I wish Tubby Smith well in Minneapolis, and I think his style of coaching will work well in the Big 10. He will have the Gophers competing within the next two to three years and will be a class act same as he was at Kentucky.
A new coach should have three years to make an impact. The first year is getting your feet wet and getting your staff and recruits in. The second year is getting organized and improving. By the time the third year rolls around, you had better be accomplishing something.
What a lot of fans don't realize is that Tubby leaving is going to be better for Kentucky long term than short term. In the short term, we might as well be on probation. If Randolph Morris goes pro, we have a huge hole in the middle to fill at center. Some of our younger players could decide to transfer, and the players we are currently recruiting or have already landed could be re-opened. My guess is Patrick Patterson and Jai Lucas are probably re-thinking their decisions.
Depending on who we get as coach, we could be in for a long haul next season. I just hope people realize that success doesn't come overnight.
My top two are Billy Donovan and John Calipari(although this one concerns me, see Matta), but I will admit that both are going to take a lot of work. Whoever we get, I just hope and pray that it is somebody who has a different style of play and is a proven recruiter.