2008 is not going to be the season that some Kentucky fans hoped for. Coming off the heels of an 89-75 loss to Louisville, Kentucky is now 6-7 heading into conference play.The Wildcats will have to win at least 13 of their remaining 16 games just to have a shot at making the NCAA tournament. Considering that they've already lost to teams like Gardner-Webb and San Diego in the preseason, achieving such an impressive record against SEC opponents seems nearly impossible. Forget 13 games: at this point, if these 'Cats win half of their conference games, they'll be considered overachievers... and I don't see that happening, either.
Gillispie hasn't exactly been forthcoming with the media and fans when questioned about his methods. His tough, 2-hour gameday practices seem to consistently leave the 'Cats tired by halftime. He refuses to start senior guard Joe Crawford, who despite being slightly schizophrenic is certainly one of the team's 5 best players. And he won't explain his curious player rotations and ever-changing starting lineups. But most importantly, there's this. From A Sea of Blue:
Louisville is a poor shooting perimeter team. Their known weakness is a zone defense, and it has been used to defeat the Cardinals several times this year. It gives a team that has less talent and athleticism a chance to hide their deficiencies and force perimeter shots. Every coach in America with a team similar to the Wildcats as currently constituted would have played some zone at least. Every coach, that is, except one -- Billy Giilispie.Think about that for a moment. No zone... ever. Gillispie has been quoted in past press conferences that he'd never give up his exclusive man-to-man defensive scheme, regardless of the circumstances. He has proven to be a man of his word.
Gillispie not only didn't play "some zone," he hasn't played one second of zone, ever, since coming here. Not on an out of bounds play. No zone press. "Zone" may not be a four-letter word in your vernacular, but it absolutely is in Gillispie's. Even in a game where almost any college basketball coach in America would tell you that a zone is the appropriate defense, Gillispie never considered it even for one tiny second, if what happened on the court reflects his thinking.
What drives this mentality? Does Gillispie know something everyone else doesn't? Is he trying to teach his team a lesson, losses be damned? Or is he just plain obstinate?
Everyone in the Big Blue Nation is scratching their heads. The Lexington Herald-Leader's John Clay wrote a missive titled "If Gillispie Has a Plan, It's Invisible to the Naked Eye" which sums up the mystifying nature of the Billy G. era to date at Kentucky.
Kentucky fans are still trying to understand their new basketball coach, but the lead man himself isn't making any effort to help. And the media is starting to get just a wee bit irritated.
Brian Rickerd of the State Journal writes:
I cannot understand why Gillispie starts some of the lineups he does and in general gives minutes to some and ignores others.Rickerd nailed it. Those three words are a slap in the face to a consituency desperate for some good news, some words of encouragement, or failing that, some understanding of why this is happening and what Gillispie is trying to achieve with his unorthodox approach to coaching basketball.
You won't get an answer from Gillispie.
For example, a reporter asked Gillispie Saturday why he didn't start sophomore guard Derrick Jasper after the strong game Jasper had this past week against Florida International.
"Chose not to," was Gillispie's response.
I'm not sure what bothers me more, or what bothers the Kentucky fans more at this point " the losing, or Gillispie's arrogance, as displayed in an answer like that one.
Billy G., throw the Commonwealth a bone here, would you? They don't deserve this.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-06-2008 @ 12:43PM
Hey Scotty Boy! said...
Unorthodox only works when you are winning, like in the case of Coach Norman Dale. I knew Norman Dale and, Coach Gillespie, you're no Norman Dale.
Makes the faithful wish they still had Tubby, doesn't it?
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1-06-2008 @ 6:39PM
jam3885 said...
He might actually be Norman Dale just as you Kentucky people are the town of Hickory. Just because all your coaches in the past have done something one way doesn't mean that Billy G. is going to lay down what has worked for him in the past and made him successful. You guys wanted him from A&M so bad that now you're going to have to live with it. These workouts whipped others into shape. I've heard that your boys were lazy beforehand. They shouldn't be lazy now.
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1-06-2008 @ 8:38PM
supersonic said...
Billy Clyde also believes in having the offense respond to the defense. Dread! Maybe Travis Ford WAS the right hire.
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1-06-2008 @ 8:55PM
Nathan said...
A&M is 14-1 with Turgeon in his first year. What Billy G did at A&M whipped our boys into shape for good. Quit whining Kentucky... you're just embarrassing yourselves. Did the boosters at UK actually research Billy G or did they just pull his name out of a hat? Ridiculous
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1-06-2008 @ 10:55PM
slm523 said...
ALL YOU KY FANS NEED TO TAKE A LESSON IN "GROW UP." THIS IS OUR COACH....WE PAY HIM BIG MONEY TO COACH HIS WAY AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT...THEN SHUT UP, STAY HOME AND GIVE YOUR TICKETS TO ANYONE ELSE. GIVE THE POOR MAN A BREAK, WILL YA? HE HAS ONLY HAD A HEALTHY TEAM FOR ABOUT A GAME AND A HALF....AND THAT DOES NOT MAKE A WINNING TEAM. WHEN HE TURNS AROUND THIS SCHOOL'S BASKETBALL TEAM, SOME OF YOU BADMOUTHERS WILL BE THE FIRST IN LINE TO SAY...."DAMN, I SURE AM GLAD WE HIRED THIS GUY."
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1-07-2008 @ 12:02AM
Robert Garretson said...
Kentucky Fans(?) Put your big boy pants on and grow up! You helped create this monster, now live with it!
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1-07-2008 @ 3:04PM
Brandon said...
I agree with Nathan. Give him a break! And Nathan is right, once Kentucky starts winning all the time in the next couple years all of you are going to be saying, "Man, this guy is a great coach." Idiots.
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1-07-2008 @ 11:10PM
Westy said...
Gillispie didn't inherit a lot of talent, especially when it comes to big men, so I didn't have high expectations this year. But at times they look utterly lost, like it's the first week of practice. Patterson, Bradley, and Crawford have had incredible individual efforts at times, but I don't see anything that resembles a coherent offense. Worse, their defense is pathetic. Even if you don't have offensive talent, you can still play defense. Unless they figure out how to run a 4 guard offense and defense and make a miracle run in the SEC tournament, it looks like our streak of going to the NCAA tourney is history. Billie, you better figure it out by next year...
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