Trust the staff with Mintz.

[IndyCat1995]

Seems like a lot of you are underwhelmed with the signing of this kid, I get it. But try and give yourselves some peace of mind. There are A LOT of grad transfers out there, and I'm sure there'll be more in the portal as we approach the summer. There are guys with more impressive stats out there as well. With that said, there is a reason Cal and staff targeted Mintz specifically.

I guarantee you this has been in the works for longer than we know. I'm also damn sure that Cal isn't closing his eyes and going after whatever random player his finger lands on. He wants Mintz for a reason.

Trust. In. Cal.

 

[LadyCaytIL]

We have no choice but to hope the staff made the right choice but the staff has made mistakes.... Whitney being one of them.

 

[ORCAT]

IndyCat, I think you are right. Cal has been a super judge of talent with just a few misses during his tenure at UK. I'm sure the staff evaluated him very well and long before deciding to go after him if he, in fact, is the one we add to the roster today. He brings experience and talent to our team so let's see what the kid can do in a UK uniform surrounded with amazing talent.

 

[IndyCat1995]

IndyCat, I think you are right. Cal has been a super judge of talent with just a few misses during his tenure at UK. I'm sure the staff evaluated him very well and long before deciding to go after him if he, in fact, is the one we add to the roster today. He brings experience and talent to our team so let's see what the kid can do in a UK uniform surrounded with amazing talent.

I think he can be the Uncle Julius of this team, of course, with better players surrounding him

 

[Stenchymouse]

When you're putting a puzzle together, you have to add pieces that fit.

I think this piece fits.

 

[KyFaninNC]

We have no choice but to hope the staff made the right choice but the staff has made mistakes.... Whitney being one of them.

Whitney, Juzang, Vanderbilt, Diallo, Green, Wynard, etc. The list is long and now you want us to trust the staff? I hit no problems getting him, but so far Reid was the only one that helped us very much. I am in wait and see more, but trust in staff 100%? Nope.

 

[Drcats2025]

Whitney, Juzang, Vanderbilt, Diallo, Green, Wynard, etc. The list is long and now you want us to trust the staff? I hit no problems getting him, but so far Reid was the only one that helped us very much. I am in wait and see more, but trust in staff 100%? Nope.

Good lord. Every staff has players that don’t turn out. I could name a long list for every school. Overall our staff does exceptional.

 

[DerekMcPwn]

Davion Mintz’s fit for the basketball team is roughly the same as Sawyer Smith’s fit for the football team.

 

[ORCAT]

Whitney, Juzang, Vanderbilt, Diallo, Green, Wynard, etc. The list is long and now you want us to trust the staff? I hit no problems getting him, but so far Reid was the only one that helped us very much. I am in wait and see more, but trust in staff 100%? Nope.

OK, in all fairness now, how about building us a list of all the exceptional players this staff has brought to UK? I think the comparison of your list to that one would make your list look pretty drab.

 

[Nicholascat]

I didn't know we got Mintz til I saw this thread, been out of the loop with all that's been happening. I think he's a very good get! Glad to see this.

 

[LadyCaytIL]

OK, in all fairness now, how about building us a list of all the exceptional players this staff has brought to UK? I think the comparison of your list to that one would make your list look pretty drab.

In all fairness......... you cant have full faith that they'll always make the right choice in taking players............. and you can have faith they get it right enough to field good teams

 

[Nicholascat]

So it's not official but we're in a good position with him and Haarms? Anyone else?

 

[Drcats2025]

While I am far from sold on Mintz being a big contributor next season, I also don’t know **** and am basically just going off of stats and some Creighton fans. I trust the staff to know WAYYY more than I.

 

[DelkBowl]

No matter what you have to have enough players to practice with.

 

[DerekMcPwn]

Whitney, Juzang, Vanderbilt, Diallo, Green, Wynard, etc. The list is long and now you want us to trust the staff? I hit no problems getting him, but so far Reid was the only one that helped us very much. I am in wait and see more, but trust in staff 100%? Nope.

As others have said, the list of amazing players dwarfs the list of disappointments, but even your list of busts is pretty crap.

Juzang was a good player who actually fit really well in Cal’s system and that I would have loved to see return.

Vanderbilt was amazing, he just got injured.

Diallo is an NBA player who finished his college season as a very respectable defender and with good stats overall.

Green was a great shooter and a good player for us, he just wasn’t a good point guard fit for Cal’s system, but he’s still going to be a solid college player elsewhere.

Wynyard was recruited as a bench player from the very beginning. He was recruited over every single season. It’s silly to call a player a whiff by the staff when he’s the lowest ranked guy on the team and the staff is filling his position with superior players every year.

So, basically your list is Kahlil Whitney. Amazing work.

 

[Runnin'Ramel]

Seems like a lot of you are underwhelmed with the signing of this kid, I get it. But try and give yourselves some peace of mind. There are A LOT of grad transfers out there, and I'm sure there'll be more in the portal as we approach the summer. There are guys with more impressive stats out there as well. With that said, there is a reason Cal and staff targeted Mintz specifically.

I guarantee you this has been in the works for longer than we know. I'm also damn sure that Cal isn't closing his eyes and going after whatever random player his finger lands on. He wants Mintz for a reason.

Trust. In. Cal.

Fans are way too infatuated with 5-star HS kids in this era. Meanwhile, when one doesn't pan out - like Whitney, or even Juzang - people clamor over 3-4 year players with experience. Now Cal lands one and people are unimpressed. It's impossible.

 

[The_Answer1313_rivals]

Whitney, Juzang, Vanderbilt, Diallo, Green, Wynard, etc. The list is long and now you want us to trust the staff? I hit no problems getting him, but so far Reid was the only one that helped us very much. I am in wait and see more, but trust in staff 100%? Nope.

Eh not everyone is going to work out,

This staff has had way more hits than misses. I completely trust what they are doing.

 

[Titpwhami2014]

Seems like a lot of you are underwhelmed with the signing of this kid, I get it. But try and give yourselves some peace of mind. There are A LOT of grad transfers out there, and I'm sure there'll be more in the portal as we approach the summer. There are guys with more impressive stats out there as well. With that said, there is a reason Cal and staff targeted Mintz specifically.

I guarantee you this has been in the works for longer than we know. I'm also damn sure that Cal isn't closing his eyes and going after whatever random player his finger lands on. He wants Mintz for a reason.

Trust. In. Cal.

Exactly x1000. Anyone who watches Big East basketball knows it’s a legit conference. Hell, it’s produced 2 of the last 4 champions. This kid is not a chump, he will be at worst a valuable backup point guard fully capable of playing off two future lottery wings who are also solid ballhandlers. Will defend too!

 

[westerncat]

I trust Cal and the staff on who are they are getting. No one is right 100% of the time. Cal and the staff know more about coaching than all of us or we would be coaching at some schools.

As players like Whitney all coaches make mistakes on players. IMO Whitney may have peaked early or may not have had the desire to want to work to get better. No one can see into the future. We are going to be .

 

[RobynL]

Whitney, Juzang, Vanderbilt, Diallo, Green, Wynard, etc. The list is long and now you want us to trust the staff? I hit no problems getting him, but so far Reid was the only one that helped us very much. I am in wait and see more, but trust in staff 100%? Nope.

One of the worst takes I’ve seen in a while and that’s saying something.

 

[BassProCat]

Some of our fans are ridiculous.

They really do expect everything to be perfect...why aren’t we undefeated? Why didn’t we blow out this team by more? No trust in player evaluation? No trust in player improvement? No trust in one of the greatest basketball minds ever?

Spoiled fans....plain and simple.

 

[Untouchables22]

With that said, there is a reason Cal and staff targeted Mintz specifically. .

It appears he is the best defender of any grad transfer guard available and we all know what aspect of basketball gets Cal all hot and bothered the most. I am very encouraged at his perimeter shooting numbers. 3 and D guys can be very valuable in college too.

 

[sa_hunt]

We have no choice but to hope the staff made the right choice but the staff has made mistakes.... Whitney being one of them.

Possibly even Hagans and Juzang. Maybe not from a talent standpoint but from other tangibles.

 

[STL_Cat]

I trust that he’ll be a decent backup, and I hope you guys aren’t expecting more than that.

 

[Padsfs07]

It appears he is the best defender of any grad transfer guard available and we all know what aspect of basketball gets Cal all hot and bothered the most. I am very encouraged at his perimeter shooting numbers. 3 and D guys can be very valuable in college too.

I agree. Plus, if you think about him being more of a replacement for Juzang, he is a better fit, since he can play point and is a good defender, with Dontaie Allen and Cam Fletcher being the backup wings.

Askew/Mintz
Boston/Allen
Clarke/Fletcher

is a really good set of perimeter players. Our frontcourt is always what has needed help or players returning to ensure that we have a monster year.

 

[Uk2k4]

I can’t get excited when we have gone from the “it” program who gets whoever they want and the elite of the elite recruits to burning up the grad transfer market with a couple sort of elite recruits sprinkled in. Sorry.

 

[kyups01]

Seems like a lot of you are underwhelmed with the signing of this kid, I get it. But try and give yourselves some peace of mind. There are A LOT of grad transfers out there, and I'm sure there'll be more in the portal as we approach the summer. There are guys with more impressive stats out there as well. With that said, there is a reason Cal and staff targeted Mintz specifically.

I guarantee you this has been in the works for longer than we know. I'm also damn sure that Cal isn't closing his eyes and going after whatever random player his finger lands on. He wants Mintz for a reason.

Trust. In. Cal.

Makes everyone feel so much better when someone says "Trust in Cal"

 

[sa_hunt]

As I said on another thread:

Interesting breakdown on the Davion Mintz addition.

Those who last summer were absolutely positive -- dead certain -- that Nick Richards would NEVER be a competent D-1 center are pretty much the same ones who see the Mintz signing as either underwhelming or an outright mistake.

Those who had seen enough from Nick in his first two years to see an NBA -caliber player once he got in great shape and gained confidence see Mintz as a potentially crucial piece on yet another SEC champion and Elite Eight - or-better roster (counting this year, pre-COVID, that'd be 8 out of 11 in Cal's tenure.)

We'll see who is right, just as we did this season.

I don't believe the "those" this and "those" that. No, it's not always the same posters saying things about players, we all do. I'm one still not overly impressed with Nick Richards. I would say he's "competent" but he's far from being a dominant center, he crawls back in his shell when big dudes bang on him. I'm also not sold on this Mintz kid. I'm skeptical about taking an injured kid that had to set out the whole year and wasn't even missed. All he'll have to do is not turn the ball over, hit his free throws (which he isn't good at), and find the open man (which we'll have to determine), defend and be a good teammate. Surely he can do that for about 10-12 minutes a game.
You guys say "those" because you want to look right. You're not right any more often than any of the rest of us. Hell, the coaching staff isn't right a lot of the time so what does that say about us?

 

[sa_hunt]

Makes everyone feel so much better when someone says "Trust in Cal"

We will get through this. We will get through this together. hahaha

 

[sa_hunt]

I can’t get excited when we have gone from the “it” program who gets whoever they want and the elite of the elite recruits to burning up the grad transfer market with a couple sort of elite recruits sprinkled in. Sorry.

On a side note, the other "it" schools are doing the exact same thing. Before we were just stuck with a mediocre recruiting class compared to some other years. Now, we take advantage of new resources. Cal will take advantage of any opportunity to build a roster, doesn't matter the rules, he'll be the top dog of manipulating those rules to his advantage.

 

[BassProCat]

I can’t get excited when we have gone from the “it” program who gets whoever they want and the elite of the elite recruits to burning up the grad transfer market with a couple sort of elite recruits sprinkled in. Sorry.

We have the #1 recruiting class. 2 top 5 players.

Plz shut the **** up and go back to sleep.

 

[chroix]

The handful of negative voices here on this are the same miserable 6-10 people that complain about everything. Their negativity makes me confident this kid will be a good addition.

 

[MdWIldcat55]

Makes everyone feel so much better when someone says "Trust in Cal"

Yeah, it'd be really stupid to trust in a coach who has had eight teams in eleven years that either went to the Elite Eight or beyond or, this year, won the SEC outright, was ranked top 7 in the final coach's poll and was certainly capable of a Final Four or championship run. Why trust that guy, just because he has won more NCAA tournament games and had more overall success than any coach in America?

 

[chroix]

I can’t get excited when we have gone from the “it” program who gets whoever they want and the elite of the elite recruits to burning up the grad transfer market with a couple sort of elite recruits sprinkled in. Sorry.

Only thing you seem to get excited for is dogging our players and coach.

 

[CHAPDAV3]

Whitney, Juzang, Vanderbilt, Diallo, Green, Wynard, etc. The list is long and now you want us to trust the staff? I hit no problems getting him, but so far Reid was the only one that helped us very much. I am in wait and see more, but trust in staff 100%? Nope.

Really 6 players from a list of recruits over 12 years? You say this like it was a huge failure. LOL. I trust this staff because of the results. The WCS. Herro even Devin Bookers were gets that out weigh the 6 you through out by a long shot. I think your way off on your evaluation here.

 

[nickhorvathsuxazz]

Davion Mintz’s fit for the basketball team is roughly the same as Sawyer Smith’s fit for the football team.

Let's just hope it's healthy Sawyer

 

[fisherscat]

Really 6 players from a list of recruits over 12 years? You say this like it was a huge failure. LOL. I trust this staff because of the results. The WCS. Herro even Devin Bookers were gets that out weigh the 6 you through out by a long shot. I think your way off on your evaluation here.

Who knows? My guess is this kid will be able to give the Cats some contribution. Probably not any sort of difference maker, but who knows. Only thing I think I know is that the freshmen next year will need to be really, really, really good. Can't have a repeat of this year's freshmen class in terms of talent and readiness to contribute right away at a high level.

 

[kydmb99_rivals103809]

Whitney, Juzang, Vanderbilt, Diallo, Green, Wynard, etc. The list is long and now you want us to trust the staff? I hit no problems getting him, but so far Reid was the only one that helped us very much. I am in wait and see more, but trust in staff 100%? Nope.

So stupid.

 

[Bigblueamyou]

In all fairness......... you cant have full faith that they'll always make the right choice in taking players............. and you can have faith they get it right enough to field good teams

An you can’t have faith that they are going to turn out like they are predicted to

 

[kydmb99_rivals103809]

Ultimately I think people have way too high of expectations for grad transfers. You just hope they're decent role players and provide valuable depth.