The Recruits That Got Away

[Random UK Fan]

Of those that signed elsewhere, it could be me, but I don't really hear much about them . . . do you think they would have been more-discussed, or used to their strengths more if they had decided to sign with Cal, or do you think they are just a product of their current coach/team?

 

[wall2rondo]

I'm glad mudiay and Newman got away

 

[KentuckyCat420]

Without a doubt they would've been better off at UK. Before his injury, Stephen Zimmerman was averaging almost a double double but how many people know that? Jaylen Brown would've been a huge get but he gets no talk at Cal. Malik Newman is coming along now at Miss.St but how many people know that? All these kids hurt their stock by not coming here.

 

[JohnnyinShelbyville]

This is a critical year in the "OAD" era.

If many first rounders end up at/near their projections and not participated/done poorly in the NCAA then where you go may not matter so much...

 

[Untouchables22]

To be fair Henry Ellenson has been fantastic and is widely considered to be the 2nd best freshmen this year after Simmons. And Jaylen Brown has lived up to his hype. But one plays for Marquette who is NEVER on national TV because the Big East has a deal with Fox Sports and not ESPN. And the other is playing for California and West Coast bias is very very real in college basketball.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

We have been EXTREMELY lucky with the guys we've missed on since Cal came to UK. A lot of them either didn't qualify, flamed out, or got into trouble. Plus, we wouldn't have Ulis if Mudiay had come.

 

[wall2rondo]

remember the excitement in the air when Cal first arrived. That first class then the second and so on. Now it's like nothing when we sign not one or two but like 5 or
So top guys

But this middle of the night commitment started it all folkshttp://kentuckysportsradio.com/1/wakey-wakey-john-wall-to-kentucky/

 

[Random UK Fan]

We have been EXTREMELY lucky with the guys we've missed on since Cal came to UK. A lot of them either didn't qualify, flamed out, or got into trouble. Plus, we wouldn't have Ulis if Mudiay had come.

Interesting thought. Makes me wonder if we've been "lucky", or if Cal has great intuition/insider opinions.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

To be fair Henry Ellenson has been fantastic and is widely considered to be the 2nd best freshmen this year after Simmons. And Jaylen Brown has lived up to his hype. But one plays for Marquette who is NEVER on national TV because the Big East has a deal with Fox Sports and not ESPN. And the other is playing for California and West Coast bias is very very real in college basketball.

I'm sure Ellenson's been talked about by the pundits, but I can honestly say that I have not heard any of them mention him even once this yaer.

 

[wall2rondo]

We have been EXTREMELY lucky with the guys we've missed on since Cal came to UK. A lot of them either didn't qualify, flamed out, or got into trouble. Plus, we wouldn't have Ulis if Mudiay had come.

Mudiay not coming was a blessing in disguise. I remember people furious and talking smack about Ulis height. I also remember Iowa and mich St. Fans being pissed we got him

Newman was never that big of deal to me I was happy with Ulis and briscoe. But then to score Murray early especially after what he did in pan am games was one of Cals best recruiting hauls during a time that you don't normall get guys

 

[Random UK Fan]

Mudiay not coming was a blessing in disguise. I remember people furious and talking smack about Ulis height. I also remember Iowa and mich St. Fans being pissed we got him

Newman was never that big of deal to me I was happy with Ulis and briscoe. But then to score Murray early especially after what he did in pan am games was one of Cals best recruiting hauls during a time that you don't normall get guys

I remember feeling downtrodden about our signees before Murray. Feel guilty about that now. Shows what I know.

 

[Guess Who]

Shabaz Mohammed was a good miss imo

 

[bluinbville]

Perhaps the more appropriate thread is the one that focuses on the players wishing they had chosen UK. Phone call for James Blackmon Jr ...phone call for James Blackmon Jr.

 

[3 fan_rivals214492]

Wiggins was one that got away other than that...

 

[WildMoon]

We have been EXTREMELY lucky with the guys we've missed on since Cal came to UK. A lot of them either didn't qualify, flamed out, or got into trouble. Plus, we wouldn't have Ulis if Mudiay had come.

It's not that we were lucky. It's coach cal's development.

 

[gossie21_rivals69805]

Perhaps the more appropriate thread is the one that focuses on the players wishing they had chosen UK. Phone call for James Blackmon Jr ...phone call for James Blackmon Jr.

I'd have to think Malik Newman would be the first one to make that call. Everyone else at least gets to win some and has an outside chance of making the tournament. Miss St. is 10-13 and Malik's numbers aren't terribly impressive.

 

[Anon1636470744]

If you are talking about last year I wished UK would have signed Diamond Stone. He would be starting. I don't know how close Cal was to getting him or if he even had an offer but he would have looked good in Kentucky blue.

 

[Random UK Fan]

If you are talking about last year I wished UK would have signed Diamond Stone. He would be starting. I don't know how close Cal was to getting him or if he even had an offer but he would have looked good in Kentucky blue.

Absolutely. I have seen some of his production . . . very impressive, but I think he ruled out UK fairly early, which is OK. I always thought he didn't feel comfortable with the intense spotlight here.

 

[Aike]

We wanted Brandon Ingram. He's been really good and would be killing it next to Ulis and Murray.

 

[Wall2Boogie]

Brandon knight>josh selby>Xavier henry

 

[wildcatsboston1984_rivals]

Most of the ones from the 2015 high school class went to nobody schools or west coast. Zimmerman would have definitely helped as would have Jaylen Brown and Brandon Ingram.

 

[Dablueman]

Ivan Rabb is averaging 12 and 8 for Cal. He is projected above Skal in the Lottery would have liked to had him. Zimmerman as well. Would have made us hard to handle

 

[Dablueman]

Wouldnt mind having Caleb Swanigans 10 points 9 boards a game either

 

[whhs22]

Rabb And Swanigans would of made this team completely different. Stone would of blown up as a double double guy. Imagine him coming off the weak side on our poor shooting early.

If we could of gotten 2 of the 3. Not gonna name any names of guys they would of taken there spot.

But 2 out of the 3 would of changed our entire team philosophy.

 

[nookam]

Iowa and Michigan St are both very good this season. Both were heavily in the mix for Ulis. Wasn't it Iowa's coach, McCafferey? who got pretty pissed off because he had recruited Ulis for years and went to many of his games and suddenly at the last minute Calipari came in with an offer?
I just wonder how confident Iowa was with Ulis or do you think they started $hitting bricks when they found out Cal was interested?

 

[AnarchoNeoLuddite_rivals]

Newman hasnt been horrible, pretty solid. Funny thing is he,Brown and Zimmerman are most likely all going to be watching the tourney. Sure they will be just fine in the NBA Draft but i be they look back one day and wonder what might have been...

 

[_NewWorldOrder_]

Off the top of my head. Xavier Henry the 1st year. Tobias Harris and Terrence Ross in 2010. Nobody that really mattered in 2011. I guess Tony Wroten would have made that championship team even better. Maybe 40-0 with a guard like him off the bench. Then you get into the big ones in 2012 - Shabazz Muhammad, Anthony Bennett, Gary Harris. If Teague had came back that year and we had gotten Shabazz, Bennett, Harris, Noel, Cauley Stein, and Goodwin we definitely wouldn't have been in the NIT.I left Poy out because I had rather had those other guys. We probably couldn't have gotten him with those guys too. 2013 - Wiggins (Who I still hate). 2014 - We didn't need anybody really, but Stanley Johnson would have = NC. And I'm also glad we missed on Muddiay and got Ulis instead. And the bad one...2015 when kids kind of lost their mind. - Zimmerman, Swanigan, Brown, Diallo, Rabb, Newman, Ellenson, Blakeney, Kennard, and Bryant. Yeah wow. Just think if instead of Skal, Briscoe, Mathews, and Mulder (LOL) we had gotten Zimmerman, Swanigan, Kennard, and Brown.

Ulis
Murray
Brown
Swanigan
Zimmerman

Willis
Poythress
Lee
Kennard
Hawkins
Humphries
Wynyard

 

[wall2rondo]

Off the top of my head. Xavier Henry the 1st year. Tobias Harris and Terrence Ross in 2010. Nobody that really mattered in 2011. I guess Tony Wroten would have made that championship team even better. Maybe 40-0 with a guard like him off the bench. Then you get into the big ones in 2012 - Shabazz Muhammad, Anthony Bennett, Gary Harris. If Teague had came back that year and we had gotten Shabazz, Bennett, Harris, Noel, Cauley Stein, and Goodwin we definitely wouldn't have been in the NIT.I left Poy out because I had rather had those other guys. We probably couldn't have gotten him with those guys too. 2013 - Wiggins (Who I still hate). 2014 - We didn't need anybody really, but Stanley Johnson would have = NC. And I'm also glad we missed on Muddiay and got Ulis instead. And the bad one...2015 when kids kind of lost their mind. - Zimmerman, Swanigan, Brown, Diallo, Rabb, Newman, Ellenson, Blakeney, Kennard, and Bryant. Yeah wow. Just think if instead of Skal, Briscoe, Mathews, and Mulder (LOL) we had gotten Zimmerman, Swanigan, Kennard, and Brown.

Ulis
Murray
Brown
Swanigan
Zimmerman

Willis
Poythress
Lee
Kennard
Hawkins
Humphries
Wynyard

cal was dead set in Skal and briscoe. So you can't trade them out. Maybe the reason some chose elsewhere. Skal was the #1 big and briscoe #1 PG. cal wanted them for years

 

[yoshukai]

Off the top of my head. Xavier Henry the 1st year. Tobias Harris and Terrence Ross in 2010. Nobody that really mattered in 2011. I guess Tony Wroten would have made that championship team even better. Maybe 40-0 with a guard like him off the bench. Then you get into the big ones in 2012 - Shabazz Muhammad, Anthony Bennett, Gary Harris. If Teague had came back that year and we had gotten Shabazz, Bennett, Harris, Noel, Cauley Stein, and Goodwin we definitely wouldn't have been in the NIT.I left Poy out because I had rather had those other guys. We probably couldn't have gotten him with those guys too. 2013 - Wiggins (Who I still hate). 2014 - We didn't need anybody really, but Stanley Johnson would have = NC. And I'm also glad we missed on Muddiay and got Ulis instead. And the bad one...2015 when kids kind of lost their mind. - Zimmerman, Swanigan, Brown, Diallo, Rabb, Newman, Ellenson, Blakeney, Kennard, and Bryant. Yeah wow. Just think if instead of Skal, Briscoe, Mathews, and Mulder (LOL) we had gotten Zimmerman, Swanigan, Kennard, and Brown.

Ulis
Murray
Brown
Swanigan
Zimmerman

Willis
Poythress
Lee
Kennard
Hawkins
Humphries
Wynyard

We didn't really "miss" on Tobias Harris . He wanted to come here mid season and we didn't have a scholarship available .

 

[RacerX.ksr]

I think our fate has been affected more by players leaving early that probably shouldn't have, than by players that never came here.

 

[Nubb16]

We didn't really "miss" on Tobias Harris . He wanted to come here mid season and we didn't have a scholarship available .

You're thinking stokes

 

[Guess Who]

I think our fate has been affected more by players leaving early that probably shouldn't have, than by players that never came here.

Probably true.

 

[Cats192]

Interesting thought. Makes me wonder if we've been "lucky", or if Cal has great intuition/insider opinions.

We've been lucky. Cal was going hard after a lot of those guys and they just didn't return the love.

 

[AGEE11]

As said earlier, I think the what if game should be what if they stayed

Meeks in 2010
Bledsoe and Orton in 2011
Liggins in 2012
Teague and Lamb in 2013
No one of the top of my head for 2014 or 2015
The Harrisons and Dakari this year (Not saying the Harrisons are better than what we have because they are not, but think of the depth again)

 

[ganner918_rivals60369]

We needed to land one of the big men we missed on last year (Zimmerman or Swanagin, preferably) but nobody knew Skal would turn out to be so overrated. If we'd landed Rabb or Brown or Ingram (or Newman) I'm not sure we would have gotten Murray so I won't worry too much on those. We're really one reliable big man away from being where we wanted to be.

 

[_NewWorldOrder_]

We didn't really "miss" on Tobias Harris . He wanted to come here mid season and we didn't have a scholarship available .

Na cuz. You're thinking of Jarnell Stokes.

 

[Ukblue12]

Without a doubt they would've been better off at UK. Before his injury, Stephen Zimmerman was averaging almost a double double but how many people know that? Jaylen Brown would've been a huge get but he gets no talk at Cal. Malik Newman is coming along now at Miss.St but how many people know that? All these kids hurt their stock by not coming here.

Zimmerman and brown are both projected to be top 10 picks. I would agree that their popularity or notoriety would have been higher coming here but it in no way hurt their stock. Scouts could care less where a kid goes.