Ostensibly Hoops

[eCat]

whats really sad is the outrage you'd normally expect from UK fans - not about the kneeling as much as the horrible start to the year is pretty muted because UK fans quit caring about 3 years ago due to player turnover.

We've reduced the seating capacity of Rupp by 3K and after this pandemic, it will be a rarity for Rupp to ever sell out again.

Cal has damaged this program and I doubt the next guy will bring it back

[Jungle Rat]

Who the fuck cares about kneeling? Get the fuck over it.

[Fifer]

Last night I turned it off and went to bed. I can't bear to watch it.

[hedge]

[Jungle Rat]

His wife made him turn off the TV.

[Saint]

Somewhere Billy Clyde is chuckling to himself as he gently caresses his ballsack

[Jungle Rat]

DNA will prove ecat was there

[eCat]

De'Aron Fox had an interview with KSR today. The interview was fairly benign but he said some things that at face value are pretty controversial.


De’Aaron Fox says John Calipari “couldn’t give a damn about winning college basketball games”

looks like the knives are out at KSR

[hedge]

What does he give a damn about?

[The Anti k*]

Here’s the full piece from KSR that eCat referenced. If this was happening at Carolina, I’d want his ass gone, too.

De’Aaron Fox says John Calipari “couldn’t give a damn about winning college basketball games”
By Jack Pilgrim | January 14, 2021 | 4:00pm | 59

Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
Former Kentucky star De’Aaron Fox will be the first to tell you he loved his time in Lexington and playing for John Calipari. Averaging 16.7 points, 4.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest, the 6-foot-3 guard quickly established himself as one of the best players in college basketball during the 2016-17 season, solidifying his status as a top-five pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

In particular, he loved the freedom he had under Calipari to run the show and play in a system that closely resembles the NBA. It prepared him for the league and allowed him to develop into one of the top up-and-coming guards in the NBA, signing a five-year, $163 million maximum extension with the Sacramento Kings back in November.

He envisioned this success as a five-star prospect out of high school and knew going to Kentucky could help make that happen.

“My final (list) was Kentucky, Louisville, Kansas, LSU and Arizona. Funny thing, I knew (where I wanted to go),” Fox said in an appearance on ALL THE SMOKE with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. “I feel like most kids just waste time saying they want to take visits, visit these campuses, do all this, but I knew where I was going the whole time. I was like, “So I’m about to go spend the colleges’ money, go have a good time, spend time with my parents, take whoever I want to go on these official visits. But the whole time I knew I was going to Kentucky.”

From the start, he knew he would be able to come in, play a significant number of minutes, show off his talents, help the team win games and go on to the NBA after just one year. The other schools on his list couldn’t offer that.

“(Being a one-and-done) was the main reason. But second reason, it was just the place I knew I wanted to play,” Fox said. “Louisville had just gotten in trouble for the stripper s***, so my mom was like, “You’re not going there.” Went to LSU (on a visit) because I wanted to go to Baton Rouge for a weekend. Kansas, Bill Self ain’t playing no freshmen over juniors and seniors, they had Devonte’ Graham and Frank Mason at the time. I knew I wasn’t going to play there. Kentucky was the only real choice, I knew I was going to play. Kentucky was the place I knew I was going to start, knew I was going to play.”

And as expected, it was an experience Fox loved and is still grateful for to this day.




“Man, it was great. I love Cal. I still talk to Cal to this day. He lets you rock,” Fox said. “That’s why he wants guards like John [Wall] and myself and [Brandon] Knight, Tyler Ulis. The way that he coaches, it’s like absolute freedom. He’ll put X’s and O’s but at the end of the day, everything’s going to end up in a pick and roll or isolation. That’s what the NBA is too.”

Fox’s team won games – 32 of them to be exact – but the former Wildcat feels that wasn’t Calipari’s focus during his short time with the program. In his eyes, the UK head coach builds his rosters with NBA talent and knows the wins will come as a result. The focus is on player development.

“When he’s able to get those guys, you find success,” Fox said. “Cal couldn’t give a damn about winning college basketball games. If he’s getting guys who he knows he can end up developing into NBA players, you’re automatically going to win 30 games a year just from that alone. That’s what I loved.

“You came in, you had to earn everything. He made you work. At the end of the day, I was a top-five pick, Bam (Adebayo) and Malik (Monk) were lottery picks. That’s all you can ask for. We lost in the Elite Eight, obviously we were mad as hell, but that wasn’t going to make me stay.”

As we’ve heard Calipari say time and time again throughout his time at Kentucky, Fox and the 2016-17 team’s other stars were told after the team’s heartbreaking loss to North Carolina in the Elite Eight that they would not be back the following year whether they wanted to return or not.

They had helped UK win games, made a deep run in the tournament, and established themselves as sure-fire lottery picks. Their time in Lexington was over.

“We lost on a buzzer-beater,” Fox said. “Cal brings us in about 20 minutes after, he said, “All of y’all are gone.” Brought us all in there, said, “You’re done, you’re not coming back. If you need us, you have our numbers, we’ll help you with whatever, but you’re not playing another college basketball game.”‘

[eCat]

its very clear Cal values player development over winning games. We lost 4 in a row mid season because he was determined to get Diallo ready for the NBA.

He started taking heat for it and that's when he gave his "that's somebodies son out there speech" as justification for playing Diallo in games we could (and did) lose.

Diallo's team never saw a final four but he's on an NBA roster.

And its only become worse. We would not be 4-6 right now if Allen had played earlier in the year taking away minutes from Boston and Clarke. I won't go into them here but you should hear the insane reasons Cal used to justify playing them.

[hedge]

Yet Cal is laughing all the way to the bank...

[sardis]

Kentucky fans are just now realizing Cal cares more about pro development instead of winning? C’mon, you guys were on board and thought that recruiting NBA prospects would give 30 wins and if the stars aligned an occasional championship would happen, which it did. Dont be stabbing Cal in the back, now. You wanted the Cal philosophy, you were Cal.

[sardis]

Btw, I’m working remote in the mountains and ate at a local pub last night and a 70 year old guy sits a few seats from me at the bar wearing a Kentucky jacket. He grew up in Kentucky and just retired here. Of course I had to hear the whole history of Kentucky athletics in the 50s 60s and 70s when he played football for them. Couldn’t scarf my food and get my check fast enough.

Did learn one thing I didn’t know before. Bear Bryant coached at Kentucky before A&M and was successful there. Even beat the number one team one year, but Kentucky treated him like shit so he left.

[hedge]

"Did learn one thing I didn’t know before. Bear Bryant coached at Kentucky before A&M and was successful there. Even beat the number one team one year, but Kentucky treated him like shit so he left."

I think heeestry is fixin to repeat itself in Lexington...

[hedge]

"You wanted the Cal philosophy, you were Cal."

Exactly. UK fans aren't mad at Cal, they're mad that the crop of ostensible studs that he's brought in the past few years aren't as good as Anthony Davis, John Wall, etc, etc. If, say, Zion Williamson had gone to UK and they'd won the NC that year, UK fans would be strutting around like bantam roosters right now and Cal would have a 5 year reprieve. Nothing would've changed, Cal would be the same person operating under the same philosophy and they wouldn't care. They're just mad that a bunch of teenagers aren't as good as they were advertised to be and now need somebody to blame it on. It's who they are and what they do. In fairness, I'm sure Cal was aware of that before he agreed to take $10 million a year from their talon-like hands, so I don't feel sorry for him at all. But I don't feel sorry for the rube UK fans either. Quite the opposite, actually...

[eCat]

sure we did

but don't act like you wouldn't do the same.

you talk about the hypocrisy of UK fans while lamenting the lack of talent Roy Williams brings in.

[eCat]

Btw, I’m working remote in the mountains and ate at a local pub last night and a 70 year old guy sits a few seats from me at the bar wearing a Kentucky jacket. He grew up in Kentucky and just retired here. Of course I had to hear the whole history of Kentucky athletics in the 50s 60s and 70s when he played football for them. Couldn’t scarf my food and get my check fast enough.

Did learn one thing I didn’t know before. Bear Bryant coached at Kentucky before A&M and was successful there. Even beat the number one team one year, but Kentucky treated him like shit so he left.

the story is they gave Rupp a Cadillac for winning the championship and Bryant got a Rolex, so he moved on to Texas Tech.'

Pat Summit was going to coach at UK too, but she was offered crap money and turned us down.

[eCat]

and btw, all UK fans are asking for from Cal now is to focus on player retention. Every year he has 2 or 3 scholarships open and he won't fill them with 3 star guys because he wants to make sure he has a spot open for the next Anthony Davis, but its clear he isn't getting any more Anthony Davis. Duke is Nike's favorite now and Cal pissed them off by refusing to play in their tournament a few years back. You're not going to compete for a championship losing 80% of your scoring year over year. Everyone knows that and no one would put up with it if its a pattern.

And no one here would tolerate a coach losing games to make sure a kid who is shooting 23% gets a lionshare of playing time over a kid that went 7-10 in 3 point shooting his first game out

[Jungle Rat]

Cal gets a cut of their contracts. He ain't dumb