CatsSaintsFan
04-14-2006, 02:50 PM
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/sports/columnists/john_clay/14321926.htm
There are two quotes from this article that stood out for me.
1)
Ramar Smith, a highly touted 6-foot-2 guard out of Detroit's Martin Luther King High School, ranked 34th in the nation by Hoop Scoop (if you believe such things) and 30th by Rivals (if you believe such things), promised to wear orange.
"(Pearl) plays the way I want to play," Smith told the Tennessean, "using the whole court and running until the other team is too tired to run. The best thing is that we're going to have the players there that it takes to play that kind of game."
2)
Even without Smith, the Cats are expected to collect a top 20 class. It's just that it could have easily been a top 10 or even a top 5 had Tubby Smith and Co. not lost superstuds Brandan Wright to North Carolina and Thaddeus Young to Georgia Tech.
"It could be bad luck and a cyclical thing," Meyer said of UK's misses. "Or it could be Kentucky, with its more grind-it-out style of play, has lost some of its luster with elite prospects."
My point to both shows my concern for the future of Kentucky Basketball. At one time, recruits pointed to Kentucky's style of play with Rick and early Tubby. As he remains and becomes more plodding, kids are losing interest. What I don't understand is how this staff has so much trouble finding "bigs" to want to play in this system.
Tubby isn't going to change so he needs to change his staff and find a guy who can recruit the talent he needs here or find a coach like Donovan did in Larry Shyatt (sp) who came in and developed some toughness.
I just think this artcile points out exactly why I think unless there are changes, the next few seasons to come may be more like the one just finished.
There are two quotes from this article that stood out for me.
1)
Ramar Smith, a highly touted 6-foot-2 guard out of Detroit's Martin Luther King High School, ranked 34th in the nation by Hoop Scoop (if you believe such things) and 30th by Rivals (if you believe such things), promised to wear orange.
"(Pearl) plays the way I want to play," Smith told the Tennessean, "using the whole court and running until the other team is too tired to run. The best thing is that we're going to have the players there that it takes to play that kind of game."
2)
Even without Smith, the Cats are expected to collect a top 20 class. It's just that it could have easily been a top 10 or even a top 5 had Tubby Smith and Co. not lost superstuds Brandan Wright to North Carolina and Thaddeus Young to Georgia Tech.
"It could be bad luck and a cyclical thing," Meyer said of UK's misses. "Or it could be Kentucky, with its more grind-it-out style of play, has lost some of its luster with elite prospects."
My point to both shows my concern for the future of Kentucky Basketball. At one time, recruits pointed to Kentucky's style of play with Rick and early Tubby. As he remains and becomes more plodding, kids are losing interest. What I don't understand is how this staff has so much trouble finding "bigs" to want to play in this system.
Tubby isn't going to change so he needs to change his staff and find a guy who can recruit the talent he needs here or find a coach like Donovan did in Larry Shyatt (sp) who came in and developed some toughness.
I just think this artcile points out exactly why I think unless there are changes, the next few seasons to come may be more like the one just finished.
