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ESPN Commentator Says Kentucky Basketball Has “Become Irrelevant”, Calipari’s Clock Is “Ticking Loudly”

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2 years ago

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

The Kentucky Wildcats got the monkey off their back by winning one NCAA Tournament game, beating Providence. However, after being eliminated in a heartbreaking loss to Kansas State, that makes three straight seasons where Kentucky has failed to make the second weekend of the tournament.

The lack of recent success has been disappointing for Kentucky fans, a fanbase known for their high expectations. That frustration has been felt by the media, leading many of them to give their “bold” takes on the state of the Kentucky program.

One media personality, Paul Finebaum of ESPN/SEC Network, gave his opinion on Kentucky in a radio appearance earlier this week.

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“Kentucky has become irrelevant,” Finebaum said. “We get all excited about them every year, because they’ve got the No. 1 recruiting class coming in, which they do again. In November, they were the No. 4 team in the country. They had to fight to get into the tournament in February, which they did. Then they laid another egg. To the elite college basketball world, getting knocked out in the Round of 32 is a failure.”

The argument of failure to succeed with top recruiting classes is one that has been made by many. However, most of these people have not paid attention to Kentucky’s roster construction of late, as the lack of elite, NBA-level talent has been a real issue.

From Calipari’s first season (2009) to his last Final Four (2015), Kentucky had sixteen top-10 recruits, with 10 of those being in the top-5. Whereas since then, Kentucky has had just eight top-10 recruits, and just one top-5 recruit (excluding Shaedon Sharpe who did not play).

This isn’t to say Kentucky still hasn’t underperformed with the talent they have had, but Calipari has been most successful with elite players, and the recruiting hasn’t been at the same level.

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That will change next season, as Calipari and a renovated staff are bringing in five, five-star prospects, including four ranked in the top-10, and three in the top-5.

Not to mention, the Southeastern conference has become much more difficult to win in. While Kentucky has always been at the top, other programs are finally investing into basketball. As a result, the conference now has some of the best coaches in the country and is now bringing in the top players, from high school and the transfer portal.

Finebaum went on to note that even by “moving the goalposts,” UK had to reach the Sweet 16 because of the last few seasons of having a losing season, and last year losing to Saint Peter’s to open the NCAA Tournament.

“Just to wash away the stench of the last couple years,” Finebaum said. “… There’s no way you can look this season as anything other than a failure. And there’s no way you can look at John Calipari’s career as saying nothing but the clock is ticking loudly.”

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If you look at Calipari’s career as a whole, he has seven Elite Eights, four Final Fours, and a National Championship. Unfortunately, the bulk of that success came in the first half of his tenure, going on a tear of winning that few have done. If you spread that success out over his entire tenure, things are likely to be looked at much differently.

As mentioned, Calipari will have a team of NBA talent next season, will he make a run and reverse the trajectory?

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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4 days ago

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November 18, 2024

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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6 days ago

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November 16, 2024

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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Men's Basketball

ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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7 days ago

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November 15, 2024

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
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Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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