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Moreno & Garrison

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bballcat4

All-Conference
Jan 12, 2008
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First, I'm always glad when a top recruit comes to UK. However, most big men are not physically ready for college and especially SEC. (Ex - Bradshaw, Big Z .... this list can go on forever!)

What makes this feel different is a coach & player (seemingly) committing to a reasonable timetable for developing and getting to the next level. I have ZERO problem with players leaving early for NBA. Granted, when a player is drafted is largely up to the NBA. However, history tells me it takes (most) big men longer to adjust to college/NBA. I like having two quality big men stacked for next year and with 1-2 grades separating them. This lets the younger player develop physically/mentally at a pace while not hurting the team.

I'm looking forward to future teams having a good balance of veterans and young talent!
 
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LineSkiCat14

LineSkiCat14

Heisman
Aug 5, 2015
38,363
60,023
113
We can probably be sure that Pope won't be pushing these guys to the NBA like Cal did. And he's certainly not recruiting them in that way. Who knows how many times in Cal's recruiting visits he would bring this up.

A guy like Moreno would have been 1AD under Cal..
 
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R

Ron Mehico

Heisman
Jan 4, 2008
15,473
33,054
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LineSkiCat14 said:
We can probably be sure that Pope won't be pushing these guys to the NBA like Cal did. And he's certainly not recruiting them in that way. Who knows how many times in Cal's recruiting visits he would bring this up.

A guy like Moreno would have been 1AD under Cal..
Click to expand...


Start watching at the 2 minute 50 second mark if you want to know what Cals pitch was. Just bringing in kids with a different mindset from the get go will be huge:

 
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Short-Dawg-69

All-Conference
Aug 9, 2019
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LineSkiCat14 said:
We can probably be sure that Pope won't be pushing these guys to the NBA like Cal did. And he's certainly not recruiting them in that way. Who knows how many times in Cal's recruiting visits he would bring this up.

A guy like Moreno would have been 1AD under Cal..
Click to expand...
1 and done or sit on the bench the following season.
 
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bballcat4

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Jan 12, 2008
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UKWildcats1987 said:
People assuming Garrison will be back next year amuses me. Let's play the season first.
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I’m guessing Garrison needs a couple years to develop a jump shot to match his inside game.

Historically, guys with the college ready body can’t shoot and the ones who can shoot are not physical enough.

This is the reason I like our current setup. No one will be happier than me if Garrison has more offensive skills than have been advertised! Yet, I’m expecting a physical player who will thrive around the goal, pass the ball well and develop his 3 point shot over the next 2 years.

Moreno is skinny, but Pope likes his skills. My main point is he is going to be in a position to develop w/o feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders like most of our freshmen big men over the last 10 years. Imagine Bradshaw and many others before him having another seasoned big man with them. There aren’t many KATs, ADs,
And Cousins who are truly ready for the position on day 1. Big men take longer to make the transition to college basketball where every team has someone the same size. Most college teams have seasoned big man who’s just big and strong. These types of players have pushed around our weaker freshmen bigs regardless of who has the higher ceiling.
 
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M

megablue

Heisman
Oct 2, 2012
14,370
14,221
113
bballcat4 said:
I’m guessing Garrison needs a couple years to develop a jump shot to match his inside game.

Historically, guys with the college ready body can’t shoot and the ones who can shoot are not physical enough.

This is the reason I like our current setup. No one will be happier than me if Garrison has more offensive skills than have been advertised! Yet, I’m expecting a physical player who will thrive around the goal, pass the ball well and develop his 3 point shot over the next 2 years.

Moreno is skinny, but Pope likes his skills. My main point is he is going to be in a position to develop w/o feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders like most of our freshmen big men over the last 10 years. Imagine Bradshaw and many others before him having another seasoned big man with them. There aren’t many KATs, ADs,
And Cousins who are truly ready for the position on day 1. Big men take longer to make the transition to college basketball where every team has someone the same size. Most college teams have seasoned big man who’s just big and strong. These types of players have pushed around our weaker freshmen bigs regardless of who has the higher ceiling.
Click to expand...
Who was the big dude on Illinois a few years back ?? He was an inside player who could score and was physical. Is he in the NBA ?? Was he drafted ?? I cannot recall ...
 
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bballcat4

All-Conference
Jan 12, 2008
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Cal recruited some skilled big men over the last 5-7 years (since stretch 5’s became part of modern basketball.) Oscar was a physical beast, but 12-15 feet was his limit. Most of the others got bullied during their short tenure at UK, plus Cal didn’t want them shooting 3’s. (Most of them weren’t skilled enough to play modern basketball.)

Moreno is just now beginning to develop an offensive game outside of the paint. I’m glad he’ll be able to have a couple years of college to develop his game and his body. I’m excited to see what his game looks like in 3 years!
 
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*Fox2Monk*

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
43,162
76,946
113
We honestly have no idea who we have here year after year anymore. I think every team will replace 5-7 guys a year now. Transfers, graduates, and those going pro. It will be a blessing to keep a core group of more than 5-6 guys each year.
 
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*Fox2Monk*

*Fox2Monk*

Heisman
Jun 10, 2009
43,162
76,946
113
megablue said:
Who was the big dude on Illinois a few years back ?? He was an inside player who could score and was physical. Is he in the NBA ?? Was he drafted ?? I cannot recall ...
Click to expand...
Nope, he had no NBA style game. To slow and couldn’t shoot or pass well enough for the pros. He also was not the fastest guy to guard people in space. He would have been a heck of a pro 20 years ago.
 
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