We will be fine

[Bluefinger]

Relax, This date last year we didn't have a single coach or player. We already have 9 good players on board for next year assuming Garrison and Oweh
return. i will also bet we have players talking to our staff that want to come here that we don't have a clue about. There will be many other player entering the portal in the next several days. We will get our fair share of players for next year. Pope and staff will come through.

 

[white10]

Will end up with the same type class as this past season. Good but not great.

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

Will end up with the same type class as this past season. Good but not great.

Depends. If we swing for the fence and land Yaxel, there is no comparison to last portal cycle. Don’t think people realize the impact he’d have. First Team AA written all over that one

 

[EliteBlue]

Depends. If we swing for the fence and land Yaxel, there is no comparison to last portal cycle. Don’t think people realize the impact he’d have. First Team AA written all over that one

Yaxel is key…I think you have to match or surpass his late 1st round/early 2nd round money and sell him on trying to be a lotto pick/all American.

Yaxel/Oweh is a heck of a 1-2 punch when you sprinkle a few shooters around them. Definitely a stronger/more athletic lineup than last year

 

[Bluefinger]

Will end up with the same type class as this past season. Good but not great.

Nothing was wrong with last years class. Robinson and Butler getting hurt was tough to overcome as it would have been for any team. Folks are sleeping on our freshman class also. They will be terrific IMO.

 

[Bluefinger]

Yaxel is key…I think you have to match or surpass his late 1st round/early 2nd round money and sell him on trying to be a lotto pick/all American.

Yaxel/Oweh is a heck of a 1-2 punch when you sprinkle a few shooters around them. Definitely a stronger/more athletic lineup than last year

Don't forget Kam Williams. He is a great pickup.

 

[Bungalow Bill]

Will end up with the same type class as this past season. Good but not great.

Considering we have some nice pieces coming back and had nothing returning last year a class like last season would mean an improvement from last years sweet 16 team. If we stay healthy this coming year our potential would be final 4. I'd take it. Plus we just need to address positional needs instead of a whole roster.

 

[AbbieLex]

Relax, This date last year we didn't have a single coach or player. We already have 9 good players on board for next year assuming Garrison and Oweh
return. i will also bet we have players talking to our staff that want to come here that we don't have a clue about. There will be many other player entering the portal in the next several days. We will get our fair share of players for next year. Pope and staff will come through.

This time next year this board will be melting down.

 

[bbncal02]

Depends. If we swing for the fence and land Yaxel, there is no comparison to last portal cycle. Don’t think people realize the impact he’d have. First Team AA written all over that one

Yeah if we miss on Yaxel, color me a bit worried.

 

[bbncal02]

This time next year this board will be melting down.

If he kisses the tourney or gets bounced weekend one with a similar record? The Bunsen burner will be lit. If he fails again the following year it will be time to start shopping.

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

Yeah if we miss on Yaxel, color me a bit worried.

Or Folgueris?

 

[bookerfan66]

I would like UK to be better than fine.

 

[JFCats22]

This year was "fine". Next year "fine" will not be nearly good enough.

 

[bbncal02]

I would like UK to be better than fine.

My goodness…I know it’s pouring rain in most of the Commonwealth but a lot of people need to get outside.

 

[white10]

Nothing was wrong with last years class. Robinson and Butler getting hurt was tough to overcome as it would have been for any team. Folks are sleeping on our freshman class also. They will be terrific IMO.

I didn’t say last year’s class was a bad class.
I have always thought it will take Pope and his staff 3/4 years to put together a contender class.

Go Cats!

 

[bookerfan66]

My goodness…I know it’s pouring rain in most of the Commonwealth but a lot of people need to get outside.

???I was responding to the title of the thread.

 

[ukfan1622]

Relax, This date last year we didn't have a single coach or player. We already have 9 good players on board for next year assuming Garrison and Oweh
return. i will also bet we have players talking to our staff that want to come here that we don't have a clue about. There will be many other player entering the portal in the next several days. We will get our fair share of players for next year. Pope and staff will come through.

I agree because:
Chandler will probably have a bigger than normal freshman to sophomore jump; those not counting him as an elite player next year are likely wrong.
Payne was one of the best wings in the portal for Pope's system.
Oweh will be an elite player.
JJ will probably be an elite player.
Garrison could be good with minor improvement.
With normal freshman to sophomore improvement Noah or Perry(less likely next year) could be capable reserves and none of us know that Lewis or Moreno won't be solid reserves next year.
Out of the over 1000 portal players UK needs only 3-4 that fit.

 

[bbncal02]

???I was responding to the title of the thread.

I know. We all want UK to be better than fine. But way too many folks are freaking out over nothing.

 

[bookerfan66]

I know. We all want UK to be better than fine. But way too many folks are freaking out over nothing.

Maybe or maybe not. It's impossible to say right now.

 

[Bluefinger]

I would like UK to be better than fine.

Maybe a poor choice of word on my part but as a 50 + year fan of UK, fine to me assumes National title contender.

 

[bbncal02]

Maybe or maybe not. It's impossible to say right now.

So if that’s the case, why not wait and see. Borrowing a lot of undue stress.

 

[The_Answer1313]

Not freaking out here because.......well it's pretty freaking early in the process.

But if we only return a team that's slightly more talented then last year, that's still not great.

Sure we were a top 10-15 type team but there was a rather large gulf between that type of team and the teams that are still currently playing.

We want to be in the title contending conversation. For that, I think we need quite a bit more here.

But I think i'll wait until the 1500 or so players that are out there decide where they want to play before I freak out here lol.

 

[bookerfan66]

So if that’s the case, why not wait and see. Borrowing a lot of undue stress.

It's a message board. All that we really have to talk about right now is recruiting.

 

[bbncal02]

It's a message board. All that we really have to talk about right now is recruiting.

That's fair and all well and good, but we have folks just spiraling like our program is dying.

 

[WildcatSir]

Pierre, Yaxel, and a center and we are loaded. Top 10 out the gate.

 

[AbbieLex]

I didn’t say last year’s class was a bad class.
I have always thought it will take Pope and his staff 3/4 years to put together a contender class.

Go Cats!

I agree with your time but this fanbase will def not have that much patience

 

[csrupp]

Will end up with the same type class as this past season. Good but not great.

I think we’ll be better but we had a top 5 roster/team last year.

 

[Eagles_Ball]

Will end up with the same type class as this past season. Good but not great.

That’s my worry. This years roster won’t get it done year after year.

 

[OliverSimmonstwinbrother]

What do y'all think?

 

[BlueSince92]

Relax, This date last year

April 7 House vs NCAA settlement has changed everything this year and it means last year has no bearing on this year. That is in tons of news articles and it is in practically every statistic of the portal so far compared to all previous portal seasons. It doesn’t need to be about whether anything material will actually change April 7: there is a critical mass of enough players and coaches believing it will change things that makes all the difference and we are already far above that critical mass. This is affecting every single player who isn’t living under a rock, which means any player we would want because if they have enough skill someone is already whispering this in their ear long since, and it is affecting every coach and program we are in competition with for those players. Even players who plan on entering the draft and possibly transferring after hypothetically withdrawing from the draft are accounting for this and this is a totally brand new, one time, single serving phenomenon. We may well be okay anyway, but when you try to use last year as the basis for asserting we are going to be okay this year, you are only establishing you haven’t looked closely at the situation.

 

[BleedBlue13]

I’m still adamant we will be way more talented and athletic than last year. I’d expect preseason top 10 I just have faith and they earned that. Sure I could end up majorly disappointed but breaking an ncaa record in the toughest conference maybe ever with a thrown together team made me believe. Coach is working his azz off right now and the payoff is coming.

 

[OmahaCats]

Will end up with the same type class as this past season. Good but not great.

But Oweh returning is a better version of him and our freshman will be way better than this years. So we’ll definitely be more talented

 

[OmahaCats]

That’s my worry. This years roster won’t get it done year after year.

Our incoming freshman are way better than last years. Oweh will be a star. And our returning players will improve. We will absolutely be much more talented

 

[Tubbyfan78]

This years team was only good because of where we started. 23-11 every year gets you fired here.

 

[Hoskins91]

if you can legitimately recruit, it doesn’t take 4 years to put together a contender. Especially with the new transfer rules.

 

[BleedBlue13]

I don’t think it’s going to be hard upgrading from Robinson Williams Carr and Kriisa through the portal. Butler is the one that we need a clone or better of, run the team and lock down SEC guards 3pt% just above 30 is good enough for me. Other than maybe defense Pierre seems to have a higher ceiling than Lamont in every area. Reel him in Coach!

 

[W1LDCAT22]

Depends. If we swing for the fence and land Yaxel, there is no comparison to last portal cycle. Don’t think people realize the impact he’d have. First Team AA written all over that one

Yaxel and/or Pierre

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

Yaxel and/or Pierre

I see Pierre as a luxury pickup. I’m not as high on him as most. Would be glad to have him but he doesn’t fix the issues this team has imo. Excellent scoring, obviously adds athleticism, but we are already going to be athletic and have scoring on the wings in our freshmen and I expect a jump from Chandler. Yaxel legitimately increases your floor to a likely top 10 team alone imo. Pierre is not a good defender.

 

[W1LDCAT22]

I see Pierre as a luxury pickup. I’m not as high on him as most. Would be glad to have him but he doesn’t fix the issues this team has imo. Excellent scoring, obviously adds athleticism, but we are already going to be athletic and have scoring on the wings in our freshmen and I expect a jump from Chandler. Yaxel legitimately increases your floor to a likely top 10 team alone imo. Pierre is not a good defender.

I disagree with you on this. Guard play typically wins you titles in college. Pierre is an elite scorer that would instantly create offense for others as well, something we didn't have much of last year. Yaxel can score, but definitely not at his level while facilitating like Pierre does. He is also a leader and floor general, which is what Butler done. We got to have a player like Pierre at the 1/2. With maybe only upperclassmen Oweh coming back on the wing that plays substantial minutes, we need Pierre badly.

 

[ImTheVillageIdiot]

I disagree with you on this. Guard play typically wins you titles in college. Pierre is an elite scorer that would instantly create offense for others as well, something we didn't have much of last year. Yaxel can score, but definitely not at his level while facilitating like Pierre does. He is also a leader and floor general, which is what Butler done. We got to have a player like Pierre at the 1/2. With maybe only upperclassmen Oweh coming back on the wing that plays substantial minutes, we need Pierre badly.

I see him a little differently than you but I would still be ecstatic to have a wing like him for sure. As far as facilitating though I disagree with your assessment on Yaxel. That’s one of the most impressive parts of his game. He has a ridiculous assist rate. Regardless I’d love to have both