Tai Wynyard

[Hofmannia]

From 2015 Draft Express Nike Hoop Summit International Practice Recap Day 4: "Tai Wynyard had one of his best days of the week, crashing the offensive glass repeatedly with his thick frame and strong motor. He has gotten wiser about going straight up with the ball and not giving the World Team shot-blockers any opportunity to bother his shots inside the paint, which is important considering his lack of length and verticality. Wynyard perhaps isn't the prototypical athlete Kentucky usually recruits, but his toughness and work ethic should help him carve out a role among their sea of All-Americans as his career progresses."

That's from almost a year ago playing against competition the likes of Skal, Diallo, and Ben Simmons...

I think he's a four year player, he'll provide depth and physicality in practice, and I'm willing to bet at some point in the next 4 years he'll have a chance to contribute, though it is likely later than sooner...

 

[revcort]

Careful with an opinion contrary to the masses or one that may indicate a detriment to the team. Thats the real problem you know. You can have an opinion, it just can't indicate anything that makes UK/Cal look less than superior to any and all.

Nah, you just can't have an opinion that becomes an obvious agenda against a particular UK player, coach, or fellow poster here. That's what will cause you problems. And I don't think Jason is showing an agenda here at all, but just stating an opinion, which is no danger at all. But an agenda poster would be someone who goes out of their way to interject a particular topic into multiple threads again and again where it did not exist in hopes of influencing everyone of the validity of a particular viewpoint, which also happens to be an attack on a UK coach, player, or another poster here.

 

[nookam]

As bad as we needed rebounding tells you all you need to know. He didn't need to be an offensive force, we had shooters. Maybe conditioning, maybe something else. It will work itself out.

 

[CUT-NETS]

Nah, you just can't have an opinion that becomes an obvious agenda against a particular UK player, coach, or fellow poster here. That's what will cause you problems. And I don't think Jason is showing an agenda here at all, but just stating an opinion, which is no danger at all. But an agenda poster would be someone who goes out of their way to interject a particular topic into multiple threads again and again where it did not exist in hopes of influencing everyone of the validity of a particular viewpoint, which also happens to be an attack on a UK coach, player, or another poster here.

Lots of those on here too. Also lots of cursing, attacking, etc etc, I'm sure they are all serving their bans. Staff on here enforces their rules similar to the NCAA, very consistent.

Not sure anyone on here really understands "agenda". Seems like a made up term to make everyone feel better when someone raises a point contrary to the overall board. If I believe the sky is blue but people keep trying to tell me it's red, does my consistent defense of believing the sky is blue make me have an agenda? If so, why? Because it's different than what everyone else think?. If it's my belief, and I'm convicted in that, can I not continually argue why I think the sky is blue? Why is that an agenda? And so what if it is? What does it matter if it falls on deaf ears, or few agree? It's my opinion and I have the right to make a case for it. Even if it's redundant.

You hover on a slippery slope when you accuse someone who rigorously defends their belief of having an agenda.

Do posters who rigorously defend all thinks "Calipari is Perfect" have an agenda? After all, they're doing the same thing I'm doing. Defending their belief.

 

[revcort]

As bad as we needed rebounding tells you all you need to know. He didn't need to be an offensive force, we had shooters. Maybe conditioning, maybe something else. It will work itself out.

I agree that it was frustrating this season knowing we needed a big body down low and we had a 6-10 260lb manchild sitting on the bench over there. It's clear Calipari didn't see an ability to make an kind of impact, which is disappointing. I'm hoping at this point that it was mostly conditioning or just not being ready for prime time just yet more than lack of talent.

 

[revcort]

Lots of those on here too. Also lots of cursing, attacking, etc etc, I'm sure they are all serving their bans. Staff on here enforces their rules similar to the NCAA, very consistent.

Not sure anyone on here really understands "agenda". Seems like a made up term to make everyone feel better when someone raises a point contrary to the overall board. If I believe the sky is blue but people keep trying to tell me it's red, does my consistent defense of believing the sky is blue make me have an agenda? If so, why? Because it's different than what everyone else think?. If it's my belief, and I'm convicted in that, can I not continually argue why I think the sky is blue? Why is that an agenda? And so what if it is? What does it matter if it falls on deaf ears, or few agree? It's my opinion and I have the right to make a case for it. Even if it's redundant.

You hover on a slippery slope when you accuse someone who rigorously defends their belief of having an agenda.

Do posters who rigorously defend all thinks "Calipari is Perfect" have an agenda? After all, they're doing the same thing I'm doing. Defending their belief.

It's a precarious position to defend on a UK message board man, wouldn't you say? I hear your sarcasm there also, by the way. I don't have thin skin personally, but it's unwise to make sarcastic comments about moderators. Comparing our mods to the NCAA? Come on now, that's a bit much. And yes, it's a difficult thing to do with all the traffic here. We encourage posters to use the "report" feature as much as they'd like. It helps us be more efficient, especially given the fact that none of us can monitor every word posted here on a given day.

But back to the issue of having an agenda against Calipari, that's a particularly difficult agenda to push on a Kentucky message board. I suppose if there were some kind of consensus of opinion that he's not doing a good job or that his way of running the program were an actual detriment to UK, it would be a more tolerable opinion. But I think, and I believe the numbers back me up, that John Calipari has arguably had the best 7-year run of any UK coach in the program's history. If he stays much longer with similar success, he's going to eclipse Pitino, and you could argue he already has, leaving only Rupp to surpass.

I suppose you might argue that heroes and traitors are merely a matter of dates and that your opinion may eventually be vindicated, but man that's a hard sell. As I say, this is a UK board and we are UK fans, and that man is the coach of our team. Now, I'm not going to kiss his ring or anything. There are things I don't like. I'd love it if guys stayed longer. I'd rather he not say that draft night is the biggest night in the history of the program. I know why he said it, because 2011-12 doesn't happen without sending 7 guys into the 2010 NBA draft. I get it, but we're UK fans. So you want sympathy from me? Sure. I think I get where you're coming from. But your agenda goes past that. It's like a costantly dripping faucet or a nagging wife. Bottom line: John Calipari is the coach of the team we both support and it's natural and normal that UK fans on a UK message board support him or speak well of him. It's not natural and normal that a UK fan goes out of his way to make sure everyone is "sufficiently critical" of him or that a proper balance between praise and critique always be in place. If we sound like blindly supporting idiots, then call us fanatics. Right? That is what fans do.

 

[UKCAT5FAN]

You're entitled to your opinion of course, but on what information do you base this? The 2015 Nike Elite US vs World all star game? What else? Videos of the 3 on 3 tournament he played in last summer? What else? The fact that he never played a minute this last season after arriving at Christmas?

Bottom line: you can say what you want, but none of us has enough information to make even an educated guess. It would be like me saying, for the opposite point of view, that I expect him to start next season or be a major contributor. I have as much basis for saying he'll be a major contributor as you do for saying he'll never play a meaningful minute for UK. It's a baseless opinion.

My thought is that Calipari knew what was coming in for 2016-17 and he also knew he'd have some more time to work with Humphries and Wynyard. I'm sure he plans to get then some playing time this next season, but they won't be needed to do much for the team to be really good. But they will be needed for the following year. That is the most reasonable expectation, in my opinion. No need for the gloom and doom opinion of "never playing a meaningful minute."

Good point. Hope youre right.

 

[UKCAT5FAN]

Nah, you just can't have an opinion that becomes an obvious agenda against a particular UK player, coach, or fellow poster here. That's what will cause you problems. And I don't think Jason is showing an agenda here at all, but just stating an opinion, which is no danger at all. But an agenda poster would be someone who goes out of their way to interject a particular topic into multiple threads again and again where it did not exist in hopes of influencing everyone of the validity of a particular viewpoint, which also happens to be an attack on a UK coach, player, or another poster here.

And then posts a "advisory" in his post warning all to be cautious what they say about the program or coach. Agenda is obvious.

 

[Randy Bob]

I sure coach Cal would have not give the guy a free ride , if he did not see something,

 

[CUT-NETS]

It's a precarious position to defend on a UK message board man, wouldn't you say? .

See there's your issue. What's it matter? What's my position supposed to be?

 

[catswin]

Why did Cal give Stacey Poole a scholarship?

To a lesser extent...Jon Hood? Can you remember one meaningful play Jon Hood had at UK or anything he ever really did that didn't involve garbage time? I can't.

I dunno. You should ask him.

Coaches give rides to players all the time that never end up playing.

Calipari did NOT offer Hood. He was a Gillispie recruit. Cal knew he wouldn't contribute, but there was no way to cut him from the team when he was "making his cuts" before the first season. He could not run him off before the first year as he was a Kentucky boy who was Mr Basketball.

 

[BBUK_anon]

I appreciate the response. Just seemed like your always responding negatively to me. For the record, my ignore button isn't scary, it's just consistent lol. I'll argue with anyone that isn't only trying to debate me.

I want Wynard to be a beast, and hope he's one of the players I've been wanting Cal to go after. A solid, (program player) that isn't here to eat up time and a scholarship. Humphries is here for insurance, not to be a focal point. Same with some others Cal has gone after. Willis and Dom weren't recruited to get 20 minutes a game. We just needed them last year because of early departures and missed recruits. Maybe Wynard can be the guy I've been hoping to see. A solid 3 to 4 year player that is part of the core, not insurance, not a practice dummy.

I don't think we are in disagreement really.

Dude, I'm the one that does that. Geez...

 

[kentuckyrld]

How can any fan on this board make an intelligent assessment of this kid. I doubt a single person on here has actually seen him play. To say he is going to be good or to say he will "never play a meaningful minute" are both pretty silly statements. There is no available information upon which to base any kind of judgement.

 

[wcc31]

As this year showed, sometimes you need a physical presence who can just battle on D and crash the glass on offense.

 

[jrpross_rivals]

Tai is an enigma wrapped in a mystery dipped in a conundrum. He be a Stacy Poole and just not be able to hack it and transfer somewhere it'll be a little easier. Or he could be a Harrelson/Willis type that comes out of his shell after a couple years and contributes as an upperclassman.

But next year, no I don't think he plays much.

 

[shutzhund]

I don't think Tai Wynyard ever plays a meaningful minute for UK.

Carrying that thought just a little further then that would mean Cal was wasting a scholarship because he didn't have anything better to do that day.

Seems a bit uncharacteristic doesn't it?

 

[CATSrock_rivals215465]

Matt has said that he isn't sure if he can play here. He is that unsure about him. He said the fact that he didn't play last year, when we needed frontcourt players, says a lot about where he was skill wise.

Pretty telling comments, if you ask me. I'm not getting my hopes up for him to contribute much.

WAY too early to give up on this kid. He's a young, developing international player that hasn't seen the level of competition that some of the other 4 and 5* players from the US have seen. Let's not pass judgement until he has a chance to adjust to our level of play. We are really spoiled with Cal as expectations are for UK recruits to contribute in a major way almost immediately.

 

[JonathanW_rivals]

I don't think Tai Wynyard ever plays a meaningful minute for UK.

I think such a statement is simply STUPID!
Just as stupid as someone saying they think he will be a star.
Unless you've been to practices.
NONE of us have seen him play at all.

As for next year, we will be deep in the frontcourt (Humphries, Bam, Lee, Willis, SKJ, Gabriel, Wynyard) on a team that may play 3 guards at a time a lot, which does not help his odds of contributing. He looks like he has the size and strength. The strength is often what holds frontcourt players back. So it's just a matter of skill and experience vs good competition.

So while I think you may be right about next year, it is way too early to make such a statement about the next 3 years.

 

[Teachable Moe]

People seem to get addicted to big statements, sweeping generalizations, authoritative pronouncements, and guesswork certainties. Measured, cautious comments get regarded like a case of the clap. The less evidence there is the more people love to parlay hints into foundations and possibilities into facts. I guess it's the need for drama. We've all seen 2 minutes of Wynyard playing a school yard version of basketball from which we can tell that he's big and strong. Something you could have guessed at by seeing him sit in a chair. I remember seeing Mohammed Ali at Commonwealth back in 1975 (?). He was in the press box and we were across the stadium up in the nosebleeds. He may have been the 200th biggest athlete there that day but you could pick him out. He's the only athlete I've ever seen whom you could judge just by looking at him.

 

[MethodUK]

What other schools were recruiting Tai? I think the main thing Cal likes was his size and demeanor. I am surprised that we have not heard much about the young man in regards to any feed back. Does he bang down low? Is he strong? Can you shoot free throws well? Does he any any low post moves? Is he slow? Is he a quick or slow jumper? I have heard not one thing mentioned about him...

 

[Xdr56yhn!]

I think such a statement is simply STUPID!
Just as stupid as someone saying they think he will be a star.
Unless you've been to practices.
NONE of us have seen him play at all.

As for next year, we will be deep in the frontcourt (Humphries, Bam, Lee, Willis, SKJ, Gabriel, Wynyard) on a team that may play 3 guards at a time a lot, which does not help his odds of contributing. He looks like he has the size and strength. The strength is often what holds frontcourt players back. So it's just a matter of skill and experience vs good competition.

So while I think you may be right about next year, it is way too early to make such a statement about the next 3 years.

The statement is not stupid at all and you state exactly why it is not. We haven't seen him play. We only saw him set on the bench and watch a team that was in desperate need of a physical post player. Not seeing him play in this context is decent information.

I'm not saying the post you are referring to is true but its definitely not stupid based on your reasoning. Its absolutely a reasonable opinion.

 

[moe#8]

Why did Cal give Stacey Poole a scholarship?

To a lesser extent...Jon Hood? Can you remember one meaningful play Jon Hood had at UK or anything he ever really did that didn't involve garbage time? I can't.

I dunno. You should ask him.

Coaches give rides to players all the time that never end up playing.

if he's that stupid we need to faar his arse today[jumpingsmile]

 

[katwest]

Any kid six foot ten, two hundred and fifty pounds that can move well can help the team, toughness and size are two things we lacked this year. I believe he will be fine with experience and learning the system.

 

[docholiday51]

Wynyard(and Humphries) for that matter) isn't the type of player Cal typically recruits.They both play below the rim and may need to be hid on defense a bit.We haven't seen Wynyard play but is would be a good bet that they are pretty much the same player

it is possible that Cal had figured out that Skal was going to struggle some prior to the start of last year and went into scramble mode to find a big that could give us minutes. Humphries did early then went into hiding for 2 months,Wynyard wasn't ready so Cal went with Humphries (who had played a bit already)

I doubt that both will be here long term but one of the two is likely to stay around and play Hawkins/Willis minutes before he is done.Like S&C said not everyone is here to be a 20+ minute per game player but they have a role none the less

It comes down to who wants to work the hardest and is willing to be ready when needed in that role.

 

[BBUK_anon]

Wynyard(and Humphries) for that matter) isn't the type of player Cal typically recruits.They both play below the rim and may need to be hid on defense a bit.We haven't seen Wynyard play but is would be a good bet that they are pretty much the same player

it is possible that Cal had figured out that Skal was going to struggle some prior to the start of last year and went into scramble mode to find a big that could give us minutes. Humphries did early then went into hiding for 2 months,Wynyard wasn't ready so Cal went with Humphries (who had played a bit already)

I doubt that both will be here long term but one of the two is likely to stay around and play Hawkins/Willis minutes before he is done.Like S&C said not everyone is here to be a 20+ minute per game player but they have a role none the less

It comes down to who wants to work the hardest and is willing to be ready when needed in that role.

How much wood can a Wildcat chop if a Wildcat could chop wood....

 

[docholiday51]

How much wood can a Wildcat chop if a Wildcat could chop wood....

Since you axed so nicely,I hope he can cut it here as a Cat,Cal saw something worth a second look.Maybe he will come out of the woodwork and log some good minutes.

 

[revcort]

What other schools were recruiting Tai? I think the main thing Cal likes was his size and demeanor. I am surprised that we have not heard much about the young man in regards to any feed back. Does he bang down low? Is he strong? Can you shoot free throws well? Does he any any low post moves? Is he slow? Is he a quick or slow jumper? I have heard not one thing mentioned about him...

Agreed, that is as much the problem as anything. We haven't been able to see him play with our own eyes and there was never much information given on him during the season other than the fact that he was going to redshirt. Aside from that, there was no official word given on how he was doing in practice. And that leads to the problem we're seeing in this thread. When UK fans have no solid information, they speculate about a player. One might say they assume, and we all know what can happen when we assume. I'd love to see the kid play... in a scrimmage, in a pick-up game, or whatever. At least then we'd have something to go on, but, absent that, we're all guessing.

 

[ganner918_rivals60369]

You don't have to be afraid. SDfan responds to me about once a week, to debate every single time. It gets old.

And I wasn't talking to you.

Don't want to get into the topic at hand here (I do agree it seems unlikely Wynyard is ever a major contributor for us, I'd just hope he can be a backup role player his Junior/Senior years so in this case, tick a mark on the "ganner said he agrees with you" list) but just thinking of our past interactions, have you considered that maybe your antagonistic style of posting has something to do with people frequently picking your posts to respond counter to? I know it's why I've found myself quoting your posts several times to argue against. Not trying to start a fight here and I've not ever intended to follow you around and "pick you out" but you make your posts stand out from the crowd.

 

[ganner918_rivals60369]

know who HAS seen him play? People that have been to practice. A few people that have been to practice have given reports on those practices. It's a general consensus that Wynyard is/was "light years" behind even Humphries in terms of skill and conditioning. That's why he didn't play last season when UK sorely needed inside scoring and rebounding.

Yeah based on him redshirting when we had nothing inside, and hearing anyone who's seen him up close say things like what you've said, I'd be absolutely shocked if he plays more than mop up minutes this year.

 

[CATSrock_rivals215465]

The statement is not stupid at all and you state exactly why it is not. We haven't seen him play. We only saw him set on the bench and watch a team that was in desperate need of a physical post player. Not seeing him play in this context is decent information.

I'm not saying the post you are referring to is true but its definitely not stupid based on your reasoning. Its absolutely a reasonable opinion.

KYrupp, the problem with these kind of statements is that they are emphatic in nature. Anytime you see people say NEVER, DONE DEAL, EVER, etc... it just allows us to question that person's credibility. Tyler Ulis will NEVER be any good at the next level. I can say it but it's stupid to do so because we just don't know.

 

[BBUK_anon]

Agreed, that is as much the problem as anything. We haven't been able to see him play with our own eyes and there was never much information given on him during the season other than the fact that he was going to redshirt. Aside from that, there was no official word given on how he was doing in practice. And that leads to the problem we're seeing in this thread. When UK fans have no solid information, they speculate about a player. One might say they assume, and we all know what can happen when we assume. I'd love to see the kid play... in a scrimmage, in a pick-up game, or whatever. At least then we'd have something to go on, but, absent that, we're all guessing.

I heard he splintered a floor in practice and chopped his way through the post area and removed the nail at the foul line. Also heard he was stacked (Not sure what that meant) BUT, he fixed the floor and has been seen chipping away at his and others game...just a rumor I heard but...

 

[BBUK_anon]

know who HAS seen him play? People that have been to practice. A few people that have been to practice have given reports on those practices. It's a general consensus that Wynyard is/was "light years" behind even Humphries in terms of skill and conditioning. That's why he didn't play last season when UK sorely needed inside scoring and rebounding.

He could turn out to be an All-Conference player, but he could turn out to be a guy that never significantly contributes over the course of his career. Based on info that's been shared, I'd hedge my bets on the latter.

Can we just change the name of this thread to "Everyone quote Jason thread"? Would be more appropriate.

Got a feeling before we're done there's gonna be some names added to the ignore list. Hasn't happened yet, but it's probably coming. :boxing:

Man, I ignored you years ago but a MOD told me you still have powers. JS will NOT be ignored.....jmuo...

 

[Random UK Fan]

It's a precarious position to defend on a UK message board man, wouldn't you say? I hear your sarcasm there also, by the way. I don't have thin skin personally, but it's unwise to make sarcastic comments about moderators. Comparing our mods to the NCAA? Come on now, that's a bit much. And yes, it's a difficult thing to do with all the traffic here. We encourage posters to use the "report" feature as much as they'd like. It helps us be more efficient, especially given the fact that none of us can monitor every word posted here on a given day.

But back to the issue of having an agenda against Calipari, that's a particularly difficult agenda to push on a Kentucky message board. I suppose if there were some kind of consensus of opinion that he's not doing a good job or that his way of running the program were an actual detriment to UK, it would be a more tolerable opinion. But I think, and I believe the numbers back me up, that John Calipari has arguably had the best 7-year run of any UK coach in the program's history. If he stays much longer with similar success, he's going to eclipse Pitino, and you could argue he already has, leaving only Rupp to surpass.

I suppose you might argue that heroes and traitors are merely a matter of dates and that your opinion may eventually be vindicated, but man that's a hard sell. As I say, this is a UK board and we are UK fans, and that man is the coach of our team. Now, I'm not going to kiss his ring or anything. There are things I don't like. I'd love it if guys stayed longer. I'd rather he not say that draft night is the biggest night in the history of the program. I know why he said it, because 2011-12 doesn't happen without sending 7 guys into the 2010 NBA draft. I get it, but we're UK fans. So you want sympathy from me? Sure. I think I get where you're coming from. But your agenda goes past that. It's like a costantly dripping faucet or a nagging wife. Bottom line: John Calipari is the coach of the team we both support and it's natural and normal that UK fans on a UK message board support him or speak well of him. It's not natural and normal that a UK fan goes out of his way to make sure everyone is "sufficiently critical" of him or that a proper balance between praise and critique always be in place. If we sound like blindly supporting idiots, then call us fanatics. Right? That is what fans do.

No offense to CUT-NETS, but this was NICELY thought out and well-written. You put together some really good stuff. I like your straight-forwardness on topics.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

Kentucky fans would like a roster of two John Walls, two Jamal Murrays, three Michael Kidd-Gilchrists, three Anthony Davises and three DeMarcus Cousins. That is, unless the scholarship limits are lifted. And six of those guys better be ready to be strictly practice players and not complain or disrupt team unity.

Somebody -- and it may well NOT be Tai Wynyard -- is going to be the 13th man on a college basketball roster. At least give the kid a chance.

 

[LadyCaytIL]

I think he's going to be a great scout squad guy for a few years.... and hopefully with enough practice drills... he gets to where he contributes as a RS JR or SR.

 

[wcc31]

I sincerely hope he turns out to be great. Just strikes me as odd that he never even got the chance to contribute on a team with arguably the worst interior scoring/defense I've seen since I've been watching UK. As bad as the Perry/Obrzut/Alleyne/Thomas teams.

Why is it odd that an international kid who got to UK midseason didn't play? Name one mid-year freshman who has ever contributed to a team, let alone a program like Kentucky. The only one I can think of was Jarnel Stokes who got by just being a physical behemoth.

 

[LadyCaytIL]

Why is it odd that an international kid who got to UK midseason didn't play? Name one mid-year freshman who has ever contributed to a team, let alone a program like Kentucky. The only one I can think of was Jarnel Stokes who got by just being a physical behemoth.

Can you name any one other than Stokes and Wynyard who went from high school to college mid season?

 

[wcc31]

Because Cal can't take 2 breaths without saying "don't come here if you expect to be a 4 year player" and given the chance to insert Wynyard and see what he could do for the front court when it was DESPERATELY needed, he chose to red shirt him... like's it's apparently gonna matter that he's gonna have that 1 extra year based on Cal's philosophy.

That's odd.

No, it's not odd. It's odd to me that anyone expected an obviously raw international mid-year freshman to play.

 

[wcc31]

Can you name any one other than Stokes and Wynyard who went from high school to college mid season?

I'm sure I could if I thought about it, but not off the top of my head. It's rare. These days freshmen are considered "behind" if they're not on campus by June 1. Remember the Harrison twins' "late" arrivals, not getting to campus until August? Same with Murray last year.

Yet, some people thought Wynyard- a Top 40-50 talent at best- was going to come in midseason, pick up all the plays and sets, and give us minutes for a Top 15 team trying to make a run? I thought it was asinine at the time and said so.

It was a good idea for him to come to UK, get used to the system and start to learn CBB, but he was never going to play a role on last year's squad. Hell, by March, the promising Humphries couldn't even get minutes.

 

[treyforuk]

Was it not his choice not to play because he wasn't ready? He saw what was going on in practice/games, and felt/knew he wasn't ready. 17 and not ready. Makes sense...