BB: BASKETBALL RECRUITING - FEBRUARY
- Thread starter TheResistance
- Start date
Gotta respect Matt McMahon for still recruiting. The dude knows he's about to be canned.
As far as recruiting goes, NOBODY knows what going on behind the scenes with our recruiting for next season. Just sit back and assume that a few good things are gonna happen. If they don’t, then worry about it then. Until then, chill a little.
yeahhhh...we should have at least one by now. that's not asking a lot AT ALL and there's no spin otherwise.
but i agree in principle. that's a worry for another day.
for 2026 we are losing stokes and holt and there isn't anyone else we are looking at or have a chance at. looking at our roster I cant see us getting any better than we are now. its depressing.
Only high level recruit we have a shot at is Jordan Smith Jr, unless we get a reclass which I don’t see happening. Dink Pate is ours if staff pulls that trigger and the rest will be transfer portal. Pope needs to land 2 top portal guys and 2 other portal pieces to go along with Pate and the returning players and that will be our team. Return the right pieces and we will be a much improved team IMO. If we don’t return the key pieces then it’s rinse and repeat.
who are these key pieces in your opinion?
i'm struggling to see how next year's roster is better
Need to retain Moreno for sure.
Replace Oweh and Aberdeen with two portal studs and Pate on top. Automatic improvement. Have to keep atleast 3 of Lowe, Kam, Chandler, MoD, JJ and Moreno. Keeping 4 would be even better. Then there is Hawthorne, Jelly, Noah, Garrsion. I’m assuming at best we have 1-2 of them remaining on the roster. Bring in 2 other portal players who are good pieces for 7-9 rotation pieces and a possibility of Smith Jr and it’s definitely better than our current rotation.
People forget that players can get better year to year especially the sophomore to junior year. A lineup of
Portal PG/Lowe/JJ
Pate/ Chandler/ Smith Jr
Kam/ Portal Wing/ Noah
MoD/ Hawthorn/ Portal/ Jelly
Moreno/Garrison/ Portal
Lots of unknowns there, the key will be keeping enough of the core pieces along with 4-5 new pieces. If we lose Kam, Lowe, JJ, Jelly, MoD and Garrison then who knows. Even in that case though if we brought in 7 portal players and Pate the potential of a good roster is there. The key is returning players and bringing in atleast two stud portal players who were starters and top scorers not 5-6th men.
"Replace Oweh and Aberdeen with two portal studs and Pate on top. Automatic improvement"
WAY easier said than done
Moreno and Chandler are the only real keepers the rest will need to be high quality at each position portal players. If you go 1 point guard we are in the same position again next year.
Moreno and Chandler are the only real keepers the rest will need to be high quality at each position portal players. If you go 1 point guard we are in the same position again next year. Jordan Smith isn’t coming here. Need a true stretch 4 none here right now maybe keep jelly as a back up. Garrison will walk after this year.
If his foot is projected to heal, I'd love to see Kam return. Johnson too if he's fully bought in and maturing as expected.
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I mean I agree we probably shouldn’t worry too much about, but this is a place for talking about all things Kentucky Sports so. I hear what you’re saying though. Thanks.
Give me Smith Jr first all day, the kids helps his team win first. Then Stokes, Holt and Collins, in that order. Saying that, I’m not feeling great about any of them honestly, but I don’t have a clue about any of that stuff. I don’t know I’d put my chips in for Smith Jr and build around the kid. He just flat out works his tail off and cares more about winning that stats for himself and he’s a dog. Collins needs some time to actually help right away. Needs to get in the weight room for sure, he’s a good player with high potential later though. Anyway. lol.
Where are you hearing this stuff about Smith Jr? I’d love to read that. He’s the absolute prize in this class in my opinion. He may not win national player of the year or anything but whatever team he’s on is going to be hard to beat because of him. He brings it all if you ask me. Put some good players around him and he’s going to win.
Why hasn't the staff just pulled the trigger on Pate yet? It seems obvious you're gonna need him next year.
Man if we did get Smith that kid isn’t playing behind nobody unless Chandler and JJ come out firing and are 2 of the best guards in the nation. Smith would be starting at the 2 with a transfer PH. Dink. Hopefully Stokes or a big tike transfer 4 then MM. off the bench you’d be talking Lowe. JJ. Chandler. Kam. Hawthorne and s couple transfers at the 4 and 5. I could see BG. Jelavic. Mo D all leaving. Potter and Noah should be the last guys on the bench if we want a championship roster
Not when the playing time and money is certainly there. Crowded roster is what kept us from crushing the portal this past off season.
Pate isn’t for sure going the college route yet and Pope and staff waiting for ncaa to cement the rules. If he goes college route he will be at UK.
We are in second at the moment with him but slowly gaining steam since mid December. Our offer is better than anyone else’s currently, and I like our shot at him because our guard slots are wide open and the others he is considering have way more competition signed in the rotation already. It’s certainly not a done deal but as much as we need him I have a gut feeling we land him. Time will tell.
Like I said recruiting momentum and hype and when it's time for agent and player to sit down at the table and review the jmi contract the game is over and they leave without committing. How many times you wanna watch this movie?.
Kids an absolute athletic freak would love to get him but don't see it happening. Not sure why we are missing on EVERY top player.
Hubert is starting to recruit a lot better. Huge get!