Wes Miller firing could give Kentucky basketball its missing piece

[Matt Dillon]

Everyone knows Kentucky basketball needs a GM. A repeat of this year's roster construction simply cannot happen again. I don't care if they spend $2 million or $40 million. After watching this group struggle to 21 wins, the solution might have just walked out the door in Cincinnati.

The balance was atrocious: one pure shooter, one true point guard, and a collection of wings who all wanted the ball but didn't know what to do with it.

With Wes Miller officially out at UC, the most interesting man in college basketball personnel, Corey Evans, is officially a free agent.

And Kentucky needs to make the call.

Wes Miller firing could give Kentucky basketball its missing piece

[Pete Hogwallop]

I'm not yet in the camp that a GM is some magic bullet. I'm not even sure it's necessary.

I'm not defending this season before anyone says that. Having a 100% healthy Lowe, Williams and Quintance would have made a much bigger difference than a GM.

[UKHoops01]

I think a good GM actually may have made a larger difference than people think. For starters, I'd be curious to know how much input that person would have into roster additions/configuration. A really good GM probably would have assembled better talent than not only the hurt players who were paid but rarely played....but the healthy players as well.

Bottom line.....to really know what kind of an impact the GM would have, we'd have to know what his role would be and how much say/impact he would have over the program. And if it's a fairly significant role, then we definitely would need someone very prominent and worthy of handling that position.

[Cawood86]

Everyone knows Kentucky basketball needs a GM. A repeat of this year's roster construction simply cannot happen again. I don't care if they spend $2 million or $40 million. After watching this group struggle to 21 wins, the solution might have just walked out the door in Cincinnati.

The balance was atrocious: one pure shooter, one true point guard, and a collection of wings who all wanted the ball but didn't know what to do with it.

With Wes Miller officially out at UC, the most interesting man in college basketball personnel, Corey Evans, is officially a free agent.

And Kentucky needs to make the call.

Wes Miller firing could give Kentucky basketball its missing piece

Completely agree. Another year like this cannot happen next year. Big changes need to happen. Better recruiting/transfer portal. Two solid PGs. Much better shooters. Some dudes for sure.

There are no acceptable excuses for next being like this one. If it is, then serious changes in coaching must happen.

[Pete Hogwallop]

I think a good GM actually may have made a larger difference than people think. For starters, I'd be curious to know how much input that person would have into roster additions/configuration. A really good GM probably would have assembled better talent than not only the hurt players who were paid but rarely played....but the healthy players as well.

Bottom line.....to really know what kind of an impact the GM would have, we'd have to know what his role would be and how much say/impact he would have over the program. And if it's a fairly significant role, then we definitely would need someone very prominent and worthy of handling that position.

Agree with a lot of this. The role and responsibilities are important to know rather than people just blindly saying we need one.

As far as roster construction, we have a large staff. They all have input. A GM is just one more person.

[Matt Dillon]

Agree with a lot of this. The role and responsibilities are important to know rather than people just blindly saying we need one.

As far as roster construction, we have a large staff. They all have input. A GM is just one more person.

My humble opinion is this if allowed to function as a GM should then I believe one would be a big help. On the other hand, if the hire would just be to appease the fanbase and coach Pope is going to keep him/her on a short leash then no.

[Pete Hogwallop]

What does a GM for a college basketball team do? It's a fairly new thing and I don't even know for sure. I thought maybe they helped manage the NIL and helped with recruiting.

[Cawood86]

My humble opinion is this if allowed to function as a GM should then I believe one would be a big help. On the other hand, if the hire would just be to appease the fanbase and coach Pope is going to keep him/her on a short leash then no.

Agree. He needs to more authority or there's zero point of hiring one.

[Matt Dillon]

What does a GM for a college basketball team do? It's a fairly new thing and I don't even know for sure. I thought maybe they helped manage the NIL and helped with recruiting.

I didn't know what all a GM's duties are so I looked it up.

• Player Development: Overseeing player development and ensuring athletes have the resources they need to succeed.
  Recruitment: Assisting in the recruitment process of new players and managing relationships with high school and junior college coaches.
• Contract Management: Handling contracts and negotiations for players and staff, ensuring compliance with NCAA regulations.
• Team Operations: Coordinating logistics for team travel, practice schedules, and game-day operations.
  
  
  This role is relatively new in college basketball and is evolving as programs recognize the need for dedicated management to support their teams effectively.

[Matt Dillon]

^
While they all seem important, no. 3 jumped out at me. If he'd take advantage of having one, this would take a lot of the load off of coach Pope which may be just what needs to happen.

[Pete Hogwallop]

I didn't know what all a GM's duties are so I looked it up.

• Player Development: Overseeing player development and ensuring athletes have the resources they need to succeed.
  Recruitment: Assisting in the recruitment process of new players and managing relationships with high school and junior college coaches.
• Contract Management: Handling contracts and negotiations for players and staff, ensuring compliance with NCAA regulations.
• Team Operations: Coordinating logistics for team travel, practice schedules, and game-day operations.
  
  
  This role is relatively new in college basketball and is evolving as programs recognize the need for dedicated management to support their teams effectively.

Thanks for doing that!

Having read that and also knowing how many coaches we have on staff, I'm still not sure we'd see significant changes. Like Matt said, #3 stands out as the most significant.

[Kennyskywalker34]

Saw rumors that Tayshaun Prince might be interested in the GM job

[TrueblueCATfan]

Saw rumors that Tayshaun Prince might be interested in the GM job

I sure hope so

[bthaunert]

Saw rumors that Tayshaun Prince might be interested in the GM job

While he is my #1 and Nazr my #2, Prince has a good shot at being an NBA GM...I'm not sure he makes the move. I think those rumors are rooted in the fact he goes to some UK games and nothing more.

[bthaunert]

What does a GM for a college basketball team do? It's a fairly new thing and I don't even know for sure. I thought maybe they helped manage the NIL and helped with recruiting.

It varies so much from school to school and a lot of the top programs don't have one. Looks at the 1 and 2 seeds this year:

Duke - They have had a GM since 2022, but she has nothing to do with roster management. Her main role is working with the players on endorsements and such.
Arizona - No GM
Florida - No GM
Michigan - No dedicated GM. An assistant coach has it as part of his duties
UConn - Dedicated GM - moved a guy who had been an assistant at Uconn since 1994 into the role
Purdue - No GM
Houston - No GM
Iowa State - No GM

So, 0 of the 8 teams have a real GM person. One is a 32 year assistant, another is only working on endorsements for current players and the last is an assistant coach with GM responsibilities.