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Thread: University of Kentucky Basketball

  1. #61
    Smooth WMR's Avatar
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    Quote Originally Posted by Blimpie View Post
    Many sports fans in Lexington are questioning why they couldn't simply include that as part of the economic stimulus package.
    Any sports fan in Lexington who wants to get rid of their basketball coach after two years isn't much of a fan at all.


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  3. #62
    Joe Oliver love-child Blimpie's Avatar
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    Quote Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS View Post
    Any sports fan in Lexington who wants to get rid of their basketball coach after two years isn't much of a fan at all.
    Unfortunately, I don't think things are that black and white in UK fandom. There are two very distinct variations of unhappiness that I have been observing.

    (1) Those who lament the fact that we missed the big dance, are eager to see the incoming class, and would simply like to see BCG have a more pleasant demeanor /more accessible resource for the program.

    (2) Others claim to have actual fears that--if radical changes are not made at once--this type of setback may become commonplace until the next decade.

    You and I both know that BCG is an "Xs and Os" kind of guy and isn't going to change for anybody. Unfortunately, those in Group #1 think that he can be molded into this type of person AND he is already proven commodity with the clipboard.

    Those in Group #2 are the "cut bait now--try a different fishing hole" types. When they hear the sweet siren songs playing on other campuses (fishing holes) they cannot help themselves.

    Sorry to mix so many bad metaphors this early in the morning.

  4. #63
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    How could any fan who falls into #2 be looked at as anywhere close to halfway reasonable?

    Those fans should be shunned. At least until they realize the foolishness of their ways.

    Do they have ***ANY*** clue as to what sort of team UK will have next season?

    I keep telling people: next season will be the first time you'll see a team on the floor that will be somewhat close to a "vintage" Billy Clyde team.

  5. #64
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    Let me add this about #1: I fully expect Mitch to read BCG a bit of the "riot act" about how he is to behave around the media, and, in my opinion, he SHOULD do just that.

    Billy Clyde isn't going to let some media snafus screw up his chance to be the head basketball coach at Kentucky, I promise you.

  6. #65
    Joe Oliver love-child Blimpie's Avatar
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    Quote Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS View Post
    How could any fan who falls into #2 be looked at as anywhere close to halfway reasonable?

    Those fans should be shunned. At least until they realize the foolishness of their ways.
    I didn't say they were reasonable. The problem is that many of them are high-level boosters--not the kind who simply have nice seats in Rupp.

    I am talking about the types that get practice facilities named after them.

    BCG refuses to pander to them. Some might let you go around acting like the Lone Ranger when you are winning 85% of your games. Bobby Knight pulled it off for decades.

    But it is entirely different to have two first-team All-SEC players, display mediocrity against a weak schedule, and then continue acting surly towards the gentlemen who are funding your entire existence...

    Unfortunately, in major collegiate sports, that is tantamount to signing your own death certificate.
    Last edited by Blimpie; 03-18-2009 at 08:01 AM.

  7. #66
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    The fact that the fan base is as polarized as it is could be proof that BG may not have been the best choice as head coach at Kentucky.
    When all is said and done more is said than done.

  8. #67
    Joe Oliver love-child Blimpie's Avatar
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    Polarizing is an excellent choice of words.

    Even discussing last night's game with some colleagues this morning. It was like two different stories being told--depending on how you felt about the modern-day 'guy in the brown suit'...

  9. #68
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    Quote Originally Posted by Blimpie View Post
    Polarizing is an excellent choice of words. Even discussing last night's game with some colleagues this morning. It was like two different stories being told--depending on how you felt about the modern-day 'guy in the brown suit'...
    And it does not make either of the sides any less of a fan. It just means that some want different than what they have now.
    When all is said and done more is said than done.

  10. #69
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    A coach in a big time program like UK Basketball has to play the schmoozing game a little bit with the high rollers. Like Blimpie said if you don't its nearly the same as career suicide. The only way you can get away with not doing it is win and win big. So far BG hasn't done that. It doesn't matter to them if he hasn't had the players or not.
    Reds Fan Since 1971

  11. #70
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    Quote Originally Posted by cumberlandreds View Post
    A coach in a big time program like UK Basketball has to play the schmoozing game a little bit with the high rollers. Like Blimpie said if you don't its nearly the same as career suicide. The only way you can get away with not doing it is win and win big. So far BG hasn't done that. It doesn't matter to them if he hasn't had the players or not.
    Bingo.

    When you have a high-profile program with avid fan support, a coach had better recognize that he's got to have good PR skills. Billy G. needs to learn that lesson pretty quick.

    Honestly, Billy G's infamous "that wasn't in the job description" quote bothered me a lot. Fans of Kentucky basketball (not just those who believe the coach should win every game, every year) invest a lot of their hearts into the program and Billy basically told them he didn't care about them. What coach would tell fans that he feels no responsibility to reaching out to them?

    And I do believe it's true that if the Cats were in the NCAA tournament as a top 10 seed a lot of the criticism would not be there, as Gillispie has said. But you're right, cumberlandred, he's not winning enough and his trendline is not in the positive direction. It's not too much to expect to see improvement in the second year of a new administration and Gillispie hasn't delivered on that point. I believe fans have a right to be concerned. I'm not the type to believe we should have a quick trigger-finger when it comes to a coach, but I do believe hanging on for the sake of hanging on can also be bad.

    I'm not saying Billy should be let go after the last game this season. Still, if he was let go it wouldn't bother me. If they do retain him, we must see a far better team in 2009-10.

  12. #71
    Kentuckian At Heart WVRed's Avatar
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    Quote Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS View Post
    Blimp: Trust me, BCG isn't going anywhere. This comes from the most trustworthy sources available. It is a tempest in a teapot.
    It wouldn't be the same source who said Patterson and Meeks were going pro and then Patterson came out a couple days later to announce he was staying, would it?
    Last edited by WVRed; 03-18-2009 at 09:35 AM.
    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.

  13. #72
    Kentuckian At Heart WVRed's Avatar
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    I keep telling people: next season will be the first time you'll see a team on the floor that will be somewhat close to a "vintage" Billy Clyde team.
    Herein lies the problem with this, and this is the same as this year. Four of the five starters this year (Porter, Meeks, Stevenson, and Harris) are Tubby holdovers. You could also argue whether or not Patterson is a Tubby recruit, since OTS did lay the groundwork for Gillispie.

    Orton, Hood, Pilgrim, Vilarino, and possibly Konner Tucker may get some quality minutes, but odds are they are going to be coming off the bench, just like Liggins, Miller, Galloway, and Harrellson did this year.

    Here is my question. Gillispie managed to show significant success in his second season at both UTEP and Texas A&M. What happened that he couldn't do that at Kentucky?
    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. #73
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    Quote Originally Posted by durl View Post
    Bingo.

    When you have a high-profile program with avid fan support, a coach had better recognize that he's got to have good PR skills. Billy G. needs to learn that lesson pretty quick.

    Honestly, Billy G's infamous "that wasn't in the job description" quote bothered me a lot. Fans of Kentucky basketball (not just those who believe the coach should win every game, every year) invest a lot of their hearts into the program and Billy basically told them he didn't care about them. What coach would tell fans that he feels no responsibility to reaching out to them?
    Not every coach is cordial, and if you think about it, I honestly believe Kentucky fans have been spoiled in that regard, especially the younger generation.

    When I say the younger generation, you had Pitino there during the 90's who relished the role. This was a guy who opened a restaurant in Lexington, has wrote books on business success, and has always been a media darling. Then you had Tubby Smith who was the family man who always acted as an ambassador for the program.

    Even Eddie Sutton was somewhat cordial. Joe B. Hall might be the best example outside of Pitino, and he is actually the only one who has coached at Kentucky that is from Kentucky. From everything I have read, the press was scared of Adolph Rupp. Rupp won, but he wasn't exactly the best when it came to dealing with the media, and the racial deal didn't exactly further his cause.
    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.

  15. #74
    Member cumberlandreds's Avatar
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    Quote Originally Posted by durl View Post
    Bingo.

    When you have a high-profile program with avid fan support, a coach had better recognize that he's got to have good PR skills. Billy G. needs to learn that lesson pretty quick.

    Honestly, Billy G's infamous "that wasn't in the job description" quote bothered me a lot. Fans of Kentucky basketball (not just those who believe the coach should win every game, every year) invest a lot of their hearts into the program and Billy basically told them he didn't care about them. What coach would tell fans that he feels no responsibility to reaching out to them?

    And I do believe it's true that if the Cats were in the NCAA tournament as a top 10 seed a lot of the criticism would not be there, as Gillispie has said. But you're right, cumberlandred, he's not winning enough and his trendline is not in the positive direction. It's not too much to expect to see improvement in the second year of a new administration and Gillispie hasn't delivered on that point. I believe fans have a right to be concerned. I'm not the type to believe we should have a quick trigger-finger when it comes to a coach, but I do believe hanging on for the sake of hanging on can also be bad.

    I'm not saying Billy should be let go after the last game this season. Still, if he was let go it wouldn't bother me. If they do retain him, we must see a far better team in 2009-10.
    One thing BG brought to the table when he was hired was that his previous teams at UTEP and T A&M showed great improvement in year two of both of his tenures at those two schools. I think people and rightfully so are very disappointed that didn't happen here. Much was made of that before this season. I myself included thought we see great improvement over last season and instead we got regression. Your last paragraph I fully agree with.
    Reds Fan Since 1971

  16. #75
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    Re: University of Kentucky Basketball

    Quote Originally Posted by WVRed View Post
    Not every coach is cordial, and if you think about it, I honestly believe Kentucky fans have been spoiled in that regard, especially the younger generation.

    When I say the younger generation, you had Pitino there during the 90's who relished the role. This was a guy who opened a restaurant in Lexington, has wrote books on business success, and has always been a media darling. Then you had Tubby Smith who was the family man who always acted as an ambassador for the program.

    Even Eddie Sutton was somewhat cordial. Joe B. Hall might be the best example outside of Pitino, and he is actually the only one who has coached at Kentucky that is from Kentucky. From everything I have read, the press was scared of Adolph Rupp. Rupp won, but he wasn't exactly the best when it came to dealing with the media, and the racial deal didn't exactly further his cause.
    You're exactly right. The thing that stands out is that times change and coaches must do the same. Rupp didn't have to be a media darling because, well, he won. That, and the culture was different then. Behaviors and attitudes that were acceptable then are not now. Expectations were different, for the team AND the coach.

    Pitino, as you pointed out, did things that engaged the fans. He took the strong fan support and relished the role, making fans feel as if he were one of them. But where Pitino expressed a love for basketball and a desire to connect with people that share that love, Billy seems to view those same fans as a distraction from coaching. It's like a business owner saying, "I'd love what I do if it weren't for the lousy customers."
    Last edited by durl; 03-18-2009 at 03:59 PM.


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