Should Mark Pope go after Jordan Burks? He definitely has upside and my personal opinion should have played more this past season. I think he is a solid player that is only going to get better. OR do we just wash our hands entirely from Cal player's?
Jordan Burks
- Thread starter sosoblue
- Start date
Cal is gone...time to get past that. At 6-8/9 and glimpses of what could be, I'd definitely take him.
I think our roster would be complemented the most with a couple of true forwards.
I would welcome it, but it seems like the players from the former regime aren’t interested in the new regime.
I think he’s in the portal…hasn’t decided.
He can take his middling game down to fayetteville and not be missed here.
Kinda makes sense. If they bought the old Uni of Coach Cal sales pitch, then the current sales pitch of prioritizing winning college games and personal success being a result of team success probably doesn’t resonate
I remember him impressing the pro scouts. Definitely didn't have much of a chance to show what he can do except against Vandy at their place. Good shooter, defender, energy and good attitude. Lot of good things with this guy. Has potential.
Jordan Burks played with more defensive intensity than any other player on our team last year.
And when he got some minutes he was (at times) very productive.
I'd love to have him back at UK.
And when he got some minutes he was (at times) very productive.
I'd love to have him back at UK.
Believe you are right but may have not signed up.
I would welcome him back. He showed flashes that he could be good, liked his intensity.
The sooner you & many many other fans realize that players go play for coaches, not places or fans, the more understanding about why stuff happens you will all be
Didn't used to be that way. I'm old and long for yesterday.
Players sign to play for a coach. It’s been this way for a very long time. The loyalty to the school is more of a fan thing.
This kind of situation in the portal era is common. Back in the day, the players left behind after a coaching change had to stay or face sitting out a year unless it was an extreme circumstance like a school going on probation.
Now, when the coach who signed you leaves, you’re free to follow them or try a new place without having to sit a year.
I get that they sign to play for a coach but when that coach doesn't play them then why follow him to another school? He's not going to play him there, he'll just recruit over him.
Was the only reason Pope didn't sign these higher recruits at the places he was before because of their rules to go by? Is the UK program having no bearing on the recruiting he is doing now?
My guess is familiarity. Do you go with what you know or stay put with a new coach and run the risk of the new coach utilizing you even less. Not saying that would happen in this case.
Yes to the first part. It's probably hard to get top recruits to agree to such a standard.
If you doubt that the UK program effects decisions, go read the Amari Williams story on Sea of Blue. He was thrilled to be offered.
Then players shouldn’t be putting out pics when they commit with I’ve always wanted to play there and all that other BS. Put a big fat picture of Cal’s face on a jersey and call it a day.
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That is the Cal brain washing belief. If this was the case, every player Cal recruited would have followed him to Arkansas. There are a multitude of reasons to include coaches, Universities, and NIL money for why players make decisions.
At this point the program is a dressing. Coach and NIL money are the deciders now. Of course once a commitment is made based on those factors, there is the opportunity to pander to the fanbase. That’s when we hear “dream school” and I’ve been a fan since I was a kid, etc.
The program may hold some weight with in-state kids but we’ll see how much with Jasper Johnson's recruitment.
It certainly is having an effect on who Pope is targeting and their responses to his contact. Cayden Boozer communicated his desire to be contacted by Kentucky even after Cal's departure. So, if you are suggesting that it was about Pope, I doubt seriously if he would have reached out to Pope if he was still at BYU.
Yeah, I was kind of shocked at what the San Diego writer said about Butler. Said that Butler is not a point guard because he does not have good vision like most point guards have. Said he is a good defender and driver though. And also a great person. So our ball handling may be a little of a problem it sound like.
I’m not worried about Butler at all, he’s a winner. But we need depth, and 2 iso scorers to round out our roster I think.
There are other factors besides "who the coach is" and NIL. Location is a major factor to kids. Some 19 year olds want to stay close to home. Some don't want to go somewhere north that gets a lot of snow. Some want to go somewhere where there is "lots to do" instead of in the middle of a corn field.
Visibility is another factor. Being on a team that has all of their games televised on a decent network is a big draw for a school in a major conference. Seeing NBA players that went to a school helps regardless of who the coach was.
Lastly, facilities play a part. What the housing, weight room, practice facility, etc look like. Where home games are played can be the deciding factor.
Coach and NIL may play a big part these days, but to say that they're the only things that matter is naive.
Visibility is another factor. Being on a team that has all of their games televised on a decent network is a big draw for a school in a major conference. Seeing NBA players that went to a school helps regardless of who the coach was.
Lastly, facilities play a part. What the housing, weight room, practice facility, etc look like. Where home games are played can be the deciding factor.
Coach and NIL may play a big part these days, but to say that they're the only things that matter is naive.
If Coach Pope thinks Burks can help us, and wants to sign him, it won't bother me a bit that Burks previously played for CCC ... and I suspect that many of you know what I think/thought about CCC. 
I wouldn't mind having Burks back. But, it should be Burks "going after" Pope and KY. If not that way, I wouldn't waste one minute on him.
I always felt Burks should have gotten more playing time this year. That said ,he is unproven and there are better guys in the portal. He wore the blue honorably last year and should be allowed to make a choice about going or staying. He appears to have made it. Coach Pope will certainly not beg him to change it.
At this point, I'd rather just totally move on from Cal and have a clean slate.