Next Coach?
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indyredmen97
Member
I find it surprising that in another 20 win season, coming off the season's most impressive win and run and our near NCAA bid lock, that this thread is the second on most recently discussed with its 105 pages. So I'm commenting solely to put it right back to its rightful place on this website - Number 1. Who cares about the present? We need to focus on what's truly important, our lack of a recruiting class for next year. Sure the signing period isn't over and there are a plethora of highly rated players still out there, but let's use our own anxieties and timeline and make them the basis to criticize this terrible recruiter with no track record of bringing in talent. Plus he's a terrible tactician. The players deserve all the credit for the 33 point swing in the Georgetown match up. They came up with the plan to nullify Smith and run Georgetown out of the game. And as a motivator this guy is the worst. The recent success after a bad January clearly came from player only meetings where they decided to win to spite the clown with the weird jumper under his sports coat. After all there are a number of fantastic coaches on television that might get snatched up this year and we can't risk missing out on a guy that 300 other schools continue to pass on each year. We need better! And if we get rid of this sorry west coast crap now and replace him with someone else next year, this curmudgeon will get what he truly loves: a new thread devoted to who will be our next, next coach.
FWIW, feel free to add Tom Crean to the list of soon to be available coaches
FWIW, feel free to add Tom Crean to the list of soon to be available coaches
Class of 72
Active member
Cal's first two platoons are 10 high all Americans. The 12th and 13th man were Mr. Basketball in the State of Kentucky and the San Francisco Bay area POY.
Nice of you though to equate Felix Balamou to the 14th man on the UK team. Not sure it remotely helps your point.
This is funny. I have calmed down a lot about Lavin over the past few months. What I find interesting is how people can observe the same events and interpret them in a polar opposite fashion. FWIW, here is where I stand now.......
-My vote is no extension and to buy him out after this season (I know this is extremely unlikely)
-I have stopped getting angry about Lavin's interview comments. The nonsense is often insulting to a basketball fan's intelligence, but I finally just find it funny. The guy could fall in a mud puddle and explain why it is better than having not.
-I respect Tony Chiles and Jim Whitesell
-I think Lavin has done an exceptional job of holding this team together. There have been MANY points (both prior and during the season) that this team could have folded. The players could have lost hope and just started partying. Instead, they bared down and stayed the course. To me, this (not recruiting) is Lavin's strength. For all the BS he dishes (and there is alot), those kids love him and never throw him under the bus.
-Lavin calls the stupidest time outs I have ever seen in my life. That's all I have to say about that.
Now, if we are winning, I could honestly live with all the above. However, the components I cannot live with is the poor basketball coaching and the recruiting lapses. The 2014 class goes without saying. That was an absolute travesty. The unfortunate development is that the 2015 effort does not look good either. I know it is not over, but when you consider the number of scholarships available for 2015, we should absolutely be further along.
Finally.....I am PUMPED for the remainder of this year. I am worried about our health. But, otherwise, I could see this team winning an NCAA game or two.
-My vote is no extension and to buy him out after this season (I know this is extremely unlikely)
-I have stopped getting angry about Lavin's interview comments. The nonsense is often insulting to a basketball fan's intelligence, but I finally just find it funny. The guy could fall in a mud puddle and explain why it is better than having not.
-I respect Tony Chiles and Jim Whitesell
-I think Lavin has done an exceptional job of holding this team together. There have been MANY points (both prior and during the season) that this team could have folded. The players could have lost hope and just started partying. Instead, they bared down and stayed the course. To me, this (not recruiting) is Lavin's strength. For all the BS he dishes (and there is alot), those kids love him and never throw him under the bus.
-Lavin calls the stupidest time outs I have ever seen in my life. That's all I have to say about that.
Now, if we are winning, I could honestly live with all the above. However, the components I cannot live with is the poor basketball coaching and the recruiting lapses. The 2014 class goes without saying. That was an absolute travesty. The unfortunate development is that the 2015 effort does not look good either. I know it is not over, but when you consider the number of scholarships available for 2015, we should absolutely be further along.
Finally.....I am PUMPED for the remainder of this year. I am worried about our health. But, otherwise, I could see this team winning an NCAA game or two.
Cal's first two platoons are 10 high all Americans. The 12th and 13th man were Mr. Basketball in the State of Kentucky and the San Francisco Bay area POY.
Nice of you though to equate Felix Balamou to the 14th man on the UK team. Not sure it remotely helps your point.
Kentucky has a roster of 16 with 10 top 100 players...six of them are not top 100. Only one of them showed up in the top 150. That leaves five guys on the most stacked team the NCAA has probably ever seen, that were not top 150. Felix was a top 150-200 talent out of high school. His athletic ability is second to nobody. He's worth a scholarship based on "what if" all day long when you consider his worst case is an above average defender at the high major level--and a kid that isn't a problem on or off the court to boot. Get as cute as you want, but there are not many kids with Felix Balamou's athletic ability roaming this planet...he is an absolute freak of nature.
Sure. Leaving three to be compared to Balamou.
This argument is retarded. If this kid played in Kentucky, Cal would have offered for sure. No coach, even the mighty Calipari, fills all 13 spots with top 100 talent. Why would they want to? You'd have at least 3-4 very unhappy guys.
Avon Barksdale
Member
Cal's first two platoons are 10 high all Americans. The 12th and 13th man were Mr. Basketball in the State of Kentucky and the San Francisco Bay area POY.
Nice of you though to equate Felix Balamou to the 14th man on the UK team. Not sure it remotely helps your point.
Kentucky has a roster of 16 with 10 top 100 players...six of them are not top 100. Only one of them showed up in the top 150. That leaves five guys on the most stacked team the NCAA has probably ever seen, that were not top 150. Felix was a top 150-200 talent out of high school. His athletic ability is second to nobody. He's worth a scholarship based on "what if" all day long when you consider his worst case is an above average defender at the high major level--and a kid that isn't a problem on or off the court to boot. Get as cute as you want, but there are not many kids with Felix Balamou's athletic ability roaming this planet...he is an absolute freak of nature.
He would never be playing meaningful minutes in a meaningful game at Kentucky though. And he certainly wouldn't be jumping in the jump ball to start the game.
As you mentioned, Lavin has done a great job with this team. Between KT and ADR not qualifying and Jordan acting up mid season, this team easily could have fallen apart. Fact is, it didn't and that is a major credit to the staff holding everything together.
I've said it all season and I'll reiterate it ... For me, this season was tournament or bust. They've won 20 and with a win tonight, are probably a lock to make it. So IMO, an extension is in order. But I will say that I am disappointed with the '15 class as of right now. 2 years ago, I heard about how Lavin was ignoring the '14 class and putting all his energy towards this year. Govan, Briscoe, Diallo, Sampson, etc. Now, obviously there is plenty of time and I'm fairly confident he will scrap together a solid group. But I don't like the fact that as of right now, all I'm hearing about are players with questionable academics and foreign players that nobody has ever seen. In no way am I trying to criticize the guy because at the end of the day he has done a great job coaching this year. All I'm saying is I kinda expected more talent coming in for next year.
I've lost all hope for this board. This thread is still going strong and I see a debate about whether Balamou could play for Kentucky? Really? Balamou? Felix Balamou? I can't read this anymore
jumbo_peanuts
Active member
Who cares about the present? So you basically just said that you are throwing in the towel for this year...or that it doesn't matter what happens this year.
Why don't you go tell that to DLo, Pointer, Phil, Branch, and the rest of the seniors...that this season doesn't matter. For you to say who cares about this season is just downright disrespectful to those players who have busted their butts for the last 4 yrs for this progam.
Indy was being sarcastic
Class of 72
Active member
:-&
Kentucky's 3 walk ons would be on our second platoon. Had it not been for injuries Felix would still be collecting ass splinters on the bench. Even the wizard knows he is a very limited player. He was recruited to secure Obekpa. If he ever develops a jump shot he could be serviceable but he is horrendous around the basket. Had Thomas and ADR qualified he would be seeing walk on minutes.
Kentucky's 3 walk ons would be on our second platoon. Had it not been for injuries Felix would still be collecting ass splinters on the bench. Even the wizard knows he is a very limited player. He was recruited to secure Obekpa. If he ever develops a jump shot he could be serviceable but he is horrendous around the basket. Had Thomas and ADR qualified he would be seeing walk on minutes.
Class of 72
Active member
The New Dom has been inspiring. Even politicians have taken notice.
