Class of 2018 - General Discussion

[catfaninin]

IMO, I think its more that these top line players have realized they can play anywhere and still be the number 1 pick. Why go to UK and fit in with a team concept when you can go to a lower level school and be the BMOC and average as many points as you want? Would not surprise me a bit if this kid goes to Clemson. He can average million points and still play in a big conference.

I think this is a huge part of it. Trae Young is a perfect example. Yes he has some crazy numbers but he also has freedom to shoot anytime and from anywhere. 4 times already this year he has had 22 or more shots in a game. That would not fit into Cal's team mentality at all.

[justford]

Something we were discussing at the gym the other night: Would Luke Maye from North Carolina or the Welsh kid from UCLA see the floor if playing at UK?
Please delete or move if not correct place to ask.

[Joneslab]

Something we were discussing at the gym the other night: Would Luke Maye from North Carolina or the Welsh kid from UCLA see the floor if playing at UK?
Please delete or move if not correct place to ask.

If Polson, Willis, Hawkins, and Julius Mays could get significant minutes then I don't see why those two wouldn't.

[Catsrock]

IMO, I think its more that these top line players have realized they can play anywhere and still be the number 1 pick. Why go to UK and fit in with a team concept when you can go to a lower level school and be the BMOC and average as many points as you want? Would not surprise me a bit if this kid goes to Clemson. He can average million points and still play in a big conference.

The best answer to "why?" would be for a legitimate shot at a championship in the one year they're on campus. But--absolutely--some of them would be more interested in piling up stats, and that's their prerogative.

[Joneslab]

Matt Jones‏ @KySportsRadio 5m5 minutes agoAfter talking to folks in Lexington today, I get the sense “Zion to Clemson” buzz is real. The Jan 20 decision date has led to pessimism. 2 weeks a long time but Clemson is now (for the first time) my pick

[UK8STL11]

Matt Jones‏ @KySportsRadio 5m5 minutes agoAfter talking to folks in Lexington today, I get the sense “Zion to Clemson” buzz is real. The Jan 20 decision date has led to pessimism. 2 weeks a long time but Clemson is now (for the first time) my pick

If so, and it seems likely, then wow....just wow.

This would probably be the final straw for me to admit that Cal has seriously lost something in the recruiting game.

Would also mean that 2018/2019 could be setting up to be really rough.

Knox and Diallo are guaranteed to be gone. SGA, Richards, Washington, Vanderbilt could also be gone.Yikes

[Joneslab]

Washington hasn't registered on any draft boards that I've seen yet and certainly doesn't look like a pro in virtually anything he does.

Shai will be in the first round mix. Richards is trending down recently but as we've seen that doesn't mean much.

Impossible to say about Vanderbilt.

It could go either way. If you lost Shai and Vanderbilt both that would be rough. Return both and you're talking about probably the #2 team in America in the preseason.

Zion's decision may have come down to Vanderbilt? Maybe they'd heard things about Vanderbilt returning? Or it could just be that Clemson sold him on building a legacy there, who knows.

[BBNalldayeveryday]

Cal needs to get his recruiting mojo back.

[UK8STL11]

Check out this list of guys Cal went all in on that he missed on in the past few seasons. A bunch of these guys were seen as UK locks or strong leans at one point as well.

Barrett
Zion
Reddish
Bol
Bagley
Bamba
Bridges
Jackson
Ingram
Brown
Newman
Zimmerman

[Joneslab]

Crazzed, more than half of those guys were never UK leans or locks.

Zimmerman, Newman, Zion, and Bol Bol are the four I'd probably throw into that bin.

All the rest of them were pretty open. I mean Cam Reddish as a UK "lock"? No. Josh Jackson? Jaylen Brown? Brandon Ingram? Mo Bamba? Barrett? Barrett wouldn't even speak highly of UK after his visit to the campus.

Locks according to whom?

[UK8STL11]

Crazzed, more than half of those guys were never UK leans or locks.

Zimmerman, Newman, Zion, and Bol Bol are the four I'd probably throw into that bin.

All the rest of them were pretty open. I mean Cam Reddish as a UK "lock"? No. Josh Jackson? Jaylen Brown? Brandon Ingram? Mo Bamba? Barrett? Barrett wouldn't even speak highly of UK after his visit to the campus.

Locks according to whom?

I didn't say they all were locks first off. Secondly, they were all guys Cal went at hard and missed on. Third, if you don't recall Zimmerman, Newman, and Bamba being considered locks to UK then I am not sure what to tell you.

According to your list Cal missed on nobody that was a UK lean I guess???

[UK8STL11]

247's crystal ball isn't the end all be all but it's the only tracking system I know of.

Of the list I wrote above, at one point UK was the leader in the Crystal Ball for the following -

Bamba
Miles Bridges
Jaylen Brown
Newman
Zimmerman
Bol
Zion
Barrett (tied with Duke)
Bagley

[KCKUKFan]

I know that you can't say anything without putting a negative, pessimistic spin on it, crazzed, but Kentucky (and Cal) will be just fine, Zion or no Zion.

[UK8STL11]

Evan Daniels also now says Zion to Clemson

[teamchemistry15]

247's crystal ball isn't the end all be all but it's the only tracking system I know of.

Of the list I wrote above, at one point UK was the leader in the Crystal Ball for the following -

Bamba
Miles Bridges
Jaylen Brown
Newman
Zimmerman
Bol
Zion
Barrett (tied with Duke)
Bagley

How soon you forget the crystal ball picks for guys like Knox, Jones, Randle, the Twins, etc...