The Wildcat fanbase is aflame after certain “fans” decided to boo Sheray when he entered the game. The overall reaction from the media outlets & teh Interwebs has been negative. The post-game call-in show for Lexington’s 630 AM WLAP started with the commentator assessment with the fans: A grade of “A” for most of the game, until the booing, in which the grade dropped to a “D”. John Clay called the boo-ers “classless” in his blog. Jerry Tipton, who’s been accused of being a Tubby poo-poo-er, played it straight in his Notes column. A Sea of Blue calls the incident “Boo-gate” and remarks on the team’s reaction from Matt May’s Cats Pause piece. Kentucky Sports Radio addressed the issue in their post-game comments section, where it took all of two posts to spin the booing into Tubby’s fault.
You can tell which side of the fence I fall on.
This is the latest example of the biggest problem of the Kentucky Wildcat basketball program: the fans. The national media broadcast teams all allude to the problem. During today’s broadcast, Clark Kellogg said that Kentucky would be having a great season to anyone other than our fans. How many times have we heard that over the years? Doesn’t that indicate a problem with our priorities as fans?
Just because we expect excellence doesn’t mean we have to throw ourselves on the ground screaming like two-year-olds when we don’t win.
In the future I’ll write a column about how we UK fans can be prideful about our program without being spoiled-rotten brats about it. Until then, feel free to criticize honestly the play of our UK Players and Coaches on call-in shows. Talk about how we don’t protect the ball, how we play “ugly” basketball, how our juniors and seniors need to pick up their output. Criticize the game.
But when you get into Rupp — where we have recruits and national television — you back your team and your players. You get on board with the players on the court. The players NEED you to scream after every blown call, to drum up some support during an opponent’s run, to rock the rafters after our big plays. Otherwise, as a poster named “Sheray Thomas” put on the KSR thread: “dont boo us it just makes us not care about the fans anymore”
UK Basketball is not a stage play; you are not there to be entertained. You are there to be part of the team. Otherwise, you are being the malcontent player that poisons the team. We already had Team Turmoil last year; we don’t need it again this year.
Update: Saw that Tipton posted about the boos in his H-L Notes column, so I edited my story to reflect that.
December 10th, 2006 at 11:56 pm
Let me tell you something I am a huge Kentucky fan so is my family i mean we are huge ones i have a UK tattoo and im 17 but let me tell you this Me and My Best Friend who is like REALLY BIG KENTUCKY FANS WAS AT THE GAME. let me tell you this Me and My Best Friend who is like REALLY BIG KENTUCKY FANS AND YES WE WAS AT THE GAME AND KENTUCKY WILDCATS FANS ARE THE BEST IN SPORTS AND COLLEGE BASKETBALL WE CANT HELP IT THAT HE SUCKS THAT HE CANT SCORE HE IS SCARED TO SHOOT THE BALL HE HAD ABOUT 5 OPEN SHOTS AND DIDNT TAKE THEM IM NOT TRYING TO DOWN MY FAV TEAM IN THE UNIVERSE OR DOWN SHERRAY CAUSE I MEAN I THINK HE IS A GOOD PLAYER BUT HE HAS NOT DONE WELL ALL YEAR LONG HE HAS MADE STUPID DECISIONS LIKE HE RAN RIGHT INTO MICHEAL PORTERS SCREEN WITH 3 SECS LEFT ON THE SHOT CLOCK THAT MEANS HE IS NOT PAYING NO ATTENTION TO THE SHOT CLOCK HE JUST RAN RIGHT INTO HIM WHEN PORTER HAD A OPEN SHOT BUT NO THOMAS HAD TO BE RIGHT THERE I THINK TUBBY NEEDS TO SIT HIM AND LET STEVENSON PLAY MORE THAN HIM I DONT CARE THAT HE HAS MORE EXPERIENCE WHEN STEVENSON CAME IN THE GAME HE BROUGHT ENERGY ON THE FLOOR IF YOU LOOKED OUT THERE THERE WAS NOT ENERGY OR ETHUASIC IF YOU LOOK INTO THE PLAYERS EYES YOU KNOW THAT HE HAS DONE BAD THIS YEAR BUT WHEN STEVENSON CAME IN THE GAME THEY WAS UP SO DONT SIT THERE AND SAY WE ARE THE WORSE FANS IN SPORTS AND COLLEGE BASKETBALL BECAUSE WE ARE THE BEST. COMMENT BACK IF YOU WANT
December 11th, 2006 at 10:06 am
Thanks for your post, Jacob. Sheray definitely isn’t the offensive force that we’d all like to see. At the beginning of the season, Sheray was interviewed by Danville’s newspaper, and said he wants to be an offensive force — too bad he can’t show that on the court.
But there is a BIG reason why Sheray gets into the game now that he’s stopped starting: rebounding. Stevenson is energetic, but he watches the ball way too much on defensive rebounding; Stevenson doesn’t try to block out or position himself to get the ball, he just stands there and watches it. Go back and watch the IU and the UNC games, you’ll see that yourself.
When Sheray came into the IU game with less than 2 minutes left — and the classless fans booed again! — Tubby asked Sheray “can you get me a rebound, son?” (See that link I made to John Clay’s blog up in my article for confirmation of that quote.) And what happened? Sheray made a HUGE rebound with D. J. White there.
Sheray is definitely not a defensive mogul — he has difficulty getting to the corners to contest 3-point shots when teams go inside-out on our post trap defense. But Sheray works hard on both ends of the floor and can rebound. There are going to be situations that dictate needing rebounding on the floor, and Tubby will go to Sheray over Stevenson until Perry corrects his form.
December 11th, 2006 at 3:54 pm
I love Kentucky basketball and we should never boo our players regardless of how bad they play. They are trying and making an effort and we need to respect that. However, Tubby on the other hand needs to GO. For the past few years now his coaching has gotten worse. Ever year I hear we are young and inexperienced, as a matter of fact I heard it during the UT-Chat game. We start 3 juniors, 1 senior, and a freshman, but we are still inexperienced. That is just crazy for a coach or a commentator to say that. Then I heard one of the commentators say recruits like to play Tubbys brand of ball. Again, that is crazy. Tubby has taken a great tradition and made it a non-top 25 school. I will be very suprised if we beat a top 25 school this year.
December 11th, 2006 at 9:16 pm
I am not a UK fan and really only care about 3 things in college hoops. Number 1: UNC victories. Number 2: The drive to pass the 7 titles that UK posses. Number 3: the number of losses for UK and Duke. I love to see UK settling for third or fourth best team in the SEC and hoping for 5 or 6 seeds in the NCAA tourney. It just warms my heart. The fans can boo all they like. They can point fingers at Tubby or this or that player. The real challenge is presented with this inquiry–When will the Big Blue nation step up and become the Mighty Beasts of The NCAA again? As long as the fans and players don’t give a rip, my Tarheels will be closing in on the Titles you all once cherished so much. And please don’t tell me about overall win totals. Check the history books. UK’s program was started in 1903 and UNC’s in 1911. To only be less than 50 games ahead with an eight year headstart, well you do the math. The point is this–keep up the great work because I only want those Championship Banners to accummulate in the Dean Dome across from the jerseys of Jordan, Perkins, Daughtery, Carter, McAdoo, and the such. We Tarheel fans still strive for Championships and number 1 seeds. It’s nice to see you all settling for less. Two more for the tie, three for lead. This is awesome.
December 11th, 2006 at 10:57 pm
Your welcome Gimel i wasnt trying to make you know my FAV TEAM IN THE WORLD LOOK BAD or down sheray or the University but yes he did make a Huge rebound but you know is he goin to get KEY rebounds in big games that is the KEY for him he also needs to step up BUT I LOVE MY KENTUCKY WILDCATS AND WE ALWAYS PULL FOR THEM now gimel let me ask you a question do you run the site because if you do me and my best friend would like to help you run your site he has 2 years of Journalism under his belt and i have 1 so far where i have taken it in high school we have and intro in journalism and media broadcasting which is what i want to do for Kentucky Wildcats is be a broadcaster for my FAV TEAM THE WILDCATS we want to do this really bad for OUR FAV TEAM i mean WE KNOW A WHOLE LOT ABOUT THE KENTUCKY WILDCATS I HAVE NOT MISSED A GAME IN 6 YEARS AND I AM 17 but we would like to help you all out with the website like with articles and everything please coment back thank you and GO BIG BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 00O THESE CATS ARE WILD 0O0O C A T S CATS CATS CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 12th, 2006 at 12:39 am
Jacob — If you’re looking somewhere to be a Big Blue Journalist, you’re looking at the wrong place here.
Seriously, go out and start your own blog, that’s the best way to get writing and having people read — so long as you lay off the caps lock button.
R. Hill — Thanks for your comments. Its nice to see you Tar Heel fans still feeling inferior about the all-time wins; 7 years is a flimsy excuse. I’m not too worried about you guys adding championship banners, since Roy Williams does a great job coaching with both hands around his neck. At least 2 of those Kansas teams were more talented than the 2005 Tar Heels, and Good Ole Roy was able to somehow find a way for them to lose. I’m awful glad that you guys are contenders again, though. And to answer your question about when we’ll be Mighty Beasts again, it should be when we nail down Jai Lucas and Patrick Patterson. You should be rooting for us to take Patterson, since that will keep him out of the Dean Dome in a Duke Uniform.
December 13th, 2006 at 10:48 am
Gimel, it’s always amazed me that we use the word “choke” to describe every loss that either Dean or Roy took in the Tourney. However, when we refer to what’s been going on at UK for the past several years it’s called transition or rebuilding. Say what you will, and you will, but in the next 10 years the Cats will have been caught and passed by the Heels in the categories that you all once held so dear. As for the seven year excuse on the all-time wins being “flimsy”, I have but one request: cancel all games at UK for the next 3 (not 7) years and then tell me the absence of 7 games is “flimsy”. You really are confused to say it’s “flimsy”. As for Patterson, after what UK and Duke won’t do this year, I’d be more concerned that he’ll go to Chapel Hill just to save face. Hey, let’s just say this: All this talk is fun, but results matter. Here’s to the fight over the next few years. It should be a lot of fun. It’s nice to hear the Big Blue Nation blaming someone other than the refs for once in my life. Last question: what’s the over under on your tourney seed total for the next five years? I’d put it at 25. Just in case I’ve lost you on that–it means I put their seeding at a 5 for the next 5 years. That was once unheard of and unacceptable for UK. It’s been a pleasure watching the program settle for lower standards. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I really do love you guys. I married a UK gal, and even she wanted a tarheel shirt when I returned from the UK/UNC game. When you lose her, something is really wrong.
December 13th, 2006 at 2:08 pm
thank you R. Hill, bout time someone who knows college bball as come to bring the uk fans back to earth. Saying that UNC team that won the title a couple years ago was less talented than Roy’s KU teams…Are you kidding me. Paul Pierce and Rake LaFrentz, nice combo, but better than McCants, Felton, May, and Williams…nope…Look im not a UNC fan but realistically, does any one truley believe that uk will beat UNC in the next ten years…once again nope…and about Patrick Patterson, all i gotta say is he would have committed to uk by now if he wanted to go there, he has already visited, been to midnight madness and still didnt budge…Looking at the recruiting classes by UNC the last couple of years, how could you make a case against them?…ps although my team wheres adidas this year they were one of the few to get the jordan brand just like UNC thats saying something while uk wheres the same unis as the rest of the nation…
December 13th, 2006 at 6:36 pm
I was doing some research looking for a vid that might bring up the spirits of the worst fans in the country. I managed to dig this video up from a while back, it just shows you that if you guys aren’t booing a player from your own team, then your smoking crack and making videos that not just embarass the cellar dwelling CATS, not even top 50, but you guys are also a disgrace to the rest of the state. Not all fans in KY have no class, there are some fans in the NKY region, that appreciate hard working players, that why we watch the real cats the BEARCATS!!!http://masl.to/?Y25923D5E. You UK fans are real sad, Booing a player that fought hard to recover from a TUMOR, and yet he still has the balls to go out and fight for 24,000 fans, I give props to Sherray, he is a very inspirational story that kentucky fans could learn some good morals from. Sorry to be so straight forward, I know you KY fans don’t like it, just like you don’t want to admit that MR.Tubby Smith is the worst coach in college B-Ball, soon not only will Kentucky be below Western Ky and Louisville, but if the played NKU this year the Norse would come away with a fat W!!!
December 14th, 2006 at 1:02 am
Sometimes the truth hurts…pretty said when no uk fans post in offense…im disgusted
December 14th, 2006 at 10:40 am
Hey Shooter: Thank you for the Lazy Tuesday link which got on Deadspin over a year ago. I guess the Bearcats were so engrossing last year that you didn’t see it.
Seriously, I totally agree with your assessment of Sheray. Dude came back from a bout of cancer — something I know first hand about — and still plays in Division I ball. He is a fantastic person for just that reason, which makes the Kentucky boo birds all that more classless.
However, I bet you this: next game at Rupp, the crowd will go overboard cheering for Sheray when he checks in. There will be some of the booers cheering then, because they’ll want to let Sheray know that “they were booing Tubby’s decision, not Sheray as a player”. That’s a crock of crap to me, but whatever.
greengiant: what hurts is the spelling in your posting. I mean, its one thing to have typos and capitalization errors. Its another to use “post in offense” instead of “post in defense“, “my team wheres adias” instead of “my team wears adias”. Really, dude, you need to crack open a dictionary.
Regarding the ‘05 UNC stars in the NBA, right now they’re not doing too hot. Mays and McCants are getting minutes in Charlotte and will probably be the best of the bunch — the other two can’t crack into any playing time at their clubs. I think we both know that sometimes new guys need a few years running the pro courts to raise their game, so I don’t think hope is lost yet on Felton and Williams.
However, check this list out of current Kansas players currently in the NBA; all of them (I think — I’m too lazy to cross-reference) were under Roy’s tenure. Pierce is the biggest name on that list, but the rest of those guys are still getting good minutes and contributing, several years into their NBA tenures. And we all know that if you last more than two years in the Big Show, you have game.
December 14th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
The bad spelling well thats natural with us kentuckians…its what we do, just like growing tobacco…also i can see your from the bluegrass state as well, if you put on your eye glasses and take a peak at your previous post you could not even spell adidas right and you did it twice ha ha…o well i forgive you anyway for trying…felton, may and williams are furture allstars and McCants still averages 8 a game…and to shooter you need to create your own website, you sound like you know your college bball while this site makes me chuckle…happy holidays
December 14th, 2006 at 4:49 pm
Me misspelling adidas is reason #4573 on why shoe companies are ruining the game of basketball.
I must state that your cunning shoe retort was well played, sir. And thanks for the nice running debate in this thread.
December 14th, 2006 at 6:44 pm
Actually that’s not entirely true. see: Mark Pope
A guy that doesn’t really have any outstanding talent but is nice and doesn’t cause any trouble so they keep him around.
I think I may have just found my nickname.
December 15th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
As a former coach at UNC I would have given anything just to have the opportunity to coach at UK. UK is the greatest college program in the nation. One of these days you people that cheer for the tarheels will realize just how great UK really is and jump on the bandwagon.
December 17th, 2006 at 3:28 pm
Dean,
Look out, Bobby Knight’s coming up behind you fast!
December 19th, 2006 at 9:15 am
If Sherray didnt SUCK they wouldnt boo him. I love UK but he’s no better than he was when he came to UK. Tubby should bench him and play Bill Keightly.
December 20th, 2006 at 11:04 am
how about saul smith…i still wonder today why his jersey has not been retired
December 28th, 2006 at 4:10 pm
Please do write this. Some fans need some polishing and education on the subject of class. I learned this in high school, from a man that was all class. Our teams weren’t always the best, but we were proud of our long tradition of athletics and we let that show. We had spirit. We backed our team, no matter what.
How about the Wildcats fanbase learn something about loyalty to their team, to their coach, and to their players?
December 28th, 2006 at 4:15 pm
Come on, GreenGiant…have some pride in both yourself and your state. You may be the most educated person in the state, but you come across as an idiot.
January 9th, 2007 at 11:40 am
aren’t all of us idiots…thats what i thought
March 3rd, 2007 at 11:04 am
I would like to comment on R. Hill’s statement on N.C. basketball. Dean Smith’s style of basketball (the 4 corner) was the most boring style of basketball ever played. He got the majority of his wins with scores of 21-18 or close to it. Not until the shot clock came in was N.C. worthy of even watching which most of these kids wearing N.C. hats and attire even remember, much less be having the nerve to compare to the winningest progam in history. I am not knocking N.C. program as they have a great program and a fun one to watch now that the rules have been changed. Just wanted to give Mr. Hill some insight on was scores that looked more like baseball games than realtime basketball. GO BIG BLUE…. JEFF