Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
As a UK fan, last night was depressing. I got up before the sun rose and the Jones and Bruce caravan began its trip around the state bringing forth legal help to its citizens throughout the day. We returned to Louisville late only to watch a game against Vandy that could not have been more frustrating. I would be remiss if I didnt note the unbelievably poor officiating (a common theme in all SEC games throughout the season) that took a thin UK bench and made it thinner, culminating in foul trouble for nearly all of the Cats’ players (AJ Stewart of all people fouled out). While it is worth noting that the Cats played as a jump shooting team while the ‘Dores took the ball to the basket more often (who thought you would ever read that sentence), the game nevertheless was a series of ticky-tack, questionable calls that made me wish for the days of John Clougherty and Don Rutledge. The Cats lost on their own, but the officiating was putrid.
Nevertheless, the story of the game once again was the bizarre decisions made by the current UK coaching regime. In a game in which a young Vanderbilt team has only one real way of beating you (on the inside), the Cats’ best opportunity to stop AJ Ogilvy sat the bench for nearly all the game. Josh Harrellson started, played 3 minutes with one mistake and then found only sporadic time on the court again. Why? Coming on the heels of the game in Fayetteville in which Kevin Galloway played three minutes for no particular reason, it reinforced my belief that the Gillispie substitutions patterns alternate between poor and irrational. There are reasons to play virtually all of the players that are in the rotation at various times. But why would you take your somewhat slow, but big and bulky center and NOT play him often in the one game you are playing against a slow, big and bulky center who is killing you inside? These players all make mistakes….why have some players mistakes be the end all be all and some players’ mistakes be forgiven? It is hard to understand.
Finally, watching the game continued a frustrating, and at times infuriating, tradition of running virtually no plays for Jodie Meeks Most of Meeks offense comes from (1) taking a guy one-on-one, (2) running around the offensive end in circles, hoping to lose his man or (3) the pick and roll, with the irrational hope that both men will not come out on Meeks (and bizarrely, sometimes they dont). Very rarely is a set piece designed, the goal of which is to get Jodie the ball in a position to score. Most of his offense is either self-created or in an NBA-style two-man game to get off a shot. That is great for an NBA game but in college, where the defenses are less sophisticated and the players less athletic, running set pieces for Meeks (a la JJ Redick at Duke) could get him even MORE open looks. How can that never be done?
The issues of who to blame for bad games for Kentucky usually make cries of “Billy has no players” to “Get rid of him, he cant coach.” Neither is true. Billy Clyde is a good coach who has the potential to win big. But in order to do so, I think he has to firmly adjust his principles to a new reality of Kentucky basketball and players/coaches on an elite level. Right now what we have makes little sense. I can take losing because of a lack of talent or even mistakes. But losing for irrational decisions that seem to have little to no purpose….that is difficult to accept.
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February 18th, 2009 at 11:50 am
word
February 18th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Dude, Harrelson played 7 minutes and didnt grab a rebound…
February 18th, 2009 at 11:57 am
“losing for irrational decisions that seem to have little to no purpose….that is difficult to accept.” Amen to that Matt.
February 18th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Just because you can’t understand the substitutions doesn’t make them poor or irrational. Coach runs the show and its going to be his way or the highway, and if his way results in HIM hitting the highway someday, so be it.
February 18th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Bottom line, these players were brought in to play ball line defense.
In that style it’s more about playing man only when your man has ball with the other guys
playing between the ball, the goal and the man. When and if you are beat off the dribble,
the help defense acts like a zone, it’s why you see players confused with playing against it…
well, except for the Crispin brothers and the teams that got crazy hot.
Billy has refused to adjust his style until he gets ‘his players’ and it seems like
we are throwing last and this season under the bus in the process. A simple switch
to zone last night with our best interior force out, and after we got into foul trouble
is exactly what we needed ‘to give ourselves the best chance to win’. But, it seems like
Coach didn’t pick up the teaching of the zone at any point of his basketball career…
I want to ‘run people out of the gym’ as well, but, it’s not happening with this coach, with these
players, with this team…so, I’d like to see adjustments made…..to………win…..more……
games……which…..is…..what I thought…….the point….of…..playing….was……
February 18th, 2009 at 11:58 am
well said MJ
February 18th, 2009 at 11:59 am
For the love of God bring back Saul Smith.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Does BCG really think that all these mind games are going to pay off in the end? I mean, sure, Harrellson might marginally improve (which he probably would’ve done with more PT anyway) and you’re going to run off Patterson, Meeks, and top recruits. I just wish I knew if BCG does all this inexplicable stuff because he actually thinks it will make his team/players better or if he does it just to prove to them he’s the one running the show or what.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
This critical loss should really teach Harrelson a lesson………(heavy sarcasm).
Billy needs to understand that while Harrelson my have has issues early, the alternative wasn’t working either.
Just don’t understand what he is thinking. I think that, to me, is the most frustrating part of the whole think.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
If we miss the NCAA his principals will get adjusting.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
I truly hope that Coach Gillispie lives up to the hype, brings in great talent, turns his players into phenomenal individual and team players, and brings UK back to the front of the national scene for years to come. Can he do it? I have no idea. Those who seem to know him say he’s fully capable of doing just that. And I really hope so.
I also see his supporters saying “trust him” and “he knows what he’s doing” or “it’s part of his system.” That may be true, but for those of us who don’t see the practices or hear the closed-door conversations, it’s really difficult to see how such trust is warranted right now. It’s not that I don’t agree with his gameplans, his substitution patterns, or his in-game adjustments. I just don’t understand them. There’s no discernable rhyme or reason that one can see here. There’s more to it than just “being tough” or “getting whipped.” I can understand Coach taking someone out of a game if they’re making bad decisions or playing sloppily, but never letting them sniff the floor the rest of the evening just makes me scratch my head.
Again, I hope Coach does well here. I really want him to. But I just can’t see how what he’s doing is moving UK in a positive direction right now. Maybe all this talk of being tough and breaking down players to build them back up will pay dividends in the long-run, but it’s incredibly tough to see how it’s helped move the team forward this season. Let’s hope the team can rebound and finish strong.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Apparently Jeanine Edwards must have worked out a deal with the REFs to “show the Billy” and well…it worked…we lost. (j/k of course)
February 18th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
great now matt is feeding the negative frenzy!!……..not even two years in and coming off coach of year honors & we amatuers are questioning this professional? sounds interesting!
JUST CUT THE GUY SOME SLACK - IF MEEKS/PPAT STAY AND THINGS ARE THIS WAY NEXT YEAR THEN YOU MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT……….UNITL THEN JUST PLEASE SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND SUPPORT THIS TEAM!!!!!! TEAM AS IN COACHES INCLUDED!
February 18th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
BLUESMAN #4 - well said
February 18th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Matt I agree with most things you say on here, but I gotta disagree on Harrellson. AJ Ogilvy is an inside-out, typical foreign big man player, and we don’t play zone to keep our bigs in the paint, so what good would it have done to have Josh chase Ogilvy around the court all night? There was not a good matchup for Josh out there at all. Ogilvy doesn’t play like a slow, bulky big man. When other players were taking it to the hole, AJ was on the perimeter, so Josh would have been ineffective at stopping anything inside. He’s not athletic enough to out-jump other guys for rebounds, and he couldn’t keep up with the guy he would have been boxing out. Keeping Josh out was an obvious decision last night. The alternatives didn’t work either, but that’s what happens when the officials make your guys soft inside to keep from getting fouls called on them, and you are without your only good big man.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
11. I think the one, and probably biggest, thing you failed to explicitly mention is that we’re losing these games. If we were winning with these seemingly random decisions, then we could say, “Trust Coach. He obviously knows what he’s doing.” But, when you’re losing, what reason is there to trust him other than the fact that he’s the coach?
There have been plenty of teams that have hired coaches that they thought would succeed and the coach failed. It’s not out of the question to think that BCG might not cut it either. I’m not calling for his job, but blind faith doesn’t make much sense either. One way or another, I think his team is underachieving this season. If someone had told any of us before the season that we’d have no major injuries, Meeks would be the #3 scorer in the country, Pat would statistically be better than last year, and the SEC would be the weakest major conference in America, not a single on of us would’ve thought we’d be on the bubble. Not one.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
maybe if we hadnt had a couple 5 to 6 game win streaks this year, the expectations wouldn’t have been as high…the first game of the year we got manhandled by VMI…that should have been the first sign that this team is not that great…do these guys play hard, YES…can we play well enough to beat better teams some nights, YES…is this team going to be consistent enough to win every game on the road, HELL NO…this team lacks leadership and the ability to score effectively…how can we really expect to win at Vandy, a place that always gives us fits, without our dominant low post force??? We are Kentucky basketball fans, and losing hurts and ruins my day (and the subsequent three days), but we have to have a little patience…if things aren’t markedly improved in the next year, or year following, all this bellyaching may be legitimate…I would pose one question for all those Coach bashers here and at CatsPause??? what is the solution?? Fire the coach?? Expect him to listen to your suggestions?? Patience is a virtue that very few of us Kentucky fans have…even i will admit i can barely stand the losing, but we must try to be supporters rather than detractors…
February 18th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Got to see: Galloway, Meeks, Sloan, Patterson, and Harrelson !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Significant time: liggins, miller, perry
Less time: porter, AJ stew
No time: carter, harris, etc…
At this point in the year, I am now 100% convinced that we HAVE to have two people that can shoot on the floor at ALL times. We have to take some pressure off of Jody and spread the court out. Spreading out the court will also help Patterson SOOOOO much.
opponents D looks like its man to man, but essentially is a box and 1 with people seriously on the 4 corners of the lane because we have NO ONE that can score outside of 10 feet. That is sad. Division 1 basketball players….mike porter is second on the team in made three pointers. I don’t care if its Krebs or Halsell. Youre telling me if we move Galloway or meeks to the primary ball handler that those guys cant contribute more than porter? Sloan has the best A/TO ratio on the team…..followed by Galloway, then liggins, and miller. So what does that mean? Galloway point (can guard their 3 on defense) sloan wing (can guard the slower of their 1 or 2) and meeks wing (guard whoever is giving us the most trouble between the 1 and 2) Patterson and Harrelson (second best 3 point percentage with over 3 attempts) So let me get this straight….they can take care of the ball better….find guys better and assist them, and shoot better???? So maybe we lack a little on defense. I understand going quick on UL or tenn but a vandy fla ga type team? THEY SHOULD NEVER BEAT HANDLE US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We’re down 12-15 points and we don’t foul at all….and we don’t full court press till 1:40 and still don’t foul when they beat our half-@$$ token full court man to man pressure? What happened to forcing a man to the sidelines, turning him, and bringing a weak side guy for a double team…..then he turns into it, and all these lengthy guys that cant shoot ACTUALLY HAVE AN ADVANTAGE IN SHOOTING THE GAPS!!!!!!!!! LETS AT LEAST TRY TO FORCE SOME MISTAKES WHEN WE ARE DOWN 14 with 5 minutes left. We let them power dribble the clock away in their half court set. Unbelievable. Poorly officiated. POORLY COACHED. Poorly executed.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
16, I totally agree.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
What I dont understand is that we are playing (relying heavily) on guys that havent smelled the court all year. I can deal with hashing out minutes early in the season based on practice effort, but when it comes to the conference schedule we are seeing these guys (Stewart, Galloway, Harrellson) struggle likes players who havent had time to get used to playing on the big stage.
p.s. Ramon Harris brings absolutely nothing to the table. He can’t score and can’t defend (he gets killed every game i dont know what you are talking about).
February 18th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
I knew we were in trouble last night when Porter shot that brick and didn’t even hit the backboard.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
All I gotta say is…for a coach that emphasizes “toughness” so much, his teams sure get manhandled a lot.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
the scuttlebutt is that there are “friends of the program” that are having some serious doubts and issues with Billy Gillispie. it’s not just fans.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
I will give BCG the same courtesy I gave Tubby. I question some of the things he does, but will support him until he gets a full compliment of “his” players on the roster. If we are in the same predicament in 2-3 years, I will jump ship. Until then, everyone needs to relax. we can’t just give the guy 2 years and say you have to be a final four team. That being said, what in the world is he thinking? this substitution patterns are driving me bananas.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
I bleed blue, so I will try to find positives for UK regardless of what is going on. The 2nd half of last night’s game was terrible, period. Move on to the next game.
Patterson will be back Saturday after getting 10 days of rest for his ankle AND his finger. He should be ready for the rest of the season. Getting Patterson back changes everything.
UK has to win 4 of its next 5 and controls its own destiny with games against SEC east teams. I think we win all 3 home games (UT will be playing its 2nd consecutive road game, LSU is beatable, and we manhandled UGA in Athens). So we will have to win at least one road game–the likeliest being in Columbia.
Get all your bitching out of your system because this team needs support. Once in the NCAA, anything can happen.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
23)Not surprising. If we miss the tourney I think sh*t will hit the fan.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
I knew the game was over when Meeks airballed a wide open three. I had to make sure it was meeks who shot the ball D:
February 18th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
His way or the Highway is exactly right, because he has exactly 1 more year to produce or that’s what he’ll be on, the Highway. I defended him as long as I could, when many on here were ready to pee on the fire, but now it is painfully clear that one of two problems occur. Either he does not have a grasp on what he is doing(which should be very, very hard to believe to have made it to where he is)or even worse, he is so arogant that he will do things his way no matter the costs. I consider myself a pretty rational guy, but I truely feel that unless things are going in a much better direction by this time next year, the drums of war will be beating loudly to the tune of “All My EXs Live IN TEXAS”
February 18th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Am I on Kentucky Sports Radio, or Catspause??? Can`t tell the differense from all of the b*tching! Let the man do his job, and quit trying to analyze his every move! He is 1 year and some change into his tenure. If we are still losing some of these games late next year, and in year to follow…then I too will grab my pitchfork and latern and go with some of the rest of you. Articles written such as this does NOTHING positive for our program.
Matt I love your blog…but I think this post is uncalled for.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Who’s talking about making the Final 4. Have we sunk to the levels of struggling to make
tourney and accepting it? These previous losses are going hurt us.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
17) I would wholeheartily agree with your synapses but there is one thing lacking…. A rational explanation as to why he does what he does. I think BCG is an excellent recruiter, and a great defensive coach. However, explain to me a consistent offensive set that we have shown in the last two years. More importantly, show me an offensive set designed to get Jodie open. You can’t ’cause there are none. I for one am sick of this mediocre pick and roll, 3 man weave that we do at the top of the key. It doesn’t work with any sort of consistency. We have the potential to have one mean Hi/low post offense with kickouts to the 1 and 2, but it seems as if he abandoned it early this year.
Beyond that, he will consistently “punish” players for one small mistake( I.e. Harrelson and Galloway) by making them sit, rather than COACH them on the mistake and get them back in. This doesn’t “punish” the player, it HURTS the TEAM.
And if this is the result of the “MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY” policy as some claim, then we might as well save some cash and find someone who is FLEXIBLE enough to WIN BALLGAMES.
There is only one caoch in the counrty who suceeds with this mentality, and he only developed it during the second half of his coaching tenure. That would be Bob Knight. And trust me BCG is no Bob Knight.
He can keep saying it’s his fault, as he has often said this year, but until HE does something to CHANGE, we can expect similar results.
THIS IS KENTUCKY BASKETBALL, not A & M, El Paso, Kansas, or Central Illinois. KENTUCKY. We expect to win winnable games.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
really think everyone needs to take a deep breath and relax with UK Hoops. We may go to the NIT this year which is unacceptable but I still think we are right on track to flourish after we no longer have to start and play JV players and true freshmen.
Gillispie is sending a clear message to guys like Liggins, Galloway, Miller that if you don’t practice hard and play the same way, you might as well transfer because you won’t play. This is causing losses right now but it is sending a clear message When the talent pool is back where it should be on the team these same guys will be the foundation of a talented team with good habits and spread those habits down to the young guys.
It sucks right now but did anyone really and truly have any expectations for this team prior to this season after losing Jasper, Crawford and Bradley? Even if Gillispie never did anything that I thought hurt the team this year I still saw the talent on this team as a step down from last years team that only won 18 games.
Gillispie probably sees the light at the end of the tunnel that unrealistic fans like myself have a hard time spotting. If preaching hard work in practice and the games this year costs us wins because less talented players are the only ones that feel like they have to practice that way, he probably thinks so be it. Let’s not forget he has turned around a lot worse teams than Tubby’s UK roster into contenders using the exact same tactics.
All I am saying is I really get frustrated with UK fans and our short leash. Can we not even shut up and let this guy coach a team full of his own players?? After all, we saw Tubby’s true colors when this happened.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Two more loses and we are out of the Tourny, unless we win the SEC Tourny, which isn’t likely. I firmly believe that. And if that happens, the kettle will begin to boil over. He will still have next year which will give him a rooster heavily impacted by him own recruits. That will be his last chance to make big improvements.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Did Gillispie say that Josh made “one” mistake or is that a perception?
February 18th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
33)WTF: Is coach bringing in rooster’s to the program?
February 18th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Also, the repeated comment from fans that Gillispie is a fine or good coach followed by a “but” that lists numerous reasons to believe otherwise is getting old. I understand if people think the book is still out. But if fans who know far less about basketball are continually criticizing the coach, it starts to appear that they are just afraid to say what they think, that the coach is not as good as advertised. I understand fans saying that they just don’t know, because fans really don’t know as much about basketball as they think, but when the call a coaching decision bad, then they are professing the knowledge to make a determination. So, I would prefer they man up, rather than continue with all the “buts.” And, yes, I include the opinions written herein.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
MATT IS DEAD ON………STEVENSON WAS A LIABILITY ON BOTH SIDES OF THE COURT LAST NIGHT — HE MAKES MISTAKES CONSTANTLY…AND YET HARRELLSON IS TAKEN OUT IT SEEMS B/C HE JACKED UP ONE THREE POINTER…
IN MOST GAMES, THE OFFICIATING IS MORE LOOSE BUT HARRELLSON ALWAYS SEEMS TO GET CALLED FOR FOULS AND DESERVEDLY SO…HOWEVER IN LAST NIGHT’S GAME THE OFFICIATING WAS SO RIDICULOUS THAT NO ONE WAS GOING TO BE SPARED FROM GETTING FOULS CALLED ON THEM…SO IT MAKES NO SENSE TO GIVE STEVENSON, STEWART ET AL. SO MUCH PLAYING TIME AND HARRELLSON SO LITTLE…OGILVY IS SOFT CHUMP AND HARRELLSON COULD HAVE HAD A GREAT OFFENSIVE GAME AGAINST HIM.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
18 - seriously, when you “have to see” more Sloan, the rest of your post gets ignored! What exactly did you see before that makes you think he could handle playing right in the middle of conference play??
February 18th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
32. It is not realistic in today’s day and age of college sports to allow a coach 3-4 years without any expectations, especially at a major program. Guys step in all the time and have early success. By your rational, we shouldn’t even begin to judge him until after next season. But why though? He has enough talent to play much better now. If he wants to recruit his type guys and begin molding them, that’s fine. But you can’t sacrifice 3 seasons on the chance (because that’s what it is) that he’ll succeed in the future. If he misses the tourney this year and next (and he will next year if Meeks and Patterson leave), you have no choice but to replace him. I’m not saying fire him now, but you have to question the way he’s coaching this team.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
37 - How do you know he was pulled because of the 3?? You don’t! How about his defense and rebounding?? A lot more likely since Harrelson is probably the 2nd best shooter on the team.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
As is often the case, you seem to be right on point, Matt!
There is NO RATIONAL reason for BCG’s decisions other than that gigantic chip on his shoulder that forces him to try to prove to everyone that this is HIS team and that HE will do WHATEVER he wants with them, WHENEVER he wants to….regardless of the outcome and completely independent of what any rational fan would expect!
Rarely does such an arrogant, self-centered attitude like that lead to anything good in life, imo, and in this case he’s single-handedly taking down an entire team and the fan base that supports it.
BCG apologists will say that he has to have time to bring in “his players” and that Tubby left him with nothing, but think about this…..
Crawford and Bradley…..Tubby.
Meeks….Tubby!
Patterson…..??? (most “objective” folks will agree that Tubby probably got him here and BCG just didn’t screw it up!)
Jasper…..Tubby (gone…..wonder why?)
Legion….BCG (gone…..wonder why?)
Liggins…BCG (almost gone….wonder why?)
Miller….BCG (next guy to run off?)
So, recruiting and keeping players hasn’t necessarily been his strong suit so far. Well, at least he’s winning! Oh….wait…..he’s not….in two years he’s taken an above average group of players and for the most part made them look below average…….he’s taken a once DOMINANT home court advantage, and completely destroyed it (Gardner Webb? VMI?)……he’s taken a perenial top-10 / Sweet Sixteen team and turned them into NCAA-hopefuls. I just don’t understand why people still try to defend him!? (nor why they continue to slam Tubby…..but that would take 100 more paragraphs!
Anyhow….thanks for the nice writeup, Matt…..from a fellow “disgruntled” fan, it was a very nice read and reminds me of the fact that this is one of the BEST places to go to read OBJECTIVE writing about the Cats!
February 18th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Is it football season yet?
February 18th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
jesus take the wheel…
February 18th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Matt you forgot our other big offensive set, the 3 man weave. Everyone thought that this offense was retired sometime in the 1960s but Billy is trying to bring it back.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
If you honestly think we didn’t run plays for Jodie Meeks, you’re either visually impaired, weren’t paying attention, or out of your mind. Jodie was coming off screens all night long. Vandy played them well, and he still dropped 26. Lay off Meeks, and lay off the play calling. You think Harrelson should have played … fine, I don’t think it would have made a difference, but whatever. But saying no plays were ran for Jodie is absurd.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
34- Coach said “He didn’t play hard enough.” when asked about Harrellson.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
The University of Kentucky - The next great basketball program.
We suck.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
This is seriously a freakin joke. Coaches with WAY more talented rosters have lost worse games then this! We are lucky to be where we are at this point. Next year will be a whole different ball game.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
39. This should really get some people going…The argument could actually be made that this team is overachieving based on the youth and lack of talent available. Honestly… What were your expectations prior to this season after losing Crawford, Bradley, and Jasper??
February 18th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
i think you nailed it Matt, and i said something similar last night on TCP forum: the problem isn’t the perceived lack of talent, or the coach’s gameplan, it’s his decisions about who plays and who doesn’t, who starts and who doesn’t, etc. Galloway and Harrellson should be ahead of Porter and Harris in the rotation, yet their minutes are inconsistent at best, and Porter and Harris continue to start. Stewart obviously has a lot of untapped potential. I just don’t get it. These baffling decisions about who plays and who doesn’t may ultimately be what sinks Gillispie at UK. Apparently this guy is more concerned with winning mind games than basketball games. Such a sadness.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
41. Okay. I think you’re being a little less than objective here. Patterson has said before that while Tubby recruited him, it was not a done deal until BCG stepped in. Maybe Tubby would have landed him, but considering he pretty lost every other top recruit in the end, that’s not likely. And it’s not like we were a top 10/Sweet 16 team the two years before BCG came in. A lot of people think that while Tubby maintained that caliber of a team for a while, he had fallen of a bit in those last 2 years. You also mention Crawford, Bradley, Meeks, and Jasper as Tubby guys but fail to mention Carter, Harris, Porter, and Stewart as guys that are bringing the roster down (although I don’t feel that way about Stewart, most people do).
February 18th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
29 — BCG is now 57 games into his tenure at UK. At what point into his UK career does one have the right to gripe about some of his decisions? 75? 100? In my opinion, BCG could have stayed in the locker room for the entire second half and UK would have played better than what was on display last night. We came out after halftime with no conviction, no purpose, no adjusted gameplan to speak of. We should have come out fired up with passion — we should have wanted to kill Vandy after the first half sloppiness. We looked completely aimless. When will we start to see some steady improvement just in the basic fundamentals of basketball from this team?? This team has trouble dribbling, passing, shooting, setting screens, etc, etc…………….
February 18th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
I for one am getting sick of CBC’s stupidity at player time. QUIT PLAYING PORTER YOU MORON!!!!
CBC bitched about the rebounding, well unless they have changed the rules, you can’t get rebounds sitting on the bench!!! PLAY HARRELSON YOU DUMMY!
CBC hopefully mans up this offseason and runs off the dead weight and gets A DAMN PG THAT IS WORTH THE NIKES HE IS WEARING!!!!
February 18th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Jodie got 26 points. You expecting 45 every game. Ain’t going to happen. I have to admit Jorts absence was strange. I know Gillispie said the game plan was to drive the ball to the basket every time but we failed to finish plays, travel, lose control, etc.
Aren’t we in 2nd place in our division? Aren’t we 1-1 without PPat? Weren’t you singing Billy’s praises on how he schooled Pelphrey? Make up your mind.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
[...] Matt Jones said, it was bizarre to watch. He wasn’t the only one either. Courier-Journal blogger Chris Diggs offers this [...]
February 18th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
49. My expectations were this. With another year in BCG’s “system”, Patterson a year older, Meeks coming back healthy, and two top 50 recruits coming in, I thought we would easily make the NCAA tourney IF we played up to our potential. What have we not done? Played up to our potential. I mean, who didn’t think Stevenson would be vastly improved after the way he finished last season? And who didn’t hear the reports of Harris’ “development” in the off-season? I just think that if you assume no one would get better, the freshmen and transfers wouldn’t contribute at all, and we’d still look lost in the coaching transition, you could say we’re overachieving. But I, personally, had enough faith in the coaching staff for those 3 things not to happen.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
(29) Right on. There are still 4 games left in the SEC schedule. We didn’t have Patterson last night, remember? This team may not win a NC, but I’ll be rooting for them to the very end.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
54 Dead on.
Either get on board or don’t but I hate all this flip flopping. When we win he is a great coach and when we lose he isn’t. We smoked UT with Porter and Harris on the floor, no one was complaining then.
Let the man do what he is paid to do and coach basketball. As much as I love our program I do get annoyed with our fans from time to time. I am guilty myself from time to time but often the entire UK fan base thinks it can coach the game better than our current coach. This goes back to the Joe B. days.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
41 -
How good was Crawford and Bradley before Gillispie?? Go ahead and admit it….they were infuriating! Then they became very good and 1 even got drafted which wouldn’t have happened with Tubby.
Meeks…..all-american now.
Patterson - fact is BG came in did what he had to do to save this recruit.
Legion - headache gone
Liggins - still here
Miller - still here
So……Legion is gone and he recruited all those guys but Meeks. Nice post.
Also, he went undefeated last year in SEC play at home. Go root for Minnesota if you like Tubby!
February 18th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
You always have the right to gripe about his decisions but this “Oh my god he’s terrible we’ve got to dump him and get a Kentucky boy he’s had almost two seasons and just one full recruiting class that was piecemealed with JUCOs and transfers because of a late start how long are we going to let him ruin the great program and team that His Royal Majesty Orlando Smith left us” nonsense is ridiculous.
You’ve got to give the guy some real time. Tubby was a great Xs and Os coach, so the team wasn’t likely to improve with largely the same players. We need more talent. We’ll see if he gets it.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
The Players need to watch my video I will be putting up today
February 18th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I think people pin way too much on the coach. Coaches win by getting the best players and getting the best out of them. XandO’s are overrated. Recruiting and player development are by far the most important aspects of college coaching. Don’t believe me? Look as past NCAA champs (final 4’s for that matter) and see what players they had.
Harrelson is not good enough to play D1 yet. Maybe next year but for Matt to say that is not playing Harrelson was part of the problem is off point.
Face it, we are going to have to suffer through this year and next until BCG can get the players the program should have.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
I never like the BCG hire. If you’re going through growing pains and trying to rebuild, then you need to bring in a young guy who is a student of the game and willing to adapt and change under different circumstances. It’s obvious that Gillispie is not a people person and not a good ambassador for the game or this university.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
liked*
February 18th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
The first so-called error by Harrellson was Harris’ fault. Josh left Ogilvy to help with another player who had dribbled by his man (fancy that, someone driving by a UK defender). Harris was standing right next to Ogilvy but when the ball was shot he just turned and looked at the basket instead of putting a body on Ogilvy. Read the article on Shane Battier and see what he does to Pau Gasol when the ball goes up. It doesn’t take ANY athletic ability to block out. There is NO ONE on this team that blocks out. Harris failed to block out Taylor on at least two other occasions that led to easy baskets. Anyone know WHY Harris plays? Doesn’t Galloway have a much greater upside than Harris (who has NO upside)?
I’m frustrated as many of us are and it is painful to see the lack of fundamentals on this team.
There don’t seem to be any plays for Meeks like there were for Jeff Sheppard, but I don’t know that they would work even if there were. The supporting cast is so poor that the other team WILL NOT guard the other players no matter what. I would like to see a high screen like Florida uses but that probably wouldn’t work either since both defenders would just stay with Jodie.
Looks like we are wasting a year with one of the greatest players in UK history. Can anyone say “Piston Pete”.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
58. We beat UT, Florida, and Arkansas because our players willed us to the win. When Meeks is going out for 45 and 54 or making a ridiculous game winning shot, that’s not much about coaching. It’s when he scores 20-25 and is being effectively guarded all game that coaching really comes into play. After the Arkansas game, I didn’t care about Billy, I was just shocked that Pelphrey didn’t do a better job and that proved he wasn’t ready for a job like UK.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
dobby you are mistaken - many former players of BCG talk about how much he has done for them. (i.e. Crawford, Bradley, Law)
February 18th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Like I said. We loved Tubby after he gave us a national championship with Rick’s players and when he loaded up the team with his own average talent and started losing ten games year we gave up on him and rightfully so.
Who’s to say that it won’t be the exact opposite with BCG. We hate him now because he can’t win every single game with a depleted roster but once he fills the roster up with his type of talent we get right back where we want to be and win another title?
February 18th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
53. Harrellson couldn’t have gotten rebounds on the court last night either. He was getting jumped over and ran-around by athletes and Ogilvy was drawing him out of the paint with his outside shot. It baffles me that a lot of our fans see a guy with a good shot and forget entirely about defense and rebounding. For as many points as Josh could have scored last night, he would have given up 10 more, if he didn’t foul out before that. A guy makes a 3 and becomes a KY legend, regardless of how bad he plays on the other end. Josh has potential, but he shouldn’t see significant minutes until he A) goes up against a slow, true post-player or B) quits getting burnt and losing his man, and learning how to box-out in the paint instead of trying to out-jump guys.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
46 — I think that’s what’s so frustrating about BCG. His uninformative, shallow answers about everything are getting old. Harrelson “didn’t play hard enough?” Really BCG?? He didn’t play hard enough? Wow. Could you possibly be any more general than that?? Maybe next time he’ll say that “he didn’t play very very very very hard enough.”
February 18th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
51. Agreed. I didn’t say that Tubby would have definitely landed Patterson, but that he was well on his way to doing so when he left, and by most BCG appologist’s account, you’ll never even hear Tubby’s name come up in the conversation for Patrick! (only for Carter, Harris, Porter, etc…..as you mentioned!)
I also agree with you on the above-named recruits not being great, but that doesn’t really change my point…..I was just trying to say that Tubby didn’t leave the cupboards completely bare as some will argue….he left us with more than enough talent to compete in the SEC and to be a top-25 team (and to not lose 3 out of 4 to Vandy!)……BCG just hasn’t figured out how to do it, imo.
Speaking of such….outside of Patterson, would you say that BCG has had a good first two years of recruiting in Lex? I mean, with Legion gone, and Liggins and Miller seeming to struggle just to make positive contributions, I would argue that Galloway may be his best recruit so far! How bad is that for a man who’s supposedly hangs his hat on his recruiting prowess!?
February 18th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
96 wildcat- debate me on the issue then….if you dont want to see sloan…tell me why and who in his place.
I have forgot more basketball than youve ever known.
With Porter 2nd on the team in three point makes, you dont think we need a shooter besides meeks to spread the court? a shooter that can knock down a 10 footer?
February 18th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Nashville - so Meeks is just that amazing that he is able to get so many point without any offense run for him? If that’s the case he may be the greatest college player ever. Watching off the ball there are a ton of back screens set for Jodie. You blame the coach for the losses and then credit the players for the wins?
February 18th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
69. I am not saying that Harrelson could have shut down Oglivy. BUT, with PPAT out and Perry pulling his disappearing act, who else do you put in to attempt to get rebounds? So you want Harris/Porter out there doing their crap? How bout Liggins, who again failed to score? AJ played great last night but fouled out because he had to guard Oglivy. Dumb move. Also Harrelson could have pulled Oglivy out from the paint and opened up the inside for Miller and Meeks to drive the ball.
CBC is quickly making me think that he is an in-game moron. Porter has to be Michael Jordan in practice to continue to get to play. He had no business on the court last night and it showed when he was continually stripped of the ball.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Nerd fight brewing! ^^^
February 18th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Patterson’s coming here had little to do with the coach. He came because of the school, and very importantly it’s location because of his family and supporters. With the winningest program in history, the identity of the coach should not be the prevailing factor on a kids decision to attend a school. Tradition is our calling card, not who sits on the bench. But, unless things change in a hurry, I’m affraid that we won’t be able to use the past to get talent in here. Sad
February 18th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
sorry 74, you’re not a nerd. That was directed toward 72.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
71. Oh, I agree completely with your last point. Billy isn’t the super spectacular recruiter that people make him out to be. He is a good recruiter (better than Tubby), but not great. Everyone that says, “Wait until he gets his players” is relying on the chance that he’ll bring in stud players. But, in the next 2 years, he has Orton, Hood, and Ferguson. Other than that, his recruting classes aren’t that great. I mean, he’s no where close to a top 5 class either year. I think Liggins and Miller are both UK caliber players given time and proper coaching (which they may or may not be getting) and I think Galloway was a steal (even though BCG is totally screwing that up), but Harrellson, D. Williams, Villarino, Ross-Miller, Euton, Zollo, and Avery are all very questionable right now.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Billyclyde - why is Orton coming here?
February 18th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Why isn’t that enough drewster? I can understand the lack of clarity with regard to “toughness” but I think “not playing hard enough” is pretty self explanatory. If a guy gets a rare opportunity to start a game and isn’t giving the effort, you want the coach to keep him in?
February 18th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
“How good was Crawford and Bradley before Gillispie?? Go ahead and admit it….they were infuriating!” Glad you brought that up, 59, because I was just about to say that Liggins and Miller actually remind me a lot of what Crawford and Bradley did back in ‘04-’05…..lots of “potential” there, but it just doesn’t seem like they get it sometimes!!
So thanks for making my point that BCG hasn’t proven to be any better at recruiting than Tubby was (while not being as good at winning games, either…….nice combo!
)
February 18th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
80 - thank you. If he quantifies every reason why a player is pulled people would say that he is throwing his team under the bus. Trust me a player knows why is he pulled out. He might not like it or agree with it but he knows why.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
I agree, 78.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
73. I’m not saying that we don’t run plays for Jodie. I’ve never said that. What I’m saying is that when that’s not working, that’s when we really see what BCG is made of. The most obvious thing in the world for UK to do is run screens for Meeks to get open and run the offense through him. But when that’s not working, we have to go to something else and we never seem to have a back up plan. Then what happens? We lose. You can’t credit the coach for spectacular performances. And you can blame the players for losing too. But if the coach has no gameplan for the players, that takes a lot of the responsibility off them.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
I am not a flip flopper, I have always felt that BCG’s biggest asset to UK was recruiting. I did not complain about him until this year. He HAS his recruits…albeit not a full class. If this happens next year you can count on me calling for his head. I can’t see him changing the way he does things, so we’ll see if HIS recruits can function as well under HIS methodology. But the way he coaches, he would sit 5 michael jordans down for making a mistake and let 5 sean suttons play as long as “they practiced hard”. So I really don’t put much substance into the “no talent” arguement. It simply isn’t true. Even if it were, then he would still adhere to his “principles” and sit down the Jordan’s for those whose effort in practice was sufficient for him. Outcome of the contest be damned!
February 18th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I knew it would be a bumpy two year adjustment period for BCG, but honestly I never expected he wouldn’t play his talent. You play guys like Legion, Liggins, Galloway,Harrelson now to get them ready for the future. Guys like Porter, Harris, and sloan are practice players. I thought I’d see more offensive movement instead of passing it around the perimeter or throwing it into a triple teamed Patterson, and that three man weave is pathetic. I also thought he’d be more of a players coach, you rarely see these guys having fun. I’m still willing to give him one more year. I guess i’ve been watching too many tapes of the ‘96 team.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
84 - OK. Understandable. However, after Meeks we have no other player that can put up substantial points. That’s why I think he was running a weave. Trying to slow down the game and limit possessions.
Hope the team can D up and win it down the stretch. Unfortunately, no one chose to rebound. Leaving us with very little alternatives.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
I really wish I could find the letter that some A&M fan wrote to UK fans after some of the bad losses last season. Did anyone save this or remember enough about it to reference it now? Basically stated that just when you will think that Gillispie is an idiot and doesn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to coaching things just click and the wins start rolling in.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Matt,
I agree with your points most of the time, but some of them in this post make no sense to me. I will agree that BCG has no substitution pattern, but Harrellson was not the answer this game. BCG decided to go small. On the offensive end we got into the lane anytime we wanted but we seldom finished with a basket. Blame this on the refs, or us just playing tentative. I believe it was a little of both. The most mind boggling read was where you wrote we “run virtually no plays for Jodie Meeks”. Our offense is based on trying to get Jodie open. I don’t know what game you watched but we were trying to run Jodie off of screens just about every single time we ran an offensive set. Now the keyword here is “TRYING”. Sometime it worked, sometime it didn’t. Vandy was switching, holding, and bumping Jodie the whole game. This is the reason that we end up just handing the ball to Jodie at the end of the shot clock. This goes without mentioning that we don’t have many capable passers to get it to Jodie in position to shoot(even if he comes off a screen with a clean look). This makes what he is doing this year even more impressive.
This game was not won or lost on offense. Our defense and defensive rebounding was putrid in the 2nd half. How many times did we make a couple of baskets only to breakdown on defense and let them hit a wide open layup. Layups that had nothing to do with matchups, just simply missed assignments.
BCG does not always make the best of decisions, but this didn’t lose the game for us. I do agree that the refs sucked.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
just wait till we drill UT this weekend with Patterson back. everybody will be talking about how great BCG is and they will be making fun of Minnesota again.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
You guys probably already saw this, but Mark Story posted an interesting tidbit yesterday……
http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/696970.html
February 18th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
87. Yeah. I defintitely agree that Billy wants to slow the game down and our rebounding sucks. But I’m of the belief that when you have trouble scoring, you need to push the pace of the game and try to get some easy buckets. If you have a line-up of Liggins, Meeks, Miller, Galloway, and Stewart (which we did at one point last night), you should be flying up and down the court Memphis/UNC/Phoenix Suns style. That isn’t a half court offense team, that’s an athletic Phi Slamma Jamma squad. So why slow it down? Implement a for real full court press and push it at every opportunity. Those guys can’t shoot from the outside, but all of them can finish around the rim.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
84 & 86 …… I agree wholeheartedly!
February 18th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
pdiggs - Sloan is WAY to slow to play at this level right now. When he first saw time it was against much less talented teams and he hustled his a$$ off, but still struggled keeping his guy in front of him and hitting 3’s. When he was brought in against SEC teams he wasn’t even close to being quick and athletic enough to warrant any time. His release is too slow as exhibited by taking a wide open 3 only to be swatted by an athletic defender playing help defense. Sloan has heart and can hit free throws, but that is it. Do you think he could handle bringing the ball up at all?
I take Miller, Liggins, and Galloway over him and Sloan anyday even with some of the mistakes they make. Speed, athleticism, ball handling, length and height are just a few attributes that they ahve over Sloan.
Did you really just say you have forgotten more basketball then I have ever known?? That’s original….I haven’t seen that quote on here a million times. You must have forgotten the parts about having an eye for talent.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Nashville- I would love to see that type of pace but it all starts with defensive rebounding which we were not doing at all.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
That is an interesting tidbit 91. I too was glad happy for Matt Kenseth at Daytona.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
It’s this simple, and refs and substitution patterns be damned -
WE HAVE NO REAL CONSISTENT SCORING THREATS BEYOND PATTERSON AND MEEKS, AND NO TRUE EXPERIENCED POINT GUARD.
That’s it in a nutshell. I maintain that once Coach gets a few more of his type players on board, all this crazy nonsensical talk about how mystifying Coach’s decisions are will fade away. SUre he’s got a unique way of doing things, but when the shots fall, it works.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Smoothcat - They are still frshman though. Bradley and Crawford were infuriating until there senior year, so give them some time to learn at leats before judging them. I think Miller is light years ahead of what he was at the begining of the year and Liggins is getting better as well.
Also, just to touch on your recruiting theme and talking about players staying. I believe the Tubster had some issues with Crawford, Morris, Michael Bradley, etc. as well just to name a few.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
97. You mean when we hit a ton of 3’s and Meeks is unstoppable it works. Too bad neither of those is a product of good coaching.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
99 - we don’t have anyone else who can hit ANYTHING, including layups. When Patterson’s in, you have an inside game. He wasn’t last night, so we didn’t.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
… and you can’t coach shooting by the time these kids get to college. I’ve heard that other guy who coached here in the ’90’s say as much.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
100. I don’t really see much of an inside game even with Patterson. I see us trying to force an inside game and turning it over a lot, but I really don’t see us working the ball inside to Patterson and him hitting a shot all that often. When we do get it inside, the best we can hope for is a foul and Pat going to the line because as soon as he catches it, he’s triple teamed.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Then why is our offense designed to get a lot of 3’s? And you can’t really say it’s not, because we shot a ton of 3’s last year too.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Matt: The problem with your proposed solution is that it is painfully obvious this coach has problem admitting a mistake and adjusting his gameplan. Last night he continued with a gameplan that was problematic at best and then blamed the players in the post game for “not driving to the basket enough”. C’mon…how about admitting Harrelson should have been in the game and that the small lineup was a bad idea?!?!!? When BCG won’t make obvious changes, that is not an example of being a good coach, as you allege.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
I really think the combo of another recruiting class and experience for the underclassmen will make a world of difference.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
You want bizarre???
Why is Ramon Harris or Michael Porter getting any play other than carrying equipment and passing out water. Every blind squirrel finds an acorn, and that is what we have seen this entire season. Small glimpses of average play followed by……is that guy really wearing a UK uniform? How he continues to start both of these guys is beyond my mortal rational thought process. If they improved by 1000% they would finally become average contributors. There is no upside with these guys, so lets not pull another Mark Coury and waste anymore minutes. At least Galloway goes 100 mph in effort, Miller will become a good/great player and Liggins will either learn, quit or transfer. I would rather have these guys make the dumb freshmen mistakes with upside coming than have those two donkeys continue to play at a 4th grade level.
Is there any basketball IQ left in Lexington??? I wonder if Ramon has photos of Billy G doing something carnal………because why in the HELL does he even play let alone start.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
94) 96 wildcat- you obviously really didnt read my post. I said i want sloan on the floor. Galloway would bring the ball up (not an outside threat) and then on D he would have to guard their small forward. Shouldnt be a problem. Hes a quick 6′7. With a player that can penetrate and dish like galloway….a scorer like meeks, sloan wont have to create his own shot…we just need someone to knock down a wide open look. He may have slight problems on D as i also said but he could guard the worse of their two guards since jody is our primary defender. I like miller liggins and galloway. all of em i think they are good, but they all cannot shoot outside of 10ft and are creaters. they have to get to the rack to score. with no one to open up lanes for these guys they cant contribute effectively. They are all the same type of player.
Yes, that was the quote i said. if you would like to compare basketball resumes, let me know.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
^^^ Nerd fight!!!!!!!!!
February 18th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
blues man, suck it. im trying to make a case for a second shooter. I think i can argue that case all day. Porter second on the team in 3pt fgs made? man were in trouble. Ill argue that all day. Beez knows me from high school….he’ll tell you ab how i was the captain of the basketball team and dated the hottest cheerleader. haha maybe im not that cool anymore but i think im not to nerd ststus yet. I dont drive a mini van.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I have that stomach virus that’s been going around and have this very day puked and crapped more basketball knowledge than you have digested in at least the last week.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
pdiggs - You are right……I said when you say you have to see Sloan your post gets ignored.
There isn’t a slow or poor off guard in the SEC. Every player is quick and could get by him and that’s why he is a walk-on. He had chances against lesser competition to knock down shots and he shot a wonderful what 25-30%. So, what makes you think he is ready now?
I guess I could take a picture of my eyeballs and send them to you because that is about 30 years of watching basketball experience.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
By the way, I’m just messin around. I’d prefer to see Liggins and Galloway in the game at the same time.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
pdigg -
Trust me…….Bluesman is right. Anytime you have to talk about yourself and how much you know and you did this and that, you are a nerd. You don’t have a mini-van because you probably don’t have young kids…..probably because you aren’t married……could be wrong, but just a wild guess.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
A good team has 12 players who understands and accepts their rolls. Weather it’s playing your ass off in practice and getting mop up time on the court (which BCG doesn’t even give) or scoring 25 points a game, all should have rolls. The problem with this team is that, other than Meeks and Patterson, no one knows their roll. I mean not even a scrub like Sloan can get a defined roll. Here is what I believe it should be:
Meeks and Patterson–No Change, they have rolls.
Porter-Come off the bench for 6 minutes a half, don’t turn the ball over, make an open 3.
Liggins-20 min a game, start, get us off to a good start, make more positve plays than negitive. Nutralize the opposing point w/ height.
Galloway-23 Min, 8 at point. Make plays for others, help on the boards.
Miller-20 min. Rebound, slash, hit the open J
Harris-12 min. D up and rebound
Stevenson-20 min block shots, hit an open J, work high low w/ Patterson
Harrleson-12 min. Bang, give us some quick offense off the bench, Set picks for Meeks.
Stewart–12 min. Use athleticism to make plays on O and be steady on D.
Eveyone else sit the bench and work your ass off in practice.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
96 wildcat…the reason i said that is because you said i was an idiot and didnt even read what i had to say and how i justified it. I was just letting you know i am not an idiot. I have played basketball my who life, through high school, AAU circut, and still play. I have season tickets and my dad took me to games before i could walk. I have lived basketball my whole life. Now if you dont think we desperatly need a second shooter….you are the idiot. Does it make me a nerd because I am not married? im 26. no i dont have kids either. I do have a g/f and i am a young professional who works in downtown louisville. I have been captain of my soccer, basketball, and AAU teams my whole life. I know a little bit about something that could potentially help a team. Now im not trying to sound all big and bad on a message board but i am not an idiot, and for you to not read the justification then you can….well….suck one. the players you want to get the majority of the time…liggins galloway and miller, i too like all their games. But when they play at the same time we are 1 dimensional and easy to stop. I dont understand how you dont get that we need another shooter….and as i said in my origional post….it doesnt have to be sloan…it can be anyone. If i had to vote it would be sloan over krebs and Halsell because he takes care of the ball.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
You left out the part about having many leatherbound books.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Matt, I don’t know quite how to say this but it’s along the lines of you’re really full of poo. Your best asset is hutzpah but when it comes to evaluating basketball strategy you’re hurting (in a manner of speaking).
February 18th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Matt, you are 100% right. Very few plays if any for Meeks.
When meeks caught the ball there wasn’t a blue shirt
within 15 feet of him to screen.
I didn’t like 10 loss Tubby and now we will have 12 or 14
loss Gillispie. We have a bench full of ovc type players
and very little coaching.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
dont know what that means but if we do what you say at this point in time and have galloway liggins meeks perry and patterson we are getting more of the same….teams are figuring us out. pack it in force us to shoot shots outside of 10 feet, play no help full deny on meeks. DARE liggins, miller, porter, galloway, stevenson, etc to shoot beyond 10 ft. with a player like galloway/liggins runnin point they can penetrate and people cant help off like they do against us. its what makes rondo so effective….he cant shoot…but he can get to the rim and has two people who can knock down shots. one is primarily a jumpshooter (allen) and one can knock down a 3 and get to the rack and hit a pull up (pierce) and patterson can be garnett for arguments sake, and harrelson can be perkins. i dont want to compare sloan to ray allen now but do you think they would be an easier team to beat if you replaced ray allen with someone who had to get to the rack to score, and they could just deny pierce and pack it in inside? You guys watch basketball at all?
February 18th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
AMEN!!!!
February 18th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
You don’t kick the basketball, you don’t roll it, the idea
is to put the ball in the basket. You must out score the other team, five defensive players on the floor won’t do it!
Every time UK gets a recruit they say he needs to work on
his shot. Recruit shooters and quickness if you expect to
win.
Rupp said, give me a shooter (Louie Dampier) and I will
teach him how to play defense.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
i cannot even fathom how people can seriously watch us and not think that we run plays for meeks…if we didn’t, meeks wouldn’t be averaging 25 ppg, because he definitely doesn’t have the ability to make his own shot unless he is driving on a straight line (and yes, i mean he has minimal amounts of lateral dribble drive ability)…the crux of the issue is that we have players with little ability to pass the ball to shooters in rhythm, and we have no scoring threat from our bigs and forwards setting ball screens (especially evident without patterson, like last night)…until there are viable scoring options outside of meeks and patterson we will continue to be stuck in a pattern of losing games…i agree with all those that think the substituion patterns are strange, they are…but harrellson and his slowest feet in the bluegrass would not have made much of an impact last night…whoever is spouting that sloan needs to play needs their head examined, he is a tough kid, but definitely not the answer…my biggest complaint is that galloway, liggins, and miller (and maybe even donald williams) didn’t get to play through their growing pains in our weak non-conference schedule…only time will tell the tale of the future of our program, but all this bellyaching (mine included) is giving me an ulcer…
February 18th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
pdiggs - First off, I never called you an idiot. However, the more you post the more I do actually think that. Let me ask you again……what did Sloan do to make you think he is a great shooter or even good and should be playing?? Is it the 25% he shot against lesser competition? Was it getting swatted because of a slow release? or are you just going by high school?? None of the players you listed are capable or they would be playing!
I understand we need a shooter. 100% agree with that. We don’t have anyone that is capable right now other then Meeks, so he has to go with the guys that can actually play good defense and keep guys in front of them even though they may lack offensive ability.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
first things first harris needs to go now stewart has been playing well latley when he gets to play harrelson has a good game and the next he plays very little, miller needs to play more, he offers another scoring threat coach BCG needs to learn how to make adjustments or start packing
February 18th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
We really need patterson back, we had no hold at all on the paint and they ate us up on the boards. On a night where jodies shot was off we have no chance without patterson.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
@114 SavanahCat.. I agree with what you are saying. However, when you say Meeks and Patterson have their “rolls”, I keep seeing them at OCharlie’s w/ Carter with extra cinnamon butter. I believe you want them to have defined “roles”. I agree!
February 18th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
96wildcat- im not saying we have a great shooter. i am banking my argument that sloan is the closest thing to another shooter that will hurt us the least in other areas. as i have stated before he leads the team in assist to turnover ratio, so i thing he wont hurt us there. we have also been turnover prone. I personally think we just need someone who can stand on the perimeter and make a wide open look. someone they cant help off of. I know that guy is not miller porter liggins harris….they cant shoot. Who’s left? i guess i want sloan to play due to process of elimination. Note: when he was playing before it was with porter and harris and he was trying to create shots. not his game. just be a spot up shooter. i still want liggins and miller to play….i dont want to take away their time…we just need someone to stretch the defense….take pressure off.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
126) Your name is “GummyBear” and your calling me out? LOL
Sorry, my role is not English teacher. Those are good rolls BTW.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
and you keep talking about his percentage in limited minutes but it is still a better percentage than miller, harris, liggins and galloway. were just soooo 1 deminsional outside of jody.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
*slone
February 18th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
It just didnt make any sense. Why keep playin Porter when he gets his pocket picked everytime and constantly beat off the dribble? Stevenson cannot keep his feet planted for nothin and has hands made of butter. I dont know how many times he just didnt catch the ball. And it was very, very, very stupid not to play Harrellson. Yeah he may have gotten beat on a tip, but he’s not the only player on the inside. And if I’m not mistaken, Ogilvy only had one basket when he was in there, and it was a tip. Stewart was too small to guard him and Stevenson wasnt strong enough. When Harrellson is out there, he at least is good for rebounding…something we didnt do much of. Yeah the officiating was horrible and can be contributed to the loss, but Gillispie is just being stupid. He needs to start playin the right players or we will continue to lose. I dont know what school he thinks he is coaching at, but you play who will help you win, not sit them on the bench cuz they got beat once or twice. If that’s the case, then Porter should have never seen the floor again…it’s ridiculous.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
The point I have been trying to make is when Harris and Porter are on the floor we can not compete with athletic teams. Who would have thought Vandy would be more athletic than UK? That is why I could not believe BILLYG was not bringing Harrelson, Galloway and Stewart along slowly. Each is still playing tentatively due in my opinion to lack of confidence, caused by lack of playing time. BILLYG does not seem to have a vision of where he wants this team to be in, he only seems worried about right now. Creating a vision, and communicating it to the followers, should be the number one job of a leader. I think that is why it appears that he loses control of his emotions. Examples of his knee jerk reactions: Galloway playing for 30 seconds missing a three and not returning to game, Sloane played a bunch of minutes in two straight games and plays well then does not see the floor (would Galloway be playing better if he had gotten those 35 minutes?), Harrelson starting and only playing 7 minutes, Stewart plays one game then not in the next two. I do not need to rehash all the examples. As I have said earlier, I believe BILLYG is a good basketball coach but lacks leadership skills. Someone at UK would do him and the University a favor by mentoring him. Coercive Power is the capacity to punish as a means of influencing others. That is one of the most unsuccesfull ways to lead in todays society.
February 18th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
pdiggs - Yes, his percentage is based on limited minutes, but so is your assist to turnover ratio. The difference is I noticed when he was playing against SEC competition he was way outmatched physically on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Porter is even quicker and faster then Sloan and he is out matched, so that is why he isn’t seeing any pt. Bottom line is, they will need Miller and Liggins to improve theri shot big time for next year and Hood to produce as well, but this year we are just screwed.
February 18th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
i dont think we are screwed. he doesnt have to be fast and quick….you keep missing my point…stand out there and knock down an open shot if they help off of you. if they dont, stand there and look pretty and that will open things for for patty pat pat and wodi.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
96wildcat- Please list who you think our top 5 shooters are from 1 to 5, best to worst, from 10 feet out….
February 18th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
pdiggs…if you know so much about basketball and have such an impressive basketball resume…why are you a “young professional in Louisville” and not……COACHING A DAMN BASKETBALL TEAM??????
February 18th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
BCG is NOT an elite level D1 coach and he as only been a head coach 5 years counting his two at UK. He is not the man For UK and unfortunately we will be stuck with him at least another year if we are lucky.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Give BCG more time. In time, UK will fall to second or worse in all-time wins, the division withion the fan base will surely erode, the program will slip deeper into obscurity, and the days of 5 Star signees will go by the wayside. Most of this has already occurred. As always support the team, but our collective standards have obviously been lowered. No one is wrong for holding the multi-million dollar head of the Blue Big Nation accountable for the ongoing demise of our program. “Kentucky Basketball is our way of life.” How are you living these days Cats fans?
February 19th, 2009 at 5:15 am
In full agreement about the putrid officiating but on the other hand basketball is full of bad calls, it is the nature of the game. How could you have not called the foul on Harris when Zeller broke his own bone, but the replay from the right angle shows he never touched him. I officiated high school football for thirty three years but am forever thankful I never did basketball, I couldn’t stand to be wrong as often as they are. Actually they deserve a lot of credit for trying and hopefully their mistakes even out over the course of the game, but not always, but then you couldn’t have a game without them.
One thing that irks me about basketball is all the touch shooting fouls where the scorer isn’t affected at all, in football you have a little of the no harm no foul philosophy.