Observations re: Blue/white

[kyjeff1]

Loved most of what I saw last night. These guys need a ton of work but so does every other team in the country but Mathews, Willis and Lee really shined. They are really good.
I'm holding out hope for Alex. The 3's are nice but I think we need his toughness in the paint and not out on the arch.

 

[doneitall]

Poythrees being a threat from outside just gives Skal more room to operate and use his talent inside. He will rebound the ball very good and can still crash the boards from anyplace on the floor. Would be nice if he played like Mashburn inside and outside and I know he isn't a mashburn

 

[lawrencekash]

Maybe my memory is bad but Briscoe reminded me a little of Archie Goodwin?

 

[ORCAT]

Hey, don't rain on his parade, he hit the first 3 pointer of the game.[winking] Yes he did seem to want to pass more then attack early but hey he's years ahead of what he was as a freshman. I am glad for him.

I realize it was just the Blue/White Game and that this game won't matter very much in the big picture of the season but anyone who walks away from last night's game thinking Willis hasn't gotten substantially better hasn't been paying much attention to the kid for the past few years. I agree with you 100%, he looks much improved over his freshman year and you could also see improvement in his defensive effort. Will he see more minutes this year, I haven't a clue about that and only Cal has the answer to that right now. He did show me last night though that if we went to him for help in a game I trust him much more than I have in his first two years at UK. It really looks like he has worked on his game very hard and has gained more confidence than he's shown before. Personally, I hope the kid keeps working hard and proving himself in practice to the point that Cal has to give him a shot to see what he will do. The early games on our schedule when we play some cupcakes would be a good time for him to get in and prove himself. And, yes, I understand all the other guys ahead of him on the roster but I'm still pulling for Willis to contribute either this year or next year, at least a little.

 

[GLR5555]

 

[Joneslab]

I think he might get some run at the 4 early in the year as Poythress comes along slowly.

On the wing, I don't know. An interesting thing to me in the game last night was how Matthews played in the first half. I was very impressed; he isn't consistent in any shape or form, but he handles the ball much better than I thought and he has some MKG ferocity in him. Willis's flashes--and there were quite a few--came in the second half, when Matthews was on his team.

Just going by the things Cal has rewarded in the past, I think we see Matthews being groomed to possibly be a Liggins figure in the latter part of the season. So I think he gets most of those minutes at the 3 behind Murray.

But OTOH, this team is going to take some lumps early. There's going to be a one-, maybe two-month-long period where Cal has to figure things out. So I think Willis gets some run during that time. But eventually, he isn't going to play more than 8 on this team IMO.

 

[-LEK-]

Never understand the attention whores on this site that feel they need to post multiple thread telling everyone they killed a deer. Its Kentucky, a lot of us hunt. Our society as a whole is a bunch of narcissistic women.

 

[bssparks]

Ulis,Murray will shoot most FT in close games at the end..
Ulis 80+%
Murray80+%
Alex 75%
Briscoe 70+%

Exactly, free throws will not be an issue. I might put Ulis at 90%. Murray is also very clutch and will make free throws at the end of games.

 

[bssparks]

Maybe my memory is bad but Briscoe reminded me a little of Archie Goodwin?

Briscoe is much more under control than Goodwin. Goodwin was and is a great athlete though.

 

[akaukswoosh]

Briscoe is much more under control than Goodwin. Goodwin was and is a great athlete though.

I agree. Briscoe reminds me of Deron Williams, especially when Briscoe was thicker.

 

[Teachable Moe]

I hope he gets to play enough that he gets a chance at the pros. You're a different player when your success or failure matters.

 

[FtWorthCat]

Nice rack GLR5555, and the one on the deer isn't bad either.

 

[Cat Ballou]

I was impressed by how under control Briscoe played. Great shot selection, drove hard to the basket and made shots, stroked a three, made some great passes. No bad shots, out-of-control drives, or hot-dogging. Played pretty good defense too - had a couple of steals. Played very unselfish.

I think Cal has already had a positive impact on him and he's going to have a great year for us.

 

[qwesley]

Just going by the things Cal has rewarded in the past, I think we see Matthews being groomed to possibly be a Liggins figure in the latter part of the season.

Key point. Cal values confidence and toughness. He was very hard on Miller for being tentative and it finally clicked. We will see with Willis. On top of that, he is a tweener so it presents issues with what lineups work. I would like to see him with AP and Skal early on to see how that might work. This is the most interesting year so far in Cal's time and the different lineup options.

 

[qwesley]

I think Cal has already had a positive impact on him and he's going to have a great year for us.

Cal does not get enough credit for how he can get both timid guys and overconfident guys to find the proper groove...quickly. That is why the 14 team drove his nearly insane, it took nearly the whole year for them to get it and he didn't have the depth to bench them.

 

[TNCatfanforever]

Key point. Cal values confidence and toughness. He was very hard on Miller for being tentative and it finally clicked. We will see with Willis. On top of that, he is a tweener so it presents issues with what lineups work. I would like to see him with AP and Skal early on to see how that might work. This is the most interesting year so far in Cal's time and the different lineup options.

 

[ZZBlueComet]

I hope he gets to play enough that he gets a chance at the pros. You're a different player when your success or failure matters.

Pros?? oh boy

 

[mdlUK.1]

Pros?? oh boy

Yeah, no way that could happen.

signed Josh Harrelson

 

[DelkBowl]

Still slacked a couple times on defense and gave up a backdoor dunk because he lost Mathews. Love to him play more this year. He does some things other players can't do believe it or not. I'm not usually an in-state player supporter either. I tend to think if they are from KY then they aren't very good. My bias I know.

 

[Teachable Moe]

Still slacked a couple times on defense and gave up a backdoor dunk because he lost Mathews.

Everyone lost people last night, and good defenders everywhere will lose Matthews.

 

[qwesley]

Still slacked a couple times on defense and gave up a backdoor dunk because he lost Mathews.

He tends to play too upright on defense (and really offense too), has to fix that to play.

 

[Joneslab]

A strange thing with this team is that it's going to have a lot of what Willis brings--the ability to shoot the ball.

Our guards will do that on most nights.

That "fight" Cal is talking about. Grit. Scrap. Defense. All of those things are going to be crucial. They'll tell the tale on whether we'll just be good, or whether we can compete for a title.

Willis could be that guy, but he never has been in the past. Neither has Marcus Lee for that matter.

It's one reason Matthews and Briscoe both jumped out at me last night.

 

[.S&C.]

Im a competition shooter and just sighted in my new LWRC and just so happened to be unloading at my range while watching the blue /white game. That's why I wasn't posting here. Go figure.

i hunt some, but damn those deer rifles are so boring. Especially those awful muzzle loaders. Double brown, double smoke, Double boring. Here's to hoping you get to shoot an enjoyable gun. If not, come visit me. I've got the military grade.

Great thread anytime I get to bring up my AR-15's.

 

[wkycatfan7]

Willis impressed me too. He will play before Humphrey

 

[Cat Ballou]

Cal does not get enough credit for how he can get both timid guys and overconfident guys to find the proper groove...quickly. That is why the 14 team drove his nearly insane, it took nearly the whole year for them to get it and he didn't have the depth to bench them.

Yeah, I love the Harrisons, but I think a lot of their failure to improve their games substantially came from not listening to Cal. These were guys who had been coached by their Dad their whole lives and I think they had a lot of trouble trusting or listening to anyone else.

It's great to see that Isaiah appears to be very open-minded and coachable. It may make the difference between him being able to make that NBA jump this year or not.

 

[GLR5555]

Nice rack GLR5555, and the one on the deer isn't bad either.

I must confess, thats not my deer. I just scalped a pic to help the OP out. I have never been deer hunting.

 

[Joneslab]

Willis impressed me too. He will play before Humphrey

The thing about that though is that Humphrey is seven feet. There are going to be games where he plays just because we need a body.

Willis is in a different boat because of his position. With the guys in front of him, he's going to have to be really good and just make it so Cal can't not play him.

 

[wkycatfan7]

I can see the potential in Humphreys, and I suspect he will play in favorable matchups for him defensively.

For now, I see Lee backing up Skal, and Willis backing up Poythress, with Humphreys after that.

 

[Orange Soda King]

Off topic: so I have a friend who did their undergrad at U of L, and was a U of L fan... But is now pursuing a master's at UK, and is being converted to UK fandom. They posted on Facebook that they enjoyed "Big Blue Madness" last night... My thoughts were "you still have some work to do, but you're on the right track" haha.

 

[mebeblue2]

Maybe my memory is bad but Briscoe reminded me a little of Archie Goodwin?

your memory is bad
he is much closer to Joe Crawford then Archie Goodwin

 

[DelkBowl]

Mateen Cleaves

 

[Nuke99m.]

your memory is bad
he is much closer to Joe Crawford then Archie Goodwin

I thought Of Goodwin as well. Crawford was more of a put you head down and bull your way to the basket. Goodwin is a slice your way to an acrobatic shot in the lane kind of player.

 

[SmyrnaCatFan]

Im a competition shooter and just sighted in my new LWRC and just so happened to be unloading at my range while watching the blue /white game. That's why I wasn't posting here. Go figure.

i hunt some, but damn those deer rifles are so boring. Especially those awful muzzle loaders. Double brown, double smoke, Double boring. Here's to hoping you get to shoot an enjoyable gun. If not, come visit me. I've got the military grade.

Great thread anytime I get to bring up my AR-15's.

Do you shop Champion's Choice out of Tennessee?

 

[Joneslab]

I think Briscoe is going to have a lot more fire than Goodwin.

Seems to have a killer's intensity. Goodwin didn't have that; in fact when things started to get hairy, he began to press too much.

(And yikes, I'm in October form with my spelling. I have to know it's Isaac Humphries. I deeply apologize and will do better next time.)

 

[UK Cowboy21]

I was surprised at how talented the team is overall. All the big names showed out, and Matthews belongs right there with them. A couple of guys who will hardly play....Willis and Humphries....looked like kids that could start on a lot of teams I saw last year

 

[maysvilleky]

I thought Willis played well last night and looks like he belongs in the rotation. BUT...I don't think it will happen. Cal will live and die by the players that have a chance to be 1st round draft pick. That's his M.O. So we will see Ullis, Briscoe, Murray, Skal, Poythress, and Mulder for 80% of the game. Lee will see spot minutes but not as much as we think because I don't think he's a 1st rounder. The final spots will be Matthews and Humphries on a limited basis. Willis and Hawkins will get a few minutes early in the season but will be done by SEC play. It's not that they don't have talent, Cal will limit his rotation and try to develop the 1st rounders. It's just how he does things.

 

[Joneslab]

I thought Willis played well last night and looks like he belongs in the rotation. BUT...I don't think it will happen. Cal will live and die by the players that have a chance to be 1st round draft pick. That's his M.O. So we will see Ullis, Briscoe, Murray, Skal, Poythress, and Mulder for 80% of the game. Lee will see spot minutes but not as much as we think because I don't think he's a 1st rounder. The final spots will be Matthews and Humphries on a limited basis. Willis and Hawkins will get a few minutes early in the season but will be done by SEC play. It's not that they don't have talent, Cal will limit his rotation and try to develop the 1st rounders. It's just how he does things.

I present to you Julius Mays.

But as long as it wins, I couldn't give a flip about Willis. Don't know him personally. I want to see the team win. If it's with him, great. If it isn't, great. We can fault Cal for pandering to much to these guys' NBA aspirations, which he does...but it wins.

And I still think Willis is going to have a hard time getting on the floor because we have a future freak in Charles Matthews. Best-case is Willis gets some time as a stretch.

 

[FiveStarCat]

Haven't read most of the thread (plan to later when I have more time) but my observations after watching the 1st half and catching highlights of the 2nd half:

If guard play is key to winning championships, I like our chances. It's early but I am wowed so far.

Um...Charles Matthews... Dude is waaay better than I thought he would be. I know there were reports of him impressing in practice but wow. Dude looked smooth and super athletic. There is no way there are 40+ freshmen better than him. What a steal.

 

[Poetax]

Briscoe is much more under control than Goodwin. Goodwin was and is a great athlete though.

I agree with you the Goodwin comparison is terrible. Not once did I see him leave his feet and throw up a wild shot.

 

[UK2005_24]

Murray: Best Player
Ulis: Floor General
Poythress: Healthy
Labissiere: Loads Of Potential
Briscoe: A Pit Bull
Matthews: Explosive Athlete
Mulder: Knocks Down Open Shots
Lee: Stronger
Humphries: Nice Touch
Willis: More Confident
Floreal: Energy