I'm kind of an outcast on the uk board because apparently I am too cordial to you guys on this board. Go figure.
Never listened to Matt Jones. I listen to national sports radio only.
Marques Bolden takes shot at uk
- Thread starter Cardiotonic
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I'm kind of an outcast on the uk board because apparently I am too cordial to you guys on this board. Go figure.
Never listened to Matt Jones. I listen to national sports radio only.
Trouble is the guys who are there more than 1 year consider themselves failures. UK has nothing to do with college and is basically an NBA prep school.
The problem of that is Pitino isn't going to play a freshman very much until they learn his system
I didn't go there. I went to school in Ontario. I make no claims about what kind of intellectual prowess it takes to succeed at UK. I work with lots of talented folks who attended UK, U of L, EKU, Ohio U, etc. I've always been of the opinion that a school/coach/etc has a lot less to do with how successful a person is than that person's own motivation and willingness to work hard. It's why I scoff at the notion that any coach "puts players in the NBA." If a guy is talented and motivated enough to play in the NBA, he will play there. Period.
I don't give a f*** where he'll get drafted, the kid wasn't a good college player at all.
The GM that makes this kid his first choice in this year's draft is putting his high paying job in jeopardy. He is no more than a low 2nd round choice AT BEST.
GO CARDS - BEAT EVERYBODY!!! God Bless America!!!
I agree, something many seem to be overlooking. Duke is the clear favorite to win the title, that does not help our program at all. Nothing to really celebrate about with this news. Calipari and Coach K getting into back and forth does nothing for me.
I honestly believe that I'd rather Kentucky have more talent than Duke, Cal is nowhere near the coach that K is, he'd find a way to blow a game.
Cal has had more AA players over the last several years than Duke, Kansas and North Carolina combined yet two programs have multiple titles in that time. UConn has two titles with only two AA players in that time. Five times in Cal's first seven years they were beaten by teams who had a total of two AA players between them. Imagine that, he had over 20 players that were McDonalds AA's and lost to teams that averaged less than one half of a McDonalds AA between. WVU had only one top 100 player on It's whole squad. Nobody has ever done less with so much.
I love how Cal's fans brag about all the top recruting classes, then complain about them not staying. The bottom line is that Cal has brought in far too many kids that have neither the interest or ability to do college level work. Hence, you have a 17% grad rate which will have far greater influence on these young men who won't even be able to coach at a junior high lever when their knees give out. The average NBA career is three years and over 70% of NBA players are broke within five years of leaving. Not a great future for these young men.
Do you know what L1C4 means, or are you just unhappy about it?
No OAD kids are coming here because we're not a players-first, NBA-fast-track program. You're complaining about a situation that hasn't been nor will be what you want it to be...
Pitino Lite is the perfect coach for LPT because their fanbase is obsessed with basketball recruiting. It's an end in itself. They seriously need to start a tradition of hanging recruiting class banners.
"Elite program", my a$$...
"Elite program", my a$$...
I strongly favor and support ACC teams and like to see anything good that happens to schools like UNC and Duke. That comes back to us through the conference. And it's shortsighted IMO to see it otherwise.
On the flipside, there is no benefit to us in seeing LPT succeed...
On the flipside, there is no benefit to us in seeing LPT succeed...
There really is no benefit to you seeing Duke and UNC succeed as a Louisville fan.
I never understood that, I am a fan of Kentucky and I couldn't care less about the rest of the SEC really.
Also, most top tier schools offer scholarships to the same elite players.
Pitino has offered some of the one and done players that have played at Kentucky.
I never understood that, I am a fan of Kentucky and I couldn't care less about the rest of the SEC really.
Also, most top tier schools offer scholarships to the same elite players.
Pitino has offered some of the one and done players that have played at Kentucky.
Read my post earlier on this, I'd rather Cal be coaching a loaded team than coach K. Pitino had a loaded team at Kentucky in 96, there wasn't much drama over whether they'd win, last year Cal never ever should have lost to anyone in the tournament, yes Cal's coaching cost you in 2010,14,15,16....
Once again,we know Pitino has offered some of the oad types that have roamed the halls at UK.He has not tried to load up the roster with them to create excitement for his fanbase like Cal.Please guys,there is a difference.
Coach K has been outcoached many times in the tourney too. Tubby in 1998, Calhoun in 1999, Mike Davis (LOL) in 2002....I could name several more. Cal hasn't lost to the likes of Lehigh or Mercer or a miserable LSU team in the tourney either like K has. No coach is immue to a bad game, your current coach had his share of stinkers at UK too.
I expect that attitude among LPT fans--indeed I'm accustomed to it--because slapd!cks can't stomach the thought of anyone else approaching The Throne. The world ends at the state border.
Duke and UNC are college basketball royalty, and we now share the same conference. The world--and the conference--is big enough for all of us. Not to mention, Duke and UNC bring a lotta basketball revenue that the rest of the conference shares.
I can sorta rationalize the LPT mindset with the SEC because your conference offers nothing in basketball but whipping boys. No SEC team brings LPT any prestige or basketball revenue of significance. You simply get wins in the SEC and and an easy path to an NCAA top seed.
Logically, you couldn't expect LPT to respect the SEC in basketball. And that makes a comparison of your situation to the ACC and U of L about as apples-to-oranges as you can get.
"Elite program", my a$$...
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Not to mention the losses to Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Vandy, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, and Baylor - ALL who were not ranked that year and while UofK had yet another #1 recruiting class to boast about.
Like KBA said, no coach is immune. Calipari has without a doubt done less with a lot more than any other college coach in the history of the game.
Cal gets a lot of talent as does Coach K and even guys like Sean Miller, Bill Self get a lot of talented Freshman.
Despite the talent and recruiting classes, these are still Freshman with no College experience. It's not that simple, Calipari is a really good Coach and a Hall of Famer. You dont go to 4 Final Fours in 7 years by just rolling to balls out in practice.
Think about that, 4 Final Fours and a National Championship in just 7 years. That's incredible and would be considered a great success for any Coach at any program in America. Hell the banners Coach Cal has hung in his time at Kentucky is more banners than most schools in America have had in 100 years of basketball.
Let's not forget just how hard it is in College basketball to win a National Championship, even with the best team or the best players. Kentucky has 8 total Championships in 100 years and that's 2nd all time. That statistic alone shows you how hard it is to win the Title, and in this era of the Tournament and the 3 point shot it's even harder.
Getting to the Final 4 is huge, for any program. I would consider any year that ends in the Final 4 a successful season.
Despite the talent and recruiting classes, these are still Freshman with no College experience. It's not that simple, Calipari is a really good Coach and a Hall of Famer. You dont go to 4 Final Fours in 7 years by just rolling to balls out in practice.
Think about that, 4 Final Fours and a National Championship in just 7 years. That's incredible and would be considered a great success for any Coach at any program in America. Hell the banners Coach Cal has hung in his time at Kentucky is more banners than most schools in America have had in 100 years of basketball.
Let's not forget just how hard it is in College basketball to win a National Championship, even with the best team or the best players. Kentucky has 8 total Championships in 100 years and that's 2nd all time. That statistic alone shows you how hard it is to win the Title, and in this era of the Tournament and the 3 point shot it's even harder.
Getting to the Final 4 is huge, for any program. I would consider any year that ends in the Final 4 a successful season.
Are we quoting regular season losses now, Cue? Because in the red world, those are meaningless because March is all that matters in the Ville, right? UK still ended up in the final four 4 times after all of those losses, I think anyone would trade a few bad results in meaningless games for the type of post season success UK has had during that span.
Cal has his flaws, as does every coach, but it's laughable hearing the same thing recycled every year by rival fans - "here comes another #1 recruiting class, but who cares, you can't win a title with a bunch of unproven freshmen." Then they all do a 180 at some point and follow that up with "Cal had yet ANOTHER #1 recruiting class and didn't win the title, he does less with more!" Comical really.
Cal has been national coach of the year five times, or about 20% of his total seasons. If you want to point to a guy who did less with more, look at Dean Smith, who coached at college basketball royalty for 37 years and won 2 titles. 37 years! By comparison, Calipari has been at a school of that magnitude for only 7 years and has one title and 4 final fours in that span. The rest of his college career was spent at 2 schools who would have been flattered by being called hot garbage before he arrived. Bill Self? I bet the KU fans love those regular season B12 titles though. I'd gladly trade every regular season SEC title UK has won for a single additional championship.
But I digress - I realize it's a rival board and folks are going to use a lot of hyperbole when describing a rival coach. It's all good. I'll take Cal's results and be happy with them considering that we won 7 titles in over 100 years before Cal got here - and in an era where it was MUCH easier to win titles than it is now. He's way ahead of pace.
And you can have him and his results. It doesn't matter to me that this is a rivalry board. I've never liked Calipari regardless where he's coached. I don't like him as a person or a coach. I won't go as far as to say I hate him because I don't. I don't hate anyone but if he retired tomorrow, it wouldn't faze me in any way. He's proven himself to be a bigot with his racial slur towards Daniel Garcia. He flip attitude and demeanor caused a coaching legend to melt down during a press conference and threaten to kill him. He whines and cries when the cameras are on, and when they're not paying attention to him, he'll make sure to call the press so they cover his latest humanitarian cause because he's such a great guy. He's as phony of a person as they come. He's a fraud. Period.
Regarding Dean Smith, he mentored boys and turned them into men and he did it with class and dignity. Calipari is a used car salesman compared to Dean Smith. The two should never be mentioned in the same breath.
So now it's not about results, it's about the character of men you don't know and have never met. Gotcha. I wish I had your gift to be able to judge people whom you know nothing about. Must make life really easy for you.
As to this sentence
Regarding Dean Smith, he mentored boys and turned them into men and he did it with class and dignity.
You could have subbed in Joe Paterno for Dean Smith there a few years back and everybody in the country would have agreed with you. It couldn't have been further from the truth.
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Have you met him? If so then is that why you love him so much? Is it because he's so genuine and caring as a person, and when the camera is actually turned off, he's a super nice guy who doesn't run around calling people jagoffs? People usually express who they really are when the camera aren't in their faces. They sure don't have to call the local press to make sure the latest humanitarian gesture is covered so the PR looks good.
I've met David Robinson when the cameras weren't around. I met him at the Center for Intrepid when he just dropped in to visit with the wounded warriors who had no clue he was coming by. Nobody knew to include the press. No news coverage. It just happened. That's the kind of person I wish all these sports celebrities would be, but sadly you have way too many who want to sell an image. Hell, Calipari makes that his priority because it's all about the kids. Right? He's as phony as a 3 dollar bill and people with their eyes wide open have no problem seeing thru his bullshit.
I don't make any judgments about him. I don't know him. Maybe he's an asshole. Maybe he's not. I don't make any assumption that any person is a good or bad guy unless I know him and know him well. Making assumptions results in egg on faces. Not my cup of tea.
Cal is paid to coach basketball. Just like CRP is paid to coach basketball and Bobby Petrino is paid to coach football. Their off the court scandals shouldn't matter any more than Calipari making a few off the cuff comments while a camera happened to be on him.
People who live ina fish bowl want to be judged or they wouldn't want to live in that fish bowl. He is who he is, and his public record is all I need to know I don't like him. FWIW, there are several who live in the public whom I don't care much for, and that includes Rick Pitino too. I know that will surprise many who post here but it shouldn't because I've said that more than a few times.
Which proves that it's easier to win titles with veteran teams. Look at who won it this year. It's much harder to win with freshmen based teams, regardless of how good the players are. Anthony Davis is the exception.
Also, those UConn teams didn't just get supplanted into the title game of the NCAAT, they beat a lot of good teams to get there. UK wasn't the only team. Winning with Freshmen is much more difficult than winning with good veteran players.
I know what you're going to say. You're going to say that these kids are NBA talents. But they aren't NBA talents at that time. They are good at the college level but they have NBA potential so that's why they go so high in the draft.
Skal is the perfect example. He was awful this year. He stunk it up. He was scared to death to be out there. But there he is, projected 9th in the draft.
Hey, thanks for helping me prove my point.
The guy earns his paycheck recruiting. On that, you'll get no argument from me. But in the coaching debate, there's no mystery explaining the results you cite.
The SEC provides such sorry competition in basketball that your team is almost always guaranteed a top seed--if not being overseeded--by the time the last 20 games of your season are played. And the tourney has proven how important that is. If you enter the postseason with any of the four one-seeds, it's an upset when you don't make the Final Four. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I think LPT has just about as many one-seeds as they do Final Fours since Pitino Lite has been there.
And your record in the Final Four is not nearly as good. Why? Because you're meeting teams of comparable quality in the Final Four. At that point, seeding ain't as much of a factor if it is at all. Pitino Lite generally has problems when he meets teams of comparable quality, I would argue because his coaching skills come more into play.
But he definitely lands the recruits even though much of that talent is in the end wasted.
"Elite program", my a$$...
The poster you quoted always loses me at 17% grad rate, everyone in Lexington is a racist, WVU had 1 top 100 player, blah blah blah blah blah. I've never seen a person repeat the same arguments so often. He's been doing it for years and years and has come up with zero new material. He got schooled to death by wastra on the other U of L board last month, it was hilarious to just watch him continue to make stuff up and try to pass it off as fact, then be called out, then just try it again. I'd hate to be that bitter.
2010 1 Seed/Elite Eight
2011 4 Seed/Final Four
2012 1 Seed/National Title
2013 NIT
2014 8 Seed/National Runner up
2015 1 Seed/Final Four
2016 4 Seed/2nd Round.
Sorry, no slapd!ck gets a pass trying to argue that his team is too young.
Your system is BASED on that. You largely recruit OAD players who wanna get out of Lexington ASAP. That always leaves you with a young team.
You have the system you want and the coach you want running it. Own it.
"Elite program", my a$$...
Whether you recruit 1 one and done or 10 you're buying into the system. Half of you guys talk about education to make your point but anyone that leaves before they graduate wasn't there for the education anyway.
So what, RP doesn't want an entire team that is made up of top notch HS kids, Calipari does. It's just a preference.
Besides, do you see what these kids have to go through to play at that level? I'm amazed at any kid that can juggle CBB and tough college courses at the same time.
You aren't seeing too many kids on UL's basketball team that are studying to be lawyers. These kids are taking the classes that they can manage. They all have the game to at least think about the NBA, that is their goal. They aren't signing scholarships at UL to become architects, basketball is #1 if they are that good.
