(05-07-2017 07:20 AM)RealDeal Wrote:  I think whether their system works or not is arguable. For all the talent they get​ they won one title with an NBA superstar. I think the NC way where you have talented 3-4 year players is more effective. Even Cal's best team lost to a veteran Wisconsin team.

All I know is the system UC is running does not work.

I am always amused by those (including some of the recruits themselves) who say that Calipari is so good at getting kids ready to go to the League, and therefore if you want to go to the League, you go to UK, because he's the best at getting me there, and round and round. All he does is hire the kids who would get drafted in Round 1 straight out of HS if that was allowed, and then after they have completed their one basketball season of eligibility to take off to make room for the next wave -- and they get drafted in Round 1 just like they would have in the first place. And he leverages that by calling it the goal of the program, where getting six kids' names called in the first round is the greatest night in program history. See, he can control that, and if he can convince the lemmings throughout BBN that's what success really is, then he keeps being God. Never has there been a coach, doubling as the Face of the Program, and a university and its fans been more deserving of each other.

This is what a total perversion of what college sports is supposed to be looks like. It's laughable. The sport is so far down the rabbit hole that it just doesn't matter.

(05-07-2017 12:25 PM)jarr Wrote:  I just don't buy the "Cal is a good coach" thing. He basically brings in 6, 7, 8 guys every year that would be once in a generation level superstars for a program like ours. It's on another universe what he does.

Cal had great success even before the one-and-done regime. In one recruiting cycle he took UMass from nothing to a Sweet 16 team, and then in another 4 years he got them to a #1 ranking and the Final 4. And he had a few top teams at Memphis before he started getting one year guys like Derrick Rose. He can coach; it's not all just recruiting.

But so what if it is? You don't get extra points for winning with worse players (mainly because coaches with worse players don't win). Wooden, Dean Smith, Coach K, Knight--every great coach had great talent. Recruiting is a huge part of coaching, and Cal is among the best recruiters of all time.

When I said Im not sure his system works what I should've said was I'm not sure it's superior to the way others at that level are doing it. And if it's not superior I'd much rather do it the way Carolina and Louisville do it where you get to know players for 3-4 years

How quickly people forget UK's first round exit to Robert Morris......IN THE NIT!!!!!

(05-08-2017 02:35 PM)nachoman91 Wrote:  

(05-07-2017 07:20 AM)RealDeal Wrote:  I think whether their system works or not is arguable. For all the talent they get​ they won one title with an NBA superstar. I think the NC way where you have talented 3-4 year players is more effective. Even Cal's best team lost to a veteran Wisconsin team.

All I know is the system UC is running does not work.

Going into next year as a preseason Top 20-ish team with a starting lineup featuring all 4-star recruits (except one being a transfer that recruiting sites clearly got wrong) all while playing in a blah conference "isn't working" for you? What would you change?

Given how many times UC has gotten punched in the gut, I'm very happy with where we currently are.

(05-08-2017 04:05 PM)levydl Wrote:  

(05-07-2017 12:25 PM)jarr Wrote:  I just don't buy the "Cal is a good coach" thing. He basically brings in 6, 7, 8 guys every year that would be once in a generation level superstars for a program like ours. It's on another universe what he does.

Cal had great success even before the one-and-done regime. In one recruiting cycle he took UMass from nothing to a Sweet 16 team, and then in another 4 years he got them to a #1 ranking and the Final 4. And he had a few top teams at Memphis before he started getting one year guys like Derrick Rose. He can coach; it's not all just recruiting.

But so what if it is? You don't get extra points for winning with worse players (mainly because coaches with worse players don't win). Wooden, Dean Smith, Coach K, Knight--every great coach had great talent. Recruiting is a huge part of coaching, and Cal is among the best recruiters of all time.

And left a wake of NCAA violations and forfeited seasons and probation in his wake. At UK he likely gets away with more of that as the NCAA is liable to turn the other cheek since it is UK (I'd really love to see the NCAA hammer these cheating blue bloods like UNC hard). But to your point, he certainly can coach short term players.

(05-08-2017 02:35 PM)nachoman91 Wrote:  

(05-07-2017 07:20 AM)RealDeal Wrote:  I think whether their system works or not is arguable. For all the talent they get​ they won one title with an NBA superstar. I think the NC way where you have talented 3-4 year players is more effective. Even Cal's best team lost to a veteran Wisconsin team.

All I know is the system UC is running does not work.

I would only modify your statement by saying, "...does not work at a level many of us believe this program should aspire to achieve." Under this coaching staff the progress in the classroom and on the court has been enumerated many times and is commendable.

Will the 2017-18 team be Mick's best? We hope so. 2016-17 was an excellent regular season and being ranked most of the year was great. But just as we learned in Psychology 101 with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, if applied to "fans" once a level is achieved we desire the next level. Not winning the conference, not winning the AAC tournament and not advancing past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament (yet again) failed to answer a fundamental question: are these teams built to advance?

If I'm a blue chip recruit I'll grant you that with five guys already penciled in to start next season, it's going to be mostly a supplementary recruiting cycle with a lower ranking. But "ready now" players will be needed in 2018-19. Let's hope there is good news soon in that regard.