Congrats

[NortheastOHSUfan]

To Kentucky and their fans. Wish it was us playing them tonight, but it wasn't meant to be. Love them or hate them, they had a hell of a season and Davis was a beast.

 

[jekelish]

I'm just thrilled there's a post on here that doesn't smack of sour grapes.

I hate bitter fandom so very, very much.

 

[Scooch]

Yeah, I'm not a UK fan, but I don't get the over-the-top hate. They won. We wish we were them.

Don't lie, we wish we were them.

 

[Orangezoo]

Im happy for the kids. They deserved to win and had a great season. I disagree with the methods cal uses and the put a freshman all star team together the way a top european football or mlb team does.

 

[Scooch]

Im happy for the kids. They deserved to win and had a great season. I disagree with the methods cal uses and the put a freshman all star team together the way a top european football or mlb team does.

See, I don't get this. He shouldn't try to recruit the best talent available?

 

[rrlbees]

.

 

[OrlandoCuse]

See, I don't get this. He shouldn't try to recruit the best talent available?

His methods are widely known for being dirty. There's a reason why Bobby Knight despises him.

World Wide Wes must be living it up tonight.

 

[SoBeCuse]

I'm just impressed how much they play like a team and don't make many mental mistakes. I continue to marvel at how Davis, despite his frame, is able to snatch rebounds and loose balls in traffic and rarely get stripped or fumble it away. Incredible hands.

 

[jekelish]

See, I don't get this. He shouldn't try to recruit the best talent available?

Exactly. Turn the tables, and we would be saying how great our kids are and how wonderful JB and his staff are to be able to bring them in and win with them.

This could not come off as more bitter. Sorry folks, the moose out front should have told you, this Kentucky team is really freaking good, no matter how it was assembled. Whatever got them there, at least right now, makes no difference. The fact is when those kids got on the floor they got the job done as well as anyone in recent memory. Let's not be and try to take that away from them. The kids themselves didn't do anything that the vast majority of D1 basketball players either do or would do, given the opportunity (if they did anything at all).

 

[TinyManInside]

With the number of posts we've seen that Calipari will never win it all with his approach - half this board will eat crow tonight.

Cal did a great job with this team. If they replayed this tournament 10 times, they win it 8 or 9 times - they were that much better than everyone else this year. Personally I enjoyed watching their games, because they really bought into the defense-first mantra and they could be so explosive at times when their defense was clicking. It wasn't a great team in terms of half-court offense, but they did everything else so well. I really wish we could have landed Doron Lamb and Anthony Davis.

Mason

 

[Orangezoo]

See, I don't get this. He shouldn't try to recruit the best talent available?

He absolutely should recruit the best talent available.. but is using his networks to sell the kids for pro success the best way to go? The good kids will make something of themselves.. the head cases are not getting their lives pointed in the right direction. Bledsoe, Cousins, Orton.. did Cal really help them in their journey? No.. just a good sales pitch. You look at kids like scoop, Robinson and so many others and you can see how they grew as young men. Cal wants to make college hoops a platform to bring in top talent with his great pro connections.. he wants it to be a business... if you respect that then so be it. They can win the next 40 titles .. it doesn't change how that is the wrong perspective and offers a sense of false security to the kids. He got a great group of unselfish players this year... thats why I say good for he kids.. they deserved it.

 

[TinyManInside]

His methods are widely known for being dirty. There's a reason why Bobby Knight despises him.

World Wide Wes must be living it up tonight.

I thought it was really funny during this tournament how much love Pitino got for getting to the F4. Pitino was widely held in the same regard as Calipari back in the early to mid 90s when everyone thought he was a bigtime cheater, but he was never caught. No one says that stuff about Pitino now.

 

[otto123]

With the number of posts we've seen that Calipari will never win it all with his approach - half this board will eat crow tonight.

Cal did a great job with this team. If they replayed this tournament 10 times, they win it 8 or 9 times - they were that much better than everyone else this year. Personally I enjoyed watching their games, because they really bought into the defense-first mantra and they could be so explosive at times when their defense was clicking. It wasn't a great team in terms of half-court offense, but they did everything else so well. I really wish we could have landed Doron Lamb and Anthony Davis.

Mason

Give me a break 8 or 9 times they were not that much better then everyone. You also think they could beat some NBA teams? Syracuse with Fab Melo and UNC with Marshall were just as good if not better.

 

[TinyManInside]

He absolutely should recruit the best talent available.. but is using his networks to sell the kids for pro success the best way to go? The good kids will make something of themselves.. the head cases are not getting their lives pointed in the right direction. Bledsoe, Cousins, Orton.. did Cal really help them in their journey? No.. just a good sales pitch. You look at kids like scoop, Robinson and so many others and you can see how they grew as young men. Cal wants to make college hoops a platform to bring in top talent with his great pro connections.. he wants it to be a business... if you respect that then so be it. They can win the next 40 titles .. it doesn't change how that is the wrong perspective and offers a sense of false security to the kids. He got a great group of unselfish players this year... thats why I say good for he kids.. they deserved it.

If you're going to blame Cal for the (debatable) failures of Bledsoe, Cousins, and Orton, are you going to also blame Boeheim for the failure of Fabricio? One could easily make the argument of "head case not getting his life pointed in the right direction" with regards to Fab.

 

[TinyManInside]

Give me a break 8 or 9 times they were not that much better then everyone. You also think they could beat some NBA teams? Syracuse with Fab Melo and UNC with Marshall were just as good if not better.

I don't think they could beat a single NBA team.

 

[SoBeCuse]

With the number of posts we've seen that Calipari will never win it all with his approach - half this board will eat crow tonight.

Cal did a great job with this team. If they replayed this tournament 10 times, they win it 8 or 9 times - they were that much better than everyone else this year. Personally I enjoyed watching their games, because they really bought into the defense-first mantra and they could be so explosive at times when their defense was clicking. It wasn't a great team in terms of half-court offense, but they did everything else so well. I really wish we could have landed Doron Lamb and Anthony Davis.

Mason

Agree. They played terrific team ball much like the back-to-back Florida champs. You still have to coach these guys, make them check their egos at the door, and buy in. Cal did that. He didn't have any shooters on that Wall/Cousins team.

 

[Orangezoo]

Mason... Im not going to expound on it for its not necessary here.. but I have personally come across the story of a former cal player whose family went through a lot after a great sales pitch turned into a horrible decision in this individuals life. I deal with a lot of sad stories in my line of work but being a huge hoops fan and seeing the ongoing debate about Cal and UK and the mass amount of dont be bitter posts twitches a nerve. When you see firsthand how a sales pitch can sink someone into a decision that could negatively impact their lives forever is disturbing. Our program is not full of saints.. but I wouldn't for a second trade it for one that hires someone who offers the world but turns his back when you are no longer of value.

I think comparing the Fab situation as a singular case , and Paul Harris much the same is different. The efforts that were made did not pan out. Can you pin that on JB.. maybe. Can you pin the UK players on Cal.. depends on your perspective. I get your angle trust me. And personal experience clearly skews mine in a different direction. I would say show an example of where a program Cal ran changed a players life for the positive. Where has he done so much good as to outweigh the risk taken by one and done players who played for him and were not ready to jump ship early. I clearly acknowledge the bad of SU.. and take that with the good that came along with it. I don't see the good with Cal... just a basketball powerhouse matched with a highly connected, fast talking, solid college basketball coach.

 

[rrlbees]

If Bobby Knight thinks you are slime then you are slime. I don't defend people that are slime.

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[PoppyHart]

If Bobby Knight thinks you are slime then you are slime. I don't defend people that are slime.

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Why, b/c Knight is slime and he knows it when he sees it?

 

[rrlbees]

Why, b/c Knight is slime and he knows it when he sees it?

Just the opposite. Cal is slime.

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[jekelish]

Cal might be slime. Doesn't mean the kids who just won are, though.

 

[rrlbees]

Cal might be slime. Doesn't mean the kids who just won are, though.

I'm sure a few may not be.

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[Jasoncuse]

Cal might be slime. Doesn't mean the kids who just won are, though.

Agreed. There's waaaaay too much UK hatred, which sounds more like jealousy, on here...

 

[jekelish]

I'm sure a few may not be.

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Considering some of the incidents that have happened with Syracuse players in the past, are we really ones to pass judgement? Fab, DeShaun, Devo, that whole incident with Flynn, Ricky, etc...

Seriously, the sour grapes are pungent.

Let them enjoy their freaking win. It's not like they beat US to get it, after all, so who cares?

 

[NineOneSeven]

Kentucky's team this year was one of the best I have ever seen assembled. I would have loved to be there tonight over Kansas, but I still think UK wins it. Their talent was unmatched and it showed all season.