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Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 03-28-2023, 12:39 PM:

Didn't see it anywhere on here but I imagine most of you have heard that Wheeler is entering the transfer portal for a final year. He would have been my first choice to declare anyway. I believe some of his injury missed games was not due to injury but "the writing on the wall". I think he and Cal had an understanding he would be leaving and he didn't play. I could be wrong but I wouldn't bet on it. Ugonna has said he was coming back so I expect he will play more next year with our top center being an incoming freshman. That's 2 decisions and 9 more to go.

Posted by PaulCat (Member # 513) on 03-28-2023, 01:11 PM:

There's an article on Sea Of Blue that say's insiders are hearing that Livingston will either stay in the NBA draft or transfer.

[ 03-28-2023, 01:11 PM: Message edited by: PaulCat ]

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 03-28-2023, 09:37 PM:

I'm no expert but I have learned a few things about BB in about the last 55 years. I'm stepping out on a limb and predicting.

Wallace goes in the draft and is disappointed at his low second round pick

Livingston make a horrible mistake and goes in the draft but never shows up. Not drafted.

Oscar leaves and goes in the draft and may make the bottom of the second round.

Reeves decides to stay at UK.

Toppin goes to the transfer portal.

Ware finishes his senior year at UK.

Frederick decides to go in the transfer portal.

Collins goes in the portal and signs with a team in Texas.

Thiero decides to return to UK with family ties to Cal.

Ugonna transfers to St. Johns.

Wheeler has already decided to transfer.

That means we get Thierro, Reaves and Ware back. Not much of a threat among them to the freshmen coming in. At least as far as Cal is concerned.

Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 03-29-2023, 07:04 AM:

BC,

I’m not sure why you think Wallace is going in the second round. He is going to be a lottery pick. He had an outstanding Freshman season. He was a combo guard coming into college and was forced to play exclusive PG for Kentucky after the Wheeler injury. Then he continued to play injured himself.

He answered any and all questions the NBA GM’s had about him coming into college. All he did was increase his draft stock this year. I would love for him to come back. He is a competitor but no way he will be back knowing he will be a lottery pick and more than likely Top 10 pick.

Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 03-29-2023, 09:47 AM:

Agree with Trey. Wallace is primed and ready to be a lottery pick. He wasn't a great fit for UK's offense, but will thrive in the NBA.

I think Livingston will go and be drafted, albeit perhaps late first round/second round. He sure has a NBA body, and athleticism, but seems still raw. Somebody will take a chance on him.

I think Toppin will be back next year, but wouldn't be terribly surprised if he doesn't. For him, it is about an inward journey more than anything else. I hope he finds peace and blossoms into his full potential.

Not at all surprised that Wheeler is transferring. He and Cal seem to be on different pages. He will thrive somewhere.

Oscar is the real mystery. He is an incredible beast, but with flaws. Will he stay and hope that Cal coach him up to be NBA-ready? Will he just declare and let the chips fall as they may? I really like this kid. I hope his future is awesome... just really don't know what that may look like.

Posted by ukman (Member # 3032) on 03-30-2023, 02:01 PM:

I think Wallace will be top 15 pick and do well in the NBA. Not a star, but be a solid backup for years.

I will be thrilled if Reeves actually comes back. I wish CJ would, but I know Cal wouldn't know how to properly use him, so it 's definitely better for him to go somewhere where a coach can make the most of his talent. Hope he can stay healthy. Ugonna said he was coming back, so I hope that is the truth. I've heard rumblings about him leaving. I think he could be a very good player, not a star, but really solid.

Livingston I think will go 2nd round just on his athletic ability. If he doesn't stay in the draft I hope he comes back. He could be a monster for us if given the chance. I'd love to see him at UK for 1 more year. I think Thiero could be a real good player for us, if Cal gives him a true shot. He has good size, shoots decent, good athletic ability and defense.

I'm glad Ware will be back. You need guys that accept there role and just work hard no matter what. Those guys are really important to any team, and he seems to do that well. Collins will be gone, and I don't blame him one bit. I think he'll do well somewhere else.

I hate that this is where we are now. Every offseason, instead of celebrating something, we have to speculate who is going to the NBA or transfer. The transfer is what bothers me the most. Ugonna, Collins, and Livingston should all be coming back if Cal knew how to actually play a team of guys, and develop them. But he is always going to play 6-7 guys and that's it. That means every year we are going to have some highly rated recruits end up leaving because they can't get a good chance to prove themselves. I know we don't see the practices and don't know what goes on there, but the little bit we have seen of some guys in games sure makes me wonder why they don't ever play some more.

With the supposed talent we have coming in we should be good. But it takes more than young talent. We need some veterans that can lead, and play solid minutes. If we have the new guys, Thiero, Ware, Reeves, Livingston, and Ugonna; that should be a final four team for sure. If lose most of those guys, it could be a tough year with mostly youth. But who knows. Maybe these new guys are gonna actually be great basketball players, which includes shooting.

We also need a coach that knows how to use the talent he has and reach the maximum potential in the entire team. That means if we have some guys that don't play great man to man, or we are getting beat in man, you go to zone. That means you have some actual inbound plays to try to score, you have a rotation so that you are keeping your team fresh, and wearing other teams down. And you have those things practiced already so that your team is prepared to do different things when needed. I don't think that is asking too much for 9 million a year.

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 03-30-2023, 02:31 PM:

You guys may be right about where these guys end up but the past few years I've seen some of our guys fall in their ratings. And you never know how many and how good the foreign players will be. I may be wrong on some of them but I'm sticking with it.

Posted by handycat (Member # 2323) on 03-30-2023, 03:21 PM:

If C J or Reeves enter the transfer portal, they would probably have to set for a year. You can transfer at any time. However, to be able to play your first year is a one time deal unless you apply for and are granted a waiver. At least that is my understanding.

Of course they could leave and turn pro but I think that is highly unlikely.

Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 03-30-2023, 05:27 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by handycat:
If C J or Reeves enter the transfer portal, they would probably have to set for a year. You can transfer at any time. However, to be able to play your first year is a one time deal unless you apply for and are granted a waiver. At least that is my understanding.

NCAA has been granting waivers due to COVID. Just like Wheeler they will not have to sit out or like the Stevenson kid at West Virigina this year who played for 4 different schools in 5 years. NCAA granted him waivers twice so he could play for Wichita State/Washington/South Carolina/West Virginia without ever sitting out a year.

Posted by handycat (Member # 2323) on 03-30-2023, 05:38 PM:

It appears the waiver is a mere formality. I did not know that.

Between the transfer portal and NIL, college athletics as we knew it are a thing of the past.

[ 03-30-2023, 05:41 PM: Message edited by: handycat ]

Posted by handycat (Member # 2323) on 03-31-2023, 01:51 PM:

https://www.aseaofblue.com/2023/3/31/23656491/jacob-toppin-2023-nba-draft-kentucky-basketball-news

Well, this answers one of our questions. I didn’t see if he has hired an agent or not but it appears he has said his goodbyes to UK basketball.

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 03-31-2023, 08:09 PM:

Well I missed that one. I thought he would give it another year at another school. When you look at his overall game you will find it inconsistent. No problem. We had others we thought could go higher but they didn't. He could actually go higher than any other wildcat. Just depends on what teams need.