Kentucky now trending as the favorite for Jasper Johnson.
Would be a pretty big win considering they were out of it a couple weeks ago.
Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk
Kentucky now trending as the favorite for Jasper Johnson.
Would be a pretty big win considering they were out of it a couple weeks ago.
Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk
Originally Posted by savafan
I'll be shocked if Johnson ends up at Kentucky.
If so, it's a big recruiting win for sure.
Their 2026 would seem to be:
PG Travis Perry (So.)
SG Otega Oweh (Sr.)
SF Jasper Johnson (Fr.)
PF Collin Chandler (So.)
C Brandon Garrison (Jr.)
Malachi Moreno and Trent Noah behind.
Still short on the perimeter and especially defensively. Chandler's going to have to blossom a bit at that PF spot for them to be any good-- Dybantsa would have been ideal there, but he's moved to better, more high-profile programs. Chandler's a mismatch offensively, but defensively, both he and Perry will have to improve a great deal to be even adequate. Lots of shooting surrounding Garrison and an ideal offense through which to run up serious points against teams who struggle to math their cuts. That's the beginnings of a middle-of-the-pack SEC team-- .500 or a couple games above in the league. With a weak schedule, maybe they'll be a bottom half of the top 25 team and a five or six seed.
Don't know if you know who Travis Branham is but he logged a pick for Kentucky. He's pretty much the Nate Silver of recruiting predictions and is a UK insider to boot. I trust his judgement.
It's WAAAYYY too early to even speculate on what next year's team could look like with the transfer portal being a factor. That said id imagine Johnson will be running the point or an off ball guard. Perry off the bench seems more likely and whoever from the portal as a wing.
What's crazy about Dybantsa is the leading team for his services? BYU. They are going to be a player with NIL (how?) and he likes Kevin Young as a former NBA coach.
Keep an eye on Braylon Mullins. He's a 4 star SG from Indiana who is AAU teammates with Moreno and Johnson. Indiana will likely be on him but he's the type of sniper that Pope will be after.
Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk
Kentucky has won National Titles under 5 Coaches. As long as you're not a raging lunatic drunk, history says you're going to win one.
And Kentucky did not force Cal out. They were prepared to honor his contract. Arkansas offered him a way out and he took it. UK wasn't gonna eat $33 million.
Saw photos that Z is already in a boot "I haven't seen him"
The Cal-era UK fans are truly not up to date with the history and significance of the program. John Calipari was never going to win anything of significance ever again at UK the way he alienated everyone. Arkansas gives him a chance to reinvent himself again.
After Kentucky lost to Oakland, Cal sat down with Mitch Barnhart and was told that he was going to be allowed to stay but had to completely change the organizational structure of the basketball department which operated on its own island. He would essentially be reporting to Mitch on everything instead of having a go between. That relationship was not good.
Cal wanted 5 million for NIL and the boosters gave him $50,000. There were rumors that when Cal came back to Lexington after the Arkansas story broke that he went to the UK brass and offered to stay if Kentucky would match it. He was told no and that by talking to Arkansas without notifying Mitch that he had violated his contract and Kentucky was prepared to fire him for cause if he didn't take the Arkansas job. Cal overplayed his hand.
When Pope was hired that NIL number jumped significantly. Kentucky would have honored the contract had Cal stayed but between Mitch and the boosters they made him miserable enough that he looked for a way out and John Tyson gave him a lifeline.
Another factor was a similar reason Tubby left. Kentucky has a no nepotism policy to where coaches can't hire family members. Tubby wanted to bring Saul on staff and couldn't which prompted his move to Minnesota. Cal wanted to give Brad a landing spot after being losing his job when Jerry Stackhouse was let go.
So really it depends on what your definition of forced out is. They didn't eat his contract but between Barnhart bruising his ego and then the boosters starving him out it made it to where he was never going to get the talent to win here unless he could actually coach.
Fans are going to have to be patient with Pope which is going to be a tall task. The team he assembled this year may surprise but Malachi Moreno and hopefully Jasper Johnson and Brayden Mullins are the pieces to something big.
Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk
Jasper Johnson to Kentucky.
Braylon Mullins is a priority but Pope is throwing a line to Caleb Wilson and Chris Cenac as post players. Both are 5 star recruits and have big names lined up for their services.
Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk
jrdunnit (09-06-2024)
Legitimately shocked that Johnson committed to UK and Pope.
I am legitimately not shocked that you are shocked.
Assembly Hall (09-19-2024),Big Red Smokey (09-09-2024),cumberlandreds (09-06-2024),WVRed (09-06-2024)
Further proof that there is life after Cal:
https://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-w...tvrXoO7Cl7zr-g
PG-Acaden Lewis
SG- Jasper Johnson
SF- Braylon Mullins
PF- Caleb Wilson
C- Brandon Garrison/Malachi Moreno
Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk
If they get Mullins, Wilson, and Lewis, that'll be proof positive that Pope and company can recruit with the big boys.
I think you will see a stark difference in how Pope recruits vs Cal.
When Cal was at Memphis he had a pretty fertile recruiting area. He eschewed the local talent to recruit nationally which put him at odds with local high school coaches. Kentucky didn't really care because honestly there wasn't very many players coming out of the state who could play at that level.
Fast forward to now and there has been a talent growth in the state. Reed Sheppard, Travis Perry, Trent Noah, Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno, and Tay Kinney. Cal has already recruited Darius Acuff to Arkansas. Had Cal still been here, Jasper Johnson likely would not have been a priority, putting Cal even further at odds with the fans.
Pope will recruit local kids who want to wear the jersey. Cal will continue to recruit the best players in the country and his class at Arkansas next year may we'll be on par with some of his best classes at Kentucky. I don't think Kentucky will be too far off though.
Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk
You guys can cross Mullins off your list.
I'll gladly take a Caleb Wilson and Acaden Lewis both to land Wilson.
Yep.
I think once Kentucky got involved with Lewis it was going to be hard for Lewis, Johnson and Mullins to coexist.
My guess is Indiana or UConn.
Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk
Chris Cenac & Mikel Brown Jr will be on campus for official visits this weekend according to Brandon Ramsey.
Posting Permissions
|
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please. |
Reply With Quote