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Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 02-03-2021, 10:22 AM:

Here is my take on why Cal has been able to squeeze high numbers of wins out of essentially freshman teams, but is failing miserably this year.

Like most great coaches, Cal focuses on both fundamentals and psychology. With freshmen, the fundamentals take a while, but he figures he can mask some of their shortcomings with raw, exciting athleticism.

Which brings us to the second part. Cal's psychological framework is tribal, us versus them. He insists that the team spend all of their time together, to bond, to become brothers. And then he amplifies that "us versus them" mentality by leveraging what ALWAYS happens when Kentucky plays -- an energetic, frenzied crowd. For home games, his tribe can feed off of the positive energy of Rupp Arena. for away games, they thrive off of the hate and scorn. Either way, it is always "our tribe" versus "their tribe".

Now, in the age of COVID, there is no energy to leverage. Just the squeaking of tennis shoes, the guy guarding you and his trash talk, and Cal yelling from the sidelines. Pretty much like practice, not a game. Oh, there are a few fans, but their combined "roar" is more of a "meow".

Veteran teams can also leverage the crowd energy, but they can also execute effectively regardless of the crowd. Our team? Not so much.

Give this team the usual full arena, home or away, and I think we might have a somewhat better record. But, not up to norm, because we still lack guards with elite athleticism and skills, are especially weak on fundamentals, and are stuck playing an out-of-date offensive scheme.

Posted by PaulCat (Member # 513) on 02-03-2021, 11:10 AM:

Don't forget the scheduling of many cupcakes in the pre-conference schedule. There have been moans and groans for years from the season ticket holders about the lack of quality games at Rupp. Cal usually pads our record with about six or seven wins a year by playing teams at the bottom of the barrel. Now without those bottom teams this year, even though I don't think we've played top teams, we have a 5-10 record. I don't consider Ga Tech, Richmond and ND as top-notch talent, but they're games Kentucky should beat. Heck even UNC and UL are down this year.

Cal is good at putting a tuxedo on a pig and making it look a lot better than it is.

Posted by PaulCat (Member # 513) on 02-04-2021, 02:51 PM:

What also gets me is that the stupid stuff we were doing at the beginning of the year is still going on. Stupid fouls, poor defense, poor passes, poor shooting percentage. So I ask this - aren't coaches supposed to help with these things? If a guy is bad on defense, teach him how to defend better. If a guy is foul prone, teach him how to stop committing stupid fouls. I just don't get it. What is Cal doing to earn his millions?

Posted by ALA_KAT2 (Member # 1559) on 02-04-2021, 06:55 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by PaulCat:
What also gets me is that the stupid stuff we were doing at the beginning of the year is still going on. Stupid fouls, poor defense, poor passes, poor shooting percentage. So I ask this - aren't coaches supposed to help with these things? If a guy is bad on defense, teach him how to defend better. If a guy is foul prone, teach him how to stop committing stupid fouls. I just don't get it. What is Cal doing to earn his millions?

I believe Cal coaches (and I use the term loosely) based solely on psychology of being better mentally and physically than your opponent. When he can’t recruit the alpha wolves, he can’t coach up the lower tier players. I’ve seen nothing to make me believe that he can plan strategy and actually teach guys to run plays other than the useless 3-guard weave near mid-court. I’m ready for a change but realize his large buyout and Mitch’s loyalty makes that improbable in the near term.
Sigh

Posted by EnterpriseCat (Member # 2881) on 02-04-2021, 07:46 PM:

IMO, there are two major issues as to what is wrong with this team. Point Guard play is non-existent. Askew plays with effort, but unfortunately he is not very talented. Mintz isn’t a point guard. Without someone to run the offense this team struggles to get a good shot. It also becomes evident during the last 4 minutes of games.

2nd issue is a lack of consistent shooting. Other than Allen, and occasionally Mintz, there is no player that pressures the defense with their shooting. I like this team’s hustle, but there isn’t enough talent to consistently win against SEC teams.