NCAA Tournament Thread

[KentuckyWild2020]

Also: why can’t we hire Jay Wright? Guy has to be working as hard with CBS as he would if he was a head coach.

MAKE IT HAPPEN, MITCH

Agreed.

He may be in retirement but when Kentucky calls, you pick up the phone and listen.

To me Jay seems to show sympathy towards our program, he knows this isn't the way it's supposed to be.

Can't tell me that in the back of his mind he knows he could come to Kentucky and have this program dominating the world of basketball.

He is the guy in my opinion for this job...

[40bill]

Wills point about playing hard is solid. It could be lots of reasons....older players, not using college as just a quick stop, head problems...
this team played offense efforletlessly at times.
The grunt work though, the rebounding effort, the defense, the court awareness, the help defense....

Just wasn't there.

Sad truth is this team wasnt 'dogs' as Cal called them, they were puppies.

[Catsrock]

^^^Love the Jay Wright idea as much as anyone. But even if Cal wanted to walk away without a buyout I don’t think Jay would be into it. And I disagree that a little Saturday and then tournament studio work for CBS means he is working as hard as year round recruiting and actual coaching at a top program. I suspect he’s got it pretty cushy.

But—though I’ve never been totally sold on Scott Drew—his slamming of UL and its fan base makes him intriguing. Or at least makes me like him as a human being. He could have just said “no thanks.” But he did the right thing. Ridiculed everything about them 🤣

But, yeah—put them side by side, and both want the job—definitely Jay.

[DA#23]

Sad truth is this team wasnt 'dogs' as Cal called them, they were puppies.

Some of that is coaching, both at UK and prior to here. DJ and Rob have been AAU stars for a good while and I'm sure Justin Edwards has been for at least the prior 2 years.

They still have a ton to learn about the game, not to mention the physical growth they still lack. So it is a lot to overcome.

As we've all lamented, the gut wrenching part for fans and also for the program that's now floundering for 4 years essentially is that the growth won't happen here. The turnstile approach to roster assembly is an insurmountable detriment to the program.

When you lose that last game, it's not just the end of the season and wait until next year. You're starting all over again hoping for the lucky roll of the proverbial dice. It's akin to losing a house and having to rebuild on a yearly basis ( just an analogy, not suggesting this is as serious).

He sold this season as a return to his former talent stacking ways, no he taunted this season , and now he just took yet another explosion of hot grease to the face. How much longer can this go on?

This is a program that is On The Brink.

[DA#23]

But—though I’ve never been totally sold on Scott Drew—his slamming of UL and its fan base makes him intriguing. Or at least makes me like him as a human being. He could have just said “no thanks.” But he did the right thing. Ridiculed everything about them 🤣

I'm thinking that wasn't real.

[Joneslab]

^^^Love the Jay Wright idea as much as anyone. But even if Cal wanted to walk away without a buyout I don’t think Jay would be into it. And I disagree that a little Saturday and then tournament studio work for CBS means he is working as hard as year round recruiting and actual coaching at a top program. I suspect he’s got it pretty cushy.

Well, at the very least it suggests he didn't just ride off into the sunset to be around his family. A la Roy Williams.

That would be a cush job compared to coaching...but it would also be demanding in the sense that you have to be gone most every weekend for CBS, and then out of pocket in March. That's not a man who just wanted to chill in Philly.

Also, from the way he talked about Reed Sheppard in our broadcasts you know the dude would love coaching Reed. He also recruited Wagner and Edwards, fwiw.

I'm not saying any of that will matter, but I'd be lying if I said it hadn't occurred to me as more of a possibility than I thought it was immediately after he left Villanova.

[KentuckyWild2020]

Jay Wright also is very comfortable recruiting a 3 star recruit, he knows he can develop him and have him ready in a few years.


I still think you need to grab one or two of the best kids coming out of high school to fill holes. If you need a scorer, you get a scorer. If you need a post player, you get a post player. If it's a generational type talent, you have to get him if you can.


I for one am glad the National Media is taking notice, everyone is talking about how awful of a job Cal has done. Fans will be fans and can argue on social medial all they want but now that Cal has been put on notice, our chances of ushering in the next era of Kentucky basketball with a new coach are very real in my opinion...

[Joneslab]

With the portal being what it is a lot of these coaches are having to contend with what John Calipari has always contended with: players just leaving all over the place.

But the best teams still have the foundations intact year to year.

The problem will be that whoever we hire will be forced to build a roster. A lot of these older coaches might not want to take that risk, even when the portal makes it much easier than it's ever been.

[justford]

Any possibility of anyone withdrawing their commitment to UK?

[Joneslab]

Any possibility of anyone withdrawing their commitment to UK?

If Cal leaves I'm sure they'll all decommit. Might be able to lure a couple back in with the right hire but those guys didn't come here to play for any coach. That isn't the deal.

Might still get Perry simply because he's a Kentucky kid. The others I would say would be gone.

[Lighthouse]

Some of that is coaching, both at UK and prior to here. DJ and Rob have been AAU stars for a good while and I'm sure Justin Edwards has been for at least the prior 2 years.

They still have a ton to learn about the game, not to mention the physical growth they still lack. So it is a lot to overcome.

As we've all lamented, the gut wrenching part for fans and also for the program that's now floundering for 4 years essentially is that the growth won't happen here. The turnstile approach to roster assembly is an insurmountable detriment to the program.

When you lose that last game, it's not just the end of the season and wait until next year. You're starting all over again hoping for the lucky roll of the proverbial dice. It's akin to losing a house and having to rebuild on a yearly basis ( just an analogy, not suggesting this is as serious).

He sold this season as a return to his former talent stacking ways, no he taunted this season , and now he just took yet another explosion of hot grease to the face. How much longer can this go on?

This is a program that is On The Brink.

Well said! The physical growth of players is one thing a coach can't coach, but playing aggressive defense, playing positive, making the right substitutions, using player strengths to win games are things a coach must do. If he has any other agenda, he's worthless to the University. And that's Cal.

[Joneslab]

Ironically the other night I thought the main problem was simply that we looked scared as heck.

Cal's teams (aside from the really big games) usually don't have that. I think the pressure of what's happened starting with the B.J. Boston team and then obviously St. Peter's has laid down just an enormous anvil atop UK basketball.

That's why I worry about him coming back. Not even so much that he doesn't care about the technical details of coaching anymore, but more that if you look ahead to this time in 2025 that pressure will be infinitely heavier if Cal stays on.

[DA#23]

I agree. It's a no-win situation now. He has to realize that. Moving on to a different program would be the best case scenario for him if he isn't ready to retire from coaching.

He should just retire and enjoy his health and family. With the occasional binge of The Waltons.

[Lighthouse]

I think Michigan would be a great place for Cal. First reason, they can afford his buyout.

[Joneslab]

Yeah, a man who's spoken openly about how much time he likes spending with his dogs is not the vibe you want to put off in the NIL era of college basketball. There's no doubt in my mind when we were doing help defense drills in practice this year Cal was over there wondering whether McGruff had had his snack yet.