It's good to be back...
by HozeKing on Apr 1, 2010 8:53 AM EDT
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Well first, congratulations on an unbelievably exciting year and welcome back to basketball relevancy. I know exactly how Cat fans felt when taken down in the Regional Finals. Last year I spent $300 on two tickets and spent most of the time walking the concourse at Lucas Oil Fieldhouse. Of course, I still believe I have direct control of the game if I can just find the proper balance of watching or not watching my team during a game. It didn't work last year.
I thought I'd catch up with some 'Boy was I wrong' and 'I told you so':
Wrong
1. Overall net score to date: Cal's hire was a good move. Not a sign of impropriety. Recruited good kids. Embraced the history and did what he had to do off the court to win back the fans. In game coaching is questionable. Maybe we have a Guy Lewis II.
2. His young team did better than expected...much better.
3. Wall was a much better kid and was a positive face for Kentucky basketball.
4. It was okay that Patterson came back. I still don't know if it really did him much good, though. It didn't hurt him. I still can't see him playing a four where he has to guard the likes of Stoudemire. However, Chuck Hayes found a spot, which I think speaks to how important it is in the NBA to get on the right team.
Right
1. The SEC continues to be a weak basketball conference. It didn't get better this past year. I think this was the root cause for UK's loss, combined with the relatively weak OOC schedule (that was for the most part, not UK's fault). One can only imagine how much this young team would have improved if they played in the Big East.
2. John Hood is over-matched on this team and maybe even on this level. Great kid, wrong program.
3. Poor or at least weak outside shooting was also a big contributor to their ultimate defeat. If you are going to play Cal's offense (which they didn't this past year, really), you have to have a team that can shoot. Makes you wonder what would have happened if Jodie stayed and PPat left. Now that would have been a team that could play the DDO.
Now what to do now? I have no idea, but the current situation is not good. Of course the answer is to recruit a lot more Pattersons and a lot fewer Ortons/Dodsons. Easier said than done, though. I just think you have to go out and get good talented kids who embrace what UK is and was...and then coach the best you can. It would be nice to hear from Cal on all that is going on, but I guess that isn't going to happen.
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My God Hoze.......we thought you were dead!!!!.........
Hood isnt going anywhere though…..sorry……good kid – right program……just wasnt yet ready for prime time….
I wouldnt expect Cal to say much though until all this draft nonsense sorts itself out…..besides….it keeps the other coaches wondering if all those kids are coming here or not.
I AM THE CAT......The Cat In The Hat!!!
Well ...
… How can you say you were right about the shooting?
It was good but not great all year. They had a bad game. It happens.
Now, if UK had shot 30% on the year, well, I would concede your point. But that isn’t the reality.
Hood will not transfer and will play a lot next year. That’s my opinion.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Well, let's check the stats...
…on 3-pt shooting percentages:
Duke .385
Butler .345
MSU .344
WVU .336
UK .333
I see that UK is in last place when compared to the Final Four. They were even lower that WVU which is considered by many to be a weak 3-pt shooting team.
Finally within the constraints of the DDO, 3-pt shooting is especially important. Although, they really didn’t rely on this much…which may have been due to Cal realizing he had a weak shooting team.
Hood probably will play a lot this year given the current roster or compared to last year’s playing time. Hey, I am rooting for him, Who wouldn’t.
'..when they bring a knife, you bring a gun...that's the Chicago way..'
Okay, but ...
… If UK had shot their season average vs. WVU, they would have won.
If WVU had shot their season average, UK would have won.
The way I see it, you still haven’t made a convincing argument. I would also point out that UK hasn’t run the DDM 10% of the time this year.
I’m pulling for Hood as well, and I expect that he will be just fine. He was just buried behind too many older and better players this year. It won’t likely be that way next year.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
'...UK hasn’t run the DDM 10% of the time this year.'
Agreed. But like I wrote above, maybe that was Cal’s recognition that they didn’t have the shooters to run it. That supports my original argument and my concern going into last year.
Oh if that big goofy center for MSU wouldn’t have hit his threes or way over his average, the Cards would have been in the Final Four last year. Whatever.
'..when they bring a knife, you bring a gun...that's the Chicago way..'
Well ...
… Calipari has never suggested that shooting was a concern. To the contrary.
He didn’t run the DDM because he had all those big guys who don’t fit the DDM system. For the DDM, you need long, lean types with maybe one or two big guys for the post. The makeup of this team just suited a low-post game much better. That’s what he said, anyway.
Yeah, sometimes teams just get hot. As they say, that’s college basketball for ya.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
You are so RIght
Actually I thought many times about this headline:
UK Hits Only 4 of first 20 3’s and only 60% from the free throw line but still WINS!
Finally made it back from the Halfway House?
Call it aftermath, she's turning blue, Such a lovely color for you.
Call it aftermath, she's turning blue, While I just sit and stare at you.
ha ha ha...
well, I may be alone in saying this, but darn, Hoze, I’ve missed you. Now, be nice, ok? ; )
Oh, and your "I told you so’s" and "I was wrong" lists are pretty good, I think, except for the fact that I’ve personally never once thought that Jodie should have stayed instead of Patterson. I like it just the way it worked out.
Yeah, Jodie was a great outside shooter, and ultimately he may have made a difference in the way we ran our offense, but I thought our offense ran pretty well for the most part, and Jodie presence might very well have likely thrown off the whole dynamic that this team had and would have changed their incredible chemistry a ton, IMO.
Well first of all I pictured you with dark hair.
That’s okay though because you probably thought I had hair…period.
I don’t think I ever said Jodie should have stayed for the good of the team. I did say that I thought it would be ‘dumb’ for PPat to stay. I thought it was too big a risk injury wise and that it wasn’t worth the chance to prove he could play with his face to the basket. He made some improvement no doubt, but not enough in my opinion to change his outlook. He is what he is, and that is still better than okay.
Again, I just didn’t see any real shooters going into last year that is needed for Cal’s offense. I thought it would hamper them and it did. However, I didn’t think they would be as good as they were either. Am I writing in circles here?
'..when they bring a knife, you bring a gun...that's the Chicago way..'
OOHHHHH,
I get it now. I misunderstood you the first time. You weren’t saying “instead”, but rather that Patrick had more of a reason to go in last year’s draft than Jodie, and in that regard, I totally agree. Jodie leaving was a head-scratcher for sure and I don’t think most UK fans were for it. Maybe he knew what was coming talent-wise in this year’s draft and thought last year was his best chance? Who knows.
Oh, and yeah, I did think you had hair, not much, but some. : )
Wow - talk about a "blast from the past!"
I actually do agree with you on Hood. Admittedly, I havent seen much of him and have no idea what goes on inside practice, but it is my opinion (gut feeling?) that he is just not a Kentucky caliber player if this year was any indication of talent level.
It is not worth an intelligent man’s time to be in the majority. By definition, there are already enough people to do that.
by kentuckygirl0724 on Apr 1, 2010 10:06 AM EDT reply actions
Look who is here ...
Refreshing to see a guy admit where he thought wrong. And they really were worried about you Hoze.: )
I think it was a smart coaching move to dial back the DDMO, with all the talented bigs we had. He could have stuck to the drive and shoot offense, but he didn’t. He knew is was much more important to play the game in a way that would showcase the team. And I think we had a team full of positive kids too.
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
Hey Louisville, is it starting to feel like the 90's again??
Jon Hood’s problem all year was that he didn’t play D the way Cal wanted. I still think the jury is still out on him. I believe he will get playing time next year, and from what I’ve seen of him he does have all the necessary skills to play offense for Cal.
According to the guy who developed the DDMO isn’t made for 3 point shooting. It’s all about getting to the lane and getting fouled. 3 point shooting isn’t emphasized much. I’ll go on to say that if UK shoots more that 16 it’s either they are really feeling it from out there or they are struggling.
Velvet,
only problem I’ve got with that is Cal’s teams aren’t know for good FT shooting. If they were, Memphis would have had to vacate a NC and we’d still be in the hunt this year. Of course, it wasn’t Cal that developed the DDMO and said that, so. . .
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena . . .who spends himself for a worthy cause . . ."
Vacating a national title
My money says the NCAA wouldn’t have the stones to vacate an actual title.
A Final Four or a Runner-up… sure. But its a whole other ball of wax to vacate a title.
Of course its difficult, its a shortcut... if it was easy it'd just be "the way."
You're probably right, doc.
Nads (or courage, if you prefer) isn’t what the NCAA is known for (see Corey Magette, etc). Let’s just give Cleveland State another probation. :-))
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena . . .who spends himself for a worthy cause . . ."
I agree..
I was just pointing out everyones concern with 3 point shooting. I agree, Cal’s teams aren’t very good FT shooting teams. It’s something I’m hoping gets addressed, but Cal has openly said that his teams don’t shoot FT’s in practice very often.
As you practice, so you play.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena . . .who spends himself for a worthy cause . . ."
ah, Hoze is back! and he's playing nice (so far)
I missed the old jerk and his atrocious avatar ; )
by blue kentucky girl on Apr 1, 2010 5:56 PM EDT reply actions
He's only being nice-
Because he is stuck with Pitino for four more years. Actually, he made some good observations here… His comments last night on KSR said something about the wheels comming off, if I remember correctly…
"You are what you are and you ain't what you ain't"
Honestly, Hoze, I can't disagree with too much of what you pointed out in the op
and that scares me! Seriously, good to see you and you made some very good observations imo.
Hoze returns after a UK loss....
imagine that. I think it was all of the success for the guys in blue and so little for our little brothers is red that kept him away. But really only one word describes his return: yawn.
But yet you feel the uncontrolled need to respond.
I can only write…thank you.
'..when they bring a knife, you bring a gun...that's the Chicago way..'
You're Welcome!!
Oh darn. There goes that uncontrolled need to respond again.
by maysvilleblue on Apr 4, 2010 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm damn glad you're back!
I seem to be the favorite whipping boy around here, Take over for a while, will ya?
I have be correctly accused of having a 'football fetish'. You know, someone who doesn't think football is the warm up sport to basketball season.
That would be the whipping boy's whippin boy.
I’m up to it, but hopefully my natural politeness and welcoming attitude will repel any unnecessary arrows. ;)
'..when they bring a knife, you bring a gun...that's the Chicago way..'
by HozeKing on Apr 3, 2010 8:01 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Talk about two guys
full of themselves.
Happy Days are here again The sky is all ways BLUE again Happy days are here again !
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