It’s always better to have your pick of players instead of panic signing more freshmen and whiffing in the portal. No totally unsatisfied. Nothing has changed. We added a decent grad transfer. Brought back a player who doesn’t want to be here. Bradshaw who knows? This isn’t a team built to win now and that’s all cal will have then for one season. This is a great team for a first year coach looking to build but for a guy 14 years into the job it’s far below the standard
POLL: Satisfaction With Our Roster
- Thread starter megablue
- Start date
Taking a scholarship away, even from a PWO, is probably the easiest to ensure you lost the locker room.
I’m ok with it, but seriously, if we could add Jordan Brown to what we have, we would be title contenders. I know it would mean no Cyril, but let’s just bring him for 24 then.
But, if we keep it the way we have it now and add Cyril in august, I’m pretty damn happy.
Who would have thought that in even couple weeks ago.
But, if we keep it the way we have it now and add Cyril in august, I’m pretty damn happy.
Who would have thought that in even couple weeks ago.
With the addition of Mitchell and the return of Reeves I think we are a lot better than 2 weeks ago. Satisfied, is just a pipe dream in the preseason, we have a team full of Unknowns.
Are you saying that the Kentucky coaching staff planned Huggy Bear’s DUI?
The amount of mental gymnastics y’all go through to defend that man is ridiculous and borders on what is now known as “simping.”
And the other 2/3s are idealists who don’t base their logic in reality and/or historical precedent
I’m cautiously positive about this roster. I believe that a couple of the Freshman are going to be really good
Huggy Bear definitely likes to party. It was all part of Cals master plan lol
It amazes me how much people believe what Pilgrim pumps out, and also how many think Bradshaw will not play. I can't say I am shocked because we have some miserable fans, but definitely amazed at the gullible ones. We have depth and if fans really want to play modern basketball, we are fine at C/PF combo we have. IF we another big , I would be happier, if not (i am counting Cybril. Pilgrim doesn't know ****) I still like it.
We need another Center. I would be good with Cyril. I also want to believe we will have Bradshaw. I just get the feeling he will be fine and has no intention of sitting out once healthy. I know we have been burned on mysterious injuries, agents, handlers, etc etc. I will remain optimistic on this. However, with or without him, we need more depth at Center, Cyril is most likely to fill that role.
I would love to add Dante from Oregon.
He seems like he could be the missing piece to a contender.
Proven four year player at the P5 level. Double digit scoring average. 8 rebounds a game.
That would give us three guys that have averaged double digit points on P5 squads.
Reeves- 14.4
Dante- 13.4
Mitchell- 11.7
That helps take some of the pressure off the Freshmen.
Those three plus the four Freshmen gives us a very good top 7. Maybe one of the best groups in the country, if the Freshmen are as good as advertised.
He seems like he could be the missing piece to a contender.
Proven four year player at the P5 level. Double digit scoring average. 8 rebounds a game.
That would give us three guys that have averaged double digit points on P5 squads.
Reeves- 14.4
Dante- 13.4
Mitchell- 11.7
That helps take some of the pressure off the Freshmen.
Those three plus the four Freshmen gives us a very good top 7. Maybe one of the best groups in the country, if the Freshmen are as good as advertised.
i for one voted yes, but I am doubtful we win the title. I am satisfied in the sense that Cal has put together a team that should at least be able to compete night after night and make the tourney.
At this point, that is enough. Just a squad that is competitive and could be dangerous in March, if they come together.
On paper, it’s a solid squad.
I’m not satisfied with the roster exactly for the reason you apparently are – UK (one of if not the best program in CBB) has to rely on 4 of the top 10 ranked high school players. Freshmen aren’t good enough. That’s a generality, but it’s true often enough to be a rule for me. Their skills are not developed enough. They don’t shoot well enough. Their production is not consistent enough. Their basketball IQ is not high enough. And their bodies are not developed enough.
In my opinion, a team reliant on OAD freshmen has always has been a bad way to intentionally build a roster. If you’re not one the top CBB programs (e.g., Memphis) then sure, try it. What do you have to lose when you rarely if ever have a shot to compete for a title anyway? Plus, the “next greatest thing” freshmen give your program some exposure. But if you’re a program that should be able to get the best CBB players to supplement or improve your roster – which due to NIL and the free transfer rule will generally come from the transfer portal - then such a high risk gamble is neither necessary nor a smart strategy.
I think common sense and looking at the most successful programs tells us that the best roster building approach is striving every year for a combination of very good and solid returning players supplemented by a couple of the best transfers and a freshman or two who might be able to earn his way onto the floor.
I agree, but I think Cal in particular is better with elite Freshmen talent.
Our last deep run in the tourney was with a Freshman backcourt in ‘19 (Hagans, Herro, Johnson) and those guys weren’t top 5-10 recruits.
Last time we had three top 10-ish recruits was ‘17 (Fox, Monk, and Bam) and that team was a legit title contender that took the national champs to the wire despite terrible officiating.
I know it’s a different era, which is why I am tempering my expectations.
But in general I believe you need a balance in your roster. You need a strong core of returning players, add a few 5-star stud recruits, and finish the roster with portal guys.
Cal actually did a pretty decent job this offseason, IMHO.
He kept Reeves, Onyenso, and Thiero as a decent core of returnees. He added four 5-star stud recruits. He filled a hole with a portal guy in Mitchell.
And it sounds like he is going to add another portal player.
I think that’s a pretty balanced roster, though I would have liked to see a few more players return, but retention is very hard in this day and age with the portal and more pro opportunities than ever.
Oh, I think Calipari is the best at getting freshmen to the point of being able to compete as I’ve ever seen. But in my opinion it’s just that it’s too hard, too much of an unnecessary gamble to try to be a title contender relying on freshmen to carry your team. One, maybe two, starting with a very good returning player or top transfer (All-American or at least All-Conference potential types) and a couple of good to very solid upperclassmen is probably a good mix. And I think that it would give any coach, including Calipari, a better chance to win a National title or Conference title, than freshmen regardless of the stars assigned by a recruiting service.
Calipari has not brought in the top transfer players, and he seems reluctant to do so (although Dickinson was an exception). I believe bringing in the top transfer portal players is more important for winning than bringing in the highest rated high school recruit. I suspect that as long as the current NIL and free-transfer rule continue, the top portal transfer player at each position will usually outperform the top ranked incoming freshman at each position for that one year.
Very glad we got Somto but we still are very, very thin inside this year with him staying class of 2024. We have Ugo, Mitchell, and a questionable Bradshaw (foot injuries with big men, I'm never just trusting we'll be fine and good for the season). Maybe it's a blessing in disguise if we have to play small with Burks or Thiero at the 4, but if Bradshaw misses any substantial time and we have any soert of foul trouble, we'll find ourself in quite a bind,
I'm curious, what was Cal's plan?
He had to scramble to get Reeves back aaaand I guess he planted the open container of alcohol in Huggins' car… then called tge cops on him. Is that the plan you were referring to?
It’s a contender for a sweet 16 if Cal completely changes his offense.
It is nowhere close to a contender if he tries to play his typical iso and post offense with this team.
He tried to turn Skal into a back-to-the-basket center in 15/16, what's changed since then?
Don’t say Ugo, that guy isn't close to ready for that.
I get what your saying,be competitive.. When did it become ok to be mid pack at basketball.
I hope he gets to play more this year, I think he could be a difference maker. He got a sniff of it last season, that might be all he needed. That kid is tough.
If Cyril reclassified, this is my rough estimate(+/-5 minutes or so):
G Wagner(15)/Dillingham(25)
G Reeves(15)/Sheppard(15)/Wagner(10)
G Edwards(25)/Reeves(10)/Thiero(5)
F Mitchell(25)/Bradshaw(15)
F Bradshaw(10)/Onyenso(20)/Cyril(10)
Wagner- 25
Reeves- 25
Edwards- 25
Mitchell- 25
Bradshaw- 25
Dillingham- 25
Onyenso- 20
Sheppard- 15
Cyril- 10
Thiero- 5
Burks and Hart will only get mop up minutes in blowouts, so I’m not even considering them in my estimates.
Cal will, as usual, tighten up the rotation to the top 7 playing most of the minutes in the postseason with an 8th guy seeing a few minutes as needed.
Also, I could see Thiero working his way into more minutes and maybe pushing Sheppard or Cyril out of the main rotation. I like his potential.
And with Cyril, a lot hinges on just how far behind he is the rest of the team. He might end up like Onyenso last year and play very little.
Nobody thought he wouldn't have "enough players". And if Antonio Reeves running out of options to go elsewhere and Bob Huggins getting a DUI to get Mitchell was Cal's plan, I have to say he friggin nailed it.
Cal was patient. That turned out to be a good strategy in the end.
Fans tend to panic when we don’t have our roster completed by the end of April, that’s just the way it always is.
Coaches and coaching staffs can’t afford to panic and settle for lesser talent.
Cal could have grabbed a kid from Cupcake U as a transfer early in the Spring, but instead waited to see what would be available.
Cal was very selective in who he offered. He went for the best big man available (Dickinson) and two quality PF’s (Johnson, Kaluma). Those didn’t work out, but then a double digit scorer from a P5 school became available.
His patience paid off in this instance.
People waiting for Thiero to get to 6'9 are setting themselves up for disappointment. I understand the whole late growth spurt thing towards the end of his senior year and beyond but its been a year now I really doubt he gets any taller.