2024 Roster (Enter Antonio Reeves & Tre Mitchell)

[Joneslab]

And also: Duke.

Duke really got in the way of Kentucky and John Calipari being a true phenomenon.

If not for Duke Kentucky might have three or four more titles now.

An entire thesis could be written on what happened with Duke in the one-and-done era. How it went from a school that really catered to a certain...um, type of player into a program that by 2014 was assembled with players who were one-and-dones from the second they stepped on a middle school court.

That whole thing is the landscape I'm talking about. It's not just schools like Oklahoma St. setting things up to get Cade Cunningham, which I'm convinced would not have happened back at the start of this. It's also the major players like Duke shifting the focus of their recruiting to hedge in on Cal's territory--and then really start to beat him at his own game.

The sports media never touched any of that with Coach K, of course.

[Joneslab]

Meanwhile, Dauster and Goodman are hinting that big college basketball news is coming this morning.

Somebody in the comments says it could be Grant Nelson committing to USC. That would be interesting and would obviously remove the panic about Bradshaw.

[Joneslab]

^ Of course it could also be Bradshaw to USC, so whatever.

[KentuckyWild2020]

It's interesting how many former players Cal has had on social media recently.

I have to think that's not by accident. I imagine he's trying to sell something about his relationship to his players. Maybe has to do with Bradshaw and attempting to reach his family.

Absolutely. From Karl Towns relaxed in his chair to BJ Boston to Lil Wayne, Cal has stepped up his marketing this off season, he's been working this off season....

[Joneslab]

Meanwhile, Dauster and Goodman are hinting that big college basketball news is coming this morning.

Somebody in the comments says it could be Grant Nelson committing to USC. That would be interesting and would obviously remove the panic about Bradshaw.

Doesn't look like it was anything but a pitch for their podcast.

[Joneslab]

Doesn't look like it was anything but a pitch for their podcast.

Actually looks like the news is that the podcast is going to sponsor its first-ever preseason event next year.

[Joneslab]

Oscar got invited to the combine. Not a dealbreaker but does suggest we're in for more of a wait.

Combine runs through the middle of next week into next weekend.

[Joneslab]

John Calipari
@UKCoachCalipari
2m
Had a chance to watch @_chrisliv24 work out today and WOW!! He got so much better for us by the end of the year and he looks like he’s taken another leap forward. Chris is one of the most driven, caring, smart kids I’ve ever coached. I absolutely love him.​

[Joneslab]

^ Interesting comments a couple days before the guy from San Diego St. is supposed to visit.

[GOCAT15]

I would really just love to know what is really going through the minds of Cal and the staff at this moment, not just what they are saying on radio shows and twitter. I understand some of it is out of their control with kids staying in the draft, coming back, transferring, etc. and it makes my head spin just thinking about it because one decision that doesn't go our way is going to change everything. And it seems that has been happening a lot more than the latter the last few years. It's like at this point, if they actually want Oscar back, why aren't they publicly saying they would love to have him back, blah blah blah, but instead you hear crickets and then Cal posts some random statements about how much he loves Livingston who from all accounts that we've discussed on here has zero chance of being in a Kentucky uniform next season. I just don't understand why Cal can't be open and honest with the fanbase, whether we like what we hear or not, at least we would believe what he is saying half the time.

[Joneslab]

if they actually want Oscar back, why aren't they publicly saying they would love to have him back.

That would cut against something Cal has said from his first days at UK, which is that he doesn't interfere with players' decisions.

Oscar has some stuff going on with his family in Africa. That alone makes an NBA contract enticing. And, you know, individually he's accomplished virtually everything you can accomplish as a college player. (While accomplishing virtually nothing on his teams.)

I just think the whole thing cuts back to Cal not seeing this the way the fans see it. He's got the human angle to think about. We know these players as essentially automatons who are out there for our entertainment.

This isn't to say there's not merit to what UK fans want Cal to deliver for us. However some situations are a little bit more complicated than others. Oscar's is one. Another one I can think of off the top of my head was Eric Bledsoe's.

[GOCAT15]

That would cut against something Cal has said from his first days at UK, which is that he doesn't interfere with players' decisions.

Oscar has some stuff going on with his family in Africa. That alone makes an NBA contract enticing. And, you know, individually he's accomplished virtually everything you can accomplish as a college player. (While accomplishing virtually nothing on his teams.)

I just think the whole thing cuts back to Cal not seeing this the way the fans see it. He's got the human angle to think about. We know these players as essentially automatons who are out there for our entertainment.

This isn't to say there's not merit to what UK fans want Cal to deliver for us. However some situations are a little bit more complicated than others. Oscar's is one. Another one I can think of off the top of my head was Eric Bledsoe's.

I can agree with that, and I didn't intend for it to come across as that I feel that Cal should beg and plead and try and coerce players into doing something that is not in their best interest. I want to see them all go on and succeed, it just seems it's always a top secret situation that's why we are always on here questioning why he's not going after more players in the portal or whatever.

[Joneslab]

I find it curious why he hasn't used the portal more too. The line we're skirting is so fine you could cut glass with it.

If the worst-case happened and Oscar, Livingston, Reeves, Dillingham, and Bradshaw all didn't come...we'd be up a creek.

All that isn't likely of course. But there are times when the staff doesn't seem to be in control nearly as much as they seemed to be back in the day.

[Lighthouse]

I would really just love to know what is really going through the minds of Cal and the staff at this moment, not just what they are saying on radio shows and twitter. I understand some of it is out of their control with kids staying in the draft, coming back, transferring, etc. and it makes my head spin just thinking about it because one decision that doesn't go our way is going to change everything. And it seems that has been happening a lot more than the latter the last few years. It's like at this point, if they actually want Oscar back, why aren't they publicly saying they would love to have him back, blah blah blah, but instead you hear crickets and then Cal posts some random statements about how much he loves Livingston who from all accounts that we've discussed on here has zero chance of being in a Kentucky uniform next season. I just don't understand why Cal can't be open and honest with the fanbase, whether we like what we hear or not, at least we would believe what he is saying half the time.

It would be interesting to know the truth about anything Cal is thinking. And what y'all hear and see is most likely not the truth. Cal plays this game with us every year before and during the season. Truth is one thing we counted on from our Coach and recruits years ago, but is absent now. Such is our world.

[justford]

Always some drama/concerns before during and after the season. Some seasons more so than others.