I’m with ya.. I’m still trying to wrap my head around people wanting a kid that doesn’t want the program.. literally for money lol smh ..
BIG TIME STOKES NEWS !!!!
- Thread starter Anon412784ffff.
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I’ve said it before. He’ll go to the highest bidder.
What’s the difference between Stokes coming for money and Mashburn or Wall coming for a coach?
We've been the highest bidder for a while, if he chooses Kansas, he'll be choosing program over money.
I remember reading Jasper was a UNC fan but took the money and UK instead and I’m sure there’s others on the roster just like Jasper
I try not to get into recruiting and portal transfers until the season is over. What if we get Chandler, Kam, and Moreno back and Stokes chooses UK. How do you think Kam and Stokes will play together? Kam as a stretch 4?? I don't really know how well Stokes shoots or is he tough enough to play inside, etc. Just wondering how those 4 would mix together.
If he gets a number 1 recruit and puts him in with returning pieces like Chandler, Moreno, Williams and still falters then we need to learn this quickly that he's just not the guy. No "well if he can get better talent..." This is a win win. Either we see "oh, elite talent allowed Pope to elevate to championship challenger level" or weeding see he'll never do it.
If you can get him you figure out how exactly the pieces fit. 2 shooters flanking an elite scorer, a sophomore big who could be REALLY good, and a portal pg and we're cooking with gas.
He's not even considering Kentucky please don't get suckered into this smokescreen
I've seen him listed as a PF a lot of places but I think he's a wing in college. Most comps I've seen are of Scottie Barnes. If you spend that much money on him, you need to structure the offense around him too. I'd prefer to get a stretch 4 that can play on the perimeter and free up the paint. I'd be OK with bringing Dioubate back at the right price but I'd like to get away from having two paint-cloggers like him and Moreno logging big minutes at the same time. I suspect if Mo comes back Pope will feel obligated to start him though.
If you can get Stokes locked up, you do it and make the rest of the roster work from there. He's going to get his minutes. And we will have about as many as he can handle available next season.
A player playing for a coach he likes and trusts to get him to his dreams will play thru pain; a kid playing for money with pain might sit longer wanting not to risk his future.
I would want a kid with heart over a kid with his hand out
If you simply pay a guy more than anyone else to come play for you, does that really prove that you can recruit?
I doubt that happened in the past as much as you like to believe, especially with all the injuries we saw under Calipari. And in 2026, everyone is paid to play now so that isn't relevant.
I can understand a player like Stokes choosing to play for a Bill Self or John Calipari more than Mark Pope until Pope has proven himself as being able to get a guy to the NBA (All other things being equal).
So UK has to pay more to get him here. That's the deal with hiring Pope, for instance, for $5M a year instead of Hurley at $10M a year.
No but that’s one way to prove you really got the money instead of saying you got 22 million and looking like a dork after
By the old system, the answer would be no. By the new system, the answer would be yes.
In this era, it takes an everything plus the kitchen sink approach.
Already getting that claim we're overpaying with this years roster.. So who cares if we hear it again..
I don't think it's a desperation move.
BYU did it to get Dybantsa, and that paid dividends. They lost Richie and that's going to ruin their season. But when they have a top 3 pick, or even the #1 overall pick, BYU and Young will get a big recruiting boost from that.
I think Pope has to have that same win. And I think it's going to cost money.
We wasted a lot of money this year on depth. Depth that often doesn't help us in games. Brandon Garrison, Jasper, Hawthorne. Noah does a good job of sticking his nose in there and getting rebounds. Dude has really struggled to shoot and probably isn't playing if Kam wasn't injured.
I'd rather give up a few depth pieces and shift some of that money into an elite alpha level talent.
Need a PG and PF, but thats a top 10 team next year. Kam would be 6th man, starter minutes
A new GM NOW might make all the difference in the Stokes recruitment
Aaron Torres just said the same thing about him and Kansas using us as more leverage where he visits us just for the leverage and then Kansas meets his Agents Demands
im kinda sick
thinking about him trolling us like a Caleb Wilson 2.0
People that are supposed to know have said all along that Holt will not go to the same school as Stokes . Now , Holt and Collins together was doable. But the ship has sailed on both of those guys.
That's the most rediculous post I've read on here in a long time. Given what " recruiting " is in this day in age what does that statement even mean
Stokes is a basketball player and can fit with any way of playing or any team. The kid trains hard and knows the game so he’s fit right in I believe. I’d sure rather it be us than Kansas.
Every talent evaluator that has been asked says he would not have been in the top 10 of last years class . Thing is , all those guys will be gone next year so it’s kinda relative.
How could any coach possibly win with fans thinking like this? Kids will go wherever they want no matter money or not. They’re not property my friend.
I couldn't disagree more.
I'll tell you Mark Pope can't recruit today. If he gets Stokes, he's proven me wrong. Tip of the cap. I think most of the "Pope can't recruit" crowd see it this way.
In posting this, you kind of imply people are disingenuous (and maybe are looking for a reason to not like Pope). So far, he hasn't proven he can land the big fish. And so, there is some validity to the view point. If he lands the big fish, then he's taken that away. And I'll gladly acknowledge he can indeed recruit.
At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is winning. Getting the best players leads to that. I don't really care about their motives or indecisiveness. If he takes our money and shows up on November 10th, I'll be happy to have him.
How many kids do you think "want the program" in 2026? They all want money. We're kidding ourselves if we think we're winning national championships by gettings kids that only care about the program.
Yes.
If the kid is on the basketball team when the season starts, you won. I don't really care about "the reasons" you won.
I think we're losing recruitments because we aren't always willing to pay the most. So, yeah, I'm fine winning a couple because we ARE willing to pay the most.