Also- people need to chill. It was a SCRIMMAGE against each other lol. I mean discussion etc is understandable but freaking out and already seemingly writing the season off ? Seems a bit premature
What I didn't see last night...
- Thread starter MdWIldcat55
- Start date
This team will not look anything like last night in a few months. Some people continue to doubt Cal’s talent for molding teams quickly. We will struggle early but I trust the process. Look back at the past Blue-White games, they are notoriously misleading. Karl Towns wasn’t the Karl Towns we know during his B-W game either. It’s impossible to judge this team based off a single “practice” at best. They’ll be just fine.
How can you say Vanderbilt’s return isn’t a key to this team? Have you seen the kid play?
LOL ... You're basing all this on one intrasquad scrimmage? Hilarious. Jonathon Davis once scored 44 points in an intrasquad scrimmage. You probably declared him the next Dr J at the time.
I don't know that a transcendent player has won a championship since Davis in 2012.
I thought quade looked phenomenal. Hes not a freak but hes a potent shooter and gets in lane pretty easily. Knox and Pj both look like budding stars. I am actually tickled pink with the talent I saw.
Exactly. Everyone says there’s no “John Wall, or Davis or Towns or Noel” so we probably won’t Win a title .. not sure why people use Noel as an example. That was an NIT team and even if he didn’t get injured we were looking at a possible NIT or low seed / early exit imo. I mean we were down like 20 against FLA when he was injured.
Walls team- EE
Randle - runner up
Towns - FF
Excellent players and amazing seasons but .., they didn’t win a title either
It's a young team, so it's hard to judge right now.
Plus it's an intrasquad scrimmage.
I agree with OP that there's no standout.
I know he won't go back to platoons, but if there was ever a team that could benefit from a platoon, it's this one.
Nobody is head and shoulders above everyone else right now.
Diallo and Knox are our best guys, but they aren't head and shoulders above everybody else. Washington, Gabriel, Richards, and SKJ are all good players, but not one of them is a lottery pick or anything. Neither Green nor SGA standout at PG.
With no Vanderbilt, we have 10 guys that should be pretty even. With our length and skills I would play all 10 and press and try to force teams into a transition game.
G Green/SGA
G Diallo/Baker
F Knox/Washington
F Gabriel/SKJ
F Richards/Wynyard
I would platoon (but not call it that) with that team the first 16 minutes, then go with the best 5-7 the last 4 minutes of the half. Then continue with platoon the first 8 minutes of the 2nd half, then finish with the best 5-7 in the last 12 minutes. Speed the game up, use our athleticism, and wear teams down.
That's just me.
Cal will play 6-7 guys most of the minutes, with 1-2 guys getting in 10-12 minutes a game.
I'm glad Cal is the coach, he'll figure it out.
Looking like a contender in October is not realistic for this team. I don't care if they look like a contender right now, I just hope they look like a contender in February and March.
Plus it's an intrasquad scrimmage.
I agree with OP that there's no standout.
I know he won't go back to platoons, but if there was ever a team that could benefit from a platoon, it's this one.
Nobody is head and shoulders above everyone else right now.
Diallo and Knox are our best guys, but they aren't head and shoulders above everybody else. Washington, Gabriel, Richards, and SKJ are all good players, but not one of them is a lottery pick or anything. Neither Green nor SGA standout at PG.
With no Vanderbilt, we have 10 guys that should be pretty even. With our length and skills I would play all 10 and press and try to force teams into a transition game.
G Green/SGA
G Diallo/Baker
F Knox/Washington
F Gabriel/SKJ
F Richards/Wynyard
I would platoon (but not call it that) with that team the first 16 minutes, then go with the best 5-7 the last 4 minutes of the half. Then continue with platoon the first 8 minutes of the 2nd half, then finish with the best 5-7 in the last 12 minutes. Speed the game up, use our athleticism, and wear teams down.
That's just me.
Cal will play 6-7 guys most of the minutes, with 1-2 guys getting in 10-12 minutes a game.
I'm glad Cal is the coach, he'll figure it out.
Looking like a contender in October is not realistic for this team. I don't care if they look like a contender right now, I just hope they look like a contender in February and March.
You just made my point perfectly. Why does a OAD need more time to work on things than a non OAD? Because Cal knows they are going pro and will therefore only have them for the one season. Therefore they get all the minutes in order to be ready for post-season.
Baker is not a OAD. So there is more time to bring him along, even if he's actually good enough and ready to contribute right away.
You are exactly right. That was probably an NIT team either way. Which is kind of sad considering is was full of 5*'s
Dang it. I was looking forward to a good season with an amazing long, fast, athletic team. But since we don't have a transcendent player, I might as well save myself the time of watching them play. As we all know, you can't win without a transcendent player.
Get to know PJ Washington..He's a 15+PPG guy..maybe Knox too.Green reminds me of Travis Ford..He needs to play like Ford and be a 45+% from 3
I agree with this ^ 100%. Cal's teams always improve (at least thus far) but it does look like this team may struggle early and hope they peak like they usually do. 'Some' youth hurts but can improve as we've seen. 'All' youth will be hard to get clicking. These guys have potential so hopefully we have another great season.
knox looked better than most of the people you named...
Not to mention PJ as well. You can definitely build a team around those two. Like i said in another thread. Rough start but strong finish. Pretty sure this team will be one of the favorites to win the title by end of the year.
Not to mention PJ as well. You can definitely build a team around those two. Like i said in another thread. Rough start but strong finish. Pretty sure this team will be one of the favorites to win the title by end of the year.
1. The chairman of the NCAA tournament committee said in an interview after the selection show that U.K. Would of been in the tournament if Noel was not injured so......... how are people already forgetting that happened ?
2. I choose to see the awesome potential of our defense. Our length was causing white squad fits. If we commit to defense we will be title contenders
3. We didn't attack the basket enough and Cal even mentioned it.
4. Were we swarming the inside defensively for steals because cal wants to get the big men used to it or is that how we will play this year? Because I liked it.
2. I choose to see the awesome potential of our defense. Our length was causing white squad fits. If we commit to defense we will be title contenders
3. We didn't attack the basket enough and Cal even mentioned it.
4. Were we swarming the inside defensively for steals because cal wants to get the big men used to it or is that how we will play this year? Because I liked it.
The lack of optimism is astounding. Most fans can't wait until basketball gets here but wanna pack it in and call it a wrap after a scrimmage game.
With a new team this young its going to be about the journey not the destination. Enjoy watching players improve and the team establishing an identity. We may not have a superstar but the average overall talent for 8-9 man rotation is outstanding.
With a new team this young its going to be about the journey not the destination. Enjoy watching players improve and the team establishing an identity. We may not have a superstar but the average overall talent for 8-9 man rotation is outstanding.
We will struggle. But I think we can be excellent by March but this has always been a class that has several kids who return for their sophomore year and we seriously compete for a 2019 title.
You make many valid points! The only point I would add is that it’s way too early to say there is no standout. Even with most, if not all of the players mentioned earlier, they weren’t standouts at the B-W game. It is notoriously misleading in that aspect. Hell, Dodson looked like a stud in Cal’s first year. Freshman are very very rarely world beaters to start the season. We very well could have 3-4 standout studs this year. Only time will tell though.
It was a scrimmage against defense that knows them better than any other team they'll face the rest of the year.
Quads Green - poor mans Ulis. Think he'll be fantastic as a sophomore.
Nick Richards (at his best) rich mans Marcus Lee. Slightly better size, comparable athleticism. If he comes back, we could have two unreal defensive anchors in Bol and Richards.
Knox and Washington are just very well rounded and complete forwards. The kind of guys you feel comfortable relying on in March. I think Vanderbilt would be in that same mold if not for the injury.
If we get a couple guys back from this squad, next years team could be the most solid we've had since '12.
Nick Richards (at his best) rich mans Marcus Lee. Slightly better size, comparable athleticism. If he comes back, we could have two unreal defensive anchors in Bol and Richards.
Knox and Washington are just very well rounded and complete forwards. The kind of guys you feel comfortable relying on in March. I think Vanderbilt would be in that same mold if not for the injury.
If we get a couple guys back from this squad, next years team could be the most solid we've had since '12.
That is a heck of a harsh critique. Glad you don't do my performance evaluations...
May have been partly me. I never thought good of Lee on the court. he seemed to never be focused playing basketball. (Which was why he was supposed to be at Kentucky.) I give Richards much more of an upside comparison. (I'd never compare the two. Not fair to Richards.) Your thoughts on Green are premature though any comparisons to Ulis should be good for Green. I felt it was a harsh comparison so early. (May be due to my jaded feelings toward Lee. I wish he'd have never played volley ball.)
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It's pretty simple actually. Again if you have been watching the last 8 years it has been said over and over again.
You want your best players performing at the highest levels come March.
Basic common sense.
And Skal is proof positive Cal will not stick with a kid just because he is an OAD.
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Fair enough. Meant more from an athletic/physical standpoint, very similar. Disagree that it's too early to peg green at least in terms of style of play. We generally know who he is. I sincerely doubt he'll be as good as Ulis, who was one of the best point guards we've ever had. That's not much of a knock on green imo.
I guess but Cal has a way of over-clocking his point guards. Not sure what Green's processing speed is yet...
I didn't take anything away from a scrimmage like that. Before the season, I thought this team would struggle because of youth and inexperience. I still feel that way. However, I think they'll be better than I expected; not a top 5 team but a good team.
I don't think we are going to be able to tell a whole heck of a lot from last nights scrimmage. I did see a team that has the ability to mold into something great. Knox was pretty darn impressive, I thought PJ Washington showed how he is pretty rough to be guarded. Quade seemed pretty poised.. But, DAMN they are very young. Cal is going to have his hands full with this. Lets GO CATS!!
I'd say Richards defense is polished....his offense is slow, no dribble skills, can't hang on to the ball, brings it down before going up, getting stripped. Will his defense be enough to keep him on floor? Cal said at the end of the day, the 5 best defenders will be on the floor. The guy had 8 blocks last night, nearly a triple double. Can't complain with those stats but will his defense be enough?
Lol... she was there...helped Coach Cal give out 2 scholarships.... OR ... are you just joshing me Deli owl
AlohaCat
Weird take from OP, considering pretty much everyone, for example, said the same thing about the 2011 team and gave up on them until the last week of February. People only remember the end of seasons...looks like another rinse and repeat. How many games in this year until "cal can't coach", "need to recruit different", "need shooters" (even though defense is whats taken us far in every tournament),and every other thread thats posted every single year?
Team should be okay by February, just watch the process until then.
Team should be okay by February, just watch the process until then.
Pretty excited about what I saw from bigs, KK, PJ and WG. Although a thin position, the PG's with SGA and Green were a nice surprise also. That's my starting 5 right now with Diallo first off the pine hopefully bringing energy and D.
Green got in rhythm shooting before the cramps and SGA looks polished and ready for 30 minutes a game. Vandy coming back makes it even more exciting being he could be the most talented Cat. Should be interesting what veteran or newcomer is ready to challenge for minutes.
Green got in rhythm shooting before the cramps and SGA looks polished and ready for 30 minutes a game. Vandy coming back makes it even more exciting being he could be the most talented Cat. Should be interesting what veteran or newcomer is ready to challenge for minutes.
So what are you arguing? You just stated why the young and most talented guys on the roster should get more time. Baker’s delevopment is unlikely to have much of an effect on the success of this years team.
Woah. I’m not basing anything off of a practice scrimmage. Lol.
I was high on this team but with Vanderbilt going down, lack of upperclassman, Richards looks lost, etc. I’m not interested in much at this point but Cal getting number 2. Kentucky needs it and Cal needs its. Every team from this point forward will be judged off of a title. Is it fair? Probably not, but UNC and Duke are catchup up, and if they do it on Cals watch, it’s damaging.
I think Cal is curving his methods a bit and I’m glad. He will get that second ring.
I was high on this team but with Vanderbilt going down, lack of upperclassman, Richards looks lost, etc. I’m not interested in much at this point but Cal getting number 2. Kentucky needs it and Cal needs its. Every team from this point forward will be judged off of a title. Is it fair? Probably not, but UNC and Duke are catchup up, and if they do it on Cals watch, it’s damaging.
I think Cal is curving his methods a bit and I’m glad. He will get that second ring.
