Well first, congratulations on an unbelievably exciting year and welcome back to basketball relevancy.  I know exactly how Cat fans felt when taken down in the Regional Finals.  Last year I spent $300 on two tickets and spent most of the time walking the concourse at Lucas Oil Fieldhouse.  Of course, I still believe I have direct control of the game if I can just find the proper balance of watching or not watching my team during a game.  It didn't work last year.

I thought I'd catch up with some 'Boy was I wrong' and 'I told you so':

Wrong

1. Overall net score to date:  Cal's hire was a good move.  Not a sign of impropriety.  Recruited good kids.  Embraced the history and did what he had to do off the court to win back the fans. In game coaching is questionable.  Maybe we have a Guy Lewis II.

2.  His young team did better than expected...much better.

3.  Wall was a much better kid and was a positive face for Kentucky basketball.

4.  It was okay that Patterson came back.  I still don't know if it really did him much good, though.  It didn't hurt him.  I still can't see him playing a four where he has to guard the likes of Stoudemire.  However, Chuck Hayes found a spot, which I think speaks to how important it is in the NBA to get on the right team.

Right

1.  The SEC continues to be a weak basketball conference.  It didn't get better this past year.  I think this was the root cause for UK's loss, combined with the relatively weak OOC schedule (that was for the most part, not UK's fault).  One can only imagine how much this young team would have improved if they played in the Big East.

2.  John Hood is over-matched on this team and maybe even on this level. Great kid, wrong program.

3.  Poor or at least weak outside shooting was also a big contributor to their ultimate defeat.  If you are going to play Cal's offense (which they didn't this past year, really), you have to have a team that can shoot.  Makes you wonder what would have happened if Jodie stayed and PPat left.  Now that would have been a team that could play the DDO.

Now what to do now?  I have no idea, but the current situation is not good.  Of course the answer is to recruit a lot more Pattersons and a lot fewer Ortons/Dodsons.  Easier said than done, though.  I just think you have to go out and get good talented kids who embrace what UK is and was...and then coach the best you can.  It would be nice to hear from Cal on all that is going on, but I guess that isn't going to happen.

Now that UK will most likely accept an invitation to the NIT, I have read many comments that 'Gillispie deserves another year as head coach'.  What has he done to deserve these additional years?

Does he have the program heading in the right direction?  Is the trend up?  Has the team played better as the season progressed?  Has he professionally handled the media?  Does he treat the incredible fan-base with the respect they deserve?  Has he explained his philosophy or strategy sufficiently to garner confidence from the administration, team, or fans?  Do his players support him (be careful with assessing the recent public answers to direct questions over the last couple of days...the players had no choice but to answer in the afffirmative)?  Has he successfully recruited; has the 2008 class met UK standards?  Has he represented the university in the manner that should be expected?

The only real reason that I can determine, is that it would harm the program if he was removed after only two years.  But from what I have seen, he hasn't done anything to deserve another year.