Fire Tubby?

I guess it’s time for me to wrap it up over here on good ole’ firetubby.com. I won’t even try to do a complete wrap-up of everything because TFGimel said it much more eloquently than I ever could.

Instead, I’ll just pick out that one moment that was the motivation for me to buy the name and put this site up. The UK - Michigan State game. Yes, you know the one. You’ve seen it over and over again and I know you (just like me) can remember the part I’m talking about. Go watch it again. Seriously, it’s only about a minute long, watch it one more time.

Here it is on YouTube.

That is a chill bump moment for me. Put that on the list along with the Chuck Hayes senior day singing of “My Old Kentucky Home” as another special moment. The people at Big Blue Storm created that video and (awesomely) used the Tom Leach’s audio for it. How does UK get three shot’s off at the end of regulation? When Patrick takes the first shot and it misses I think it’s over. Somehow Kelenna is able to get another shot off that also misses and I’ve given up hope at that point. What happened next I’m pretty sure I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Long after I’ve forgotten who won that game, when I’ll be saying “Tubby who?”, and chasing kids off my lawn, I’m positive I will have no problem remembering that shot bouncing around the rim and then falling. I’m a pretty calm guy but I distinctly remember jumping around my living room as though someone was shooting at my feet.

So it will be the moments like that I choose to remember from the Tubby Smith era. One last time, I want to say thanks to Tubby Smith.

Ok, now with all that said I’m pumped about Billy Clyde Gillispie coming in, taking names, and kicking some (Gator, Volunteer, and Commodore) ass. No doubt about it this guy has pumped some excitement back into the program. That’s why I also started www.firebilly.com. Come on over and check it out. It’s the same satirical type stuff that you see around here. I want to invite all our regular readers over to check it out. Also, despite constant prodding by Hefty Lefty and TFGimel I’ve managed to use the generic user name “webmaster” that’s straight out of 1998. I’ll try to think of something else for the new site.

That’s it. Thank you to everyone that stopped by to read our stuff, left comments, or even just anonymously lurked the site. We really do appreciate it. I also want to thank TFGimel and Hefty Lefty for all the funny stuff they post. I appreciate it guys. See everyone over on www.firebilly.com

Just in case you new readers didn’t clue in on how we do things around here. Let me spell it out for you.

WE. DID. NOT. WANT. TO. FIRE. TUBBY.

This is not a new development, by the way. The webmaster bought firetubby.com after the 2005 NCAA Regional Finals loss. He talks about why he did it, and the aim of this site, in this About page.

Oh, we’ve been frustrated at times with the coach and the results. But in my previous post below, you can see how I feel about Tubby. Webmaster will be along shortly to sum up his experiences.

All in all, this is a pro-UK and pro-Tubby site. Has been, always will be. Anybody who believes otherwise is illiterate, or fell under the old adage of “judging a book by its cover.” Or, specifically, “judging a website by its domain name.”

Also, thank you webmaster, for letting me into this insane place. I’ll see you on the other side.

And for you regular readers, thank you for coming back here again and again and actually arguing with us. It means a lot to us that you took time out of your day to read my crappy writing and then to cut-and-paste that “Tubby Smith is the 1st Kentucky Coach” list into the comments.

I love defense. Specifically, I love frustrating defenses. The kind that leaves the opposing team shaking its head after each wasted possession. Pitino loved running those half-court traps and full-court presses that caused turnovers and easy points. Those were fun, but Tubby’s Defense was amazing for me. Seeing teams swing the ball to the second option, then the third, then the fourth, then standing around looking bewildered as the shot clock winds down. Keeping enough pressure on the “best” opposing players, but just shutting down his supporting cast. Pulling down rebound after rebound.

In 1998, it wasn’t the fact that we were winning, it was the way we were winning. At the beginning of the season, the team played like a Pitino team. Then they learned Tubby’s system, and just started shutting teams down. In February, you knew once the second half rolled around, Kentucky found its amazing defensive fifth gear and would claw its way back into the game.

The Regional Final against Duke, when we held them to 33% shooting in the second half? Fantastic. Bonus points for avenging 1992, of course.

So I’ve always been a fan of Tubby’s style. Yes, the offense got stagnant, but the defense kept us in it. His style would just shut down teams for 5, 7, 9 minutes at a time. Make the opposing team adjust, and then force them to adjust again, and again, until they were just launching 3 pointers desperately. (Admittedly, sometimes that worked.) Eventually, Tubby would find the weaknesses in the opponents offenses and exploit them; getting forwards into foul trouble and then Chuck Hayes would feast on the backups or finding holes in zones for Bogans to penetrate through.

Remember the great times?

(more…)

Some highlights of the 630 WLAP interview with UK media guy Scott Stricklin

• Billy Gillispie flew in last night
• He spent last night at Mitch Barnhardt’s house
• He averages sending 8000 text messages a month (to recruits)
• Gillispie’s comments on next year’s roster: It’s not complete, we’ve got some work to do, may be one of the fastest teams in America next year

Awesome. I get the feeling the press conference will bring the house down.

From UKAthletics.com

The University of Kentucky will hold a pep rally and a press conference today to announce the 21st head coach in UK men’s basketball history (6th in the last 76 years).

An introductory pep rally is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. in Memorial Coliseum. Fans are encouraged to come out and welcome the new coach. The ensuing press conference will be televised live to all fans in Memorial Coliseum wishing to view the event. Doors open at 11 a.m. and admission is free.

A press conference announcing the new coach will follow at 12:45 p.m. on the men’s practice floor in the Joe Craft Center. The press conference is open to media, athletics board members, board of trustees, and former UK basketball players.

And of course Billy Gillispie has a myspace page. Where he promptly gets called a POS by an Aggie fan.

http://www.myspace.com/billygillispie

This is the latest rumor from Cats Pause, ESPN, and Matt Jones. Permission has been asked for and granted to have discussions with Texas A&M’s Billy Gillispie. All info points to it being, yep you’ve heard this before, “a done deal”. Take that for what it’s worth.

So who is this Gillispie guy? I’ll be honest, I had never heard of him until the season before last. I’m sure if that’s the case for me then a lot of other people will respond with an “oh yeah, now who is that guy”, if this all actually comes to fruition. Here is a little insight into what kind of guy he may be.

This feels like a good fit. Hope when I check the news tomorrow it’s a “done deal”.

Could it be?