the time has come

[lil skeeter]

well the wildcats went down so i guess its time to get down to business. the commentators seemed to think billy is already gone. i dont think it will be decided until the meeting and he refuses to change his attitude about being a public figure. we all know how stubborn he is in his ways. im not sure if i want him gone or want him to stay. any opinions on what you all think might go down?

[DJD]

I think that Cat Fans ran another Coach off. I don't think it's right but that's the reality in that business. My question is.... doesn't that hurt the University by being so impatient? How does that pitch go for this job? Great pay, great tradition you better win or your on your way?

I believe that any coach that comes here has to be bigger than the game. Only a few left out there.

Who knows for sure but I guess we will see.

[MrSplitshot]

I honestly don't know what to think.

I just can't get a read on Billy G. Sometimes I think he knows his stuff, while other times I think he's absolutely lost in space. He probably falls somewhere in-between I guess. There's no doubt the guy loves basketball, and I'm sure he wants to coach here, but I'm not real positive that he's the right guy.

While I think he's getting an education, I'm still not sure that he grasps just what it means to be the head hoss for Kentucky Basketball. It's more than just a coach, it's more than just a job, it's more than just a game...UK fans, which include some of the smartest and most passionate folks to watch the game, also include some of the most head-in-the-sand lopsided rumor-mongering know-nothings too. I guess it's that way with every team, but the sheer number of UK fans makes the odds of seeing one or the other that much greater. I'm dang near convinced that the "digital age" is ruining Kentucky basketball. When 10K+ "fans" all show up at TheCatsPause.com over at the Rivals network after an NIT loss to Notre Dame and run absolutely rampant (for some perspective, about 800 fans showed up on Florida's site the night they won their second national championship...seriously...800...we have that many fans online at 1AM on a Wednesday in the offseason). Then, media members get on there, players, players families, coaches...then so called "journalists" run with it and it becomes "news" that a "reliable source" tells so and so this and that...laughable. It hurts the program, because all of the BS becomes "real" in the eyes of those watching. You end up with ESPN announcers talking about Billy G being out at UK..."done deal"...because they read some hack's post on a message board and run with it. What happens when Daniel Orton (highly touted incoming recruit) reads this crap? What if he pulls back, starts not wanting to make decisions until he sees if all the BS is truly BS? Recruiting is affected, and don't think for a second that it's not. Heck, maybe Billy G is in fact out...maybe it's a done deal...but I trust no one in the media.

Again, I'm not taking up for Gillespie, because I do think he has issues...but those unreasonable Kentucky fans, combined with the digital world we live in, are ruining Kentucky basketball. Perfection is a noble, noble goal...and there's nothing wrong with expecting it...but we make it miserable for anyone who can't attain it all the time. Nobody's perfect. Carolina stalled and went to the NIT...Florida, after 2 national championships, has been to the NIT two years in a row...it happens. Unless there's off the court problems that we don't know about...and there could be...give the guy an honest assessment, tell him how you expect him to do his job, and let him know that after 1 more year if we haven't rounded the corner and start seeing some improvement than it's over. The coaching carousel does not help a program short term. I also think that this notion that any college basketball coach would give his left testicle at any given moment to drop everything and run to coach Kentucky is a farse - That was back then, but this is now.

Not to mention, could you imagine the bad PR involved with paying a basketball coach a $6 million buyout at the same time you're laying off employees and cutting pay at the university because of hard times? Ouch.

[BASSKING]

i think if they get rid of him their gonna have trouble finding a coach. too much pressure from the fans. why should the fans decide if he stays or goes??? shouldnt it be up to the university?? they ran off tubby ( who doesnt look to shabby at this point ) and now they want billy gone. what if Travis Ford takes the job and doesnt do excellent in the first season or two??? he's gone thats what will happen as it is whats happening now. I am a louisville fan and always have been but i also like too se UK do well, i like to see all of our staes colleges do well but when is it ever gonna be good enough for UK fans. to win every championship?? not gonna happen ever. i have to deal with this BCG thing every day cause my in-laws bleed blue and think UK should never loose and win it all. at some point the players themselves have to have some responsibility when it comes too bad playing. if louisville was loosing games or playing poorly no one would say is Pitino's fault?? of course not he's rick pitino it would be the players fault. now BCG is not no Pitino but my point is the players are held accountable too.

[mhall]

In my humble opinion the largest mistake made by Billy Clyde this year was not developing more players early and often in the year. No players become game tested and ready to play unless they get trial by fire. You have to play the kids for them to become good. I take that Sloan kid for example, this young man would kill himself for the team litterally, you can't coach that. Billy plays him a few games and he has promise then he totally disappears, hell I had to check the roster to see if he was still on the team. He ruint Harrellson's confidence totally by brow beating him and sitting him down everytime he stepped wrong. His next biggest mistake is refusing to play a zone defense, I'm sorry this is just plain stupid and idiotic. It's one thing to not like a certain defense or offense but to refuse to even try it, it just plain dumb.

Personally I think the man is a hooch hound and a horn dog. He seems like a fairly nice guy and maybe a bubble off center sometimes but likeable. However his coaching style does not impress me at all, and his off court antics and lifestyle are not conducive with that of a head basketball coach and young person mentor. Basically he needs to grow up, get over the divorce and open his mind to new ideas, because his ain't working, lol.

[DJD]

Man no doubt that UK fans are numerous. Since I now live here and been around some life long fans I can see the passion they have for their cats.

For example....I was in Arizona a few years back and what do I see a fella in a UK shirt so we said we were from Lexington...immediate warmth and greetings from the guy. At Marco Island last year we are at a local seafood restaurant off the beaten path and what happens our waiter is a UK fan and his son goes to school here. On the way out two kids come in with UK hats on and say Hi since the waiter tells them we are from Lexington. It's amazing how many fans are out there.

I still say it's a mistake to run him off...How did Texas A&M do the last two years with his old players and system anyone know? I don't remember.

[zx150]

I think he is back for one more year.

[psprowler]

UK fans.....there's at least one in every corner of the world.

Just like every stream has an old tire in it somewhere.

One of those unwritten rules.

[BSeybold]

I started to reply to this message, but why bother? You can't talk basketball with U of K fans!

[lil skeeter]

I started to reply to this message, but why bother? You can't talk basketball with U of K fans!

after waisting my time reading what little you did say im sure it wouldnt have been worth reading anyway.

[DJD]

I guess we will know what happens tomorrow. Gonna be interesting....