[Cactus Jack]

Reading tea leaves from Calipari's press conference earlier today: if Cal is back, then Wagner, Sheppard, or even both are back as well. As beat up as he is right now, I don't think he'd have made a comment like that if it wasn't something that he could deliver on. I did find it interesting that he only seemed to mention guards coming back though.

That, and pursuing Clifford Omoruyi so publicly in the transfer portal tells me that at least two of Onyenso, Bradshaw, or Ivisic is out. Of that group, I think it'd hurt the most to lose Ivisic just because of everything we went through to get him and the fact that he's got the most unique skill set. If I had to guess, both Bradshaw and Onyenso are gone. Even if he's back, Onyenso is never going to be more than a shot blocker who is serviceable as a rim-runner or rebound-and-putback type on offense.

Omoruyi is a physical, banger type. He averaged 10 pts., 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game last season. His game mirrors what you think you'd get from Cyril's, who by all accounts, is still very raw. I also don't see them not honoring Cyril's LOI, but I guess anything could happen.

Jayden Quaintance is the highest ranked recruit in the class. He's more finesse than banger, but he's definitely not a one-to-one with Tre Mitchell. He'll only be 17 in July and will have to spend two seasons in college before being draft eligible. Still strikes me as young and raw-- not the type that Calipari needs to be staking the rest of his career at Kentucky on.

There's obviously a possibility that Thiero leaves, but I still think he's the most likely returnee. Going to assume that Edwards is gone, whether to play professionally or to another school.

Fland transitions into Dillingham's spot. Probably not going to be quite as good offensively, at least when it comes to making shots, but probably a better facilitator and better defensively due to his size alone.

I like Billy Richmond, and he's my favorite recruit not named Boogie, but he's also much more of a defender/slasher than he is a scorer. He's from the same Camden, NJ programs as Bradshaw and Wagner and committed in December but remains unsigned, so whatever happens with those two probably impacts how his story ends. Either way, think of Richmond as a MKG offensively and you probably won't be disappointed; most of his highlight tapes are stellar defensive plays and dunks. He's a very, very long way from the NBA in terms of offensive skill and isn't going to close that gap in only one year.


What I'm seeing so far is the opportunity to have an improved, more consistent front court, or at least one that has a chance at getting a rebound if we play the portal. What really worries me is that if the roster is primarily composed of the following, then there's going to be a real lack of proven scoring and there's no obvious choice to step into Reeves' role immediately:

PG - Fland, Wagner, Perry
SG - Sheppard, Richmond,
SF - ???, Thiero, Burks, Knox
PF - Quaintance,
C - ???, Ivisic, Cyril

The above line-up assumes a few things:
1.) the return of Sheppard, Wagner, Thiero, Ivisic, and Burks;
2.) all incoming scholarships, including Perry & those committed but unsigned, will be honored;
3.) the addition of one post player (either PF or C) in the transfer portal;
4.) the addition of one scoring guard or wing (PG, SG, or SF) in the portal;


Cal says "no one gets pushed out" but I could easily see Burks being the casualty in all of this... if Theiro returns and Knox comes in, he could be seen as expendable, which is unfortunate because I could see him being someone that really contributes in years three and four.

I don't know who starts if Wagner, Sheppard, and Fland are all there (and look how that turned out this season). I could also see the above shifting entirely if Wagner and Richmond are out of the fold. If Calipari has been dangling Reed's return as a carrot to keep fans off of his back, it may not be the worst thing, but he needs to deliver and find someone who can score and defend in the portal. If the Calipari's possible "returning guard" that he'd alluded to during this press conference is only Wagner, then he should be ready for all of the blowback that's going to come his way.


In the event that anyone but Calipari is coaching the team next season, then it's an absolute free-for-all. The only thing I'd say for sure is that Sheppard would be able to return if he wanted and that Perry is in as long as his scholarship or roster spot is going to be honored. No Cal and there's definitely be a mass exodus of players, and who stays will probably be dependent on the next coach, but there'll be a ton of activity in the portal regardless.