The Next UK Basketball Coach...

[DeerHunter2007]

One thing you all don't seem to realize is that we are Kentucky, the number one college basketball program in the history of college basketball! No other college basketball program is Kentucky, but Mr. Orlando "Tubby" Smith is slowly taking us down the prestige ladder. Then above all else he gets on ESPN last summer and mocks UK fans by saying he has people ready to jump off buildings in Lexington over a 13 loss season; in a strong sense implying that a 13 loss season should be seen as wonderful or accepted. I don't really understand Mr. Smith, why doesn't he ride off to another Georgia and have his 20 win seasons and 2nd round exits at a school were he would be treated like a king while letting Kentucky get back to being Kentucky! Tubby should do himself and Kentucky a favor and resign at seasons end. Mr. Smith is a decent coach but my friends he is no Adolph Rupp or Rick Pitino on his best days.

[Hard Rock Fan]

While we are at this thread, we should also talk about replacements on who should be the next coaches at Duke, UNC, Kansas, etc. Because well Coach K apparently is not as good as he once was, because his teams cant do well in the tournament anymore, so they need to bring in some young guy now too. Then at UNC wow Roy Williams won a title with another coaches recruits as you all say, and then last year get knocked out of the tournament before the final four, and now this year they lose to a Gonzaga team who lost its 2 best players from the year before, so he needs to go because he cant get it done. Then finally Bell Self at Kansas, please someone get him out of there because he has just destroyed that program since Roy Williams left, because I mean look they suppose to have a very talented team, but they go and lose to Oral Roberts? Please that cant happen at a place like Kansas, so Bill Self needs to be replaced too. Wait a minute I forgot about the the almighty Pitino. Yeah he made the final four 2 years ago, but then he follows that up with just an NIT appearance, and then this year they have a very tough game with some small school that I cant think of the name right now, and not to mention they about loss to a NAIA school in Georgetown. So he just cant cut it anymore either.

 

So wow from some UK fans standards, we have alot of schools that need to go out and find some new coaches this year....

 

Kind of stretching it there, aren't you? First Duke, UNC, and Louisville HAVE MADE THE FINAL FOUR IN THE LAST 8 YEARS!!!!!! The almighty Tubby can't say that. I almost agree with you, though, about Coach K. He gets countless numbers of All Americans every year and doesn't seem to do very much with them. In a few years, if UNC and Kansas have become mediocre, then that will tickle me to death. I want to see those teams struggle, so I wouldn't be calling for a coaching change. I do HOWEVER, want to see a change in UK so they can be somewhat respectable again. Finishing a season unranked isn't respectable in my opinion.

[futurecoach]

I don't think the problem is so much the win total. They'll get 20+ wins probably. I think the problem is who they beat and who they don't beat. It's easy getting wins against Miss Valley St, DePaul, UMass, College of Charleston, EKU and teams like that. But whenever you get beat by most of the ranked teams, that's where the problem is.

 

To me, it's not just about losing 2 games. It's several years of doing nothing. If UK had made the Final Four last year, or even the year before, I doubt many people would be so upset. I've told people for several years now, that if UK would make it to the Final Four, I would get off his case. But until then, not a chance. It seems to me that a lot of people want to point out the Tubby "won" the title in '98 so he deserves credit. But when the team constantly gets bounced in the 2nd or 3rd round, it's not his fault, they just don't have the players. Strange.

 

I do not believe that for one second. If we made the final four when we lost to Michigan State in double overtime, and then had the year we had last year. You all would be saying then well Tubby just got lucky that year, and you all still would want him gone and you know it.

 

As I said before I think even if Tubby made a couple of final fours but didn't win the Championship in those years, then you all still would want him gone. Just because alot of you all dont like the way he does things. You all cant get over the Pitino days when all we did was run, and yeah that was very fun to watch, but you all need to realize Pitino is gone and is NEVER COMING BACK. We have ourselves a great coach here already, and you all need to learn to deal with it.

[futurecoach]

Kind of stretching it there, aren't you? First Duke, UNC, and Louisville HAVE MADE THE FINAL FOUR IN THE LAST 8 YEARS!!!!!! The almighty Tubby can't say that. I almost agree with you, though, about Coach K. He gets countless numbers of All Americans every year and doesn't seem to do very much with them. In a few years, if UNC and Kansas have become mediocre, then that will tickle me to death. I want to see those teams struggle, so I wouldn't be calling for a coaching change. I do HOWEVER, want to see a change in UK so they can be somewhat respectable again. Finishing a season unranked isn't respectable in my opinion.

 

Somewhat respectable again? Yeah I guess we haven't won more games than just about any other team in the last 4 years, and we weren't the #1 team in the country in 03 and 04. Then literaly seconds away from final four in 05. So yeah this program is definitely just mediocre now, and has gone down every single year that Tubby has been here...

[Son of Bear]

Tubby Smith seems to be satisfied with 20 win seasons and Sweet Sixteens with an Elite 8 every few years.

 

That attitude is all and well at Tulsa or Georgia, not at UK.

[futurecoach]

Tubby Smith seems to be satisfied with 20 win seasons and Sweet Sixteens with an Elite 8 every few years.

That attitude is all and well at Tulsa or Georgia, not at UK.

 

:lol: Yeah that is it! I mean Tubby goes into the year every year thinking ok guys lets make the sweet 16 and well then I dont care after that. Its not like I want to go to final fours, or win titles. I just want my sweet 16's. Yeah Im sure that is what Tubby wants to do...

[Hard Rock Fan]

:lol: Yeah that is it! I mean Tubby goes into the year every year thinking ok guys lets make the sweet 16 and well then I dont care after that. Its not like I want to go to final fours, or win titles. I just want my sweet 16's. Yeah Im sure that is what Tubby wants to do...

 

You say that with sarcasm, but I think you're right. He doesn't really appear to care. He can't understand why UK fans are upset. I know die hard Tubby fans that used to jump my case if I said the least negative thing about him, and now they're turning against him. Look at the weak and pitiful teams that we play OOC and tell me that beating them is reflective of a great team. I know a lot of teams do that, but they don't constantly go around talking about winning percentage and all that. They look at the number of Final Fours that they get to.

[futurecoach]

You say that with sarcasm, but I think you're right. He doesn't really appear to care. He can't understand why UK fans are upset. I know die hard Tubby fans that used to jump my case if I said the least negative thing about him, and now they're turning against him. Look at the weak and pitiful teams that we play OOC and tell me that beating them is reflective of a great team. I know a lot of teams do that, but they don't constantly go around talking about winning percentage and all that. They look at the number of Final Fours that they get to.

 

:confused: Weak and pitiful OOC schedule? So playing in the Maui against 2 top 15 teams, and then playin UNC, UL, and IU is a pitiful OOC schedule? I find it hard to believe that there are many teams that play a tougher OOC schedule...

 

The reason why he cant believe some fans are upset is because he has won more games than most programs in the last 4 years. And have come a double overtime away, and a injury to Bogans and just a red hot Marquette team away from having us a few final fours..

 

But as I said before even if we had got a couple of final fours, I really do not believe you all would be happy with him still....

[TeddyBear]

PA-THE-TIC!

 

That's all I can say! UK loses 2 games in a pre-season tournament, and some so-called "fans" are already looking for another coach! What a load of hog doody!

 

UK may still be one of the premier coaching jobs in college b-ball.

 

Why would a coach not want to come to UK?

 

1) Irrational fan base, full of coach-wannabes, unable to be pleased, and looking for replacements before your season even starts.

 

 

Why the cry that UK is slipping from the elite? Why not look at it as it really is....the proclivity of players departing the college ranks early to make $$$ in the NBA have created a new "parity" in college basketball. The days of recruiting and developing 4 year players are over. No longer can a team, any team count a player as a factor for 4 years. You're hoping for 3, and feeling really fortunate to get 4.

 

Please, people. Your season is going to be excrutiatingly long if you start being dissatisfied with two losses in the pre-season. Your team will lose some games this season. It's not the end of the world, and it's not the end of the UK basketball world. Why not sit back and enjoy some quality basketball and thank the good Lord your team is still among the best, with a dang fine coach to boot?

[Hard Rock Fan]

:confused: Weak and pitiful OOC schedule? So playing in the Maui against 2 top 15 teams, and then playin UNC, UL, and IU is a pitiful OOC schedule? I find it hard to believe that there are many teams that play a tougher OOC schedule...

 

The reason why he cant believe some fans are upset is because he has won more games than most programs in the last 4 years. And have come a double overtime away, and a injury to Bogans and just a red hot Marquette team away from having us a few final fours..

 

But as I said before even if we had got a couple of final fours, I really do not believe you all would be happy with him still....

 

First let's look at last year's schedule. They went 9-7 in the SEC during the season. That's the worst they've done in years. They were 10-4 OOC. That includes: South Dakota St, Lipscomb, Liberty, High Point, Georgia St, Iona, Ohio, and UCF. Plus unranked Indiana (that beat UK 79-53) and Louisville. Yeah, real tough schedule. They did schedule 4 ranked teams (17 Iowa, 13 West Virginia, 14 North Carolina, and 22 Kansas.) WVU is the only one of those 4 that they beat. In fact, they only beat 2 ranked teams ALL YEAR. That was WVU and Tennessee once. Not to mention losing by 27 to a Kansas team that you criticized earlier.

 

This year isn't any better. They scheduled: Miami (OH), Miss Valley St, Charleston, Chattanooga, Santa Clara, UMass, EKU, and Houston. Plus unraked Indiana and Louisville (who barely avoided huge upsets twice.) They also played DePaul. And granted, they have played 2 top 15 teams. But they didn't "schedule" them. The could've avoided playing them. The only ranked team they scheduled OOC was UNC, and they've already been beat this year. UNC at least has scheduled 4 consecutive ranked opponents.

 

I've said it once, and I'll say it again, UK gets a lot of their wins against a bunch of nobodies. That makes it easier for them to get 20 wins every year. Perhaps the biggest reason their SOS is so high is because of the number of ranked SEC teams that they have to play. If my numbers are correct, they're 2-9 against their last 11 ranked opponents and that's not including UConn in the tournament. That doesn't sound like an elite team to me.

[dolamite]

:lol: Yeah that is it! I mean Tubby goes into the year every year thinking ok guys lets make the sweet 16 and well then I dont care after that. Its not like I want to go to final fours, or win titles. I just want my sweet 16's. Yeah Im sure that is what Tubby wants to do...

 

It doesn't matter what he thinks or what he whats, but bottomline is.........thats what he does.

[Son of Bear]

:lol: Yeah that is it! I mean Tubby goes into the year every year thinking ok guys lets make the sweet 16 and well then I dont care after that. Its not like I want to go to final fours, or win titles. I just want my sweet 16's. Yeah Im sure that is what Tubby wants to do...

 

Obviously, Tubby (and every other coach in America) wants to win the National Title every year. :rolleyes: That used to be UK's attitude and they played like it, sadly that isn't the case anymore.

 

Have you seen the lack of emotion UK teams having been playing with the past couple seasons? They play with no heart, no energy, and are flat out boring to watch.

 

You sure wouldn't think they are #1 all-time in wins or have 7 National Titles. There are a lot of recruits knocking down the door to play "Tubby-ball" as well. And what about players getting better from year to year? I sure can't tell much difference.

 

Top programs are judged by Final Fours and National Titles, not by Sweet Sixteens and moral victories. It's sad to say, but UK's expectations have been lowered due to OTS.

[cvillecat]

While we're at it, why don't we speculate who will be the next UK coach after the next one. Seems to be that's all alot of you UK fans know what to do. I'm a diehard and hate losing just as much as you. But your complaining (besides the fact that Mitch and Tubby could care less what you say) only makes UK look bad to the general public. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem and complaining sure as heck ain't a solution.

Well said!!!:thumb: :thumb:

[hardball]

While we're at it, why don't we speculate on Louiville's next coach? After all, Pitino missed the tourney, is unranked, and just lost to Dayton. But he did luck up and reach a final four. Oh yeah, it is more fun to watch UL. Unless, of course, they're playing Dayton.

[Wireman]

Do you think Butler would beat Memphis and UCLA?

 

I think that Butler would have a very good chance to beat Memphis and/or UCLA. They are waxing the Garden floor with Gonzaga right now.

 

I think that come Monday, Butler will be a top-25 team and UK will not.