Chris Obekpa declares for draft

[Rebel Chi-girl]

Now Obekpa has declared for draft. Who is filling these players heads with dreams when clearly most aren't ready. Worse is other players congratulating them as though they already signed with an NBA team. I bet the NBA scouts love this, they sign the kids cheap, lock them into a multi year contract and when they reach their potential, if they do, they get them cheaper then had they stayed in college longer. This shows that Dave Rice wasn't the biggest problem on the team. These players have unrealistic views of their talent and don't want to grind it out to reach their potential for only a college education which would probably serve them better when the dream fails. I wish them luck but I don't think any of these players are ready.

 

[WeMissYouShark]

Now Obekpa has declared for draft. Who is filling these players heads with dreams when clearly most aren't ready. Worse is other players congratulating them as though they already signed with an NBA team. I bet the NBA scouts love this, they sign the kids cheap, lock them into a multi year contract and when they reach their potential, if they do, they get them cheaper then had they stayed in college longer. This shows that Dave Rice wasn't the biggest problem on the team. These players have unrealistic views of their talent and don't want to grind it out to reach their potential for only a college education which would probably serve them better when the dream fails. I wish them luck but I don't think any of these players are ready.

I'm hoping that some of these kids are just exploring to see where they are and what they need to develop. If that's the case, declaring can only be a good thing for them.

Also, Obekpa will make more in Europe or Asia than he could dream of with a bachelor's degree.

 

[Rebel Chi-girl]

I'm hoping that some of these kids are just exploring to see where they are and what they need to develop. If that's the case, declaring can only be a good thing for them.

Also, Obekpa will make more in Europe or Asia than he could dream of with a bachelor's degree.

I agree, Jones hasn't hired an agent, McCaw was interviewing but hasn't hired one yet either. Maybe Beard can reach them. You never know what these players could be with a college degree if the basketball career doesn't pan out. I think all the players could use 1 more year, atleast, but they have to do what they believe is right for them.

 

[Kruger's brother Fred]

Calipari told all of his players to put their names in.

"The new rule states they can submit their name a total of three times. If they choose to withdraw, they have until 10 days after the combine"

"Players not invited to the combine know what that means. Players invited to the combine and told to go back to school know that that means."

No reason not to find out what the scouts think.

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/168794966/calipari-eligible-uk-players-declare-draft

 

[MonsterJam]

This shows that Dave Rice wasn't the biggest problem on the team. These players have unrealistic views of their talent and don't want to grind it out to reach their potential for only a college education which would probably serve them better when the dream fails.

Dave Rice WAS the biggest problem. He recruited these guys. I can't see how you don't see it. If your gonna give Rice the credit for winning games with the players he recruited, then you have to give him the responsibility for losing with the players he recruited.

Guess the saying is true: People who don't get it, don't get that they don't get it.

 

[ThailandReb]

Dave Rice WAS the biggest problem. He recruited these guys. I can't see how you don't see it. If your gonna give Rice the credit for winning games with the players he recruited, then you have to give him the responsibility for losing with the players he recruited.

Guess the saying is true: People who don't get it, don't get that they don't get it.

It really is her mission: to valiantly protect and vindicate poor, innocent Dave Rice at all costs, even after all this time. We are the ones who don't see that none of this was any of his fault.

Have to admire her tenacity, at least.

 

[Rebel Chi-girl]

It really is her mission: to valiantly protect and vindicate poor, innocent Dave Rice at all costs, even after all this time. We are the ones who don't see that none of this was any of his fault.

Have to admire her tenacity, at least.

Never said it wasn't his fault, but clearly these players thought they knew more than the coaches. They either are delusional enough to think they are ready for the NBA or are running away from a coach who won't let them run the program. It was Rice's fault for bringing in this entitled group of kids. I like Rice and thought he deserved to finish out the season but clearly he lost control of the players.

 

[ThailandReb]

Never said it wasn't his fault, but clearly these players thought they knew more than the coaches. They either are delusional enough to think they are ready for the NBA or are running away from a coach who won't let them run the program. It was Rice's fault for bringing in this entitled group of kids. I like Rice and thought he deserved to finish out the season but clearly he lost control of the players.

I agree with almost everything in this post. But in your original post, and I don't think this was an accident, the vibe was that Rice wasn't really to blame.

Only thing I disagree with is that Rice "deserved" to finish out the season. We can argue the merits of firing him mid-season, and a good argument can be made that it was the wrong choice because of how prospective coaches in the coaching fraternity viewed the move. But IMO Rice didn't deserve to finish out anything. He was so clearly in over his head that it was painful and embarrassing to watch.

I liked Rice personally, too. When he was on Bayno's staff way back in the mid-90's, I was a student at UNLV and attended many Rebel basketball practices. I'll never forget that from the first time we shook hands, Rice never forgot my name. Any time we crossed paths, he greeted me and called me by name. Me, a lowly UNLV student, not even a booster. That resonated with me. But that doesn't have to do with the historically awful job he did. Not through lack of effort, for sure, but results are results.

Look at the program Rice inherited. You could have slapped a suit and tie on a freaking sloth and sat him on the UNLV coaches' bench, and that team would've made the NCAA's. Look at the team Beard is inheriting.... a flaming dumpster fire with once again a mass-exodus of players. As it stands now, he's going to have to work his butt off just to be able to field a freaking team next year!! By the way, this has become a recurring, annual thing that's happened with each of Rice's teams with increasing frequency, if you hadn't noticed.

Had Rice stayed on for next year, probably not as many players would have fled the program, but judging from his track record a good deal of them would have left regardless of the coaching change. It has become part of the UNLV culture. And like you said in this post, it has a great deal to do with the types of players and egos that were brought in here. Brought in by the coaching staff, which was led by Rice himself.

 

[Mjs_702]

I'm sorry, but this OP just kills me. Why wouldn't he put his name in? What's the downside? Do you understand the rules?

Dave Rice is gone because the Rebels got worse every year he was here. That's 100% on him. That era is thankfully over, please stop trying to trying to defend him.

You could have easily pointed out that players have unrealistic opinions of their own stock without using it as a weird justification of how Dave Rice wasn't the biggest problem with recent Rebel teams. Makes zero sense.

Nice try. Thumbs down IMHO.

 

[Danny The Donger]

Now Obekpa has declared for draft. Who is filling these players heads with dreams when clearly most aren't ready. Worse is other players congratulating them as though they already signed with an NBA team. I bet the NBA scouts love this, they sign the kids cheap, lock them into a multi year contract and when they reach their potential, if they do, they get them cheaper then had they stayed in college longer. This shows that Dave Rice wasn't the biggest problem on the team. These players have unrealistic views of their talent and don't want to grind it out to reach their potential for only a college education which would probably serve them better when the dream fails. I wish them luck but I don't think any of these players are ready.

I would say that this is another clear indication that Dave Rice was the problem and the type of players he continually recruited were low character/selfish players.

 

[TomKingsley]

Good luck CO we hardly knew you...