2025-26 Roster Chatter (UPDATE: Oweh Returns, Roster Complete)

[KCKUKFan]

All of those Jon Hood teams would have accomplished what they accomplished without him. They essentially did, seeing as how he barely played and averaged 1.5 PPG over the course of his career.

He was recruited over, because he wasn't as good as the top fleet recruits Cal was targeting. And we wanted to win. If we would have started Jon Hood and just went with him, we'd have the same sort of results as if... well, we just started Chandler or Perry or Williams at the starting shooting guard this year.

Which is to say we'd suck.

[Joneslab]

It's crazy to watch basketball in the 1980s because of how much space the defense gives players. In the last 25 years, guys have been guarded at such a close proximity that freedom of movement has kind of gone by the wayside. This has introduced all that "physicality" basketball talking heads go on about. (A lot of times it's not even guarding, it's stuff that happens off the ball. When guys cut these days they're sent through a forest of arms and grabs that would've made basketball fans in the 1980s crap their pants in horror.)

Aesthetically it's not nearly as pleasing as it once was. But the skill and conditioning needed to play it at a high level are much more demanding.

[Mr.Nezzer]

Dang...what a problem to have.... arguing over which players are gonna do what at what position.

IMO, Pope's offense seems open and flexible to the personnel he has and the skills they possess.
Heck we had a 7 foot point center initiating plays.
Then we also had a traditional PG doing the same.
I'm sure Pope will have a plan..if he doesn't already have an idea

[KCKUKFan]

Back to interchangeable positions.

If you go to YouTube and search videos on how the zoom offense is run, there's a 2-side and a 3-side. Brea and Robinson were on the 2-side; it looks a lot different in terms of how they play it, particularly with Brea coming off those curl screens etc. Oweh was on the 3-side...being a small forward and not a shooting threat. Different actions on that side of the court.

Virtually all guys with guard skills, but differences in how the offense is run.

So in that way: no, the positions aren't completely interchangeable. Simply because if you put Oweh on the 2-side, he isn't going to run off all those screens that Brea would...because he can't shoot great form outside and has to be set up in the offense as a driver.

The zoom we ran wasn't even "interchangable."

It was clearly designed to set curl screens for Robinson and Brea, with Oweh as more of a slasher and rim runner. If he was left open for a three, it was because teams were playing off or getting pinned.

In other words: classic three in zoom motion.

[KCKUKFan]

The only player on last year's team that I'd classify as "interchangable" was Williams, and that was because he had a particularly freakish set of skills that most guys his size don't have.

As talented as he is, I don't expect to see Jayden Quaintance doing much of the extras Williams did at the end of the year. Another reason I'm kind of hoping Pope goes for one more backup point guard as... wait for it... insurance.

[Joneslab]

Dang...what a problem to have.... arguing over which players are gonna do what at what position.

IMO, Pope's offense seems open and flexible to the personnel he has and the skills they possess.
Heck we had a 7 foot point center initiating plays.
Then we also had a traditional PG doing the same.
I'm sure Pope will have a plan..if he doesn't already have an idea

While this is true, it isn't really what the poster is arguing.

Amari Williams wasn't just a point guard because he had to be, he actually was a pretty good point guard situationally. That was more about his skillset.

The point made was specific: Oweh was a 2, Brea/Robinson a 3. I mean the world ain't gonna collapse if we don't get to the bottom of that, but it just objectively isn't accurate. The poster said that it was more about who those players guarded at the beginning of the game that set the positions, and that also isn't accurate as players don't always guard their opposite.

[Joneslab]

As talented as he is, I don't expect to see Jayden Quaintance doing much of the extras Williams did at the end of the year. .

Not many big men can do what Williams did with the passing and ballhandling. He was really good at it.

You'd hope that Quaintance will have more power, more finesse around the rim, more explosiveness, etc. to offset what he might give up as that point-center.

Garison has some of that. Good passer, just doesn't have the fluid ballhandling Williams showed. Upshot is he obviously has that good shooting touch.

[DA#23]

Razor Ramon Harris has a podcast?

John Wall were busy.

Wall lost his cellphone privileges

[Joneslab]

And also, maybe you do see a situation next season where Oweh is out there with Kam Williams, and Williams is on the 3-side and Oweh on the 2-side. Or maybe he plays Dioubate at the 3 to go big and Oweh at the 2.

It's not that Oweh *can't* do that...it's just that he didn't much last season because of the personnel on the other side. Kobe Brea's a pure shooting guard so it makes sense that you'd kind of Jeff Sheppard the offense on his side of the court to try and work him open. Oweh is a goal-crashing 3 like MKG so it'd make sense you'd set the offense up to create gaps for him to work.

[KCKUKFan]

Not many big men can do what Williams did with the passing and ballhandling. He was really good at it.

You'd hope that Quaintance will have more power, more finesse around the rim, more explosiveness, etc. to offset what he might give up as that point-center.

Garison has some of that. Good passer, just doesn't have the fluid ballhandling Williams showed. Upshot is he obviously has that good shooting touch.

Speaking of shooting, I'm not convinced that the roster as it stands (with Wilkerson) will have the shooting ability that last year's did. They will almost certainly be serviceable, and I could be wrong, obviously, but it's clear that Pope is focusing on improving our strength, size and toughness.

I really like the way the roster is shaping up, but I hope that bigger and more athletic doesn't come at the expense of shooting, because his offense still demands guys that can fill it up.

With that said, I guess it's possible that Oweh could play more in that shooting guard role with another 3 like Williams. He didn't last year because we had generational shooters playing the 2.

[KCKUKFan]

Jinx, Lavender.

[Joneslab]

Speaking of shooting, I'm not convinced that the roster as it stands (with Wilkerson) will have the shooting ability that last year's did. They will almost certainly be serviceable, and I could be wrong, obviously, but it's clear that Pope is focusing on improving our strength, size and toughness.

Doesn't look like it as it stands now.

Williams will have to replicate. Dioubate will have to be serviceable. Jaland Lowe will have to be much better. The Euro will have to be able to play. Oweh will have to be a notch better. Chandler/Perry/Noah will have to get more volume. And Wilkerson would have to come on board and be in the Brea range.

Kentucky hit the most threes it had ever hit last season. You probably won't get that two years in a row...but say you lower your threes made by 10% and increase the defensive versatility, rebounding, and loose ball tracking, then I think it'll be a net positive.

Also, the team looks like it will deeper. Deeper teams can usually shoot better because they're fresher.

[Joneslab]

One wild thing about last year as well is that when Jaxon Robinson went down, he was shooting about 55% from three in conference play.

They lost their best shooter...and *still* hit the most threes in program history.

Ironically though, there were times that losing Robinson freed up Brea to be more of an all-around player. I would've loved to have seen Robinson stay healthy, but I don't think Brea improves like he did under the shadow of Robinson. And he was a much more versatile player when he bought fully in.

[KentuckyWild2020]

How long ago is "old"?

Because John Wall would be John Wall today. Mashburn would be Mashburn today. Dan Issel probably wouldn't be Dan Issel today.

And every single player on Kentucky's roster last year would score in bunches in Issel's day. Just a different level of athleticism and shooting ability.

I'm talking 70's 80's maybe early 90's.

I agree, I don't think old players could roll in this new era because of the rules and low post usage and 3 point shooting. Maybe a few but very few

On the flip side with how the game was back then,i dont know how many today could play back then with the physicality. Jordan was hit by 3 or more it seemed on his way to the rim.

[KentuckyWild2020]

Let's have a moment of silence and let us never forget the great legend known as Oscar Tshiebwe.

Coaching players around him who knows? Yes he had some flaws but I ain't never seen someone rebound like him except Rodman in the pros.

Just a great phenomenal college basketball player. Type of guy you would had loved to see him win a NCAA championship.