Drew Franklin (Bamba)

MNantz

Heisman
Dec 20, 2001
9,086
11,921
98
I don't know who Drew is, but that is the sediment around everyone around the coaching ranks.

Bamba to UK should happen.

Until I hear differently, you all are getting this stud.
Thanks Coach , Did you have any luck at the final four ?
 

MakinMusic_rivals

All-Conference
Mar 21, 2006
10,715
3,597
66
Bamba looks ok but I don't see anything all that eye popping about him. Maybe I haven't seen him play enough. Those who follow recruits more closely, Please enlighten me.
 
Sep 6, 2005
1,297
400
0
Love watching the MJ fanboys get butthurt when it becomes obvious he has no "sources"

Very true, unless you count all of the coaches and players on the actual team as sources... or Evan Daniels.... or Jason Jordan from USA Today that did the feature on Julius Randle and told Matt that Randle was coming to UK all along when everyone else was speculating Kansas, etc.
 
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westerncat

Heisman
Feb 19, 2012
15,923
20,891
0
Bamba looks ok but I don't see anything all that eye popping about him. Maybe I haven't seen him play enough. Those who follow recruits more closely, Please enlighten me.

Bamba is one of the best big men out there. He can block shots much like Davis did but is offense needs work. This is why I do not see him playing the 4 in collage. His size he will play 5 where ever he goes.
 
Jan 9, 2007
15,353
13,412
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Very true, unless you count all of the coaches and players on the actual team as sources... or Evan Daniels.... or Jason Jordan from USA Today that did the feature on Julius Randle and told Matt that Randle was coming to UK all along when everyone else was speculating Kansas, etc.

[roll][roll] Randle to Kentucky was obvious. Also, the coaches at Kentucky don't pass along recruiting info to Jones. He gets his information from the same places we do and then tries to pass it along like he get it from a "source". It's what he's always done.
 

o_Ricky

All-Conference
Dec 4, 2008
1,852
1,513
33
Bamba looks ok but I don't see anything all that eye popping about him. Maybe I haven't seen him play enough. Those who follow recruits more closely, Please enlighten me.

Per Evan Daniels: If Mohamed Bamba was currently in the NBA his wingspan would rank No. 1 (7-9) among starters and his standing reach would rank No. 2 (9-6).
 
Sep 6, 2005
1,297
400
0
[roll][roll] Randle to Kentucky was obvious. Also, the coaches at Kentucky don't pass along recruiting info to Jones. He gets his information from the same places we do and then tries to pass it along like he get it from a "source". It's what he's always done.

Not how I remember it. A lot of national recruiting analysts had him going to KU at the end and there were plenty of people on here that were worried they were correct. Pretty sure you and I don't talk to the same people Matt Jones does. Like him or not, he's built his brand into a huge presence and has established strong connections with notable people not just within KY, but all around the country. I certainly don't think highly enough of myself to pretend that my sources are on the same plane as his.
 

Mike-D

Heisman
Jul 14, 2001
50,068
74,326
113
Love watching the MJ fanboys get butthurt when it becomes obvious he has no "sources"

Okay so he doesn't have sources. Feel better? You won dee interwebz.

 
Jan 24, 2005
20,352
11,690
0
[roll][roll] Randle to Kentucky was obvious. Also, the coaches at Kentucky don't pass along recruiting info to Jones. He gets his information from the same places we do and then tries to pass it along like he get it from a "source". It's what he's always done.
The only 2 people saying Randle to Kentucky were Jason Jordan and Matt Jones. That's why you may have thought it was obvious. But most other sites had him pegged to Kansas. To say Matt gets his info from this board is laughable, and you would have to be willfully blind to think that way. But have at it.
 
Jan 24, 2005
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Per Evan Daniels: If Mohamed Bamba was currently in the NBA his wingspan would rank No. 1 (7-9) among starters and his standing reach would rank No. 2 (9-6).
I was about to post the exact same thing. Bamba is decent on offense, but he will be a menace on defense. The one thing we are missing right now is a rim protector. Bamba could be the best one we have ever had, especially considering his measurements.
 
Jan 9, 2007
15,353
13,412
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The only 2 people saying Randle to Kentucky were Jason Jordan and Matt Jones. That's why you may have thought it was obvious. But most other sites had him pegged to Kansas. To say Matt gets his info from this board is laughable, and you would have to be willfully blind to think that way. But have at it.

This is not true at all. Randle was viewed by most as likely to go to Kentucky until the very end when people thought Kansas could be a real player. That was obviously never true. Randle was always going to Kentucky.

Only on Jones show can you hear "My source, who should know, says we aren't getting Bamba" and "We feel great about Bamba. That other source wasn't any good" in the same week. He doesn't have connections.
 
Jan 24, 2005
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This is not true at all. Randle was viewed by most as likely to go to Kentucky until the very end when people thought Kansas could be a real player. That was obviously never true. Randle was always going to Kentucky.

Only on Jones show can you hear "My source, who should know, says we aren't getting Bamba" and "We feel great about Bamba. That other source wasn't any good" in the same week. He doesn't have connections.
Again with the lies.

Julius Randle(2013)- I can’t say enough about how much I like this kid as a player, and a person. He is battling back from a foot injury that will end his senior season, but he should be fully healthy next year for his freshman season in college. I feel like he is the best player in high school only behind Andrew Wiggins. Most recruiting guys feel like Texas and Florida are in the lead, and Kentucky is a close 3rd. Julius although may not feel that way as he said the one player he wants to play with next year in college is Andrew Harrsion. That’s not going to happen at Florida or Texas so you have to feel like Kentucky has a great shot at landing Randle. This is my hardest prediction, because nobody knows who his favorite is. Although I do think he is waiting until the Spring to see who stays and leaves from Kentucky.

http://www.nationofblue.com/college-predictions-for-remaining-2013-prospects/
 
Jan 9, 2007
15,353
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Again with the lies.

Julius Randle(2013)- I can’t say enough about how much I like this kid as a player, and a person. He is battling back from a foot injury that will end his senior season, but he should be fully healthy next year for his freshman season in college. I feel like he is the best player in high school only behind Andrew Wiggins. Most recruiting guys feel like Texas and Florida are in the lead, and Kentucky is a close 3rd. Julius although may not feel that way as he said the one player he wants to play with next year in college is Andrew Harrsion. That’s not going to happen at Florida or Texas so you have to feel like Kentucky has a great shot at landing Randle. This is my hardest prediction, because nobody knows who his favorite is. Although I do think he is waiting until the Spring to see who stays and leaves from Kentucky.

http://www.nationofblue.com/college-predictions-for-remaining-2013-prospects/

Do you even read the links you post? It's right at the top: 3 recruiting experts picked Randle to Kansas, 2 said Kentucky. This idea that Jones was the only one saying Randle to Kentucky isn't true at all. Again, as is usually the case, a smokescreen was put up to make Randle's decision more dramatic, some experts bought it at the end, and they said Kansas. I think this is exactly what's happening with Bamba and Texas. Throughout Randle's recruitment the overall vibe was Kentucky.

Try harder.
 
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Feb 5, 2003
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The day Matt Jones revealed that a source told him not Kentucky with Bamba, didn't he say in his post on the KSR website that if he still had to guess he would guess Bamba to UK? He just said less confident because of that info but it wasn't enough for him to change his opinion. Just saying
 

Mikey Likes It

All-Conference
Sep 9, 2007
11,247
3,776
0
Love watching the MJ fanboys get butthurt when it becomes obvious he has no "sources"
Yeah its not like he knows anyone on the coaching staff, the athletic director, the boosters, team or even Tom Leech. You know nothing Matt Snow.
 

JohnnyGentle

Senior
Nov 6, 2007
1,559
675
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Bamba looks ok but I don't see anything all that eye popping about him. Maybe I haven't seen him play enough. Those who follow recruits more closely, Please enlighten me.

his long arms combined with his frame make him effectively bigger than anyone playing basketball except rudy gobert

and he's much quicker and much more advanced than gobert was at the same stage

gobert currently has the highest offensive rating of any player in the nba, and is the favorite for DPOY
 

CatsPaws270

Heisman
Dec 7, 2015
24,551
64,180
113
Matt has usually been pretty good about knowing when they are getting someone. He obviously has sources because he always can hint when a big football commit is about to jump on board. Another example was when he knew that Harry Giles was committing to Duke and had info about him having surgery at the Duke hospital, but he did not want to tell right away to give specifics.

In 2013 he was confident about Randle and let everyone know Wiggins was gone from the jump. Considering the guests Matt has on his show and podcast, he probably has some people he can call to get a feel. I don't think Matt has a good grip of day to day stuff, but people on the AAU circuit know things and which way the wind is blowing. Some things you can't reveal or accuse over the air because you'll lose that source. Like, I'm sure people knew Shabazz Mohamed was going to UCLA because of his shoe dealings, but that was something that was not gonna be brought out on the air.
 

Jaredky83

Sophomore
Apr 12, 2017
80
122
23
I know it should not mean much,, but Drew is listed as a crystal ball expert on 247 Sports. Matt has big sources, but Drew is involved in researching this stuff every day. Drew's life is covering Kentucky sports for the news, Matt is involved in running a business, a radio, and a tv show.

I think Matt has certain sources but he doesn't hound them for info. One reason I believe this is because he did let the Monk award slip on his show a full day before it was publicly released. Someone in the know and close to the team had to have told him that personally. He gets Cal on his show from time to time. So with that being said I think it's clear he can get some solid info from time to time.

One of our assistant coaches retweets and follows Matt and Drew Franklin on twitter. That coach, Joel Justus, is a recruiter for UK if I'm not mistaken. Either way I think Drew knows something, he's in with those guys and relates to them on more of a personality level unlike some older reporters would like to think they do.
 
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caneintally

Heisman
Oct 1, 2002
27,455
17,056
0
This is not true at all. Randle was viewed by most as likely to go to Kentucky until the very end when people thought Kansas could be a real player. That was obviously never true. Randle was always going to Kentucky.

Only on Jones show can you hear "My source, who should know, says we aren't getting Bamba" and "We feel great about Bamba. That other source wasn't any good" in the same week. He doesn't have connections.
Who cares about Jones? He has some decent sources but he isn't the end all be all. Not many UK fans care about him one way or another and the ones that do seem to are the ones who try to attack him. I don't listen to his show as I live in Florida and I don't care about that kinda stuff to stream but the hate of him is silly. He deserves props for turning his love of UK into a career. To say he has no sources is a complete dumbass thing to say though for sure. Doesn't mean they are always right but he knows people from his work with the program . You can't do what he does and NOT know people with info.
 
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caneintally

Heisman
Oct 1, 2002
27,455
17,056
0
I think Matt has certain sources but he doesn't hound them for info. One reason I believe this is because he did let the Monk award slip on his show a full day before it was publicly released. Someone in the know and close to the team had to have told him that personally. He gets Cal on his show from time to time. So with that being said I think it's clear he can get some solid info from time to time.

One of our assistant coaches retweets and follows Matt and Drew Franklin on twitter. That coach, Joel Justice, is a recruiter for UK if I'm not mistaken. Either way I think Drew knows something, he's in with those guys and relates to them on more of a personality level unlike some older reporters would like to think they do.
Very good post .
 
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CatsPaws270

Heisman
Dec 7, 2015
24,551
64,180
113
I'll put this another way, if it was not for Matt, Drew, and the whole KSR site, what would be our way of knowing who these recruits are without searching different twitter feeds and sites? They do a good job of aggregating the info they collect and have found a great way for us fans to know insterad of waiting for the newest CatPause to hit stands like the old days.

Also, when has KSR hyped up a recruiting pick and has been wrong?
 
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Apr 6, 2013
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A little OT but having to do with recruits, sources, Twitter, etc.:

What is the story with GregNJ on Twitter? DannySallee on Twitter?

I have seen their Twitter handles pop up numerous times when posters ask on here for potential recruiting sources to follow. Are they connected at the AAU level? Coaching level? High school level?
 
Jan 29, 2003
18,120
12,185
0
sources in recruiting aren't worth much, except for the rare kid who knows where he's going and doesn't waver. most kids are kids, and they change their minds daily, so all you're getting from "sources" is dated news or a reading of tea leaves.

as for Jones, damnation, can't there be any reasonable middle grounds? can't someone simultaneously think/understand that i) Jones has an annoying, tending towards arrogant personality and ii) that he should be congratulated for the job he's done turning his fandom into a way to make a living and iii) that it's only reasonable, even if you don't like him, to at least be honest when "quoting" him?
 
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Dec 12, 2007
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I think I've heard that Randle has said that he was always going to UK and never waivered. If true, you gotta wonder where all the rumors of him going elsewhere came from. Or am I getting him mixed up with MKG?
 

CatsPaws270

Heisman
Dec 7, 2015
24,551
64,180
113
I think I've heard that Randle has said that he was always going to UK and never waivered. If true, you gotta wonder where all the rumors of him going elsewhere came from. Or am I getting him mixed up with MKG?
MKG committed to Kentucky at the end of his Junior season in High School, so he did never waiver but he was a Cat way before his senior year.
 

CatsPaws270

Heisman
Dec 7, 2015
24,551
64,180
113
On 247, Ethan Moore who runs Louisville Sports Live made his crystal ball prediction to UofL. Considering the guy and Matt share a city, one would assume that was the "source" Matt talked to at the time. And since that guy is from Ky, Drew probably knows a lot about him enough to make an assumption that he knows absolutely nothing.
 

Bluejoe56

Freshman
Apr 6, 2017
167
89
12
The day Matt Jones revealed that a source told him not Kentucky with Bamba, didn't he say in his post on the KSR website that if he still had to guess he would guess Bamba to UK? He just said less confident because of that info but it wasn't enough for him to change his opinion. Just saying
Know of anyone hiring around here bro?
 
Nov 7, 2008
13,888
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Lol, I usually sit these out but people using fake or altered facts to whine and complain about anything just gets to me. I happened to be listening to the actual statement on radio and had to laugh when I saw what it had turned into after the game of telephone.

I hear ya. I don't live in Kentucky so I guess I don't have as much of an opinion on it.

When I do come up for games though, my first impression is he's a little full of himself and at least when it comes to football we could do a lot lot better.
 

UKCAT5FAN

All-Conference
May 9, 2010
5,255
3,755
113
[roll][roll] Randle to Kentucky was obvious. Also, the coaches at Kentucky don't pass along recruiting info to Jones. He gets his information from the same places we do and then tries to pass it along like he get it from a "source". It's what he's always done.


No, he doesn't get his info from here. I promise you that. Just another butthurt comment on Jones. Yawn! But you go right ahead and try to get your info from whoever the hell you want. I'll keep listening to Matt. I'd put his record up against anyone when it comes to UK recruits. Nobody is more accurate and it's not even close.

Also, Randle was NOT obvious. You're completely naive if you think Jones doesn't get some info from the staff. I know you don't really know, you're just trying to discredit him as per usual around here.
 

UKCAT5FAN

All-Conference
May 9, 2010
5,255
3,755
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Bamba looks ok but I don't see anything all that eye popping about him. Maybe I haven't seen him play enough. Those who follow recruits more closely, Please enlighten me.



That's the glaring answer right there. Anyone who says Bamba just looks "Ok" hasn't probably seen him play much at all. The first time I watched him, his skill set and potential just jumped off the screen. The kid is a game changer for sure. Elite prospect, no doubts about it.