Squid's #4 UK starts 4 frosh and 1 soph

[SwingDog]

Kentucky blew out Auburn by 27 points today. Today the starting 5 consisted of four freshman and one sophomore. The team is currently ranked 4th in the nation. How would you finish this statement? Kentucky's success is a result of: (a) Drawing the nation's best high school players as a result of Kentucky's rich basketball history, (b) Drawing the nation's best players because Kentucky plays in the SEC, a Power 5 conference (c) Calipari's brilliant coaching (d) a, b & c or (e) none of the above

I HATE the "one and done" nature of the Kentucky basketball program (and just plain don't like the Wildcats), but I have to give Calipari credit for being able to quite consistently develop successful teams from almost a new slate of players each season. To take a bunch of highly talented basketball players and build a true team out of them in such short time is impressive. Kentucky's success, due at least in part to their strength in recruiting, is all the more reason I marvel at the success UConn was able to achieve under Calhoun without having the benefit of the traditions of Kentucky/Duke/UNC to tout on the recruiting trail.

All of this to say, I am a UConn Huskies fan through and through. I love the fact that UConn's student athletes tend to develop over the course of 4 years and occasionally 2 or 3. To me, those extra few years are critical in terms of character development which is just as (if not more) important than developing as a basketball player. UConn's basketball program is an anomaly in this regard. (Although Mark Few has done an incredible job at Gonzaga as well.) Calhoun was able to build the program, bring in the right student athletes, and win when there was yet no history to draw from. Of course, the Big East was a premier basketball conference during his tenure. I am looking forward to UConn, under the leadership of Dan Hurley, once again competing and winning among some of the best teams in the country, including the best of the AAC as well as Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, etc.

 

[whaler11]

it is a and c. but c is cal gets you drafted early in the lottery.

 

[uconnbill]

How big is the bag....of money that is.
UK has history and puts players into the league and that's what matters nowadays

 

[NowInStorrs]

Mostly A. A little of C. A teenie tiny bit of B.

 

[intlzncster]

Don't forget the cash.

 

[jibsey]

Calipari can coach but I think if Hurley had that talent the result would be similar, so it’s mostly A.

 

[superjohn]

Calipari doesn't have to pay players, they have multiple lottery picks every year so the results speak for themselves. He had no business not winning it all with Wall, Bledsoe and Cousins and with the Karl-Anthony Towns team but he's done a hell of a job this season. He has a bunch of studs but they didn't look too good earlier in the season and now they hands down look like the best team in the country.

 

[intlzncster]

Calipari doesn't have to pay players, they have multiple lottery picks every year so the results speak for themselves. He had no business not winning it all with Wall, Bledsoe and Cousins and with the Karl-Anthony Towns team but he's done a hell of a job this season. He has a bunch of studs but they didn't look too good earlier in the season and now they hands down look like the best team in the country.

Never understood that. If another good school is gonna pay a kid 100k, and your just selling UK, a lot of kids and/or their people are gonna take the cash.

I mean, K shouldn't have to pay either, but I'm quite certain there's been cash exchanged there too.

I think he's a better coach than people give him credit for on here though.

 

[superjohn]

Never understood that. If another good school is gonna pay a kid 100k, and your just selling UK, a lot of kids and/or their people are gonna take the cash.

I mean, K shouldn't have to pay either, but I'm quite certain there's been cash exchanged there too.

I think he's a better coach than people give him credit for on here though.

K is paying players. Cal has cheated in the past but I don't think he has to anymore. He can sell kids on being a top 10 pick way easier than any other coach.

 

[AdamaNation]

What happened to us? I used to look forward to constantly bashing Cal, right or wrong. It was our right. Now.... compliments? The 6th sign.




Lol

 

[alexd]

What happened to us? I used to look forward to constantly bashing Cal, right or wrong. It was our right. Now.... compliments? The 6th sign.




Lol

Yep..... remember his 2 vacated F4's.... or when he was an assistant at Pitt telling recruits that Louie Carneseca was dying from cancer??? Good times.

 

[uconndoit]

Yep..... remember his 2 vacated F4's.... or when he was an assistant at Pitt telling recruits that Louie Carneseca was dying from cancer??? Good times.

We allow these people to go unpunished and their behavior becomes the templates for shortcuts to success that our children will follow.

But hey, maybe that's just reality and we actually should be teaching that to our kids.

Be like squid!

 

[CTBasketball]

Tyler Herro is fun to watch. He’s a good kid.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

He also uses his teams' youth as the reason they lose in the tourney. Slithering.

 

[djct1999]

K is paying players. Cal has cheated in the past but I don't think he has to anymore. He can sell kids on being a top 10 pick way easier than any other coach.

No top 10 kid is going to Kentucky for free. They all get paid. My conviction is somewhere along the way, be it the FBI investigation or not, the money at Kentucky wasn't printing as easy as Duke. But where there is a will there is a way and if any any can find it, its the Squid. Most upper echelon kids today care very little about basketball history. They care more about what is promised to them.

 

[djct1999]

What happened to us? I used to look forward to constantly bashing Cal, right or wrong. It was our right. Now.... compliments? The 6th sign.




Lol

NCAA sanctions. Same with Syracuse. Neither has been able to recruit the same ever since.

 

[Mr. French]

K is paying players. Cal has cheated in the past but I don't think he has to anymore. He can sell kids on being a top 10 pick way easier than any other coach.

And they’re still turning down 100k when they think they’re lotto picks no matter what? Please.

 

[Pudge]

The awkward truth ...

Lots of solid #4 February teams crap out in March Madness. I can name dozens. Let’s see when the game starts with aggressive accomplished teams every game through 6.

That’s what is incredible about the CBB game.

 

[ucp990411]

K is paying players. Cal has cheated in the past but I don't think he has to anymore. He can sell kids on being a top 10 pick way easier than any other coach.

How do you know K is paying?

 

[SubbaBub]

Calipari doesn't have to pay players, they have multiple lottery picks every year so the results speak for themselves. He had no business not winning it all with Wall, Bledsoe and Cousins and with the Karl-Anthony Towns team but he's done a hell of a job this season. He has a bunch of studs but they didn't look too good earlier in the season and now they hands down look like the best team in the country.

He may not anymore but be honest, the man was sanctioned at two different schools for cheating. Not many can say that. As for coaching, please. He is terrible coach if you factor in the talent of his players.

 

[mauconnfan]

Calipari doesn't have to pay players, they have multiple lottery picks every year so the results speak for themselves. He had no business not winning it all with Wall, Bledsoe and Cousins and with the Karl-Anthony Towns team but he's done a hell of a job this season. He has a bunch of studs but they didn't look too good earlier in the season and now they hands down look like the best team in the country.

He’s still paying he will never stop. Many of these parents know there’s cash out there to share so those teams in play for many of the studs still need to be creative.

This is his best job, kids play defense unlike many of his recent teams. There’d be lots of great coaches supposedly like Cal if they had these rosters. He’s a really good coach but should never be mentioned with K, JC, Izzo etc....next level down.

 

[Mr. French]

I could get 200k from Duke Syracuse or Louisville. But Calipari IS SO GOOD as a coach, with his 1 title, that I’m gonna turn down money to play for him.

 

[djct1999]

How do you know K is paying?

Do you really believe Zion chose Duke for the education? Again, all of these kids are paid. The NCAA, the schools, and the coaches choose to turn a blind eye. If you want to really know when Coach K "turned" the corner, go back a few years and pinpoint when he started regularly beating K for the top kids. It has nothing to do with education, coaching, or program history. I wish it did but it simply doesn't. In fact, my friend's son plays on a top AAU team out west, and he says the kids talk openly about how much each school will pay.

 

[superjohn]

How do you know K is paying?

It's not really a secret.

 

[superjohn]

He may not anymore but be honest, the man was sanctioned at two different schools for cheating. Not many can say that. As for coaching, please. He is terrible coach if you factor in the talent of his players.

He's doing a great job this season.