Best roster since…?
- Thread starter ia.ukfan_rivals
- Start date
This is probably right considering known results of the past years and combined expectations of this season + a compete roster that’s deep and interchangeable.
But I think you could make a case for 2019 (great reg season and E8 finish) and Cal’s last year from a preseason standpoint before they ultimately failed in the post season. Not depth, but top 6-7.
Hard not to like the individual pieces. But like last year, will wait and see how these disparate pieces come together as a team. On paper there is a lot to love about this roster but I try and stay grounded and not get to high or low. Especially out of the gate.
I’ll say it again, I trust in Pope and I’m confident that this team will grow into a formidable contender. Will have to give them time to grow together.
I’ll say it again, I trust in Pope and I’m confident that this team will grow into a formidable contender. Will have to give them time to grow together.
I am sure that I see one of these threads a year….i get being excited, but until this team plays a game, anything we think they will do is speculation. I’m bullish on this team and believe that if they gel the way we need them to, that we are going to be a favorite at the end of the year. I’m not going to put it in the record books just yet though.
I agree that our roster looks very strong.
How many do folks think will eventually make NBA rosters ???
Hard to know. JQ and JJ look like can’t miss NBA players barring injury.
Others have promise. I love to see UK players in the NBA. But I’m more interested in them being great in college.
Look at Johni Broome. He May or may not have an NBA career. But he was terrific in college.
Seems like every program has it least part of their roster that is going to be new, so we won't have the only group that will need time to grow.
What am I not understanding? You want this team to match cow’s last year which was a huge disappointment?
Right. Which is why I always thought the focus on “talent” under Cal was misplaced - whether in praise of his recruiting or in criticism of his underachieving. Talent that realizes itself years later doesn’t really do a college team much good when you only have them for a year. It’s why Duke, with Cooper and Zion and Tatum, didn’t do a lot……..
Great post.
Having future NBA talent doesn't mean crap, unless you get a Flagg, AD, Towns, Ranfle, Wall, Zion, or Fox. Those guys were special when they were in college, but those guys are extremely rare.
The teams that are doing all the winning in college, are teams built out of seasoned college players and some of those guys play so well, they eventually find their way onto NBA rosters (Walter Clayton).
It would be different if that NBA talent actually played in the NBA before coming to UK, but the truth is, 95% of these future NBA talents are just damn good high school kids that will eventually be good enough to play in the NBA, but they are rarely good enough to carry college teams to titles.
I think we can possibly be a solid team though I would have loved to have had more shooters. This should be Pope’s best defensive team he has ever coached and most athletic. I don’t think we can really compare this team to past teams until they play.
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No. Good grief. Where did you get that? I thought that was a really good roster. Cal fumbled the post season. Don’t you think pope could win with that roster? I do
Lowe - maybe
aberdeen - cap of coffee to role player
perry - no
chandler - maybe
johnson - legit career
oweh - cup of coffee to solid role player
kam - maybe
noah - no
Diab: maybe
jelavic: maybe
bg- maybe
jq - legit career
Mm - maybe
My estimation is 4 with 7 maybe guys. I’d guess half those maybes have a career (we’ll call this 3 years or more). So I’m guess 7-8 with low end of 4-5
That’s pretty solid. 2 guys JQ and JJ who could develop into big contract guys
Brea: 83 - 43.5
JR: 62 - 37.6
Kam: 63 - 41.2
Johnson chandler and Aberdeen also likely to get significant PT all capable to good shooters.
Oweh is also capable, and if he has any chance at getting nba run will spend his whole off season shooting threes.
To say we can’t shoot seems silly. This will be one of the best shooting teams we’ve had in years. We may not have an absolute dead eye, although as you can see Kam was not far off brea last year. But we have a lot of shooting.
I think it will be the deepest in the last 5 years. Other teams had more individual talented players, but this roster is balanced with guys that can play D-1 ball. 2 former SEC players, one a National Champion.
There was a lot of that at UK under Cal.
Remember when Julius Randle spent an entire season only going left?
Not a chance
It's very hard to have a roster this deep in today's portal world.
We are not adding another stud, we already have 10 of them.
Who's going to want to sit?
It's very hard to have a roster this deep in today's portal world.
We are not adding another stud, we already have 10 of them.
Who's going to want to sit?
Well, that’s still the knock on Randle today by the talking heads covering the NBA.
Seems unfair. But they need something to talk about.
Just didn’t understand, was asking for clarification. I think Pope would have done great then and will next year too.
Feel like Chandler was that guy the last 10 games or so. If he just improves slightly than we're good there
To be clear, I was really high on that 2024 roster with Reed, rob and AR. I felt like it was an elite 8 roster. We all know how it ended for them though. I was trying to say if we could put a squad on the floor with the talent of that 2024 roster I'd be happy. I very much preffered the 2024 roster to the 2025 roster personally. different strokes for different folks. Pope would have killed it with the 2024 squad.
Well yeah but the 2025 roster was built in 3 weeks with a new staff at a new program, so of course it wasn't going to be the same.
This year's roster is so much more well-rounded and deeper than the 2024 team, not even close, with way more college-level talent!
We have guards who can be as good or even better than Reed & Rob at the college level, especially on the defensive end, and we do have a guard who can be as consistent and impactful as Reeves (Oweh).
But besides those 3 on the 2024 team, there wasn't much to write home about.
This team has 9-10 guys who can be really, really impactful at this level, and depth and versatility all around.
Not to mention, this team will be on a different stratosphere in terms of defensive ability. 2024 couldn't guard a house plant.
This team could (in theory) deploy a lineup of:
Aberdeen
Oweh
Kam Williams/Chandler
Dioubate
Jayden Quaintance
And the opposing team may not be able to score a point. Not to mention Lowe is a decent defender, same with Garrison, Collin Chandler, etc.
This year's team is going to be a BEAST defensively, that is probably what I am most excited about.
We have an interesting roster. Today given now knowing our roster is set and hearing the nil numbers I have to ask where are the shooters? Especially at 2 guard? I hope the answer is clear in Johnson or chandler but it’s still a question mark. Aberdeen is a solid player to offset Lewis decomitt. But we never filled the shooter role at the 2 guard. It’s gonna be Johnson or chandler OR Oweh with kam Williams at the 3 if we need to get a money shooter on the floor based on stats.
This past season was a very flawed roster.
But cobbled together along with a coaching staff in a month it was incredible.
Context does matter.
Even flawed if we had been injury free we are most likely celebrating at least a FF.
Now we will see how Pope builds a team when he has time and resources.
Things look very promising.
But cobbled together along with a coaching staff in a month it was incredible.
Context does matter.
Even flawed if we had been injury free we are most likely celebrating at least a FF.
Now we will see how Pope builds a team when he has time and resources.
Things look very promising.
I'm excited. We look to have a well constructed roster