[-STAT-]

Today is the deadline for NBA Draft prospects to withdraw and return to school or stay in the draft and forego their remaining eligibility. 

Oweh decision looms large for Kentucky, still think they will be great shape if he stays in, but if he returns then that puts Kentucky in high contender status for the National Championship, plus SEC POTY frontrunner. 

As of yesterday, reports came out that he had been receiving "positive feedback" from NBA teams after the combine, but the last mock draft I seen had him going undrafted. 

Same thing happened last year w/ Jaxon Robinson, waiting till the 11th hour for him to withdraw, same will happen w/ Oweh and I have a good feeling we will go 2/2 the last 2 seasons in the waiting game. 

What does everyone else think?

[UKisN1]

A guaranteed 2-year contract will keep his name in the draft, despite earning more at UK. His draft status will not improve with an additional year at UK. JMO

[-STAT-]

He has one more workout as of today, so I'm sure it will be up into the evening/night before any news breaks.

[jetpilot]

COMING BACK!!!!!!!

Man is UK going to be exciting next season!!!!

https://x.com/WildcatsTongue/status/1927126631887376780

[Spud6]

Naatty

[Old School Hound]

Hold on here, tigers. I don't mean to sound like my new best bud, Plant Guy, but Oweh doesn't equal Natty. Depends on how well this group of guys meshes. Season could be a mess(Plant Guy on left shoulder); season could be incredibly exciting(Jetpilot on right shoulder). Plant predicted ten wins last season. They more than doubled that. I hope he predicts at least 15 wins this season.

[jetpilot]

Hold on here, tigers. I don't mean to sound like my new best bud, Plant Guy, but Oweh doesn't equal Natty. Depends on how well this group of guys meshes. Season could be a mess(Plant Guy on left shoulder); season could be incredibly exciting(Jetpilot on right shoulder).  Plant predicted ten wins last season. They more than doubled that. I hope he predicts at least 15 wins this season.

i hope he predicts 20. Zero percent chance I am wrong and it won't be exciting.

[Old School Hound]

Hold on here, tigers. I don't mean to sound like my new best bud, Plant Guy, but Oweh doesn't equal Natty. Depends on how well this group of guys meshes. Season could be a mess(Plant Guy on left shoulder); season could be incredibly exciting(Jetpilot on right shoulder).  Plant predicted ten wins last season. They more than doubled that. I hope he predicts at least 15 wins this season.

i hope he predicts 20. Zero percent chance I am wrong and it won't be exciting.

I think it should be a fun season. I expect "rainy days and Mondays" Plant Guy  to present a  six word alternate thesis, though.

[jetpilot]

Hold on here, tigers. I don't mean to sound like my new best bud, Plant Guy, but Oweh doesn't equal Natty. Depends on how well this group of guys meshes. Season could be a mess(Plant Guy on left shoulder); season could be incredibly exciting(Jetpilot on right shoulder).  Plant predicted ten wins last season. They more than doubled that. I hope he predicts at least 15 wins this season.

i hope he predicts 20. Zero percent chance I am wrong and it won't be exciting.

I think it should be a fun season. I expect "rainy days and Mondays" Plant Guy  to present a  six word alternate thesis, though.

lol going to be hard for plant to be less hopeful than that. This past season was big fun with all the injuries and nowhere near this roster. To use your parlance, this year should be almost as fun as being in the back seat at the drive-in with the homecoming queen was.

[Old School Hound]

Hold on here, tigers. I don't mean to sound like my new best bud, Plant Guy, but Oweh doesn't equal Natty. Depends on how well this group of guys meshes. Season could be a mess(Plant Guy on left shoulder); season could be incredibly exciting(Jetpilot on right shoulder).  Plant predicted ten wins last season. They more than doubled that. I hope he predicts at least 15 wins this season.

i hope he predicts 20. Zero percent chance I am wrong and it won't be exciting.

I think it should be a fun season. I expect "rainy days and Mondays" Plant Guy  to present a  six word alternate thesis, though.

lol going to be hard for plant to be less hopeful than that. This past season was big fun with all the injuries and nowhere near this roster. To use your parlance, this year should be almost as fun as being in the back seat at the drive-in with the homecoming queen was.

I don't see how anyone could have thought the past season was anything except a blast and successful. Expectations were pretty low and they far exceeded most anyone's prognostications. The injuries were just a killer.

[jetpilot]

Expectations were high and they performed at a high level, especially considering the injuries. Expectations even higher this coming season in year 2 with an upgraded roster.

[Old School Hound]

Expectations were high and they performed at a high level, especially considering the injuries. Expectations even higher this coming season in year 2 with an upgraded roster.

Most everyone that I heard talking about UK basketball before last season were saying the season would be a success if they made the NCAA Tournament. Plant predicted 10 wins. A lot were hoping they could maybe get to 20 and possibly sneak into the tourney. Those were not high expectations. For Cornell, maybe, but not UK.

[jetpilot]

you're quoting plant now lol. Pope assembled an impressive roster and started beating highly ranked teams from the get-go. You must have listened to the 3 or so people that wanted more of Cal ball. Pope brought the excitement and success back from the moment he walked into a packed Rupp Arena and was met by an ecstatic fan base

[Old School Hound]

you're quoting plant now lol. Pope assembled an impressive roster and started beating highly ranked teams from the get-go. You must have listened to the 3 or so people that wanted more of Cal ball. Pope brought the excitement and success back from the moment he walked into a packed Rupp Arena and was met by an ecstatic fan base

I agree the fanbase(maybe not Plant), for the most part, had bought in to what Pope was selling and was very enthusiastic from the get-go but I don't think many of them had expections of Sweet 16 before the season started. I  think Plant spoke for a lot of fans' expectations coming into the season. Thing is, with my guy, Plant, even when UK was beating Duke and Florida and looking like a Top Five team, Plant still thought the team and coach sucked.

[King Kong]

Glad he's staying!

I believe we'll be cutting the nets down as National Champs this coming season baby!!!

And truth be known I say this at the start of every season 

[jetpilot]

you're quoting plant now lol. Pope assembled an impressive roster and started beating highly ranked teams from the get-go. You must have listened to the 3 or so people that wanted more of Cal ball. Pope brought the excitement and success back from the moment he walked into a packed Rupp Arena and was met by an ecstatic fan base

I agree the fanbase(maybe not Plant), for the most part, had bought in to what Pope was selling and was very enthusiastic from the get-go but I don't think many of them had expections of Sweet 16 before the season started. I  think Plant spoke for a lot of fans' expectations coming into the season. Thing is, with my guy, Plant, even when UK was beating Duke and Florida and looking like a Top Five team, Plant still thought the team and coach sucked.

Totally like plant, but he says he loves chaos and he likes to be "provocative"

[Old School Hound]

you're quoting plant now lol. Pope assembled an impressive roster and started beating highly ranked teams from the get-go. You must have listened to the 3 or so people that wanted more of Cal ball. Pope brought the excitement and success back from the moment he walked into a packed Rupp Arena and was met by an ecstatic fan base

I agree the fanbase(maybe not Plant), for the most part, had bought in to what Pope was selling and was very enthusiastic from the get-go but I don't think many of them had expections of Sweet 16 before the season started. I  think Plant spoke for a lot of fans' expectations coming into the season. Thing is, with my guy, Plant, even when UK was beating Duke and Florida and looking like a Top Five team, Plant still thought the team and coach sucked.

Totally like plant, but he says he loves chaos and he likes to be "provocative"

So, what your saying is my dude is a  troll ?

[jetpilot]

you're quoting plant now lol. Pope assembled an impressive roster and started beating highly ranked teams from the get-go. You must have listened to the 3 or so people that wanted more of Cal ball. Pope brought the excitement and success back from the moment he walked into a packed Rupp Arena and was met by an ecstatic fan base

I agree the fanbase(maybe not Plant), for the most part, had bought in to what Pope was selling and was very enthusiastic from the get-go but I don't think many of them had expections of Sweet 16 before the season started. I  think Plant spoke for a lot of fans' expectations coming into the season. Thing is, with my guy, Plant, even when UK was beating Duke and Florida and looking like a Top Five team, Plant still thought the team and coach sucked.

Totally like plant, but he says he loves chaos and he likes to be "provocative"

So, what your saying is my dude is a  troll ?

He has good potential but still in the apprentice stage. Sky's the limit if he's willing to put in the work.

[4 Quarters]

Is the guy worth 3 million???????

[Old School Hound]

Is the guy worth 3 million???????

Shitter's full...

[Cactus Jack]

A guaranteed 2-year contract will keep his name in the draft, despite earning more at UK. His draft status will not improve with an additional year at UK. JMO

If you soften it to his draft status won't improve (much) I agree entirely. He's still going to be undersized for his position in the NBA, as he doesn't have the handles or playmaking ability needed from a PG. Getting feedback from scouts and going through the process itself probably won't do anything to hurt his cause unless he presses or let's the pressure get to him though.

At the same time, NIL and getting paid (above board) probably makes it an even better decision for him to return, even if he winds up in a marginally worse slot.

IMO, the only real long term killer for him would have been turning down a strong organization (e.g., Celtics, Thunder, Spurs, etc.) and winding up in a mess next year (e.g., Kings, Pelicans, Hornets, Hawks).

Is the guy worth 3 million???????

Is the $3 million figure confirmed anywhere? If so, is Kentucky paying him $3 million, or is part of his estimate what the school & donors will be paying while the rest is sponsors and endorsements? Many are anchoring on "Cooper Flagg made $28 million to play at Duke", when in reality, much of that figure was actually from New Balance and Panini.

Two ways to look at the question of whether he's worth $2-3 million:

Is he worth $2-3 million to this Kentucky team? Yes, probably so if they're able to afford everyone else too. The roster continuity alone will be huge. He's probably the guy we're giving the ball to if we're down 1 with 10 seconds remaining, even if he isn't taking the shot. If all works well, Quaintance turns out to be the best player, but it's hard for bigs to create for themselves. Williams hopefully plays the Brea role, but isn't projected to start. Maybe Jasper Johnson ends up being the guy we lean on in those situations, but that's a lot to ask of a freshman.

Pope will be under pressure to perform well again and a certain level of failure could create a narrative that last season was a fluke. This season's schedule will be tough, even if the SEC is "down" compared to last season. Losing Lewis, Perry, and Oweh and only replacing them with Hawthorne would be a disappointment, though you'd have to think we'd have added someone else.


Is he worth $2-3 million to the average NCAA team? No, probably not. He may be worth that to a school like BYU (funds don't seem to be an issue but getting talent other than Dybantsa is). Maybe he's worth that to a few Big Ten, Big XII, or SEC schools, but it would be very dependent on their total budget, roster, and style of play. Those seem far fewer than the bad fits like Alabama (style), Florida (style & depth), or Gonzaga (budget).

Sure, he'd make a team like Houston better, but could they afford $2-3 million for a one year rental that might be anywhere from the 3rd to 6th most involved in what they are trying to do? Budget aside (assume you gave them another $2-3 million they had to spend), they're probably just as well, if not better off splitting that over two or more players.

Outside of schools with few recruiting alternatives and money who would justify the price tag (i.e., selling donors who could actually pony up the cash on the hope that he's the difference between the first weekend and a possible Sweet Sixteen or Elite Eight), he doesn't really make sense at that number. That isn't a bad thing or a knock on him, just the reality of the price tag on and availability of guards in the portal and the fact that he's more of a complimentary player that can make a good team great than an offensive force of nature that you splurge on and put less expensive pieces around.

[jetpilot]

Nobody in sports is worth what they are paid. But is Oweh worth whatever he gets in donor money when Cal got $9MM in taxpayer money and UK money plus millions more in perks plus the corrupt NCAA makes zillions? Please.

[Van Hagar]

Oweh, in my opinion, is one of those guys that can be excellent college players, but probably doesn’t have the skill set at his size that translates to a big pro career. It happens. Like Jet, I know all athletes are overpaid, but this is the system we’ve put in place, so hell yeah he’s worth $3 million to UK since the money is there. Now hopefully he will produce the way he did for the majority of last season.

[King Kong]

I wish someone would endorse me for a couple million to shoot some hoops