Randolph Morris
- Thread starter KSTV
- Start date
Wish Meeks would have stayed for Cal. That would have been awesome.
Never saw one incident at U.K. With Rondo that made him as bad as you're making it. I was a kid then of course.
Tubby held Rondo back badly. That is settled science.
One more thing, Cal specializes in troubled personalities. To think he would have "shown Rondo the door" is a huge stretch. Not just his players at Memphis, but CousIns wasn't a piece of cake either.
Cal would have maintained Rondo like any other alpha with an attitude problem. He absolutely would have signed him and handled it.
Or even Orton, he was no example of the perfect recruit. As I remember Cal even had to contend with Daddy a little during the Orton stint.)
I was, but an older kid. I think I was 17 or 18 when he signed.
I just don't think Cal would have kicked him out. Not his style.
Cal has said before that he will not recruit a player like that and he proved it when he passed on Rondo coming out of HS. Rondo has been a head case at every single stop of his career and it's like you're trying to argue against that. No need to look for excuses, he is what he is.
Where are you getting your information? You're saying Cal would not have offerefed a guy like Rondo in 04? Cal was recruiting Memphis problem kids every other day back then. And not Rondo bad, prison bad. This was before Cal was "Cal". In 04 he was coming out of NIT's.
I'm from Memphis and have never heard Rondo had interest and Cal said no thanks. This is the same guy that signed players like Taggert, Dorsey, Hunt, and Niles. Not to mention he took Washington, who wouldn't stay away from the hood of Memphis, and worked him through for 4 years.
Rondo isn't close to the problem a lot of his Memphis kids were.
Cal has also invited Rondo back to Kentucky numerous times, and gave him full access to facilities anytime he needed it.
Rondo had problems, but he's not as bad as you're making him sound. IMO.
I figured you got tired of being called Jason Spears. Just switching it up a little.
Now that I think about it the only one I remember is the incident between Rondo and Sparks (IF, my memory serves me correctly...)
Rondo was/is a head case, but that has nothing to do with how Tubby utilized his skills.
Rajon valued Doug Bibby's oppinion on how he should play more than Tubby. I remember Bibby making comments about the misuse of Rondo to the Herald leader ,only later to walk them back.
Tubby does indeed have a problem with overbearing handlers, same issue with Mark Komara over the handling of Marvin Stone , as well as Carruth's people. Cal doesn't like them either but is great at keeping the handlers in their place, Clifton , Ortons dad in his first year here and alot in Memphis. He seems to be in a postion now where he doesn't have to deal with them.
Even when Pitino was here , he grew tired of dealing with Reggie Rhodes and eventually sent Rodrick packing.
OTS main problem was he didn't want to get dirty and play the game.
Tubby does indeed have a problem with overbearing handlers, same issue with Mark Komara over the handling of Marvin Stone , as well as Carruth's people. Cal doesn't like them either but is great at keeping the handlers in their place, Clifton , Ortons dad in his first year here and alot in Memphis. He seems to be in a postion now where he doesn't have to deal with them.
Even when Pitino was here , he grew tired of dealing with Reggie Rhodes and eventually sent Rodrick packing.
OTS main problem was he didn't want to get dirty and play the game.
Keith Bogans, as well as Tayshaun Prince, were 5 star recruits who will have their jerseys hung in Rupp in the future, so he did have success in the first half of his tenure with top prospects.
As pointed out above, Morris turned into a great college big under Tubby. Just took 3 years but we were not in the one and done era where 3 years in school is viewed the same as it is now.
Tubby was an inconsistent recruiter. He did well early and was very spotty in the last half of his tenure. Really head scratching when you think about the fact that he signed the 2004 class of Bradley, Crawford, Rondo, and Morris, and proceeded to follow that up with a 2005 class of Jared Carter and Adam Williams, following two Elite Eight runs in 3 years on the court, so it's not like we weren't relevant nationally. He simply was too lazy, not willing to get involved in AAU, and refused to get a better staff.
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I have often wondered what Cal could have done with the 2007-08 team if he would have taken over for Tubby instead of Gillispie.
I think Morris was already gone before they hired Gillispie, but if Cal would have been hired then and could have convinced Morris to stick around, that team could have been fun to watch:
G Bradley
G Meeks
G Crawford
F Patterson
F Morris
Probably have Harris, Stevenson, and Legion off the bench. Jasper was injured and didn't play a lot.
Meeks was injured in Gillispie's "Boot Camp" which probably doesn't happen under Cal. Cal still brings in Patterson and Legion, who were the best recruits still available when Tubby left.
I wonder what would have happened with Rose? Rose would have went wherever Cal went, but would he have ever been allowed to play at UK? Unlikely given our admissions office.
I think Morris was already gone before they hired Gillispie, but if Cal would have been hired then and could have convinced Morris to stick around, that team could have been fun to watch:
G Bradley
G Meeks
G Crawford
F Patterson
F Morris
Probably have Harris, Stevenson, and Legion off the bench. Jasper was injured and didn't play a lot.
Meeks was injured in Gillispie's "Boot Camp" which probably doesn't happen under Cal. Cal still brings in Patterson and Legion, who were the best recruits still available when Tubby left.
I wonder what would have happened with Rose? Rose would have went wherever Cal went, but would he have ever been allowed to play at UK? Unlikely given our admissions office.