PF Miles Bridges (Michigan State Commit)

[HuskiesU]

“I like it,been added about UK. “They’ll get you NBA ready fast.”

I'm being serious when I ask this, but who has Calipari ever developed (coached fully for 2+ years) that got drafted/ turned into a good NBA player that wasn't already going as the number lottery pick or a first round pick? Wall, Cousins, Davis, Bledsoe, Noel, Rose,Randal, Young, etc they were all already going as lottery picks or first round picks coming out of high school...

Regardless what school they had went to they still would of been lottery picks. I don't understand they get you ready fast lol UConn gets you prepared just as well as Kentucky

 

[Walker11]

“I like it,” he added about UK. “They’ll get you NBA ready fast.”

I'm being serious when I ask this, but who has Calipari ever developed (coached fully for 2+ years) that got drafted/ turned into a good NBA player that wasn't already going as the number lottery pick or a first round pick? Wall, Cousins, Davis, Bledsoe, Noel, Rose,Randal, Young, etc they were all already going as lottery picks or first round picks coming out of high school...

Bledsoe was a mid tier 4 star, ranked behind Oriakhi and a little before Jamal Coombs-McDaniel. I agree with the other guys for the most part, but Cal has developed his share of players as well. That said, if I was a HS kid, and not an adult UCONN fan, I'd probably want to go to UK. The guy is slimy as hell, and not a great game coach, but he is an amazing recruiter and players do develop under him.

 

[mauconnfan]

Bledsoe was a mid tier 4 star, ranked behind Oriakhi and a little before Jamal Coombs-McDaniel. I agree with the other guys for the most part, but Cal has developed his share of players as well. That said, if I was a HS kid, and not an adult UCONN fan, I'd probably want to go to UK. The guy is slimy as hell, and not a great game coach, but he is an amazing recruiter and players do develop under him.

Please tell me who he has "developed" and while you're at it let me know about all the McD AA's NBA careers and how successful they are considering their HS rankings coming out?

As someone said above it's perception, it's selling at it's finest and he's good at it. He's the slimy competitor you hate coming in the room after you leave looking to close a national customer. You know he's not as good as you or your company and he sells no value in the long run, but he has a way and while he quotes the product they ask for, when he wins he sells them crap! (did i just admit ti losing a customer recently with this rant? LOL)

He didn't help the Walls, the Cousins etc etc etc........Woltjer is playing his best basketball after leaving Kentucky (getting pushed out is more like it) and playing for Few!

 

[Silk31]

Flint, Michigan = MSU lock

Izzo got that Flint pipeline on lock thanks to Mateen Cleaves, Mo Pete and Charlie Bell

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Woltjer is playing his best basketball after leaving Kentucky (getting pushed out is more like it) and playing for Few!

More like Wiltjer is now at a place where he can get minutes.

The Kentucky stuff is irrational.

 

[BUHusky]

I don't know why we're still arguing about the merits of going to Kentucky.

Kids want to go there.

Accept it.

It's more Calipari than it is Kentucky. Wall and Cousins both said they would have gone to Memphis if Calipari had stayed. Same with Bledsoe.

Tubby Smith and Billy Gillespie weren't exactly stockpiling HS All-Americans at Kentucky.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

It's the best recruiter in the game combined with a Blue Blood program. It's not that hard to figure out.

 

[Glastonhusky]

Simple. It's all about current perception, and UK is winning that battle by a landslide.

I get the perception part. I just don't get why Mcd's AA types want to go there and sit behind other Mcd's AA's. I know 18 year old kids don't always make the best decisions, but at some point you'd think they'd do the math and realize that they can get the same exposure and more PT somewhere else, like UConn.

 

[boog204]

CDR is the one who really became a player under him...

Either way, Kentucky has something that really no other schools do.

1) They are a legendary program.
2) They are by far the "it" school right now. In the past UNC and Duke had this but UK just has "it."
3) UK has the most rabid fan base in the country. They are biased beyond belief and completely delusional, but they LOVE their school and travel like nobody else. Briscoe described feeling like a celebrity at his visit.
4) Their facilities add into the celeb status. Rupp holds over 20k people and it is packed every game. Their practice facility and athlete housing dorms are second to none.
5) Lastly, they've got Calipari and whatever crap he pulls. He may be doing shady Shot or he just might be the greatest car salesman there's ever been. Either way, the dude brings in recruits like nobody has since the UCLA days. A recruit gets a UK offer and it means they've made it.

We can continue to rehash this same sentiment or just accept that recruits see Kentucky and immediately think lottery pick.

 

[BUConn10]

I get the perception part. I just don't get why Mcd's AA types want to go there and sit behind other Mcd's AA's. I know 18 year old kids don't always make the best decisions, but at some point you'd think they'd do the math and realize that they can get the same exposure and more PT somewhere else, like UConn.

Its all about how many eyes are on you when you are a top prospect. Top prospects these days arent highly ranked due to their skill many times, but more often for their NBA bodies and potential to grow, so the NBA wants them wherever they go. So at that point it becomes about getting the most attention to boost your stock. Programs like Duke and UK get the most attention so thus they will get the most McDAAs. They arent that worried about competion on their team because the team as a whole will be better, making scoring for them easier and making them look better and more poised, especially in the plethora of big time games these two programs get. Scouts will compensate their lower #s due to competition on their own team by saying they would dominate if they had more minutes/opportunities (ala Duke, UK).

The reality is that UConn isnt glamorous or trendy enough to compete at this moment, which is why we need to keep improving in this area as a program. Ollie is perfect for this, whereas Calhoun, by nature, was the antithesis to this atitude. Top prospects didnt want to go to UConn to get yelled at by Calhoun all day in games and practice and then get yanked out of the game for a single turnover.

 

[husky99]

http://zagsblog.com/articles/six-schools-working-hardest-for-2016-miles-bridges/

I think Michigan st is the school to beat

 

[7774]

I get the perception part. I just don't get why Mcd's AA types want to go there and sit behind other Mcd's AA's. I know 18 year old kids don't always make the best decisions, but at some point you'd think they'd do the math and realize that they can get the same exposure and more PT somewhere else, like UConn.

They can get more PT, sure, but they're not getting the same exposure. UK had a draft combine in October, and 90 scouts and other NBA personnel showed up. ESPN runs glorified infomercials for UK basketball. Calapari has done an amazing job creating the perception that if you are a NBA player, you go to Kentucky.

 

[boog204]

They can get more PT, sure, but they're not getting the same exposure. UK had a draft combine in October, and 90 scouts and other NBA personnel showed up. ESPN runs glorified infomercials for UK basketball. Calapari has done an amazing job creating the perception that if you are a NBA player, you go to Kentucky.

Not even close to the same exposure. Not only did UK have a draft combine, but it was televised, was it not? We've got CBS Sports and a drunken Pete Gillen talking about Kevin A-leee, Lubin Rakim, and Lance Krom-ahh.

We love UConn, we've had success beyond anything imaginable, but we do not hold a candle to the exposure and fan base that UK provides.

 

[upstater]

Not even close to the same exposure. Not only did UK have a draft combine, but it was televised, was it not? We've got CBS Sports and a drunken Pete Gillen talking about Kevin A-leee, Lubin Rakim, and Lance Krom-ahh.

We love UConn, we've had success beyond anything imaginable, but we do not hold a candle to the exposure and fan base that UK provides.

About your Kentucky comparison, you're right. BUT...

UConn is on ESPN/ESPN2/CBS (not SN) more than 99.9% of the country. They are in the top 5 or top 10 in exposure on the best networks. 15 games. They play like 30 games. So... I wouldn't be too concerned about CBSSN, given that.

 

[Silk31]

“The environment, the fan base, and the style of play,” Bridges said. “Looking for a team where I can play some run and gun. Team that gets out and runs.”

Ahemmmm...

 

[Scot-e]

Ahhh-starting early posting kids that will never come here that I will know too much about before they go somewhere else. The joys of the off season- it's like X-mas early.

 

[mauconnfan]

“The environment, the fan base, and the style of play,” Bridges said. “Looking for a team where I can play some run and gun. Team that gets out and runs.”

Ahemmmm...

Damn that leaves us and MSU out!

 

[Glastonhusky]

They can get more PT, sure, but they're not getting the same exposure. UK had a draft combine in October, and 90 scouts and other NBA personnel showed up. ESPN runs glorified infomercials for UK basketball. Calapari has done an amazing job creating the perception that if you are a NBA player, you go to Kentucky.

Agree on the exposure, but PT HAS to count for something. The Wiltjer kid mentioned above is a good example. I guess I'm just getting a little worried about our 2015 class. I know KO will come through, but it's frustrating sitting back and watching UK stockpile All-Americans.

 

[mauconnfan]

Agree on the exposure, but PT HAS to count for something. The Wiltjer kid mentioned above is a good example. I guess I'm just getting a little worried about our 2015 class. I know KO will come through, but it's frustrating sitting back and watching UK stockpile All-Americans.

Agree but I really don't care so much about the UK kids because they can be beaten, heck we know that. I do care if we continue to lose these mid 40-70 ranked kids to VCU and alike. We can win with them, but not without them.

 

[hjoerring]

I don't know why we're still arguing about the merits of going to Kentucky.

Kids want to go there.

Accept it.

I'm with you on this. Sounds like sour grapes- even though I'm hardly a fan of them.

 

[mauconnfan]

I'm with you on this. Sounds like sour grapes- even though I'm hardly a fan of them.

It's not sour grapes, it's just fact. We're not saying kids shouldn't want to go to UK, they should't be all that impressed with who John Cal is and what he does because quite honestly he's done little with a lot. Is this so hard to understand.

Hey if the parents and support systems of the kids continue to think he's God then more power to him, they're wrong but he wins. People can express how they feel without sour grapes. Is it "sour grapes" that we say Duke gets players who choose them? Is that not true? Used to be the same with UNC also.

It is what it is out there, we've never had the top recruits Cal has had and we will beat him no matter where he is.

 

[Hoophound]

The perception that UK is an NBA breeding ground can be replicated at a place like UCONN. It starts with KO talking a big game. Shameless self promotion is the name of the game. Years ago Calipari said, "if you can play come to Kentucky, but if you can't play don't come here because only the best can make it here". Every top notch talent in the country would take something like that as a personal challenge. He did it on purpose and he has just continued to build off it. We are 2.5 hours from NYC and 90 minutes from Greenwich/Westport where all kinds of celebrities live. ESPN is 35 minutes away. If you think Calipari wouldn't have UCONN looking just like UK if he were our coach you are sorely mistaken. He recruited well at Memphis, he'd clean up at UCONN. KO has the personality and sound bit ability to give Calipari a serious run for his money but the UCONN brain trust needs to start figuring out how to do it. Cal has talked his way into great riches and success and a young coach with an incredibly magnetic personality like KO can do the same thing. He needs a plan in place and he needs to start delivering the message repetitively at every opportunity. Once our conference situation is resolved, which I believe it willbe, we'll go on a tear.

 

[David 76]

Was there a recruit mentioned on this UK thread?

 

[Sonofabeach]

Any word on this kid, he is a Beast! him and Diarra together would be a WOW in my books!

 

[Brochacho]

Top 5 is UK, MSU, UNC, Michigan, Iowa State.