still no LOI's

[businesslawyer]

Agreed - nuances aside - our recruiting results since Adams/Enoch verbaled have been poor.

Here is why that's an amazing statement: they are part of the class that is still being recruited. The only results that matter in recruiting are at the end of the process. To say that you liked November and not March within one recruiting year makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[Jaker]

who is our next target? Get to work.

 

[businesslawyer]

Yea the 30 ft airball that resulted from the lack of play calling during the timeout when UK needed a bucket late in the 2nd half against Wisconsin was the icing on the cake for me. In the biggest moment of their season, he had the opportunity to prove his doubters wrong and didn't. So I'll hold onto my personal opinion of him.

You say good coach, I say overrated.

Yes. Because you can judge a coach by what his players do in one instance on the court. Like you know what he said do to in the TO and whether it was a bad plan or poorly executed.

 

[ctchamps]

Here is why that's an amazing statement: they are part of the class that is still being recruited. The only results that matter in recruiting are at the end of the process. To say that you liked November and not March within one recruiting year makes no sense whatsoever.

And this cycle includes a period of handcuffs and transition. The next two cycles are the important ones.

 

[gtcam]

Yes. Because you can judge a coach by what his players do in one instance on the court. Like you know what he said do to in the TO and whether it was a bad plan or poorly executed.

All he has proven is that he can recruit by selling a certain plan/scheme to a bunch of guys whose only pursuit in life is to make the NBA. Period. He's not there to possibly help a troubled youth and guide him into a rightful path (JC and Caron). He can't say I made player X better because they aren't there long enough to gauge that progress. He's there to see what a collection of above average players can do for his legacy. He has turned a once proud blue blood program into a meat factory.
His history starting at UMass going to Memphis then the NBA is a road of wreck and ruin like the road to Berlin in 1945. He won an NCAA title because he had a freak of an athlete named Anthony Davis who nobody had an answer for much like individual performances of Pervis Ellison or Danny Manning or Kemba. Other than that he has showed little, considering the talent he has been utilizing. I don't care how many final fours etc - I could coach those teams that far.
He is unproven as a tactician and has not come through with any amount of success when the times get tough.
I can't understand how he is a HoFer with the abandoned wins, etc. And Pete Rose can't get into the HoF????

 

[David 76]

In 3 of those 4 FFs he was outcoached by UCONN (2) and Wisconsin

 

[champs99and04]

All he has proven is that he can recruit by selling a certain plan/scheme to a bunch of guys whose only pursuit in life is to make the NBA. Period. He's not there to possibly help a troubled youth and guide him into a rightful path (JC and Caron). He can't say I made player X better because they aren't there long enough to gauge that progress. He's there to see what a collection of above average players can do for his legacy. He has turned a once proud blue blood program into a meat factory.
His history starting at UMass going to Memphis then the NBA is a road of wreck and ruin like the road to Berlin in 1945. He won an NCAA title because he had a freak of an athlete named Anthony Davis who nobody had an answer for much like individual performances of Pervis Ellison or Danny Manning or Kemba. Other than that he has showed little, considering the talent he has been utilizing. I don't care how many final fours etc - I could coach those teams that far.
He is unproven as a tactician and has not come through with any amount of success when the times get tough.
I can't understand how he is a HoFer with the abandoned wins, etc. And Pete Rose can't get into the HoF????

I don't think this is true at all. Eric Bledsoe was living in a car and now he's making damn near a hundred million dollars in the NBA.

 

[tzznandrew]

In 3 of those 4 FFs he was outcoached by UCONN (2) and Wisconsin

Cal is 1-1 vs. Wisconsin in the Final Four though--and Bo is perhaps the best x-and-os coach out there.

People who say Cal can't coach have to throw out the success he had--pre-Camby--at UMass. We can not like or respect a guy, but to ignore his success reeks of sour grapes. It's silly, especially when he has 1 title and during his coaching career UConn has 4.

 

[mauconnfan]

Cal is 1-1 vs. Wisconsin in the Final Four though--and Bo is perhaps the best x-and-os coach out there.

People who say Cal can't coach have to throw out the success he had--pre-Camby--at UMass. We can not like or respect a guy, but to ignore his success reeks of sour grapes. It's silly, especially when he has 1 title and during his coaching career UConn has 4.

I doubt anyone actually believes Cal "can't coach". I mean his best job would seem to be the Camby days when he made the likes of Kellogg, Padilla, Herndon and Traveiso key parts of a very successful run. That team flat out guarded people and played hard.

Problem is when you get the studs he gets and can't win it all, freshman or not, there needs to be questions of your ability. He's done it to himself.

 

[tzznandrew]

I doubt anyone actually believes Cal "can't coach". I mean his best job would seem to be the Camby days when he made the likes of Kellogg, Padilla, Herndon and Traveiso key parts of a very successful run. That team flat out guarded people and played hard.

Problem is when you get the studs he gets and can't win it all, freshman or not, there needs to be questions of your ability. He's done it to himself.

I don't know--read some of the comments. And he's only won 1 title, true, but since 2006, at Memphis:

06: E8
07: E8
08: Runner-up
09: S16
10: E8
11: FF
12: National Champ
13: NIT
14: Runner-Up
15: FF

I mean, that's pretty crazy: since 2006, a Cal coached team has been in the Elite 8 8 out of 10 years, and in the Final Four 5 out of 10 years.

Some of that has to do with the talent he pulls in. But it's more than that. I don't put him up there with JC, K and that group, but he's very clearly in that next tier of elite coaches.

 

[rip7774]

Some of that has to do with the talent he pulls in. But it's more than that. I don't put him up there with JC, K and that group, but he's very clearly in that next tier of elite coaches.

HANGING! lol

 

[mauconnfan]

I don't know--read some of the comments. And he's only won 1 title, true, but since 2006, at Memphis:

06: E8
07: E8
08: Runner-up
09: S16
10: E8
11: FF
12: National Champ
13: NIT
14: Runner-Up
15: FF

I mean, that's pretty crazy: since 2006, a Cal coached team has been in the Elite 8 8 out of 10 years, and in the Final Four 5 out of 10 years.

Some of that has to do with the talent he pulls in. But it's more than that. I don't put him up there with JC, K and that group, but he's very clearly in that next tier of elite coaches.

Good numbers no doubt, but there's no denying there are numerous coaches who could have done the same with those recruits and maybe a few who would have brought those numbers to another level. There's an argument for both, but tzz no doubt he can coach a little. Anyone saying otherwise is only looking at the person. Overrated though? Another argument to be had, but I believe yes!

 

[uconngb]

I don't know--read some of the comments. And he's only won 1 title, true, but since 2006, at Memphis:

06: E8
07: E8
08: Runner-up
09: S16
10: E8
11: FF
12: National Champ
13: NIT
14: Runner-Up
15: FF

I mean, that's pretty crazy: since 2006, a Cal coached team has been in the Elite 8 8 out of 10 years, and in the Final Four 5 out of 10 years.

Some of that has to do with the talent he pulls in. But it's more than that. I don't put him up there with JC, K and that group, but he's very clearly in that next tier of elite coaches.

i went to look up Memphis' 2008 run to the Finals and i couldn't find it. Then i remembered, that's because it never happened. Whether the Squid can coach or not is irrelevant.....I believe he is the only coach to have TWO final fours vacated, and my guess is that tally isn't done yet.

 

[The Funster]

He made a sweet 16 at friggin u mass before he bought Marcus canby. I don't like the guy either, but give him a team that he can coach, as opposed to players who come to him for coddling and babysitting, and I don't doubt he can coach

Can he put together a squad and get them to play to their strengths? Yes

Can he coach the end game? I don't think he's shown that yet. I don't see game management as a strength.

 

[TigerJ]

i went to look up Memphis' 2008 run to the Finals and i couldn't find it. Then i remembered, that's because it never happened. Whether the Squid can coach or not is irrelevant.....I believe he is the only coach to have TWO final fours vacated, and my guess is that tally isn't done yet.

Such BS they took that from us because the NCAA couldn't prove anything

 

[David 76]

Coaching is a broad word involving assessing many attributes, most of which Cal has. He excels where salesmanship is involved (recruiting, motivating).
I do not think he is very good in mid-game adjustments or player development.
Saying he is a bad coach is crazy. And, if you look at the whole package, he has been very successful, primarily because of his recruiting, which in college is a huge part of the game.
I think he was and would be mediocre in the NBA.

 

[pnow15]

Just where are all of these future recruits going to play next season. Only backup jobs are open.
The one major hole, power forward, has been filled by an all Ivy League 5th year. Purvis, Adams, Brimah and DHam are penciled in to start. So, if you are looking for starters minutes next year at CT. They are most likely gone.

 

[DogMania]

I'm far from a Squid fan, but come on! He did a pretty damn good job with a UMass team that didn't exactly have star power throughout their line-up. I'm sure Memphis was an upgrade...just having Rose on that team you're going to be good...but he's pretty darn good at developing players and team chemistry. He's a great motivator. What he lacks is being a great big-game coach.

No matter how good a coach you are, it's not easy to get a team made up of predominantly young players to pull off the 6 consecutive Ws to be the last team standing. Just about every team that has won the NC have had to overcome adversity at least once along the way. Teams led by upperclassmen tend to handle the pressure and adversity because they've been there before. Teams led by freshman and underclassmen, well they don't fair so well.

If he keeps on reloading with Burger-AAs he's going to make a lot of F-4s, get upended along the way and maybe win another NC or two as well. I think he could have won it all this past year if he handled his rotations differently, but that would have made some of his players quite unhappy. Carving up the minutes between most of his players worked quite well all season long, but when it comes to winning when it counts most, I don't know any coaches that have done so without shrinking their bench and giving most of the minutes to their top 5 to 7 players, maybe 8. You win it all by preparing the players who give you the best chance of winning to do it when the lights shine most brightly. You also need prepare those players 2, 3 and maybe 4 who come off the bench to be well prepared to come in for that 2 to 3 minutes spurt to keep the level of play as high as possible. But it's players 1 through 5 or even 6, to be ready to play big time minutes and to make big time plays six games in a row, hoping most of them play consistently well all 6 games, and a few play much better than their opponents in those games as well. It doesn't have to be the same players that come up big in all 6 games, but it sure helps. Rip, Emeka/Ben, Kemba and Bazz all come to mind as those who pretty much came up big in most the games en rout to winning their championships. Contributors on those teams were Ricky, Khalid, Jake, KFree, Josh Boone, Shad, Bazz (in 2011), Oriakhi, Roscoe, Daniels, Giffey are a few that fit the consistent contributors. Notice how few of them weren't upperclassmen when they won NCs. Also, take a look at what kind of minutes these players logged during their championship runs. Other than foul trouble, most of them were on the floor for big time minutes.

I'm not so sure if Cal can win it reloading each year. It will help that their best PG, Ulis is returning and that Briscoe looks like as good a ready-to-contribute PG-Combo you can add. Labissiere looks like great talent and Cal still has work to do to add a few of the top recruits still available. He won it all with the Davis led team. Like Rose, Davis is one of those players who doesn't come along too often.

Anyhow, if you don't think Cal will coach up his 2015/16 players and team into one of the top teams in the nation, you're kidding yourself. Winning it all, well that will again be a tall order. If there are a few talented programs that are returning some upperclass talent and/or elite sophomore talent, I don't expect the Squid lead UK team to be the last team standing. As long as he keeps on loading up with talent and losing a large amount of them each year, I expect Wildcat nation to be left disappointed at season's end. As long as the current age and one year out of college rule exists, Cal will continue this MO. Lots of elite recruits will want to play at Kentucky. Cal will do a good job of developing them and either keeping or even enhancing their draft stock. It's likely not a good destination for mid to low ranked recruits with high ceilings. Ones like Hilton, Ben, Emeka, Bazz, etc, who were moderate to low ranked but have the talent and drive to be developed into elite college ballers. If KO can follow in the footsteps of JC and add those types of players as well as a few top 25 ranked types along the way, we'll keep on winning NCs while UK continues to come all so close.