Hopkins vs UCONN

[yabbadabbadoo_rivals213851]

It would have to suck to sit on the bench knowing you’d have a bigger impact on the game than others playing instead of you. This is why guys leave. Lately, it’s been happening to us a lot.

 

[fatguy87]

Hopkins playing the 4 here seems like a missed opportunity, but he might also be an upgrade over Livingston at the 3 as well if he returned.

 

[yabbadabbadoo_rivals213851]

Hopkins playing the 4 here seems like a missed opportunity, but he might also be an upgrade over Livingston at the 3 as well if he returned.

Hopkins playing the 4 spot here would’ve been a dream start to fielding a spread the floor type team.

 

[gossie21_rivals69805]

I still can't wrap my head around how Calipari mismanaged Hopkins. Played great and saved the game vs. LSU. Cal then says he has to play him more going forward... then never logged more than 3 minutes the rest of the season... some games never checking in.

Sadly, that's the same sort of progression with Livingston. Similar players. Livingston is at least logging minutes, but he's not being put in a role that plays to his strengths.

 

[Pulaski Cat Fan_rivals377587]

I still can't wrap my head around how Calipari mismanaged Hopkins. Played great and saved the game vs. LSU. Cal then says he has to play him more going forward... then never logged more than 3 minutes the rest of the season... some games never checking in.

Sadly, that's the same sort of progression with Livingston. Similar players. Livingston is at least logging minutes, but he's not being put in a role that plays to his strengths.

Just proves Cal's idiocy. Nothing more, nothing less. Pure idiocy.

 

[Catlogic15]

Been said before but what the hell do our assistants do?

 

[UK90]

Been said before but what the hell do our assistants do?

They do a helluva lot of recruiting. Not sure about the other stuff.

The assistant who was considered the main Xs and Os brain and strategist on Cal’s best teams at both Memphis and UK was John Robic. But he and Cal had an ugly parting a few years ago.

Not sure who has that role on this staff. I hope it’s not Antigua, given how disastrously awful his own HC stint went.

 

[Fitch44]

I think the most frustrating thing, and maybe what ultimately pushed him to transfer, is the lsu game.
He finally gets a decent chunk of minutes and basically wins the game scoring 15 points in second half.
Looked like a kid ready to contribute down the stretch of the season.
And then never really plays again.
That was mind boggling to me.

 

[UK-Chulo]

He is using his quickness against 4s this year versus last year playing the perimeter with 3s on him.

The biggest hole in Cal’s philosophy is forcing players into what position he thinks they will play in the NBA and not the position they would excel in college playing.

 

[UK-Chulo]

I still can't wrap my head around how Calipari mismanaged Hopkins. Played great and saved the game vs. LSU. Cal then says he has to play him more going forward... then never logged more than 3 minutes the rest of the season... some games never checking in.

Sadly, that's the same sort of progression with Livingston. Similar players. Livingston is at least logging minutes, but he's not being put in a role that plays to his strengths.

Worst part is some of us were calling it. It was clear Hopkins had basketball skills, which is something we do not see often in Cal’s recruits.

 

[qwesley]

The biggest hole in Cal’s philosophy is forcing players into what position he thinks they will play in the NBA and not the position they would excel in college playing.

True but the NBA is going smaller and smaller and yet he won't. He has a blindspot for length.

 

[qwesley]

Been said before but what the hell do our assistants do?

I was really struck in the LSU game in those late timeouts how mostly unengaged our assistants were, just chatting with each other. Bruiser gave a little last minute instruction to one of the guys but it was all Cal.

 

[UK90]

True but the NBA is going smaller and smaller and yet he won't. He has a blindspot for length.

Yep, even in the NBA you no longer need to be all that long to succeed at the 4. For example, the Golden State Warriors have absolutely dominated the League over the last decade starting 6’6” Draymond Green at the 4 (and also very often playing him at the 5); the Celtics have the league’s best record this year playing 6’6” Grant Williams at the four; PJ Tucker has carved out one helluva career as a 6’5” four, etc.

But Cal won’t budge. He’s still steadfastly refuses to ever play anyone 6’6” at the four …even if it’s obvious that’s where his game best fits … and even though teams with fours that size keep winning national championships and kicking our *** year after year.

 

[IFerg1969]

Been said before but what the hell do our assistants do?

They recruit and are "yes" men!

 

[bbnkat02]

Wonder if a Hopkins would come back to UK if Cal wasn’t here?

 

[Woodrow24]

Too bad the kid did not want to work at it at UK. Was never going to play over Brooks and Toppin his first year so the kid bolted. One of those kids that think they want to be the player with the ball predominately in their hands which is why he went to a school where he ended up...

How do you know how hard the kid worked when he was here? SMH.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

But Kahlil Whitney didn’t transfer anywhere. He came here as a mega-hyped 5 star recruit, was an awful disappointment here …and then basically just disappeared. I don’t see how he’s relevant to that guy’s point.

His point was to say that all these guys are doing better elsewhere.. but I think we need to remember that we don't hear about the ones who go off and do nothing. Harrow, SKJ, Quade, etc.

 

[anon1751545683]

Cal recruited him, coached him and Hopkins quit. He would be a help for us this year but he couldn't handle it here.

I'm not now a Providence fan because a quitter went there.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Yeah there were a few threads and clear disappointment . From the thread when he left, link below.

April

Good on you.. but as you can see a lot of people didn't care or thought it was better to roll with Toppin.

And I'll ask this, with hindsight being 20/20.. do you take Hopkins over Toppin back then? I wouldn't have, even if it happens to be clear now that Hopkins is the better player. And I'd have been wrong. But it's very likely that if Hopkins stays, someone else leaves. We can't just stash 4 and fringe-5 stars. At some point, they will transfer.. especially now with the new transfer rules.

 

[UK90]

His point was to say that all these guys are doing better elsewhere.. but I think we need to remember that we don't hear about the ones who go off and do nothing. Harrow, SKJ, Quade, etc.

Harrow actually did very well after he left. He averaged 18 points per game and led Georgia State to two of its best seasons in that program’s entire history …including a huge NCAA tournament upset victory over Baylor.

He had a very nice final act at GSU.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Harrow actually did very well after he left. He averaged 18 points per game and led Georgia State to two of its best seasons in that program’s entire history …including a huge NCAA tournament upset victory over Baylor.

He had a very nice final act at GS

But.. Georgia St. is still Georgia St. It's one thing to transfer to RI and do well. But Harrow took several steps back in competition. While I commend him for doing well there, I'm in no way going to say we "missed out on him". He was one of the guys that needed to transfer, especially in the midst of Cal being the premier PG guy.

 

[jerrysmith]

It will be alright, he will go in the Portal this year and Cal will get him back,,, of course then all of sudden he will lose the ablity to play again

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I'd also say RJ Hunter was the one who "led" that team, being the coaches son, draft pick, etc.. but yes Harrow wasn't far behind.

 

[qwesley]

Yep, even in the NBA you no longer need to be all that long to succeed at the 4. For example, the Golden State Warriors have absolutely dominated the League over the last decade starting 6’6” Draymond Green at the 4 (and also very often playing him at the 5); the Celtics have the league’s best record this year playing 6’6” Grant Williams at the four; PJ Tucker has carved out one helluva career as a 6’5” four, etc.

But Cal won’t budge. He’s still steadfastly refuses to ever play anyone 6’6” at the four …even if it’s obvious that’s where his game best fits … and even though teams with fours that size keep winning national championships and kicking our *** year after year.

My Sixers just gave Tucker 3/$32m at age 37, he may be hitting the wall.

The way the rules have changed, can't touch guys on the perimeter but bigs can be pushed with both hands, along with faster tempo overall..you have to play spread. Hell, Towns now mostly lingers outside the arc and they are paying the price for their dumb trade for Gobert. The Sixers tried to pair Horford and Embiid....it just doesn't work.

 

[UK90]

But.. Georgia St. is still Georgia St. It's one thing to transfer to RI and do well. But Harrow took several steps back in competition. While I commend him for doing well there, I'm in no way going to say we "missed out on him". He was one of the guys that needed to transfer, especially in the midst of Cal being the premier PG guy.

You stated before that he “did nothing” after UK. That is flat out untrue. He had two outstanding seasons at GSU, and in fact, was the point guard who led that program to the best season in its entire history.

It might have been at the mid-major level, but the fact remains that he looked like a totally different player down there than the frightened little mouse he looked like here.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

It is funny when you think about height.. like the thought has always been "how can he manage when he's 6'7 and his opponent is 6'10?!"

It's 3 inches. Sure, there's advantages. But sometimes people think these shorter guys just can't do anything against someone only a few inches taller.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

You stated before that he “did nothing” after UK. That is flat out untrue. He had two outstanding seasons at GSU, and in fact, was the point guard who led that program to the best season in its entire history.

It might have been at the mid-major level, but the fact remains that he looked like a totally different player down there than the frightened little mouse he looked like here.

Did nothing compared to doing what Hopkins is going.

Good lord..

 

[qwesley]

Thread when he transferred

 

[Eccain01]

He was mismanaged after the LSU game and Cal would’ve never played Bryce at the 4. He made the right decision to leave.

 

[G-PIP]

Well, it would’ve helped if Cal would’ve allowed him to play his natural position here instead of trying to force him into the wrong spot.

How many 4s in the country are having a better season than Hopkins? Kid is averaging a near double double. Becoming a legit star.

Is it true that Calipari “forced” Hopkins to play SF, or is it instead that Hopkins, Livingston, and basically every high ranked PF recruit in history wants/claims to be a SF? Regardless, I think playing these guys at SF is generally wrong for the team. In my opinion neither Livingston nor Hopkins should basically ever be playing SF at this point – unless there is no other viable option. It really limits the offense, whereas at PF both can be a positive for the offense while also being able to handle the PF spot defensively & rebounding wise.

 

[BigRedMachineBigBlueNation]

Hopkins scored 27 points and got 5 rebounds vs the 4th ranked team in the nation, but he wasn’t good enough for Cal.

Ah the great Cal cycle
1. Player looks like a superstar before Kentucky
2. Player is hyped up in pre-season
3. Gets to Kentucky
4. Suddenly forgets how to play
5. Cal cuts his minutes
6. Cal benches him
7. “I’m trying to find him a spot” -Cal
8. Cal continues to bench him
9. Player transfers
10. Player remembers how to play
REPEAT

 

[G-PIP]

And, aside from his ability to get buckets, it turns out that he’s also an elite rebounder averaging 9.3 boards per game this year.

He’s exactly the kind of skilled versatile 4 that we’ve been desperately needing and missing this year. But he didn’t get fair chance to show that last year, because Cal flat out refused to allow him to play the 4 spot.

I definitely agree with you that Hopkins (PJ Washington, etc.) are great types for a college PF because of their skill level to go along with enough brawn to defend and rebound the 4 spot (and even in the Pro leagues often now). PLUS, because they are tweener types you likely get to keep them in college for multiple years - so skill and efficiency get even better.

 

[dc513]

I think the most frustrating thing, and maybe what ultimately pushed him to transfer, is the lsu game.
He finally gets a decent chunk of minutes and basically wins the game scoring 15 points in second half.
Looked like a kid ready to contribute down the stretch of the season.
And then never really plays again.
That was mind boggling to me.

Cal didn't want people seeing what he could do. Might show up his favorites.

 

[kingdom come cat]

Been said before but what the hell do our assistants do?

Have you ever seen Cal huddle with his assistants during time out to get there input and ideas. Our assistants are not allowed to have any input or say anything. They will get an immediate *** chewing. These assistants have been around basketball a long time and probably have some good ideas, I would think. But we do have the smartest basketball coach in the land. Look how he handled Hopkins as one example. Im sure those same coaches would have played Hopkins and would have done all they could have to keep him in Blue. How about the game Cal got tossed and I think it was Flit, immediatly went to zone and think played Allen and turned the game around.

 

[dc513]

Do you think anyone will bring to Cal's attention how well Hopkins is doing? I would like to be there when he finds out. Hopkins just might have been that missing piece this team needs. We are missing that type of aggressive player.

 

[anon1751545683]

Look at the guys that had a disappointing freshmen year that did come back. Quickley, Hagans, TJ, PJ. They were all tougher than Hopkins. All getting paid to play now.

You think Hopkins is gonna play for pay?

 

[UK90]

Thread when he transferred

Looks like most folks here read the situation correctly …and quite a few seemed to foresee this year’s situation coming. None of the usual “good riddance” stuff you normally see on transfer announcement threads.

The “basketball bennies” look pretty smart there.

 

[UK-Chulo]

Yep, even in the NBA you no longer need to be all that long to succeed at the 4. For example, the Golden State Warriors have absolutely dominated the League over the last decade starting 6’6” Draymond Green at the 4 (and also very often playing him at the 5); the Celtics have the league’s best record this year playing 6’6” Grant Williams at the four; PJ Tucker has carved out one helluva career as a 6’5” four, etc.

But Cal won’t budge. He’s still steadfastly refuses to ever play anyone 6’6” at the four …even if it’s obvious that’s where his game best fits … and even though teams with fours that size keep winning national championships and kicking our *** year after year.

Green has abnormally long arms so he is playing like a much taller player.

 

[rob_47]

Look at the guys that had a disappointing freshmen year that did come back. Quickley, Hagans, TJ, PJ. They were all tougher than Hopkins. All getting paid to play now.

You think Hopkins is gonna play for pay?

Hopkins will most defintely play in the league. You can throw Quickley in the mix of guys who should have played more his freshman year. Terrance Jones did not have a disappointing freshman season and neither did PJ. I think you are wrong on just about every point you are trying to make.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Let's also remember, that when you rely heavily on the 1AD model, there's going to be transfers, and you're not always going to bat 1.000 on picking the right guys.

No one here was sad to see Hopkins go, as I recall.. as we figured "Well we have Toppin, and Collins is looking great!".. turns out, maybe Hopkins was better than both. Usually, the right guy transfers and both parties are better for it. In this scenario, it looks like a miss on Cal's part. But it's not like everyone who transfers goes on to be substantially better.

There were people that hated to see Hopkins go. He showed last season what he could do against LSU. He’s the prototypical college power forward and was as a freshman. Dude’s built like a damn tank and has ball skills. He played PG in high school. Cal, of course, misused him, bigly.