From Matt Jones: the best explaination for a disasterous month

[JFCats22]

It definitely looks like a weaker year in that this season we'll not have two teams return almost everything from Final Four runs the previous year, and the class doesn't have a Jahlil Okafor (or a Karl Towns) in it.

But incomplete teams get exposed in this sport. What you notice about basketball is that the three-point shot and all the veterans some of these teams have lead to weird things. If your roster is lacking, it sometimes doesn't matter that you have more talent--you're going to take lumps. Maybe a lot of them.

See Knight's UK team and Randle/Young's team....I think next year's team will be fine, maybe even really good by year's end. I just see some major issues - scoring, rebounding, depth, strength (outside of Poythress), that may take some time to figure out.

[Matt Dillon]

I agree with this, but this also speaks to the selfishness of the fans as well. We want everyone who is great to come here and can't understand why anyone would go elsewhere. We just want ours and care little about what is in the best interest of each individual player. Goodness, once a player goes somewhere else, any good vibes that player had from the UK fanbase generally turns more to venom.

I agree. Also, as Matt Colvin stated a little earlier, if the fans think a player can help, they make every excuse they can think of why he shouldn't leave.

[Blue Heaven]

So we won't have 7 guys go pro with this team and everyone is panicking. I'm not worried. We still have a top 3 class that includes the #1 player in all the land. In Cal I trust. Other than the disastrous 2013 squad, what has Cal done to elicit panic? Absolutely nothing! The program is on a great run. We will be a solid squad next year. Cal will fill the holes. If not, we will still be good. Sometimes less is more.

[KevinHall]

I agree with this, but this also speaks to the selfishness of the fans as well. We want everyone who is great to come here and can't understand why anyone would go elsewhere. We just want ours and care little about what is in the best interest of each individual player. Goodness, once a player goes somewhere else, any good vibes that player had from the UK fanbase generally turns more to venom.

Yes, I'm selfish I want as many good players as possible. I guess I'm a bad fan for that. Those days of Cal loading up on talent could be over since this past years team didn't win it all. That's being used against him and the recruits are listening and acting on it. That may not, in the end, be a bad thing. If he can build a core of juniors and seniors and still reel in a couple of top 15 talents every year the program will be on top for the foreseeable future.
Next years team will have some experience in Poythress,Ulis,Lee and Hawkins with a couple of impact freshman in Skal and Briscoe. They are just going be woefully thin depthwise. One injury could demolish this team like it did in 2013. Also have to hope AP will be healthy. A torn ACL takes time to recover and everyone is different in how they recover. Lets hope he's a fast healer. As others have pointed out scoring could be a huge problem. Some people are really going to have to step up and improve their offensive game. UK may really need Mulder or WIllis to be better than expected and give them a scoring lift. To make the NCAA's and place well in it will all come down to who they can beat in the out of conference schedule. If they totally whiff on that it will be really dicey about getting in. Beat a couple of teams, maybe even upset one and they will be OK. All of that could hinge on Skal being eligible from the beginning. That's still not settled either. He says no problems but we have heard that before. I'll be going into the 15-16 season with not big expectations and hoping for a better than advertised team that could be a lot of fun to watch.

[bnewt]

If we had one more Power Forward or Center on the team (DAKARI JOHNSON), I don't understand why all the doom and gloom????

New flash!!!! We have enough quality players to field a pretty good team next season. We have a true point guard in Ulis, a player that was on the verge of becoming the beast(Poythrees), the number on center, experience in Willis and Hawkins, Briscoe, Matthews (considered top 20 til he was injured), Mulder (say he can shoot it lights out), and Lee........

Would still like to see us take a chance on the 6'10 kid who shoot threes and has a 44 inch vertical. Offensively, he has to be better than Lee right????

On the verge of becoming a beast..............Poy was as hit & miss as WCS............Hawkins & especially Willis have very little experience. Lee maybe a great kid but has ZERO basketball skills or IQ..........and counting on a JC kid to provide scoring punch. There is just not much scoring punch for next year.........teams will play zone & take away Skal, forcing outside shots. With absolutely no proven shooters...........this is a bad combination.. Even this past year, with all of the talent.....when the outside shooters struggled (Booker & Harrison) they went through extended scoring droughts, Have to have shooters to win

[Joneslab]

Not sure I agree about Lee having no basketball skills or IQ.

He's raw but he's an odd player that he'll show some things that you wouldn't expect. Clearly can't shoot but he's a surprisingly good passer. Has good instincts and manages to be around the ball. I said this on another thread but I thought he should've maybe played more last year. I like him but clearly he has a ways to go to be a consistent contributor.

[J.Jennings]

On the verge of becoming a beast..............Poy was as hit & miss as WCS............Hawkins & especially Willis have very little experience. Lee maybe a great kid but has ZERO basketball skills or IQ..........and counting on a JC kid to provide scoring punch. There is just not much scoring punch for next year.........teams will play zone & take away Skal, forcing outside shots. With absolutely no proven shooters...........this is a bad combination.. Even this past year, with all of the talent.....when the outside shooters struggled (Booker & Harrison) they went through extended scoring droughts, Have to have shooters to win

Well maybe this is the year that Cal actually has to run some good sets on offense instead of just throwing the ball up and letting them play???

Totally disagree with your take. Outside of Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb, 2010 had to get it done in different ways. Ulis,Willis, and Mulder will be fine from beyond the arc. If you double down on Skal (which is a good thing) I think Poythrees can beat you to death getting to the rim. If you double Skal, pretty sure Lee is pretty darn good and grabbing misses and putting them back.


As for Willis and Hawkins not having experience, are they less experienced than any other freshman that will be playing for numerous schools across the land? Competing and practicing against pro's for the last two years probably makes them a little more experienced than a lot of players from other schools.

[BobS]

Well maybe this is the year that Cal actually has to run some good sets on offense instead of just throwing the ball up and letting them play???

Totally disagree with your take. Outside of Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb, 2010 had to get it done in different ways. Ulis,Willis, and Mulder will be fine from beyond the arc. If you double down on Skal (which is a good thing) I think Poythrees can beat you to death getting to the rim. If you double Skal, pretty sure Lee is pretty darn good and grabbing misses and putting them back.


As for Willis and Hawkins not having experience, are they less experienced than any other freshman that will be playing for numerous schools across the land? Competing and practicing against pro's for the last two years probably makes them a little more experienced than a lot of players from other schools.

What makes you think Willis is going to play? He was with the all cigar team last year and nobody, including Cal, is touting him at all. He could, but it is a bit of a stretch to think he goes from all scrub to a big help. Cal is going to play 8 players this year. Hawkins has a real shot at some time because he got some time last year, but that's it.

And we will have issues scoring. Hell, we had issues scoring last year if you recall. If it had not been for our superior strength, athleticism and depth, we would have been in deep doo doo in several games. We won't have that luxury. I have made it clear I am no fan of Cal's offense at all but it will be interesting to what style this team will play.

I think we have a shot at having a good team and honestly, a fun team. But the holes are obvious and we cannot afford an injury of any kind.

[Joneslab]

In college basketball almost everybody has issues scoring at some point or another.

This is why we need rule changes and an overhaul of coaching methodology.

I wouldn't be opposed to the Pomeroy numbers being closed up. I think in some way (big or small?) they get in the way of innovation. Everybody wants efficiency and efficiency means careful and (usually) slow.

[J.Jennings]

What makes you think Willis is going to play? He was with the all cigar team last year and nobody, including Cal, is touting him at all. He could, but it is a bit of a stretch to think he goes from all scrub to a big help. Cal is going to play 8 players this year. Hawkins has a real shot at some time because he got some time last year, but that's it.

And we will have issues scoring. Hell, we had issues scoring last year if you recall. If it had not been for our superior strength, athleticism and depth, we would have been in deep doo doo in several games. We won't have that luxury. I have made it clear I am no fan of Cal's offense at all but it will be interesting to what style this team will play.

I think we have a shot at having a good team and honestly, a fun team. But the holes are obvious and we cannot afford an injury of any kind.

What makes you think he isn't?? How many other 6'9/6'10 guys do you know who can put the ball on the floor and shoot the basketball? Did anyone expect Willis to play over Lyles/Poythrees/Booker and/or Harrison at the 3 spot last year? Now before we start talking about defense, let's not forget how Sam Dekker flat out abused both Booker and Harrison from the 3 spot in the Final Four this year. You can't compare Willis to Kyle Wiltjer on defense, no comparison, Derek can actually move his feet........................

Just to prove a point, some parts of me wishes Willis would transfer to Louisville and dominate, and I hate Louisville.....

[BBNalldayeveryday]

I believe Cal got very wrapped up into this past season. How could you not, he was part of something that could of ended up making history. With that said I think the recruiting part of his job took a hit to a degree because of all that was going on at the time. Just as much as I believe that though I also believe that some of these guys just simply wanted to stay close to home, Newman, Ingram, and Zimmerman that is. I do believe Newman was also a me player and not a team player regardless, which also greatly factored into his decision.

It's hard for some of us as Kentucky fans to even phantom the idea of a top recruit wanting to go play anywhere else but here, and while you're going to have a lot that do, you're going to have just as many if not more that don't.

[BobS]

What makes you think he isn't?? How many other 6'9/6'10 guys do you know who can put the ball on the floor and shoot the basketball? Did anyone expect Willis to play over Lyles/Poythrees/Booker and/or Harrison at the 3 spot last year? Now before we start talking about defense, let's not forget how Sam Dekker flat out abused both Booker and Harrison from the 3 spot in the Final Four this year. You can't compare Willis to Kyle Wiltjer on defense, no comparison, Derek can actually move his feet........................

Just to prove a point, some parts of me wishes Willis would transfer to Louisville and dominate, and I hate Louisville.....

That is just nonsense and you know it...or should.

You put Willis and Dekker in the same sentence. Just stop. And there were tons of opportunities for Willis to play this year. Some I blame on Cal when we had big leads in early games and he sat. I mad my distaste for that clear in threads here. Some is on Willis. When Poythress went down, that was his opportunity to show something. He even admitted he lost interest. You can blame some of that on youth for sure but some was on extra-curricular activities as well. (Another story)

Hoping he will transfer to UL just so he abuses UK? What kind of fan are you? Good Lord.

I hope he gets angry about the pecking order and stays in the gym all summer and comes out like he has something to prove. And I hope Cal gives him some opportunities to rise or fall. He needs minutes and if he doesn't earn them this year.....

[Joneslab]

There are minutes at both the 3 and the 4 for Willis to win.

He'll have to beat out Matthews and Mulder to win the 3 spot, which is where he'll likely be. Needs to begin by getting stronger. JWORLD has mentioned Sam Dekker a lot: Dekker showed in that Final Four game that he was just a brute. He could take guys down low, put the ball on the floor, or shoot when you gave him room. That's why he's going to be contributing on an NBA team next season.

Willis needs to begin by just adding bulk so that he can play against some of these stronger wings.

Then he needs to get his mind right and focused on the game. I saw him in the North Carolina pregame this year shooting left-handed warm-up shots. One after another. That's not a focused player, but it's hard to stay focused when you're not in the rotation. Definitely needs to put in a whole lot of work if he has a chance to be in the rotation.

The minutes are undoubtedly there for him, but at this level you have to win them.

[J.Jennings]

[BBNalldayeveryday]

I'd like to see Willis show some passion in regards to wanting to get better, and wanting to seize the opportunity that's there for him.