2024 Roster (Enter Antonio Reeves & Tre Mitchell)

[Joneslab]

This is going to be the 20-21 year all over again.

If he can't get anybody but a couple of bodies then I think it will be.

If they can entice Reeves back and get somebody like Kaluma I think they're still a top 15ish type of team (on paper).*

* A lot of things have to go *very* right, a major one being Ugo has to actually be ready to play a lot of minutes. Nobody knows if he's capable of doing that. I really like the idea of a player like that after two years of Oscar...but sometimes there's a difference between an idea and what we actually see on the court. Exhibit A: The Dragon.

[DA#23]

It's strange that the coach most legendarily accused of paying players over his career (sans evidence) doesn't know how to pay players.

Critics will say, well now that everyone is paying players he lost his competitive advantage...

Yes Sir. Now that the playing field has been evened, he has to win on the court. In some sick way this crapshoot of a mess called college basketball forces a guy like Cal to get back to the game itself, and we see he’s failing at that.

It’s like a student who cheated through school, made decent grades and collected the degree, but can’t read to save his life. Cal’s not put in the work to stay sharp with the on the court stuff (this includes his staff) and now he’s exposed.

[Matt Dillon]

Another possibility they're throwing out is freshman Isaiah Miranda, an NC State decommit. He was the 30th ranked player according to Rivals in this year's class. 7'1" center.

Another Fr. I would have preferred someone with college experience, but he's better than nothing I guess. At least it'll be another body.

[Joneslab]

Another Fr. I would have preferred someone with college experience, but he's better than nothing I guess. At least it'll be another body.

Yeah, agreed.

I *think* we'll end up getting somebody on a transfer, maybe two people...but really who knows at this point.

Still think Kaluma would be a very solid addition. He's seen as probably the best of the bunch in terms of the ones still left out there. He also is what we need when you look at our roster in terms of the way he plays. Not a game-changer yet but a lot of potential.

[George]

Another possibility they're throwing out is freshman Isaiah Miranda, an NC State decommit. He was the 30th ranked player according to Rivals in this year's class. 7'1" center.

Another center is just what the doctor ordered.

[George]

Yeah, agreed.

I *think* we'll end up getting somebody on a transfer, maybe two people...but really who knows at this point.

Still think Kaluma would be a very solid addition. He's seen as probably the best of the bunch in terms of the ones still left out there. He also is what we need when you look at our roster in terms of the way he plays. Not a game-changer yet but a lot of potential.

Bama is heavily involved with Kaluma.

[Joneslab]

Bama is heavily involved with Kaluma.

Kentucky lock then. Who's afraid of that football school?

/some sort of reverse jinx juju

[Joneslab]

Pharis says that all the people Kentucky's looking at are being heavily pursued by other programs. Mentions Rick Stansbury recruiting Antonio Reeves to Memphis, something Kyle Tucker has hinted at for weeks.

Basically: it ain't looking good, folks. Need Cal to finally find that seven foot Chinese point guard he was always talking about back in the day.

[Joneslab]

Also wild is how good other SEC programs have done this spring. When you look at the health of the program and interest from players and so on Kentucky would have to be down there at the bottom of this football conference with Vandy. You can name almost ten other programs who have pretty much killed it here recently while Kentucky has been drowning. Ole Miss is one of those programs and they were without a coach until recently.

Good God.

[DA#23]

Pharis says that all the people Kentucky's looking at are being heavily pursued by other programs.

Kentucky has claimed that they were hand-cuffed by not knowing those 3 decisions until 12am June 1st. We'll see how good they can play catch-up now. Cal, Antigua, and Coleman have to put on the full court press.

[justford]

Who edited this thread title? I think it’s fitting.

Barnhart gave a vote of confidence yesterday. Let’s hope that suggests a lot complaints from admin / boosters / fans.

I don’t know which was the hardest to read: Mitch supporting Cal article or the Cal article. Both are evidence of the sad shape our program is in.

[justafan]

Anyone think that the team ‘chemistry’ was severely damaged with Cal’s incoming recruit names on a tshirt in the middle of the season? I’m still amazed/shocked/mystified at how 5 players couldn’t put their name in the transfer portal fast enough. Sure the easy answer is they saw the writing on the wall for playing time.

Another interpretation is they wanted to go play for someone that appreciates them.

[Joneslab]

Kentucky has claimed that they were hand-cuffed by not knowing those 3 decisions until 12am June 1st. We'll see how good they can play catch-up now. Cal, Antigua, and Coleman have to put on the full court press.

Of course that shouldn't be the case with Reeves.

How we can't convince him to come back is arguably the most shocking thing I've seen in the Calipari era. It's truly crazy and of all the stuff that's happened, that one is proof positive that something is bad wrong.

[Joneslab]

Anyone think that the team ‘chemistry’ was severely damaged with Cal’s incoming recruit names on a tshirt in the middle of the season? I’m still amazed/shocked/mystified at how 5 players couldn’t put their name in the transfer portal fast enough. Sure the easy answer is they saw the writing on the wall for playing time.

Another interpretation is they wanted to go play for someone that appreciates them.

Yes. I've thought about this.

I'd say that team was a mess before and that really threw it into overdrive.

It reminds me of a passage in Season on the Brink, the book about Bob Knight from the '80s. There's a thing in there about Knight constantly mentioning Damon Bailey. He'd intentionally troll his players during practice by saying stuff like, "Damon Bailey is better than you right now, and he's in the 9th grade." It got to the point where the team almost revolted against him because he wouldn't stop saying it.

I would imagine this happened last year when Cal pulled that stunt.

Of course, the stunt itself shouldn't have been that big of a deal. But that team was likely so fractured, so fragile, that it clearly mattered to them.

[Joneslab]

Kentucky has claimed that they were hand-cuffed by not knowing those 3 decisions until 12am June 1st. We'll see how good they can play catch-up now. Cal, Antigua, and Coleman have to put on the full court press.

And also going back to this: Keshad Johnson.

Forgetting the whole Dickinson thing for a second, UK rolled out the red carpet for Johnson. Clearly they thought they had him in the bag. Every expert and his mother was penciling in UK.

Nope! How could that situation be about Kentucky not knowing what was going to happen with the undecideds? They recruited Johnson. Hard. Brought him to campus. Went through all the motions you go through when you badly want (need) a player.

What a cluster.