September 30, 201411 yr Cal confirms UK will platoon to start the season John Calipari was in Louisville this afternoon for the Greater Louisville UK Alumni Club Luncheon, and repeated what we’ve been hearing a lot lately:he will continue to use the platoon system we saw in the Bahamas during the regular season. Cal confirmed that his team will start the season using two platoons with six players each (one sub for big men and another for guard play) and they hope to use it all season long. So now who are the starters for Platoon I and Platoon II? Says he will have a guard and a big man as a sub for the Platoons, which will allow him to play 12 players....WOW!!!! Only at UK. List your Platoon I and II players and sub.
September 30, 201411 yr Platoon I: Andrew Harrison Aaron Harrison Alex Poythress Trey Lyles Dakari Johnson Platoon II: Tyler Ulis Devin Booker Willie Cauley Stein Marcus Lee Karl Towns Subs: Dominique Hawkins and Derek Willis? I could see Dakari and Karl being switched.
September 30, 201411 yr The platoon system makes it tough to pick who will play on team 1 and team 2. It becomes less about the teams best players and more about who plays best together.
September 30, 201411 yr The platoon system makes it tough to pick who will play on team 1 and team 2. It becomes less about the teams best players and more about who plays best together. I agree. Just trying to put a list together to play along is really difficult without knowing how fols play together. I'm guessing it will be hard for the Harrisons and Poythress to not start but we have yet to see Lyles play so who knows. I'm thinking Towns will play more than Dakari but Dakari is down to 8% body fat as well. I don't know man....all I know is that I am more excited about college basketball and the NBA this year than I have been in a long time.
September 30, 201411 yr Wow. Even this Duke fan can appreciate and respect this. This is nicely done. Big Blue Platoon. :lol2: Excellent. Side note: Cal is a genius. This is how you convince top talent that there is still time to play even if there are 8 more guys on the team just like you.
September 30, 201411 yr I've said this before, but I've never been a fan of platooning. It never works how it's intended.
September 30, 201411 yr Wow. Even this Duke fan can appreciate and respect this. This is nicely done. Big Blue Platoon. :lol2: Excellent. Side note: Cal is a genius. This is how you convince top talent that there is still time to play even if there are 8 more guys on the team just like you. I made that after watching the games in the Bahamas!
September 30, 201411 yr I agree. Just trying to put a list together to play along is really difficult without knowing how fols play together. I'm guessing it will be hard for the Harrisons and Poythress to not start but we have yet to see Lyles play so who knows. I'm thinking Towns will play more than Dakari but Dakari is down to 8% body fat as well. I don't know man....all I know is that I am more excited about college basketball and the NBA this year than I have been in a long time. I will be at the YUM Center on Saturday with bells on. Heat-Pelicans.
September 30, 201411 yr Author Platoon I: Andrew Harrison Aaron Harrison Alex Poythress Trey Lyles Dakari Johnson Platoon II: Tyler Ulis Devin Booker Willie Cauley Stein Marcus Lee Karl Towns Subs: Dominique Hawkins and Derek Willis? I could see Dakari and Karl being switched. Don't think we will see Lyles in the first Platoon to start the season. He just isn't ready. Missed the whole summer of practice. End of the season...could be. I also don't see how you can keep KAT out of the first Platoon. IMO he could be the #1 draft choice this year. Platoon I Aaron Harrison Andrew Harrison KAT Willie Dakari Platoon II Alex Lyles Ulis Booker Lee Subs: Hawkins Willis
September 30, 201411 yr Andrew Harrison Aaron Harrison Dakari Johnson Marcus Lee Alex Poythress Tyler Ulis Devin Booker Willie Cauley-Stein Karl Towns Trey Lyles Subs: Dominique Hawkins Derek Willis Edited October 21, 201411 yr by Randy Parker
September 30, 201411 yr Don't think we will see Lyles in the first Platoon to start the season. He just isn't ready. Missed the whole summer of practice. End of the season...could be. I also don't see how you can keep KAT out of the first Platoon. IMO he could be the #1 draft choice this year. Platoon I Aaron Harrison Andrew Harrison KAT Willie Dakari Platoon II Alex Lyles Ulis Booker Lee Subs: Hawkins Willis Your line of thinking regarding Towns is spot-on. He's easily one of the top 5 players on the team & will be in there during the final stretch of close games. But I can also see Cal putting him on the 2nd platoon because he'll be the standout of that group. I think Cal will want a guy in both groups that he can count on to get a bucket when it's needed. Aaron is that guy in group 1 & I can see Towns being the guy in group 2. What MBWC said is also spot-on--about grouping guys together with chemistry. Ulis & Towns seemed to have more chemistry than any other duo during the Bahamas games. And I don't think you'll see WCS & Lee in the same platoon because they are similar players (athletic, defensive-minded...weaker on offense). Same is true for Dakari & Towns (less mobile, offensive-minded...weaker on defense). So I see Cal pairing those 4 guys so they complement each other better. Trey Lyles is the question mark on the team. I was tempted to put Derek Willis in his place on that second team. It seems to me that Lyles is playing catch up, even though he is far more talented.
September 30, 201411 yr I've said this before, but I've never been a fan of platooning. It never works how it's intended. I have similar reservations & there are few who will think it can work. But Cal will utilize it just to try & prove people wrong. It's how he's wired.
September 30, 201411 yr Author Your line of thinking regarding Towns is spot-on. He's easily one of the top 5 players on the team & will be in there during the final stretch of close games. But I can also see Cal putting him on the 2nd platoon because he'll be the standout of that group. I think Cal will want a guy in both groups that he can count on to get a bucket when it's needed. Aaron is that guy in group 1 & I can see Towns being the guy in group 2. What MBWC said is also spot-on--about grouping guys together with chemistry. Ulis & Towns seemed to have more chemistry than any other duo during the Bahamas games. And I don't think you'll see WCS & Lee in the same platoon because they are similar players (athletic, defensive-minded...weaker on offense). Same is true for Dakari & Towns (less mobile, offensive-minded...weaker on defense). So I see Cal pairing those 4 guys so they complement each other better. Trey Lyles is the question mark on the team. I was tempted to put Derek Willis in his place on that second team. It seems to me that Lyles is playing catch up, even though he is far more talented. All great points. I struggled on my Platoon I. Wanted to leave Dakari off, but when he didn't start last year we seemed to struggle. Wanted to put Alex in Platoon I but he does well coming off the bench. I can see the Platoon changing up over the season and with our the matchup of each game play out. I will say Cal has his hands full on how to handle this, but if anyone can it would be him.
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