Calipari Gets His Man – Eric Bledsoe

UK filled a huge need for a point guard yesterday, when Eric Bledsoe announced he would play his college basketball for UK…The recruit from Birmingham, averaged 20.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 11.5 assists, per game last season for The Class 5A runner-up.

Bledsoe, is rated a 5 star pg, and 3^rd best in the class according to Rivals. ““It’s a dream come true for my son,” said Maureen.

The last year of Bledsoe’s life has felt like a dream. Seven months ago, nobody knew much about the 6-foot point guard from Parker. The only colleges who wanted him were UAB and Ole Miss — fine schools with fine coaches, but not exactly on the same level as Duke and UConn and Florida and Kentucky and Memphis.

“I was nervous (at not signing in November),” Bledsoe said. “Coach (Maurice Ford) told me if I waited, that a lot of schools were going to want a point guard. But I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t easy to wait.”

It was quiet in December and January. And then, almost out of nowhere, the phone started ringing. Jim Calhoun of UConn. Billy Donovan of Florida. Mike Krzyzewski of Duke. John Calipari of Memphis before he became John Calipari of Kentucky.

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…

UK Dismisses Billy Gillispie

After two tumultuous years at the helm of the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team, Billy Gillispie is out. Kentucky’s top choice two years ago when Gillispie was hired, Billy Donovan, is rumoured to be the replacement.

Billy Gillispie arrived at UK with a reputation as a hard-nosed grinder who overachieved. He had four conference Coach of the Year awards in his pocket to go with it. Some said that Billy was too much of a task master, that he wore his players down, but it CANNOT be said that he did it HIS WAY, since he never got the chance, given only a two – year tenure.

Billy Gillispie had a 40-27 record in his two year at UK. He took over for Tubby Smith who left to go to Minnesota. This year UK missed the NCAA for the first time in 18 years. Reports are that UK is reaching out to representatives of Billy Donovan.

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

…nothing remains quite the same”…so sang Buffet, and it’s true in basketball, just as in life. Patrick Patterson, like many of us UK fans, disdained playing in the NIT should UK not make the NCAA tournament. Now Patrick, like many of us, welcomes the chance to play more basketball. Consider his latest statements,““If we could win the NIT that could carry over to next year,” Patterson said. .”That would be a huge confidence boost and a weight lifted off our shoulders. We’ve had a not-so-good season and everyone is frustrated. But making a run in the NIT would help.”

This has been one of those zany basketball years in the history of UK basketball where accurate predictions regarding UK’s future success have been in short supply…Indeed, for one who loves to speculate about how good their beloved CATS will be; it’s been as difficult as herding cats. I am one who believes that it takes both the players and a good coach to win it all.

There is no more humbling game than basketball when things don’t work out. Consider that Billy Donovan may be making his second straight trip to the NIT, after winning back to back NCAA Championships! HE is a great coach and HE had great players to win it, but if you remove that team from his resume, he might be job searching right now! Since I like to give credit to the aforementioned players and coach when things go well, then I must assign the blame to BOTH the coach and players for a poor season. It’s only logical. You could have done better.

Given the players have backed their coach , especially Patterson, one must think that Mr. Gillispie Will return next year along with Patrick and Jodie Meeks.

BCG will bring the 14^th rated class to the table next year and I feel we will get some immediate help from the group in the form of Matt Pilgrim and Orton. I can see Patrick Patterson moving to the Power Forward with Orton managing the middle. Pilgrim brings a nice face up game that we don’t have on this current team. Jon Hood, state high jump champ, will provide another outside scoring threat, as well a his 6’6” length on the defense. G.J. will be the prototypical point with some things to learn about the college game.

The NIT offers the fans a chance to see the UK Wildcats play, and play right here at home. I dare say some fans may get a chance to see them that would not normally be able to…This alone makes a strong case for our backing the NIT, especially here in Lexington. From the players perspective it looks like 2Pat is the elder spokesman of the group when he says “LETS PLAY”!

GO WILDCATS!