What changes will Cal make by next week?

[whhs22]

Guess the first thing in question is will Skal start? My guess is he will. Do not see Cal changing up anything with Skal or his mins. I really believe Cal will stay with skal to the end. Cal has shown in the past he is loyal to kids and getting them drafted. If he sits skal it would affect his draft status. Just do not think cal would do that.

Will he get away from the 3 guard set? Maybe. I could see cal maybe putting Lee in starting line up with Skal and sit Brisco.

Will he get away from the dribble drive and just start setting up Murray as the go to? I hope so. The DD has become guys driving into the def. Coaches have packed it in and our guys seem to just get botched up with no options.

What will cal do with Poy? Will he stay loyal and keep putting him on the floor waiting for that lite to come on? I hope he gives willis and Mathews a chance. At this point i think we just need to accept poy for what he is and what he is not.

Interested in some of your guys opinions on what may be different going forward.

 

[marshalfan]

Poythress will continue to play, he is our second best rebounder. He has played fairly well this year. Willis is not the answer. I really wonder what you are watching. Briscoe has to play huge minutes, he is the best backcourt defender and a good rebounder.

 

[JerseyCat84]

I hope our offense runs through Murray from now on. Everyone else stay out of the way and rebound.

 

[Smashcat]

Guess the first thing in question is will Skal start? My guess is he will. Do not see Cal changing up anything with Skal or his mins. I really believe Cal will stay with skal to the end. Cal has shown in the past he is loyal to kids and getting them drafted. If he sits skal it would affect his draft status. Just do not think cal would do that.

Will he get away from the 3 guard set? Maybe. I could see cal maybe putting Lee in starting line up with Skal and sit Brisco.

Will he get away from the dribble drive and just start setting up Murray as the go to? I hope so. The DD has become guys driving into the def. Coaches have packed it in and our guys seem to just get botched up with no options.

What will cal do with Poy? Will he stay loyal and keep putting him on the floor waiting for that lite to come on? I hope he gives willis and Mathews a chance. At this point i think we just need to accept poy for what he is and what he is not.

Interested in some of your guys opinions on what may be different going forward.

Matthews is the last guy I'd want out there. He's a human turnover who can't shoot or make FTs. If anybody needs a chance (not two minutes, then getting yanked) it's Mulder, who was hitting better than 40 percent of his 3s a a juco soph.

 

[CELTICAT]

He's gonna start reading Rupp's Rafters and learn how to fix everything.

 

[uk78]

Nothing. I wish it would be junking the dribble drive as this team can't do that when other teams are packing it in the paint. Unfortunately, history suggests nothing will change. We will win plenty of games but will be losing some as well.

 

[jedcat]

I don't see much change coming. I think Cal will continue the process he has embraced and anticipate growth by SEC and tournament play.

 

[Brando Mac]

What I hope will change:
- Some pick and roll with Skal as a stretch 4. If we're going to play him, play to his strengths, he is not a traditional post, I repeat HE IS NOT A TRADITIONAL POST.
- Big guys in there that will set screens for Murray to get more open looks. Also, Murray seems to shoot better when stepping into his shot for some reason, so I'd like to see them to find a way work that more into an offensive strategy if possible.
- Using some of the burly bigs we've got on the bench if our regular rotation guys get "out-physicaled" once again.
- Ulis only shooting from distance on open kick out set shots.
- Free throw work with Lee and Briscoe, even if it's just coming up with some unorthodox form specifically designed for them.
- Consistent effort and hustle. Team defense has to improve.

What I expect will change:
- I'm honestly not sure. My worry is nothing at all.

 

[Kaizer Sosay]

I feel a "tweak" coming on. But I think Cal will hold back until mid-February to unleash the tweak.

You know Cal's motto: We shall serve no tweak before it's time.

 

[DwayneMeighan]

Cal has shown in the past he is loyal to kids and getting them drafted.

If you are implying that Cal stayed loyal to Andrew over Ulis just to help Andrew's draft status, then you are sorely mistaken. Last year Ulis only playing 15-20 minutes a game hid a lot of his deficiencies. This year you are seeing exactly why Cal preferred Andrew over Ulis.

Now that Ulis is starting and playing major minutes his shortcomings are being exposed. It's time to face the fact that even though he is still pretty good, he isn't as good as everyone made him out to be. Cal saw him every single day in practice and was able to see the things that the fans and media didn't see.

It's plain to see now that it had nothing to do with Andrew's draft status. Cal stuck with Andrew over Ulis because Andrew was the better player and gave UK the best shot at winning.

 

[Mulder14]

Read this board of hall of fame coaches

 

[poppycat]

Poythress will continue to play, he is our second best rebounder. He has played fairly well this year. Willis is not the answer. I really wonder what you are watching. Briscoe has to play huge minutes, he is the best backcourt defender and a good rebounder.................................and other than lay-ups our worst shooter..............

 

[cats2010]

"If he sits skal it would affect his draft status. Just do not think cal would do that."

Playing him thus far has certainly not helped his draft status either.

 

[hoodro]

@poppycat
Okay, so what if he is the team's worst shooter? There's not a single player in the world that excels at every single aspect of the game. All players have strengths and weaknesses. Worst shooter on the team or not, Briscoe still has to be on the court because his strengths far outweigh his weaknesses.

 

[whhs22]

I see why we need Briscoe on the floor. But im thinking rebounding and bigger inside. Thats why i said Lee starting. Not sure i would sit Ulis or Murray over Briscoe.

The 3 guard set to me is not working because Briscoe is just not a scoring threat unless driving to the hole. Once they pack it in Briscoe basically becomes a really small 3 who we need rebounds and put backs from. Just not gonna get that from Briscoe , not like we would from Lee. Lee can also guard multiple positions. Just think Lee gives us more of what we need then Briscoe does in a 5 man rotation with 3 guards.

I also think gotta get away from DD and run offense through Murray.

And to those making smart comments about us giving opinions on this team i remind you its a message, thats what you do here. Just making discussion on a message board. Not saying cal needs to read this or hire us tomorrow. Lol relax francis just doing by definition what we're suppose to when visiting a message board. Maybe go play Atari or Xbox instead of reading message board comments since you take it so serious.

 

[UKGrad93]

The team will start shooting free throws underhand (granny style).

 

[UK2005_24]

Run the offense through Murray and everyone else play a role thst best helps the team.. Also Willis needs minutes over Matthews and Mulder....

 

[wildcatwelder]

Cal's a HOF coach, and he sees him everyday, but I'm convinced Skal needs to be taught/utilized to be a stretch 4. There's just no way in the world he will be able to post up big men in the NBA, hell he can't do it to college bigs, it's simply not his game.

That's the only real change I personally would like to see occur.

 

[AttackReload]

Let Murray do his thing. and like somebody else said use Skal as a stretch 4. Face him up and let him take 8 or 9 jumpers. I agree at this point in his career he is far from a back to the basket player. If he's gonna score he needs to be facing up and taking jump shots. If he gets going he can score 10-12 points a game easily on jumpers. We seen it at the beginning of the year. Then maybe it'll get his confidence going and he can start scoring on some lobs too. Its crazy to think that Skal hasn't had many lobs this year right? I bet you could count em on 1 hand. I would also let Mulder have more of a chance. Put him in there for a good long stretch and tell him to start firing 3's every time he's open. Tell Willis the same thing. Derrick. Your value here is as a 3pt shooter. If you cant make 2-3 3's a game off the bench then you aren't playing. Make Briscoe shoot 200 free throws every day from now til Saturday and 100 jump shots from mid range to 3pt range. He's never gonna be a shooter but he can improve it if not just by a little. But in reality what this team needs is a 2 things. A Demarcus Cousins type big who scores at will and is a rebounding fool and talks trash and intimidates opponents. Then the 2nd thing we need is another big time scoring guard who is a great 3pt shooter like a Doron Lamb or Devin Booker. Then Briscoe and Skal coming off the bench. I love Briscoe but I hope he leaves after this season. I cant stand a guard that's a bad of a shooter as he is. Yeah he defends, rebounds, and can get to the basket at will, but that would be best utilized off the bench on a championship caliber team.

 

[poppycat]

Cal's a HOF coach, and he sees him everyday, but I'm convinced Skal needs to be taught/utilized to be a stretch 4. There's just no way in the world he will be able to post up big men in the NBA, hell he can't do it to college bigs, it's simply not his game.

That's the only real change I personally would like to see occur.

I don't pretend to know how to use Skal. But one thing I do know. This team will not be a great team unless Skal is a great player at some position.

 

[kybassfan]

I don't expect a change. Don't really know why there should be a change. The players are on the floor that will be essential for March.

It's not March. If we don't get our best guys playing their best, March is gonna be short. Random swapping of players because they have fan clubs is not the path to success in March.

 

[WildMoon]

Coach Cal should panic like this board, and start making bunch of changes on weekly basis.

AHHHHHHH AHHHHHH PANICCCCCCC AHHHHHHHHH

 

[CHAMPCAT11]

If you are implying that Cal stayed loyal to Andrew over Ulis just to help Andrew's draft status, then you are sorely mistaken. Last year Ulis only playing 15-20 minutes a game hid a lot of his deficiencies. This year you are seeing exactly why Cal preferred Andrew over Ulis.

Now that Ulis is starting and playing major minutes his shortcomings are being exposed. It's time to face the fact that even though he is still pretty good, he isn't as good as everyone made him out to be. Cal saw him every single day in practice and was able to see the things that the fans and media didn't see.

It's plain to see now that it had nothing to do with Andrew's draft status. Cal stuck with Andrew over Ulis because Andrew was the better player and gave UK the best shot at winning.

Not trying to start crap here at all but I think Cal himself said he stayed with both Andrew and Aaron last year in the loss to Wisconsin because he felt a sense of loyalty to them and they'd won games for us in tight late game situations. I think he even questioned himself after the loss. I think Cal's a great coach and I'm behind him and this team 100%. Not trying to prove you wrong but I think Cal's loyalty is a good thing in the long run.

 

[ulismyman]

ULIS shortcomings are a result of his supporting cast...he will be fine

 

[whhs22]

Of course when you have so much talent like cal did last year its easy to second guess him in a loss like Wisc. Who knows if Booker and Ulis would of made a difference. But I do believe Cal will go with a young kid who is getting NBA hype on potential over a solid vet who could contribute now for wins.

Best hypothetical comparison i could make would be Jorts and Kantner. If Kantner was cleared i believe he would of gotten Jorts mins even tho Jorts could of been a better fit for that team to go far.

Then again Kantner may of taken that team to another level. Just in my opinion Jorts played a perfect role on that team. Kantner would of went through growing pains and figuring out the coll game. Do not think cal would of sat him even knowing jorts could help more at that time , with the thought by march Katner would hit his stride.

Not saying its bad, i have nothing to compare it to. But i do think Cal feels a obligation to these kids. I honestly think it bothers him more if a kid does not get a pay day. And im not saying thats bad.

 

[kybassfan]

Of course when you have so much talent like cal did last year its easy to second guess him in a loss like Wisc. Who knows if Booker and Ulis would of made a difference. But I do believe Cal will go with a young kid who is getting NBA hype on potential over a solid vet who could contribute now for wins.

Best hypothetical comparison i could make would be Jorts and Kantner. If Kantner was cleared i believe he would of gotten Jorts mins even tho Jorts could of been a better fit for that team to go far.

Then again Kantner may of taken that team to another level. Just in my opinion Jorts played a perfect role on that team. Kantner would of went through growing pains and figuring out the coll game. Do not think cal would of sat him even knowing jorts could help more at that time , with the thought by march Katner would hit his stride.

Not saying its bad, i have nothing to compare it to. But i do think Cal feels a obligation to these kids. I honestly think it bothers him more if a kid does not get a pay day. And im not saying thats bad.

Whoa, what utter nonsense. You really are a troll.

Your post lacked substance and failed to make any coherent point. You also proved that you are just here to bait given your lack of research. Even the most ignorant Kentucky fan knows. It's spelled KANTER.

Cover blown.

 

[UKCATSFREAK]

Guess the first thing in question is will Skal start? My guess is he will. Do not see Cal changing up anything with Skal or his mins. I really believe Cal will stay with skal to the end. Cal has shown in the past he is loyal to kids and getting them drafted. If he sits skal it would affect his draft status. Just do not think cal would do that.

Will he get away from the 3 guard set? Maybe. I could see cal maybe putting Lee in starting line up with Skal and sit Brisco.

Will he get away from the dribble drive and just start setting up Murray as the go to? I hope so. The DD has become guys driving into the def. Coaches have packed it in and our guys seem to just get botched up with no options.

What will cal do with Poy? Will he stay loyal and keep putting him on the floor waiting for that lite to come on? I hope he gives willis and Mathews a chance. At this point i think we just need to accept poy for what he is and what he is not.

Interested in some of your guys opinions on what may be different going forward.

Now that is constructive criticism and a great thread topic. Wish we would see more of these types of thread instead of the Cal and Skal suck threads.
Anyway, I personally think that Cal is really hoping Wynyard can come in and contribute down low. That would just be amazing if he could come in and be a rebounding machine with a little scoring here and there. I'm not getting my hopes up because I think it's unlikely but I think that's what Cal is wanting and to at least to have that by February.
I really think he may have to change up this 3 guard lineup. I would like to see him try Willis more at the 3 spot with Poythress also running some 3 time. Move Skal to the 4 spot and Marcus, Tai, and Isaac at the 5 spot. That would put Briscoe coming off the bench some. I would like to see them interchange this with the 3 guard lineup instead of running it solely. I think this would help the scoring without giving up much defensively. Would like to see how this would work out. Not saying that it's the answer to all the problems and somebody here may point out a glaring hole that I'm not seeing with this lineup and prove me wrong but I think it could work.

 

[UKCATSFREAK]

If you are implying that Cal stayed loyal to Andrew over Ulis just to help Andrew's draft status, then you are sorely mistaken. Last year Ulis only playing 15-20 minutes a game hid a lot of his deficiencies. This year you are seeing exactly why Cal preferred Andrew over Ulis.

Now that Ulis is starting and playing major minutes his shortcomings are being exposed. It's time to face the fact that even though he is still pretty good, he isn't as good as everyone made him out to be. Cal saw him every single day in practice and was able to see the things that the fans and media didn't see.

It's plain to see now that it had nothing to do with Andrew's draft status. Cal stuck with Andrew over Ulis because Andrew was the better player and gave UK the best shot at winning.

Cal played the Twins last year because he said that they had earned the right to play at that time in the game at the FF and he was exactly right, they did earn that right. It had nothing to do with Tyler at all. If Tyler was so good last year then Cal wouldn't have been worried about him because as far as I can remember, we were still playing with the same team in the FF that we had been playing with all year. Its so hard for me to comprehend how some of you turn on our players so same quickly. If absolutely disgusting. Tyler has been struggling with his shot, we can all see this and when you struggle with your shot , you start trying too hard to compensate with others things and he is making mistakes. That's all. You add that with the fact that everyone is struggling right now and it makes it look worse but to say this about Luis is just crazy and not true. How many times have you heard Cal praise Ulis and his play? He is constantly praising him as his PG. Cal is not the type of person to do that if he was secretly thinking he sucks. That's just ridiculous. I just wish some of you UK critics could just see things for how they really are in the real world and stop thinking that we have to be perfect. Basketball is not perfect and we are not last year's team. We knew we would take some lumps but for cryin out loud, let the team develop some before you start with these crazy theories that some of you spout after every loss. Its absurd!

 

[wkycatfan]

Skal needs to play center as little as possible. He needs to be in the game with either Lee or Humphries as a forward.

 

[fabcat]

Since they are only going to have 2 practices before UL game. I would say no changes will be made.

 

[whhs22]

shut up kybassfan. you missed the entire point or were I said in a hypothetical situation had Katner gotten cleared cal would of played him over Jorts thinking of March ,even tho Jorts jelled better then Katner to start the year.

whenever someone posts something a little off topic or not UK PC they become a troll. lol a troll what a thing to be called. but idiots like kybassfan never look at how many posts or likes someone has , it's all about this one thread and start screaming troll like a bi$$$. people are just giving opinions,having adult conversations and maybe venting a little after a loss you goof, it's a message board that's what you do. good lord so sick of these people trying to control message boards, what's next we put a man in the White House who wants to weaken our arm forces and police forces then take our 2nd right to bare arms and protect ourselves? lol ya that will never happen. oophh

 

[DwayneMeighan]

Cal played the Twins last year because he said that they had earned the right to play at that time in the game at the FF and he was exactly right, they did earn that right. It had nothing to do with Tyler at all. If Tyler was so good last year then Cal wouldn't have been worried about him because as far as I can remember, we were still playing with the same team in the FF that we had been playing with all year. Its so hard for me to comprehend how some of you turn on our players so same quickly. If absolutely disgusting. Tyler has been struggling with his shot, we can all see this and when you struggle with your shot , you start trying too hard to compensate with others things and he is making mistakes. That's all. You add that with the fact that everyone is struggling right now and it makes it look worse but to say this about Luis is just crazy and not true. How many times have you heard Cal praise Ulis and his play? He is constantly praising him as his PG. Cal is not the type of person to do that if he was secretly thinking he sucks. That's just ridiculous. I just wish some of you UK critics could just see things for how they really are in the real world and stop thinking that we have to be perfect. Basketball is not perfect and we are not last year's team. We knew we would take some lumps but for cryin out loud, let the team develop some before you start with these crazy theories that some of you spout after every loss. Its absurd!

Who said he sucked? Might want to read my post again.

 

[DwayneMeighan]

Not trying to start crap here at all but I think Cal himself said he stayed with both Andrew and Aaron last year in the loss to Wisconsin because he felt a sense of loyalty to them and they'd won games for us in tight late game situations. I think he even questioned himself after the loss. I think Cal's a great coach and I'm behind him and this team 100%. Not trying to prove you wrong but I think Cal's loyalty is a good thing in the long run.

Yeah, but he was loyal to them for reasons other than their draft status. That was the whole point of my post. Try reading it again.

 

[bluescat92]

Cal should set up a sting operation.

Invite all the poster coaches to a practice to get their advice, load them up in a bus and take them to a bridge and say here is what I think of your advice and do us all a favor. Jump.

Let's sit back and enjoy watching this young team come together and make another final four run.

 

[mustnotsleepnow]

Of course when you have so much talent like cal did last year its easy to second guess him in a loss like Wisc. Who knows if Booker and Ulis would of made a difference. But I do believe Cal will go with a young kid who is getting NBA hype on potential over a solid vet who could contribute now for wins.

Best hypothetical comparison i could make would be Jorts and Kantner. If Kantner was cleared i believe he would of gotten Jorts mins even tho Jorts could of been a better fit for that team to go far.

Then again Kantner may of taken that team to another level. Just in my opinion Jorts played a perfect role on that team. Kantner would of went through growing pains and figuring out the coll game. Do not think cal would of sat him even knowing jorts could help more at that time , with the thought by march Katner would hit his stride.

Not saying its bad, i have nothing to compare it to. But i do think Cal feels a obligation to these kids. I honestly think it bothers him more if a kid does not get a pay day. And im not saying thats bad.

I think it was you who made this ridiculous point before. If not, then there are two people on here that believe something so dumb.

OF COURSE, Cal would have played Kanter over Jorts. Why wouldn't he?

Look, we all love Jorts. One of my favorites in the Cal era. He worked hard and played a vital role on a team that made an amazing run. But if you think Jorts is a better player or a more viable option than Kanter (who is currently playing for OKC), then I don't know what to tell you.

 

[whhs22]

mustnotsleepnow you just made my entire point. of course I do not think Jorts is better then Katner right now. I'm talking about 5 years ago on that team.

who knows what impact Katner would of made on that team. but we do know how important Jorts was. the point was I could see Cal at that time taking lumps and playing a Katner over Jorts even tho Jorts could of contributed more in a role to help that team win.

if Katner plays the style and system in my opinion changes on that team. now would that of benefited Katner or the team? that's what people mean when they say cal plays guys to not hurt their draft status.

who knows maybe Katner comes in and becomes that go to guy and we do not miss a beat. what we do know is with Jorts playing his role and doing nothing but focusing in on picks,rebounds and def we make it to a final 4. I'm not so sure if that team tried a different approach they would of had that success. I do know if Katner plays we definitely take a different approach. maybe it would of made us better maybe not. but I know at the end of the day Katner would still be playing for Okc today regardless.

 

[mustnotsleepnow]

You act like Jorts was a world beater from day one.

Do you not remember the regular season? EIGHT regular season losses. We struggled mightily throughout that year.

Don't rewrite history because we lost 2 games.

 

[mustnotsleepnow]

This board has become insufferable recently.

You're just constructing your point on a hypothetical situation where Kanter wouldn't be as productive as Jorts.

Do you honestly believe that? Kanter would have been a massive help for us on the interior.

 

[whhs22]

I'm not comparing Jorts and Kanter at all. I'm talking about a team and a system that gives UK the best option to win. and sorry I can't say 5 years ago playing Kanter over Jorts on that team would of made us much better. it would of made Kanter better. but if you take away what Jorts gave that team as a role player and added Kanter would we of gone as far. we will never know, just in my opinion what Jorts gave that team by not being the go to big stud guy opened up other more valuable options , that took us to a final 4. just not so sure those options would of been their with Kanter. but we may of been better also. but like I said at the end of the day Kanter would still be a rich guy today either way.

 

[55wildcat]

They are playing Gooieville not the Lakers..But oh "they almost beat Michigan State".. who played three games in four days prior, then really only played about ten minutes of good basketball AND STILL beat the tards.. I could pick five of you duds and beat the teams the tards have played and probably by double digits..Cal needs to make em shoot free throws, make those ft's is all the change this team needs for the river rats.. No way this team drops two in a row..Cats by 10 easily..