SB Nation User Blog: piketaylor

Interesting Daniel Orton Comment

piketaylor — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:59:52 -0000

Interesting Daniel Orton Comment

Daniel Orton, one of the top players in the country, had this to say in an interview:

Orton plans to take the allotted five recruiting visits. Whether intentionally or inadvertently, he seemed to suggest that ultimately he would be UK-bound.

After noting that his brother told him to expect a "love-hate relationship" with Cyprien (tough love from the coach, which the player belatedly appreciates), Orton mentioned how demanding Kentucky fans can be.

"People say the fans are crazy on me now," he said of the attention that comes with the recruiting process. "As soon as I get there and play bad, they'll be harsh on me. I figure I need that."

Jon Hood Update

piketaylor — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:42:56 -0000

Not really diary worthy, but I didn't want to include this in the discussions of Ferguson and Harrelson.

Jon Hood had an official visit at UK a couple weeks ago and really loved it. He went to classes with Jasper and a couple other players and really enjoyed how the players were treated by the fans while on campus and around Lexington. Billy G wasn't there--he was spending his time with Jodie Meeks in the hospital, and that really made a big impression on him. Billy is coming to Madisonville next week, and Jon said that if he'll let him wear #4, he's ready to seal the deal.

Apparently UK is where his father has wanted him to go for quite some time, but hasn't pressed the issue because he wanted Jon to make the decision on his own.

Another interesting note is that Hood really liked Bruce Pearl, but people have been in his ear saying that the chances of Pearl staying for 4 years aren't very high.

This comes straight from people in the know at Madisonville North Hopkins, so take it for what it's worth.

A New Rupp Arena? [Promoted from the diaries]

piketaylor — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:34:03 -0000

As I'm sure all of you have heard by now, Lexington is officially "planning" for the construction of a new basketball arena to replace Rupp.

What I haven't seen is much comment from the UK fanbase. Sorry to do the drive-by posting, and admittedly it has been quite some time since I've done any posting here myself (I blame law school), but I wonder what the fans think of this idea.

From the article:

Lexington is in the early stages of planning for a state-of-the-art downtown basketball arena that would replace aging Rupp Arena as the home of the Wildcats, city officials said yesterday.
...
By the time the center's lease with the University of Kentucky expires in 2018, Rupp will be 42, Owen said. "Without an effective plan to replace Rupp when the existing lease is up, we believe that Lexington risks losing the benefits we've enjoyed for the last 32 years."
A new arena -- on what's now a parking lot across High Street from Rupp -- could be up and running by the 2014 or 2015 season, Owen said.
...
The consultant, who should be selected by the spring, is being asked to complete a market analysis for a new downtown Lexington basketball arena seating between 24,000 and 30,000. The analysis would include construction and operational costs as well as revenue projections. The consultant would also evaluate possible uses for Rupp Arena.

Promoted from the Diaries :: Fine. I'll admit it.

piketaylor — Thu, 17 May 2007 17:14:38 -0000

I was wrong. There I said it. For the longest time myself and JL seemed to be the only people saying that Tubby shouldn't leave, and at minimum should be given a year to fix the deficiencies in the program we have all come to love. This diary isn't a knock on Tubby Smith at all, nor should it necessarily be confused in any way as such. Instead, it is more of a revelation I've had over the past few weeks.

Coach Gillispie has been the new UK coach for a little over 6 weeks. During this time, I have experienced something I have not seen in my albeit relatively short time following the Kentucky program (and by relatively short I only say that because I am of the ripe old age of 24). But what has transpired during this six week period has been nothing short of amazing. There has been a newfound rejuvenation in the spirits of the Kentucky faithful, and for the first time in a long time recruiting battles have that sense of fun and anticipation in knowing that we won't just settle for lesser-tier players in the event our number 1 or number 2 targets fail, but knowing that our 3, 4, and 5 offers for the same position are just as good and just as talented as those highly coveted recruits every school wants. We no longer expect to see what diamonds in the rough can be found in the spring signing period. Instead, we wait with baited breath on who, among a veritable bevy of options will be the next to sign. For me, that is such a fantastic turnaround that was neither expected nor within rational contemplation in such a short period of time.

Let's face the facts. Tubby's recruiting was never quite what we expected, and in certain cases ran contrary to what we thought to be beneficial to the program. During each offseason I can remember following recruiting, I had that sense of cynicism, wondering who the next high profile recruit to spurn UK would be this season. Be it Tyler Hansborough, Brandon Wright, Thaddeus Young, Deon Thompson, Tyler Smith, Dan Werner, or even the famous Tyrone Nash, I never had that gut feeling that we would land the one who could make the turnaround a reality. UK seemed to be that cute girl living in a house full of playmates. Sure we looked good, but were nothing but a backup plan in case the others didn't for some reason work out. Not any more.

In six weeks, Coach Gillispie has signed two fantastic players, on and off the court, and received a verbal from a third. GJ Villarino, a guard with a great reputation for leading teams and scoring, has already verbally committed for the '09 class. Alex Legion, a Parade All American pure shooter from Oak Hill Academy joins the Cats and with him comes dreams of that fast pace we have all wanted. Patrick Patterson, a McDonald's All American fills the gaping hole we have had in the 4 spot for what seems like the past 6 years. In six weeks, Gillispie has taken what was a guard heavy UK team with little inside threat, to a guard heavy UK team with one of the best high school recruits controlling the paint. More importantly, watching the Patterson highlight clips on YouTube show a power forward who loves to run. With such a guard-heavy team, this seems to be a match made in heaven.

Tubby laid the framework for a commitment from Patterson, and Gillispie opened the door, held it open, and finally walked through it with Patterson in hand. For developing and culminating the relationship for three years with Patterson, Tubby deserves the respect. However, in six weeks, Gillispie continued the courtship, and deserves even a higher level of respect for finishing the job. Although I understand the danger of laying all of our eggs in one basket, the addition of one player to UK's roster has done more for the program than his contributions on the floor may ever well do...we no longer are that cute girl in the house of playmates. Gillispie's arrival has signaled our transformation into Playmate of the Year.

Looking through my rose-colored glasses, I can be nothing short of excited about the oncoming season. I look at Gillispie's track record with previous teams he has turned around, I look at their respective rosters, and I smile. UK has much more talent than either Texas A&M or UTEP when Gillispie took the helms. What will he do with our team? Time will tell, but I, for one, have a huge smile on my face thinking about next year.

I don't expect nor anticipate a championship. Honestly, a sweet sixteen finish would be fantastic given the circumstances. What I have come to realize over the past weeks is that instead of being a national contender in my head, we are becoming one in the minds of many, pundits included. Don't believe me, look at what the ESPN writers had to say about programs best poised for success. The national media is recognizing it, as well as, and perhaps more importantly, the recruits see it. Right now, our list of potential recruits for '08 and '09 seems unending.

Time will tell as to Gillispie's final impact on the program. But if the past six weeks have been any indication of what is to come, it is not unthinkable to see banner number 8 or 9 to be hanging in Rupp in the next few years.

Again, I was wrong. Tubby's leaving has opened the door for probably the most exciting time I've seen around UK basketball by Coach Gillispie, and his players haven't even stepped foot on the floor. Gillispie understands the demands the fans place on his success, and I truly feel that there is no other man capable to do the job. He won me over in his press conference announcing him as the new coach, and in doing so, seems to have won over many more as well.

There may be some stumbles out of the gate, but things are looking better.

[editor's note, by Truzenzuzex] This is outstanding work and needed a bigger stage. Well done.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

piketaylor — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 05:46:54 -0000

Cross posted at a perpetual state of bliss (updated and new and improved!)

With the majority of the season over, UK is currently in 3rd place in the SEC East, with an 18-7 overall record. Most UK fans, myself included, believed from the early part of this season that this year would be different. Surely we had become a better team than we were last season, with the deflections of several players, and losing Rajon Rondo to the NBA. There was no way what happened last year would carry over. This year was to be different. Alas, our hopes and prayers proved to be in vain.

Instead, we watch more of the same from a season ago. Again, this team plays uninspired basketball at the beginning of games, tries to make a valiant comeback, and only to come up short. Our Junior class continues to struggle with their respective roles, and with the sole exception of Randolph Morris, and only in short and brief intervals, none seem to have gotten any better. What do we do now, and more importantly, where do we go from here?

I have been a "Tubby apologist" for quite some time. Before the season began, I was willing to give the man the benefit of the doubt. I certainly wasn't going to go the route that some other "fans" have gone. No college team could sustain the level of success we had fom 96-98, and obviously there had to be some period that we regressed (see Duke, Michigan State, Indiana, Louisville, Arizona). I certainly didn't expect that the rebuilding period would be measured in years (the plural) rather than year (singular).

This year, thus far, has proven to be yet another one of those rebuilding seasons. To put it bluntly, Tubby's lack of success, or perhaps even more realistically, his outright lack of effort, on the recruiting trail have come back to bite him in the ass. The Senior class has proven to be nothing more than role players, whose role apparently is to frustrate the fanbase into submission (a task at which that class is performing remarkably well). The Sophomore class, Jared Carter, was injured early, and has taken a medical redshirt. His contributions to the program remain to be seen, but from what he have seen of him, he certainly does not seem to be the answer we are looking for at the center position. The Junior class, while highly touted coming out of high school, continues to believe that they are playing high school players, and can afford to take time off in the middle of the game, believing that their talent alone can bring them back. We have seen in the past few games how that has worked out.

The one bright spot has been the Freshman class. Meeks is doing everything everyone thought he would, Jasper has proven to be a capable point guard who is going to only get better, Stevenson has to be the most efficient player in the country given his stats in about 5 minutes of play per game, and Porter has shown that what he may lack in pure athleticism he makes up for in sheer desire and dedication. (Note: I personally left off Ramon Harris because it's not really possible to critique him as of yet, considering he hasn't played a full half of basketball if you added all of his minutes together).

The second bright spot is Tubby's rejuvenated efforts on the recruiting trails for the 07 class and beyond. Hardly a day goes by that we don't read about Tubby being in the Huntington High stands, watching Patrick Patterson play. I also think UK fans will be pleasantly surprised with AJ Stewart and Mike Williams (who is better than most give him credit). We have had players make early visits, like Kenny Frease, Philip Jurick, Carter McMasters, and Jacob Jenkins to name a few. Now the key part for Tubby Smith and company is to get these kids to sign their names on the dotted lines.

Tubby Smith has gotten himself into this mess, and despite all of our wishes, the man cannot turn it around overnight. Surely he realizes that he has made mistakes in recruiting, and that that is the main area that is hurting the Cats. Now it is up to him to rectify the situation, and rediscover that energy and passion he had early on in his tenure at UK. I, for one, miss the days of Tubby sweating through his shirt, stomping down the sidelines, with his eyes sticking out at least 3 inches. Now, he sits back on the bench, hands cupped together.

While Tubby works on this, I propose that the fans make up a bunch of rumors and speculate for the next few weeks. (See here, here, here, here, and here.) That can only make the situation better.

Turnovers, Mental Lapses Doom Cats

piketaylor — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 02:39:10 -0000

Cross posted at perpetual state of bliss

What has become all too common in UK basketball games lately reared its ugly head yet again, as #18 UK fell to unranked Tennessee 89-85.

Mental lapses, untimely turnovers, and overall poor decision making were the pitfalls to this UK team yet again. As in the Florida game, the run that cemented the lead for Tennessee came about at a time when the five on the floor made even the most avid UK fan scratch their heads in wonder. For the second time in two games, teams have gone on huge runs to take the lead and not give it up because of a questionable five in the game.

I have tried to figure out what is wrong with this UK team, God help me I've tried. The one recurring theme that keeps coming back to me is that this team, and the Junior class in particular, has one of the lowest basketball IQ's I have seen in quite some time. Like the UCLA game, Kentucky was once again in the game after coming back from a big deficit. Once again, they were within 3 points and looking to tie the game in the final two minutes, and turnover after turnover took the game out of their grasp.

We simply do not become a good team until we are down 16 points. At that point, we begin to play. No matter how good of a team you are, or perhaps in the Cats' case how good of a team you <span style="font-style: italic;">think</span> you are, you will not win many games with this mindset. Instead, as with virtually every game for the past couple years, the Cats could not put together a complete game. If the defense works, the offense shuts down. Tonight, it was the complete opposite. The Cats shot 55.4% from the field and 40% from three, yet could not stop Tennessee at the clutch times, or even take advantage of the opportunities that laid at their feet.

What more needs to be done to get this team to play? My previous idea of hiring Matt Foley looks more and more sound as each game passes. Perhaps personnel changes need to be made. How about lineup changes? That might shake things up. Anything please. Throw me a bone here. I just want to watch UK without going through the same three emotions:

1) Disgust
2) Anxiety
3) Nausea (followed by heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea)

JL Blue offered this advice:

Time for a shakeup, you think, Tubby Smith? Maybe you should look to see if Bobby Perry might be better served -- clearly the team would be -- with a demotion. The guy is a momentum-builder ... for your opponent.
Two rebounds, four turnovers and 40% shooting in 18 useless minutes. Sheray Thomas? 6Eight boards. Perry Stevenson? Four rebounds, no turnovers in five minutes. Enough with this guy. It's in his head now, Tubby. Make the move.

Hard to argue with that. Truer words have never been spoken.

Someone Check the Ohio River

piketaylor — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 03:20:08 -0000

Cross posted over at a perpetual state of bliss

In response to the excellent posts of JL Blue and Truzenzuzex I wanted to put forth my opinion on the subject for what it's worth, and attempt to convey and parallel their eloquence. So without further ado...

For some reason unknown to all UK fans, the Cats have a problem with motivation for the big games. As Eric Crawford of the Courier-Journal noted:

Let's get this straight. The biggest crowd in Rupp Arena history, 24,465, is going crazy. ESPN has been broadcasting since early morning. The A-team announcers are here.
In fact, everyone in the building but the Wildcats seemed to have that energy.

How can we account for this? For one, Tubby Smith may be many things, but he certainly does not appear to have that grand oratory ability of Vince Lombardi, seeming more akin to that of George W. Bush. Still, one cannot deny his intensity on the sidelines of the game. One can only watch a game for several moments before seeing the Tubby death stare. But why can he not motivate the players before the game? Consistently for the past few years, when the big teams come to town, we simply seem complacent until the lead reaches double digits before suddenly springing to life.

Perhaps Tubby should bring in someone to help motivate the team. I nominate Matt Foley. Sure he can be downright creepy at times, he used to live in a van down the river, and lord knows what he would do to the 30 million dollar Craft Center. But one cannot deny the fact that he brings the energy that these Cats have seemingly lacked for the first 12 minutes per game. Maybe this team's new nickname, which could probably be given to the past several teams without much objection, would be the Complacent Cats.

But I digress from my initial point. I have been pondering over this question for the past 24 hours, and honestly I can only come up with one thought. Though it may not necessarily be popular, but it nonetheless should let the conversation begin. Fans, and I am right there with them, openly, and rightly so, criticize the lack of production from the Senior class. My question however is this: What if part of the fault was because of the Junior class?

Coming into their freshman year, this class was the #1 rated recruiting class in America, and armchair coaches and pundits across the country believed that this was the much needed boost in Tubby's arsenal to get him back to the top. The class of Rondo, Bradley, Crawford, and Morris were immediately designated the saviors of UK basketball, and before they even set foot on campus, expectations grew and grew.

As time has gone on, however, our best hopes and dreams have not panned out. With some exceptions, I would even contend that this crop has vastly underestimated and not lived up to their hype. In fact, I would even go as far to say as that as a group, these players have an amazingly low basketball IQ. If you don't believe me, simply watch the freshman this year. Not only do they never stop moving, but they do something else that I have yelled at Joe Crawford through the television screen for years to do more of: cut to the basket. Every time Jasper or Meeks dish the ball inside, they immediately cut towards the goal, and on numerous occasions has led to a layup or dunk. Our Juniors, however, haven't quite learned the intricacies of moving without the ball. Instead, at times both Bradley and Crawford seem to have been relegated to product testers for Nike, making sure that there is in fact enough air in the basketballs so that it can withstand dribbling over extended periods of time.

When our Junior class finally realizes that standing around may not be the most efficient means of running an offense, the entire game turns around. We become more of a scoring threat, with assists galore. Unfortunately, this takes a toll on our defensive production. All too often when we get a big basket to start a run, the other team beats us down the floor for an uncontested layup.

Is it that the Junior class was initially too high on itself, and after perhaps realizing that they are not as good as they were in their own head, have had problems trying to cope with that reality? I don't know, and nor do I claim to be a psychiatrist. I'm just a measly law student who probably overanalyzes everything. There is one thing that I do know, however.

When the Freshman come in, save for a few understandable Freshman mistakes, they play with heart and desire for every second that they are on the floor.

It's just something to think about.

Cats Lay Bricks, Lose to Florida

piketaylor — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 16:43:22 -0000

Cross posted at a perpetual state of bliss

On what should have been a complete domination by Florida given the stats, UK was able to make it respectable for the majority of the game, only to fall short 64-61

What can we take from the game?

First of all, to all the people who constantly criticize Tubby Smith, this loss does not fall on his shoulders. This, however, does not mean that Tubby is without blame. Early in the first half, Tubby had a questionable five of Woo, Perry, Thomas, Bradley, and Meeks. A lineup like that produces two potential scorers at best, and it was at this time that Florida began its run to catapult themselves out to a 16 point lead. No, the fault was not on Tubby, but falls squarely on the shoulders of the players.

Bobby Perry shot 1-7 from the field. Joe Crawford was 3-12. Sheray Thomas was 0-3. Ramel Bradley was 7-17. Randolph Morris was the only quasi-consistent one at a respectable 7-13. Those stats do not even encapsulate what was truly perhaps one of the worst offensive performances in recent memory. A team that previously was shooting 35% from three point land, was "held", and I mean this in the loosest way possible, to 13% shooting. A team that shoots 68% from the free throw line, shot only 61%, with the conference leader Ramel Bradley shooting only 3-8.

Despite all of these facts, Kentucky still somehow managed to keep this game relatively close. To the Tubby Smith naysayers, it was Tubby Smith's system that outrebounded Florida's superior frontline 40-33.
It was Tubby Smith's system that shutdown Noah, Horford, Green, and Humphrey. It was Tubby Smith's system that kickstarted the defensive intensity. Unfortunately, it was the players who couldn't make the open shots, and lord knows we had them, and now, UK fans like myself must try to find the silver lining in another loss to another ranked team.

What this team has shown is that they can play with virtually any team in the country. Is this good enough? Well it certainly won't bode well with the majority of the fanbase, myself included. It always seems that we start off so tight in the big games, only to fall behind early and attempt a heroic comeback only to come up short. This game hurts, but not for the reasons set forth by the Tubby bashers. We played hard, played defense even harder. Tubby outcoached the wonderchild Billy Donovan in virtually every aspect of the game. What was the difference maker was solely a lack of focus in the early minutes, and a lack of execution throughout the entire game. When Noah and Horford were sidelined for early foul trouble, we took the ball into Morris to get the game close. Towards the end, we vacated that idea and hoisted three after three, when none of those shots had fallen all game. We scored virtually at will when we took the ball inside, yet we forgot how to do that or even that we could do that in the closing minutes.

Now what is left is a game against a newly energized Tennessee team that spanked Vanderbilt. I think JL Blue said it succinctly:

Gotta make shots. Not that complicated.