Vanderbilt practices

[Friendsofcoal]

I’m still sticking to what I previously posted and that we’ll never see him on the court unless his draft stock bottoms out and then he has to return and prove his worth....which he could be doing now.

[Joneslab]

This thing with Vanderbilt and Cal’s half answers is getting really strange. Definitely seems like there is something else going on here.

Cal always gives half-answers when players are injured. That's been happening for years.

Every injury we've had has been odd and mysterious. And you always have fans throwing out wild speculation. Happened with Poythress. Happened with Willie. It'll likely happen with Quade if his injury lingers.

Cal won't give much at all, and if he gives anything it's cryptic.

[George]

Cal always gives half-answers when players are injured. That's been happening for years.

Every injury we've had has been odd and mysterious. And you always have fans throwing out wild speculation. Happened with Poythress. Happened with Willie. It'll likely happen with Quade if his injury lingers.

Cal won't give much at all, and if he gives anything it's cryptic.

But wouldn’t you agree that there’s obviously more to this one than Cal being coy for the player’s sake?

What we’re seeing is the next step in Hami’s strategy from last season.

[Joneslab]

But wouldn’t you agree that there’s obviously more to this one than Cal being coy for the player’s sake?

No, I think he's being brought along in a specific way according to a plan. Maybe that plan is being dictated by somebody in Vanderbilt's camp, but you can look at the way they've progressed that there's some kind of design.

From nothing to shoot-arounds. From shoot-arounds to practice. From practice to warm-up. From street clothes to jersey yesterday. There seems to be a progression going on.

[George]

No, I think he's being brought along in a specific way according to a plan. Maybe that plan is being dictated by somebody in Vanderbilt's camp, but you can look at the way they've progressed that there's some kind of design.

From nothing to shoot-arounds. From shoot-arounds to practice. From practice to warm-up. From street clothes to jersey yesterday. There seems to be a progression going on.

I still think we’re talking about the same thing, more or less. If Cal isn’t the designer, then something’s amiss.

[BobS]

Then why not just say that he is being brought along slowly instead of giving the impression that it is all up to the kid? That rhetoric flies in the face of the player first mantra and protecting him. It puts all the pressure on JV and makes it look like the player doesn't want to play.

No way this is orchestrated, imo. Way to many messages from Cal that shows frustration on his part.

[Joneslab]

I still think we’re talking about the same thing, more or less. If Cal isn’t the designer, then something’s amiss.

We might be. I actually shouldn't have flatly disagreed above: Cal almost certainly is being coy for the player's sake.

What I would disagree with is that we'll never see him. We're going to see him unless he re-injures it. You wouldn't play it this way if you were just going to hold him out all season.

If you get him to the point that he's warming up with the team and if the draft is the goal, and if he never plays, then you've sent a message that he's not capable enough to get his body to the point where he can play D1 basketball. That might suggest health issues down the road.

Neither UK nor Vanderbilt would want to do that.

[DA#23]

DVZ and Bob have nailed it imo. I want to hear a recording of what Cal said but the quote reeks of frustration. It’s hard telling where any blame would lie here, exactly, but UK’s stand point it stinks.

In any other situation where a person is receiving a scholarship, if that person decides to sit out of their part of the agreement then the scholarship gets pulled. If I’d decided not to participate in scholarship activities or if I had quit going to class, the Robinson scholarship program would told me to pack my stuff and have an unpleasant drive back home.

due to the enormous amount of ambiguity here, I can’t become “mad” at Vanderbilt himself just yet but I’m absolutely aggravated at the whole situation. If he’s a scholarship athlete for this program and if he’s medically safe to play, then by gosh I demand that he play.

[Joneslab]

He’s going to play.

[Friendsofcoal]

He’s going to play.

You seem very confident. Have you got any sources telling you this?

[Joneslab]

You seem very confident. Have you got any sources telling you this?

Only Jarred Vanderbilt himself wearing uniform shorts and joining the lay-up line yesterday.

If you were going to play it cagey you wouldn't go about it this way. Getting to the point where you go out with the team and shoot lay-ups and then never play sends a terrible message for down the road.

Were he not going to play at all they wouldn't have progressed him to this point. He would've just kept his street clothes on and never practiced.

[Joneslab]

Kenny Payne touched on the Vanderbilt situation today and was a lot less cagey than Cal usually is.

It's enticing to build a narrative around Vanderbilt that has to do with the NBA; Payne frames it though as simply a player trying to come back from an injury.

https://www.seccountry.com/kentucky/kentucky-basketball-kenny-payne-says-jarred-vanderbilt-closer-clearing-last-mental-thing-play

[Lighthouse]

This report kinda puts us in our place. This kid has good Coaches working with him every day, and they're doing it the right way. Whether he ever plays, and I think he will, he will forever be thankful for how his situation has been handled, and who knows, he just might tell a future recruit.

[Pobilly]

I think we will see JV at home against FLA. That gives him 5 more days to get ready. If he was not ready on Saturday he will probably not be ready tomorrow. So I hope we see him Saturday. It would be nice to see him get a few minutes tomorrow, just to knock some of the rust off but I doubt we see that happen.

[justford]

Was KP shaming Duke a little when talking about how UK handles injured players? Maybe not but I sure hope so.