Justin McBride

Feb 2, 2026
150
485
63
People were upset when McBride did not immediately commit. Then, he commits and people talk about the roster like we have no dudes. I think he could be a good piece of the puzzle.

We don't have dudes.

A roster with Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins as its best players isn't doing anything of consequence. It's not competing for a SEC regular season or postseason championship. It's not competing for a top 4 seed in the tournament. It'll be lucky to even make the tournament.

UK fans who actually have standards and understand ball are naturally upset and frustrated.

Folks like you aren't because, well, you're not very bright. And there are a lot of rumors that you have bad body odor too.
 

JPFisher

Heisman
Jul 24, 2013
6,795
13,147
113
McBride will be an offensive dynamo. What's to be seen, like others have said, is his defense.

Dude needs to shed some belly fat and get in the weight room to compensate for the lost pounds, but I think he will prove to be a great addition to the team.

If he can take ownership of his defense like Fuego did, he'll easily become a fan favorite.
 

catfanlou

All-Conference
Jul 6, 2005
3,602
1,232
41
We don't have dudes.

A roster with Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins as its best players isn't doing anything of consequence. It's not competing for a SEC regular season or postseason championship. It's not competing for a top 4 seed in the tournament. It'll be lucky to even make the tournament.

UK fans who actually have standards and understand ball are naturally upset and frustrated.

Folks like you aren't because, well, you're not very bright. And there are a lot of rumors that you have bad body odor too.
If Mareno is in fact just outside of the top 30 in the nba draft it logically follows if he comes back he WILL be one of the
super stars next season . The Senegal kid is the real deal and among McBride, Willians and Hawthorne we should have
the three covered and backups for the guards .
If Marengo comes back the only thing we desperately need is a quality 4/5 . I diner understand the panic . If Mareno does not come back
we are screwed . I get that . Then we need two bigs .
 
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*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
45,969
83,623
113
People were upset when McBride did not immediately commit. Then, he commits and people talk about the roster like we have no dudes. I think he could be a good piece of the puzzle.
He could be a very good piece. This issue is we don’t have dominate talent in front of him. If he was on the 2017 team for example, hell yeah. We need a couple NBA caliber wings/forwards and another big man to even compete imo.
 
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Feb 2, 2026
150
485
63
If Mareno is in fact just outside of the top 30 in the nba draft it logically follows if he comes back he WILL be one of the
super stars next season . The Senegal kid is the real deal and among McBride, Willians and Hawthorne we should have
the three covered and backups for the guards .
If Marengo comes back the only thing we desperately need is a quality 4/5 . I diner understand the panic . If Mareno does not come back
we are screwed . I get that . Then we need two bigs .

Are you okay? This reads like you were having a stroke while typing that out.
 

rob_47

All-Conference
Jun 17, 2020
962
1,898
93
If Mareno is in fact just outside of the top 30 in the nba draft it logically follows if he comes back he WILL be one of the
super stars next season . The Senegal kid is the real deal and among McBride, Willians and Hawthorne we should have
the three covered and backups for the guards .
If Marengo comes back the only thing we desperately need is a quality 4/5 . I diner understand the panic . If Mareno does not come back
we are screwed . I get that . Then we need two bigs .
Why do you spell his name wrong like that?
 
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Beatle Bum

Heisman
Sep 1, 2002
41,924
63,901
113
He could be a very good piece. This issue is we don’t have dominate talent in front of him. If he was on the 2017 team for example, hell yeah. We need a couple NBA caliber wings/forwards and another big man to even compete imo.
I understand that people don’t think there are dominant players in front of him and some don’t think the team has any big time talent. The fact is, we don’t know how this team will look come November. I will wait and see. I don’t have to put any money down in Vegas. So, I hope for the best.
 

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
45,969
83,623
113
I understand that people don’t think there are dominant players in front of him and some don’t think the team has any big time talent. The fact is, we don’t know how this team will look come November. I will wait and see. I don’t have to put any money down in Vegas. So, I hope for the best.
Me either, but it’s kinda easy to project most teams. We are severely lacking in some key areas and top end talent is the main one. We don’t even have the style team Pope has looked competent coaching sometimes either.
 
Last edited:
Jul 17, 2025
110
118
43
When they started to pay the players that left them open for criticism. They are no longer just students they are paid semiprofessional players!
Find some space in the middle then.

This isn't the pros where they have to go where they are drafted so fostering a supportive and welcoming environment is far more critical to the program than petty emotional piling on. They can get paid elsewhere.

One can be constructive in their criticism, it isn't carrying a cross to Calvary.
 

Padsfs07

All-Conference
Jan 19, 2013
3,744
3,520
108
If Mareno is in fact just outside of the top 30 in the nba draft it logically follows if he comes back he WILL be one of the
super stars next season . The Senegal kid is the real deal and among McBride, Willians and Hawthorne we should have
the three covered and backups for the guards .
If Marengo comes back the only thing we desperately need is a quality 4/5 . I diner understand the panic . If Mareno does not come back
we are screwed . I get that . Then we need two bigs .

I think people are just worried he may regress like Garrison plus he looked worse toward the end of the year. I hope we get the confident Moreno
 

megablue

Heisman
Oct 2, 2012
15,935
16,259
113
I think people are just worried he may regress like Garrison plus he looked worse toward the end of the year. I hope we get the confident Moreno
I hope he lets the game come to him. I thought Garrison forced action outside of his skillset and comfort zone a lot of times. It hurt him and us.
Moreno just needs to be solid, play smart and stay out of foul trouble. I think with Diallo penetrating, Moreno will have opportunities near the rim.
 

PastorofMuppets82

All-Conference
Mar 4, 2025
481
1,032
93
I like this pick up as he is more offensively skilled than MoD and I won't cringe and yell at the TV when McBride shoots a 3. I still think we need a physical back-up Center (doesn't even have to be a scoring threat, just a man among boys who can rebound and make the occasional put back while giving Moreno a breather). McBride helps in the situation where we don't get that backup Center allowing N'Daiye to play some backup 5 minutes. I also think we still need a pure shooter/spark-plug type bench player who can come in when the offense is stalling and just let it rain and raise the energy. I had hoped Noah could be that guy with his hustle and reported shooting ability in practice but he shrunk in games last year and looked afraid to shoot. Then the last roster spot should be NBA draft drop out type guy, Milan, Graves, etc OR an extremely talented foreign phenom wanting to come over for a year. I think it's very unlikely we get that 3rd option though. It may come to pass that we don't even find anyone to fill all three of the remaining roster spots with how bad this portal has gone.
 

The Ganner

Senior
Nov 21, 2009
277
747
93
I like this pick up as he is more offensively skilled that MoD and I won't cringe and yell at the TV when McBride shoots a 3. I still think we need a physical back-up Center (doesn't even have to be a scoring threat, just a man among boys who can rebound and make the occasional put back while giving Moreno a breather). McBride helps in the situation where we don't get that backup Center allowing N'Daiye to play some backup 5 minutes. I also think we still need a pure shooter/spark-plug type bench player who can come in when the offense is stalling and just let it rain and raise the energy. I had hoped Noah could be that guy with his hustle and reported shooting ability in practice but he shrunk in games last year and looked afraid to shoot. Then the last roster spot should be NBA draft drop out type guy, Milan, Graves, etc OR an extremely talented foreign phenom wanting to come over for a year. I think it's very unlikely we get that 3rd option though. It may come to pass that we don't even find anyone to fill all three of the remaining roster spots with how bad this portal has gone.

First off, great username

I agree with all of this, ideally we'd get a legit star SF along with a backup shooter and a backup center. But I'm not sure who those guys will be. I do think we'll add at least 2 more guys, but they might be more Euros or lower level just guys we add out of desperation.
 
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Padsfs07

All-Conference
Jan 19, 2013
3,744
3,520
108
I hope he lets the game come to him. I thought Garrison forced action outside of his skillset and comfort zone a lot of times. It hurt him and us.
Moreno just needs to be solid, play smart and stay out of foul trouble. I think with Diallo penetrating, Moreno will have opportunities near the rim.

I really hope they get a foreign trip to bond some too. Moreno didn’t seem too comfortable with Aberdeen. Being able to kick out to McBride is nice too.
 

PastorofMuppets82

All-Conference
Mar 4, 2025
481
1,032
93
I just question the timing of his X post asking fans for questions. He really didn't talk to the media last year either until he was "done" with the roster construction. I remember him basically saying they were scouring the earth for that final player that wanted to be there or something along those lines. But the roster was already complete. (I don't remember if this was before or after Oweh pulled his name out of the draft and returned). I bring that up because, surely they don't think they are done bringing in players right? I mean, right?
 
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Beatle Bum

Heisman
Sep 1, 2002
41,924
63,901
113
Me either but it’s kinda easy to project most teams. We are severely lacking in some key areas and top end talent is the main one. We don’t even have the style team Pope has looked competent coaching sometimes either.
I am not so sure about style. Moreno would have been a top five transfer had he entered. We kept him, it would appear. Will he be a dominant center? Time will tell, but he had that potential. If he is. He won’t likely be the passing big Pope developed so well with Williams, but with a space eater that demands attention and two very talented PGs in the starting lineup, the potential to move the ball to create set shots for Kam, Noah, Ndaiye and others could be better than Pope has had. It may not schematically look the same, but the concepts will be.
 
Last edited:
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Beatle Bum

Heisman
Sep 1, 2002
41,924
63,901
113
Watching the KSR discussion about McBride made me like this pick even more. He played on a bad team and generally against lesser competition, but he was also the focal point of most defenses, seems to handle the ball a great deal as a PF, can shoot and looks like a decent passer. It will be interesting to see how he looks with better talent around him.
 
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UKVACats0107

Sophomore
Jan 19, 2026
118
157
43
I like this pick up as he is more offensively skilled than MoD and I won't cringe and yell at the TV when McBride shoots a 3. I still think we need a physical back-up Center (doesn't even have to be a scoring threat, just a man among boys who can rebound and make the occasional put back while giving Moreno a breather). McBride helps in the situation where we don't get that backup Center allowing N'Daiye to play some backup 5 minutes. I also think we still need a pure shooter/spark-plug type bench player who can come in when the offense is stalling and just let it rain and raise the energy. I had hoped Noah could be that guy with his hustle and reported shooting ability in practice but he shrunk in games last year and looked afraid to shoot. Then the last roster spot should be NBA draft drop out type guy, Milan, Graves, etc OR an extremely talented foreign phenom wanting to come over for a year. I think it's very unlikely we get that 3rd option though. It may come to pass that we don't even find anyone to fill all three of the remaining roster spots with how bad this portal has gone.
C position is now solidified & exactly the way you specified.

Can we get 2 for 2 or the request line???
 
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kyjeff1

Heisman
Sep 8, 2012
51,201
71,971
113
We don't have dudes.

A roster with Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins as its best players isn't doing anything of consequence. It's not competing for a SEC regular season or postseason championship. It's not competing for a top 4 seed in the tournament. It'll be lucky to even make the tournament.

UK fans who actually have standards and understand ball are naturally upset and frustrated.

Folks like you aren't because, well, you're not very bright. And there are a lot of rumors that you have bad body odor too.
LOL, the teams that are loaded with high end talent, aren’t winning titles.
Michigan just won it with a team full of transfers, some of which weren’t very good at their previous schools.
Florida won it with a bunch of mid major guards and college journeymen.
Duke had loaded rosters and lost to blue collar type teams when all the chips were on the table.
You might want to go root for duke, or Arkansas if you just want to see NBA talent 6hat doesn’t win the big hardware.
 
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LarryLegend9

Senior
Apr 24, 2026
229
415
62
LOL, the teams that are loaded with high end talent, aren’t winning titles.
Michigan just won it with a team full of transfers, some of which weren’t very good at their previous schools.
Florida won it with a bunch of mid major guards and college journeymen.
Duke had loaded rosters and lost to blue collar type teams when all the chips were on the table.
You might want to go root for duke, or Arkansas if you just want to see NBA talent 6hat doesn’t win the big hardware.
Michigan had the top ranked player in the portal with Yaxel. They had a couple other highly ranked guys too. UConn lands a few top ranked guys as well. Florida was the first modern team to win it without a top 100 player. Golden apparently is very good with player development .
 

Wunky

Heisman
Jan 16, 2021
4,402
18,354
78
People were upset when McBride did not immediately commit. Then, he commits and people talk about the roster like we have no dudes. I think he could be a good piece of the puzzle.

We shouldn’t be trying to solve “puzzles” at Kentucky. Sign elite basketball players, then coach them into an elite team. If you can’t do both, take a hike. Simple as that. This program is loved and supported by way too many people to not put a competitive product on the floor year in and year out. And by competitive I don’t mean finishing middle of the pack in the SEC.
 
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Apr 12, 2026
164
242
43
Every single player we hear assist percentage, points per possession, points per 40 minutes, stats when they play east of the Mississippi River, ppg when their mom watches the game in her lucky chair. My analytics tell me, these kinds of stats mean, you suck. Zoom diallo, and Alex Wilkins have over a 30% assist percentage!!! You know who else did? Sahvir wheeler! At Georgia AND at Kentucky. I guess that gives Calipari the green light to say without him being injured, we would win a championship.
 

kyjeff1

Heisman
Sep 8, 2012
51,201
71,971
113
Michigan had the top ranked player in the portal with Yaxel. They had a couple other highly ranked guys too. UConn lands a few top ranked guys as well. Florida was the first modern team to win it without a top 100 player. Golden apparently is very good with player development .
Okay, but where is the duke type talent everyone is clamoring for? I don't see it on any of those teams.

There is no reason this team, with Momcilivic and one more piece, couldn’t end up being just as good as any of the teams you mentioned.

Elliot Cadeau was mid at unc, he was ten times the player this year at Michigan.

In today's game, you want to get old and stay old. It's not about the individual pieces as much as it is the fit.

This team is going to be long and athletic and is probably going to shoot it pretty well too.

But hey, let's just continue to trash the players we have. Great.
 
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LarryLegend9

Senior
Apr 24, 2026
229
415
62
Okay, but where is the duke type talent everyone is clamoring for? I don't see it on any of those teams.

There is no reason this team, with Momcilivic and one more piece, couldn’t end up being just as good as any of the teams you mentioned.

Elliot Cadeau was mid at unc, he was ten times the player this year at Michigan.

In today's game, you want to get old and stay old. It's not about the individual pieces as much as it is the fit.

This team is going to be long and athletic and is probably going to shoot it pretty well too.

But hey, let's just continue to trash the players we have. Great.
You’re being way too emotional about this. I can’t help it that Pope went 0-15 on top 20 players that visited campus. If you believe that Pope can make it here, when he struggles that bad that’s fine. I don’t think that’s unfair at all for anyone including myself to say that he won’t make it if he doesn’t improve recruiting.

You keep adding your own spin on my posts and trying to make me the bad guy for believing we don’t have the talent to compete for an SEC championship. If that’s going to bother you, you’re going to struggle hearing what the media says about this basketball team.
 
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kyjeff1

Heisman
Sep 8, 2012
51,201
71,971
113
You’re being way too emotional about this. I can’t help it that Pope went 0-15 on top 20 players that visited campus. If you believe that Pope can make it here, when he struggles that bad that’s fine. I don’t think that’s unfair at all for anyone including myself to say that he won’t make it if he doesn’t improve recruiting.

You keep adding your own spin on my posts and trying to make me the bad guy for believing we don’t have the talent to compete for an SEC championship. If that’s going to bother you, you’re going to struggle hearing what the media says about this basketball team.
Eh, I'm not being emotional at all.

I have no idea why Pope is striking out so often with these guys. If he is telling them they are only going to get 28 minutes a game, well, he gets what he deserves, which is a pink slip.

I am not sure if Pope is the right guy, none of us are. He never should have been hired, but in his 2 years, I have seen him do some damn good things, problem is, he follows those good tbings up with a stinker.

I'm just hoping he can do big things in 26/27, that's all.