Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
Today was about as throughly depressing a day as I have ever had at a sporting event. Watching Kentucky fall to San Diego would be difficult enough on a normal day, but throughout the game I was struck with the question, where in the world do we go from here? Before one can take stock of what the next step is, it is important to realize where you are….and folks, it aint pretty. When the record is one day written about the history of Rupp Arena, I am confident that at least 2 of the worst 5 losses in the storied building’s history will have been received this season. The loss today to San Diego cannot be overstated. San Diego is a below 500 team from the West Coast Conference that has not beaten (nor will they) anyone of note all season. Kentucky was lit up by a Freshman walk-on who had scored 5 points all season, but went for 18 today and the grandson of Jim Jones, whose performance may have had Kentucky fans everywhere reaching for the Kool-Aid. Simply put, if not for the Gardner-Webb loss, it might be the worst home loss in the Rupp era.
Worse yet however is the fact that this team simply does not seem to improve. A former player told me today that he thought the team looked like robots, simply moving from place to place, with no thought process or understanding of the game taking place at any time. I watch this team play and I feel as if I am seeing the lowest basketball IQ for a team in my lifetime. The players consistently are in the wrong spots, make boneheaded passes, throw the ball to the wrong players in the wrong places and find themselves beat time again for no explainable reason. For Ramon Harris, Patrick Patterson, Michael Porter, Mark Coury and Perry Stevenson, the effort is always there….but for the other guys you sometimes wonder. I watch the team play and I find myself almost forseeing every blown layup, wide-open three pointer, dropped rebound, silly foul, unguarded walk, poor entry pass and non-existent defensive rotation and I wonder how it can continue to happen….but it does.
And then there is the bizarre series of tactical and coaching decisions. In terms of basketball knowledge, I am by no means John Wooden or for that matter even John Brady (ok well maybe we all are close to John Brady), but I often wonder what this team is trying to accomplish. The offensive gameplan seems to me to be completely non-existent, with a forced desire to accomplish one of three goals each time down the floor: force the ball to Patterson (not done enough), Crawford or Bradley go one-on-one, throw the ball around the perimeter until someone is open enough to fathom shooting. There is no flow to the offense and it is unclear what set is being run on numerous occasions. On defense, the intensity and ball pressure is there, but sometimes the rationale behind the decision-making is hard to fathom. When you have a team like San Diego who can handle the ball well and shoot three pointers, why trap the entire game and give up the open shot (and free off-side rebound)? Why not force San Diego to take the ball to the basket where they have a hard time finishing? Coach Clyde said after the game that giving up those open looks is a “coach’s decision based on scouting” and I accept that analysis. But do you want to give a team with no athletes open shots when that is the only way they can beat you? And then there are the substitution patterns. How is Jodie Meeks “available” in the second half but not the first half? How does AJ Stewart do enough to start the game, but then never comes in after the first five minutes? How does Mark Coury play more minutes today in the one game all season that he hasnt started? Why not at least one possession with the five players that every UK fan knows are the best on the team (Bradley, Crawford, Meeks, Jasper and Patterson) on the floor at the same time? Maybe there is a method to the decision-making….but I just dont see it.
There was a sense around the media area and the former players at the game that something just is not right at this point. Is it the leadership of the seniors? Is it the lack of talent? Is it the coaching decisions? Is it the injury bug? Or is it all of these things and something else? I watch this team and think, yes they dont have the talent they should….but they should be better than this. No Kentucky team should look like this Kentucky team has this year. And with at least five guys on it the team that will likely play for pay somewhere in the world during their career, how can they be this bad? How in the world can they lose to walk-ons from mid-major losing teams? It just doesnt make sense….and it doesnt look to be getting any better.
The NCAA Tournament looks like a pipe dream at this point and it is hard to imagine how this team will get through the SEC schedule. But even beyond that, it is just hard to wrap my head around this team. Like so many around the UK program, I am just left shaking my head, wondering what is going to happen next. At a few points this season, I have thought to myself, “well at least it wont get worse than this.” But after today, I wonder if the bottom still has yet to drop out….and if so, man it could get ugly.
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December 30th, 2007 at 1:34 am
You are absolutely right…it is so bad, I decided to write a new song
I Expect To Win
December 30th, 2007 at 1:38 am
Keep the faith and think long term……..we will survive and look back at this season as the watershed moment.
To me, being humbled is not always a bad thing (even though I have had enough humble pie)….Not having insider information on if there are bad things going on behind the scenes at UK and speaking from only a basketball perspective, we simply need better players and they need to be healthy…..our basketball IQ is pretty low at key positions. Jasper did have a decent game and will get better. Coach said that we would get better in a hurry with Jasper and Meeks back at FULL strength….maybe they will be by the Vandy game. We shall see! Go Cats!
December 30th, 2007 at 1:45 am
Everyone says “give it time”….this team has sucked all year and has looked sloppy also. If we are going to get beat by the no-name schools and CBC just saying we will get better…..AT LEAST PLAY THE FRESHMAN LIKE STEWART AND WILLIAMS TO GET THEM SOME PLAYING TIME. It’s hard to say you are a UK fan and watch these sucky games evey week.
December 30th, 2007 at 1:47 am
Everybody keeps saying that this team should not be this bad. TRUE. Everybody keeps saying that they can’t figure out why this team is losing like it is. Well, I’ll tell you. It’s fate…NAY, PHYSICS!! What goes up must come down. We’ve been up for a while now so it’s going to be a long drop down. Hopefully Gillispie can catch us and toss us back up before we hit the ground.
December 30th, 2007 at 2:01 am
Bullseye Matt. Why does this team (coaching staff included) look so uncomfortable?
I really don’t know how to describe it in words. They are so “uptight” I guess you could say.
This is going to be a memorable season. I just, at this point anyway, can’t see us beating anyone in the SEC.
An enigma wrapped up in a mystery…………..
December 30th, 2007 at 2:18 am
Ryan, GREAT SONG!!!!
December 30th, 2007 at 3:16 am
Agree with most of what you say Matt, I have always looked forward to any UK fb or bb game whether it looked like we had a chance to win it or not, but this isn’t much fun. Good thing I’m not getting paid to come up with answers because wow—I think one thing that is happening is that all these teams think they can beat us now and have nothing to lose, so they give us their best shot. We need to expect that and start meeting the challenge. I’m not for any drastic changes otherwise.
December 30th, 2007 at 3:22 am
These seniors (Ramel & Joe) are trying to break the coach. They aren’t getting what they want (freewill to streetball so they are systematically destroying the system.
This is not an accident. It is by design.
These cancers (Joe and Ramel) broke Tubby. Leaving Orlando to give in and play catch up by adjusting ever so often to attempt to hold the uncaptained ship afloat. Gillispie WILL NOT CAVE IN.
Therefore, the only way we get better is without the prevailing uncoachable culture that exists on the team. Joe and Ramel look at Gillispie as the reason the aren’t going pro (since he won’t let them streetball). They only recently realized that isn’t going to happen BTW.
BTW… Matt, are you coming back to Durham for the reunion?
December 30th, 2007 at 3:25 am
the intense pregame workout’s are killing this team!!! Not sure why they happen but they do…maybe it’s to weed out the weak ” Liggin’s, possibly” or it’s just BCG’s way….either way it’s been noted that those workout’s do occur and obviously it’s detrimental to the team…..every team goes through pregame walk through’s to learn the game plan and warm up..but report’s are BCG, is conducting 1 1/2 hour full speed ahead practices just hour’s before games…and that would explain why the team look’s like they are exhausted
December 30th, 2007 at 3:28 am
i agree matt, though they dont have the talent they should, they have more talent than g.webb, houston, and especially the channel 4 news team of san diego. might as well let em play streert ball 8.
December 30th, 2007 at 3:34 am
1- i have a song in the tune of an old merle haggard song. here it goes— i wish pitino was in lexington, it was back when kentucky was strong. back before tubby, and billy gillispie came along. after joe b. and eddies perm. when the cats could still win and still would. are the best of the wildcats behind us now, and are the good times really over for good? stop rollin down hill like a snowball headed for…. you can fill in the rest im going to bed.
December 30th, 2007 at 3:53 am
#11 do you smoke a lot of dope? Merle does!
December 30th, 2007 at 4:20 am
12- you ask me if i smoke alot of dope? what does “liggins possibly” mean? he is in highschool or prep school, but not at uk. are you tootin the booger sugar? or are you smokin the lefthanded cigaretts?
December 30th, 2007 at 4:28 am
i know billy g hasnt signed his contract yet. what if barnhardt rips it up like the dad at the end of goonies? “there wont be any signing today or ever!”
December 30th, 2007 at 7:32 am
This team is a bunch of LOSERS! They make me sick to my stomach when I watch them.I am tired of these guys supplying the opposing team with highlite videos they will play over and over again for years to come. How in the hell do they lose that game? Meeks played.Jasper played. Patterson played. Next week against the ville is going to be brutal. I was foolish enough to pay $64 for two tickets to see them play Florida International on monday. If these clowns lose that game at least I will be able to join in on the booing as these heartless brainless losers walk off the court! There is too much talent on this team to keep losing to teams that were supposed to be cupcakes. I’m sorry but Tubby can’t be blamed for that crap yesterday.
December 30th, 2007 at 8:07 am
I don’t know how bad things would have to be for me to boo a UK team, but maybe this team will show me. After several conspiracy suggestions from UL fans regarding things getting so bad for both UK and UL so as to create a good scenario for slick rick’s return to Big Blue, I am pondering whether I would ever accept Pitino back. I don’t think I would, but then again I wasn’t his biggest fan when he was here. Please don’t go nuts on me people, it’s just hypothetical talk to keep our minds off the travesty and affront to all that is right that is this season.
This team has won ONE game on nationl TV this year! ONE!
And I hope we are successful in pulling off the upset against FIU.
December 30th, 2007 at 8:27 am
Get Ugly? It’s got got ugly with the loss to Gardner-Webb. But I’m willing to accept anything for now. We got rid of Smith. That was the important thing. I’ll give Gillispie this season. Next there should be massive improvement. If not, then it may become intolerable. I can tolerate anything for now. If this year is the payment due for the departure of Smith. I’ll accept that karmic bargain.
December 30th, 2007 at 8:31 am
If the 76 team didn’t quit (at 10-10) then this team won’t, either.
Just win most of the next 20 (or so) games. Get to 17 or 18 W going into SECT. Win 2 or 3 more.
December 30th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Matt, I’m with you. I don’t understand how this team could possibly be this bad. We have Meeks, Jasper, Patterson, Crawford, and Bradley. I have to believe there are a lot of coaches out there that could take that starting five and win 75% or more of their games. Do the players respect BG? Does BG respect the players? Do any of them care? It seems to me we try to force the ball inside to Patterson but when the other teams drop 3 and 4 players down on him is that the strategy to use? A lot of fans keep saying, “wait til next year”. If we sign 3 or 4 of the top 100 players in the country we still have Patterson, Meeks, Jasper, Carter, Williams, Porter, and so on. How are 3 or 4 freshmen going to turn this team around? I don’t see it. It seems to me that every team we play has faster, more powerful and aggressive players than we do, how can that be? Something is very wrong that I don’t believe time will correct. I just wish I could figure out what it is!
December 30th, 2007 at 9:30 am
I heard that Billy G was a Basketball Savant. Well, apparently he has met his match with this bunch. He needs to do SOMETHING to get this group to get motivated. I was around in 89 when we went 14-14. But the last time I felt like this was in 88 during Eddie Sutton’s last year. The hopeless vibe that this team emanates is very similar to that team. Eddie has lost that team and I’m afraid Billy has lost this team. Or maybe he never had this team and they have been fighting him the entire year. We need to get healthy like the Mojave needs rain.
December 30th, 2007 at 9:33 am
Eddie lost that team…
And edit button would be nice.
December 30th, 2007 at 9:43 am
UK was 13-19 in 1989 (last year under Sutton) despite having Ellis, Mills, Miller, Hanson (et al) on the roster. Enough talent for more W than L but offcourt stuff distracted the team and coaches.
December 30th, 2007 at 9:44 am
#19 the gameday HARD practices are hurting THIS team. They don’t help players get healthy.
December 30th, 2007 at 9:53 am
22 - Last basketball year under Sutton started in ‘88 and Pitino’s first year started in ‘89. I was living in Lexington at the time of Eddie’s demise. Sorry if I didn’t use the proper historical reference. If you are going to get picky then his last YEAR was 88-89.
December 30th, 2007 at 10:06 am
I thought there was zero chance of us losing to Gardner Webb or San Diego. I think that there is zero chance of us losing to Florida International, but what would happen if we do? The rest of our games are against major conference teams. If we lose to FIU I think something drastic will happen with Gillispie.
December 30th, 2007 at 10:09 am
#24 most use the year of season’s end as the reference for a team. The 1996 Wildcats were the best modern era team (not the 1995 Cats).
December 30th, 2007 at 10:11 am
I agree with the frustrations expressed in the post - as well as the outlook that things could get worse before they get better. But, I don’t think we can hang the low basketball IQ problem solely on Billy Clyde’s shoulders. Crawford and Bradley are Seniors, and should be the IQ leaders on the team, but they are responsible for more than their fair share of stupidity.
And, I think Tubby’s teams were generally lower on the basketball IQ scale than others. How many times do you remember Tubby’s players fouling the 3-point shooter or mindlessly dribbling while the shot clock expired. Tubby didn’t recruit geniuses for the most part, so we shouldn’t expect the team’s IQ to improve over night. I would argue that Patterson is one of the smartest guys on the floor, which is sad when you consider he’s a Freshman.
That being said in support of Billy G., I couldn’t agree more with the comments about not showing improvement - that does fall directly on the shoulders of Billy Clyde. It’s one thing to inherit a team with low talent and IQ, but for 2+ Million dollars a year, I expect to see improvement after the first 10 games. And, as low as our talent base is, it’s not lower than San Diego… or Gardner Webb…. or UAB. Losing those games in KY is humiliating. I really thought we got the best coach we could get after Billy D. turned us down, but now I’m thinking we should have went with Pelphrey.
December 30th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Matt, I like the idea of the four guard lineup. Was coach Cyprien involved in the Illinois team that featured a four guard lineup a few years ago and started something like 17-0? My only concern is rebounding. I’m not sure it would be better. Maybe if Jasper plays more of a point forward position and is in better position to rebound… This team needs the best five players on the floor (who can play their given position well) for the majority of the game. They will generate more offense, demoralize their opponent, and lead to more forced turnovers (isn’t that what our opponents have been doing?)
December 30th, 2007 at 10:23 am
#27 hard for Crawford to show much B-Ball IQ sitting on the bench. He should be starting. The 2003, 2004 (particularly), and 2005 teams had very good B-Ball IQ’s and 87-15 record. Tubby recruited each and every player on those rosters. Tubby’s players won 76% of their UK games (or 74% if you want to ignore the first 2 teams that were a mix of OTS recruits and RP leftovers).
#28 I don’t think Cyprien ever coached at Illinois - he came from Arkansas. Could be wrong.
But Illinois played 3 guard offense with 1 forward and 1 center in 2005.
December 30th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Well, Ryan just lost some fans. That was a stupid move on his part. And I thought he had more class than that. Guess not. He couldn’t get to his computer fast enough to to post that garbage for the world to see. Thanks, Ryan, for being a dumbass and confirming to the rest of the world that, yes, indeed, most wildcat fans are total idiots…even the ones who think they can sing. BTW- you need a new riff as all your songs sound the same. Learn some new chords and progressions if you want to impress someone as a “song writer” lol.
8- You are right on the money. Not a single thing about this team will change until those two guys are long gone. They make me sick, too.
December 30th, 2007 at 10:45 am
Crawford and Bradley were part of 72-31 before this season, now 5-6. Something changed.
Latest RPI from Jerry Palm, CollegeRPI.com
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7 Dayton
12 Ole Miss
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27 Xavier
30 Miami
36 Ohio
46 Minnesota
48 Wright St
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56 West Virginia
79 UL
196 UC
227 UK
December 30th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Dude, you can post stats till you’re blue in the face. Anyone with sense can see that our 2 senoir guards, in this system, are the problem. Joe still gets lost on defense…and he’s a senior, man. He still jacks up bad shot after bad shot. He still lowers his head and bulldozes his way to the basket. He still dogs it up and down the court. He still hangs his head every time he gets beat by his man. This is a Senior who is exibiting the same characteristics as a player he did as a frosh.
Bradley? Bradley wants to be the man so bad he can’t see straight. So, he never plays within himself…something most Seniors learn to do by now. He still trys to make the passes he can;t make and he also has jump shot disease…just like Joe.
You watch. Things will greatly improve with their departure.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:17 am
31. Something did change. We lost the top 4 low post guys from last year’s team.
Don’t fret UK fans, Gillispie is sand-bagging. He’s done this everywhere. Cleansing the system. Plus, it will make him look like a genius/coach of the year next year if he has a miraculous turnaround.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Right on the money Matt. I still have hope because I haven’t seen the Patterson/Meeks/Jasper/Crawford/Bradley lineup as the main lineup yet. To me that’s a solid, athletic lineup. You could tweek it against bigger teams but at least you’ve got your best players on the floor to score and to give us the best opportunity to compete.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big supporter of the team and Coach. But I too am failing to recognize the pattern of consistency with the whole lineup procedure. I also don’t understand why Jasper didn’t see a few more minutes in the second half. He clearly is the play maker of the team. I know he was pretty winded in the first half at times. But we need him on the floor. It also seems like it took them quite awhile to notice Patrick limping around on the court. I also think Stewart could have brought a spark if he would have played more.
Finally, I hated seeing all the fans walking out so early as well. This team needs our support more than ever now. These are young men and our coach needs to see a little more depth from the fans. I still think they’ll improve, I guess I’m just expecting for someone to flip the switch.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Scotland is really G.G. Smith.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Could it be that BG is intentionally trying to make this team look as bad as they possibly can? Maybe he took this job with the intent of destroying our program and tradition? What loyalty does he have to UK or the fans other than the big paycheck? Just trying to figure this nightmare out. I’ve been a fan for over 50 years and have never seen anything like this before.
December 30th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
“Intent of destroying our program and tradition” - BPatte
You can’t really think that. Not many examples exist in nature, outside of W Bush, of something like that. You’d think someone who has been a fan for over 50 years would have found perspective. Don’t worry, if that was the case, it’ll work itself out quickly.
December 30th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
34. I’m as big a fan as there is and I would have left early yesterday. It was atrocious and UK should refund the ticket money
after crap like that.
December 30th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
I am honestly beginning to wonder if Billy Clyde is on the hotseat, as in, could he be fired at the end of this season?
December 30th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Matt:
That really was a well done analysis piece.
For what it may be worth I was talking with some of the Idaho State coaches yesterday (part of my work in Southeast Idaho is as the studio hosts on their radio network for football and basketball games) and we were talking about UK. They know I went there and they all personally know Billy. When the staff was at Southeastern Iowa Junior College (where they won three national titles) they got to know him when he recruited some of their players.
To a man they told me in the strongest possible language that “Billy will get it done.” However as one coach told me fans who expect a turnaround in one year “don’t know basketball.”
He also made an interesting point. He’s watched a lot of UK games this year and said that “it looked like Crawford and Bradley have given up on the year and can’t wait to leave.” That it looked to him like “they won’t do what Billy wants them to do”, that it looks like “they still think Tubby is coaching there.”
My feelings are that until Billy gets rid of the old regime’s players it’s impossible to make any type of realistic evaluation.
And let’s also be honest here O.K.? Nothing personally directed towards them but just the fact that guys like Carter, Porter, Harris, Coury are even on this roster let alone playing (and sometimes getting major minutes) speaks volumes doesn’t it?
Mark Liptak
December 30th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
38. So your definition of a fan “as big as there is” walks out on their team when things are going bad? Its a free country, do what you want, but something has to be said about loyalty when it comes to being a fan, especially when things are not going so well.
December 30th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
36, they don’t need the coach to make them look bad, they’re doing a good job of that themselves.
40, thanks. Somebody is finally getting it re the roster. Will BG cut the deadwood?
December 30th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
I uncontrollably cringe it seems everytime Coury and/or Porter handle the ball…
December 30th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
It’s clear Joe and Ramel have had the least progress of any seniors ever, but you can win by playing them and figuring out what the few strengths are. Injuries hurt us, but it’s bad decisions that have us losing to bad teams. Only one team has clearly put a more talented team on the floor than us this year, and that’s UNC. IU was minus 2 of 3 best players and we got smoked. That’s coaching. Out coached by Mike Davis should never happen. and many of our players would start easy on the rest of the teams we’ve played.
Our adjustments, lineups, and coaching in general needs to get better!
December 30th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I can only hope there’s a reason for the madness and inconsistency.
December 30th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
It does appear to be intentional sabotage, either that or pure stupidity.
December 30th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Ussually its either a slow start in scoring or these 5 to 7 minute scoring droughts in the middle of the game. Yesterday, it was both. I kept thinking they were gonna pick up some momentum but they never could take the lead. Plus it seems like anytime PP has to go out of the game for whatever reason, they fall apart. Thank God he hasn’t gotten in much foul trouble so far this season, otherwise our record might even be worse
December 30th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
did he really say he didn’t adjust to guarding open guys because of a scouting report?
That’s just stupid. anyone knows the phrase any given Sunday. i can make 5-7 three’s at least one out of 30 games in a season so I know a D1 athlete can, especially if they are open. Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result right? Make AN IN-GAME ADJUSTMENT JUST ONCE, PLEASE!
And not the kind that has our best, most athletic, one of the smartest players coming in with only 23 minutes to play.
December 30th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
#32 the 2 senior guards are not being coached very well this year. Not their fault.
#33 Morris (Patterson). Obrzut (Williams). Thomas (Stewart). Perry (Legion). Lost 2 C, 1 PF, and 1 WF. Replacements are/were in (parentheses) and are at least as good, or better.
#39 if UK fires Gillispie after 1 year, there won’t be many coaches wanting to replace him.
#40 if any UK players aren’t doing what their CURRENT coach says, they should be Suspended or Dismissed from the team.
December 30th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
49- How do you know that they’re being coached and just not responding? You don’t. And since these are the same mistakes these two guys have been making since they have been here, I’d say you have an agenda to slight CBC and ignore the facts staring you in the face.
December 30th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Pretty clear. Just watch the games. UK should NOT have L to G-W, UAB, or SD. PERIOD!
Gillispie deserves to have UK fans STFU and let him do his job. 11 games aren’t his job.
Simply the dumbest fanbase in college basketball, maybe all of sports.
December 30th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Nobody’s calling for him to be fired that is of a rational and sound mind. But losing the games he has does not excuse one from criticism. He’s not reinventing the wheel here. I have a very hard time believing any of these kids have never made a simple post entry pass, know solid man to man fundamentals, or understand something as simple as the 1-4 High. Porter, for example, didn’t win State Titles in Cali by sucking. The competition’s too good.
I think people are really setting themselves up for some extreme disappointment here because they think we got the second coming of Pitino and it’s going to be 93-97 all over again. That’s why some people continue to try to compare the last regime and the scandal and fallout from Eddie Sutton..because it reinforces that delusion. In fact, I would say Gillispie has more in common with OTS from a philosophy standpoint than Pitino.
December 30th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
I am 24 years old and remember crying when you know who made that shot in ‘92. I was at a dance and in the 2nd grade. I just now thought about how many years of Kentucky Basketball left. Probably about 50 years hopefully. What if we don’t win another championship? The thought of not winning another championship depresses me bad but the way things are looking I would not be suprised. I have been supporting Gillispie ever since he arrived. At this point thought it seems like he has no idea what is going on. He refuses to play zone and has no offense to speak of. There is absolutely no rhythym on offense. I just want us to get better thats all.
December 30th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
that is in my lifetime and many of yours.
December 30th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Hey BPatte now I see why your comments are so stupid. Your an OLD ASS!!!!
December 30th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
#52 criticism is fair. But I’ve seen/read/heard lots more than simple criticism.
(I say) Let the freakin’ man coach an entire season AT LEAST. And STFU until he does. PERIOD!
Porter’s MCHS team won the Calif state title in 2004 and was runner-up in 2005. MCHS made the Final 4 in 2003-4-5-6 (4 straight years). Porter is all-time leading scorer at MCHS over Chuck Hayes and Adrian Oliver.
December 30th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Hey GG if Porter than why didn’t Tubby play him more last year?
December 30th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Let’s try that again. Hey GG if Porter is that good then why didn”t Tubby play him more last year?
December 30th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
Porter was recruited to backup Jasper. Jasper is supposed to be the PG of the future. Porter was also athletic enough and a good enough shooter to see some time at the 2 ala Sparks.
December 30th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
I personally like Porter but his defense is atrocious. He gets lost too easily. As for Bradley and Crawford, well they both just seem to be going through the motions. I’m sorry but Bradley has the mentality of a two guard and he always will, shoot first pass later. While this has landed him on the bench many times it still has not gotten through. He just can’t play point. Crawford seems to play when he wants to play. This guy has the strength and knowledge to get to the basket any time he wants. If he and BG are not getting along he should put it behind him and play his heart out for his team and if he’s selfish to boost his draft chances.
Maybe BG does have some cards up his sleeves. I’m not happy with him and will voice that but I’m not ready to give up on him just yet either. I know he plays the players that practice hard and give it their all but there also comes a time when you have to play the players that are going to give you the best chance at winning. For you that are quick to sass, notice I said play them not start them.
December 30th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
#35… I suspected the same thing! Scotland, are you GG?
December 30th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
#57 and #58 (same answer) I’m not GG but UK had several healthy options at PG last year. Jasper first, Bradlet second, Porter third.
December 30th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
lol, Porter…that is frigg’n hilarious! the guy sucks…gives a maximum effort but is just not good. we have one super power on this team…Patterson…everything else is subpar. Meeks & Jasper have possibility but good God almighty, Crawford, Harris, Porter, Bradley, Stevenson –are you kidding me???? what a frigg’n joke.
December 30th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Crawford and Bradley have shown their abilities over 3 prior years.
Meeks and Jasper showed theirs last year, as did Stevenson.
Harris and Porter are (clearly) back-ups, not starters.
Patterson is the best UK player, no doubt.
December 30th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
hahah…crawford and Bradley = unreliable and inefficient. they have showed this every single game they’ve played and i’ve watched them all. not impressed..oh yes, at TIMES impressed…which is a very rare occasion.
Meeks and Jasper –they still have a long way to go to be close to adding strength to this team.
Harris and Porter are useless. bottom line…don’t care what they are or what their roles are. they suck and it’s that simple.
Yes Patterson is the best player…once again, an obvious declaration anyone with eyes and common sense can make.
December 30th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
MATT JONES!!!
You are a great person and this blog is a lot of fun, but I struggle to convince myself any longer that you have a good working knowlee of the gae of basketball. You’re really starting to show that you are incapble of seeing even obvious adjustments made by BCG and his staff and you even managed to convey that at his point, you don’t know much about the teams we’re playing against.
You said that BCG made an error by allowing SD to shoot the three against us when it is the only way that they can beat us. This leasds me to believe that you are not aware of the talents of this SD team. They have a great dribble drive guard in Johnson, and a good post scorer in Gyno Pomare. Johnson is a good shooter, but he is an off the dribble player that can beat you in a lot of ways.
They are not known as a good three point shooting team. That’s not how they win games. They win by Johnson going one on one and Pomare scoring in the low post. In the first half of yesterday’s game, BCG used his man to man, but he relaxed away from the three point line. you are correct in that. However, that was the correct game plan because they had not proved they could beat anyone from three point land alone. They got hot and they ended up going 6 for 11 in the first half on threes and they outscored us by 2 points. Relaxing the D, letting them shoot threes, that resulted in them outscoring us by 2.
So… let’s say you’re right, Matt. Let’s say BCG is wrong. He’s allowing them to beat us from three point land, but according to you he should take away the 3 and let them beat us by attacking the rim. That is your opinion correct? well he adjusted and in the second half they only attempt 5 three pointers. Out of 30 something possessions, they only attempt 5 thres and hit 3. They had 9 points off three pointers in the second half versus 18 in the first half Matt. BCG adjusted, took away the three point shot that you just said was the only way they could beat us… and what happened Matt?
They out scored us by 7 points in the second half. He took away the three for the most part and they outscored us by 7. And they did that by attacking the rim with Johnson and scoring with Pomare in the low post. Which is exactly what the staff was game planning against and what they tried to take away in the first half. We wanted them to shoot MATT!!!! WE didn’t want to let Johnson beat us by getting to the rim or freeing himself up to hit jumpers.
The D we played in the first half was supposed to challenge them to hit threes. They hadn’t proved they could do it, so thats what we wanted them to do. When they buried threes, we adjusted and they beat us using their real strengths. if you want to say something, at least say what actually happened. Say that they weren’t supposed to be a good three point shooting team. Say that we took away the 3 in the second half but they still beat us. I’m all for that, but don’t say BCG failed to adjust or that we gave them the three point shot all game, because that’s a lie and if you can’t see adjustments like that then you don’t know any more about basketball the most of the average ans on here and at TCP, which is fine, but people are looking to you as some kind of expert and they’re getting fed false information.
Adjustments are made Matt, you just don’t see them, a lot of people don’t, but that is the difference between average fans that see the game in black and white and those who have studied and understand the game.
December 30th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Zero excuses for L to San Diego, UAB, or Gardner-Webb. NONE.
December 30th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
I think this coach has got the players so scared of him, that
they play are playing like some up tight little b$tches.
December 30th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
I question a lot of things going on right now. I think the whole situation stinks.
#1. I don’t think that BC is doing a good job getting through to these kids. I am a teacher and all kids are different. You have to adapt your style to fit you students needs to maximize their potential. He is not going that. He is sticking to his guns and its not working. It is a little give and take on both parts.
#2. We all know that the players are all under achieving this year. PP is doing his job
every game. Bradly and Crawford are not consistant enough.
#3. BG’s weird substituting. I’m not even going to get into that, its just random.
#4. Too many players on this team that aren’t D-1 players.
December 30th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
68) Why do you think his tactics have worked miracles elsewhere but don’t work here?
December 30th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
I think UTEP and TAMU didn’t try to judge him after 11 games.
His first 11 UTEP games:
Nov. 23, 2002 N MEX HIGHLANDS W 75-66 1-0
Nov. 26, 2002 Alcorn St. L 67-53 1-1
Nov. 30, 2002 Texas Tech L 83-60 1-2
Dec. 4, 2002 at Houston L 56-47 1-3
Dec. 7, 2002 New Mexico St. L 78-65 1-4
Dec. 18, 2002 at New Mexico St. L 80-58 1-5
Dec. 21, 2002 Tennessee St. W 91-72 2-5
Dec. 27, 2002 Columbia1 L 55-54 2-6
Dec. 28, 2002 Air Force2 L 63-45 2-7
Jan. 2, 2003 Hawaii L 64-52 2-8
Jan. 4, 2003 San Jose St. W 80-68 3-8
Jan. 9, 2003 at Nevada L 78-66 3-9
His first 11 TAMU games:
Nov. 19, 2004 NC A&T W 89-56 1-0
Nov. 23, 2004 TRINITY TEXAS W 67-48 2-0
Nov. 27, 2004 Texas-Permian Basin W 98-36 3-0
Dec. 1, 2004 Oakland W 81-63 4-0
Dec. 4, 2004 Prairie View W 82-40 5-0
Dec. 11, 2004 Alabama A&M W 71-68 6-0
Dec. 15, 2004 Louisiana-Mon. W 78-36 7-0
Dec. 19, 2004 Chicago St. W 90-70 8-0
Dec. 22, 2004 Grambling W 97-66 9-0
Dec. 29, 2004 Houston W 93-80 10-0
Jan. 2, 2005 at Penn State W 62-60 11-0
His next 11 TAMU games:
Jan. 5, 2005 at Kansas L 65-60 11-1 (0-1)
Jan. 12, 2005 Texas W 74-63 12-1 (1-1)
Jan. 15, 2005 at Texas Tech L 70-56 12-2 (1-2)
Jan. 18, 2005 Oklahoma L 70-54 12-3 (1-3)
Jan. 22, 2005 Kansas State W 65-51 13-3 (2-3)
Jan. 26, 2005 at Nebraska L 77-67 13-4 (2-4)
Jan. 29, 2005 Baylor W 74-62 14-4 (3-4)
Feb. 1, 2005 at Oklahoma L 69-65 14-5 (3-5)
Feb. 5, 2005 Missouri W 91-63 15-5 (4-5)
Feb. 12, 2005 OK State L 66-59 15-6 (4-6)
Feb. 16, 2005 at Texas L 75-40 15-7 (4-7)
December 30th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
The look on Crawford’s face after he fouled out sums up the way the player’s are feeling right now. He looked like he was about to be sick and at the same time looked frustrated and confused, like he can’t understand how they are getting beat like they are. I don’t think the low point has happened yet.
On the bright side, all of the guys next year will remember this year and it will make them better for it. Patterson, Meeks, Jasper, and Stevenson will make for a pretty decent squad next season.
December 30th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
#70, I have heard too many rumors that BG is a total A-Hole.
He will not last long if he keeps p$ssing everyone off. Sometimes a good W-L
record aren’t all a coach needs to be a good coach.
I personal friend of mine went to his coaches camp 2 months ago and said that he was
a total prick. If you have listened to any of his pre-game or post game shows, he
has gotten smart with his own UK fans.
Example: One guy was thanking him for coming to U of L to play a home game,
and mentioned that he was a little disappointed in the open practice fan base.
He said that he thought that the Cats could get a better turn out it the practice
wasn’t so early on the work day. Billy, stop the guy from talking
and rudely said, well next you will tell me when to schedule my games.
I thought it was rude, but BG thinks it is being honest.
He always says he is just being honest. Sometimes he is not being honest, he
is being an A-Hole. Even though I don’t agree with what he is doing, I am still
a huge UK fan, whether I like the coach or his random tactics.
December 30th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
IMHO, there is something that ain ‘t right. I have backed the seniors
for three years and always expected them to be great, but for the life
of me it seems that both of them, {one more than the other} have just
gave up on the idea of team bball, and are playing to satisfy theirself
and are more lazy now than when the other staff was here. Conditioning
seemed to be a major problem the past 2 or 3 years, and still seems
to be a problem, but not as bad as in seasons past. As bad as I hate
to say it, once the seniors are gone and we get this years recruiting
class on campus, I think the team problems will be gone. We get healthy
with Jasper and Meeks back playing and in good condition, I see no
reason this team will not be able to get us back in the top ten. Just
the little bit of time that Jasper played Sat., even out of shape, he
was able to get the ball to PPat without telegraphing his pass at least
4 or 5 times. I don’t claim to know what BG is trying to do, but it
seems that the seniors are impeding that progress. I wish Ramel and
joe the best in their lives, but if they can’t get with the program
I’ll be glad to see them move forward. If Meeks , Jasper, Miller, and
Liggons come to practice and play like Patterson has, the rest of
college bball better be ready for them next year. Hopefully by then we
will have figured out what BG is trying to instill into these players.
If Joe and ramel figure it out this year, we still have a chance to
make some noise this spring around tourney time. JMHO Thanks RVZ4UK
December 30th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
73) because he’s the coach yet people are constantly questioning every decision he makes… the guy in question is complainging about when he has an open practice…
If I come to your work and question everything you do you’re going to get short with me too. Coaches always have to answer to questioning, but when you’re losing its frustrating, especially when you get asked the same 4 questions over and over again.
December 30th, 2007 at 10:38 pm
#76 et al - UK fans should STFU and let the man coach a full season before bitching. Period.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
#74, did you honestly just say that this team could get back in the top 10??????This Year????? Man how I wish you were right, and I am sure you are a loyal fan trying to support this team, as am I, but they have about as much chance of hitting the top ten as I do flying from lexington to Nashville, without the use of aircraft. It ain’t happening. I am at a loss for words. It’s to the point that you actually expect them to lose the next game, no matter who they are playing. I can’t remember in my 43 years results as bad as this team is producing. They are definatly under achieving which leaves some hope for improving, but they seem to be going backward. I just don’t understand what is going on.
December 31st, 2007 at 7:05 am
They must win the next 20 games or so to get back into Top 10. That’s a reach.
But the 2001 Cats http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/2000-01.html were 6-5 after 11 games and finished in the Top 10.
December 31st, 2007 at 9:04 am
#55, Yes my old ass has been around for a long time. Much longer than your punk ass for sure. I guess that’s the difference here, I’m seeing things out of this coach that I’ve never seen before at UK. Smart mouth, short answers to the media and the fans? Never seen that before! A total lack of adjustments during the games. Never seen that before. An almost non caring attitude about our players and whether we win or lose. Never seen that before! Something is very wrong and it’s not totally about wins and losses. I personally think we need an ex UK player or at least a Ky person as our head coach. Pelphrey was my first choice from day one. After Pelphrey I thought Travis Ford would have been a great choice. I think our fans could support them through the rough times because we know they bleed blue. I think BG belongs in Texas or Oklahoma. Somewhere where the people will understand him.
December 31st, 2007 at 3:26 pm
#80 it’s well known that a small group of UK boosters wanted Pelphrey over Gillispie. They are behind some of the BS going on FWIW.
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