futurecoach

Honestly I think Burks would transfer too especially if more guys come back. However, he wouldn’t be one that I would encourage to leave like I said I would for Ugo and Hart. I think Burks has the potential to be a very good player still, and will make a big jump next year either here or somewhere else.

At this point I know it would hurt pulling the offers. However, you do what it takes to win next year. If they get back to winning next year that will help in itself, and wouldn’t then hurt the recruiting. As for Bradshaw and Edwards. I think both are very talented and showed glimpses, and would be very good if they came back. Theiro didn’t look like much his freshman season, and much better this year. Nick Richards didn’t look like he had much of anything especially his freshman year. Then became one of the best big men in the country. Then even someone like Hopkins didn’t look like much. Then his sophomore year after a year of experience, looked much better. IMO it just takes some of these talented guys a year to get use to the college level after having it come easy in high school. Wagner may go, but I even think he may want to have a better year after having a disappointing freshman year overall considering his expectations.

If I were Cal I change my approach and I would try to keep most of the ones who saw the floor this year except Ugo. You hope Sheppard stays , and I would probably encourage Ugo, and Hart to pursue new opportunities. Ugo is a good shot blocker, but I would try to convince Big Z, and Bradshaw to stay with the 2 big men recruits we have coming in. Have a potential experienced lineup of Sheppard, Wagner, Edwards, Bradshaw, Big Z. Then off the bench 6th man Theiro, big men Cyril, and Quintanence, guards Boogie Fland, and Travis Perry. Forwards Burks, Knox, and Richmond. If you truly can return the majority of the team, including Sheppard. Then while it may not look good, I would possibly pull my offer to Knox, or Richmond or both and hit the portal for another good guard or two. This way you an experienced team with so many guys returning, and possibly another older player or two from the portal. I know all that may not happen, but if I am Cal I change my approach and go all out to try to keep the majority of the current players,

So let’s go with the assumption that Cal will be back. What do you want to see the roster look like next season? As of now they have 6 recruits coming in, and for sure losing seniors Reeves and Mitchell. I believe we can also add Dillingham as for sure gone. Sheppard I know is projected as a lottery pick, but I don’t think it’s a forgone conclusion that he leaves. So right now only 3 are for sure gone IMO in Reeves, Mitchell, Dillingham. So who do you want to see Cal try to make sure they keep, and who if anyone would you like for him to possibly not encourage to come back?

IMO his ego and pride is too big to go out on how the last few years went. If UK had went on a run this year, I think Cal may have been willing to step into that role and or go elsewhere. However, I just don’t see him wanting to stop coaching on this note.

Down compared to what? If you think the boys program is down now and not competing anymore in district. Then when would you say it was higher and they were competing in district to make it down now? Keep in mind he has only been the boys coach at Ludlow for two years. The schedule before him wasn’t really much better, and they weren’t really even close in district games before him when you look at scores. Which the district is harder now than it was before him, because of Lloyd now being a top 5 team the last two years. So I’m confused on when you think it was up recently, to make you say it’s been down under him? As for scheduling, I do think Ludlow would benefit from doing what Beechwood did 10 or 15 years ago? Which is leaving the d3 small school conference they play in. This way they don’t have to play all those conference games with Heritage, Calvary, Villa, etc, and could add some more tougher competition. However, anymore of this discussion should be in the Ludlow thread. As far as this thread, I do think Stamm would be a good hire if he was interested. Which as I said I have no idea if he would be, because I’m sure he is happy being back at his Alma mater.

Honestly unless UK knows they can get one of the top guys mentioned, that many think they can’t get. Then I do agree that Cal probably will be back. It is hard to move on, unless you know for sure you can get a guy better than him, but also a guy that can handle all the other things that come with this job. I don’t think they probably have had this talk before. I do think you talk to Cal and be straight forward and say you literally must get this back on track next year and make a run, or else we are moving on. Cal at that point may decide to just leave, or maybe that lights a fire under him and does get him to turn things around.

Some of the stuff you probably know more than I about. However to comment on a few things. Two of the years he was at Conner, the 9th region produced a state champ. Then the losses you mentioned to Holmes. If I remember correctly no team in the 9th was really beating Holmes those years. Even though I do agree they had a team capable of beating them in 2018. What I do know is like or not Stamm has produced results wherever he has been. Was taking little old Ludlow to the region in girls basketball before he went to Conner. Then it took a couple of years at Conner to break through that tough loaded district and get to the region when Boone was still good. However, during his time Conner seemed to have more success than they seemed to have since he left. Then went back to Ludlow and took Ludlow girls back to the region a couple of times and almost won the district for the first time in Ludlow girls basketball history. Then the last years he has got the Ludlow boys team playing really well. I really have no idea if he would even want to go back to Conner, as he is coaching boys at his alma mater. I’m just saying I do think he would be a good hire if he was interested. Which I know you disagree and gave your reasons why, and that’s perfectly fine. I was just throwing out his name and Nathan Browning as two guys that in my opinion would be good hires for the job.

The NIL and the portal is not much different than what the NBA is in regards to free agency and contracts. Plus college is a lot shorter of a season, and don’t even have to travel as much for recruiting since can hit the transfer portal.

No on Smart. He been at a big program and failed. Some coaches just fit better at good college programs but not the big time ones.

Here is the thing about the college game. With NIL and the transfer portal, the days of college coaches having to travel all the time to recruit high school players is not as big of a thing. Coaches now don’t have to travel as much, because they can hit the portal. Plus the college season is a lot shorter than the long grind of a much to long NBA season. Plus college basketball is like the NBA in a way with money and roster changes. If the money is right, I don’t think it would be much more headache except for dealing with our crazy UK fanbase lol.

I have no idea if either of these guys would leave their current teams. However, two guys that make sense to me that could be possibly good fits is Nathan Browning who is currently at Boone, but teachers at Conner Middle. Or Aaron Stamm who currently is the boys basketball coach at Ludlow, but coached the Conner girls team for many years before. I don’t know if either would be interested, but both would be good hires and have some ties to Conner.

I tend to agree. You have to at least reach out to those guys though. However, As I said with Louisville Billy Donovan is still one that I think will end up back in college one day for the right job. So out of the guys I mentioned, I do think he may be a possibility. With that said, if you can’t get any of those guys. Then I’m not sure it would be smart to move on from Cal. You better have someone good that you know would come here and can handle the pressure here, before you move on.

It will probably be Cal. However, if it’s not him. These are guys I would try to get. Billy Donovan Jay Wright Brad Stevens Bruce Pearl Rick Pitino (if they want a guy for 2 to 3 years before having to look again) With that said I’m not sure how realistic those choices would be. Also Dan Hurley and Mark Few wouldn’t leave their schools. So if I had to guess the next coach at UK if they move on from Cal will be Tom Izzo. I see them playing it sort of safe with the next hire after missing out on the guys above, and then Izzo will fit right in with the normal coaching cycle for UK in its history. Unless we want to count these last 8 years for Cal count as theTubby/Hall years. Then the next coach in the UK cycle will be an alcoholic like Sutton/Billy G. So need to figure out which coaches like to drink, and we then will know who our guy would be.

Ugh what sucks the most is this was such a fun time to watch this year. Then to see it just end so quickly, just sucks.

The announcers never acknowledged it, but I’m pretty sure in the first half Theiro hurt his shoulder. Going into a tv timeout he was in the background walking with his shoulder dangling down while he was holding it and looking in pain. Which he then never returned in the first half, and took awhile in the second half. Maybe it was nothing and Cal for some reason chose not to play him, but to make it look like he got hurt in the first half.

Sadly you probably are right. Some of the shots he made tonight were insane, so no way they shoot as well next game. Which if they don’t shoot well, they probably will lose by double digits.

Well said it all year. This team was a team that very easily could make a run, but also very easily could lose first game. Which unfortunately that is what happened. Our freshman played like freshman, while Oakland had a guy that shot unbelievable early. Then the rest of the team got confidence and started making shots at the end when it mattered too. Now I know our usuals will blame Cal for this. However, no coaching could have helped this team miss the easy around the rim shots they missed today, and our two probably top 10 lottery picks playing horrible games. With that said though, sometimes it is just time for a change. Probably be a good thing for both UK and for Cal to go in different directions. Right now I think the program and Cal need a jump start and doesn’t look like it will happen together.

Just a few years ago Tony Bennett was another name some UK fans on here had mentioned they would want if Cal had left. Him and Kenny Payne were two of the big names people had high on their list to replace Cal a few year ago. Funny how quickly things change lol.

Your argument would at least have more merit if UK actually looked better in the games Sheppard started. However, even when Sheppard started a few games this year, they still started slow in those games. Then just usually as a team looked out of sync and lost a couple of the games he started. So him starting didn’t really produce the results you wanted. Quite honestly I think you are focused on the wrong guy starting if you want quicker starts. The guy that probably should start to help prevent the slow starts is Dillingham. Have Dillingham start instead of Edwards, and then you have a do it all guy in your 6th man in Sheppard.

I don’t agree with you on much, but I do agree this was a great move. I do think Fields could still possibly develop into a franchise QB. So if he does, they just got a franchise QB for a 4th round pick only. If he doesn’t pan out, all they gave up was a 6th round pick. Great move by the Steelers. As a Bengals fan I hate that the Steelers got him, I don’t want them to have a chance at even possibly finding a franchise QB.

Very happy with the bracket for UK. I know I mentioned in the thread after the loss to A&M that they would probably be a 4 seed, with an outside chance to be a 3 seed still since everyone else was also losing. So I feel like UK is right where they should be, now it is about going out there and taking care of business.

What a great three year run by the Jags. Just unfortunately Sacred Heart is just on another level than every other girls team in the state these last few years.

To be fair I think Texas A&M believed before the game even started. It’s hard not to believe, considering they had already beat UK earlier this year.

It’s been pretty well reported that Cal and Barnhardt don’t really get along, and have barely talked over the last couple of years. So I don’t think he is keeping him because he loves him.