I'd say coaching moreso than recognition.

That too. You see my argument about why kids go to play at UK and for Cal though.

Lance Stephenson could have gone to UK, started at the SG spot and would probably be in a better spot than he is right now.

Azu, I agree with you. No doubt in my mind that if Stephenson were at UK last year, he's in a better situation.

thedynasty1998 wrote: I'd say coaching moreso than recognition.

Coaching? How so? You honestly think that 6 months of coaching, because thats about all he had, made that big of a difference? If so, I say bullshit. Just as I think its BS that Matta made some huge difference with his one and dones.
Now if the kid was there for more then one year...such as Turner was at OSU...then a coach should get some credit for developing the player.
Did Cal and Matta help, coach them up? Absolutely. But with the limited time they had with them...it had very little impact on the kind of player they are.
Either you are good enough, or you are not. Stephenson being at UK would not have made a difference in where he is currently. Maybe he may ahve been improved a "little" more just based on competition he was going against ...but not enough to shoot him into a top 10-15 pick. He is what he is and 6 month wouldn't have made THAT much of a difference.

Azubuike24 wrote: Eric Bledsoe, before the season, did not have the stock that Stephenson and Boynton did. That was my only point. Bledsoe, playing with Wall and Cousins did nothing but help his recognition. Recognition, can't hurt. Simple as that.

According to who? What you read? What scout and rivals said? Bledsoe wasnt' that far behind either of those two, a top 25 player. At that point, except of maybe Wall and a couple others...your splitting hairs. And just because scout and rival had them ranked ahead, doesn't always equate to those being on target. Probably more times then not, except for the few at the top..they are off.
And, in reality, he still may not end up better. Who knows. Right now, Bledsoe is near end of first round of draft..not far ahead of Stephenson. And thats in a weak draft in terms of point guards. In a strong/normal year, he may have been in the second round easily.

centralbucksfan wrote: Coaching? How so? You honestly think that 6 months of coaching, because thats about all he had, made that big of a difference? If so, I say bullshit. Just as I think its BS that Matta made some huge difference with his one and dones.
Now if the kid was there for more then one year...such as Turner was at OSU...then a coach should get some credit for developing the player.
Did Cal and Matta help, coach them up? Absolutely. But with the limited time they had with them...it had very little impact on the kind of player they are.

Yes, I absolutely think that those 6 months of coaching were that impactful. When you go from HS to a college campus and practice under someone like Calipari, you can be like a sponge that first year. Not that everyone developes right away, but you think Calipari is coaching him any different his junior year than he did his freshman year? No. He's telling what he needs to do to take his game to that next level and what drills, how to study tape, how to prepare your body in order to get there. The first year of coaching is more impactful than probably the last three years are combined in terms of grasping the information.