Sheppard: Inexperienced UK won't win title, not a fan of one and dones

[Darryl]

Final 4 MVP be damned?
Are all the good, sometimes great, moments he brought us now all forgotten?
He has brought us a million times more good than bad.
I prefer to give him credit for the good/great memories, and the benefit of the doubt.
Don't we owe him that, at least?

Right now, I care more about Wall, Cousins, Davis, MKG, etc. They are 100% Cats; Sheppard seems to be aligning himself with
UL and Pitino. He is going to appear on Jones' radio show tomorrow. It will be interesting to listen. IMO, it is his business to not
like the ones and done. But his remarks about Cal favoring 1st rounders over titles have the potential to harm UK's program.

The ones and done system is growing the ex-UK players fraternity exponentially. Bledsoe loves UK every bit as much as home
grown Cats do. So does MKG, Kanter (he stated he would love BBN forever). The players/kids Cal is bringing in make very good
grades, have gotten into no trouble at all; UK may be the cleanest they've ever been regarding NCAA rules, they seem like very
classy guys, and the Cats are kicking butt on the court.

Shep was out of line here, and as a grown man he must take responsibility.

Darryl

[UKHistory]

I can root for Shep the player. But his decision to reach out to Laettner for that game bothered me. I had forgotten and moved on but Shep's comments in Ohio trouble me.

The fact that he has business interests with UofL (along with an understandable personal relationship with his former coach) does color his comments on Cal and the one and done players at UK.

My love for UK and hatred for our rivals gains me nothing monetarily. It can negatively impact my health. Certainly takes my time and money. I don't agree with Cal on everything and say that here.

As a former player who owes a great deal of his life to being a Wildcat, Jeff should understand his comments are going to be scrutinized more closely by UK and the national media.

My criticism of Jeff tonight does not impact my appreciation for his UK career. My affection for him as a player saddens me when I watch what he said.

As a fan, I find it "uncomfortable" that Rick Pitino, a man I liked and rooted for even prior to coming to UK because he lost his son tragically, is now my enemy.

And if you coach, play, root for UofL or work to better their athletic department then you are my freaking enemy.

[blue2ksr]

I seriously doubt that Shep's comments will really ever hurt the program. If it does, then it didn't take much to hurt it.
Also, I doubt that Cal will lose much sleep over it.
One final thing, Rick Robey has done tons of business with UL people also, as has Walter McCarty. Should we alienate them too?
I'm saying all this as an anti UL man until the day I die.

[UKHistory]

It is sticks and stones. But it made the Sporting News today and I find a former UK player's comments to be construed as critical of UK as a negative. It is not the end of the world but it is not that cool either from point of view.

[anderwt]

I think Ander meant Sheppard getting the heat.

Darryl

You would be correct

[blue2ksr]

It is sticks and stones. But it made the Sporting News today and I find a former UK player's comments to be construed as critical of UK as a negative. It is not the end of the world but it is not that cool either from point of view.

I can't necessarily disagree with your post (not that it matters what I think).

[Darryl]

NBC Sports picks up the story:

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcspor...nd-done-style/

Darryl

[UKHistory]

It matters to me. Not that we need to agree but your opinion and the others on this board I look forward to reading. It is one of the reasons I am. Althought Badrose's models is my #1 reason these days.

I can't necessarily disagree with your post (not that it matters what I think).

[blue2ksr]

It matters to me. Not that we need to agree but your opinion and the others on this board I look forward to reading. It is one of the reasons I am. Althought Badrose's models is my #1 reason these days.

The feeling is certainly mutual, my friend. Folks like Darryl, yourself and the other folks here are why this is the most classy, enjoyable UK forum on the planet.
I love it!

[Darrell KSR]

I will let you choose any one team and I will go on record as saying they will not win it. I will give you even money odds that I will be correct.

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[Darryl]

The feeling is certainly mutual, my friend. Folks like Darryl, yourself and the other folks here are why this is the most classy, enjoyable UK forum on the planet.
I love it!

Blue, the feeling is reciprocated. It upsets me that Shep did this. I was not crazy when Mash stated he pulled for UL. Heck, I am not
evan a big UL/Pitino hater (I reserve that for IU and **UNC). Hopefully tomorrow he can elaborate a bit on this. I may go home and
re-watch the Stanford and Utah Final 4 games and I bet my love for Jeff will come roaring back.

Darryl

[Darryl]

I will let you choose any one team and I will go on record as saying they will not win it. I will give you even money odds that I will be correct.

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Darrell, how about teams like 1967 UCLA, 1996 UK, etc? I think 2014 UK will be in that group.

Darryl

[Padukacat]

This is disappointing...shep should keep his mouth shut considering a)cal is philanthropic about helping kid to the point of being nuts. B). We won a freaking title and our win percentage is sick, #1 in cals yrs? C) the fans are all happy as a lark!

#fail

[Darrell KSR]

Darrell, how about teams like 1967 UCLA, 1996 UK, etc? I think 2014 UK will be in that group.

Darryl

Yup, even those. I will lose some of them, and we always know after the year which ones, but I will take my chances with the field.

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[blue2ksr]

Blue, the feeling is reciprocated. It upsets me that Shep did this. I was not crazy when Mash stated he pulled for UL. Heck, I am not
evan a big UL/Pitino hater (I reserve that for IU and **UNC). Hopefully tomorrow he can elaborate a bit on this. I may go home and
re-watch the Stanford and Utah Final 4 games and I bet my love for Jeff will come roaring back.

Darryl

LOL! You are a good 'un, Darryl!
Your passion and love for the Cats is certainly admirable and unquestioned!
I might give our heros of yesteryear too much slack when they do or say something we dont like.
I'm having a hard time cutting Richie much slack though, lol.

[ukpumacat]

Well, as I said on the other thread, I actually agree with Jeff that I think its unlikely we win it all this year. Obviously, there is a chance, but if I was placing money on one team today, it wouldn't be UK (not sure who I would place it on, but the more I have thought about it the more I have an answer). I am probably beating a dead horse, but its one thing to go into the tourney like we did in 2012. That was a young team. But, that was a team with Final Four experience. This team's experience makes that team look like Senior Citizens. Again, one minute of tourney experience on the entire team (Polson in mop duty against WKU in 2012). I think it hurts us, and I think we lose in the Elite EIght or Final Four.
Having said that, I do not think that is a criticism of Cal's One and Done philosophy. Heck, I love his philosophy. I think more than anything else, last years team flaming out hurt this season's experience. If we had made a tourney run last year, I would be less concerned.

All in all, I think this will be a fun, entertaining, and at times dominant year. But, I do think we will fall short of the NC in a similar way to 2010.

Hope I am wrong, and more than willing to change my mind.

[ukpumacat]

Sorry, one more note. I don't believe that there has to be a choice between talent and experience. Cal doesn't either. This year is hopefully an aberration.
But, if I had to choose one or the other...I, like Cal, go talent every year (I just wish we had a tad of tourney experience to go with it).

[Thedonnie123]

I don't understand the fascination with "tournament experience." To these kids, this is just another collection of games, and at that point, they've played 30+ together.

[ukpumacat]

I don't understand the fascination with "tournament experience." To these kids, this is just another collection of games, and at that point, they've played 30+ together.

If those 30+ games were tournament style with the pressure of a one and done elimination and unique atmosphere of the NCAA tourney I would agree. But the NCAA Tourney is a whole different ball of wax. And of course the Final Four is on an entirely different level from that.
This is why 2010 is such a great comparison. People talk like 2012 was such a young team...and they were in age. But a few of the key players had incredible experience from the Final Four the year before.
If you go back and look at 2010, Patrick Patterson, Ramon Harris and Perry Stevenson were the only guys that played at all who had any Tourney experience, and for Patterson (the only starter) that was one game in 2008.
I happen to think that played a part in them losing in the Elite Eight. Obviously, shooting was a weakness on that team. But so was tournament experience.
I would love nothing more than for this very talented team to prove me wrong, but I think tourney experience matters.
Heck, don't trust me...ask any player who has ever played in the NCAA Tourney if tourney experience matters. Jeff Sheppard won't be the only one who says it does.

[LarryVaught1]

Darryl, Shep has done quite a bit with UK. Did lot with Teague, Julius Mays and some others. Just limited by what Cal lets him do there like most of us are. Not many in the Cal inner circle. Heck, he won't even give me an interview for the Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook preview I am doing

[anderwt]

Darryl, Shep has done quite a bit with UK. Did lot with Teague, Julius Mays and some others. Just limited by what Cal lets him do there like most of us are. Not many in the Cal inner circle. Heck, he won't even give me an interview for the Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook preview I am doing

Larry I hate that for you, but I think I know who you can blame for the way cal treats the local writers...

[UKHistory]

Patrick was injured in 2008 and did not even travel with the team to the NCAA tournament. The 2014 team is comparable to the 2010 team in that no one has any real experience save for Polson.

Experience did not help with Wiltjer or Harrow. Harrow was the most experienced point guard who has started for Cal at UK. It did not help.

I am giddy with the talent but need to see the team play before I can talk about it being one of the elite teams. And the part of the 1 and done I hate is when a guy does not win a title or is not a top 5 pick and leaves without a title.

For me there is a little hollow feeling. I won't begrudge them at all. But to me there is unfinished business to consider.

With that said no one can win it every year. I sure hope that the talent, mental approach to the game, and the chemistry come together for another great, great year.

[UKHistory]

Larry,

To me any isolation you are getting from Cal is a regrettable negative. I can't defend, dismiss, or justify that decision. Any reason Cal could come up with for keeping you at arm's length is wrong.

As for Shep, who I have always really, really liked since he came to UK, I believe Shep's comments might prove to Cal why you keep certain people at arms length.

Larry I hate that for you, but I think I know who you can blame for the way cal treats the local writers...

[Darryl]

It is a bit ironic that Shep (a 5 year UK guy) is seemingly more loyal to his old coach than
to his alma mater. It would appear the one year guys care every bit about Kentucky as
he does.

Darryl

[dan_bgblue]

Darryl, I am not sure that all of the former UK players felt welcome at UK prior to Coach Calipari arrived on the scene. If that is truly the case, it would make sense "to me anyway" that former Pitino players gravitated more toward him than they did to UK. It has also been said, and I agree with it 100%, that Pitino tried his best to make everything that happened at UK during his tenure to be about him and not about UK. That attitude likely rubbed off on some of the players.

[Darryl]

Dan, Shep's coach left him to coach the Celtics and now is at hated UL. His reasoning seems odd.

Darryl

[ukpumacat]

Patrick was injured in 2008 and did not even travel with the team to the NCAA tournament. The 2014 team is comparable to the 2010 team in that no one has any real experience save for Polson.

Experience did not help with Wiltjer or Harrow. Harrow was the most experienced point guard who has started for Cal at UK. It did not help.

Thanks History, I had forgotten about PP being injured that year. 2010 was even worse than I thought.
And just to be clear...I am not talking about "experience". I am talking about "tourney experience". Big difference to me.
I just think there has to be a balance of both. Maybe 70/30 Talent to tourney experience...something like that. Last year's team was low on both.
This year's team is loaded with talent (which will take them far), but the tourney experience is non-existent.

[UKHistory]

ukpumacat,

Tournament experience I agree is critical. In fact the AAU curcuit with one meaningless game after another could hurt the focus of a team.

I felt great about our chances last year because of the 2011 Final Four.

For UK, next year is what it is. Is it just tournament experience or tournament success? The positive to me is that some national title teams have no real Final Four experience which is the most important characteristic.

Off the top of my head...

2008 Kansas, 1980 UofL, 97 Arizona, IU 87, Michingan 89, UConn 99, UCLA 95, Arkansas 94

We just have to play to win and stay focused.

[anderwt]

I don't think so, but I also don't think Shepp speaks for all the fans when saying they are tired of the OAD UK way..I see a lot of fans wearing 2012 NC and final four shirts..his comments sound like an argument I get into with IU and UL fans all the time..

[BarristerCat]

It is a bit ironic that Shep (a 5 year UK guy) is seemingly more loyal to his old coach than
to his alma mater. It would appear the one year guys care every bit about Kentucky as
he does.

Darryl

That's just the way it is with most all of Pitino's UK players. We've talked about it on here before. With a couple of notable exceptions, they are all loyal to Pitino over UK. Sheppard just proved to us that he is just another Pitino guy. I, for one, am glad to know it.