And we were owning Auburn until Tyty went down. There is not a team with 4 better guards than us. And we should (usually) only play 3 at a time. Maybe debatable which 3. And maybe we add a 5th, in which case I could be convinced at times to play 4 together.
Kofi, Kessler and Collins.
- Thread starter CoachKcursesAlot
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I think you can win with lots of different combinations as long as they’re the right players. I’m not one that wants to play 4 guards. It can cause too many mismatches on defense. My perfect roster? An athletic center that can protect the rim that’s 6’10’ or bigger. A bulky PF around 6’9” that has lots of athleticism. A SF that is between 6’6 and 6’8” that can shoot and get his own shot. Two guards that are athletic and can shoot, especially the 2 guard. Sound familiar? It’s the 2012 team.
I would be more helpful this year than Collins to help O down low.
Keesler is a heck of a player one of the best big men in the country, why Cal never recruited him is unbelievable.
I agree we need another big in case Oscar gets in foul trouble.
But does anyone really think Kofi or Kessler would have come here to be a 10 minute per game back up?
Kofi was an AA last year - he ain't backing anyone up.
Being a backup was why Kessler left UNC. He ain't coming here to be a back up either.
If you want a big to back up Oscar, you have to be realistic and mention someone who would have been ok with 10 minutes a game unless Oscar gets in trouble. The two all the agenda guys keep mentioned ain't that guy.
But does anyone really think Kofi or Kessler would have come here to be a 10 minute per game back up?
Kofi was an AA last year - he ain't backing anyone up.
Being a backup was why Kessler left UNC. He ain't coming here to be a back up either.
If you want a big to back up Oscar, you have to be realistic and mention someone who would have been ok with 10 minutes a game unless Oscar gets in trouble. The two all the agenda guys keep mentioned ain't that guy.
He had a good game, but I was amazed how many times he is allowed to put his off hand on top of another players shoulder. He holds people down then is allowed to swipe across their body and get a "block"
I have heard the same complaints over the years but there is also other ways to look at it. Sure basketball is changing but the problem with most of Cal’s rosters when we tried to have a dominant inside game is we had no shooters.
two dominant big men playing and with the other team not able to just switch to zone would be much more effective.
who knows how much better, but given the choice between having two great big men on the roster and one great one and a bunch of division 2 talent I would choose the two big men.
Why would they have to share the minutes? You play them both at the same time. They would be by far our 2 best players at the 4 & 5 spots. Like others have said our 1978 team played 2 bigs Robey & Phillips & this was before college basketball had the 3 point shot. And as I recall that team did pretty good like in a 30-2 record & the national championship. As well as another of our Final Four teams our 1984 team with Bowie & Turpin once again before the 3 point shot was in college basketball when defenses would sag back in the paint & surround inside players & our 84 team had only one player Jim Master that was a thread beyond 18 feet....... Compare those 2 teams to college basketball today with the 3 point shot where defenses can't lay back in the paint & our current team that has multiple players Grady, Mintz, Washington & Allen that can shoot the lights out from 3 point land. This team would be impossible to defend. A starting lineup of.
Oscar Tshiebwe - 6'9"
Koki Cockburn - 7'0"
Kellan Grady - 6'5"
Tyty Washington - 6'3"
Sahvir Wheller - 5'10"............ And bring 2 players off the bench like Toppin & Mintz this would be the best team in college basketball. With the 3 point shot it's easier to play 2 bigs today than it was 40 years ago with Robey, Phillips & Bowie, Turpin. Because the defense has to respect the 3 point line especially when a team has as many 3 point shooting threats as this UK team has.
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I agree with some people in this thread that it would have been hard to keep team chemistry and everyone happy if we had two all Americans that are basically the same player big guys on the floor at the same time.
however as others have pointed out the real miss here is not getting anyone. We have Oscar as a 5 man and zero back up, we don’t have a player that is a 4 that is good enough to compete at a high level in my opinion.
Who is in charge of building the roster and thinks we were ok with one big man going into the season? I can’t imagine seeing Hopkins and collins playing last year and thinking they are the missing piece to a title contender. They may be serviceable wherever they wind up, but it is clearly not this season.
however as others have pointed out the real miss here is not getting anyone. We have Oscar as a 5 man and zero back up, we don’t have a player that is a 4 that is good enough to compete at a high level in my opinion.
Who is in charge of building the roster and thinks we were ok with one big man going into the season? I can’t imagine seeing Hopkins and collins playing last year and thinking they are the missing piece to a title contender. They may be serviceable wherever they wind up, but it is clearly not this season.
People were complaining that Kofi was too slow to defend at the 5. Now you want that AND Oscar at the 4, so another quickness mismatch. Sure we would own the paint, until other teams brought their 4 & 5 outside, and those 2 get blown by. So it would not work unless Cal played ZONE, and we all know that ain't happening! I don't like zone usually, but in that scenario we would have to play it, probably a 3-2.
Name the number of teams that have a 4 and a 5 that can bring the opposing 4 and 5 outside and make them pay.
After years of "Why does Cal keep forcing two bigs at the same time?" We've now reached the point of "Why wouldn't Cal take another Center and play two of them at the same time."
We only lost Saturday because of injury. We were up 10 before Tyty went down.
We got eaten on the pick and roll--not because Oscar is trash--but because we couldn't keep their guards out of the lane. Kessler/Kofi aren't going to stop a pick and roll any better with guards that can't stay in front of their man.
Brooks/Toppin should have been rotating down to help on Kessler, and it NEVER came.
We only lost Saturday because of injury. We were up 10 before Tyty went down.
We got eaten on the pick and roll--not because Oscar is trash--but because we couldn't keep their guards out of the lane. Kessler/Kofi aren't going to stop a pick and roll any better with guards that can't stay in front of their man.
Brooks/Toppin should have been rotating down to help on Kessler, and it NEVER came.
Beyond Oscar we are too weak at the 4 - 5 to be a final four contender. Just the way it is.
Besides Calipari there's not another coach in the country, not coach K, not Bill Self, not Jay Wright no coach except Calipari would have said no to Kofi Cockburn. Any other coach would have accepted him with open arms.
I have to wonder if Kofi being a borderline NBA prospect had something to do with it. We already had one in Oscar, at least before the season started. It's hard to imagine Cal taking on too many of these on one roster when he would much rather go with 5 star potential types that the NBA is so enamored with these days.
A good example of two big men harmoniously existing on same team in today's game is Holmgren and Timme.
UK can't get them all and I would not trade the Big O for any big man in the country based on what, I believe, he does for team chemistry.
I agree that’s the mix I like. Jones could score in many ways and bang/rebound with AD and protect the rim. Ultra athletic wing in MKG that also rebounds and can score. Two killers at guard, one who can shoot and the other who can drive. I’d love to have both shoot but we have a good mix this year too.
They’d be a defensive liability and it would make the two of them less effective.
Actually Ty is not that great getting his own shot without a screen. But he is the best the Cats have.
Why they always need to push the tempo.
Definitely a possibility of a team runs action. Also would be a deadly 2/3 zone team but that rarely happens under Cal.
Holmgren is nothing like Oscar or Kofi. He’s a stretch 4/5. He’s more like Brooks than either of them.
Cal tried to get Kofi. He even hired Kofi's assistants. Kofi didn't want to play here. Screw him!!