We always seem to get our hopes too high

[billoliver40]

It seems that our hopes always skyrocket when we learn of a new recruit, only to have them dashed a lot of times. Guess we need to think a bit harder about some of this:

Gillispie has the rep as a great recruiter. Same as being a great fisherman...it's called fishing, not catching. It's called recruiting, not signing. All coach can do is lay it on the table.

Majok came out of nowhere to all of a sudden seem like the second coming of Hakeem Olajuwon. We were behind UCONN from the very first second, and the fact we even got in the race is remarkable.

If Scotty Hopson had wanted to come to Kentucky, he would have. The fact that he didn't whould tell everyone he didn't WANT to be here...quit
crying about previous coaches or late starts. The paper was there, he
didn't want it, and I don't want ANY Kentucky coach offering a recruit
the reigns of the team just to get him.

Flemmings was from all reports everywhere an extremely high risk recruit.
Even reports from Hawaii stated he would have a huge hurdle to overcome
just to be eligible.

I hope Harrelson is everything everyone thinks. He certainly become an overnight internet sensation.

MaCoy is currently everybodys McDonald's All-American....who wasn't, by
the way. He backed out of a committment to Pepperdine, not North Carolina or UCLA. A ride to Virginia OR UK would be a super-sized step up
for him.

Liggins' possible academic problems have been know by the bloggers for
over a year. To think something could be fixed overnight is senseless.
The young man is working hard, hard, hard....it's an uphill job.

Jasper's transfer will hurt....he's a tough classy kid. He's also (and just
being realistic) a forward that wants to be a point guard, who can't use
his athletic ability to go to the hole because he can't hit a free throw.
His outside shot was much improved, but still far from dependable.

What I'm trying to say is that out losses are not terminal. Neither the
kids that are leaving nor the kids that aren't or may not sign will cause
this team to melt down. At the same time, there is no single recruit out
there that will turn UK into the national champion NEXT year. This program is a couple of years away from that. Maybe even more.

Most of the recruiting 'experts' (if there is such a thing) that I've read
or heard have stated that it will be 2010 before CBG can get the
recruiting program on the page he wants.

patience.

[JWORLD]

It seems that our hopes always skyrocket when we learn of a new recruit, only to have them dashed a lot of times. Guess we need to think a bit harder about some of this:

Gillispie has the rep as a great recruiter. Same as being a great fisherman...it's called fishing, not catching. It's called recruiting, not signing. All coach can do is lay it on the table.

Majok came out of nowhere to all of a sudden seem like the second coming of Hakeem Olajuwon. We were behind UCONN from the very first second, and the fact we even got in the race is remarkable.

If Scotty Hopson had wanted to come to Kentucky, he would have. The fact that he didn't whould tell everyone he didn't WANT to be here...quit
crying about previous coaches or late starts. The paper was there, he
didn't want it, and I don't want ANY Kentucky coach offering a recruit
the reigns of the team just to get him.

Flemmings was from all reports everywhere an extremely high risk recruit.
Even reports from Hawaii stated he would have a huge hurdle to overcome
just to be eligible.

I hope Harrelson is everything everyone thinks. He certainly become an overnight internet sensation.

MaCoy is currently everybodys McDonald's All-American....who wasn't, by
the way. He backed out of a committment to Pepperdine, not North Carolina or UCLA. A ride to Virginia OR UK would be a super-sized step up
for him.

Liggins' possible academic problems have been know by the bloggers for
over a year. To think something could be fixed overnight is senseless.
The young man is working hard, hard, hard....it's an uphill job.

Jasper's transfer will hurt....he's a tough classy kid. He's also (and just
being realistic) a forward that wants to be a point guard, who can't use
his athletic ability to go to the hole because he can't hit a free throw.
His outside shot was much improved, but still far from dependable.

What I'm trying to say is that out losses are not terminal. Neither the
kids that are leaving nor the kids that aren't or may not sign will cause
this team to melt down. At the same time, there is no single recruit out
there that will turn UK into the national champion NEXT year. This program is a couple of years away from that. Maybe even more.

Most of the recruiting 'experts' (if there is such a thing) that I've read
or heard have stated that it will be 2010 before CBG can get the
recruiting program on the page he wants.

patience.


I think they call this what you just posted, KEEPING IT REAL!!!!!!!!!

I could debate this just to be a ***hole but sometimes the truth hurts.I hope that in the next couple of years, we can cut the nets and have Miller,Hood, and Euton playing vitale roles.....That would be sweet for me.......

[oceanwave1998]

As much as the name Pitino is a nasty word around here, look how long it took him to get the recruits he needed at U of L. Lets face it, he has an amazing recruiting class coming in next year. And I am not a closet U of L fan. I hope that it doesn't pan out and the team implodes. But still it took a name like Pitino 7 years to get the top recruits. Billy is at a blueblood university, but it still make take a few years to bring the recruiting to the UNC level. Which is where it should be!

[wildcatsundance]

"We always seem to get our hopes too high"

This is UK Basketball... I don't think that hoping that some JUCO players will join our ranks is aiming to high... I hope we sign a few players this spring, we really need em!!

[bowpro]

He won't be given 7 years to right this ship. If he can't pull in the recruits to get us back on course he had better get it done with what he has. I think he can, but if we have another poor year, recruiting isn't going to get any easier.

Looks like 3 schollys to fill this year so we have the opportunity to strike out a few more times. Should make for some real discussion on here if that happens. I just hope we can fill 2 of those with guys that can contribute right away.

[RP_McMurphy]

The previous coach and the current athletic director let the program slip to a point where national recruits did not even listen to UK. Right now Kentucky has to show new recruits a style and a vision. To get to that vision you need players and top level one's at that. The same very one's that Kentucky can't get because it doesn't have a vision to sell them. People laughed and said don't worry RP when I started screaming about recruiting four years ago. It's a slippery slope Kentucky was allowed to slide down and it will be very hard to get back up.

[wildcatsundance]

The previous coach and the current athletic director let the program slip to a point where national recruits did not even listen to UK. Right now Kentucky has to show new recruits a style and a vision. To get to that vision you need players and top level one's at that. The same very one's that Kentucky can't get because it doesn't have a vision to sell them. People laughed and said don't worry RP when I started screaming about recruiting four years ago. It's a slippery slope Kentucky was allowed to slide down and it will be very hard to get back up.

Four years ago we had the #1 recruiting class in America coming in... I'm wondering why that had you shook up!! The days are gone when you can blame Tubby for everything that goes wrong here...

By the way, what did Tubby have to do with Singleton, Hopson, etc, etc, etc, etc?

[Will Lavender]

By the way, what did Tubby have to do with Singleton, Hopson, etc, etc, etc, etc?

A lot.

I liked Tubby. Still do. But we're in a serious hole with recruiting. Part of that is Tubby's inability to cut inroads into these high school and AAU programs. When you're signing players from a database, as Tubby's staff was doing from the beginning of the Rigot era until Tubby took over the recruiting with Meeks, Jasper and Stevenson, you don't build those relationships with coaches that you should. Gillispie's had to make that up.

Another thing is the product on the floor. When you're not recruiting you don't win, as we found out in Tubby's final two seasons. And when you don't win you don't recruit, as we're finding out with Gillispie. It's all cyclical; everything impacts everything else in this game. This is another hole that Coach G. is having to climb out of, and it's tough to do in such a short time.

13 months. That's how long he's been here. He's recruited a 5-star player, Kentucky's Mr. Basketball, three top 40 players, and a big-time JUCO -- and he's not done. Considering the quagmire that became UK recruiting after that #1 class was signed, I think Gillispie's done a heck of a job.

I certainly haven't given up hope. It's May. There are still players on the board. To fall into despair because of a JUCO kid who had major qualification issues is a bit of an overreaction -- and that, more than getting our hopes too high, is what's going on here.

[RP_McMurphy]

Four years ago we had the #1 recruiting class in America coming in... I'm wondering why that had you shook up!! The days are gone when you can blame Tubby for everything that goes wrong here...

By the way, what did Tubby have to do with Singleton, Hopson, etc, etc, etc, etc?

I was talking about the 04-05 class.........you know that one which was a big pile of steaming turd.

[wildcatsundance]

A lot.

I liked Tubby. Still do. But we're in a serious hole with recruiting. Part of that is Tubby's inability to cut inroads into these high school and AAU programs. When you're signing players from a database, as Tubby's staff was doing from the beginning of the Rigot era until Tubby took over the recruiting with Meeks, Jasper and Stevenson, you don't build those relationships with coaches that you should. Gillispie's had to make that up.

Another thing is the product on the floor. When you're not recruiting you don't win, as we found out in Tubby's final two seasons. And when you don't win you don't recruit, as we're finding out with Gillispie. It's all cyclical; everything impacts everything else in this game. This is another hole that Coach G. is having to climb out of, and it's tough to do in such a short time.

13 months. That's how long he's been here. He's recruited a 5-star player, Kentucky's Mr. Basketball, three top 40 players, and a big-time JUCO -- and he's not done. Considering the quagmire that became UK recruiting after that #1 class was signed, I think Gillispie's done a heck of a job.

I certainly haven't given up hope. It's May. There are still players on the board. To fall into despair because of a JUCO kid who had major qualification issues is a bit of an overreaction -- and that, more than getting our hopes too high, is what's going on here.



I think Billy has hit the ground running.....Billy was not the subject of my post, it was in response to still blaming Tubby for stuff around here over a year down the road... Most of the time when someone takes up for Tubby, it is construed as a swipe at Billy. Believe this or not, but one can occur without the other....

[Will Lavender]

I think Billy has hit the ground running.....Billy was not the subject of my post, it was in response to still blaming Tubby for stuff around here over a year down the road... Most of the time when someone takes up for Tubby, it is construed as a swipe at Billy. Believe this or not, but one can occur without the other....

It's really tough to talk about one and not talk about the other when it comes to recruiting, though. For instance: UK was never in on Scotty Hopson until he rescinded the MSU verbal. Never. And then Gillispie has to swoop in and recruit a player who he has no prior ties to in literally a matter of weeks? That's brutal.

The thing is we're going to have to win. This is why Gillispie is after all these kids. If you win, it makes it much easier to recruit. It isn't a coincidence that Tubby's best class came after one of his best seasons. Gillispie walked into a program that has been down. We've been blown out a lot on national television recently. Kids see that. Gillispie's going to have to have a big season to wash away the sins of the past few years, and let's all hope it starts next year.

[wildcatsundance]

Maybe it will improve this year... I think Billy is in a dream position.. If we succeed, it "Billy Ball at it's best.." If we don't, just blame Tubby.. he's bound to have caused this at some point in time over his tenure here...

I like both guys, and I think Billy will get this done at some point, but he's not the "magical recruiter" that he was advertised to me...

I think the big thing to remember is that we will never get back to getting all the great players to consider us first.. With all of the TV coverage now, kids have a bunch of options...

[Will Lavender]

I think the big thing to remember is that we will never get back to getting all the great players to consider us first.. With all of the TV coverage now, kids have a bunch of options...

Why in the world not? UCLA has done it, UNC has. Kansas. Duke. Why not UK?

We're waaaaaaaaaaay to quick to get down on things as UK fans. Pessimism abounds. Never seen anything like it.

[wildcatsundance]

Will, I just think that in today's sports culture with the #1, #2, and #3 target being get to the NBA ASAP, it is unlikely that any of the Big Power schools will become a dynasty again... I for sure think this coach gets us back to controlling the SEC, and hopefully being a Final Four threat ever year.. I miss it!!!

[KennesawCat]

This whole obsession about recruiting, and our insatiable appetite to want to get every morsel of information, is not healthy for a fan base as fanatical as ours.

As recently as 5 years ago, we didn't know who our coach was after, so we never new about the misses. All we knew was who we actually got.

Now we cling to every rumor, fact based or not, and hold it up as legitimate information. We spin everything we hear, we blame, we curse the recruits that just days before we were heralding. We second guess our current player's ability. We over-analyze to the point mis-analyzing every aspect of our team, our coach, our staff, our program and our history.

And we do this all with the knowledge of about 2% of the facts. The other 98% only the coach and staff know, and they can't tell because of NCAA rules.

Oh, and I'm as guilty as everyone else.

[Will Lavender]

This whole obsession about recruiting, and our insatiable appetite to want to get every morsel of information, is not healthy for a fan base as fanatical as ours.

As recently as 5 years ago, we didn't know who our coach was after, so we never new about the misses. All we knew was who we actually got.

Now we cling to every rumor, fact based or not, and hold it up as legitimate information. We spin everything we hear, we blame, we curse the recruits that just days before we were heralding. We second guess our current player's ability. We over-analyze to the point mis-analyzing every aspect of our team, our coach, our staff, our program and our history.

And we do this all with the knowledge of about 2% of the facts. The other 98% only the coach and staff know, and they can't tell because of NCAA rules.

Oh, and I'm as guilty as everyone else.

Yep.

[wildcatsundance]

This whole obsession about recruiting, and our insatiable appetite to want to get every morsel of information, is not healthy for a fan base as fanatical as ours.

As recently as 5 years ago, we didn't know who our coach was after, so we never new about the misses. All we knew was who we actually got.

Now we cling to every rumor, fact based or not, and hold it up as legitimate information. We spin everything we hear, we blame, we curse the recruits that just days before we were heralding. We second guess our current player's ability. We over-analyze to the point mis-analyzing every aspect of our team, our coach, our staff, our program and our history.

And we do this all with the knowledge of about 2% of the facts. The other 98% only the coach and staff know, and they can't tell because of NCAA rules.

Oh, and I'm as guilty as everyone else.

Very Good Post, and right on point!!! Let's all just "stand down" for week, and see where we are next weekend....

[JWORLD]

Very Good Post, and right on point!!! Let's all just "stand down" for week, and see where we are next weekend....


Makes perfect sense to me:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

[Blue_N_White]

Very Good Post, and right on point!!! Let's all just "stand down" for week, and see where we are next weekend....

True. At this point, hopefully it can (and will) only get better from here on out.... :thumbup:

[colonelcatfan]

Very Good Post, and right on point!!! Let's all just "stand down" for week, and see where we are next weekend....

Best advice I've heard today. :thumbup::thumbup:

[poodoo]

Very Good Post, and right on point!!! Let's all just "stand down" for week, and see where we are next weekend....

:thumbup::thumbup:. I, too, think that's very good advice. :)

[Terry L. Wildcat]

I was talking about the 04-05 class.........you know that one which was a big pile of steaming turd.

:shrug1: :icon_rolleyes: These are our Kentucky Wildcats you are talking about :shrug1::icon_rolleyes:

[poodoo]

:shrug1: :icon_rolleyes: These are our Kentucky Wildcats you are talking about :shrug1::icon_rolleyes:

Thank you, Terry. Exactly!!!