“I felt like this was the best situation for me,” Hopkins said. “If I come here and do what I have to do, I know I can get to the next level with all the Coach Cal has to offer. It wasn’t nothing personal with them (UofL), I just wanted to do what was best for me, for my dreams to get to the NBA.”
Bryce Hopkins and the lame typical excuse
- Thread starter REDFISTFURY3
- Start date
What irks me about this excuse and not just from Bryce i'm speaking of other players that say this same thing at other programs. It's a proven fact now that you don't have to go to certain schools to be a NBA player let alone a lottery pick.
Some of these players are trying to take a short cut plain and simple. Cal sells them on this making every player they recruit believe they are NBA material we are seeing lately that ain't the truth. I understand it's their choice . And wish our proogram had this same cache . Yes i'm salty about it.
Some of these players are trying to take a short cut plain and simple. Cal sells them on this making every player they recruit believe they are NBA material we are seeing lately that ain't the truth. I understand it's their choice . And wish our proogram had this same cache . Yes i'm salty about it.
Spells out exactly why college hoops is waning. Me, me, me. What's best for me. No team, no continuity, not much success.
Sounds like it's a good thing this kid didn't choose UofL. Of course that depends on what you want from the program. For me, not that.
Sounds like it's a good thing this kid didn't choose UofL. Of course that depends on what you want from the program. For me, not that.
I think part of their problem is the SEC has finally invested in better coaches. I don’t think sUcK will have good year next season and part of the reason is better teams in the conference and bad coaching on the part of Cal.
One other thing I think factors in with UKKK. Ain’t nobody scared or intimidated by that *** any more.
What these kids fail to understand is that mentality is exactly what every kid on UKs roster is thinking. None of these kids seem to ever take notice of the fact that Cal has probably had more transfers over the last 10 years than any other P5 school.
I will say this, if Cal turns Hopkins into an NBA player then I'll believe Cal is the miracle worker these kids think he is because Hopkins doesn't have the game for the NBA. He's built to play more of a true, old school PF and even undersized to do that at 6'7. He's not at all athletic and can't shoot the 3 nor can he guard the perimeter. You can't teach speed and athleticism. He's not a great shooter, only a mid 60s Free Throw shooter and a low % 3 point shooter. I would say imagine failed lottery pick Kevin Knox from a few years ago but with a worse shot from everywhere and not as good of a motor.
To me he's a bulky, undersized 4 who has no real position in the modern game of basketball at the college or pro level. You can't be unathletic AND not be able to shoot.
If Vegas would give me odds on a kids career I would put a decent lump of cash on Hopkins transfering out after 1 or 2 seasons.
I will say this, if Cal turns Hopkins into an NBA player then I'll believe Cal is the miracle worker these kids think he is because Hopkins doesn't have the game for the NBA. He's built to play more of a true, old school PF and even undersized to do that at 6'7. He's not at all athletic and can't shoot the 3 nor can he guard the perimeter. You can't teach speed and athleticism. He's not a great shooter, only a mid 60s Free Throw shooter and a low % 3 point shooter. I would say imagine failed lottery pick Kevin Knox from a few years ago but with a worse shot from everywhere and not as good of a motor.
To me he's a bulky, undersized 4 who has no real position in the modern game of basketball at the college or pro level. You can't be unathletic AND not be able to shoot.
If Vegas would give me odds on a kids career I would put a decent lump of cash on Hopkins transfering out after 1 or 2 seasons.
Hopkins will matter in that one game a year in non-conference play.
After that, good luck to him and I wish him good health and good fortune. A young black man using his talent to bring his family generational wealth is someone I'm not going to root against other than when he plays our Cards. I don't have venom for him. He didn't want to be here, so what? Malik Williams is here. Sam Williamson is here. EJ Ellis is here. I'm ready for our season, I want guys that want to be here.
After that, good luck to him and I wish him good health and good fortune. A young black man using his talent to bring his family generational wealth is someone I'm not going to root against other than when he plays our Cards. I don't have venom for him. He didn't want to be here, so what? Malik Williams is here. Sam Williamson is here. EJ Ellis is here. I'm ready for our season, I want guys that want to be here.
UK’s collapse in 2020 season may not be repeated to that degree, but I doubt they will ever dominate SEC basketball again, like they have over the last 70 years. Most of the conference has hired coaches who are not afraid to employ much of the same recruiting practices that UK a has been doing for decades. Auburn and LSU are the two that are paving the way for others to follow.
Yeah but will uahkay start ratting out their conference brethren for doing exactly what they’ve been doing for decades? I expect they will scream like a little girl! Oh my, the pain of it all.
GO CARDS!!!
I've learned that blue bloods will find a way when $$$ is involved. The $EC programs are spending more money on basketball, but nothing like what UK puts into it.
It's like Kansas in the Big 12. It's kind of like how UNC was before the rise of Duke. It's how UCLA was in the Pac-12 and is when they have a good coach. Most power schools worry about football first, so the program that cares about basketball has a leg up.
No one thought Bama could ever go back to the Bear Bryant days with how the $EC evened things out. They went on probation and programs like Florida, UGA, UT, LSU, and even Auburn had passed them in the early 2000's. They spent the $$$ on Saban and he spent the money on the top coaches who $$$ to recruits.
Money drives everything. Tom Jurich knew that and it's what led to our rise. He put money into Rick. He put money into facilities. He put money into smaller sports. He constantly was raising money from big donors. And that program in the Metro Conference in old Cardinal Stadium is now in the ACC with a 60k football stadium, state of the art Yum Center, and the best all around athletics program in the land from a coaching and facility standpoint.
In my opinion, you’re overthinking this just a little. UK and UofL are both great basketball brands, with coaches, facilities and staff who can get you to the NBA. One has an NCAA infractions case that is not settled, and the other does not. You may blame Bryce and his family for deciding to go to UK after initially making a verbal commitment to us, but I do not.
Branding and culture are important. Cal isn't Dr. Naismith in drawing up plays, but he knows that UK has a big brand and he's maximized it. Rick knew we weren't a blue-blood, but he used that to our advantage. He sold our team culture and gave us an underdog edge. L1C4 versus One and Done. His HOF career added legitimacy to the process.
I think Chris Mack is developing a brand, but he has to get some wins to back it up. He's really embracing a family culture. He's embracing the city. Elements from Denny's era and Ali's love for the city. The underdog look of fighting back from probation. Younger and hungrier. But, until he wins it's not going to have the credibility behind it.
It's hard to be Mack closing a recruiting process against a Cal, Coach K, Bill Self, Mark Few, or Jay Wright. They all have Final Fours and a track record. Now we all have our thoughts, but nationally and on the recruiting scene they all don't few him as Pay Pal Cal that rolls the ball out, they see UK as a top 10 team yearly with a bunch of NBA stars. Most see Mack, well the casual viewer that tunes into big games hardly knows much about Mack. Pitino is still the name associated with our program and that's a bad connotation.
Even more important why i'm going to be rooting like hell for Dj too succeed first for himself always want local kids that play for the hometown school to have long term success. Second for Mack and the program DJ will be his first real litmus test of him putting a player he RECRUITED into the league. It will pay dividends for his recruiting of certain players. Nothing like credibility.
Teague was the loss I hated most, although we ended up doing fine in 2012 in 2013!
Gonzaga, Baylor, Texas Tech, Villanova and Wisconsin are all examples of college basketball programs who have enjoyed exceptional levels of success without following the UK model.
Coach Mack and UL can establish its own brand, and while I may not be a fan of the transfer rule, it may very well turn out to be the great equalizer to UK, and those schools who have made a living off the One and Done recruits out of HS.
Coach Mack and UL can establish its own brand, and while I may not be a fan of the transfer rule, it may very well turn out to be the great equalizer to UK, and those schools who have made a living off the One and Done recruits out of HS.
I think Teague was ours early in the process. We had the momentum and relationship. I think he did want to be with Louisville. A big thing that did stand in his way was that Peyton Siva was the PG and that was not going to change.
Remember, we had a big class lined up and just didn't reel the guys into UofL. Quincy Miller, Tony Wroten, Marquis Teague, & Duece Bello. We even brought in 2 Burger Boys in Blackshear & Chane plus Zach Price was a top 50 type kid. Rick actually was trying to move to a OAD type class model that year, but missing out probably gave us our title as guys like Russ & Luke stepping up happened.
Rick moved away from big time recruits after that class for a bit, but it seems like he was moving back towards that right before he left.
