can they have a impact like Murray and ulis did this year next year? also do you think having inside presence with bam and Gabriel be a big difference in guard play and taking pressure off them next year gonna be fun to watch.
Fox and monk...
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More. I do admit it's going to be harder for them to average more per game, but I wouldn't be surprised. If they don't average more it will be do to have a better frontline that doesn't disappear,
TBH, I am excited about next year but I am going to hold off until January to see how good we are. Cal's teams grow over the year and with a bunch of freshmen again, I assume we will again take some early knocks, just hopefully none as bad as this year to really hit us in the seeding. I can't see how our front line could be worse though, but I will gladly take a more balanced team that has some depth and next year's team appears to be just that.
I thank Ulis will be hard to replace, but I thank these new guards will be really good..
As of right now we don't really have an inside presence for next year. Gabriel is a small forward. Bam is a freak at the 4 but those 2 aren't really gonna intimidate anyone.
SKJ is a wcs project I'm thinking
SKJ is a wcs project I'm thinking
Bam isn't going to intimidate? That is his game. Manchild that dunks everything. Bullyball; foul trouble going to be his issue.
Absolutely they can! Will they remains to be seen! The Dukies won the title last year with a freshman point guard and center-- and with one senior guard, a soph, junior and two other freshmen playing key roles! UK and Cal will be playing with a purpose next year-- win the SEC and the National title. Barring any key injuries we should win it all, particularly with Willis, Hawkins, Humphrirs and Wynyard ready to contribute!!
Damn, I'm looking forward to football and then hoops this year! When Cal and the boys are starting strong in the preseason our football team will be heading to a bowl game with 7 wins!!
Fox and Monk are lottery picks and will have a similar impact, although I think they impact the game differently than Ulis/Murray offensively (they will be superior defensively overall, even with Ulis' pesky pressure). I'm looking for Fox/Monk to get into gaps and destroy people off the bounce. Both can shoot, and I actually expect Fox to shoot the ball on a decent level. Monk will make a healthy amount of threes. He's a better shooter than most give him credit for.
All of that said, I think Gabriel finds himself in the top 10 next year. He's bouncy as hell, and will prove to be a lock-down defender. Bam is also a lottery pick. UK will have four high level players next season - guys capable of doing it all on both sides of the court. I'm not sure Calipari had that type of two-sided skill from four lottery picks since he's been here, not even with the '10, '12, or '15 teams.
Get Briscoe back, and it could get really interesting, because then you would have an NBA-level defensive perimeter.
UK won't have a Karl Towns-type, but they'll have at least two lottery picks who will encompass 2/3 of the most athletic players in nation standing 6'9" or taller (Giles being the third). I'm not sure UK needs a Towns-type. They just need rebounding, defense, and competent low-block scoring skill. Gabriel and Bam provide that, and then some.
Throw in Bolden, an improving Humphries (who didn't even join the UK team until August last season), and UK will have everything it needs on the interior.
Yeah not sure why he feels our post play will not be good. Should be the best in the country.
It's going to be next to impossible for Monk to outscore Murray... a) Murray was Cal's highest scorer at UK and b) the likelihood of UK's bigs scoring less than last year's group is remote.
They won't have to outscore Murray and Ulis. UK will have a all around cast next season. Both Fox and Monk can score they can shoot, drive and score on and ones but I think Monk is a better driver then Murray and better passer. He's not the better shooter however.
I think we get our shooting with Wills/Fox and Monk all can hit 3's. Even if Fox shoots it at 35% I'll be good with that. Fox is the best in this class.
I think we get our shooting with Wills/Fox and Monk all can hit 3's. Even if Fox shoots it at 35% I'll be good with that. Fox is the best in this class.
Not sure how many of you have seen Bam play in person.
He is most definitely not a shot creator ala KAT.
He is powerful and if the opportunity is there he dunks it, and sometimes even when it is not there!
But he not a traditional go to guy on the post.
Having Bolden will certainly free Bam up to display his best attributes.
Gabriel wants to be a wing and Cal has said he will play him there.
SKJ is a bit more project than many here want to believe.
Fox and Monk are totally different from Ulis and Murray.
Fox is not nearly as deliberate or patient as Tyler. I doubt he eclipses Ulis' freshman 3pt%.
But Fox is fast. He plays even faster than Tyler. He will make more mistakes and have more turnovers but he can get to the rim at will and finish.
His shot is good enough and his wow moments will bring you back somewhat to the John Wall days.
Monk is an exceptional athlete, more so than Murray. Although Murrays physical abilities are somewhat lessened by many here as he is extremely talented physically.
Monk can do even more. Monk is not the dead eye shooter Murray is, nor does Monk bring international experience.
The hype for this group is of course huge and this is a great group of athletes, probably the best athletically.
I will not be surprised to see plenty of Willis to steady the offense or Dom and Mathews to improve D at times.
Bolden is the big question mark. If he doesn't come and Hump cannot start then we play an entirely different game with Bam at the 5 instead of the 4.
We will not be able to out athlete every opponent, we will need to execute basketball basics on a high level.
We will win the dunk contest every game next season but we must be able to do more than that on offense and play great defense.
He is most definitely not a shot creator ala KAT.
He is powerful and if the opportunity is there he dunks it, and sometimes even when it is not there!
But he not a traditional go to guy on the post.
Having Bolden will certainly free Bam up to display his best attributes.
Gabriel wants to be a wing and Cal has said he will play him there.
SKJ is a bit more project than many here want to believe.
Fox and Monk are totally different from Ulis and Murray.
Fox is not nearly as deliberate or patient as Tyler. I doubt he eclipses Ulis' freshman 3pt%.
But Fox is fast. He plays even faster than Tyler. He will make more mistakes and have more turnovers but he can get to the rim at will and finish.
His shot is good enough and his wow moments will bring you back somewhat to the John Wall days.
Monk is an exceptional athlete, more so than Murray. Although Murrays physical abilities are somewhat lessened by many here as he is extremely talented physically.
Monk can do even more. Monk is not the dead eye shooter Murray is, nor does Monk bring international experience.
The hype for this group is of course huge and this is a great group of athletes, probably the best athletically.
I will not be surprised to see plenty of Willis to steady the offense or Dom and Mathews to improve D at times.
Bolden is the big question mark. If he doesn't come and Hump cannot start then we play an entirely different game with Bam at the 5 instead of the 4.
We will not be able to out athlete every opponent, we will need to execute basketball basics on a high level.
We will win the dunk contest every game next season but we must be able to do more than that on offense and play great defense.
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This is pretty much spot on. Next year's team will be much more dribble drive, lob, kick out for three in the corner type of teams that we have seen from our exceptional athletic teams. They will play at a break neck pace because all of the guards/wings have the ability to push the ball up the floor between Fox, Monk, Gabriel, and Briscoe if he comes back. We will be much more athletic than every team we play, just gotta hope the basketball IQ catches up to the athleticism, and I think it will. I wouldn't mind seeing some "small ball" line ups during stretches of games with Fox, Monk, Briscoe/Matthews, Gabriel, and Bam. I say small ball in the sense of spreading the court, running the floor type of play, even though that would be a line up of 6'4, 6'5, 6'3/6'6, 6'10, 6'9. Excited. Let's enjoy this run we are on with Cal, even with this finish we just had. You will be kicking yourself when he leaves and realize how lucky we were to have him here.
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Thank you for posting this.....so so many people on here think Bam is a low post scorer and he simply isn't outside of dunking right now. He actually has a good 15 footer but no drop steps, or hook shots or up and unders. We NEED bolden a lot more then people on here understand. When we have a traditional low post scorer :cousins, towns, Randell, Davis we have great teams. When we don't we have okay teams.
Ulis year two was better than Ulis year one. It is silly to think that Fox just comes in and is equal. BUT, we don't need Fox and Monk to be as good as Murray and Ulis, we need them just to be good with more inside skilled players. We have already seen in this tourney, how some mid-majors advanced or lost a very close contest by having one dribble drive mobile big man. Just one, combined with some decent but not exceptional talent at other positions. We can have exceptional talent at multiple positions along with a big front line. That is the key difference going into next season hopefully.
As always all you say is true. Monk will make around 38% from 3 and Fox will be closer to 40-42% . Gabriel is the most talented recruit IMO and is a stud at SF position . Bam is a beast and will intimidate EVERYONE . NO idea what kinda crack that other poster was smoking to say he wouldn't . Skj is anything but a project. He won't play a ton if he get Bolden but he is a high first rounder when his time comes as well. Next year is a 37-3 type year with Bolden , 35-5 type without .
I think next year we will have balanced scoring so no one will average more then 15 but Monk will be the leading scorer.
fox and monk wont shoot the ball as well as ulis and murray. but they will shoot it better than most. but both guys can get to the basket better and do so without a screen being set. i dont think next years team will see many games where our opponent shoots more FTs than us.
yea I'd imagine Fox and Monk wont be exactly Ulis and Murray next year. Id say 13-14 point a game each. Fox needs to be a 6 assist guard though. That's the number of assists a true point GOD gets in college. The post players will be improved so Fox and Mulder wont be asked to do it all.
I'm glad to see that 2015 has not quelled your enthusiastic projections Cane.
However, I've probably seen Fox more than anyone on here. He has never come close to 42%.
Gabriel has a ton of work to do to be stud SF but the potential is there.
Bam is strong and physical but he did not intimidate EVERYONE in high school - college players are not going to be afraid of the kid, i think this premonition that he is going to be Shaq-like is again over reaching.
He will battle and use his strength which is what we desperately needed this year.
SKJ is going to come in and play over who? He some skill but has the furthest to go imo.
We definitely could be a 37-3 team next year assuming Bolden comes and he plays as expected. Without him, we are much different unless Humphries really excels.
Again, Bam at the 4 makes us much different team and not sure what that means as to consistency.
Hmm...I'd temper those shooting expectations for Fox. I think he's a decent shooter but if he were as fast as Wall AND a 40% shooter, he'd be touted as the next basketball messiah. According to Maxpreps, he shot 34% from 3 last year and 76% from the line (thank God). Here's his numbers....
http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/deaaron-fox/uhYwcfTtEeKZ5AAmVebBJg/gendersport/basketball-stats.htm
Davis was not and still is not a traditional low post guy. I'd say he's proof you don't need that to be successful.