The One and Done dismay

[Matt Dillon]

No doubt about that Matt......I'm just holding out for a run in March.

I hope you get your wish, but I've lost virtually all confidence in this team.

[Dwight Schrute]

I'm not going to call Wall and Davis and those guys mercenaries.

My only frustration with Cal's system resides with players who don't have success after UK, but who left UK in the lurch by leaving unnecessarily.

If you succeed, then by all means proceed. Can't fault players for that. I think you can fault players who leave UK because they just want to leave. That's not succeeding and proceeding; that's just proceeding.

If you come here and win games for us then you should get credit for that just like a four-year player. If you win a title for us then you should be considered a legend. If that's mercenary behavior then I'd like some more of it on this team.

The problem comes in with guys who think they're pros but aren't. That's when Cal's system goes off the rails.

Do you think it's that Cal's not being honest with them, or that the influence of being around the other guys who are pros leads them to think they're ready?

I'm trying to figure out why we can't hold on to guys like Charles Matthews or Stacey Poole.

[Joneslab]

I'm trying to figure out why we can't hold on to guys like Charles Matthews or Stacey Poole.

Poole was a total bust who would've never stepped on the court here. But Matthews has turned out to be a solid player that we could definitely use.

I think the reason he loses those types is because he's always trying to recruit over them. They see him hitting the trail and trying to bring in guys at their position. Cal doesn't hide that fact, but you have to think that there are some mixed messages on the recruiting trail so that the players are a little confused as to what their role is going to be.

It has to be hard seeing other freshmen out there while you're on the pine like Matthews was. But if he's going to stay at UK Cal and the staff have to do a better job at selling the long haul to players. Getting them to buy into this idea that there's something to be gained by staying for three or four years.

This group in particular has a few players who are in that boat. They have to stay and buy in to COLLEGE basketball.

In his furious attempt to sell the NBA I think Cal becomes detached sometimes as to what college basketball can mean and its importance. He's shown that he can win by being this salesman of dreams in the NBA, but now the game has changed and he'll have to figure out how to become a salesman who pitches the worth of the Kentucky program to players. Not sure he'll be willing to do that but when you start missing on all your top targets you don't have a choice.

[Dwight Schrute]

I agree with most of what you said - but how can we know with Poole? I never once saw him play (I know he transferred and never saw the floor there either.)

[Joneslab]

I agree with most of what you said - but how can we know with Poole? I never once saw him play (I know he transferred and never saw the floor there either.)

Because he averaged two points a game at Georgia Tech.

[Dwight Schrute]

Yeah, I suppose that's an indicator, lol.

[KCKUKFan]

Stacey Poole was a doofus off the court, as well.

Cal doesn't like goofballs, troublemakers, or guys that don't give 100%. If you're gonna be one of those three, you better be REALLY, REALLY good.

Stacey Poole, Marcus Lee, Ryan Harrow, etc. were not good enough to make up for their off-the-court failures. Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones, Josh Harrellson (at the last second) were.

[George]

Stacey Poole was a doofus off the court, as well.

Cal doesn't like goofballs, troublemakers, or guys that don't give 100%. If you're gonna be one of those three, you better be REALLY, REALLY good.

Stacey Poole, Marcus Lee, Ryan Harrow, etc. were not good enough to make up for their off-the-court failures. Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones, Josh Harrellson (at the last second) were.

What Lee incident am I forgetting?

[Catsrock]

I thought Lee was a great guy who spent a lot of time at children's hospitals and such. Just couldn't shoot basketball.

[KCKUKFan]

What Lee incident am I forgetting?

Lee was a great kid, but apparently his lack of effort drove Cal insane. Just dont think he loved the game like some other kids.

[George]

Lee was a great kid, but apparently his lack of effort drove Cal insane. Just dont think he loved the game like some other kids.

I just remembered the weird thing with his brother, too.

[Catsrock]

If these guys actually come in thinking if they're not 1st rounders after 1 year that they're failures then it's clear why they leave after 1 year. Why stick around to get recruited over and possibly play less?

Until recently Cal did awesome selling the top players on taking a shot at a national championship before moving on to get rich. He had lots of examples to point to of how this is the best place for that.

Maybe what we need is more examples of what can happen if you stick around and develop for 3 or 4 years. I wish we could point to more players who stuck around and then DID have NBA success. Unfortunately their aren't many examples since Patterson (who was a 5 star recruit) and Miller.

This very class is the group who could truly give us such examples. Richards is the perfect example. As ridiculous as it is that he can totally disappear for weeks at a time you just do NOT see many humans with his size with the touch he possesses. Of course he cannot grab a quarter off the top of the backboard like AD but he occasionally shows a beautiful jr hook shot and great touch out to 17 ft. He hasn't played bball very long. If there were ever I guy who needs Kenny Payne's coaching and just more experience it is Nick.

I hope the guys who have no business going pro will stick around not just for one more year but until they really develop. IF they do then the culture here could really change for the better and for the long term.

Cal could go back to coaching the way he did at Memphis but likely with an even better mix of experience and top talent. He did not run players out 4 or 5 freshman at a time while at Memphis. Might even help us beat out Duke in recruiting the cream of the crop as well.

Here's hoping. Personally I hope this happens and that Cal sticks around another 5 years or more.

[Joneslab]

You just hope he's not too entrenched in the one-and-done thing to go back to the Memphis days.

I think those great Memphis teams was the way to go in college basketball. One star around some grown-up players, a couple of whom became stars in their own right.

The problem now is that a guy like Chris Douglas-Roberts, if he came into Kentucky, would be gone after one year. So it's much harder to keep those guys with talent. The NBA is highly intrigued with Kentucky players for obvious reasons.

It's like Cal's success has ironically become a hindrance. It's really hard to just turn back the clock and decide you're going to do things the way you were doing them a decade ago. So much has changed...

[40bill]

I'm not going to call Wall and Davis and those guys mercenaries.

My only frustration with Cal's system resides with players who don't have success after UK, but who left UK in the lurch by leaving unnecessarily.

If you succeed, then by all means proceed. Can't fault players for that. I think you can fault players who leave UK because they just want to leave. That's not succeeding and proceeding; that's just proceeding.

If you come here and win games for us then you should get credit for that just like a four-year player. If you win a title for us then you should be considered a legend. If that's mercenary behavior then I'd like some more of it on this team.

The problem comes in with guys who think they're pros but aren't. That's when Cal's system goes off the rails.

Will, are the NBA scouts overall not as up front with the kids? It seems the NFL does much better in giving hard to hear feedback to prospects.
then again, hard to tell a kid no when he's bound and determined to head out.

[Lighthouse]

Did you guys see on ESPN that Duke has one more player in the NBA than Kentucky?