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I guess I've just moved past wanting to root for a team and have moved on to wanting to root for a winner. And by winner, I mean a team that's chasing national championships, not just entertaining fanbases while chasing making the tourney. It's been too long to be content with the latter (entertainment/March Madness entrant)Comment
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Well we are not quite at 1958 to 1978 drought of Championships. I love that we all (me included) get impatient on things but we have seen worse.
I was born 60 plus years ago, had a father that had his own companies and some of the work he did was at UK and Memorial for sure. He had in roads to practice with Rupp in charge in the 50s thru 70s. He had so many great stories. But one thing for sure is the pressure cooker every year that UK did not bring home a title. 66 was hard, 75 was hard but 78 was a great and fun year for me. The team not so much. They were business like and never really enjoyed the wins till that last win against Duke.
My dad hated Halls brand of basketball. Said it ruined UK. He did not even enjoy 78. I will not get that bad (I hope). It is close to that but not yet. I watch early games, then when they play the real teams I give them a few games to watch. If they did like last year, i quit watching. I do not quit wearing my blue and white I just choose to watch highlights or ignore the horrible losses all together. I did watch the NCAA tourney on and off for the Iowa State game (watched the first half complete) but only watched about 1/4 of the 2nd half as I and anyone else with a pulse could see we were beat. But watched the rest of the tourney pulling for some and against a bunch.
This coming year, I will be all in till they prove me wrong. Hope we get what Pope needs to win games and tons of games at that.Proverbs 25:24Comment
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Kam starting is not ideal, but might be what happens.
We miss on Stokes and we are a middle of the road SEC team trying to make the tourney. With Stokes, we are a most likely a contender. We need a superstar and he’s the most likely candidate.
We really need Stokes. He’s the most important recruit for UK in the last decade, IMHO.
Diallo, Wilkins, Stokes, Freeman, and Moreno is a good starting five. Diallo, Wilkins, and Stokes are playmakers. They can make plays for themselves and for teammates. They are double digit scorers as well. So is Freeman and if Moreno continues to progress, he could be too. Those five could be tough to stop together.
The bench would be pretty solid with Kam and Hawthorne providing some size and shooting on the wing. That’s seven deep. Just need to add backups at the 4 and 5. Then maybe another guard.
If no Stokes, then we better get Momcilovic or hope someone else enters the portal that can shoot and score. Maybe McNeil could be the answer in a 3 guard lineup.
But it could be tough to find someone this late
in the process. It might end up being Kam. He doesn’t really move the needle, but could be adequate. I just won’t expect too much with him in the starting five. Like I said, middle of the road in the SEC, most likely.
Fingers crossed we land Stokes and Freeman plus a
few role players for the bench this week and the roster will be pretty much set.Last edited by bucsrule8872; 1 week ago.Comment
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I hope Hawthorne doesn't throw his hat in the portal ring before midnight tonight.Comment
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Me neither. But with him and Potter—they both came here knowing they were going to redshirt then play next year. Seems things would have to have been really toxic around the program for them to leave before playing a season. I mean they can’t exactly have complaints about how they were used or playing time if that was the plan all along.Comment
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Stokes is Popes equivalent of winning the lottery that’s not happening. I’m personally really frustrated with how this off season has gone and ready for a change. If I was KY and Donavan is interested why wait go get him now.Comment
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S**t, it's not a bad idea. Players aren't coming to play for Pope, they're coming for the $$$ more than anything.
Diallo & Wilkins would probably stay if they hired Donovan. And there might actuslly be an increase in the chances of getting Stokes with Donovan at the helm rather than Pope.
I wonder if the JMI deal is so bad that even Donovan would struggle to some degree though.Last edited by Matt Dillon; 1 week ago.Comment
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Folks it's (Donovan) not happening. Like it or not Mark Pope will be our coach next season.Philippians 4:11-4:13Comment
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I believe below is everyone for next year. A lot of PT out there for the taking.
Zoom Diallo
Alex Wilkins
Mason Williams
Kam Williams
Trent Noah
Braydon Hawthorne
Malachi Moreno
Reece PotterComment
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Interesting comment. Not mine.
Not sure which thread to put it in.
" I'm not that upset about losing Freeman.
But I am tired of being embarrassed. Everyone in the basketball world knew that Freeman wasn't going to be allowed to come to Kentucky. Including AAU coaches 1000 miles away. If Pope did know that and thought The Brand would win out he's a fool. If he didn't know that and walked into a mine field unknowingly then I think it's time rip the band-aid off.
Pope can still salvage this but the evidence is mounting that he just isn't built for this job. He can coach basketball but navigating the CBB landscape is overwhelming him. He also isn't getting any help from his own administration. In order to defend against a story they knew would embarrass them they leaked the $22m number to make it look like they spend. It was an albatross that hung around his neck all season and he couldn't refute it because his bosses put it out there.
Then in order to deflect from them costing him a recruit (Collins) they leaked that said recruit had a problem with fans (and his mother did have old Facebook posts and Tweets but most of them were not attacks of players but rather political posts that guys like Muss, Oats, and Golden give to families).
Then instead of addressing fan concerns about JMI deals and Golden Parachutes (which sounds like a sex act) they ran to The Athletic and bragged about how much money they were making. To the point that the writer felt comfortable posting that they had "Scrooge McDuck money". Not only did they not provide any tangible numbers that were reported other than hopeful projections they slapped their own back and told the whole world that they had even more money than the season prior.
The kicker is they won't let the guy hire a GM. Matt Jones slyly let it slip earlier where he said Pope had a 3rd party negotiate deals last year but JMI brought it back in their house this year. They are the GM but aren't providing someone who is living in that world and only negotiating once the guy is at the table.
If it isn't obvious already, we're Indiana behind the scenes. We're run not to win or to compete, but to line the pockets of those on the way out. Mark Pope is going to be the one fired for it, but he shouldn't be alone."Comment
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"Everyone in the basketball world knew Freeman wasn't going to be allowed to come to Kentucky..."
News to me and takes away all credibility from the rest of the comment.
Who wrote it?Comment
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