gocats

@PolacheckKSR @MaseWill5 @KSRonX Top uncommitted pg in this class. PG2 for next year?

2026 four-star point guard Mason Williams is set to arrive at Kentucky for a visit on Wednesday, March 25, sources tell KSR. Williams is the son of current Jackson State head coach and former NBA All-Star Mo Williams. on3.com/teams/kentucky…

@koryhBBN Also these guys need to get off Facebook period… hands down the worst social media platform for sports and everything posted there is AI garbage

Some fans do take things too far. However, this happens at every school in America. It’s going to happen to him in the pros. He didn’t perform as expected, whether that’s on him or Pope I guess we’ll know soon. No one is exempt from criticism.

@TBrown_80 That’s more than fair. If he can’t swing the pendulum back enough to reach the elite 8 something is wrong. I’m just worried the issue is further up the chain than Pope

Every single third year coach at Kentucky reached the Elite 8. If we’re not there next year then the standard has changed.

@MarkyMarkPope @CameronWaddle @mostlysports @clubtrillion Very Cal revisionist take. Bottom line it wasn’t working

@aaiceman20 @CameronWaddle @mostlysports @clubtrillion Boosters wanted him to change his entire philosophy, and got their feelings hurt over politics. Fans had Justin Edwards in therapy contemplating suicide. Seems like there was some merit. Imagine the cal with 22 mil and you start to sound stupid.

Revisionist history has completely shifted the views of many people when it comes to the ending of the John Calipari era in Lexington. Here is a clip from @mostlysports a couple years back after we fell to Oakland. It’s a rant from @clubtrillion, a former Ohio State Buckeye basketball player, and a guy who has no affiliation with Kentucky or Calipari. These are his thoughts and it’s truly what the state of the program was at the time. Two total postseason wins since 2020 with him, one in SEC tournament and one in NCAA tournament. I will forever love John Calipari, and he’ll likely forever be my favorite coach, but it was over at Kentucky. Whether you want to blame it on him, administration, others, doesn’t matter. He’s doing well at Arkansas, but his time at Kentucky was done. I just don’t get how people have forgotten what the end of his time here was like. Yes, he gave us one of the best runs in College Basketball history in his prime at Kentucky, but the ending was far below the standard in Lexington.

@MarkyMarkPope @CameronWaddle @mostlysports @clubtrillion There was so much more going on than just losing games. He turned on the boosters too and was blaming fans for his results.

@CameronWaddle @mostlysports @clubtrillion You don’t run a HoF coach off because of a slump while the entire landscape of the sport is changing. He built up enough equity to figure it out. Turns out he was close. Even the years we got upset we were a 2 and 3 seed. You get through those they probably go on a run.

@AaronFlener @KySportsRadio Well if Cal kept producing like that he would still be here so who’s fault is that?

@aaiceman20 @KySportsRadio If Pope wants to compare his start to Cal, he needs to compare it to Cal’s start. Can’t just pick and choose the worst years to make yourself look better.

Mark Pope on his radio show compares Kentucky the last two years to Kentucky the four years prior

@LegacyBlue_UK @KySportsRadio Can you read dumbass? Sweet sixteen was last year and we were not 14-14 last year…

@aaiceman20 @KySportsRadio That's not ai dumbass

@AaronFlener @KySportsRadio Can’t compare anything to Cal’s first 5 years. Nobody will touch that not even Cal himself

@KySportsRadio To compare apples to apples, Cal lost his 26th game at UK in the last game of his 4th season.

@LegacyBlue_UK @KySportsRadio Gotta learn how to use AI better sir, the blurb about Pope isn’t even accurate at all

@KySportsRadio He's not wrong. People have absurd expectations. It takes time.

@bjpf_ Things that won’t happen for 1000

christian collins number 1 overall pick to the pacers in 2027

@MattSakR2NG this is my exact thoughts as well. well done

2 PG’s Collin/Kam/BH 2 stud incoming forwards (I would want Stokes + a 4 who can shoot) Malachi/BG/Jelly 1 more transfer, Potter, multi-year development player - Can weed out to a 8-9 man rotation - Balance of player retention + new talent - Height everywhere

As talks about roster construction and player retention heat up, I did a mini case study: What roster construction is working this year? I used the top 3 remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament, the remaining 1 seeds: Duke, Michigan, Arizona Gonna be a long thread 🧵

@JJPOLO45 @BigBlueDylan @CatsBy90edits @BleedBNetwork @BleedBlueCasey @RoundOfShots @Limestone_Miner @MattSakR2NG @DrewByousBBN You can’t even figure out when 2 years ago was 🤣 complete dumbass

@aaiceman20 @BigBlueDylan @CatsBy90edits @BleedBNetwork @BleedBlueCasey @RoundOfShots @Limestone_Miner @MattSakR2NG @DrewByousBBN You're something special I tell you 🤣🤣🤣 # 3 is from Baylor 😭

Here are my early opinions on who stay or go for Kentucky, and what they need the most next season to be more competitive. (Rotation?) G: “Star”? G: “Star”? F: Kam Williams. F: “Star”? C: “Zoom/Rim Protector/Stretch 5” G: “Consistent Backup PG” G: Collin Chandler. F: Braydon Hawthorne. F: Andrija Jelavic. C: Malachi Moreno. (THOUGHTS) GET BACK TO RUNNING ZOOM EFFECTIVELY. I’ll admit I don’t think it’s really feasible to go get 4-5 new starters for next years team, yes I believe they could upgrade at every position, but it’s not as easy as that when it comes to recruiting, especially in the transfer portal, but it might need to be done. I think UK returning the 5 listed above gives a solid foundation of returnees who all still have 2+ years of eligibility. Injuries forced guys into roles they weren’t supposed to be in this year, Chandler and Malachi were not meant to be starters, in a perfect world, neither was Jelavic. (BG/Mo/JQ/KW) so I don’t think you HAVE to pencil those guys as starters next season, I also don’t think recruiting the portal, with those 5 as your planned rotation pieces, will necessarily push anyone out, again, they all have 2+ years of eligibility left, the plan was to always develop an retain, Just get back to the plan as far as those guys! You have a legitimate bench group right there who, if all reach their potential and take steps going into next year, can be massive pieces in those roles as they continue to develop. (NEEDS) First priority needs to be finding that “star” guy at the 2/3, the Oweh replacement, the go to scorer who can get you consistent buckets. Portal will be filled with these guys, UK has to get financially competitive with the very top of the portal here. Try to Get back to the Lamont Butler type of PG. Bigger, stronger, maybe more defensively oriented while being offensively consistent. I know Quinn Ellis has been discussed early, but it’s gonna be a great year of Portal PG’s, High+Mid Major, no need to rush into a hasty decision just yet, but there needs to be a plan in place to land a backup PG this year, 2 straight years of PG injuries with no backup, it is a must get. Finding an “Amari Williams” is easier said than done certainly, but UK needs to go get a PF/C who can run Mark Pope’s zoom offense at a high level. (which he HAS to get back to) has to be able to stretch the floor as a shooter, while being a high IQ player who can make the reads/passes necessary, preferably a “star” or top portal guy here, to match the “star” you get at the 2/3. There’s a couple “star” PG’s that may enter also, go after THOSE types of guys for your starting spots. VOLUME SHOOTING! I think CC will be good as a 6th man volume type of shooter, I think Kam will be solid and even up his 3P, I think Hawthorne will give them a 3 level scoring ability, and AJ should take the next step, but they still need that starting G/F who can give them volume from 3P, while bringing more on ball as a scorer/ballhandler/playmaker than what CC has been. Again, plenty of these guys will be in the portal. Would love to hear opinions of all UK fans. #BBN #KentuckyBasketball

@CBeasmoreSports if Hart leaves there goes Dink Pate

With Jack Pilgrim reporting up to 4 staff members could be leaving Mark Pope’s staff, my guesses are: - Mark Fox - Mikhail McLean - Jason Hart - Alvin Brooks III Just speculation on my end and nothing is confirmed yet. #BBN

@JJPOLO45 @BigBlueDylan @CatsBy90edits @BleedBNetwork @BleedBlueCasey @RoundOfShots @Limestone_Miner @MattSakR2NG @DrewByousBBN #3 overall pick is in which league? Stupid

@aaiceman20 @BigBlueDylan @CatsBy90edits @BleedBNetwork @BleedBlueCasey @RoundOfShots @Limestone_Miner @MattSakR2NG @DrewByousBBN Ahh they went to the g league 😭😭😭 what are you talking about !🤦🏾‍♂️🤣

@JJPOLO45 @BigBlueDylan @CatsBy90edits @BleedBNetwork @BleedBlueCasey @RoundOfShots @Limestone_Miner @MattSakR2NG @DrewByousBBN Two nba players came off the bench two years ago so you have no clue what you are talking about

@BigBlueDylan @CatsBy90edits @BleedBNetwork @BleedBlueCasey @RoundOfShots @Limestone_Miner @MattSakR2NG @DrewByousBBN Kentucky isnt getting any stars they will get a bunch of rotational players NBA scouts want to see prospects play at least 30 to 34 minutes kentuckys not offering that stop skipping that fact!

@RunItBackFDTV @MichelleDBeadle @boogiecousins @ChandlerParsons @TeamLou23 At least boogie cares enough to be frustrated. Can’t blame him

"I hate the state of Kentucky Basketball right now." 😬 Boogie Cousins loves the history of his Wildcats, but says history doesn't attract top college basketball talent in the modern game 🗣️ @MichelleDBeadle | @boogiecousins | @ChandlerParsons | @TeamLou23

@FirstTake @RealJayWilliams This whole "not a blue blood anymore" argument is so dumb and tired. Its a term for historical success... it doesn't change by the year. No team is added or removed because you can't change history.

"If North Carolina didn't have that logo, I'm not sure we'd be talking about them as a blue blood. ... I can make a case that they're not a top 5 current, relevant team in college basketball." —@RealJayWilliams on UNC men's basketball 👀

@BanteredB_ Florida is 1-2 after Jimmy Dykes called them the new standard of the SEC

Best sec team in 20 years can’t get beyond the round of 32? Couldn’t happen to a better asshole of a coach

@CoachRyanKY There was 0 optimism about next year after the Oakland game... I wasn't even going to tune in to another Cal year here

I have not seen one post on here or on any other site pumping any sort of sunshine for next year’s season of Kentucky basketball. I’m not sure I can ever remember that being a case outside of twice (Billy G Year 2 NIT Exit and Cal’s loss to Oakland). The common denominator between those two? Neither of those guys were the Coach at The University of Kentucky the next season. (This team did hold the accolade of making most people about as excited as a necessary emergency appendectomy though.) I see zero world in which Kentucky DOES NOT bring Mark Pope back. That just isn’t happening. What I am more concerned about is Pope fighting an impossible battle in Year 3. The margin for error will basically be non-existent, and BBN will determine if he is a lame duck very quickly into his 26-27 campaign. Short media conferences, cutting the Tom Leach radio post game short, and paying millions for kids to ride the bench certainly isn’t going to “help” anything either. Hope he (really) understands what this is, because for the first time…….I’m beginning to have doubts on if he’s really comprehending the situation he’s put himself in. Accountability (the real kind) needs to be Step #1. Some Assistants are going to have to go. Can’t run it back with the same staff that put this team on the floor. Those conversations need to either currently be happening or happening first thing tomorrow morning.

St Johns is surprising to me... they looked even more lost than we did (no PG for either team) when we played them, and we won that game!