Kentucky Basketball 2021/22

[MBWC41]

It sounds like the interest was mainly fan driven based on the relationship he has with Antigua and Chinn.

I’d love to have him. He’s a stud. 

As I said earlier in the thread, I just don’t see a place for him in the system Cal likes to run.

[Tomcats1990]

Cal can’t have another disappointing or worse season next year. Really shocked he has no interest in Kofi. He would be an upgrade IMO to what they have currently. 

[futurecoach]

On 7/13/2021 at 1:08 PM, MBWC41 said:

I’d love to add Cockburn to this roster. He’s a proven commodity. 

However, if I were Cockburn, I’d probably look elsewhere. Cal doesn’t have much of a track record with true, old school back to the basket centers.

I can’t see Cockburn thriving in a system that asks you to switch on screens and guard multiple positions. I just don’t think he has the skill set.

He’s an incredible college athlete. I’d love to have him. I don’t think he has a place in the system Cal runs though.

I think I disagree that he doesn’t fit what Cal usually likes to run. If anything Cal seems guilty of trying to make guys back to the basket type players, even when that player shouldn’t be a back to the basket type player. Or even if a big guy can do more, he still seems to have them focus on being more of a back to the basket type player. That’s part of the reason Skal struggled so much here at UK. Cal tried to make him that back to the basket type player and that wasn’t his game. 
 

So I think with what Cal usually likes to run he truly does fit. Now with that said Cal said he wants to space the floor more this year, and wants to adapt his approach more to how the game is played today. So if he truly means that, then yeah it may not be as great of a fit. 

[MBWC41]

3 hours ago, futurecoach said:

I think I disagree that he doesn’t fit what Cal usually likes to run. If anything Cal seems guilty of trying to make guys back to the basket type players, even when that player shouldn’t be a back to the basket type player. Or even if a big guy can do more, he still seems to have them focus on being more of a back to the basket type player. That’s part of the reason Skal struggled so much here at UK. Cal tried to make him that back to the basket type player and that wasn’t his game. 
 

So I think with what Cal usually likes to run he truly does fit. Now with that said Cal said he wants to space the floor more this year, and wants to adapt his approach more to how the game is played today. So if he truly means that, then yeah it may not be as great of a fit. 

Cals got his system and if Kofi could have helped, he would have been recruited harder.

Kofi is the type of player you change your system for. Cal is stubborn and isn’t changing his system for anyone.

He wants “postionless” basketball and Kofi doesn’t have that skill set, plain and simple.He’s not guarding anyone other than the opposing teams center or maybe power forward. 

I’d love to have him. It just doesn’t make sense for him or UK. 

Name a similar player who has truly thrived under Cal. Daniel Orton? Dakari Johnson ?

[futurecoach]

1 hour ago, MBWC41 said:

Cals got his system and if Kofi could have helped, he would have been recruited harder.

Kofi is the type of player you change your system for. Cal is stubborn and isn’t changing his system for anyone.

He wants “postionless” basketball and Kofi doesn’t have that skill set, plain and simple.He’s not guarding anyone other than the opposing teams center or maybe power forward. 

I’d love to have him. It just doesn’t make sense for him or UK. 

Name a similar player who has truly thrived under Cal. Daniel Orton? Dakari Johnson ?

The system Cal has shown he has liked to play has always been having a big who plays with back the basket. He has talked about position less basketball, but his offensive system has never matched his comments. 
 

Which is the criticism Cal gets because he hasn’t adjusted his style to today’s game and still always seemed to prefer wanting a big down low with back to the basket in his offense. Even when he had guys like Cousins, Davis, Towns. All guys who were capable of playing outside and shooting outside, while they were in college he basically made them play down low with their back to the basket. Then he tried to continue doing stuff like that with Skal and making him a back to the basket player and Skal wasn’t that type, but Cal tried to make him like that early. Cal has struggled with the guys who can’t play with their back to the basket, and are more face up type of players. Hence, why I say Cals normal system he has run the majority of time would work for him. 
 

With that said Cal has said he wants to open it up much more this year and spread the floor. So if that is true, and he truly does change his system. Then yes I agree it wouldn’t be a good fit, but in Cals old system yes it would have been a good fit IMO. 

[4 Quarters]

59 minutes ago, futurecoach said:

The system Cal has shown he has liked to play has always been having a big who plays with back the basket. He has talked about position less basketball, but his offensive system has never matched his comments. 
 

Which is the criticism Cal gets because he hasn’t adjusted his style to today’s game and still always seemed to prefer wanting a big down low with back to the basket in his offense. Even when he had guys like Cousins, Davis, Towns. All guys who were capable of playing outside and shooting outside, while they were in college he basically made them play down low with their back to the basket. Then he tried to continue doing stuff like that with Skal and making him a back to the basket player and Skal wasn’t that type, but Cal tried to make him like that early. Cal has struggled with the guys who can’t play with their back to the basket, and are more face up type of players. Hence, why I say Cals normal system he has run the majority of time would work for him. 
 

With that said Cal has said he wants to open it up much more this year and spread the floor. So if that is true, and he truly does change his system. Then yes I agree it wouldn’t be a good fit, but in Cals old system yes it would have been a good fit IMO. 

How do you project Cal using the big kid who transferred from W. Virginia?

[MJAlltheWay24]

10 hours ago, futurecoach said:

The system Cal has shown he has liked to play has always been having a big who plays with back the basket. He has talked about position less basketball, but his offensive system has never matched his comments. 

My guess is that he likes positionless basketball in players 1-3, maybe even 1-4.

[bugatti]

22 hours ago, Tomcats1990 said:

Cal can’t have another disappointing or worse season next year. Really shocked he has no interest in Kofi. He would be an upgrade IMO to what they have currently. 

I believe this - not your post, necessarily - is all conjecture based upon reading tweets and so-called "sources" close to the situation. To say Calipari had/has "no interest" is speculative, at best, and most likely not true. I have a hard time thinking when an All American became available, UK turned up their nose. When it comes down to it, we know very little about the inter-workings of UK's recruiting. This being no exception. If Calipari really did have no interest, it would have been because he spoke with his Illinois connections (i.e. Antigua, etc.), and did what he felt was his due diligence.

[MBWC41]

12 hours ago, futurecoach said:

The system Cal has shown he has liked to play has always been having a big who plays with back the basket. He has talked about position less basketball, but his offensive system has never matched his comments. 
 

Which is the criticism Cal gets because he hasn’t adjusted his style to today’s game and still always seemed to prefer wanting a big down low with back to the basket in his offense. Even when he had guys like Cousins, Davis, Towns. All guys who were capable of playing outside and shooting outside, while they were in college he basically made them play down low with their back to the basket. Then he tried to continue doing stuff like that with Skal and making him a back to the basket player and Skal wasn’t that type, but Cal tried to make him like that early. Cal has struggled with the guys who can’t play with their back to the basket, and are more face up type of players. Hence, why I say Cals normal system he has run the majority of time would work for him. 
 

With that said Cal has said he wants to open it up much more this year and spread the floor. So if that is true, and he truly does change his system. Then yes I agree it wouldn’t be a good fit, but in Cals old system yes it would have been a good fit IMO. 

I agree completely on the offensive end.

I really think Cockburn would have been a season changing addition to this team. He’s a proven stud. I always questioned whether or not he could have played defensively to Cals liking. He’s an old school big man who eats everything up inside the paint, but that’s about it.

If Cal thought he would have had a place on this team, he would have recruited him harder. 

Maybe he’s just very confident in adding Duren or he’s seen enough from Oscar to be satisfied with what he has.

[Tomcats1990]

2 hours ago, bugatti said:

I believe this - not your post, necessarily - is all conjecture based upon reading tweets and so-called "sources" close to the situation. To say Calipari had/has "no interest" is speculative, at best, and most likely not true. I have a hard time thinking when an All American became available, UK turned up their nose. When it comes down to it, we know very little about the inter-workings of UK's recruiting. This being no exception. If Calipari really did have no interest, it would have been because he spoke with his Illinois connections (i.e. Antigua, etc.), and did what he felt was his due diligence.

Listening to Leach Report Cameron Mills who definitely would have more connections to the program then any of us said the same thing I did. Mills heard CAL had no interest in Kofi and didn’t talk to him.

[bugatti]

30 minutes ago, Tomcats1990 said:

Listening to Leach Report Cameron Mills who definitely would have more connections to the program then any of us said the same thing I did. Mills heard CAL had no interest in Kofi and didn’t talk to him.

I am not sure how involved Cameron Mills is or isn't. My guess is he has more connections than us, but that doesn't make him connected. But there is a difference in having no interest and not talking to him. You're implying he didn't consider him. If there was no consideration, I would presume it is because the guys who coached him said to pass (meaning there was some level of consideration). Or maybe Kofi conveyed from the onset he had no interest in going to UK. Again, it is all speculative. My point is, when a player of that ilk comes available, any high D1 school did some level of research, especially one that has coaches on staff that coached him a few months earlier.

[Randy Parker]

Interesting to review this thread.

[MJAlltheWay24]

On 5/4/2021 at 9:02 AM, nikeman49 said:

I think kids are really seeing the light as far as Ky basketball is concerned. Who wants to be screamed at constantly and then be labeled as the point guard or any other position that failed his team because Cal will take no credit for the team downfall. Don’t blame these kids for staying away. Who wants to be thrown under the bus?

This my be my favorite post in this thread, but I'm still half way through it.  First it was, "Don't blame kids for staying away" even though they didn't and more recently its "Kentucky sure can thank the transfer portal".

[MJAlltheWay24]

On 5/4/2021 at 11:20 AM, MJAlltheWay24 said:

They'll land a solid transfer to play PG next year.

I'd say Wheeler qualified.