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Thread: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

  1. #46
    Joe Oliver love-child Blimpie's Avatar
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    Quote Originally Posted by WVRed
    Sad thing is, the people running that website probably were singing Tubby's praises three years ago when Kentucky was no 1 in the nation before the NCAA tournament started(the year Dwayne Wade knocked them out in the Elite Eight).

    I agree with Blimpie that it is unreasonable to call for Tubby's head right now, but if things continue like this throughout the rest of the NCAA, something will have to be done, whether it be a shakeup of the roster or even a coaching change(which we will never see).

    On a side note, why Ravi Moss is still a walk-on is beyond me.
    Don't quote me on this, but I think he took Kelenna's scholarship after he left.

    Edited: Now that I think of it, I think I heard that if UK lost the Morris appeal, then Moss would get Randolph's scholarship.
    Last edited by Blimpie; 01-11-2006 at 04:40 PM.


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  3. #47
    Kentuckian At Heart WVRed's Avatar
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    Quote Originally Posted by Blimpie
    Just to try and put things in perspective, UK is currently one game out of first place in the SEC with 15 conference games remaining.

    To date, we have the losses to Iowa, Indiana, UNC, Kansas and Vanderbilt. All teams that figure to be playing during those fabled three weeks in March, right?

    Let's not forget about the wins over West Virginia, Louisville, Ohio and Iona. Also all teams that figure to be in the tournament, no?

    Tubby is not going anywhere this year unless he decides otherwise.
    Its not so much the losses(or even our wins), but it is by how much. Iowa and UNC were both close, and UNC is better than they were supposed to be. But there is no excuse to lose to Indiana by 26 or Kansas by 27, regardless of where its at.

    Of the four teams you mentioned that we had wins against, West Virginia was probably the only game this year where Sparks has had a remotely decent contribution, and if not for the fact that Benedict Rick scheduled the Tennessee Martin's of the world, we would have lost that game as well.

    As far as Iona or Ohio, too early to tell, as they will have to win their tournaments to make it.

    When you get behind, you should be able to make adjustments and fight back, not roll over and quit and get blown out by 20+ points. Even some of our wins against UCF, Ohio, and Iona were by single digits. I think that is reason for concern.

    Im saying he "needs" to be, doesn't mean he will be though. Tubby has more job security than Barnhardt right now and the only way he would be leaving is if he quits, which is unlikely to happen.
    Quote Originally Posted by savafan View Post
    I've read books about sparkling vampires who walk around in the daylight that were written better than a John Fay article.

  4. #48
    Kentuckian At Heart WVRed's Avatar
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    Quote Originally Posted by Blimpie
    Don't quote me on this, but I think he took Kelenna's scholarship after he left.

    Edited: Now that I think of it, I think I heard that if UK lost the Morris appeal, then Moss would get Randolph's scholarship.
    I think you're right, because last time I was in Kentucky(before the Indiana game), Oscar Combs was saying on the radio that Moss deserved a scholarship.
    Quote Originally Posted by savafan View Post
    I've read books about sparkling vampires who walk around in the daylight that were written better than a John Fay article.

  5. #49
    Joe Oliver love-child Blimpie's Avatar
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    I agree with you that, whenever we got down big in the IU and Kansas games, the UK effort just ceased entirely. The West Virginia win will help UK's RPI in March by virtue of the fact they just upset Villanova--who, by the way, is the real deal in my opinion. I think that Ohio has enough talent to make the tournament with an at-large bid. Very impressive squad, I feel. Say what you will about Louisville's soft pre-conference schedule...Rick wanted that game badly. Rondo simply would not be denied. Anytime that kid has a chance to stick it to Pitino, he will go the extra mile.

  6. #50
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    Quote Originally Posted by Blimpie
    I agree with you that, whenever we got down big in the IU and Kansas games, the UK effort just ceased entirely. The West Virginia win will help UK's RPI in March by virtue of the fact they just upset Villanova--who, by the way, is the real deal in my opinion. I think that Ohio has enough talent to make the tournament with an at-large bid. Very impressive squad, I feel. Say what you will about Louisville's soft pre-conference schedule...Rick wanted that game badly. Rondo simply would not be denied. Anytime that kid has a chance to stick it to Pitino, he will go the extra mile.
    Everyone on the team brought it hard against Louisville. We haven't seen anything close to it since. The last three games have been unbearable

  7. #51
    Member Cedric's Avatar
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    Kentucky has second rate talent with first rate expectations, not cool for Tubby. They have been able to overcome talent issues for a few years because of how down the SEC has been. It looks like it's totally caught up to them early this season.
    This is the time. The real Reds organization is back.

  8. #52
    Joe Oliver love-child Blimpie's Avatar
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    Quote Originally Posted by Cedric
    Kentucky has second rate talent with first rate expectations, not cool for Tubby. They have been able to overcome talent issues for a few years because of how down the SEC has been. It looks like it's totally caught up to them early this season.
    Other than Florida, the SEC appears to be somewhat down again this year. There have been flashes of promise (Tennessee winning big at Texas), but the league is still trying to recover from their rash of early NBA departures from last summer.

  9. #53
    Joe Oliver love-child Blimpie's Avatar
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    Sounds like it took Randolph Morris just one game to summarize the main problem with the UK team this year....Ravi Moss: Please feel free to pick up your captain jersey in the trainer's room....

    Posted on Thu, Jan. 12, 2006

    Cats at a loss
    Struggling team searching for answers
    By Jerry Tipton
    HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER


    After Kentucky lost to Vanderbilt Tuesday, Rajon Rondo still believed.

    "I'm still very high on this team ... ," UK's point guard said. "I still expect a lot of things from this team this year and I plan to go far in the tournament."

    How do the Cats get there from here? That was the basis for much of the post-game conversation.

    Familiar problems continued to haunt Kentucky: poor shooting, poor passing, poor to non-existent screening, infrequent opportunities to shoot free throws (Vanderbilt made more, 21, than UK attempted, 18).

    "I am at a loss for words," a subdued Ravi Moss said. "We have no choice but to fight our way out of it. We are not a bunch of punks." (I think Ravi needs to scan the entire locker room before making that declaration)

    A reporter wishing to be helpful suggested a team meeting.

    "We've talked," Moss said. "We've had meetings. It is time for the talk to stop. It is time to go out and play."

    The players spoke of problems that go beyond basketball X's and O's.

    Moss raised immaturity as an issue. With Randolph Morris back in the rotation, the Cats regularly play four sophomores.

    "Our biggest problem is we don't take a mature approach to practice," Moss said. "The coaches get on us all the time about it. We've kind of acted like it wasn't a problem. It's time for us to start listening and really respond."

    UK Coach Tubby Smith noted how the difficulty in recovering emotionally from the 27-point loss at Kansas three days earlier showed in the team's "OK" practices.

    Rondo seemed to raise effort as a question mark when he said, "It seems like a different team heart-wise (yeah, as in...they have no heart), in the desire to win."

    However, Smith saluted the team's willpower when he noted that the Cats rallied from a 14-point deficit and took their only lead of the game, 42-41, with 6:48 left.

    "We came out in a real funk," Smith said. "But to come back from behind like we did and take the lead, we showed some heart there."

    That was when the teams veered from their traditional roles: Vandy, which had never beaten UK in Rupp Arena, shook off the blow and won; Kentucky, which seemingly always wins everywhere, made just enough missteps at crunch time to lose.

    "When we had a 14-point lead, I thought if we made a couple plays, we might be able to separate," Vandy Coach Kevin Stallings said. "Instead, Moss caught fire and he made plays.

    "The most pleasing thing to me is when we were down one, the way our team responded. I was really, really pleased. We came down, found a way to get good shots and we converted."

    That's usually Kentucky's way. Make the key stop. Hit the clutch shot. Win.

    "In my three years here, we found a way to win these games," Moss said. "We have to find a way.

    "We've got to understand we are Kentucky," Moss said. "And this just made Vanderbilt's season. We have to understand we have to take everybody's best shot. I think we're taking everybody's best shot and we're not punching back."

    Kentucky (10-5) took relatively better shots than at Kansas, where the shooting accuracy (24.2 percent) was the second worst in school history. Yet, the Cats made only 35.3 percent of their shots against Vandy, bringing their accuracy in the last seven games to 38.3 percent. In that same span, UK has shot 22.8 percent from three-point range (33-for-145).

    Smith lamented UK's dwindling confidence.

    "I thought Rajon got to the rim, but couldn't get it in," the UK coach said. "We got fouled and couldn't make the free throws. Just over and over. One thing leads to another. ... That's when your confidence is shot."

    Smith also cited injuries, for instance a bad back for Rekalin Sims and tendinitis for Joe Crawford.

    "Everybody handles pain differently,(translation: Crawford is a wimp)" Smith said in speaking of Crawford's sore knee. "He's fighting through it."

    While UK's confidence flickered, Vanderbilt's was robust. The Commodores did not necessarily base their confidence on a sense of vulnerability in UK.

    "We have a lot of confidence in ourselves," said Shan Foster, who led Vandy with 16 points. "It has nothing to do with any other team."

    Kentucky had seven assists against Vanderbilt. That gave the Cats 12 in the last two games (or, on average, one every 6.6 minutes).

    "We're basically playing -- I don't want to say selfish -- but we don't make the extra pass," Morris said. "Or think the game like we should."
    Pretty much sums things up in Big Blue Land, no?
    Last edited by Blimpie; 01-12-2006 at 09:06 AM.

  10. #54
    Joe Oliver love-child Blimpie's Avatar
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    More post-mortem on the Cats...this time with a national perspective.

    ESPN.com: Forde

    Tuesday, January 10, 2006
    Updated: January 11, 4:33 PM ET
    Cats may be too flawed for Morris to make a difference


    By Pat Forde
    ESPN.com


    LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The operative theme going into Kentucky's game Tuesday night in Rupp Arena was Randolph to the Rescue.
    By the time the game was over and Vanderbilt had won by the Cro-Magnon score of 57-52 -- its first victory in the 30-year history of this building -- the night had become a two-hour 911 call. An urgent APB was issued for missing offense, missing poise, missing leadership, missing heart and missing talent at a tottering powerhouse.

    When it was over, the only thing left was for a senior walk-on to rip his teammates and himself.

    "We're just immature," said guard Ravi Moss, the only Wildcat who could shoot straight all night, scoring 16 points. "We're not serious minded. We need to concentrate on being serious about basketball. We're taking everyone's best shot and we're not punching back. … It's time for us to start listening."


    Morris' presence in the middle wasn't enough for UK.

    They won't like what they hear -- namely, widespread outrage in the commonwealth. A night that began with the crowd of 23,643 giving a standing ovation to prodigal center Randolph Morris when he pulled off his warm-ups and reported to the scorer's table ended with a fan yelling at the players as they walked off the court -- and other fans yelling at the fan who yelled at the players.

    The crisis is officially full-blown in Big Blue Nation. Randolph to the Rescue is only a start on fixing a flawed powerhouse.

    Wayward NBA aspirant Morris returned to action for the first time this season and was pretty good: 10 points and seven rebounds in 28 active minutes. But he was not the reincarnation of Dan Issel and Sam Bowie combined, which is about what it would take to turn this Kentucky team into a Final Four contender.

    Right now, it's not even certain that the 10-5 Wildcats are an NCAA Tournament team. Playing in a diluted Southeastern Conference should help, especially with a fitter and more focused Morris fully engaged in the lineup. But nothing is guaranteed at this shaky juncture.

    "We haven't really played Kentucky basketball," point guard Rajon Rondo said.

    Might be time to start.

    Morris and the Cats did not live up to the cheeky sign an insurgent Vandy fan was waving from the Kentucky student section:

    "Carpe Faxum."

    The sign referred to the fax Tubby Smith found on his desk, months after it had gone missing, that helped restore Morris' eligibility after he'd been suspended for the season by the NCAA. Miracles like that can happen -- but now Smith needs another one to fix the many things wrong with his ninth Kentucky team.

    His teams have rarely been offensive masterpieces during his time in Lexington, but this is brutal. Just three days after this dysfunctional group was blown out 73-46 at Kansas, it responded with a similarly inept showing at home.

    Consider the gory details:

    • The Cats have failed to score 60 points the past three games. Last time that happened: 1985. For those scoring at home, that's pre-3-point era.

    • The Cats' three-game point total of 157 was their lowest since the final three games of the 1981-82 season.

    • The Cats have lost consecutive games for the first time in four years.

    • The Cats bounced back from their debacle at Kansas by promptly falling behind 8-0 and led for a grand total of 1 minute and 16 seconds on Tuesday night. They went the first 3:05 of the game without a point, and the first 8:33 of the second half without a field goal.


    With apologies to the gritty and resourceful Commodores, who could be heard celebrating raucously through the walls of their dressing room, Kentucky's meltdown is the news of the night. Just Vandy's luck that its breakthrough victory in Lexington would instead be a referendum on the neurotic nature of the home team.

    But even Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings conceded as much after watching his team shoot 34 percent and somehow win.

    "We're thrilled to not have to answer questions anymore about the streak," Stallings said. "Unfortunately, that may be one of the better parts of the victory."

    The only redeeming element of the night for Kentucky was Morris. He showed some of the reasons why he was a McDonald's All-American coming out of high school: solid hands and feet, decent touch around the hoop and good agility in the paint. His offensive moves remain less refined than you'd expect after spending three months with nothing to do but work on them -- a failure of the UK coaching staff -- but the 6-foot-10, 266-pound sophomore showed what a dramatic upgrade he is over the three 7-footers on Smith's roster.

    Still, his teammates couldn't find him when the game was on the line.

    The last of Morris' seven shots was a tip-in basket with two minutes left that cut Vandy's lead to two, 50-48. Next trip down, with a chance to tie the game, Morris pinned his defender on the low block and called for the ball in vain.

    Rondo looked at Morris but didn't like the angle for the entry pass, so he dished to Moss in the corner. Instead of dumping it inside, Moss rose for a contested 3-pointer that became a deflected airball.

    "I should've thrown it to him," Moss acknowledged.

    Vandy scored in transition, and Kentucky's next trip resulted in another airball, this time a drive by Joe Crawford over three defenders. Vanderbilt grabbed the rebound, got fouled and made a free throw, which pretty well cinched the game.

    "That's not basketball," Smith said of his team's stagnation and repeated one-on-one forays to the basket. "Basketball is a game of teamwork. We just don't seem to be getting real movement."

    The only movement Kentucky is making is down. It slid out of the AP Top 25 for the first time in five years this week, it slid to 0-1 in the SEC and it slid out onto the NCAA Tournament bubble -- a preposterous place for this program to be.

    But that's where the Cats are, largely because of some wildly inconsistent recruiting by Smith. His roster contains more dead wood than the Petrified Forest.

    The senior class consists of walk-on Moss, two other bench-jockey guards and starter Patrick Sparks -- a transfer from Western Kentucky whose production seems to dwindle every game. The junior class consists of JUCO transfer Rekalin Sims and four frontcourt players who should be spare parts -- yet Bobby Perry and Sheray Thomas combine to average 40 minutes per game and Lukasz Obrzut has been the starting center. The freshman class of Jared Carter and Adam Williams is a non-factor.

    That leaves the decorated sophomores to carry the program -- and so far that isn't happening. Rondo, Crawford and Ramel Bradley have had their moments, but they've also taken turns sulking or sitting on the bench. And then there's Morris, the literal centerpiece to the class.

    He hasn't ridden to the rescue yet. And if this fraying team leaves it all on his shoulders, he never will.

  11. #55
    Kentuckian At Heart WVRed's Avatar
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    This is kinda off-topic, but I remember when Ravi Moss played in high school at University Heights and was a relative unknown. They played Rose Hill Christian, a team from Ashland, KY with a 7th grader named OJ Mayo(im sure everybody knows who that is by now). I dont remember the stats exactly, but UHA won the game pretty close, and Moss did most of the scoring.

    Whats the point? Tubby Smith and Reggie Hansen were both attending this game, and the general consensus was that he was there to see Mayo. Turns out, after the season, Ravi Moss comes to play basketball for UK.

    I think right now anybody in the SEC could beat UK, and that is with the Cats down this year.
    Quote Originally Posted by savafan View Post
    I've read books about sparkling vampires who walk around in the daylight that were written better than a John Fay article.

  12. #56
    This one's for you Edd Heath's Avatar
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    Maybe Louisville needs to join the SEC

    Has anyone speculated Bob Huggins in the chair at Kentucky?

    Supposively, Huggins was at Wright State a couple of times up here in Dayton. Maybe he wants to be there so he can live the montra of "never play a state, that's not a state".

    BTW - If Andy Kennedy doesn't get the UC job, its a crying shame. Then UD can fire Brian Gregory and get Kennedy up here in Dayton.
    Some people play baseball. Baseball plays Jay Bruce.

  13. #57
    Kentuckian At Heart WVRed's Avatar
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    Found this article today.

    http://kentucky.scout.com/2/488039.html


    With Tubby Smith's squad limited to only one legitimate post presence it is time for a radical departure from the traditional lineup featuring two big men. The time has come for Tubby to play a four-guard lineup and Randolph Morris.

    Tubby Smith is going to have to do something he doesn't like doing. He's going to have to change his philosophy and make some radical changes in this team if Kentucky is going to regroup and play in the NCAA Tournament.

    He can't wait any longer to admit he's only got one power forward or center who deserves significant minutes and that's Randolph Morris. So rather than continue to try and find ways to get some production out of his other inside players, he needs to make a change.

    Start Morris and four guards. Take Rajon Rondo, Joe Crawford, Patrick Sparks, Ramel Bradley and Ravi Moss and put four of those players on the court with Morris. Sure, it will cause defensive mismatches. Sure, it could cause rebounding problems. But what could it hurt?

    This team has problems. Big, big problems. So why not change and force an opponent to have to adapt its defense to counter UK's quickness on offense and create some havoc with an aggressive, pressing defense?

    Smith normally adjusts his lineup to neutralize an opponent's strengths. Nothing wrong with that when you can do it and Smith has won a lot of games that way. But that's not going to work this year because the Cats are not getting quality interior play on a consistent basis. So make a change.

    Let the smaller, quicker lineup rip and run. Put the pressure on the opponent. Give Morris a chance to show he can carry a bigger rebounding load and play some defense.

    Maybe it won't work. But after the way UK has played the last month, why not give it a try.

    "Actually, maybe it would help us," senior Ravi Moss said when asked about a smaller lineup. "That's not my decision, but we have to do something. We have too many guys standing around. If that would shake us up and get us going, it might be worth a try."

    Smith could still go back to a more conventional lineup at times during games. But 15 games into the season, it's obvious this team needs drastic changes and with the limited options Smith has, going small seems to be a viable option.
    Quote Originally Posted by savafan View Post
    I've read books about sparkling vampires who walk around in the daylight that were written better than a John Fay article.

  14. #58
    The Lineups stink. KronoRed's Avatar
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    Quote Originally Posted by Heath
    Has anyone speculated Bob Huggins in the chair at Kentucky?
    That's not a bad idea.
    Go Gators!

  15. #59
    Kentuckian At Heart WVRed's Avatar
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    Quote Originally Posted by KronoRed
    That's not a bad idea.
    Considering UK is in the running for the Mayo trio, thats not a bad idea.

    I just dont like the idea of having our cheerleaders doing an arrest sequence for a halftime show.
    Quote Originally Posted by savafan View Post
    I've read books about sparkling vampires who walk around in the daylight that were written better than a John Fay article.

  16. #60
    The Lineups stink. KronoRed's Avatar
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    Re: Will Tubby Smith have a job after this year?

    Quote Originally Posted by Heath
    Maybe Louisville needs to join the SEC
    I've been in favor of tossing Vandy out and adding Louisville for awhile
    Go Gators!


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