Alan Cutler = Hero; I Do My Own Name Throwing Or Lack Thereof

Alan Cutler is my new hero.

From what I've been reading on various blogs concerning Kentucky, Cutler has been ripped by some for, and maybe by the national media as well, for displaying the debacle as we've come to witness which is the footage of Cutler chasing down Gillispie for a simple reaction to his firing.

The question that should be asked is why Gillispie decided he should run from, and a I laugh hysterically, a guy (Cutler) who kept up with him? Gillispie half jogged actually (he really is out of shape), and used a cell phone to play up why couldn't talk to Cutler. Class act that Gillispie, I tell you.

I'm fumed to think that other people think that Cutler should lose his job over this. It's ridiculous. If there's one thing anyone in Lexington should know, it's that news concerning UK basketball and its coaches are paramount. It matters. Gillispie should have understood that. He said he did. He didn't care. Cutler was doing his job. As far as I'm concerned Cutler is entitled on behalf of the Lexington community to chase his punk body. I'm glad he did.

Coaching Rumors

I don't get the list of coaches everyone is throwing out there for the UK job. Names like Calipari, Izzo, Barnes - guys that have already established themselves with other universities. Is this really what we want? Is this really what you want Mitch?

When UK was about to hire Gillispie a couple years ago, I said here at this blog that I'd like to see Pat Riley coach here. He should. People shrugged at me because I thought that.

There's only two guys I'd like to see coach UK because their seasoned obviously and because they are proven and are connected to UK in an intimate way.

Pat Riley
Rick Pitino

Anyone else is like playing Russian Roulette.

Here's my thing about the coaching position at UK: if you're going to call it a sophisticated search for the coaching position for the Men's basketball team at UK then make it a sophisticated search for the head coaching position for the Men's basketball team.

Throwing names out there of coaches who have already established themselves and quite frankly are questionable as to whether they love UK enough is alarming to me. And it's too easy. It's too easy to make a list of the top head coaches in college basketball. I mean while we're at it (and I'm pointing to the other blogs out there who have proven to be the definitive answer to all things UK) let's just throw names out there like Roy Williams and Coach K. I've even heard someone say they put former Indiana coach Bobby Knight on their list. That's just stupid.

If Mitch Barnhart wants to honestly make a serious coaching search for the next head coach for UK's Men's basketball team then he should put forth a broader search throughout the nation including those coaches no one's even heard of. It's pertinent to the integrity of the process. Otherwise we'll always get these washed-out lists thrown out from people who are supposed to be experts but don't really care at all about doing a real search. I mean guys like Calipari, Pitino, Knight, Coach K, Williams, even Gillispie - they all started somewhere.

Let me ask you this Mitch, was Pitino as established when UK hired him or was UK looking at his overall potential because he was the RIGHT FIT all in one?

That's who Kentucky needs to go after, and I don't know who that guy is because odds are, if we don't go after Pitino or Riley, our next head coach who's going to bring back national fear of playing against is not going to come from a generated popularity poll of coaches who have already established themselves with other universities.

The thing is, the list of coaches that have been thrown out there as possible successors to Gillispie, the majority of names have already established an intimate relationship and success at other universities who are popular right now. Does UK really want to make another Gillispie mistake?

It's clear to me that UK should search diligently and take its time, not just going on a popularity poll. And that, Big Blue Nation, SHOULD take some time. Let's hope it does.

Chasing Billy G

The footage we saw last night on WLEX News of Alan Cutler chasing Gillispie within UK's walls now comes to light on YouTube.

With a little added footage, you clearly see a Billy G who probably wasn't talking to anyone on his cell phone, just using it to avoid the questions he should be expected to answer in a professional way.

But I guess Billy G always had a hard time answering questions - I mean he was being paid to represent this university as well as coach, but failed. He just acted as if he didn't have to answer questions and it shows here in this video.

Seriously, did Alan Cutler really expect Billy G to express his feelings? Billy G doesn't necessarily fit the personality type that would. He does fit the personality type that would do this though ...



... and I will defend Alan Cutler. He is only doing his job. How frustrating it must be to get anything genuine from a guy like Gillispie. You know, Gillispie showed his unprofessionalism here. He could have just said 'look, I'm not going to comment right now.' But he uses a cell phone as an excuse to dodge the media which has a right to ask questions.

I mean seriously, you're going to run like a celebrity running from the paparazzi? Now you're going to act like a celebrity? Whatever. I'm glad he's gone.

Billy G - The 'G' is for GONE

courtesy of msnbc.com

Well Billy Gillispie is out at kentucky.

While it doesn't come as a surprise, what does come as a surprise was hearing that the meeting today held at President Lee Todd's mansion only lasted 18 min, and maybe the green Chevy Silverado that reportedly dropped him off and picked him up that had Texas license plates and an Texas A&M decal reveals where Gillispie's true heart is set at.

A 4:30pm news conference is scheduled and they are not allowing live coverage of the event.

UPDATE: 4:30 news conference WILL BE SHOWN LIVE via WLEX TV update (4:11pm)

So yet again we are inevitably going to face ANOTHER transition year with Wildcats in 09-10 with another coaching change. So who's the next coach going to be? We've all heard the three names that's been thrown out there, Calipari, Ford, and Donovan, but here's who I believe is also being considered for the job and may cause the decision to be longer ... much longer ... than we may be used to.

From what I understand, UK Boosters want Rick Pitino back. Point blank. Straight up. No nonsense. They apparently told Pitino to name his price and it's a done deal but Pitino reportedly had said for UK to go talk to Calipari. But the Boosters don't want him. Basically, Pitino told them to talk to Ford and Donovan first before coming back to discuss the potential of him coming back to Fayette Co.

Now all of this is hearsay. Do I believe this happened? Certainly I do. Reportedly, the Louisville athletic department actually has embraced the idea of Pitino leaving for UK because Pitino has already brought prominence back to the Cardinals program (and a 09 championship pending). I've heard they certainly wouldn't fight for Pitino to stay there, and Pitino himself actually has expressed his desire to come back to Lexington where he developed so much success before belting for the NBA. He realized his mistake and what he had going here at UK and wants to come back as head coach of UK again. Do I believe this is true. Certainly. Pitino has expressed his mistake for leaving UK publicly before, and in fact, he has never publicly said anything negative when speaking about Kentucky or anything UK related at all. This displays a lot of respect for UK that Pitino still has which makes me believes when a man is that nice to a commonwealth of a fan base which at times has been very ugly to him that he truly loves this place.

Now I believe I am of the MAJORITY that would actually embrace Pitino back to UK. The media can spin it any way they want.

Now, back to Gillispie. What happened? Well first off, it was a rushed decision. I didn't like the decision personally, which maybe contributes to why I've layed low on this blog for awhile now. I've tried to embrace the change but ultimately Gillispie's demeanor and public attitude has a lot to why I don't like him. First off, I think he's phony. From day one I've admitted that I don't think he has UK in his best interests. I think he purposely over works his players where they come out flat in games. I think he's rude in front of cameras and acts like he knows it all, like he's a God and he doesn't have to dish out any pertinent explanations other than the wussy excuses like 'well we didn't play well enough' crap. At some point Gillispie has to take responsibility, but he has never taken true responsibility at all for the program. Saying 'I take full responsibility' in front cameras doesn't cut it. As the coach of UK, you need to elaborate what you did wrong and give the fans some respect and the community some respect. Gillispie didn't do that at all. I firmly believe what everyone else is now confirming, Gillispie wasn't the 'right fit'.

Why did UK hire him? I don't know. Part of the reasoning behind it I believe is how the media outlets portrayed Gillispie as this coaching 'God' in Texas and immediately threw his name in the mix of possible successors to Tubby Smith as at the time UK was rumored to be getting rid of Tubby. The other part of it is Mitch Barnhart. I don't think he's using his resources effectively enough to make the right decision. Common sense says to think things through, investigate, interview, interview again, interview again, investigate some more before you make a decision on who your next coach is going to be. I feel that Barnhart rushed his decisions mostly because of what the media 'made out' Gillispie to be and partly because he wanted the process to end quickly so that the university could move forward. I feel UK rushed too quickly to name Gillispie as head coach. TOO QUICKLY.

Now I'm glad Gillispie's gone. He never showed the type of genuine emotion you want to see out of your head coach during games. He made odd substitutions. His stubbornness was a virus for this university. He over worked his players, not to say that has anything to do with certain injuries but hey, it is what it is. Patterson has played flat as of late. Yet as the ambassador for this team, you expect Patterson to support Gillispie as the coach. Patterson is a class act, but honestly, the season showed its toll on Patterson and Meeks the last couple months. You were in fantasy land if you thought Kentucky was going to go far in the NIT. Not when your offense revolves around only 2 guys who have been given the responsibility to put this team on their shoulders alone.

Give me one team who has won any basketball championship because of only two players professionally. It's not going to happen, and if it does, it's an act of God.

For what it's worth, it's a smart decision by Barnhart to realize his mistake and part ways with Gillispie. Now it's time for this storied program to take its time, get the right guy for this job, and make an important hire and give the respect of making such a decision it's due process THIS TIME.

I'll be on the record as saying I'd love to have Rick Pitino back.