Donovan Says “NO”! ORESTES MEEKS SPEAKS!

“Billy Gillispie’s tenure as head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats ended yesterday after a two year record of 40-27, one NCAA appearance and one NIT appearance. At this moment, UK is without a basketball coach. Apparently, that will not be Billy Donovan.

“In response to the rumors circulating about my interest in other jobs, I wanted to address this as quickly as possible. I’m committed to the University of Florida and look forward to continuing to build our program here.” So says Billy Donovan about his interest in the vacant University of Kentucky job.

So says Billy Donovan, who was the second part of the persistent rumor that swirled around Billy Gillispie — that he would be fired and Billy Donovan would be the replacement. Now, we see that the administration had no coach in the wings, and the firing was what it is. A desire to remove Gillispie based on “philosophical differentness and “UN-FIT” circumstances.

Now I have no doubt, after careful consideration, that Billy C. Gillispie did nothing to ingratiate himself to the boosters, media, or the HEAD MAN. He was a hard driving basketball junkie who loved the game and hated the spotlight. This is plenty enough to get you fired in the real world, yet this isn’t the real world. This is no marriage, there was no contract. This was no agreement; there was none, perhaps an understanding, but those are very flimsy, as we can see now.

This is a basketball team with young men hanging in the balance of their careers, and a program tethering on the brink of instability. A strong recruiting class coming, whose parents want to know what is going on. Those things are paramount in considering anything in relation to the men’s basketball program. Having a man in place who appreciates what the University of Kentucky basketball program is all about is a no-brainer. Mitch should have thought of that two years ago when he introduced us to Billy Clyde as the saviour of UK basketball.

Now, we are left to twist in the wind while we look for a basketball coach. Experienced coaches are turning us down now, first Donovan, now Calipari. Never say never, and some may reconsider but, A “home run” hire is necessary soon to address the need to retain the recruits we have coming in. The search is on……

Mike Decourcy, The Sporting News, weighs in, “The guy’s been there two years. If you’re firing somebody after two years, with one NCAA appearance and an NIT, I’m not sure the failure belongs to the coach.”

“You need a special guy…I think that John Calapari…Rick Barnes….Travis Ford…” Vitale offered these names, and we know these. We will be needing NO help from Dicky V. I’ll take Travis. Thank You.

Orestes Meeks, Jodie’s father, had some very unflattering things to say about Billy Gillispie. “They got worse as the season progressed. I don’t know why that was. To me, that is a leadership issue. There is a lot of behind the scenes stuff that went on. Some of that stuff was self inflicted (by Gillispie). I couldn’t understand a lot of the stuff they tried to do.” After UK’s loss at Florida, a Florida player said Jodie Meeks told him he was told by Gillispie to quit shooting. Gillispie denied that later as did Jodie Meeks. However, Orestes Meeks said it happened in other games this year as well. “He was telling him that all year about shooting,” Orestes Meeks said. “When he hit 7 3’s against Tennessee State in the first half and he was 8-for-11 from the field and he told him, ‘Why do you have 11 shots. You are shooting too much.’ “I think Coach had a problem with Jodie doing as well as he did. We do not have a relationship. I do not talk to him. When the school started the (national player of the year) promotion for Jodie (in February), he benched him (at South Carolina). He took him out and told him not to shoot even though he just had made a shot. He just told him to sit down. How does that make sense?” Indeed Orestes, it makes no sense, and if this is true, we did make the best move…

Meeks NOT “Meek” with 45 points, Record — Win for UK over Arkansas

The road was “KIND” again for Jodie Meeks. With the mentality of “The Alpha Male” of the UK basketball team, Jodie Meeks again took UK by the collar and led them through Bud Walton arena, with not only the victory, but another scoring record for Mr. Meeks.

Indeed, no other basketball player has ever treated the screaming HOGS with such a scoring outburst, and left a dwindling crowd one more for the road with 54 seconds to go, when he soared in for one of his patented Sprint Baskets”, and threw down a massive two handed slam…Bill Rafferty now almost devoid of adjectives, having used them all on Jodie during the game stated simply:

“There it is FOLKS, A GUARD, see it and WEEP!

And weep they did, as Jodie hit shots all over that arena and generally OUTRAN the “boys from Fayetteville”. Speaking of running, I bet “Pelph” has that team running until the next game over letting Jodie get all those sprint outs…

With Patrick Patterson on the bench nursing a sprained ankle, Jodie Meeks took it upon himself, as he is wont to do, to score 2PAT’s points or something of that nature, easily equalling both his own scoring average and 2Pats…

“He’s like halfway human.” Darius Miller

With one half of our “Batman and Robin” team scoring all over the court in every way, the score was tied at the 4:07 Mark ‘O Da 1st 1/2 – Jodie Meeks 22 Arkansas 22. The real score was UK 37 Arkansas 22….! Nuff Said….!

Let us now talk of what they speak, Jodie Meeks for President..Yes, you heard it here. Barrack look out! Jodie Meeks is more humble than you and can take you to the hole just like all the other guys you play against….

Well, that’s a bit lofty for now. How about we shoot for “PLAYER OF THE YEAR” . Now those comparisons of MOZ’s to the – Big “O”- don’t seem so “OFFT BASE” — as Amos Moses would allow…

As for his “work ethic”, it would be an understatement now to say that running bothered Jodie Meeks…Being a track star at his high school, gives one the impression that he loves to run, and if BCG ask him to run to the game, I suspect he would run alongside the bus, and score 50 once he got there…!

“…A PLEASURE TO WATCH”… Tim Brando

“He just makes it happen out of what we try to do.” …Billy C. Gillispie