ADVERTISEMENT

Yeah. I'll say it... It's getting old.

I simply don't agree with the 8 in 115 years argument. The talent level here is unprecedented over a decade span since the end of UCLA''s run. One could reasonably expect more than 1 title over a decade with that talent. I mean, Cal is building these teams the way he wants.
The talent level is only here because of Cal. We wouldn’t have the talent level with another coach. Also, you can’t say out of one side of your mouth that players leave too soon because they aren’t ready and too young and then complain about how great the talent level is out of the other side of your mouth.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GonzoCat90
i often wonder what it must be like to be a uga, south carolina, etc fan. year after year of seeing JRs and SRs play, all those senior nights, you dont have to worry about "getting tired" because guys in the spring never go anywhere. man they are sooo lucky
 
Respect your thoughts, but I'll take this over BCG and Tubby any day.
However, Cal shares a common denominator with these guys . It"s called their system. Tubby's blind spot was poor recruiter, grind it out style and a refusal to take ownership of his faults .He would never have said " this is on me".
BCG was just an arrogant jerk who never should have been here period.
Cal takes responsibility for his losses which I respect him for doing
I think he knows some things have to change, but knee jerk reactions on his part will only worsen the problem.
I believe he's processing things and will redo the Roman Empire as he, not we, think he should. JMO
Solid post, but I think a lot of UK fans are starting to doubt Cal's priorities. We want banners and teams, not a new team every year and NBA crap.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KFuqua
I'm pretty sure I made it clear that I like the success. My point was, I miss watching a team progress versus renting players and starting 10 new Freshman ever year.

Do you not think our teams have progressed during the year? It's just a much faster change. We may not get as much time to enjoy it but it' still there.
 
Because no one good enough to be a foundation for anything that wins is going to come here and wait 3-4 years to start.

Look what happens to guys like SKJ that are foundation pieces when Cal keeps recruiting the other half of what you want. They leave.

So you either stop recruiting and hope the SKJ's of the world develop and win you a title in your one shot every four years, or you grab as many great players as you can, hope a few stick around, hope you stay healthy, and make a run at it every year.

Think of the time it would take to build the foundation you're talking about. We'd have to be awful for a couple seasons because we wouldn't be recruiting over the less talented players. Then you have to hope they don't leave or go pro even still.

Then you have to find super freshmen who are willing to come in and play with 8-9 returning rotation guys. Probably not going to be the elite guys.

So in a perfect storm, you get one roster like that every 4-5 years. What if it doesn't win? What if someone gets hurt? Transfers? Arrested? How much longer do you think Cal will be here? It's risky.
SKJ was not recruited as a foundation player. He was a 5* who got recruited over and didn't like it. There are a hundred+ kids between a 5* and a kid like Hawkins. Most have no real shot at the NBA. Their best hope would be the opportunity to practice with and play against the best of the best. They could do that for 4 years and give themselves a real shot.
 
i often wonder what it must be like to be a uga, south carolina, etc fan. year after year of seeing JRs and SRs play, all those senior nights, you dont have to worry about "getting tired" because guys in the spring never go anywhere. man they are sooo lucky
You don't have to wonder just try being a UK football fan for a couple of years
 
Do you not think our teams have progressed during the year? It's just a much faster change. We may not get as much time to enjoy it but it' still there.
What's there?? A bunch of wins with one banner? What's there? This isn't Kentucky basketball anymore. It's just a 12 month frat house.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KFuqua
What's there?? A bunch of wins with one banner? What's there? This isn't Kentucky basketball anymore. It's just a 12 month frat house.

speaking of frat house...remember that one time a kentucky kid going into SR was black out drunk behind the wheel of a car. senior leadership!!!!!
 
i often wonder what it must be like to be a uga, south carolina, etc fan. year after year of seeing JRs and SRs play, all those senior nights, you dont have to worry about "getting tired" because guys in the spring never go anywhere. man they are sooo lucky
Another inane post from you. It's easily possible to have solid 4 year role players as well as some freshmen/sophomore elite players. It's impossible for you to claim otherwise. That best of both worlds situation would bring even more success, in my opinion.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KFuqua
Another inane post from you. It's easily possible to have solid 4 year role players as well as some freshmen/sophomore elite players. It's impossible for you to claim otherwise. That best of both worlds situation would bring even more success, in my opinion.

so easy...everyone is doing it. everyone. i mean look at all those schools having so much more success than uk doing it that way.
 
I simply don't agree with the 8 in 115 years argument. The talent level here is unprecedented over a decade span since the end of UCLA''s run. One could reasonably expect more than 1 title over a decade with that talent. I mean, Cal is building these teams the way he wants.
What I find funny is the arguments made by the same people
1. You can’t win titles with freshmen no matter how talented they are.
2. Cal should have more titles than one with all the talent he has had at UK.
Do you not see the hypocrisy in that?!
 
I'm 43 and grew up with Kentucky basketball the old way. I actually prefer this way more. Go get the best talent you can get. If they leave then go get more.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bluegrassking
What I find funny is the arguments made by the same people
1. You can’t win titles with freshmen no matter how talented they are.
2. Cal should have more titles than one with all the talent he has had at UK.
Do you not see the hypocrisy in that?!
Are you satisfied with one title with all that talent and an annual rotating new roster?
 
  • Like
Reactions: KFuqua
Solid post, but I think a lot of UK fans are starting to doubt Cal's priorities. We want banners and teams, not a new team every year and NBA crap.
What's there?? A bunch of wins with one banner? What's there? This isn't Kentucky basketball anymore. It's just a 12 month frat house.
So were you more content in the Tubby, Pitino, Sutton, Hall years? They all had less success than Cal and none of them had more than 1 banner during their tenure here.
 
Are you satisfied with one title with all that talent and an annual rotating new roster?
You seem to be changing your argument a lot. Initially you started out arguing for Sr. and the thrill of senior night and upperclassmen. Now you're switching it around to banners. You said you didn't live in the Rupp years, so no coach in your lifetime has ever won more than 1 banner in their tenure. By your metric of banners mean everything, have you ever been satisfied as a UK fan?
 
Again, being a Kentucky fan isn't just about wins. I absolutely love the wins with Cal.
It seems to be about a lot of things for you, which it should be. However, you initially argued you wanted more seniors and more time to build memories and see them participate in SR day. Your last few post have been all about banner count though. And no coach except Rupp has more than 1 here. We've had more chances to win them in Cal's tenure than any other coach has to this point aside for Rupp. I'm not sure what else you could ask for. Sure, it would be nice to win them all, but history proves that very unlikely.
 
You seem to be changing your argument a lot. Initially you started out arguing for Sr. and the thrill of senior night and upperclassmen. Now you're switching it around to banners. You said you didn't live in the Rupp years, so no coach in your lifetime has ever won more than 1 banner in their tenure. By your metric of banners mean everything, have you ever been satisfied as a UK fan?
My argument, from the jump, is this is no longer UK basketball. It's a funnel. Sure, a couple FFs are great, but renting players isn't UK basketball.
 
Are you satisfied with one title with all that talent and an annual rotating new roster?
I wish we had four more titles under Cal. But isn’t that easy. Pitino should have won the title in 1993,1995 and 1997. But he didn’t. He only won one title and it took a roster full of seniors and pros to get that one. It isn’t easy winning a NCAA title. Cal puts UK in a position to win a title.
 
I wish we had four more titles under Cal. But isn’t that easy. Pitino should have won the title in 1993,1995 and 1997. But he didn’t. He only won one title and it took a roster full of seniors and pros to get that one. It isn’t easy winning a NCAA title. Cal puts UK in a position to win a title.
I get it's hard to win a title. I get the luck and a good run. But we can't argue Cal having all this great talent and one banner. And while watching a funnel as fast as possible out of UK.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KFuqua
Show me another program with more overall success in the last decade.

You can have what those programs have. But you can't have it and have what we have too. Not consistently.

We didnt have the same problem Cal's first 6 years so you cant count those years .. .We didnt lose undrafted players to overseas until last year and its looking like a new trend.


We were amazing... for the first 6 years.... the last 3 years... we are averaging 8.6 losses and no final fours... actually an elite 8... sweet 16 and a second round exit. What also happened that could have an effect on us??? Rule changes the summer after our loss to wisconsin and also losing everyone who was ranked in the top 100 whether they were drafted or not.

You feel such a need to defend everything that is going on at UK that you cant just accept some people missing a more traditional system......... and not one like BCG.....or Tubby's last 2 years..... But one with a few players leaving and 5 or more returning to build upon for the next year... People who miss that arent some horrible fan that you want to think they are...
 
Last edited:
I get it's hard to win a title. I get the luck and a good run. But we can't argue Cal having all this great talent and one banner. And while watching a funnel as fast as possible out of UK.
Actually you can’t argue he has all this great talent and should have more titles while at the same time you argue these kids should stay longer because they are being drafted on potential not how they actually play. Which is it?
 
What I find funny is the arguments made by the same people
1. You can’t win titles with freshmen no matter how talented they are.
2. Cal should have more titles than one with all the talent he has had at UK.
Do you not see the hypocrisy in that?!
What's actually being said is, if Cals system really worked he would have more titles because he has had the talent he wants. That's very different from what you just suggested .
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wildcat-in-STL
Most of us don't have ridiculous expectations such as NCAA titles every year.In the case of this year many said getting to the second week-end would be a good year,then all of a sudden we were on the yellow brick road to the Final Four and the wicked witch was already dead but we couldn't stay on the road.As things played out was that an unreasonable expectation? This group wasn't able to take advantage of what was gift wrapped for them yet 80% of them bolt for the NBA or parts unknown.Who is more realistic the fans or the players?
We are on the same page. Although with all the threads on RR, I do believe a lot of folks are losing perspective of their own expectations.
 
  • Like
Reactions: docholiday51
What's actually being said is, if Cals system really worked he would have more titles because he has had the talent he wants. That's very different from what you just suggested .
Nope. Not true. The same argument could easily be applied to Hall, Pitino and Tubby with their systems. They all have only one title.
 
I love Cal, but love UK basketball more. I want a coach focused on the success of the UK basketball program and hanging banners, not getting a 19 year old a contract wherever it may be. I don't believe Cal is pushing kids out, but there's obviously a culture that most UK fans aren't happy with.
He's had as much success as any coach in the country. Which coach would you rather have? Cal is the guy for me. If you want more every year, then I would put this in the unrealistic expectation category.
 
My argument, from the jump, is this is no longer UK basketball. It's a funnel. Sure, a couple FFs are great, but renting players isn't UK basketball.
How do you get they are rented? They come here and play their asses off, except for maybe a couple of exceptions. They represent the university in outstanding fashion and appear heartbroken when they fall short. Most of the ones that should return do_Of course they are going to come here to put themselves in the best position for their futures, but is't that what all students do?

Most people join the military for certain benefits like free education and so forth. Are they just rent a soldiers?
 
I get it's hard to win a title. I get the luck and a good run. But we can't argue Cal having all this great talent and one banner. And while watching a funnel as fast as possible out of UK.
Every coach here has had great talent and experience and only managed to win 1 aside from Rupp. Again, were you displeased with all of them as well?
 
Honest question, would you be ok with being less successful if it meant having your “Kentucky TEAMS” again?

Because aside from maybe 96-98, we haven’t had a more successful run in our programs history.

Basically , would you be ok with our mediocre/ slightly above average teams from the 2000’s ? Or 80’s? Etc ?
Actually, while this stretch has been a very successful stretch in UK history, it does not compare to the stretch from 1948 - 1958. During that stretch we won 4 NCAA championships. That's probably the most successful stretch in UK basketball history by far.
 
ADVERTISEMENT