[Granny Bear]

Mark with 7 double digit loss seasons in the 9 seasons he has coached.  Lost to 11th  seed Duquesne in Round 1 this year.  Finished 5th behind Santa Clara in his conference two seasons ago. Not to pick the guy to death because he might kill it here, but how do you pass over guys with much better resumes for Pope?  Would Mark have gotten an interview if he hadn't played here at UK?  He wouldn't have even been on the radar. ZERO  tournament wins.  Love him or hate him, the fact is, Cal is currently the winningest coach in college basketball and will have the Hogs near the top of the SEC.

This administration  and these Crafts seem to be the problem. Look at Kelly Craft's run for governor. She came across as a pure lunatic. Mitch is a religious fanatic and a total out of touch tool.  When you have loons like these people making decisions,  you get debacles and fiascos like we've seen the past week or so.

---

I don't trust the basketball acumen of grown ass men who wear special magic underwear as "spiritual protection."(That's right, they really do that)  Mark Pope, like all Mormons, believe that God once lived on a higher planet with his own higher god.  Also, Coach Pope believes the Earth is just one of many inhabited worlds, and there are many governing heavenly bodies, including the planet or star Kolob, which is said to be nearest the throne of God.

Good luck in Lexington, Coach.

You need to simmer down!!  Remember, you'd be happy if Oral Roberts stays in Waco.

[jetpilot]

^^^He won't be happy with anyone who is religious or conservative.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Big Z in the portal.

Will be happy to see all the cal mercenaries gone

[jetpilot]

Big Z in the portal.

Will be happy to see all the cal mercenaries gone

Amen brother.

[Cactus Jack]

Great decision by Ivisic. Much better fit for Pope's system than Cal's. /s

Whatever.

[Old School Hound]

Big Z in the portal.

Will be happy to see all the cal mercenaries gone

Silly. 

The modern college basketball landscape encourages and rewards mercenaries. There are few loyalists today. Reed will likely provide further proof of that.It's all about the money and the next level. Cal didn't invent mercenaries.  Will you be happy to see mercenary Sheppard pack his bags for the Big Show?

[Van Hagar]

Reed didn’t come in as a ‘mercenary’. He came in as a four-year player who wildly exceeded all expectations and played himself into a first round draft pick. And I’m still not convinced he will leave.

As for getting transfers from basketball factory BYU, let’s consider this. Mark Sears, SEC player of the year from Alabama, transferred in from that basketball powerhouse Ohio U. Walter Clayton, Jr., Florida’s best player who killed UK this year, came from basketball juggernaut Iona. Hmmm….anyone else? Hey, how about Antonio Reeves? Two pretty damn good years at UK after leaving the basketball behemoth Illinois St. And those are just some SEC examples. Just the way it is now in college basketball. A couple of 24-25 year olds from BYU may be just what the doctor ordered.

[jetpilot]

Reed didn’t come in as a ‘mercenary’. He came in as a four-year player who wildly exceeded all expectations and played himself into a first round draft pick. And I’m still not convinced he will leave.

  As for getting transfers from basketball factory BYU, let’s consider this. Mark Sears, SEC player of the year from Alabama, transferred in from that basketball powerhouse Ohio U. Walter Clayton, Jr., Florida’s best player who killed UK this year, came from basketball juggernaut Iona. Hmmm….anyone else? Hey, how about Antonio Reeves? Two pretty damn good years at UK after leaving the basketball behemoth Illinois St. And those are just some SEC examples. Just the way it is now in college basketball. A couple of 24-25 year olds from BYU may be just what the doctor ordered.

Dalton Knecht - TN who was SEC POY and 1st team All-American played at Northern Colorado last year. To be clear I didn't consider Reed to be a mercenary either but he would be crazy to not go to the NBA no matter who the coach was going to be at UK. Agree 100% on 24 year olds.

[Van Hagar]

Can’t believe I forgot Knecht. Guess I was trying to block him out of my mind. And I agree on Reed needing to go, but my wife is actually a cousin of Stacy’s family, and word there is Reed really wants to come back, but his family knows financially he will most likely never have an opportunity like this again. Hell, Jeff is a financial adviser now, wouldn’t look the greatest on him if his own kid turned millions down.???

[Cactus Jack]

Still an hour from lunchtime and Fland has asked for a release from his NLI and Wagner is in the portal.

Thinking that this is going to be a busy day. Can't wait to see the outcome. No use in being strung along by players who have no interest in being in Lexington but are occupying a roster spot.

What's the worst that can happen-- our postseason is over by Selection Sunday instead of Day 2?

[jetpilot]

Still an hour from lunchtime and Fland has asked for a release from his NLI and Wagner is in the portal. 

Thinking that this is going to be a busy day. Can't wait to see the outcome. No use in being strung along by players who have no interest in being in Lexington but are occupying a roster spot.

What's the worst that can happen-- our postseason is over by Selection Sunday instead of Day 2?

Not getting in is better than being a 1-3 seed and getting humiliated in the first round by St Peters and Oakland.

[Strikeout King]

Onyseno just declared and will hire an agent. 

Big Z got the hell outta Lexington quick. Seen a photo on twitter of him already in Arkansas.  He probably already had his bags packed and plane ticket before even meeting Coach Pope. Have fun riding Arkansas bench…

[Cactus Jack]

Wanted to do a reset but this one will be in two to three parts. First-- the obvious.

GONE:

Definitely Going Pro:
Dillingham - most obvious entrant, isn't looking back;
Edwards - think he's foregone eligibility as well;
Onyenso - hiring agent and likely staying in, if he returns to college, unlikely it's UK;

Transferring - No Chance of Returning:
Bradshaw - committed to Ohio State
Ivisic - committed to Arkansas

Cal Signees Who've Asked for NLI Release:
Quaintance – seems most open; Arkansas likely favorite, Missouri and others in play;
Fland – likely Arkansas, but Alabama or a UNC/Kansas/UConn may slip in;
Wagner –likely declares for the Draft or follows Cal to Arkansas; no way he ends up at UK;
Cyril – likely following Cal to Arkansas or remains in OTE, not fit for UK/Pope’s system anyway;

Unsigned Cal Commits Who've Reopened Recruitment:
Knox – likely to end up at Arkansas, USF, or G-League;

Unsigned Cal Commit Who Is All But Gone (Unofficial):
Richmond – not a lock for Arkansas, but won’t be at UK;

[Cactus Jack]

Part two. Looking at pieces from Cal's roster.

MAY RETURN:

Staying or Going Pro:
Sheppard - biggest decision for next season's roster and the remainder of his basketball career;

Staying or Transferring:
Burks - could be a nice fit if it works, hoping that it works out for him wherever he lands;

In Portal, Haven't Ruled Out Return:
Thiero - entered portal before Cal left, plenty of suitors but hasn't ruled out UK but most likely gone;
Hart - entered transfer portal, hasn't ruled out return but it also seems unlikely, committed to UCF originally


RETURNING OR INCOMING:

Cal Signee Who Remains Committed:
Perry – right now, he’s the only guy I would definitively say is on the team next season;

[Cactus Jack]

On to the best part-- speculating about what's next, even though we all know that most of the guys we get from the transfer portal will be names we haven't really heard of. Wouldn't be surprised if that ends up having a Big XII or Mountain flavor.


RUMORED INTEREST:

Jaxson Robinson, BYU – would be a huge addition to the roster;
Jacobe Coles, TCU – 6’8, 215 pounder shot 42.5% from 3 last year;
Amari Williams, Drexel – PF is 3x CAA Defensive POY;
Javon Small, Oklahoma St. – Playmaking PG has lots of suitors after his coach’s dismissal;
Aly Khalifa, BYU – BYU big is in portal and not ruling out Kentucky;


NAMES TO WATCH:

Great Osobor, Utah State – adding because Utah connection, a better Fousseyni Trarore;
Richie Saunders, BYU – entered Sunday;
Danny Wolff, Yale – 7’0 shooter who can handle;
Frankie Fidler, Omaha – projects well schematically; likely Mich St. or Wisconsin;
Robbie Avila, Indiana St. – maybe wishful thinking for some fans, but he fits the system;
Rylan Griffen, Alabama – wishful thinking for other fans, likely going back home;
DJ Davis, Butler – 95% FT shooter, can make plays and create for himself;


PREVIOUSLY RUMORED, RULED OUT:

Dallin Hall – BYU shooter entered portal following Pope’s exit, won’t be a Wildcat;


OTHER FUN NAMES IN THE PORTAL:

Marques Warrick, NKU – former Henry Clay Blue Devil averaged 19 ppg, bad scheme fit;
Andrej Stojaković, Stanford – Peja’s son, likely stays on the West Coast;
Malik Dia, Belmont – nice fit, but probably going to Ole Miss;
Kerr Kiirsa, West Virginia – likely going to St. John’s;
Jamal Mashburn Jr., New Mexico – oh, why not?;
Trey Townsend, Oakland – too soon?; no chance he’s at UK, just wanted a Cal dig;

[jetpilot]

^^^Great stuff CJ!


Matt Jones
@KySportsRadio
·
2h
When all is said and done, here is my guess at UK roster:

3 Freshmen (Perry and Chandler are 2)
2 BYU kids
2 top 25 from ESPN
2 26-55 from ESPN
Other role guys

[jetpilot]

The kid coming to Kentucky for Kentucky is evidently staying. The kids that didn't come to Kentucky for Kentucky are leaving. I'm all for it.

[Cactus Jack]

^^^Great stuff CJ!


Matt Jones
@KySportsRadio
·
2h
When all is said and done, here is my guess at UK roster:

3 Freshmen (Perry and Chandler are 2)
2 BYU kids
2 top 25 from ESPN
2 26-55 from ESPN
Other role guys

Nice. I'm assuming that the Top 25 and Top 60 are transfer portal rankings?

Don't know if he's committed yet, but I think UK fans may be getting ahead of themselves if they're thinking we're a player for Belmont's Cade Tyson (who I didn't mention above).


Intrigued that BYU's Richie Saunders entered the portal. He's married to a former BYU women's basketball player and his school bio and other articles make it seem as though his spirituality has had a large influence on his life-- it explicitly mentions a previous mission and that he's VP of Fousseyni Traore's 'Fouss Foundation. Looks like his Dad played collegiately at UC Davis as well. On the surface, seems like it'd be tough to pull him away from BYU or the general area.


Wondering who the two BYU players are (and it doesn't seem that Chandler is included in that count). If we're looking at Jaxson Robinson foregoing the draft, then that's great, but given the pursuit of Duke's Jeremy Roach. I think it's more likely that we end up with two of: Waterman, Traore, Knell, Saunders, and Khalifa.


Can't see a world where we end up with more than one of Sheppard, Robinson, Roach, or a similar talent at guard.

[Old School Hound]

Plant Guy might very well turn out to be BGR's Nostradumass . Looks like his prediction of 10 or so wins might be prophetic. Gonna be a tough season with these roster challenges. Could be a YMCA team next season. UK fanbase will be calling for Coach Pope's head on a Book of Mormon. Will be wanting to send him to planet Kolob. Meanwhile, gonna be a bitter pill as Cal leads the Hogs back to the top of the SEC and a deep NCAA tourney run. Fans will be longing for a return to Cal ball.

[Spud6]

Plant Guy might very well turn out to be BGR's Nostradumass .  Looks like his prediction of 10 or so wins might be prophetic. Gonna be a tough season with these roster challenges. Could be a YMCA team next season. UK fanbase will be calling for Coach Pope's head on a Book of Mormon. Will be wanting to send him to planet Kolob. Meanwhile, gonna be a bitter pill as Cal leads the Hogs back to the top of the SEC and a deep NCAA tourney run. Fans will be longing for a return to Cal ball.

No matter the success Cal has, fans knew it was time for Cal to go. His formula wasn’t working in the last 4 years.

[Cactus Jack]

I initially wondered about the type of fit Amari Williams would be offensively. After watching some more of his highlights, I see more of how he could fit. Not saying he's going to come in and average 20+, just that he's known more as a defender and I didn't initially see him as the ideal for Pope's style because I don't think anyone is going to confuse him with Ray Allen. Still, I think I'm starting to see what he may be able to do out of the high post or when singled on the block.

[pjdoug]

Plant Guy might very well turn out to be BGR's Nostradumass .  Looks like his prediction of 10 or so wins might be prophetic. Gonna be a tough season with these roster challenges. Could be a YMCA team next season. UK fanbase will be calling for Coach Pope's head on a Book of Mormon. Will be wanting to send him to planet Kolob. Meanwhile, gonna be a bitter pill as Cal leads the Hogs back to the top of the SEC and a deep NCAA tourney run. Fans will be longing for a return to Cal ball.

Laughs uncontrollably @ deep tournament run.

[Old School Hound]

Plant Guy might very well turn out to be BGR's Nostradumass .  Looks like his prediction of 10 or so wins might be prophetic. Gonna be a tough season with these roster challenges. Could be a YMCA team next season. UK fanbase will be calling for Coach Pope's head on a Book of Mormon. Will be wanting to send him to planet Kolob. Meanwhile, gonna be a bitter pill as Cal leads the Hogs back to the top of the SEC and a deep NCAA tourney run. Fans will be longing for a return to Cal ball.

No matter the success Cal has, fans knew it was time for Cal to go. His formula wasn’t working in the last 4 years.

Formula would have worked this year if Reed and the freshmen hadn't played like scared school girls. The path was wide open for a run to the FF.

OAKLAND => NC ST =>  MARQUETTE => DUKE =>  FINAL FOUR

Are we saying UK couldn't have navigated that easy path if not for a case of "the Yips" against Oakland?  I think Cal would have had a Final Four team were it not for Sheppard's diarrhea in the opening round.

[Cactus Jack]

Feeling better after landing Amari Williams and thinking that we are also the likely landing spot for Great Osobor. That's two big pieces on the interior. Think depth will ultimately be an issue this season with so many new pieces, but don't see think that the sky is falling either. Feel we probably land at least two of the transfers out of the Big XII and that all of our starters come from the portal.

[jetpilot]

Williams is a great get. It's going be great seeing someone in a UK uniform playing defense again.

[Cactus Jack]

FAU's Johnell Davis probably won't be following Dusty May to Michigan. Looks like there are some snags in the admissions process similar to what Caleb Love experienced last season. Not so much an issue with him meeting baseline qualifications to get in, just with how many of his credits would transfer. If I understand correctly, Michigan can be a stickler for course titles and equivalency, and over 50% of your classes must be taken with them to earn your degree.

Could be Kentucky's gain, and a huge one at that.

Davis is originally from Gary, Indiana, and was a huge part of the Owls' run to the 2023 Finals.

[Cactus Jack]

Dayton's Koby Brea has narrowed his list to: Kentucky, Duke, UConn, UNC, and Kansas. Looks like blue bloods only for the graduate transfer, who is one of the top shooters in the portal.

Brea is originally from Washington Heights, NY, which looks to be in the vicinity of the Manhattan borough.

Kentucky can probably offer the as many, if not more, shots as any school on his final list.

Something tells me moving back closer to home to attend UConn would make the Huskies tough to beat if they prioritize him, but I also question whether he defends well enough for Hurley to make him a top priority and/or offer a role that allows him to see the type of volume that a Kentucky or Duke looks to be able to offer.

Could be completely misreading the situation of playing close to home entirely, as none of the other schools he's considering are necessarily close and tradition seems to be a very big deal to him, so take that as my gut feeling more than anything else.

[Cactus Jack]

Really hoping that we close on Great Osobor soon and then start building the backcourt and depth from there.

Keeping an eye on former Oklahoma Sooner Otega Oweh as a systematic fit wherever he ends up. Hasn't been mentioned a lot, but Pope seems to have his eyes on a lot of Big XII/Mountain West area players right now and his transition skills could make him a fit, even if he lacks a bit shooting the ball consistently.

Not especially high in either of the outgoing Duke players being mentioned. Think Roach was the prize of that haul and have questions about any given player's fit given the mass exodus.

Legacy and former Stetson Hatter Jalen Blackmon would also be a very nice pick-up IMO.

[Spud6]

What a hire by Coach Pope getting the assistant coach that has been at Baylor since 2016.

[Cactus Jack]

Things appear to be taking shape now. The picture should really start coming into focus in the next month with the portal closing and draft decisions looming.

Reading tea leaves, I'm guessing Jaxson Robinson is hoping to get drafted, but will end up at Kentucky if he returns to college. At the same time, the roster has tons of holes and it's probably known that Kentucky isn't going to be in a position to wait very long for his decision.


My best guess on the roster based on what we currently know:

PG/SG:
Impact lead guard (portal)
Jaxson Robinson?
Aiden Mahaney?

Complimentary guard (portal)
Elijah Hawkins?
Deivon Smith?

SG/SF:
Starter, at least 1 shooter (likely out of portal)
Koby Brea?/Andrej Stojakovic?
Richie Saunders (bench)

PF/C:
Great Osobor
Amari Williams
Stretch 4/5 (portal or otherwise)

Reserves:
PG: Travis Perry
SG: Collin Chandler


Thoughts:

Amari Williams is locked in and Great Osobor should be committing soon. Osobor is 6'8 and has a ceiling defensively. Because of that and the type of offensive skill sets that he and Williams have, I don't see any way that a "stretch" 4 or 5 wouldn’t also be added. Getting that adds lots of depth and versatility to what Pope is probably looking to try to do.

Ideally, Jaxson Robinson transfers in and fills the combo guard role. He is paired with someone like Mahaney, Javon Small, or James Blackmon. If Robinson stays in the draft, then getting at least one of the other names or a similarly talented and experienced guard is a must, but preferably you'd have two.

Getting vibes that Pop Isaacs isn't really the best fit for the big picture, but taking him or someone similar in a "best available" scenario may be necessary.


Richie Saunders seems like your quintessential 6th, 7th, or 8th man type. Good player that you are rooting for, but if he's starting and playing big minutes, here's to hoping we have a lot around him and similar talents ready to deploy off the bench.

Getting a Koby Brea or Andrej Stojakovic in could solve a few problems. At 6'6, they've got positional size for the 2 or 3 and provide the type of shooting that you'll need if Williams and Osobor are playing together. Even though they aren't strong defenders, it's still a medium floor, high ceiling player that would provide offense and depth that probably pushes Saunders into a more natural role coming off the bench.


Overlap in programs involved with targets should start to narrow choices soon. For instance, UConn is involved with Mahaney and Brea & UNC is involved with Brea and Stojakovic.


I don't think that Chandler or Perry will be ready for roles past maybe spot duty. Perry will need some time to acclimate to the speed and physicality of the college game. Chandler was away from the game for some time on his mission and will be rusty; if he's going to be playing a significant role, he's either further along than I'm thinking or it may be a long year.


With so many needs across so many spots, I don't think we've seen our last non-portal addition, whether that is an international prospect or an incoming freshman who decommited or reclassified.