Cyclones Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Its very odd to see a super/overhyped kid coming out of high school actually live up to expectations, let alone exceed them, but Wall has done just that. During the first half of the UNC game he was a blur out there and the UNC guards had no chance to stay in front of him. On the dunk that started the 28-2 run he crossed the guy over and blew past him so fast it seemed he went from the free throw line to the hoop in the blink of an eye...same on the reverse where he crossed the UNC guard over on the next play. He is certainly the best point guard I have ever seen at Kentucky, and, according to Roy Williams, the best PG to come out of high school since Jason Kidd. Can't wait to watch the UConn game tomorrow night. He also hits his free throws and plays great D due to his quickness which allows him to come up with alot of steals. I don't think there is a better 1-2 punch in the NCAAs than Wall and Patterson. If Cousins can get a handle on his emotions and stop taking dumbass fouls, the sky is the limit for this team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcat2334 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 the kid is off the charts - haven't seen someone that fast AND explosive with the ball in a long time - Brandon Jennings is close Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclones Posted December 9, 2009 Author Share Posted December 9, 2009 Wall vs. UNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Muto Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 John Wall is da sh!t !!!!!! Oh ya my Kentucky team is back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheikYerbuti Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 My dream as a Nets fan: 1. New stadium in Brooklyn 2. The most ping-pong balls after this dreadful season, and actually winning the lottery 3. John Wall with the 1st overall pick 4. Somehow dumping 90% of their current salary and maxing out their cap space to get Lebron AND Chris Bosh. Fielding a team next year of Harris and Wall in the backcourt, Lebron and Bosh up front with Brook Lopez at C. Hey, I can dream can't I? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 The kid is obviously an amazing talent but I also think he had something to prove against UNC. I know both he and coach Williams have said all the right things, "sometimes the shoe just doesn't fit right...". However, something relatively ugly had to have gone down. I know that Williams doesn't like the dude who was basically Wall's "agent" for lack of a better word during his recruiting and that guy (forgetting his name) absolutely hates Williams. Here in the papers, he did not even try to mince words in that regard. I mean, you've got a kid who you realize is the best PG to come out of HS since Kidd, he plays in your backyard, and you meet with him once before deciding he's great but just not the right fit? Something else certainly went down and I'm sure Wall took particular relish in lighting up the Heels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclones Posted December 9, 2009 Author Share Posted December 9, 2009 The kid is obviously an amazing talent but I also think he had something to prove against UNC. I know both he and coach Williams have said all the right things, "sometimes the shoe just doesn't fit right...". However, something relatively ugly had to have gone down. I know that Williams doesn't like the dude who was basically Wall's "agent" for lack of a better word during his recruiting and that guy (forgetting his name) absolutely hates Williams. Here in the papers, he did not even try to mince words in that regard. I mean, you've got a kid who you realize is the best PG to come out of HS since Kidd, he plays in your backyard, and you meet with him once before deciding he's great but just not the right fit? Something else certainly went down and I'm sure Wall took particular relish in lighting up the Heels. Yeah, Roy and Clifton have a history of some kind it seems. I'm still not sure it would have been a slam dunk for Wall to attend UNC - he seemed smitten with Cal and obviously is thriving in Cal's offense. But I agree with you Det, I'm sure there was some "take that" factor at play here - he singlehandedly demolished UNC's will in the first half. They were like deer in the headlights after the dunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddahj Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 he looks like the real deal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_bone65 Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Even more so after last night. Go Big Blue baby, even though they are a 4-5 team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpwallace49 Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Saw the game, and he looks like Chris Johnson on the football field. He makes everyone else look like they are in slo-mo . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted December 10, 2009 Share Posted December 10, 2009 Wall is very impressive... Calhoun said he is possibly the best young player to enter college basketball in years. It will be interesting to see how Kentucky matures throughout the season. Right now, I don't think they're a legit NC contender simply because they're WAY too inconsistent (like Calipari mentioned). All the talent in the world, but at times, the intensity just isn't there. One minute, they looked like they would blow UConn out of the water... the next, they couldn't even run a half-court offense well enough to get a decent shot at the basket. A lot of games between now and March, though... room for lots of improvement, definitely. Calipari has done well, getting super star freshman guards to mature, the past couple of seasons... If he can just get some of his young stars a bit more under control, I like their chances to do some serious damage. I just don't see how Connecticut is going to get very far this year, with absolutely no three-point shooting. They have the feel of a team that could have a very good regular season, but might be an early out in March. Robinson is very athletic, but that team needs him to be a star, not just an athletic player in the background. I like their guards, though... Dyson and Walker are both guys that can score at will, it seems. Still, they need at least one outside threat, you would think, to be a serious contender. Don't get me wrong... I think these are both top 10-15 teams. Kentucky might even be better than that, we will see as the year goes on. Too early to say who I like...haven't seen several teams play yet. Duke looked great against UConn, but not-so-great against Wisconsin (The way Ryan gets those Badger teams to play defense will do that to teams, though). Michigan State looked simply outmatched against North Carolina, while UNC got handled pretty easily by Syracuse. Haven't had a chance to see several of the others, but Purdue, Nova, Texas, and Kansas all look pretty good. The one team that I have been able to see three times already is Gonzaga... I really like their depth. They have several players, inside and out, who can score. They had Michigan State on the ropes on the road, and blew that game. For 25+ minutes, though, it looked like Gonzaga was clearly the superior team. Didn't get a chance to watch them in their other loss (to Wake Forest), but I did see them take care of Wisconsin... Gonzaga was clearly the better team in that contest. Too much talent for the Badgers to contend with. Should be another fun season to watch unfold... I have a feeling my Gophers are going to have a tough time of it this year. They knocked off Butler last month, but then proceeded to lose three straight. The Big Ten will be tougher this year than last, and I don't think Minnesota made themselves much better, other than returning most of last year's team (with another year under their belt). They need to improve significantly if they're going to be anything more than a bubble team in March. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclones Posted December 12, 2009 Author Share Posted December 12, 2009 I guess today we'll get to see how Wall reacts to a very hostile crowd in our first true road game. While IU is down, they are a fierce rival for us and their crowd will be nuts. I'm hoping our guys don't have a letdown after beating 2 big time teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Kentucky looked really good today... probably the best they've played so far. The guy who really impressed me today was Bledsoe... 23 points on 8/10 shooting. Wall was just his normal self with 11 pts, 8 assists, and 7 boards. Indiana kept it close for the first half, but Kentucky pulled away easily in the 2nd half. If they play like they did today, I think they're a legitimate Final Four contender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclones Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share Posted December 16, 2009 Kentucky looked really good today... probably the best they've played so far. The guy who really impressed me today was Bledsoe... 23 points on 8/10 shooting. Wall was just his normal self with 11 pts, 8 assists, and 7 boards. Indiana kept it close for the first half, but Kentucky pulled away easily in the 2nd half. If they play like they did today, I think they're a legitimate Final Four contender. They have 4 legit scorers, which is nice..Wall, Patterson (best 1-2 punch in the country in my opinion,) Bledsoe, and Cousins. Wall's box score didnt look great, but it was well balanced and he only turned it over once. This team goes on runs at times that make them look downright unbeatable - the 28-2 run vs. UNC, 12-0 and 11-0 against UConn, and an 18-0 run vs. IU that put the game on ice. The key is for Cousins and to a lesser extent Orton to stay out of foul trouble. Nobody in the country can matchup at all with our frontcourt, but when you start having to play Harrelson and Stevenson, it goes downhill fast. I think the team will continue to improve, will get a #1 seed in the tourney and be a legit threat to win it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclones Posted December 30, 2009 Author Share Posted December 30, 2009 Wall broke the UK assist record last night with 16 vs Hartford (yes, Hartford is a terrible team.) Many were alley oop dunks where Wall penetrated to the elbow only to have Hartfords bigs collapse around him, leaving Orton, Cousins and Patterson wide open for easy dunks. Wall also had a spectacular backdoor alley oop reverse dunk himself on a pass from Harris. The kid keeps getting better. They're saying he'll be third in the last ten years in terms of rookie impact behind only LeBron and Dwight Howard. I'm sure Nets fans can't wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcat2334 Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 he is an absolute freak - he reminds me of a cross between Allen Iverson and Rajon Rondo. He has the incredible length and athletic, wiry build of Rondo, and he has the basketball IQ of Iverson offensively, and he can get wherever he wants to with the ball the sky is the limit and he will be a top 5 player in the NBA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclones Posted January 5, 2010 Author Share Posted January 5, 2010 he is an absolute freak - he reminds me of a cross between Allen Iverson and Rajon Rondo. He has the incredible length and athletic, wiry build of Rondo, and he has the basketball IQ of Iverson offensively, and he can get wherever he wants to with the ball the sky is the limit and he will be a top 5 player in the NBA Chippy, sloppy game with Louisville on Saturday, which to an extent is to be expected in such a heated rivalry. Kentucky jumped out to an 18-5 lead as UL missed 18 of its first 19 shots, but UL fought back and actually took a 1 point lead with 10 minutes left in the 2nd half. Then Wall took over, scoring 6 straight to give us a lead we wouldnt relinquish again. The kid is mature beyond his years and takes over games like you would expect a Jr. or Sr. to do. I have no problem having him be our leader come tournament time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclones Posted January 13, 2010 Author Share Posted January 13, 2010 Cats move to 17-0 as our other freshman guard blitzes Florida for 25 points. This was one of the three remaining games I think we had a legit shot at losing in the regular season (with the others being at Vandy and at Tennessee.) I can't remember a team relying so much on freshmen since the Fab Five, and that may bite us come tournament time, but I also dont recall a team so stacked with young pro prospects that also boasted an upperclassman leader like Patterson either. We're not the deepest team, but Wall/Bledsoe/Patterson/Cousins/Miller >>>> than any 5 guys any other team can put on the floor. With Orton/Dodson/Harris coming off the bench we obviously need those 5 to produce, but it seems in every game at least 3 of them do - last night they all played well with Bledsoe going off. Wall got lost a bit last night with Bledsoe playing so well but still had 17 pts and 6 assists, which seems mediocre for him at this point. UK Should win their next 5 games and equal the best start in team history if they win their next 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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