During a Sunday news conference, UK’s coach Billy Gillispie, shrugged at intense speculation about his firing as the Cats headed for Omaha, Neb., to play Creighton in the National Invitation Tournament.

“All I do is work,” he said. “That’s all I’ve ever done (and) all I’ll ever do.”

That prompted a question: Because he does not acknowledge the public-relations component of being UK’s coach, does Gillispie want to return?

“I love it,” he said after chuckling. “I mean, I love it. I love this place.”

But Gillispie could not say at a Sunday news conference whether he will remain Kentucky’s coach next season.

Gillispie neither confirmed nor denied that UK President Lee Todd met with Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart late last week to discuss the future of the basketball program. Or whether the coach had met with either of his superiors about the program in recent days, “We meet all the time” was his response.

Creighton, winner of 12 of their last 13 games, is led in scoring at 15.7 ppg by Booker Woodfox who was also the Missouri Valley Conference player of the year…He also shoots 47.6 from 3 land, 3^rd in the nation.

I look for Darius Miller to continue his improved play. Darius has been averaging 9.3ppg over his last ten…BCG on Darius: “It is hard for a freshman, and being Mr. Basketball in this state is added pressure. (Darius) has handled. He is learning to play angles and I’m proud he is improving in that area so quickly. He is not afraid to take shots and force the action, and I have great confidence he can guard his man in the toughest situations.”

Ramon Harris on the game, “Last year we had a few ups and downs and then we got it going. We thought the same thing would happen this year, but it didn’t. This is our last chance to get it going and prove that we are better than people think”.

Indeed it is….

WHY IS IT THAT ALL THE KENTUCKY MR. BASKETBALL(S) ARE NOT IN THE (KHSAA) KENTUCKY HIGH SCHOOL ATHELETIC HALL OF FAME? WHY IS IT THAT ONLY 7 OF THE 14 MR. BASKETBALL(S) THAT ATTENDED UK ARE IN THE HALL OF FAME?

GOOD AN VALID QUESTIONS AND WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT AND I HAVE A WAY YOU CAN PLAY A MAJOR PART IN THE PROCESS. LETS GET STARTED.

THERE IS A 10 YEAR WAITING PERIOD BEFORE A PLAYER IS ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION. AS OF THIS YEAR ANY PLAYER THAT WAS SELECTED MR. BASKETBALL ON OR BEFORE 1999 IS ELIGIBLE. THE BOARD OF CONTROL MEETS DURING THE STATE TOURNAMENT AND ARE GIVEN THE POOL OF PLAYERS TO BE CONSIDERED. THEY HAVE TILL 15 MAY TO HAVE THEIR CHOICES SUBMITTED TO THE KHSAA OFFICE IN LEXINGTON. THE CLASS IS NORMALLY RELEASED IN EARLY JUNE.

THE BOARD OF CONTROL IS 20 MEN AND WOMEN MOST OF WHICH ARE ADMINISTRATERS IN VARIOUS SCHOOL SYSTEMS AROUND THE STATES 16 REGIONS. THERE IS A COUPLE AT LARGE APPOINTED MEMBERS.

THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD IS MR. LONNIE BURGETT lonnie,burgett@mayfield.kyschools.us WHO IS THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN MAYFIELD. HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE 1967 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BASKETBALL TEAM FROM EARLINGTON.

The VICE PRESIDENT IS DAVID WEEDMAN dave.weedman@shelby.kyschools.us WHO IS THE DISTRICT ASSESSMENT COORDINATORFOR THE SHELBY COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM. THEY HOLD THE KEY TO WHO IS SELECTED FOR INDUCTION.

I RECOMMEND AND SUGGEST YOU E-MAIL EACH OF THESE MEN AND ASK THEM TO SELECT BILLY RAY LICKERT 1957, RANDY EMBRY 1961, DIRK MINNIEFIELD 1979 AND WINSTON BENNETT 1983 FOR INDUCTION INTO THE HALL OF FAME.

I HAVE USED THIS WRITE IN APPROACH FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS AND HAVE SEEN 3 MORE OF OUR BELOVED MR. BAKETBALL PLACED IN THE HALL OF FAME INCLUDING TWO FOR THIS YEARS CLASS WHICH BOTH ARE UK WILDCATS—PAT DOYLE 1959 AND JOHN PELPHREY 1987.

YOUR EFFORTS AND ANYONE ELSE YOU CAN PERSUADE TO PARTICIPATE WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED BY ME, THE KENTUCKY MR. BASKETBALL FRATERNITY AND THE PLAYERS.

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