DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Kentucky to introduce Gillispie as coach on Friday

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People seem to forget that it was just two years ago that we were in the Elite 8

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You've said yourself nobody will remember the runner up. So why should people remember an elite 8 appearance?

So ALL UK fans inore reality when posing with their Alabamaitis disease? The fact is that coaches take heat all the time for their graduation rates. hey also are fired over players getting arrested. hose are all factors that went into Cooper's dismissal. If you want to use an analogy, compare apples to apples. You didn't. Don't blame me that you either didn't know all of the circumstances of Cooper's firing or just don't let facts stand in the way of your posts. Maybe you should have used Earle Bruce for your analogy since it is pretty much exacty he same thing.

Where did I blame you for anything? All I remember doing is taking responsibility for using what turned out to be a bad analogy. Yeah I was sarcastic doing it, but is that reason to insult me?

Tubby Smith and Rick Pitino were playing golf at a golf course in Lexington. After 14 holes, Tubby began to walk off the course.

Rick asked "Aren't you going to finish?"

Tubby replied "No Rick, I don't do the Final Four"

This is the guy you expect UK fans to defend CoachB.....

-First UK coach to go 8 straight years without a Final Four.

-First UK coach to have to play on Thursday in the SEC tournament since the expansion of 12 teams

-First UK coach to lose 10 or more games 3 years in a row, and 4 of the last 7.

-First UK coach to lose to Vandy at Rupp

-First UK coach to be swept by Vandy in a season in 32 years.

-First UK coach to lose 4 straight to an SEC opponent in 30 years

-Only UK coach to lose to Ole Miss at Rupp

-Only coach to lose 4 games to SEC opponent

-More home losses than any other UK coach

-First UK coach to not finish at least 2nd in the East since the SEC expansion

-Most transfers of any UK coach

-47% of Tubby Smith's recruits at UK never saw their senior season

-First UK coach to ever lose 6 straight games against one team (Florida)

-Only coach with the number 1 overall seed in the NCAA tourney to lose in the 2nd round (UAB in 2004)

-Lowest average points scored per game since the 3 point shot was introduced

-Only UK coach to lose consecutive games to Kansas (now 3 straight)

-Worst loss on Senior Day since 1919

-Only UK coach to ever begin the season ranked in the top 10 and finished unranked.


And that's the VERY short list. If you want me to produce more reasons that he shouldn't be here, then I can.

Notice the smileys, I was joking around, not insulting you.

Yawn, like all this really matters. You're the Alabama of basketball. You think you are important when you have been a nonfactor for a dozen years and will continue to be. UK fans, like Alabama football fans, live under the delusion that they still have a program that is elite when the simple fact is they're just another program now.

I wouldn't go as far as calling UK a nonfactor for a dozen years. We've fallen on hard times lately, but the last dozen years does hold 2 Nat'l Championships and several more SEC crowns.

CoachB, your posts are just ignorant. How you can say Kentucky is just another program is beyond me. We have been down for 2 years. Yeah, Kentucky fans aren't happy with just Elite 8's, but it was just 2005 that we made the Elite 8. While I'm not happy that we haven't been to a Final Four in 9 years, it's not like we've been terrible.

I like how you mention that we haven't been good in a dozen years. We were in the championship game in 1996, 1997, and 1998, winning two of them. Those were just 11, 10, and 9 years ago. So, hold off for about 3 more years to say we haven't been good for a dozen years.

You calling someone ignorant while talking out of both sides of your mouth. LOL, whatever you say, Homer...and I ain't talkin the Simpsons. Enjoy watching Alambama....I mean UK continue to not be an elite program.

I agree, but not entirely. I think if Gillispie doesn't work out, they become Alabama of basketball. The thing is, UK needed a coach that oozed charisma to pull them out of this funk. They needed a coach that was enough of a name to keep them in the news for a year or two. I don't think Gillispie is that coach. He's a good coach and has recruited well, but he is a strict coach that has tough practices and that can be a tough sell. Tom Izzo has made it work, but I'm not sure (by any means) that this guy is Tom Izzo. I hope, for UK's sake, that he is. UK can be a great school to watch, but they have to get this hire perfect to avoid becoming Alabama, IMO.

I think Gillispie is exactly the kind of guy we need. He is a great recruiter (Top 10 class at Texas A&M this year). If he can get top 10 classes at A&M, think of how easy he will be able to recruit at Kentucky.

Also, I like what he said about how he wants his players to dictate the style of play. That was Tubby's problem (along with not being able to recruit). If you look at our team from last year, we were much better suited to run and press and trap fullcourt, but Tubby insisted on playing slow.

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I think Gillispie is exactly the kind of guy we need. He is a great recruiter (Top 10 class at Texas A&M this year). If he can get top 10 classes at A&M, think of how easy he will be able to recruit at Kentucky.

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I havn't looked it up but I'd guess that not one of his players were from outside of Texas... he's going to have to work fast at learning the KY high school coaches... not saying he won't do a good job, but he is close with a lot of HS guys here in Texas... just not sure how affective he'll be in his first couple of years. But he's very dynamic which makes him a good recruiter.

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Also, I like what he said about how he wants his players to dictate the style of play.

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I believe that a lot more than all the KY fans that I heard on sports radio saying they want him to run run run... because running wasn't really his style from what I saw. He seemed to slow it down, play good defense, but run with Acie. So hopfully if he has the horses he'll be smart enough to run with them.

I think the best upgrade over Tubby (and really to me the main one) is that his team will be ready to play... he's a great motivator and seems to prepare well.

He had 3 kids from Texas, a kid from Florida, and a kid from Oklahoma.

He better start recruiting the guys close to home too, though. This year's Kentucky Mr. Basketball, Stephon Pettigrew said Tubby never even talked to him. I remember another kid that was Kentucky Mr. Basketball that was ready to come to UK, never got recruited by Tubby. He went on to be a pretty good college player... His name.. Chris Lofton

Thanks - like I said I didn't look it up....

and that was one thing I hated about Cooper... I remember getting beat by SC in a bowl game with their RB putting up close to 200 yards on us... he was a Mr. Ohio and never recruited by Cooper...

great coaches are able to recruit the home state guys

I don't know about the kid you are talking about from SC, but I know in the situation with Chris Lofton, he said he wanted to go to Kentucky. He was basically sittin around waiting for an offer from UK, and Tubby never offered him one. Told him he wasn't good enough to play SEC basketball. (Same goes for Cory Brewer too).

Cory was a Gator from the beginning.

I am glad you finally got a plan C coach, but enough with the crap OK??

Plan B coach. ESPN was wrong to report that Barnes was out #2 choice. Gillispie was behind Donovan the entire time.

Rick Barnes simply said that he did not want to be considered for the job. I'm not sure why he said that though, because he never was lol. Our list in order was Donovan, Gillispie, Jay Wright, and Mark Few.

I think Mark Few wouldve been a better choice.

However. I question his ability to win in the tournament. However, thats a very skewed way to look at it i know, because he wins against the WCC with WCC caliber players, and coaxed wins vs. very very good teams in the Regular season, with WCC talent.

Then tourney time comes around, and everyone is playing top notch ball at ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC level, while he still has WCC players. Its tough.


But Mark Few is the winningest active coach by percentage in college ball (.805...that was during the Memphis OT game earlier in the year, but i contain that they won enough to maintain that i think) To bet against him is a bad idea. Id be scared to see what he could do with SEC, or Big Conference Players.

J/C

I wanted Billy D badly, but I am very happy with Billy Clyde. He wanted the job badly, and he is a perfect fit. He speaks the language and he doesn't care what line of pick he was, he wanted the job. The Big Blue Nation is united, and it has been a long time coming.

On the Brewer thing, it was reported by one of the ESPN game announcers, when Florida played at Kentucky, that Brewer wanted to come to Kentucky, but wasn't offered. That was the first I'd heard of it. I know his mom wanted him to stay closer to home, but his visits to Knoxville didn't impress him.

And where is it against the rules to rib a program or their fans? Ever see OSU fans and Michigan fans? What about Steelers and Browns? Good thin the NCAA forum is down or you would have fainted at the things Top was saying about OSU fans and their program. Grow some thicker skin. Your beloved program isn't all that you and the other UK humpers are proclaiming it to be...not anymore. To point that out isn't insulting, it's reality.

It might not be against the rules to rib people, but I would have thought a Coach would know what being a good sport is about. Maybe my standards are to high.

Again, look at the comments made by Top about OSU, their fans, and their program and then get back to me.

OK....Plan B


I hope the guy has his drinking under control. Hasn't he had 2-3 DUI convictions over the past 6-7 years??

He's got 2 in the last 5 years. If he gets one while he's here, we'll run him out of town. I think he knows that. I think he'll be alright. At least I hope.

Funny thing Coach.............

the ONLY reason everybody TALKED about when Cooper was fired was that he couldn't beat Michigan!

If he would have had "The Vests" record against Michigan,do you think he would have been fired?

I don't think so and neither do you.

I agree with Coach to a point. The other things are factored in when the coach is LOSING. But as Pit said, if Cooper was WINNING those things would not have mattered.

Sorry, but you are just stating false information. There was PLENTY of talk about the 0.00 GPA (not a failed class here and there but a CUMULATIVE GPA OF 0.00). the arrests, etc. To say otherwise is simply untrue. I also don't think it would have mattered at that point if he had been beating Michigan. When you lose complete and total control of a program, you're gone.

Kentucky might not have had the 0.00 GPA's, or the arrests under Tubby, but when he has 1 or 2 guys EVERY year transferring because "they refuse to play under Tubby Smith", I think that is losing control of the program as well.

I've always said Tubby ran a clean program, but no one wanted to play for him anymore. Rajon Rondo after entering the draft said that he loved the college life, and the college game but that he was going pro because he could not put up with playing under Tubby Smith anymore.

I'm getting ready to head off to class right now, but when I have time, I'll come back and try to post a complete list of all the player transfers under Tubby, because they did not want to play under him anymore. I'd say he lost control of the program as well.

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I'm getting ready to head off to class right now, but when I have time, I'll come back and try to post a complete list of all the player transfers under Tubby, because they did not want to play under him anymore.

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Please dont.

As 2119 said, please don't. There's no point in it. It's not the same thing as what I listed as reasons Cooper was let go. It doesn't matter. Someone made a bad comparison. Tubby is now gone and UK is still the same average team it was when he was there. They may recapture their once great program, but it isn't at that level now and that's what you seem to not be able to grasp.

So in your opinion,had Cooper beaten Michigan consistantly,gotten one national title and played for another one,had the same record as Tressel,he would have been fired anyway?

Is that your assertion Coach? Just looking for a straight answer here.

Yes, I think he would have because of the other problems that was going on with the team. Apparently, you do not realize just how much was going on. The casual fan thinks that Cooper was fired because of his inability to beat Michigan. The university allowed the misconception to sweep many things under the rug...things Tressel was still dealing with after he took over. They looked much like Miami North for those years. You can choose to believe what I am telling you from what I know from former coaches, players, and current members of the staff or not. It doesn't matter to me. All I'll say in conclusion is that, as I said before, the losses to UofM was only a part of the decision to let him go.

I believe these facts are true Coach.I know there were other issues with Cooper.

But winning solves everything. I think the other problems you mentioned would have been addressed behind closed doors and Cooper would still be the coach at OSU if he would have had Tressels winning record vs Mich and in Bowl games.

You don't fire a coach when he's winning it all. At least I haven't seen such evidence of it to any great degree.

I won't name names or go into specifics, but when there are as many potential arrests that would involve jail time couple with the academic situation that was so terrible that it made the stereotype of a football player seem to be intelligent, then that coach is going to be gone. It was basically that if the program didn't get under control, the problems were going to be made public. The kinds of things I'm talking about are very similar to what was going on under Randy Ayers with the basketball program. Again, this is information directly from those involved. Take it as you will.

* summer of 1998 Myron Anthony wrecked car and Wayne Turner lied about what happened.

* fall, 1998 - Jamaal Magloire involved with drugs.

* fall, 1998 - Ryan Hogan involved in underaged drinking.

* winter, 1998 - Myron Anthony transfers.

* spring, 1999 - Michael Bradley and Ryan Hogan transfer.

* winter, 1999 - Nate Knight transfers.


* spring, 2000 - Desmond Allison arrested for substance abuse and illegal drugs. He decides to transfer to a D-2 school instead of continuing on at UK.


* summer, 2000 - Jules Camara arrested for DUI and suspended for a year. Showing his intelligence, Camara tries to climb into the back seat of the vehicle (obviously the cop saw this feeble attempt)

* summer, 2000 - Michael Southall found with video camera as he makes a documentary on how he and his friends smoke hash.

* winter, 2001 - Marquis Estill suspended.

* spring, 2001 - Marvin Stone suspended for assaulting a girl with a phone.

* winter, 2002 - Rashaad Carruth suspended as he refuses to take shots in game because he was protesting a lack of playing time.

* winter, 2002 - Adam Chiles suspended.

* winter, 2002 - Marvin Stone transfers.

* spring, 2002 - Cory Sears and Gerald Fitch get into a fight when Fitch throws a water bottle at Sears.

* spring, 2002 - Erik Daniels and Gerald Fitch use fake I.D.s to try to get into a nightclud.

* spring, 2002 - Adam Chiles and Rashaad Carruth laugh at Tubby on national TV.

* summer, 2002 - Jason Parker transfers after supposedly being found with drugs.

* summer, 2002 - Rashaad Carruth tranfers.

* summer, 2002 - Adam Chiles transfers.

* summer, 2002 - Cory Sears transfers and says, "Kentucky's just not the same anymore."


* summer, 2003 - Bernard Cote transfers.


* winter, 2005 - Joe Crawford tries to leave team but UK refuses to grant him his release.

* spring, 2005 - Kalenna Azubuike, after Smith says that he will not hire an agent, does exactly that four days later (he is not drafted).

* spring, 2005 - Randolph Morris refuses to call Smith as he enters the draft (he is not drafted). His parents cite the fact that Tubby did not develop their son properly.


* winter, 2005 - Rajon Rondo is rumored to be at odds with Smith and his team as he says, "There's some egos."

* Feb. 2006 - a player that nobody had in their Top 150 recruits (who was given a scholarship very early by Tubby) transfers from UK - Adam Williams.

* May 2006, JUCO transfer Simms leaves UK after one year.

* Summer 2006. Tyrone Nash. A player that was being recruited by the likes of Seton Hall before UK stepped in and offered a scholarship. Nash responds "thanks, but no thanks UK I think I'll go to prep school for a year and get a better offer after that". Obviously not his exact words but why else would he turn down a scholarship from UK to go to a prep school???

Thanks for the waste of bandwidth.....means nothing, as I already stated.

So, the off the court issues and player transfers mean nothing in this situation? But, the off the field issues with Cooper did?

As I said BEFORE you posted your useless information, transfers aren't comparable to what happened with Cooper. Look, we get it, you sleep with your Eddie Sutton holding an ATM card doll and try to wear your hair in the same fashion as Pitino. You are terminal with the disease of Alabamaitis and cannot be cured. That doesn't mean everyone else is infected. Again, the bottom line is that you think that UK basketball is more than what it really is. You're perception isn't reality. End of discussion.