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So...What really is going on with UK recruiting?

Feb 3, 2014
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Turns out that the Kirk kid that Cal had offered after he committed to NC St. has now signed with NC St. After their top 7 players left for the pros it seemed the remaining 5* impact players found reasons to sign elsewhere and there seems to be every theory out there as to why this is happening? Cal leaving? Negative recruiting? Strange bunch of HS seniors? Platooning? All of the above? Has the shine of being the OAD capital of the world worn off? Have recruits decided there are other paths to the NBA? Really...what gives?
 
Turns out that the Kirk kid that Cal had offered after he committed to NC St. has now signed with NC St. After their top 7 players left for the pros it seemed the remaining 5* impact players found reasons to sign elsewhere and there seems to be every theory out there as to why this is happening? Cal leaving? Negative recruiting? Strange bunch of HS seniors? Platooning? All of the above? Has the shine of being the OAD capital of the world worn off? Have recruits decided there are other paths to the NBA? Really...what gives?
Platooning hurt UK and schools like Duke has shown they can do the same thing with OAD
 
Turns out that the Kirk kid that Cal had offered after he committed to NC St. has now signed with NC St. After their top 7 players left for the pros it seemed the remaining 5* impact players found reasons to sign elsewhere and there seems to be every theory out there as to why this is happening? Cal leaving? Negative recruiting? Strange bunch of HS seniors? Platooning? All of the above? Has the shine of being the OAD capital of the world worn off? Have recruits decided there are other paths to the NBA? Really...what gives?

Hip one day, Not so Hip the next day.
 
The elephant in the room that the BBN refuses to acknowledge is Cal's decision making in the last 2 appearances in the final 4 was not that of a competent coach. Hyped all season by every media outlet as the greatest talent ever and not making it to the final game must have had enough impact for other coaches to use as fodder against UK.

Couple that with a lack of individual awards, including Player of the Year in the SEC and I think that is enough to convince players they can achieve as much or more at other institutions.
 
On Rupp Rafters, a lot of UK fans are coming to grips with reality and being honest with themselves about Cal's coaching deficiencies. Many are also getting tired of having to pretend to be a fan of a kid, for a few weeks, year after year after year after year....

I mention this because quite a few UK fans, surprisingly, had good takes on why Cal sucks as a head coach.
 
Turns out that the Kirk kid that Cal had offered after he committed to NC St. has now signed with NC St. After their top 7 players left for the pros it seemed the remaining 5* impact players found reasons to sign elsewhere and there seems to be every theory out there as to why this is happening? Cal leaving? Negative recruiting? Strange bunch of HS seniors? Platooning? All of the above? Has the shine of being the OAD capital of the world worn off? Have recruits decided there are other paths to the NBA? Really...what gives?
It's that bunch of "HOLES" that call themselves BBN, how stupid they carry on at home and away games. Big time high school players, their coaches and family see and hear all that crap !! In this day and age of social media high school players see and read all that stuff the blue holes post especially on the uk sites and how they constantly bash other college programs. How when a kid spurns uk program the rupp rafters start bashing them for not picking uk.......what a bunch of blue holes. I haven't even mention the behavior of the uk players and their fans after losing to Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament this past season. And just maybe it's in the back of some of the recruits minds is the fact cal had two outstanding teams (with over whelming talent) over the past two season and still lost in the NCAA tournament because of his piss poor coaching..... face it blue holes, Derrick Anderson is right about cal !!!! By the way Lexington is on the CBC list as one of ( in the top 5) the most racists cities in America it just so happens most of those kids that you're recruiting are young Black Americans !!!
 
Calipari is an average coach, and I would even go as far to say he's slightly above average. He wins a lot of games. His issue is he becomes too emotionally involved and becomes a spectator too many times when the game is big. The bigger the game, the more likely he is to blow it. It's a pattern throughout his coaching career that he continues to repeat.

All I know is in spite of his questionable tactics surrounding recruiting, he was still voted into the basketball hall of fame so regardless if I agree or not, the people who had the power to vote him in felt as if he was worthy of that honor.

I'm forced to at least respect that. I don't respect him but I do respect his accomplishment as a hall of fame coach.
 
I dunno man, isn't it still a Top 5 class? I believe the team will struggle next year, maybe not NIT but they will struggle with all their youth and most of the team will return for the following season.
 
It's pretty impressive when Cal has the #2 class and we're all wondering what went wrong. That's when you know he's set the bar pretty high. Maybe Uncles Wes stopped funding his program?

Yeh I think they have Matthews, Briscoe and Labiserre? Add with Poythress, Lee, Ullis, Mulder and a few others. That's a pretty decent ball club. not chopped liver by any stretch.
 
He has the top ranked player and another top 10 player. It's the fans that are in panic mode, if he seriously can't compete with the team he has next year then he isn't a very good coach. He will have a starting 5 of Mcdonalds All americans.
 
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UK will have a very good team next year. I'm not sure why their fans are freaking out unless they are finally understanding that without 110% superior talent over everyone, chances of a national championship are slim with Calipari coaching. They'll still have a good year. It won't be as good as this past year though and that's probably the main reason they're freaking out.
 
What I find funny is that Cal seems to coach better when he does NOT have overwhelming talent. I think he is a great manager of talent, and an above average coach... he is not the top X's and O's guy, but he does have his strengths.

What changed my opinion was that first Final Four run where he made Jorts looks like an All-American. They took down a bigger and more talented OSU and UNC teams back-to-back, then lost to UCONN in a close Final Four match up. That was a heck of a job.

Now, if he would watch game tapes, maybe he will turn the corner... ;)
 
What I find funny is that Cal seems to coach better when he does NOT have overwhelming talent. I think he is a great manager of talent, and an above average coach... he is not the top X's and O's guy, but he does have his strengths.

What changed my opinion was that first Final Four run where he made Jorts looks like an All-American. They took down a bigger and more talented OSU and UNC teams back-to-back, then lost to UCONN in a close Final Four match up. That was a heck of a job.

Now, if he would watch game tapes, maybe he will turn the corner... ;)

They were also a last second bucket away from going out in round 1 too, if i remember correctly
 
What I find funny is that Cal seems to coach better when he does NOT have overwhelming talent. I think he is a great manager of talent, and an above average coach... he is not the top X's and O's guy, but he does have his strengths.

What changed my opinion was that first Final Four run where he made Jorts looks like an All-American. They took down a bigger and more talented OSU and UNC teams back-to-back, then lost to UCONN in a close Final Four match up. That was a heck of a job.

Now, if he would watch game tapes, maybe he will turn the corner... ;)
Does better?!! Great manager?!!! you must have missed the 2013 season when he had 4 McDonald All Americans and one went down and he "managed" to lose the first game of the NIT.
 
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What I find funny is that Cal seems to coach better when he does NOT have overwhelming talent. I think he is a great manager of talent, and an above average coach... he is not the top X's and O's guy, but he does have his strengths.

What changed my opinion was that first Final Four run where he made Jorts looks like an All-American. They took down a bigger and more talented OSU and UNC teams back-to-back, then lost to UCONN in a close Final Four match up. That was a heck of a job.

Now, if he would watch game tapes, maybe he will turn the corner... ;)
You sound like a fool in blue tinted glasses. They had Jones,lamb,knight,miller and liggins.
 
Still beating UL annually with poor coaching.
So you're saying you were happy with the way the season turned out? It's okay to have bought five something-0 shirts only to not make it to the championship game? I'm happy with the way the season played out for us. Are you?
 
Does better?!! Great manager?!!! you must have missed the 2013 season when he had 4 McDonald All Americans and one went down and he "managed" to lose the first game of the NIT.

No, did not miss that. The entire program gave up... players and coaches... they all checked out. That is inexcusable in my opinion. If they didn't want to play in the NIT, and it was clear they did not, they why accept the invite. That was pathetic. I don't get hung up on missing the NCAA tourney or even loosing to RM... it was the WAY they did it.

You sound like a fool in blue tinted glasses. They had Jones,lamb,knight,miller and liggins.

No, just my level-headed observations. I'm not saying that team did not have talent, but they were a 4th seed and beat the 1 and 2 sees who were strong favorites...
 
What I find funny is that Cal seems to coach better when he does NOT have overwhelming talent. I think he is a great manager of talent, and an above average coach... he is not the top X's and O's guy, but he does have his strengths.

What changed my opinion was that first Final Four run where he made Jorts looks like an All-American. They took down a bigger and more talented OSU and UNC teams back-to-back, then lost to UCONN in a close Final Four match up. That was a heck of a job.

Now, if he would watch game tapes, maybe he will turn the corner... ;)


Coach better without overwhelming talent? Calipari at Memphis was annual visitor to the NIT with one NCAA Game victory until the big boys left C-USA. Then, he started dominating week out of conference and in-conference opponents, earn a high tournament seed, and flame out in the regional finals until he got Derrick Rose.

and it was John Hall, DeMarcus Cousins an Eric Bledsoe that made Jorts look like an All-American.
 
Most of our fans seem to forget the 2010-11 season, that essentially went 6 deep and got to the Final. That coaching job applied to either 09-10 or 14-15 and it may be a different story.
 
It's call the law of averages . All good things come to an end not saying it's the end of great recruiting for them. Just that you can't have a bunch of elite recruits every year. Just doesn't work like that.
 
It's call the law of averages . All good things come to an end not saying it's the end of great recruiting for them. Just that you can't have a bunch of elite recruits every year. Just doesn't work like that.
I just don't think his type of players want to sit out half the game while 'platooning'.
 
I also think there is a certain amount of Big Blue fatigue out there. All last season it was UK wall to wall in the media and I think you experience burn out from that. It's like jumping the shark. I think the shark has been jumped.
 
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It's pretty impressive when Cal has the #2 class and we're all wondering what went wrong. That's when you know he's set the bar pretty high. Maybe Uncles Wes stopped funding his program?

I agree. Calipari has a strong class coming in already. WWW is just spreading the talent around a little more evenly after Calipari failed to produce the perfect season with a roster full of NBA talent.
 
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Loading up one team with OAD year after year looks bad for the system and makes a mockery of the sport. Sure it was a novelty at first, but now it looks plain crooked. If these guys have so much influence over every part of the system, why not the officials as well?

This dispersing of talent could be their way of trying to quietly defuse a growing problem.
 
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All the games matter. Even beating UL annually matters. You're just softening the blow of losing every year to UK. Of course BBN and myself want a title every year. And we are in position to win it just about every season. Be honest, can UL say they even have remote chance of a title next year? Gotta to hear this spin.
 
All the games matter. Even beating UL annually matters. You're just softening the blow of losing every year to UK. Of course BBN and myself want a title every year. And we are in position to win it just about every season. Be honest, can UL say they even have remote chance of a title next year? Gotta to hear this spin.
No one knows, but I would say UL has as good as chance as UK.
 
...BBN and myself want a title every year. And we are in position to win it just about every season...

In this millennium...

2000 Tubby Smith - 10 losses
2001 Tubby Smith - 10 losses
2002 Tubby Smith - 10 losses
2003-2005 Tubby with fewer losses
2006 Tubby Smith - 13 losses
2007 Tubby Smith - 12 losses
2008 Billy Gillespie
2009 Billy Gillespie (NIT)
2011 Pitino Lite - 9 losses
2013 Pitino Lite - 12 losses (NIT)
2014 Pitino Lite - 11 losses

As far as a being in a "position to win" the NCAA tourney "just about every season", does that mean you're just invited? Most of the above teams had no significant shots going into the NCAA tourney. A couple of the years, they didn't even get invited. THREE teams (2010, 2012, and 2015) had really good chances, and still with only one title to show for it.

THAT is keeping it real.

"Elite program", my a$$...
 
More Programs are going the one and done way. Duke, Kansas have had quite a few in the last 3 years. Arizona is doing it more. Texas and Ohio St. have had their share. Ricks doing it in the reverse way with 5th year guys. If V.J King comes here I believe he will be a one and done.
 
And Ricky P has 7 seasons of double digit losses himself (at UL), 2 in the Mighty CUSA
 
And Ricky P has 7 seasons of double digit losses himself (at UL), 2 in the Mighty CUSA

You really wanna get into a comparison of U of L's and LPT's basketball schedules? Think before you answer.

"Elite program", my a$$...
 
Here we go. Schedules again. Yet UL loses annually. UK swept the ACC this year. Then a classic digging up Tubby era records. Love the entertainment provided here.
 
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Facts usually suck for LPT fans.

BTW, you couldn't make it to the ACC game that counted most.

"Elite program", my a$$...
 
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