Let’s see Cal basically choose 4 guys over him and none of them could hold his jock, what a f’ing joke Cal has become!
Bryce Hopkins
- Thread starter OmahaCats
- Start date
The Bryce Hopkins at providence is not the same Bryce Hopkins that would still be at UK. Cal is that bad at his job. I will never refer to him as a coach again, those days are behind him…,
People still defend cal, when literally most of the players who transfer look better, and the players that go pro look better in a better offense
If he was still at UK, Cal would probably still be trying to force him to play out of position at the three.
Cal’s insistence on playing guys at the wrong position …to prioritize length over skill …has long aggravated the hell out of me. And we’re kinda seeing it again this year with his handling of Livingston …he’s trying to to jam him into the 3 spot when we’d probably be better off with him at the 4.
This is the crux of wings at UK
Hopkins should be a 4
Livingston is a no brainer 4
Poythress wasted a few years at the 3 before finally going to 4 his last year
Briscoe at the SG was nuts
Remember the preseason reports on Hopkins last year? It was leaked that he was going to be the surprise of the season. Everybody was excited about him. Then Cal got ahold of him, and the rest is history. The exact same thing is happening to Adou Thiero right now. We all know Thiero has legitimate NBA talent and size/strength. He’s also fundamentally sound and plays good defense. We’ve seen it with our own eyes. Dude cannot get off the bench.
Cal, and by extension UK, is officially the laughingstock of college basketball. Please move on before you damage this program any further.
Cal, and by extension UK, is officially the laughingstock of college basketball. Please move on before you damage this program any further.
Cal: “Hopkins you can’t play here. You aren’t UK material
Hopkins: “Guess Cal was right. I’m not UK material. I actually beat ranked teams.”
Hopkins: “Guess Cal was right. I’m not UK material. I actually beat ranked teams.”
How did we let this guy leave... unreal. Thanks Cal
Typical Cal playing favorites and letting Bryce rot on the bench. Cal just doesn’t coach guys up. He should be starting for us.
Wrong. Cal screwed him over and Bryce saw the writing on the wall. CCC always plays favorites and Bryce wasn’t a 5 star.
Stupid effing Cal. Unreal.
Damn! Imagine him alongside Oscar! Cal fvcked that up royally.
At UK, playing time is earned not given.
How? That is anybody's guess.
What I like is the pumpers still defending cow over this.
How? That is anybody's guess.
What I like is the pumpers still defending cow over this.
The shame is that Bryce Hopkins is the ideal 4 in a lot of ways for Cal. He can handle and hit the glass.
He doesn’t check the height and vertical jump boxes though so he must be a net negative due to some nebulous defensive reason
He doesn’t check the height and vertical jump boxes though so he must be a net negative due to some nebulous defensive reason
Again, if he keeps putting up numbers like this, he's going to force Cal to play him.
There goes that plan.
Cal must lie when he says he can't hide you here. He hid Hopkins and Johnny Juzang pretty well.
Explains why Cal hasn't seen them.
Hopkins made the choice to move on and I am happy for his success. Remember, Oscar did the same and had success. It happens. Calipari needs to learn from these mistakes and develop the players into their natural position instead of trying to make them viable for the NBA. I fear he will try to do that this year with Oscar and ruin UK’s chances and Oscar’s chance for a high draft pick. I would almost play Ugonna and Oscar together as Oscar is really a natural 4 imo..
How does the old saying go? "the best thing about Freshmen, they become Sophomores".
Now I know things have changed some, and some FR are very impactful. But many need that first year. The game is faster, more intense than high school. Everyone is stronger. And they are playing against the top 1-5% of who they played against in HS. Not to mention they are away from home for an extended period, in many cases for the first time.
So there is still some truth to that old saying.
Having said that, I think this (Hopkins & Juzang), along with Toppin's lack of improvement, is why Cal needs to go with Livingston and see if he can be one of those "very impactful FR". Let him play through some early mistakes.
Now I know things have changed some, and some FR are very impactful. But many need that first year. The game is faster, more intense than high school. Everyone is stronger. And they are playing against the top 1-5% of who they played against in HS. Not to mention they are away from home for an extended period, in many cases for the first time.
So there is still some truth to that old saying.
Having said that, I think this (Hopkins & Juzang), along with Toppin's lack of improvement, is why Cal needs to go with Livingston and see if he can be one of those "very impactful FR". Let him play through some early mistakes.
Cal needed him at the 3 so we could have the biggest team in college basketball. It's all about size and athleticism. Nothing more. Welcome to 1995 NBA.
You guys act like Juzang and Hopkins have become superstars or something. Juzang put up good numbers but didn't get drafted. Hopkins is playing against much weaker competition than he played against when he was at UK.
Both of them would have had an opportunity to play more the following season if they had been more patient. I wonder how many of you were doing all of this whining about Hopkins not playing last year. He proved by his poor play that he belonged on the bench.
Some of you are claiming Brooks is doing much better now. He's playing against weaker competition. How many of you wanted him to play more last year? You are as annoying as hell! Cal will leave in the next few years.
When he leaves, it's going to be interesting to see if you can get a big time coach to replace him. From the outside looking in, the UK job seems to be entirely too much of a headache.
Both of them would have had an opportunity to play more the following season if they had been more patient. I wonder how many of you were doing all of this whining about Hopkins not playing last year. He proved by his poor play that he belonged on the bench.
Some of you are claiming Brooks is doing much better now. He's playing against weaker competition. How many of you wanted him to play more last year? You are as annoying as hell! Cal will leave in the next few years.
When he leaves, it's going to be interesting to see if you can get a big time coach to replace him. From the outside looking in, the UK job seems to be entirely too much of a headache.
Well, we all know CCC is anything but a leader. He is good at destroying confidence and misjudging talent. He can’t coach a lick, he talks a big talk but cannot walk the walk. He’s stealing millions from UK, with absolutely no shame while telling everyone how much he loves his team. Meanwhile he can’t beat anyone of any caliber whatsoever.
He sucks !
Is that you Ellen ?
********. He just put up 29 and 23 in beating a ranked team. How has UK been doing against ranked teams? Does 4-13 ring any bells?
And, in case you weren’t aware, the Big East is a damn good basketball conference. Hell, teams in that conference have won more national titles than the SEC in this century.
Lmao what’s it matter if Juzang got drafted or not?! Therein lies the problem. Nobody gives a flying **** if and where these guys are drafted. You know what Juzang did do?! He became an AA at UCLA and led his team to a FF. Literally put his team on his back, the year after he left here. SMH at whether or not he was drafted. It’s irrelevant, period.
By the way, Hopkins has became a damn good college player at Providence. I mean, 29/23?! Him playing alongside Oscar and the opposition rarely would be able to grab a rebound. Cal fvcked this up big time, playing favorites yet again.
EDIT: There were several of us bitching for Cal to play Hopkins more last season, especially after the LSU game. You know, the one in which afterwards, Cal said he needed to play him more. Then he hardly got on the floor after that. Cal is a clown.
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I'm sure Juzang wants to play in the NBA. The reason I mentioned that he didn't get drafted is because it proves he's not that good. The Depaul Blue Demons play in the Big East. I am very familiar with that conference.
You know good and well that The Big East is nowhere near as tough as The Sec Conference. Cal played Hopkins plenty. He proved after the LSU game that he wasn't ready to play well. The LSU game was a fluke. He also isn't facing the type of pressure now that he faced last year.
Good Lord. What drivel. Not even responding to that nonsense.
You prove you're good as a college player by playing good in college. Both of these players have played really well in college after leaving here. That makes them good.
It makes no difference if or where a player is drafted. It's what they do for the college they play for when they are playing for that college.
Focusing on the draft as an indicator of your program is what has lead to our downfall.
You have no facts, dipshit. You go kick rocks, nut hugger.
The point is, Juzang had a good college career after UK and most likely so will Bryce. Isn't that what we want at UK, guys who are good at the collegiate level? Who cares if they are good in the NBA, that doesn't help UK.
I partially agree, and partially disagree.
Yes, they would have both played more as Sophs. And Juzang played a good bit as a FR (12mpg, more later in the season). But they weren't patient enough, or they were concerned with competing with incoming FR. Although I do get Hopkins frustration after he played really good vs LSU (like Livingston did last game) and then didn't play much after that.
Brooks is what Brooks is, not great, not bad (at least not as bad as some on here claimed). Just a bit inconsistent, and limited (not a 3pt shooter like many wanted him to be).
Juzang wasn't a superstar (except for maybe in the one NCAA-T), and Hopkins probably won't be either. But they are/were good players, who would have contributed at UK and probably started if not Soph year then by JR year. Would Hopkins be putting up 17 & 10 for UK this year? Of course not, but had he chose to stay, he could be a 10 & 6 guy for us, if allowed to play say 24mpg. I think most would be happy with Hopkins and Livingston at the 3 & for 4 spots, a pair of "tweeners" or two 3.5 players.
Whether they get drafted or not is not much of a reflection on how good they are/were in college. I think he will, but Oscar might not get drafted, the NPOY. And there have been some pretty mediocre college players who did get drafted. The NBA is almost a different game.
So much wrong here...but good players playing better minus a toxic coach is entirely due to lesser competition? Players realizing this coach isn't the best at putting talent in the best position to achieve - position on the court and position in the mental/confidence side of the sport. Sure there are misses like Q. Greene and D. Askew as far as transfer success goes - but there are also successes that were almost immediate (Hopkins/Juzang). They went where they felt they would be given a better opportunity and have flourished.
And the last part - "see if YOU (not WE - wink!) get a big time coach..." News flash - we do not currently have a "big time coach" - not one that wins against ranked competition anyway... And the Kentucky job is much easier if you are winning/growing/adjusting/respecting and valuing tradition, players and fans. All the fear of "no life after Cal" is sad.... and the Hopkins success this season speaks to that.
UK deserves/needs an upgrade at HC. If Cal were a coach at any other school with these same results - he would be considered very avg. UK keeps Cal in the conversation - not Cal (or recent results) keeping UK in the conversation.
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Juzang said that he transferred to be closer to his family because of Covid. Most of you ignore that fact and blame Cal for the fact he left. Hopkins was simply too mentally weak to stay and compete for a starting position.
I still maintain that he is playing primarily against weaker competition than he would face at Kentucky. I have looked at Providence's schedule. Marquette is a decent team. Most of his big numbers are against weak teams.
All major college basketball teams have talented players who have to wait their turn. They have to work hard until they are good enough to play. Hopkins would be starting for Kentucky if he had stayed.