TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards: Should he leave or stay?

This is topic Should he leave or stay? in forum UK / NCAA Basketball at TheCatsDomain.Com Message Boards.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://www.thecatsdomain.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=28;t=039616

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 01-10-2023, 10:05 PM:

Should Cal stay or go?

Posted by ukman (Member # 3032) on 01-10-2023, 10:07 PM:

Can we vote multiple times [Smile]

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 01-10-2023, 10:08 PM:

I don't think we are that desparate for votes [Big Grin]

Posted by ProBlue (Member # 2944) on 01-11-2023, 11:25 AM:

Why not UKman the DemoRATS do .LOL

Posted by handycat (Member # 2323) on 01-11-2023, 12:27 PM:

If Cal leaves, we need to prepare for several more lean lean years. At least that’s my opinion.

If Cal goes somewhere else, next years #1 class probably follows. Sheppard could be the exception. I believe the days of top recruits coming to UK simply because they’re UK are in the past. Todays outstanding prospects have pro careers on their minds. With Cal gone, they may see other destinations as better career options.

I don’t care how great a bench coach you are, in todays college game you’re not going to win a lot with young, mediocre talent on your team. Maybe we can get an outstanding bench coach who can also recruit, I don’t know who that would be.

Is the UK fan base willing to give a new coach time before he would be expected to compete for a National Championship? I’m not at all sure they would.

For the record, I voted for him to leave.

[ 01-11-2023, 12:31 PM: Message edited by: handycat ]

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 01-11-2023, 01:24 PM:

I'm not worried about us finding a new experienced coach. Most of these coaches are only assured of about 10 years at a school anyway. It's not like the days of Rupp. Some recruits may decide to follow Cal but who knows what he could have gotten out of them at UK. We have had many, many top recruits who have failed their high school prognostications under Cal, and some who have proved he didn't know how to coach the best out of them. I'm sure whoever Mitch would decide to get would be an established coach who could recruit the right players. Has Cal recruited the right players? By the last several years results I would argue not in many cases. Of course we know his prejudices has affected his final results. At this point I am not worried about the future under a different coach. Of course I am just about 82 and won't be around for many of his games [Big Grin]

Posted by ukman (Member # 3032) on 01-11-2023, 05:34 PM:

ProBlue, I would even do it for 1/3 the price, and I would come back on here and look for some good advice. I would need some good assistants that I promise I would let talk and coach during games. Any takers? [Smile]

Posted by ukman (Member # 3032) on 01-11-2023, 05:36 PM:

Sorry, I'm a little slow. I thought you were saying why not me as coach since it might sometimes be taken that I think I know what a coach should do.

Now that I get it, that's a good one

Posted by handycat (Member # 2323) on 01-11-2023, 05:45 PM:

Bama, we thought Billy Clyde was a great hire at the time he was hired.

You have more confidence in Mitch than I do.

New coach might work out. Or it might not.

Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 01-11-2023, 05:49 PM:

Actually I don’t think if Cal leaves there will be several more years of bad basketball.

Too many examples with the transfer portal and a coach who coaches the way the game is played today is successful immediately.

Look at Missouri this year as an example, look at Arkansas since Mussleman took over, he has an entire new roster this year and Arkansas is going to be right there again this year.

Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 01-11-2023, 07:01 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by handycat:
Bama, we thought Billy Clyde was a great hire at the time he was hired.

Just so I'm on record......I hated the Billy G hire from Day 1. Never thought he was a good coach and they hired him because he beat Louisville in Rupp with Texas A&M in the tournament. Terrible decision by Barnhardt.

I would love to keep Cal if Cal would change his offense!!

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 01-11-2023, 08:51 PM:

I'll guarantee there are some of the top coaches out there that would love the chance to see what they could do at UK.

Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 01-11-2023, 08:53 PM:

Agree. Cal can be fine if he would recognize what ails his teams and implement the appropriate changes. There are two things in my mind that must change:

(1) The offensive scheme MUST be modernized

(2) He has to care more about every game. There is no excuse for UK teams to always be so bad compared to our peer programs in November-December-January. His early-season losses kill his chances for March success.

I would prefer that he actually study film, give players more of a leash on the floor, and make common-sense adjustments during games. But just 1 and 2 would make me a happy Cal fan again.

[ 01-11-2023, 08:53 PM: Message edited by: Tiptree ]

Posted by ukman (Member # 3032) on 01-11-2023, 09:27 PM:

The problem Tip is that many of us have been saying those things for several years now. If he hasn't done those things by now, I just don't see him doing them. Maybe he actually can't coach modern offense because he doesn't understand it, maybe he really can't manage more that 6-7 players, and maybe he just doesn't understand his teams and the best combinations to play. I don't know, but I have been begging for him to change for almost 8-9 years. I had some of these same concerns back in the glory days even, it's just that the sheer talent of the players covered up alot of those short comings. And if I did mention any of them people thought I was crazy. But I believe he really is the same coach now that he was back then. Really no different.

Posted by ukman (Member # 3032) on 01-11-2023, 09:30 PM:

Watching TCU and Texas now. I'm hoping that Texas loses a number of games so they can start to look at Cal and focus on his recruiting.

On another note, I can't believe they kicked that fan out of Rupp last night for his "Please go to Texas" sign. I personally wouldn't bring a sign like that, but he should not have been kicked out by any means. It had nothing vulgar, or inappropriate on it.

That wasn't any of you was it??

Posted by PaulCat (Member # 513) on 01-11-2023, 10:32 PM:

The report is that he was asked to give up the sign or leave, and he chose to leave.

Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 01-11-2023, 10:43 PM:

ukman,

Unless you actually have a way to speak to Cal, what we say here is just an echo chamber. We are tiny, and nobody reads our boards except the dozen or so of us still around. I suspect that the problem is that Cal is also in an echo chamber, where all his staff, and players, and administration tell him how great he is.

Great people surround themselves with even greater people, and are open to constructive criticism. I doubt very seriously that he gets any of that today.

The administration is happy because he still brings in the dollars and has avoided scandals.

The players think they hava a legendary, hall-of-fame coach, so they can't say much. Besides, they are teenagers. Not likely to say much.

His staff must be too timid to say much, or maybe Cal just hurrumphs and ignores them.

The sports press have no chance. Cal is legendary for treating reporters like they are ignorant fools, so he sure isn't going to listen to them.

So, who is there to tell the emperor that he isn't wearing any clothes?

[ 01-11-2023, 10:48 PM: Message edited by: Tiptree ]

Posted by ukman (Member # 3032) on 01-12-2023, 07:18 AM:

Glad to hear they didn't make him leave.

Tip, I get that. I'm just meaning that it has been going on for years so I don't have high hopes of anything changing. Add in your other points and I think Cal is going to stay the way he is.

Maybe this losing will somehow get him to look in the mirror and evaluate his coaching, and he can see what has to change. However, I'm not holding out too much hope for that.

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 01-12-2023, 01:57 PM:

Maybe when he realizes (???) he has the best players in the world and is losing like he is reality may set in. But there's a good chance he will never understand what is wrong. [Eek!]

Posted by rlt4uk (Member # 3194) on 01-12-2023, 02:49 PM:

As long as his players get drafted is all that matters to him.