Cal messed up. Which is what added to him wanting to go home. Had he been a star player and been utilized properly last year he isn’t going home.
Johnny Juzang...
- Thread starter AuHoosier420
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Yeah, I'm sure you and JJ have had in-depth conversations on the matter.
He wasn't getting enough PT and didn't like how he was being used as a spot up shooter, which he's quite demonstrably shown he's much more than. Can't blame him at all.
I hate the homesick "excuse." Not saying it's not a valid feeling for JJ or any kid, especially if you move from SoCal to Kentucky. We are two very different places with very different people.
But the reality is the experience as a Kentucky basketball player is second to none. If JJ had been getting real PT and being used as he thought he should be, he'd still be here. I put that on Cal. And Cal had his reasons because of the guys who were already here. What could he do? They were deserving of the minutes. Were we going to start JJ over IQ? Lol. No.
But let's just be real....Cronin had a need and a spot. JJ grew up there, grew up going to and watching UCLA, and had the opportunity to be the man there. Can't blame him for going back him for all that at all. I'm simply saying if he were getting the run and points here that he's getting there, he wouldn't have left. Nobody would. Let's just be honest.
I hate the homesick "excuse." Not saying it's not a valid feeling for JJ or any kid, especially if you move from SoCal to Kentucky. We are two very different places with very different people.
But the reality is the experience as a Kentucky basketball player is second to none. If JJ had been getting real PT and being used as he thought he should be, he'd still be here. I put that on Cal. And Cal had his reasons because of the guys who were already here. What could he do? They were deserving of the minutes. Were we going to start JJ over IQ? Lol. No.
But let's just be real....Cronin had a need and a spot. JJ grew up there, grew up going to and watching UCLA, and had the opportunity to be the man there. Can't blame him for going back him for all that at all. I'm simply saying if he were getting the run and points here that he's getting there, he wouldn't have left. Nobody would. Let's just be honest.
Quade Green and Jemarl Baker are quality starters now too on PAC 12 teams that would've started for UK this year.
Does anybody posting here really know what happened when dude was at UK? Didn't UK have some bo$$ guards last year? Maybe they just destroyed him in practice and he was just useless as a player. Guys get a lot better between their 1st/2nd seasons.
Since the transfer portal is the size of Texas there's going to be nothing but more of this type of stuff for everybody. If you don't have a former player doing something somewhere else you will be an anomaly soon.
Starters, yes. Quality starters, no.
Green shot 43% from the field and 31% from 3 with a pathetic 1/1 A/TO ratio. You can't count on a PG that averages 3.5 turnovers a game. He's a big part of the reason Washington was 5-21.
Baker's FG% was even worse and he's known as a shooter. He also can't defend a statue.
Juzang didn't shoot much better but he was also the focal point of the offense and got a lot of defensive attention. He's also pretty streaky.
Also, saying they would've started for UK this year isn't saying much. I could've started for UK this year. 😆 It was the worst offensive team Cal has ever had and probably the worst UK has ever had.
Matthews was solid as well for Michigan. Green serviceable at Washington, not a UK level pg imo.
What ever happened to killya-Jones? I figured he would become decent someday.
I know you’re just looking for attention and being that you’re an Auburn fan I can understand why but you do understand that he was playing behind Maxey and Quickley right? I’m sure somebody has already pointed that out to you.
maxey and quickley were not the near the problem that calipari sucking of bj Boston was
Great post. And with Clarke and Boston coming in on the wings why would he expect anything different in year 2 had he stayed at UK. Hindsight is always 20/20 but those dudes were both mock first round picks out of HS. He felt he’d have been in Allen’s shoes this year, so he transferred. Very rarely does a kid transfer and say it was bc of the coach, or PT, or anything negative about the former program regardless.
Like you said who was cal supposed to pull for juzang, IQ or Maxey?
So go make a thread about BJ Boston, instead of blaming cal for not benching 2 productive first round picks to play Juzang more.
Yes.
And (this is not directed at you personally, Bignish, just generally) this should put to the bed the "but muh talent" argument that everyone says when bashing Cal's results while ignoring that turnover and inexperience are killers. Bashing Cal for his self-perpetuating system that leads to this result is fine (although that system is good for players' interests within the current NCAA as a minor league construct). But bashing Cal for "he can't win with all that talent" was always a stupid criticism.
Your right but no one has a crystal ball telling them which recruits will live up to their billing. So is cal supposed to not recruit or accept a commitment from Boston, a top 10 recruit, bc he doesn’t want to cut in Juzangs PT?
In fact I’d say Juzang turning into a star at UCLA so quickly was just as unpredictable as Boston not being as good as advertised.
Cal wanted Juzang to stick around, but his mind was made up. Obviously there is no bad blood between them.
IDK wall/cousins/Patterson team and 2015 team had sooooooo much more talent than any other team in those particular years. But on the other hand I get it, it’s a crap shoot tourney, one bad game and the seasons over. No different than zion/barret/reddish
But I mean your right, it’s the system he created. Experienced less talented guys get replaced by younger more talented guys, every single year. Of course your going to have inexperienced teams with insane roster turnover.
His name sounds like the kind of non PC nickname myself or @jhmossy would've been subjected to if we played basketball on the streets of Brooklyn.
Hey lookie here, we got ourselves a regular Johnny Juzang.
Hey lookie here, we got ourselves a regular Johnny Juzang.
Recently heard that Gonzaga hasn't shot less than 50% from 2 since November 2019 or something. I'm so jealous. Youth and bad shooting go together like flies and turds.
I could probably count on my hand the amount of times we’ve actually shot 50% or above from two. 😞
I know he's full of shit about wishing the staff luck, because he wouldn't piss on Cronin if he was on fire.
Sure those teams had "talent," but, for example, 2010 Cousins wasn't better for winning basketball games in 2010 than, say, 2009 Hansbrough, even though Cousins was much more "talented." 2015 was bad coaching (pulled a classic Dean Smith stall ball, and got a classic Dean Smith result) and a bad matchup (freshmen Trey Lyles or Devin Booker as a SF against actual talented wings!).
Agree about cousins vs hansborough, although boogie could def dominate games in the post as well.
But you failed to mention Wall, the best player in the nation and number 1 pick, and Bledsoe (1st founder), and Patterson (upperclassman 1st round pick).
All four of those guys have had decade long nba careers. They were the most talented team in the field by a long shot. Cal shit the bed when huggy went 1-3-1 to keep wall out of the lane, and instead of feeding Patterson and Cousins down low with 6”5 mazula running the baseline, they chucked brick after brick after brick from deep. Cal had the more talented team by a mile, huggy out coached him imo. Mixed with a terrible shooting night from UK, but that’s not what that UK team was good at anyways, which played right into huggys gameplan.
But you failed to mention Wall, the best player in the nation and number 1 pick, and Bledsoe (1st founder), and Patterson (upperclassman 1st round pick).
All four of those guys have had decade long nba careers. They were the most talented team in the field by a long shot. Cal shit the bed when huggy went 1-3-1 to keep wall out of the lane, and instead of feeding Patterson and Cousins down low with 6”5 mazula running the baseline, they chucked brick after brick after brick from deep. Cal had the more talented team by a mile, huggy out coached him imo. Mixed with a terrible shooting night from UK, but that’s not what that UK team was good at anyways, which played right into huggys gameplan.
It was a painful game and could have been coached better, but with only slightly bad shooting luck they're fine. And you talk about Bledsoe's and Wall's talent, but they were far from perfect players and (especially with Bledsoe) more raw athlete (i.e. "talent") than effective halfcourt players. That's why they were (rightfully) far lower in the advanced stats than their record and draft status would have suggested. That and fit - no shooters, overlapping skills, etc... another "feature" of establishing a one and done system is roster construction tends to fall by the wayside.
Great post. I’d still like to thank Jodie Meeks personally for going pro, bc had he came back that team would have went undefeated imo. You nailed it, no shooters, and overlapping skill sets.
I agree about Bledsoe, raw athlete moreso than basketball player while at UK. I disagree about wall. He had it all except an outside shot(that he still doesn’t have). He was the best player in the nation that season the second he stepped on the court in a UK uniform, imo. Cousins wasn’t untapped potential either, he was very good offensively in the post, even as a frosh. And Patterson wasn’t young. Orten was untappened potential. Cousins wall and Patterson were all studs. One of the better recent trios I can think of.
But upsets happen, bad shooting happens, random stuff happens (don’t tell sheriff) so I get it. But when your program is a revolving door for lottery picks and your head coach says things that indicate he cares more about the draft than the ncaaT of course rivals are going to go after him for not winning more with nba ready players coming in and out every season.
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I still find it amazing Pearl lost to this Juzang-less UK team.
auburn is cursed in rupp arena. We haven’t won there since the 80s. It’s like how UK couldn’t beat Florida in football forever. Did beat Uk at home again though.
I understand this is going to be a long off season for UK fans. Might as lube up now and just take it. Took it all season, what's a few more poundings.
It’s honestly lost it’s luster already. Would have somehow been more fun if you were last year unc bad instead of 8-16 or whatever it ended up being. I guess maybe the cruelty of having your hopes up and crushed continually, but sans a few flashes we knew after 6 games UK was in for a rough one.
Or if we would have made the gd tourney. Vcu what a joke, didn’t deserve a bid and had to opt out anyways smdh.
Or if we would have made the gd tourney. Vcu what a joke, didn’t deserve a bid and had to opt out anyways smdh.
That streak is over please don't mention it again thanks
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