonna start the season with 7 players? There is zero chance that happens. Again, the deadline to withdraw from the draft is the 31st and y’all keep acting like it’s over and our roster is set. It absolutely is not.
Bonding time? No one has bonding time right now because school is not in session and no one is on campus. Again, I have to laugh if you honestly think we’ll start the season with 7 players.
It’s ridiculous that we don’t have close to a set roster by now. We play a game in 6 weeks.
I said things can change and they probably will. FWIW, I'm not the only one lamenting over this. National "analysts" have wrote about it. So you are happy with where we are at the moment?
The problem with telling players that is Cal has screwed that argument up by playing his one and done pets many times when they don’t deserve it and not substituting in the few runaway games just to build their stats for their NBA goals . Why would anyone believe him ? playing the players with the best chance to win each night is not who he is .
Most coaches favor their upperclassmen. They start until underclassmen clearly rake their job away from them.
not so with Cal.
I agree and that's why we are where we are at with the roster.Nobody believes in Calipari.
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