John Calipari is leaving UK for Arkansas (of all places) and all...I can think of...is...

[Estil | 1,265]

But seriously I have said for the longest time that we in Big Blue Nation don't give a flying Fig Newton how many guys you send to the NBA!! What matters is winning us championships and making true UK legends that will stay with us 3-4 years! I have no clue who will take over for us but hopefully he will be KENTUCKY FIRST. We need players who will stay with us 3-4 years and will give us the valuable and critical NCAA Tournament experience that we have been so lacking in the past several years. Ones that will become true blue UK legends and not just be a one-year-wonder who views us only as a stepping stone or something.

I'm sure Cal can do that getting one year wonders into the NBA just as well at Arkansas...why he is taking what amounts to a DEmotion (which I would've also viewed taking an NBA job other than at one of the legendary teams like LA or Boston) I'll never know.

Edited April 8 by Estil

[Reed Rothchild | 9,544]

He did get you a championship. 

In that same timeframe Kansas, Duke, and North Carolina also have one title. 

UCLA, Arizona, Michigan State, Indiana, and Syracuse, among a million others got zero.

As to why, I'm sure he got forced out.  Gotta love that entitlement.

[Sumez | 2,963]

"and all I can think of is..."

 

Who???

[Reed Rothchild | 9,544]

Just now, Sumez said:

"and all I can think of is..."

 

Who???

Picture a sports league.  Then drop down a level to the semi-pros.  And then find one of the 360 coaches at that level.  You're welcome.

[The Count | 527]

It's increasingly rarer that any player will stay at one university for four years these days. Between leaving early for the pros or new NIL deals, the player who actually graduates at a singular school is a unicorn.

[Estil | 1,265]

1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said:

He did get you a championship. 

In that same timeframe Kansas, Duke, and North Carolina also have one title. 

UCLA, Arizona, Michigan State, Indiana, and Syracuse, among a million others got zero.

As to why, I'm sure he got forced out.  Gotta love that entitlement.

Yes he did, and against all odds we came in second in 2014 and just missed running the table in 2015.  But especially after that his whole "my priority is getting guys in the NBA" (no really it's clear on his own website) was getting really old.  We need a KENTUCKY FIRST coach.  MAKE...KENTUCKY...GREAT...AGAIN.

PS: And yes, even after what they did to us in 2012, I really do miss our annual Indiana (Clown U) rivalry.  Especially when Bobby Knight was their ringmaster!  

Edited April 8 by Estil

[Estil | 1,265]

20 minutes ago, The Count said:

It's increasingly rarer that any player will stay at one university for four years these days. Between leaving early for the pros or new NIL deals, the player who actually graduates at a singular school is a unicorn.

Tim Duncan is the first example that comes to my head who chose to stay all four years when he could've easily left at least two years early (I don't know if there's anyone else like that since).  And really half the guys who left us after one year only seemed marginally qualified for the NBA at best.  I mean I would think you'd need well over double figures in points and/or rebounds a game to have a realistic shot at the big leagues.  And really having at least 2-3 years college experience would be much better for the player and his team.

BTW, you know how Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett and LeBron James got so much attention for going straight from HS to the NBA?  Well I see their prep-to-pro...and raise you a big leaguer while STILL in high school!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Feller

[Daniel_Doyce | 475]

This guy is the coach? And he got a new job? Can't they just find another one, or are they out of stock?

[Tulpa | 3,509]

11 minutes ago, Daniel_Doyce said:

This guy is the coach? And he got a new job? Can't they just find another one, or are they out of stock?

Apparently Estil just learned that capitalism exists in college sports. 

[B.A. | 1,139]

If you require a coach who will recruit only players who will stay for 3-4 years you had better hope they hire Doc Brown/Marty McFly with their DeLorean.  That ship has long sailed.

[Estil | 1,265]

7 hours ago, B.A. said:

If you require a coach who will recruit only players who will stay for 3-4 years you had better hope they hire Doc Brown/Marty McFly with their DeLorean.  That ship has long sailed.

No no no no, I'm not saying you can't have some one year wonders, just not this whole obsession with getting guys in the NBA like Cal did.  Our next guy must be KENTUCKY...FIRST.  And for God's sake I hope he takes down all those stupid "all these UK players who got into the NBA" and instead puts up displays honoring true UK legends...the ones who became that for what they did as a Wildcat.

[Estil | 1,265]

9 hours ago, Daniel_Doyce said:

This guy is the coach? And he got a new job? Can't they just find another one, or are they out of stock?

You know this isn't just any coaching job.  This job is for the finest college basketball team (in terms of overall history) in all the land.  Paraphrasing this scene from King Ralph, to be UK's basketball coach is a responsibility like no other in the Commonwealth (yes even more than being our governor) and like few others outside of it.  He must become a symbol of all that is best about our basketball team, UK, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky in general.  An embodiment of our history, our culture, our morality, our pride, our ideal of basketball and UK excellence.  He must in the harsh light of public 24/7 social media and Internet scrutiny exhibit all of UK basketball's virtues and none of its shortcomings.  Indeed there is much much MUCH more to being our coach than just drawing X's and O's and blowing a whistle.  And I don't know if "a God's burden to bear" is quite right but it's close enough.

Edited April 9 by Estil

[Reed Rothchild | 9,544]

...but mostly he's gotta win.  'cause if he doesn't do that, none of the fans will give a shit about any of those other things 

[Estil | 1,265]

1 minute ago, Reed Rothchild said:

...but mostly he's gotta win.  'cause if he doesn't do that, none of the fans will give a shit about any of those other things 

My point is though winning alone is not enough.  He must exhibit all those other things as well.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,544]

2 minutes ago, Estil said:

My point is though winning alone is not enough.  He must exhibit all those other things as well.

That or he needs to look at what UConn is doing and model UK after that 

[Estil | 1,265]

Just now, Reed Rothchild said:

That or he needs to look at what UConn is doing and model UK after that 

Boy do I feel bad for women's basketball...it must be so BORING when it's just UConn, Tennessee (back when they had Pat Summit), and everyone else.  Not to mention they don't have nearly as many upsets/Cinderellas.

[wongojack | 215]

I am a Baylor alum.  Most BU fans know that Drew would turn down almost any job offered to him - ALMOST.  This one has us a bit nervous.  Are Kentucky fans interested in Scott Drew?

[Estil | 1,265]

2 hours ago, wongojack said:

I am a Baylor alum.  Most BU fans know that Drew would turn down almost any job offered to him - ALMOST.  This one has us a bit nervous.  Are Kentucky fans interested in Scott Drew?

Honestly your guess is as good as mine.  Billy Donovan has sometimes been floated around (he was one of our asst's in the 90s) but I'm not sure if he was ever interested TBH.  I can't believe there are a few that actually want Benerick Pitino back *shudders*  I am hoping it will be someone who was in someway connected with UK or at least our state.

Edited April 9 by Estil

[Tanooki | 4,934]

@Reed Rothchild Just from those early posts, the one word  you nailed it entirely for the thread being even made -- entitlement.  Be happy you don't live in state, the level of entitlement and utterly sad behavior is time and again around the UK fans more than the other colleges here.  Their fans are utterly insufferable and take that 'we' thing to new heights.  There is no we, you're a fan, like what did YOU do to be consider the 'we' in their team eh?   I mean it hurts just reading a line like that one opener 12 hours ago 'finest college basketball team in all the land' ...since when?  I know I shouldn't even be posting it as it's UK fan trigger worthy and I won't locally get into those idiotic debates and rather not engage in it here either.  For all I care any KY team wins one, awesome... felt the same way about the PRO side in Cali as the locals didn't have to feed off the NCAA to get their kicks as KY has no pro teams.

[Quaze | 342]

This is the most niche thread ever lol

[Daniel_Doyce | 475]

We need a quarantine thread for people to air their non-video game grievances no one else cares about, like when Ryan made Creed that Word doc on The Office

Edited April 9 by Daniel_Doyce

[Hammerfestus | 3,851]

10 minutes ago, Daniel_Doyce said:

We need a quarantine thread for people to air their non-video game grievances no one else cares about, like when Ryan made Creed that Word doc on The Office

I agree.  Like how is there even a university of Kentucky?  Do they not have in-state tuition?

[wongojack | 215]

On 4/9/2024 at 3:55 AM, Estil said:

Honestly your guess is as good as mine.  Billy Donovan has sometimes been floated around (he was one of our asst's in the 90s) but I'm not sure if he was ever interested TBH.  I can't believe there are a few that actually want Benerick Pitino back *shudders*  I am hoping it will be someone who was in someway connected with UK or at least our state.

Still don't know anything, but Drew seems to be the only coach who HASN'T come out and said he doesn't want it.  Seems the uninformed rumor mill thinks it is Hurley, Drew, Donovan in that order.

Many Baylor fans are VERY worried, but that isn't really an indication of anything.

[wongojack | 215]

Won't be Drew.  I may have cried a little in relief . . .

[Estil | 1,265]

On 4/9/2024 at 12:18 PM, Tanooki said:

@Reed Rothchild Their fans are utterly insufferable and take that 'we' thing to new heights.  There is no we, you're a fan, like what did YOU do to be consider the 'we' in their team eh?   

Don't be a smart ass  We refers to Big Blue Nation, just like my late wife was a member of Red Sox Nation.  Both of us born and raised as such, respectively.  Plus I do hold two BA's from UK.  But anyway, this is rather a dark horse (unexpected) candidate but if this does indeed pan out, I think this is an excellent choice for someone we can count on to put KENTUCKY FIRST and it'd be really cute/fun to call him His Holiness (yes I did that when he was on our 1996 champs; wow what a team that was, we were practically invincible in most of those games)!  

https://kentucky.rivals.com/news/report-uk-close-to-making-mark-pope-new-coach