06
I will have more to say about Pearl’s recent association with the Memphis job and his new contract when the details of the new contract are released. I will reserve commentary about it until then.
28
Mike Kryzewski
If I am University of Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart, the first phone call I make in the search for a new men’s basketball coach is to the agent for Duke coach Mike Kryzewski.
Imagine the possibilities.
For Kryzewski, a Hall of Fame coach and a legend in the college game, he’s coming off his third-straight disappointing season with the Blue Devils. In the past three NCAA tournaments, Duke has been bounced out of the tournament in the first round, the second round, and this year in the Sweet 16 by Villanova. And while Duke did make the Sweet 16 this season, the Blue Devils were pummeled by Nova by 23 points.
Maybe it’s just me, but Kryzewski looks like the classic case of a guy in need of a change of scenery.
If you watch Duke play, there’s no denying that Kryzewski’s teams haven’t forgotten how to play. There just seems to be a little something missing. Something a change of scenery might cure.
Kryzewski just completed his 29th season at Duke. I don’t care how successful you are, that’s a long time at any one place.
Imagine the possibilities.
For those who would say that Coack K is too old, I would remind them that the man in the brown suit, Adolph Rupp, was 70 when he retired at Kentucky. Kryzewski, 62, could coach the Wildcats eight seasons before approaching Rupp’s age when he retired.
And Rupp didn’t exactly leave Kentucky limping out the door. His last five Kentucky teams made the Final 8 of the NCAA Tournament three times and the Sweet 16 twice.
Granted, Kryzewski would not leave Duke for just anywhere, but we are talking about Kentucky, one of the most storied basketball programs in college basketball.
Kryzewski is one of those guys who embraces tradition, and there’s no doubt that he would embrace Kentucky’s.
Kentuckians hold their basketball coach in the highest regard, almost statesman like, and Coack K certainly fits that bill. You wouldn’t have to worry about respect, respect for the game, or respect for the program with Coach K.
Coach K would be the one hire that would instantly unify the Kentucky fan base. Not only unify, but electrify. Imagine what that first press conference would be like. Talk about E.F. Hutton. You could shut down the state.
At any other time, Coach K to UK might not have seemed right, but timing is everything. And right now, it seems like a perfect match for both. A match made in bluegrass.
Imagine the possibilities.
11
For the second time in three weeks, Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie and ESPN’s Jeannine Edwards had what you would call a less-than-cordial interview at halftime of the network’s telecast of the Florida/Kentucky game last night.
Just two weeks ago at halftime of the Kentucky/Ole Miss game, also on ESPN, Gillispie called out Edwards’ questions as stupid.
Last night, he initially dismissed Edwards’ first question saying he didn’t hear it when she was standing right in front of him. He then went on to say that Edwards knew more than he did. If you missed it, check it out on youtube.
Last night was just the latest chapter in Gillispie’s rude and often indignant behavior as head basketball coach at Kentucky.
Say what you want about Kentucky, but the Kentucky basketball program, its coaches, and its fans have always demonstrated the utmost respect for the game and its opponents. Just as important as Kentucky’s winning tradition, the Wildcats have done it with class. Under Gillispie, that’s not the case.
I’ll leave it up to Wildcat fans to judge whether their current basketball coach is an embarrassment to the program or not, but I can tell you that Gillispie is an embarrassment to the SEC.
I have always thought Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart to be a standup and classy guy. Maybe not always popular, but a standup guy.
I’ll be interested to see how long Barnhart and the Kentucky faithful continue to tolerate Gillispie.
Kentucky basketball has always been about winning, and it has done so better than anyone in the SEC. But it has always been about so much more…until now.
20
When you consider the fact that in the last two meetings between Tennessee and Middle Tennessee the Vols
Bruce Pearl and Bobby Maze
have won by an average of 50 points, the fact that Tennessee brings six newcomers into Friday night’s game against the Blue Raiders may actually be a good thing.
Because the Vols do in fact feature so many new faces this season, the chances of them being overconfident heading into this game may be less than if they returned a more experienced team.
When these two teams tip it off at 8:30 p.m. Eastern at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro Friday, the Vols are expected to go with the same starting lineup from the previous two games with Bobby Maze at the point, Renaldo Woolridge and Scotty Hopson at the wings, and Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism down low.
Once again, the Vols will find themselves with a distinct height advantage in this game. Middle is expected to be without its starting center, 6-10 Theryn Hudson, who has been sidelined so far this year with a leg injury. Without Hudson’s presence inside, the Blue Raiders’ tallest starter is expected to be 6-7 forward Desmond Yates.
The good news for Middle Tennessee is that they return all five starters from last season, but that might also be the bad news. The Vols steamrolled the Blue Raiders in Knoxville last season 109-40.
One of the noteworthy storylines for the Vols this season has been the performance of the bench. Redshirt freshman Cameron Tatum is the Vols’ second leading scorer so far averaging 14.5 points per game. Center Brian Williams and wing J.P. Prince are also averaging double figures coming off the bench. The Vols got 44 points from the bench in the win against UT-Chattanooga and 47 against UT-Martin.
Look for bench production to be a key factor in this game as well. Middle will play a lot of players in this game, but their production falls way off once you get past the five starters.
This will be the first true road game of the season for the Vols, but in this matchup, I expect Tennessee’s size and depth to be too much for Middle.
For Bruce Pearl, he will want to see a more consistent effort for 40 minutes in this game, whether the Vols are up or down.
This game is a sellout as of yesterday in Murfreesboro. Expect enough Vol fans to be present, though, to take the edge off Middle’s home court advantage. The game will be televised on CSS.
This is the last game for the Vols before they head to Disney in Orlando next week for the Top 20-laden Old Spice Classic. The Vols will play Siena in the first round on Thanksgiving Day at noon Eastern on ESPN 2.
15
This is not a blog about Kentucky basketball, but since the Cats and Vols play in the same conference and in the same division, I can’t help but make a few comments about Kentucky’s shocking season-opening loss at home last night to VMI.
It’s not the loss to VMI that is so shocking (although that is a shocker in and of itself) but what is a shock is that a Billy Gillispie coached team would give up 111 points, and in regulation no less. It makes you wonder whether or not Gillispie is getting through to his players.
A couple other notes about the game…
-It appears moving the three-point line back a foot this season may not be as big a factor this season as we might have thought. VMI shot 14-31 from three in the game last night or 45.2%. But then again, perhaps it is a factor. Kentucky was 3-16 from three or 18.8% for the game.
-And if you don’t think point guard play is important, consider the fact that Kentucky’s starting point guard last night, Michael Porter, committed five turnovers in 11 minutes during the first half last night. At one point in the first half last night, Kentucky trailed VMI by 20+ points.
Granted, one loss does not a season make, particularly the first game. But the manner in which Kentucky lost last night is certainly noteworthy, and extremely troublesome to Gillispie and the Wildcats.
15
Ok, I mentioned in a post yesterday that I would announce my Vol All Century team at a later date, but I can’t wait to get started, so I will announce my first member.
I’m sure this comes as no surprise to hardly anyone, but it’s Bernard King, No. 53.
I had the privilege of watching all three of King’s years at Tennessee up close and personal as a young boy as my parents had season tickets. In fact, I still have the ticket stub from King’s first game as a freshman with the Vols against Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Stokely Athletics Center on Saturday, Nov. 30, 1974. King had 42 points in that game, and the rest as they say is history or legendary.
King went on to lead the SEC in scoring in two of his three seasons at Tennessee. (King finished second in the SEC in scoring during his sophomore season to teammate Ernie Grunfeld.) King led the SEC in rebounding in all three of his seasons.
He was a consensus first-team All-American in each of his three seasons as well as SEC Player of the Year.
The thing I remember most about King during his playing days at Tennessee was that he seemed to have his best games against the best teams…30+ points and double-digit rebounds versus Kentucky, Alabama, LSU, etc, was the norm. In fact, King had a career 26 30+ point games during his career at Tennessee, most of any Vol.
When the UT athletic administration decided a couple of years ago to begin retiring the jerseys of Vol basketball greats, it was Vol great himself Ernie Grunfeld who graciously said if you’re going to start retiring jerseys you have to start with No. 53.
I think former Voice of the Vols John Ward said it best about King once when he said that “Bernard King was the most exciting player ever in the history of the Southeastern Conference.”
I can’t say it any better than that.
15
In a post yesterday, I mentioned that as part of the 100 Years of Tennessee Basketball celebration to be conducted this season, an All Century Team would be announced. Fans will have the opportunity to vote for that team.
I would love to hear from blog readers as to who your All Century Tennessee men’s basketball starting five would be. You don’t necessarily have to pick the team according to positions, i.e., two guards, two forwards and a center, just pick your favorite or best five.
The official team will be announced Feb. 14th at halftime of the Vanderbilt game.
15
It has been announced that the Tennessee vs. Middle Tennessee game on Nov. 21st will be televised by CSS.
With that announcement, that leaves only one game, the Dec. 29th home matchup against Louisiana-Lafayette, as the only game this season not planned for television. Of course, as mentioned in an earlier post, Nashville Comcast cable subscribers will likely not see the Nov. 15th game against UT-Chattanooga, the Nov. 18th game against UT-Martin, the Dec. 3rd game against UNC-Asheville and the Dec. 20th game against Belmont, because all four of those games are scheduled to air on SportsSouth which is not carried by Comcast in the Nashville market.
It is also possible that two of the Vols’ games in the Old Spice Classic in Orlando might only air on ESPNU. However, if the Vols make it to the finals of that tournament, then all three of their games in that tournament would air on either ESPN or ESPN2.
