Bryce Hopkins

[Chitown Terry]

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.

Are you crazy? You obviously haven't looked at Kentucky's overall record under Cal against tough teams. Cal is not a big time coach. What nonsense! I won 't waste my time responding to it.

 

[Uk2k4]

I was at the lsu game sitting front row. He looked amazing. Our coach is a straight up moron.

 

[UK90]

I was at the lsu game sitting front row. He looked amazing. Our coach is a straight up moron.

And Cal never again played him after that stellar LSU performance … seemed almost like he forgot he was still on the team. Totally nonsensical.

 

[IFerg1969]

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.

I think you're reaching there. If Juzang were playing a lot, he'd have been back at UK, same with Hopkins. As far as putting up numbers against weak competition goes, none of UKs current guys have been doing a great job of that so far this season either and it's been awful against good teams.

I'm not saying that either of those kids would be a savior for UK. But to act like they wouldn't be good contributors if they were being used correctly, I think they would and so do a lot of others.

 

[Chitown Terry]

I think you're reaching there. If Juzang were playing a lot, he'd have been back at UK, same with Hopkins. As far as putting up numbers against weak competition goes, none of UKs current guys have been doing a great up job of that so far this season either and it's been awful against good teams.

I'm not saying that either of those kids would be a savior for UK. But to act like they wouldn't be good contributors if they were being used correctly, I think they would and so do a lot of others.

I'm sorry. I guess you didn't read my entire post. I said that Hopkins would be starting now if he had stayed. Juzang also would have been an important player for UK. In my opinion, if you are too scared to compete for a starting position, you don't belong at a school like Kentucky. I put Hopkins in that category much more than Juzang.

 

[Ryan Lemonds Hair]

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.

10 Million per year will buy a lot of Tylenol.

 

[TortElvisII]

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.

The goal is to put up numbers and help teams win during your college career. Getting drafted is meaningless to that. There are posters on here that consider Booker to be one of the greatest wildcats ever. He's not even in the top 300.

 

[fabcat]

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.

It’s all that matters around here. UK basketball has become 2 things. Recruiting rankings and NBA draft. To some that’s all that matters.

 

[IFerg1969]

I'm sorry. I guess you didn't read my entire post. I said that Hopkins would be starting now if he had stayed. Juzang also would have been an important player for UK. In my opinion, if you are too scared to compete for a starting position, you don't belong at a school like Kentucky. I put Hopkins in that category much more than Juzang.

Okay, that's fair. You feel like Hopkins ran away from a fight. I get it. I think more than anything, people like me feel like some guys just don't get the opportunity to show what they've got under Cal or the system just doesn't give them a real chance to do that. Or, when some guys do show flashes and then Cal talks about needing to get them more PT but then forgets about them for the rest of the year. I'm better with proving that a guy CAN'T do it consistently, than wondering whether or not they could. When the guys you play most have already proven they can't get it done, what's the harm in letting the next guy off the bench have the same chance?

 

[Jamal Mercer]

Look at last night 29, 23, 3, and 2 and could not get off the bench for Cal???

He did get off the bench against LSU!!!

And saved the team and helped get a W!!!

And then coach said he would play a lot more!!!!


And then he didn’t.

 

[Bluesbrother]

Great job, Cal. You fvcking numbnuts! Good Lord, it’s so embarrassing having him be the UK coach. I sincerely mean that too.

I have no doubt that you do mean it. I agree with you BTW. Cal is a SAT narcissist but remember that Cal has a noble mission that's bigger than winning games and Titles.

 

[Chitown Terry]

Okay, that's fair. You feel like Hopkins ran away from a fight. I get it. I think more than anything, people like me feel like some guys just don't get the opportunity to show what they've got under Cal or the system just doesn't give them a real chance to do that. Or, when some guys do show flashes and then Cal talks about needing to get them more PT but then forgets about them for the rest of the year. I'm better with proving that a guy CAN'T do it consistently, than wondering whether or not they could. When the guys you play most have already proven they can't get it done, what's the harm in letting the next guy off the bench have the same chance?

Cal apparently is benching Toppin and another starter. He has already benched Collins.I think he is more willing to make necessary changes than some of you believe.

 

[JST390-2]

 

[UKat51]

Cal didn’t like him though so sucks for us I guess

The kid only played one decent game while at UK. Other than that he pretty much sucked. Glade he is finding his way at Providence bring a volume shooter.

 

[qwesley]

They say what I was saying last year. He has speed with power, his first step is a killer. Like Livingston, Cal refused to play him at the four where he could really go to work using that first step....floating around the perimeter with two bigs, like how he was used here, was such a waste. And according to reports from the post-game Cal said he is leaving Livingston on the perimeter. He just doesn't get it, as do what few fans are making excuses that Hopkins really didn't do much here or was afraid of competition, etc.

 

[UK90]

The kid only played one decent game while at UK. Other than that he pretty much sucked. Glade he is finding his way at Providence bring a volume shooter.

But he’s not being a volume shooter. Against Marquette he got his 29 points on only 14 shot attempts …which is just incredibly impressive offensive efficiency.

And when you add in the fact that he also had friggin 23 rebounds …and got the win over a ranked team … I think it’s safe to call it the best performance in all of college basketball so far this year.

 

[UK90]

They say what I was saying last year. He has speed with power, his first step is a killer. Like Livingston, Cal refused to play him at the four where he could really go to work using that first step....floating around the perimeter with two bigs, like how he was used here, was such a waste. And according to reports from the post-game Cal said he is leaving Livingston on the perimeter. He just doesn't get it, as do what few fans are making excuses that Hopkins really didn't do much here or was afraid of competition, etc.

Yep, and not just as a scorer, it also wasted much of his rebounding gifts.

The kid has proven this year that he’s a monster rebounder …one now averaging a double double … but we didn’t get to see that on display so much because Cal had him playing a position where he was stuck way outside of rebounding position when shots went up.

 

[502 Wildcat]

Bryce Hopkins is a beast.

One of the biggest coaching blunders I’ve ever seen.

 

[wkycatfan7]

This has angered me, along with Johnny Juzang. Good for them, bad for us.

 

[jwheat]

The kid only played one decent game while at UK. Other than that he pretty much sucked. Glade he is finding his way at Providence bring a volume shooter.

This is a Benny folks