For this, I love the Portal! Cant wait for next season.
When’s the last time you’ve been excited about the upcoming season (this soon)?
- Thread starter ZZBlueComet
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This is why the portal has to play out before anyone goes crazy. Last year no returning players and it was a Sweet 16 team. A team built properly with the right additions in the portal, anything can happen. Could build a National Championship roster, or a team that ends up not gelling together. Have to trust Pope and let him do his job. Already now with 4 players in Quaintance, Dioubate, Lowe and Williams.
I’m excited every year but 2010, 2012, 2015, 2017 stand out to me.
Nothing is bigger than 1995/96 and learning Ron Mercer commited. Not by social media. By word of mouth.
Basically any year before 2020. When I could watch the recruits we have coming in Games, Highlights, etc and imagine that it will translate to wins.
This years team could have been an elite eight or final four team if healthy. We beat two of the final four teams. Had Duke beat Houston we would have beaten both teams in the finals. So folks just need to back off the sky is falling, we can’t compete with NIL nonsense. Popes getting it done.
When Oscar returned for the 2023 season, I was convinced we were gonna win the title. We ended a 6 seed and stunk the whole year….i was sure we were gonna be really good. I was beyond excited that year.
The 2002 season was extremely exciting. We were coming off a Sweet 16 appearance as a 2 seed that brought back essentially an entire roster except Jason Parker and Saul Smith. I was really excited for that one. That year we kinda stunk —- compared to expectations.
2010, 2012, 2015, 2017 were all extremely exciting and lived up to the preseason hype
The 2002 season was extremely exciting. We were coming off a Sweet 16 appearance as a 2 seed that brought back essentially an entire roster except Jason Parker and Saul Smith. I was really excited for that one. That year we kinda stunk —- compared to expectations.
2010, 2012, 2015, 2017 were all extremely exciting and lived up to the preseason hype
I mean as soon as One Shinning Moment goes off each year I'm already dreaming of another banner being hoisted into the rafters the upcoming year. I mean I'm one of the guys who watched a door video for I don't know how long so I'm always excited to get back after it.
But I do know what you mean. Past recent years all the waiting on Cals guys testing the waters etc... bs led to stress until after the deadline. So it's been a bit for me to be this pumped with over 3 weeks to Derby and one night removed from the title game. Just waiting for that next boom I knows comin and it will have me champing at the bit for next season to start😁
But I do know what you mean. Past recent years all the waiting on Cals guys testing the waters etc... bs led to stress until after the deadline. So it's been a bit for me to be this pumped with over 3 weeks to Derby and one night removed from the title game. Just waiting for that next boom I knows comin and it will have me champing at the bit for next season to start😁
I haven't been this pumped since the Pitino years of the 1990s. God I loved that period. We all knew we were in great hands at that time and that we'd be a legit threat to advance to the Final Four every year. I feel like we are in the same kind of hands right now. And Pope is still young and will never leave us for any other program, either NCAA or NBA. We are in a really good place right now. We should be excited and savor every moment!
Since we had DJ/Edwards/Bradshaw/Rob coming in. If I had known Reed was going to be the first college player drafted instead of a 4 year player it would have been beyond excited.
Pope has earned an A so far this off season. If he can land a shooter (and maybe another backup big), then it's likely an A+ for me.
We now have some returning players, Pope and his staff are actually settled into KY and UK, he's gotten the "NCAA win" monkey off his back and the sweet16, and the law of averages says we very very likely won't be as injured as we were this past season. We are more talented next year (albeit at the sacrifice of some experience).
Kentucky might only lose 6 or 7 games next season.. and thats in the SEC gauntlet. If this was a more normal SEC year, this might be a 3-4 loss team.
Were likely going to be in the mix for a 1 seed. In year 2.
You really can't ask for anything more. Future is bright. Pope can coach and recruit at a top5 level and the university is willing to pay for its success. Love to see it.
We now have some returning players, Pope and his staff are actually settled into KY and UK, he's gotten the "NCAA win" monkey off his back and the sweet16, and the law of averages says we very very likely won't be as injured as we were this past season. We are more talented next year (albeit at the sacrifice of some experience).
Kentucky might only lose 6 or 7 games next season.. and thats in the SEC gauntlet. If this was a more normal SEC year, this might be a 3-4 loss team.
Were likely going to be in the mix for a 1 seed. In year 2.
You really can't ask for anything more. Future is bright. Pope can coach and recruit at a top5 level and the university is willing to pay for its success. Love to see it.
Honestly, it would probably be 2009 when we got Wall and cousins, or 2015 when the twins WCS, Johnson and others decided to return to school and we were adding booker, Kat, Trey to an already loaded roster. I was absolutely blown away. I knew that team had a shot to be special and Cal did what he always did, he blew it away. He choked against Wisconsin because he’s not a good coach and failed to make adjustments against their length.
Last year and this time every year before and will be for every year going forward that I'm here for
Because we beat them 4 months ago don't mean we would have now. We weren't as good as any of the final 4 teams dude
... and now, for my 10,001 th post ...
LineSki speaks ^^TRUTH !^^
(I always did say whatever I say is usually already been said by someone else and said better than I could say it myself ...)
This has turned out better post CCC than I ever thought possible.
Did you not see my "if healthy" disclaimer? Had we stayed healthy all season, Had Butler, Carr, Robinson and Krissa all playing at 100% there is no reason to think we couldn't have been right there with any of those teams. The Robinson loss was huge.
Only because of injury. Without the injuries this team would have been even stronger than at the start of the season because we learned to play some defense.
This is such a crock of crap sentiment or gage of how anything is or the job being done. It was just about what 3 years ago we DID beat both teams in the Finals. By 20 points on the Champions home floor after leading by more than 30 at one point and blew out the runner-up by 30 after being up 40 points.
Pope is doing and good job and I believe will continue but not because of that
I was pretty excited about last year's team actually. Pope has a year under his belt here, key players returning and some star freshmen coming into the mix. Add in the 4 talented transfers, I am even more pumped going into this year. For me, Mark Pope brought back the joy and excitement to Kentucky Basketball. Restored having expectations again.
That was the next issue. But word of mouth was way before that. I was at the Shelbyville ky bowling alley. Whatever it's name was, can't recall. But food concession intercom announced it.
