What's up with Matt Jones?

[Dwight Schrute]

On a side note, hanging out with that other dude playing gold and looking cool to the misinformed youth will not land you recruits that you continue to miss out on a year to year basis. I call it for what it is, first it was Lebron throwing up the Y at Rupp, then Jay Z, Drake, now that dude who's married to another dude. Not what i expected but i get it, it's selling and marketing 101 and that's what Cal does best.....

What?

[J.Jennings]

What?

I wonder if Cal had a chance to tour the new 15 million dollar mansion. I still can't figure out how you can have a net worth of a million and then get a job that pays around 400k a year and turn that into a net worth of 100 million plus. Guess i need to go back and take math again....

[Dwight Schrute]

I wonder if Cal had a chance to tour the new 15 million dollar mansion. I still can't figure out how you can have a net worth of a million and then get a job that pays around 400k a year and turn that into a net worth of 100 million plus. Guess i need to go back and take math again....

Or understand how people make money .

[J.Jennings]

Or understand how people make money .

Done with it this morning, it's early lol lol lol

[Joneslab]

On a side note, hanging out with that other dude playing GOLF and looking cool to the misinformed youth will not land you recruits that you continue to miss out on a year to year basis. I call it for what it is, first it was Lebron throwing up the Y at Rupp, then Jay Z, Drake, now that dude who's married to another dude. Not what i expected but i get it, it's selling and marketing 101 and that's what Cal does best.....

What you'll notice about this is that Kentucky wasn't missing out on recruits in his first few years, and that's when he was doing most of this stuff.

The celebrity stuff has tapered off a little bit and unsurprisingly our recruiting results have tapered off a little bit as well.

More than any of that stuff, I think the reasons for our recruiting slip are way more complex. The assistants are a big deal probably but more than that, everybody started recruiting one-and-dones in 2012 or 2013 or thereabouts. If you have to battle the entire country for players instead of three or four big-time programs, it's a lot harder to land those players. One thing that happens is that you all of a sudden have to fight for players against schools that are right in their hometown. Notice how many players UK has lost the last three or four years to kids who stayed local.

[J.Jennings]

What you'll notice about this is that Kentucky wasn't missing out on recruits in his first few years, and that's when he was doing most of this stuff.

The celebrity stuff has tapered off a little bit and unsurprisingly our recruiting results have tapered off a little bit as well.

More than any of that stuff, I think the reasons for our recruiting slip are way more complex. The assistants are a big deal probably but more than that, everybody started recruiting one-and-dones in 2012 or 2013 or thereabouts. If you have to battle the entire country for players instead of three or four big-time programs, it's a lot harder to land those players. One thing that happens is that you all of a sudden have to fight for players against schools that are right in their hometown. Notice how many players UK has lost the last three or four years to kids who stayed local.

I agree, it is very complex. Cal needs to understand we are in a offensive minded era, not a defensive minded era, this is the mentality of most kids now...

[Joneslab]

I don't know, Cal's had some hellaciously gifted offensive players, from Jamal Murray to Devin Booker to Tyler Herro and on and on.

I don't think that's it. I'm not sure how much these kids really look at style of play. They seem to be much more interested in the relationships they build on their visits. This is where having really good assistants comes in.

[J.Jennings]

I don't know, Cal's had some hellaciously gifted offensive players, from Jamal Murray to Devin Booker to Tyler Herro and on and on.

I don't think that's it. I'm not sure how much these kids really look at style of play. They seem to be much more interested in the relationships they build on their visits. This is where having really good assistants comes in.

This is a little random and left field but if i could turn back the hands of time and make one change, it would have been Rick staying at Kentucky and turning down the Celtics. I says this because regardless of how well Cal has performed at Kentucky, the Pitino era of excitement was at a level that for me personally has never been felt the same. It did not matter if we had five 5 stars or not, i always felt like we was going to win, teams played hard and scraped 40 minutes each and every time, i would run a red light and get a speeding ticket to watch a UK game...

[Joneslab]

This is a little random and left field but if i could turn back the hands of time and make one change, it would have been Rick staying at Kentucky and turning down the Celtics. I says this because regardless of how well Cal has performed at Kentucky, the Pitino era of excitement was at a level that for me personally has never been felt the same. It did not matter if we had five 5 stars or not, i always felt like we was going to win, teams played hard and scraped 40 minutes each and every time, i would run a red light and get a speeding ticket to watch a UK game...

I believe it would have worn off with Pitino a little if he would've stayed 8 or 10 more years. I might be wrong but I just don't think a fanbase can keep that kind of excitement for that many years.

Things were pretty sweet at UK in the first part of Cal's run as well. And the excitement gets going pretty good every year in October. But it was different early on, clearly. That first year with Cousins and Wall, the 2012 team, the undefeated team until the end, the Aaron Harrison run--all of that rivals anything we saw in the '90s.

I don't think Pitino could have sustained that, but of course we'll never know. In this day and age particularly fans get really bored really quick.

[J.Jennings]

I would say you are right but those years may have featured TMAC Dirk and a few others, would have been something to see...

[Dwight Schrute]

I believe it would have worn off with Pitino a little if he would've stayed 8 or 10 more years. I might be wrong but I just don't think a fanbase can keep that kind of excitement for that many years.

Things were pretty sweet at UK in the first part of Cal's run as well. And the excitement gets going pretty good every year in October. But it was different early on, clearly. That first year with Cousins and Wall, the 2012 team, the undefeated team until the end, the Aaron Harrison run--all of that rivals anything we saw in the '90s.

I don't think Pitino could have sustained that, but of course we'll never know. In this day and age particularly fans get really bored really quick.

My excitement waned a few years. Part of me is still not over that 2014-2015 stretch that included a loss in the title game and the loss to Wisconsin to lose our perfect season really took something out of me as a fan.

I'm starting to get it back, particularly for football, but it's hard to live and breathe something and not get burned out. I also think moving out of Lexington and to Northern Kentucky has caused my interest to wane a bit. It's a different world up here - everyone's a UC, Xavier, or Ohio State fan and the Cats get almost no coverage on the local news beyond highlight reel footage. I have to listen to WLAP in Lexington through the iheartradio app to hear Matt Jones.

[Joneslab]

I think the average fan these days has an excitement shelf life of about 5 years. After that they start thinking about who the next coach might be.

The only thing that changes this probably is you go through an Alabama-style run where you're in the Final Four/title game every year. But even then I just don't think people would be at a fever pitch all the time the way many of us were in the early 2010s.

I get really excited every year at October but as I've said, basketball is kind of my thing. There's nothing else that comes close for me. I give it most of my attention throughout the year so I don't have to turn it off and on. Love UK football but the emotional attachment is not even close to the same. Didn't grow up with UK football, didn't play it, didn't watch it a lot as a kid--just don't have an incredible passion for it.

[Dwight Schrute]

I think the average fan these days has an excitement shelf life of about 5 years. After that they start thinking about who the next coach might be.

The only thing that changes this probably is you go through an Alabama-style run where you're in the Final Four/title game every year. But even then I just don't think people would be at a fever pitch all the time the way many of us were in the early 2010s.

I get really excited every year at October but as I've said, basketball is kind of my thing. There's nothing else that comes close for me. I give it most of my attention throughout the year so I don't have to turn it off and on. Love UK football but the emotional attachment is not even close to the same. Didn't grow up with UK football, didn't play it, didn't watch it a lot as a kid--just don't have an incredible passion for it.

I dunno, I'm not looking forward to the day Cal leaves. At all. No one's irreplaceable but I don't know how we replace Cal. I just don't see anyone that can really step into the job at Kentucky and be successful - at least nobody that's a can't miss coach.

[J.Jennings]

My excitement waned a few years. Part of me is still not over that 2014-2015 stretch that included a loss in the title game and the loss to Wisconsin to lose our perfect season really took something out of me as a fan.

I'm starting to get it back, particularly for football, but it's hard to live and breathe something and not get burned out. I also think moving out of Lexington and to Northern Kentucky has caused my interest to wane a bit. It's a different world up here - everyone's a UC, Xavier, or Ohio State fan and the Cats get almost no coverage on the local news beyond highlight reel footage. I have to listen to WLAP in Lexington through the iheartradio app to hear Matt Jones.

My excitement has waned in all sports, just not Kentucky basketball. With all the dirty business of sports the politics and everything else involved, i find it harder and harder to stop what i am doing and take time to support something that does not benefit me or my family at all. Yes i still watch UK basketball or playoff MLB NBA but that's about it.....

[J.Jennings]

I dunno, I'm not looking forward to the day Cal leaves. At all. No one's irreplaceable but I don't know how we replace Cal. I just don't see anyone that can really step into the job at Kentucky and be successful - at least nobody that's a can't miss coach.

I am going to welcome that day with less expectations but also with hope of a new direction on and off the court. Let's be honest, the man has been in the hunt year in and year out but 1 title in 10 years is not what a lot of us signed up for. Prior to Cal expectations was Championships no excuses, not one and done brag about it. Cal has done a great job of getting the majority of the fan base to tone it down and lower expectations out of fear that if we do not abide he will leave us, i call bs on that....