New coach for UK

[psprowler]

.

John phelpry and travis ford are where they need to be now. That step between a smaller school and an elite school. You don't jump from umass to UK with EKU being your other stop. And phelprey is showing that he isn't quite ready yet either. I love these guys, and hopefully their jobs now will prepare them for the opportunity to one day coach at a place like UK. This is these guys first chance in a top 6 conference. Good luck to them.

Go cats.

I pretty much agree with everything you stated but what's the difference between UMass and Texas A&M? Now granted the Big12 is theoretically stronger than the Atlantic 10, but remember UMass did make it to the Final Four back in 1996. Texas A&M - not so much.

I'll admit I thought Billy Clyde would be better than he has been.

[AJM]

I pretty much agree with everything you stated but what's the difference between UMass and Texas A&M? Now granted the Big12 is theoretically stronger than the Atlantic 10, but remember UMass did make it to the Final Four back in 1996. Texas A&M - not so much.

I'll admit I thought Billy Clyde would be better than he has been.

Well in 96 Calipari was coaching the Minute men, and then made at the time a small jump in conference strength to Conference USA power Memphis. Now memphis is loaded in a horrible conference that only parellels the A-10 in basketball, since UC and Uof L left.

Top 6 conference is a top 6 conference. The big12 has OK, kansas, texas, among other schools that play the season in the top 30. Their conference play alone strengthens thier RPI and Strength of schedule, unlike the A-10 and conference USA.

Billy showed he could compete in that conference and beat the best. He never stayed put long enough to take those programs to that next level by having a final four or national championship.

It takes time for these things to happen. Billy came here to rebuild and it takes more than two years to rebuild. Should certain losses be happening? i don't beleive so, but as a whole, I have to hold out hope for this guy, because getting rid of him now is THE worse alternative.

I may change my tone at this point next year. But i also have much higher hopes for next season. I didn't think this year was going to be a solid year. I just didn't expect it to get this bad.

The season is not over guys. Our players and coaches need us now, more than eever.

[Tim_T]

[QUOTE=AJM;358574]Well in 96 Calipari was coaching the Minute men, and then made at the time a small jump in conference strength to Conference USA power Memphis. Now memphis is loaded in a horrible conference that only parellels the A-10 in basketball, since UC and Uof L left. QUOTE]

Actually you missed a step. Calipari left UMass to coach in the NBA with the New Jersey Nets.

[AJM]

[quote=Tim_T;358661]

Well in 96 Calipari was coaching the Minute men, and then made at the time a small jump in conference strength to Conference USA power Memphis. Now memphis is loaded in a horrible conference that only parellels the A-10 in basketball, since UC and Uof L left. QUOTE]

Actually you missed a step. Calipari left UMass to coach in the NBA with the New Jersey Nets.

Ahh, yes, did forgot about that. thank you.

[MrSplitshot]

I didn't think this year was going to be a solid year. I just didn't expect it to get this bad.

That sums a lot of it up for me. I didn't expect this to be a good year, but I also didn't expect the wheels to fall off the wagon. When you have Meeks and Patterson on the floor, you should be winning more games. I know that 2 players don't make a team, but come on...

I'm not a fan of Billy's stubborn attitude. (ie: refusing to play and zone defense)

I'm not a fan of Billy's head games. (ie: "sending a message" to the starters in the Georgia game in the second half, but making the message last several minutes...enough to let Georgia grab a nice lead. In a game that critical, maybe a 1 minute sit and talk, but no more.)

I'm not a fan of Billy's X-O in game adjustments, because I haven't seen enough of them. (ie: In the South Carolina loss we came out in the second half and did exactly what kept getting us stuffed in the first half...virtually no change in game plan. I guess this could also be under the stubborn heading too.)

I'm not a fan of Billy's PR skills. (ie: The way he talks to the media, his little halftime interview smart aleck comments, his horrific post game pressers...he's representing the university to a huge national audience, the same university that the degree on my wall comes from...and there's no sense being a prick. He's uncomfortable, jittery, can't sit still, uses words like "really" and "whipped" waaaaaay too much. He reminds me of a drunk that's been off the bottle a little too long. (think "Shooter" from Hoosiers) He's standoffish and comes off condescending. Show that you're a leader, not just on the court and in practice, but when you talk to the fanbase via the media. "Coach" doesn't end when you step off the court. For what you pay these guys, they ought to be able to put together some halfway decent dialogue.

I'm not a fan of Billy's personal antics. (I know a lot of the stuff you hear is rumor, and that's that...but we know there have been some DUIs at other schools...and some of the things I've heard from pretty reputable sources about town are not good. Definitely wouldn't post anything I didn't know to be true for sure. Again, personal life is personal life, but when you take a job that's this high profile, you're forfeiting some of it. Sorry. Ask the President about his personal life.)

Now with ALL of that said...it might surprise you to hear me say that I don't think he ought to be set free at this point. His big strength is supposed to be recruiting and player development. Well, let's give him the time to get some of his recruits in here and work with them. Let's see what happens with that. Firing him would look horrible on the university, make it hell on getting a good new coach, and cause more problems. I have not been shown that he's a good coach yet, but this fanbase needs to have the patience to give him a fair shot. (And we absolutely don't have that patience as a whole, no doubt.) We don't have to like him all that much, but we should support our coach...because like it or not, that's what he is right now. I see this in the same way that you should never...NEVER...FRIGGIN NEVER...BOO your own kids on the court. That is absolutely classless. Bashing coach is a little more acceptable, but still.

You can't, as a coach, go out there and make the plays yourself. You (a) teach them the plays, (b) tell them what plays to run, and (c) motivate them to WANT to run them under your philosophies as a coach. You've either got some dud players, or you've got a coach that can't put A+B+C into place. I like the idea of 4 years. Year #2 is drawing to a close. We should see improvement in #3, and contention for a conference title in #4. If not, time to look at the options and excercise one at that point.

We need to beat Florida today...in the worst way...I just finished setting up the TV and surround sound at the new crib so that I can christen it by watching the game today at 2:00 so I hope the boys don't let me down. Beat the gators and win a couple in the conference tourney, and I think we can eek into the big dance.

GO BILLY. GO CATS!

[AJM]

That sums a lot of it up for me. I didn't expect this to be a good year, but I also didn't expect the wheels to fall off the wagon. When you have Meeks and Patterson on the floor, you should be winning more games. I know that 2 players don't make a team, but come on...

I'm not a fan of Billy's stubborn attitude. (ie: refusing to play and zone defense)

I'm not a fan of Billy's head games. (ie: "sending a message" to the starters in the Georgia game in the second half, but making the message last several minutes...enough to let Georgia grab a nice lead. In a game that critical, maybe a 1 minute sit and talk, but no more.)

I'm not a fan of Billy's X-O in game adjustments, because I haven't seen enough of them. (ie: In the South Carolina loss we came out in the second half and did exactly what kept getting us stuffed in the first half...virtually no change in game plan. I guess this could also be under the stubborn heading too.)

I'm not a fan of Billy's PR skills. (ie: The way he talks to the media, his little halftime interview smart aleck comments, his horrific post game pressers...he's representing the university to a huge national audience, the same university that the degree on my wall comes from...and there's no sense being a prick. He's uncomfortable, jittery, can't sit still, uses words like "really" and "whipped" waaaaaay too much. He reminds me of a drunk that's been off the bottle a little too long. (think "Shooter" from Hoosiers) He's standoffish and comes off condescending. Show that you're a leader, not just on the court and in practice, but when you talk to the fanbase via the media. "Coach" doesn't end when you step off the court. For what you pay these guys, they ought to be able to put together some halfway decent dialogue.

I'm not a fan of Billy's personal antics. (I know a lot of the stuff you hear is rumor, and that's that...but we know there have been some DUIs at other schools...and some of the things I've heard from pretty reputable sources about town are not good. Definitely wouldn't post anything I didn't know to be true for sure. Again, personal life is personal life, but when you take a job that's this high profile, you're forfeiting some of it. Sorry. Ask the President about his personal life.)

Now with ALL of that said...it might surprise you to hear me say that I don't think he ought to be set free at this point. His big strength is supposed to be recruiting and player development. Well, let's give him the time to get some of his recruits in here and work with them. Let's see what happens with that. Firing him would look horrible on the university, make it hell on getting a good new coach, and cause more problems. I have not been shown that he's a good coach yet, but this fanbase needs to have the patience to give him a fair shot. (And we absolutely don't have that patience as a whole, no doubt.) We don't have to like him all that much, but we should support our coach...because like it or not, that's what he is right now. I see this in the same way that you should never...NEVER...FRIGGIN NEVER...BOO your own kids on the court. That is absolutely classless. Bashing coach is a little more acceptable, but still.

You can't, as a coach, go out there and make the plays yourself. You (a) teach them the plays, (b) tell them what plays to run, and (c) motivate them to WANT to run them under your philosophies as a coach. You've either got some dud players, or you've got a coach that can't put A+B+C into place. I like the idea of 4 years. Year #2 is drawing to a close. We should see improvement in #3, and contention for a conference title in #4. If not, time to look at the options and excercise one at that point.

We need to beat Florida today...in the worst way...I just finished setting up the TV and surround sound at the new crib so that I can christen it by watching the game today at 2:00 so I hope the boys don't let me down. Beat the gators and win a couple in the conference tourney, and I think we can eek into the big dance.

GO BILLY. GO CATS!

This is when you start to understand where some people in this fanbase have a true understanding of basketball. Most people just want to cuss the man and give no reasons for hate, other than a losing. They would rather bash the guy than root for him to do well.

I appreciate a level head, while we are all frustrated, you have to look at the overall picture. Here is to hoping UK has a winning record on your new entertainment center.... VMI was my first game on my big new TV, ouch.

Pretty soon, Saturdays will be spent in the creek, no worries there.

[psprowler]

Dang Tim you got me on that one too. Totally forgot about Calipari's stint in the NBA.

[Tim_T]

Dang Tim you got me on that one too. Totally forgot about Calipari's stint in the NBA.

"I'm just glad to be here, hope I can help the ball club!"
LOL, still my favorite line from Bull Durham.

[DJD]

That sums a lot of it up for me. I didn't expect this to be a good year, but I also didn't expect the wheels to fall off the wagon. When you have Meeks and Patterson on the floor, you should be winning more games. I know that 2 players don't make a team, but come on...

I'm not a fan of Billy's stubborn attitude. (ie: refusing to play and zone defense)

I'm not a fan of Billy's head games. (ie: "sending a message" to the starters in the Georgia game in the second half, but making the message last several minutes...enough to let Georgia grab a nice lead. In a game that critical, maybe a 1 minute sit and talk, but no more.)

I'm not a fan of Billy's X-O in game adjustments, because I haven't seen enough of them. (ie: In the South Carolina loss we came out in the second half and did exactly what kept getting us stuffed in the first half...virtually no change in game plan. I guess this could also be under the stubborn heading too.)

I'm not a fan of Billy's PR skills. (ie: The way he talks to the media, his little halftime interview smart aleck comments, his horrific post game pressers...he's representing the university to a huge national audience, the same university that the degree on my wall comes from...and there's no sense being a prick. He's uncomfortable, jittery, can't sit still, uses words like "really" and "whipped" waaaaaay too much. He reminds me of a drunk that's been off the bottle a little too long. (think "Shooter" from Hoosiers) He's standoffish and comes off condescending. Show that you're a leader, not just on the court and in practice, but when you talk to the fanbase via the media. "Coach" doesn't end when you step off the court. For what you pay these guys, they ought to be able to put together some halfway decent dialogue.

I'm not a fan of Billy's personal antics. (I know a lot of the stuff you hear is rumor, and that's that...but we know there have been some DUIs at other schools...and some of the things I've heard from pretty reputable sources about town are not good. Definitely wouldn't post anything I didn't know to be true for sure. Again, personal life is personal life, but when you take a job that's this high profile, you're forfeiting some of it. Sorry. Ask the President about his personal life.)

Now with ALL of that said...it might surprise you to hear me say that I don't think he ought to be set free at this point. His big strength is supposed to be recruiting and player development. Well, let's give him the time to get some of his recruits in here and work with them. Let's see what happens with that. Firing him would look horrible on the university, make it hell on getting a good new coach, and cause more problems. I have not been shown that he's a good coach yet, but this fanbase needs to have the patience to give him a fair shot. (And we absolutely don't have that patience as a whole, no doubt.) We don't have to like him all that much, but we should support our coach...because like it or not, that's what he is right now. I see this in the same way that you should never...NEVER...FRIGGIN NEVER...BOO your own kids on the court. That is absolutely classless. Bashing coach is a little more acceptable, but still.

You can't, as a coach, go out there and make the plays yourself. You (a) teach them the plays, (b) tell them what plays to run, and (c) motivate them to WANT to run them under your philosophies as a coach. You've either got some dud players, or you've got a coach that can't put A+B+C into place. I like the idea of 4 years. Year #2 is drawing to a close. We should see improvement in #3, and contention for a conference title in #4. If not, time to look at the options and excercise one at that point.

We need to beat Florida today...in the worst way...I just finished setting up the TV and surround sound at the new crib so that I can christen it by watching the game today at 2:00 so I hope the boys don't let me down. Beat the gators and win a couple in the conference tourney, and I think we can eek into the big dance.

GO BILLY. GO CATS!

Brian,
Hope the T.V. is still on the wall! Hope the move has gone well.

[MrSplitshot]

Brian,
Hope the T.V. is still on the wall! Hope the move has gone well.

The TV is not wall-mounted at the new house...thankfully...or I might have ripped it off the wall during the Florida game.

Actually, no, I wouldn't have...the game was pretty unemotional for me, because I didn't expect us to win. It's kinda sad really. I just shook my head in disgust and ate popcorn. LOL

The move has went remarkably well, by the way. We got the keys on Wednesday morning and are pretty well-established now. All boxes unpacked, and getting things in order. I'm absolutely worn out, but it's about done.

Bout time to go throw some lead...