Revisiting Mark Story's 2009 Column Warning Kentucky Not to Hire Cal

[Catsrock]

You mean Alan Cutler?

HA! Yes. Jay maybe wouldn't have looked quite as goofy running Clyde down. Maybe.

[BJD]

Then who was out there that you wanted after Rick? That 98 team doesn't win a Championship without one of Rick's guys running that system at the time. Kudos to Tubby for pulling the right strings and keeping his hand on the wheel that year, especially in the NCAA tournament down 17 to Duke with 9 to go, I thought it was over....

We don't win in '98 without the players tuning tubby out and playing the way they were taught. One of the books, I believe it was Sheppard's?, says exactly that.

I was fairly close to the program at that time and I knew CM was only going to hire a black coach. I lobbied CM to hire Clem Haskins but his mind was made up on tubby. He didn't interview anyone else and he wouldn't consider anyone else. Pitino lobbied for Williard. CM was hearing none of that. Many did lobby for Donovan. Even Pitino said he didn't think Donovan was ready yet.

We should have hired Cal then. I don't recall anyone saying that at the time but it wouldn't have mattered. CM was very, very proud of signing the first black player at Alabama and he intended to remove that mark from UK.

I loved the hire at the time.

I even called into the Big Blue Line around Christmas of 1997 to defend tubby against the naysayers. Hind sight shows that he was the wrong hire. he's never built anything in his career. He takes over a decent team like at Tulsa from Self and does well for a while with the guys already there. he then took over a team Durham built at UGA. Did very well the first year and and also his second year. They went into the NCAA as a 3 seed and were bounced out in the first game by a 14 seed. Then he came to UK and won with the players already there. Once they were all gone he was lost as how to get a team to that level.

He went to UM and took over for Monson. he did well the first year or two and then it went downhill. That's his story.

Maybe any other coach hired at the time would not have won in '98? You never know how things would have fallen for another coach.

But you will never convince me that almost any other hire would not have won a title or titles in subsequent years.

I hope Cal retires here and I believe he will. I do believe it will be sooner than I want.

I just hope Barney is not the AD when it comes time to replace Cal.

[40bill]

I definitely thought the Calipari hire was a mistake, and still shake my head at some of the schtick.
lotsa final fours though....And with new players all the time,which makes his record even more remarkable.

[Spiritof96]

Is it not true that most body builders lift weights, but not all weight lifters are body builders? I've never known of a Mr. Universe competitor who didn't lift.

The distinction seems to matter to those who participate in the two drastically different sports. Yes they both lift weights and use androgenic drugs.

[J.Jennings]

We don't win in '98 without the players tuning tubby out and playing the way they were taught. One of the books, I believe it was Sheppard's?, says exactly that.

I was fairly close to the program at that time and I knew CM was only going to hire a black coach. I lobbied CM to hire Clem Haskins but his mind was made up on tubby. He didn't interview anyone else and he wouldn't consider anyone else. Pitino lobbied for Williard. CM was hearing none of that. Many did lobby for Donovan. Even Pitino said he didn't think Donovan was ready yet.

We should have hired Cal then. I don't recall anyone saying that at the time but it wouldn't have mattered. CM was very, very proud of signing the first black player at Alabama and he intended to remove that mark from UK.

I loved the hire at the time.

I even called into the Big Blue Line around Christmas of 1997 to defend tubby against the naysayers. Hind sight shows that he was the wrong hire. he's never built anything in his career. He takes over a decent team like at Tulsa from Self and does well for a while with the guys already there. he then took over a team Durham built at UGA. Did very well the first year and and also his second year. They went into the NCAA as a 3 seed and were bounced out in the first game by a 14 seed. Then he came to UK and won with the players already there. Once they were all gone he was lost as how to get a team to that level.

He went to UM and took over for Monson. he did well the first year or two and then it went downhill. That's his story.

Maybe any other coach hired at the time would not have won in '98? You never know how things would have fallen for another coach.

But you will never convince me that almost any other hire would not have won a title or titles in subsequent years.

I hope Cal retires here and I believe he will. I do believe it will be sooner than I want.

I just hope Barney is not the AD when it comes time to replace Cal.

And hard as it is for me to say this, we dont win the championship in 98 without Tubby doing one helluva coaching job in that tournament. I know the back story of players tuning Tubby out and playing Rick ball but Tubby called the right shots at the right time..

[Joneslab]

I generally think the game of basketball comes back to the players most of the time.

Of course you have great coaches and mediocre coaches, but more often than not this is a game that you can predict by looking at the level of talent a coach has.

One thing about that '98 team that was a stroke of genius is Pitino's decision to redshirt Jeff Sheppard in '97.

Obviously no Sheppard on that '98 team, no title. We can talk about whether it was Pitino's hand on the team or Tubby's, but that one decision had such an astronomical impact on us winning that title.

[BobS]

Players tuned out Tubby and won the title in spite of him. LOL
Stupid revisionist history at it's best.

I didn't want Cal. Had the same icky feelings about him that a lot of fans had. Many are scared to admit it though. Could have knocked me over with a feather when his name came up as a serious contender.

Never wanted Donovan. I wanted anything that had to do with Pitino purged from here. Wanted to start fresh. I liked Izzo and actually Matta for the job.

Pretty sure things turned out for the better, regardless of my feelings.

[Dwight Schrute]

Players tuned out Tubby and won the title in spite of him. LOL
Stupid revisionist history at it's best.

I didn't want Cal. Had the same icky feelings about him that a lot of fans had. Many are scared to admit it though. Could have knocked me over with a feather when his name came up as a serious contender.

Never wanted Donovan. I wanted anything that had to do with Pitino purged from here. Wanted to start fresh. I liked Izzo and actually Matta for the job.

Pretty sure things turned out for the better, regardless of my feelings.

I forgot all about Thad Matta. There was a time when he was recruiting better players than anyone, and I wanted him too in '07. I remember seeing his team play in Rupp in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament right after Tubby left and being in awe of seeing them. Greg Oden was great before his injuries.

He hasn't had a decent team at OSU since 2012.

[BobS]

I forgot all about Thad Matta. There was a time when he was recruiting better players than anyone, and I wanted him too in '07. I remember seeing his team play in Rupp in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament right after Tubby left and being in awe of seeing them. Greg Oden was great before his injuries.

He hasn't had a decent team at OSU since 2012.

Truth. His recruiting has bottomed out for some reason. I'm actually surprised he hasn't moved on elsewhere.

[Spiritof96]

I forgot all about Thad Matta. There was a time when he was recruiting better players than anyone, and I wanted him too in '07. I remember seeing his team play in Rupp in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament right after Tubby left and being in awe of seeing them. Greg Oden was great before his injuries.

He hasn't had a decent team at OSU since 2012.

Jorts broke their spirit beating Sullinger in dodge-ball. The crimson nut-huggers have never been the same....

[George]

Jorts broke their spirit beating Sullinger in dodge-ball. The crimson nut-huggers have never been the same....

That's about the truth.

[BJD]

Players tuned out Tubby and won the title in spite of him. LOL
Stupid revisionist history at it's best.

I didn't want Cal. Had the same icky feelings about him that a lot of fans had. Many are scared to admit it though. Could have knocked me over with a feather when his name came up as a serious contender.

Never wanted Donovan. I wanted anything that had to do with Pitino purged from here. Wanted to start fresh. I liked Izzo and actually Matta for the job.

Pretty sure things turned out for the better, regardless of my feelings.

I think your opinion is stupid.

But mine is grounded in fact. It's what the players said. You had your head up tubby's so long you can't see the sunshine to this day.

[Lighthouse]

No more!!

[J.Jennings]

I think your opinion is stupid.

But mine is grounded in fact. It's what the players said. You had your head up tubby's so long you can't see the sunshine to this day.

Lol lol lol,,,,,,,

I agree that the players played Rick ball that year and Tubby was just along for the ride. However, Tubby was a great game manager during that NCAA run and I have to give him credit for that even though I WILL NEVER FORGIVE him for having the GREAT SAUL SMITH at point guard and hoaxing us all with his dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble,dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble x 1000 offense take a bad shot with a few seconds on the clock offense he was running, Tubby lost his mind. Tubby got to big for his own britches,, was hired at Kentucky because he was under Rick and played Rick ball at Georgia and Tulsa. Once he became comfortable at Kentucky, he decided he would do it his own way and be stubborn about his 1940 style of basketball...


Anyways, good publicity stunt by CM Newton to rid away all the A. Rupp haters in association with Kentucky basketball.....

[Joneslab]

I've never read the actual quote from Jeff Sheppard, but I'd say it's fairly common that teams band together during hard times and start to play for themselves more than the coach. It can be argued that that may even be a necessary evolution for a championship team.

But it's not like that team was so bad before that moment, whenever it happened. That's a team that lost four games total all year. They weren't as dominant as '96 but they were pretty freakin' good. Not like they went from bums to awesome just because Jeff Sheppard had some kind of epiphany.