An Ocean of Blue Can't Wash Away the Loss but It Does Warm the Heart

Rupp was rocking today. I mean 24,ooo fans just cheering their butts off. There was not more than 50 USC fans present. I did not wear a UK sweatshirt but a USC windbreaker. I took off my new Gamecocks windbreaker, it was too hot to wear it, and sported by UK t-shirt (couldn't help it in a sea of blue I am not going to be the odd man out, my heart wasn't in it).


I was just awed by the overwhelming, yet perfect shade of blue imbuing Rupp Arena; it was absolutely breathtaking. I lost my voice in the first five minutes. This is the my first game with Gillispie at the helm, and I liked it. Wow, what an atmosphere. The bad news is we lost. Devan Downey was nigh unstoppable, not Jodie Meeks at Tennessee unstoppable but he did significant damage to all of our guards. His dribble penetration was superb. He sliced in the lane right, switched to the left, and faded away, time after, time after time. We had no answer for him in the second half. And when we did Fredricks or Holmes stepped up with a lucky rebound or lose ball. The Gamecocks were both lucky and good today; we were solid but a little loose.

Patterson pounded away at the inside with Perry also doing a lot of glass damage, but it was just not enough. Two reasons why we lost: unnecessary turnovers and rebounding. Those two things change the momentum of a game like nothing else. Turnovers at half-court and under the basket were like asps to Cleopatra. And rebounds start transition offense, which can lead to easy points. Enough said about that.

I was very proud to be a Kentucky fan today. Yelling and cheering our team on, but when you get home and read the comments to the stories...well, it is just sickening. I agree with Brian the Intern at Kentucky Sports Radio, "SUPPORT YOUR TEAM...OR FIND ANOTHER TEAM!" The cantankerous fans are worse than fickle media. Guys suck it up and show your BLUE or stop caring. There has to come a time in a fans life when they will or they will not support their team. If you care more about winning than support, then you are not a fan; FAN is short for fanatic. People are so afraid of being wrong or being on the wrong side, that they will sell their heritage and souls to look good in the eyes of people or the validation of being right. Where is the loyalty man...always looking for something better? How can you look for a better program to stand with? If you want to move on go ahead, but this is the way this ship sails, with Billy G. But We Wish you all the very best, but don't come slinking back around when the temperature gets a little hotter here with Final Fours and Championship games. I say ado to you and good riddance.


Darius Miller played a whale of a game to day. That block in the second half was just perfect and a momentum changer; he is going to be something special, so cherish him. And I love the new look (old look) that Gillispie is protraying. He is not so much worried about Meeks scoring 40 every night, though he doesn't mind, just as long as the points come in the flow of the game. He doesn't want an offense that is centered around Meeks. Think of it this way, if we are scoring 70's and 80's without Meeks getting 40 and the other players are stepping up then that will come in handy in the tournament. Everything is gearing up to tournament time...nothing else matters right now.


Once again I will say it...Billy G. didn't forget how to coach. He is more of a throw back to Rupp, than any coach that I have seen. He had more awards and trophies than any coach on Barnhart's short list, so he is the man for the job. His demeanor and his sarcastic quips are something of legends. I am on board and I am enjoy this season much like learning to love the Cats all over again. I love this season. Being at Rupp today was great even though we lost. My faith is in the team, the coach, and the program. What do these players think about their fans that continuously speak negativity over the program? These kids deserve more from us, as fans, and I am going to give them my respect and support. It is falling in love all over again...I am in it for the long haul.

It's Bluegrass Miracle

I got a call tonight that guaranteed me a seat at the USC/UK Game...I am so stoked.  I graduated from USC and by right I am a Gamecock fan, but I was born and raised a Wildcat.  Tomorrow I will be slightly torn, but only slightly.   I hope the Cats sock it to them and hard.  Now my attire will be UK Sweatshirt and a Gamecocks hat.  My education maybe Gamecocked but my heart is Blue all the way through, and I am not going to even argue about it.  I am a Wildcat fanatic.  Go CATS!!!!

See you after the game, probably on Sunday...I hope to be drunk of the hard liquor of success.

Blanketed! Kentucky in a State of Emergency. (From the Snow not the Loss to Ole Miss).

No blogging yesterday.  Kentucky was in a State of Emergency.  We had friends over to our home that were without power until late in the evening.  Then we had Nina's parents come right after that.  So, I did  not get to do my usually research and analysis.

I can say though that I loved Gillispie's comments about how much he loves his team.  Come on, that is so awesome.  How many coaches say that after a loss.  Forget about his run-in with the sideline reporter Jeannine Edwards.  Because I for one have never, I mean never had any useful information reported in that ten seconds clip.  It is useless and an annoyance.  The coach is trying to get back there with his team and correct some mistakes.  But he has to stop and answer some inane questions that is are vague and ridiculous.  If Gillispie's half time strategy was to get Meeks more shots and more screens what was it any of our business.  He's the coach.  I think that that part of the game is so bureaucratic and political I could gag.  I hate the half-time Coach's comments.

"So, Coach, what are you going to do different in the second half to score some more points than your opponent?"  asks an annoying sideline reporter (whom are mostly all women...eye-candy for the networks?  Trying to justify hiring more women.  And I am sure that most women, who are journalistically-bent don't want to be doing this fluff, but probably have to if they want to have real reporting job in sports; political garbage)

The Coach responds, "Well, Jane Doe, we are going to play harder on defense and play smarter on offense."  Then he runs off to the locker room.  Wow, my inquisitive mind has been slaked by that Pulitzer Award Winning journalism.  

Jane Doe then turns to the camera and says something earth shattering like, "Well guys, there you have it play hard and smarter.  That is why he is one of the best coaches in the conference." 

Wow, that was riveting stuff.  That was such and in depth reporting that I probably could not have figured it out myself. 

 It was a tough loss and will take us out of the national polls, but the team nor the coach offered any excuses.  And I think that the reason that Gillispie didn't try to get Meeks open with double and triple screens was to force other guys to step up and prove that the Cats are more than two deep on offense; three or four deep.  For the most part it happened with Perry and Darius.  He tried to let Jodie's points come to him in the flow of the game and not force him to be the team's saviour.  If they had won then other teams would have seen how useless it is to just try and shut down Jodie and Patrick.  This was hands on training for Liggins and Miller (and everyone else).  I feel this is very important come tournament time.  These other higher ranked team will shut down Patrick and Jodie (or they will have off games) and if they other guys have found their offensive groove we will go far in the tournament.

I know that if the Cats had applied more pressure on the defensive end we could have had more transition points.  Now, Liggins did not make the best decisions in transition, but he is just a freshman.  Everything that Gillispie does is to strengthen the Cats' weakness so that the team is more mature and seasoned for the post season...that is all that really matters.  SEC championships are great but they don't have the same ring as NCAA Championships.  Remember Pitino said that a loss to Mississippi State in the SEC Championship game would not be good for the '96 Cats, but he benched most of his starters the last few minutes as the Bulldogs went on to win.  We lost the SEC tournament.  But he came out and said that it was good that we lost.  It gave the starter focus and showed that they were not invincible; brilliant idea and plan.  On the flip side if the '96 Cats win with the starters on the bench confidence is up that the team is so good that they could win with second tier guys.  Great a good lesson as well.  I don't think that Pitino's plan would have failed either way.

Here it is guys, Great Coaches are always teaching, every step of the way.  They are constantly pushing you to become better.  Gillispie has been challenging his other players to step up and preform.  This was the perfect stage, and if not for a few too many 3's and bad passes, this actually reinforces that same truth among the players.  Patrick and Jodie score 44 and the rest of the score 36.  Not too bad.  We can play and be successful playing this brand of ball, but everyone has to know their place and make better decisions with the ball.  I am sure that I haven't told you anything that you couldn't make up your minds about otherwise...I am just internet eye candy?  I feel so taken advantage of...

Here's a great article about Tubby.  A positive word about our former commander and chief.

Heartbreaker...Man What a Buzz Kill!

This was a heartbreaker of a loss.  I am still feeling the sting.  85-80...I guess that we didn't get our shut out.  I will be back in the morning with some encouraging words.  I will be driving Nina to work in the morning, I am going to need my rest when facing those icy roads.

GAME DAY!  It is a few moments before tip off.  I will come back after the game with some post comments.  Here's to 6-0!  Here's to an SEC road win!

On, On U Of K (Fight Song)

On, on, U of K, we are right for the fight today,
Hold that ball and hit that line; 
Ev'ry Wildcat star will shine;
We'll fight, fight, fight, for the blue and white
As we roll to that goal, Varsity,
And we'll kick, pass and run, 'til the battle is won,
And we'll bring home the victory

My Old Kentucky Home

The sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home,
'Tis summer, the people are gay;
The corntop's ripe and the meadows in the bloom,
While the birds make music all the day.
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor,
All merry, all happy, and bright;
By-n-by hard times come a-knocking at the door,
Then, my old Kentucky home, good-night!

(CHORUS)
Weep no more, my lady,
Oh! Weep no more, today!
We will sing one song for my old Kentucky home,
For my old Kentucky home far away.

The Cats Crack the Top 25

CATS ARE IN THE AP TOP 25 FOR THE 1ST TIME SINCE 2007. Minnesota takes a seat in the top 30 in AP, but not in the Coaches poll, where the Cats have not broken through yet...but next week they will. Until tomorrow.

WHAT IS COMPETING AND COMPETITION?

4 out of 5 analysts agree that Kentucky basketball will be something to reckon with come March. That reminds me of on old saying, "beware the Cats of March." (I think it was in Shakespeare's Julius Rupp or something like that). I have been telling people for two years now that Gillispie was the man for the job and that his, yes, I am going to say it again, unrelenting conditioning and constant pressure to compete will pay off huge divide ends. I mean we have held every SEC school to under 39% FG shooting...THAT IS RIDICULOUS! The unassuming basketball genius is trying his best to get the Cats to hold a team scoreless for an entire game!?! I read earlier in the year Mike Porter said that Coach Gillispie challenged them to pitch a shutout this year. As I said a few posts back, how would 85-0 sound to Big Blue Nation? Our Chests would swell to a ginormous size and we wouldn't be able to be around any other fans without being obnoxiously over-chatty about it. Gillispie, a Texas native and former high school coach, preaches defense and shut outs...but is that the right attitude to have? Is it wrong to not allow the other team to score a basket? Don't baskets accidently get made? Not all offense is skill, there is a lot of luck involved. Could you imagine Lamar comes in to Lexington next year, or some division II school, and we thump them 85-0? Would there be anything remorseful about that for you as a fan or a person? This is brings up a very controversial point concerning a girls basketball team and another Texas coach, Micah Grimes.

The Covenant School girls basketball team defeated Dallas Academy team 100-0! That my friends is impressive. But here is the controversy, Dallas only has 8 girls on the varsity team and only 20 girls in their high school, and they have been winless in the last four years, and they were down 59-0 at the half. According to the Associated Press there is no mercy rule in girls basketball, so the game goes until the final buzzer sounds. The Head Master and the Board Chair issued a statement on their website to apologize for the "unChristian-like" display. WHAT? I am not sure I understand the logic behind this statement:

In the statement on the Covenant Web site, Queal said the game "does not reflect a Christ-like and honorable approach to competition. We humbly apologize for our actions and seek the forgiveness of Dallas Academy, TAPPS and our community."

What is a non-Christian about playing your best? The real question is why were the girls of Dallas Academy playing Covenant? And why are they in the same league? I can understand that there are those who think that the Convenant girls shouldn't have continued playing, but they did only score 12 points in the fourth quarter and 29 in the third. Were they supposed to stop playing all together? They play a full-court pressure and shoot a lot of threes. One of their players did score 48 points. They are also undefeated in their 2A district by score of 54-29, 66-7, 77-27. Nevertheless Covenant is going to forfiet the win. They do have losses to three other, larger schools. So, it reasons that they either became really good when they enter conference play or the competition is not worthy of that being called competition. Maybe they need to be moved to a 3A District, instead of the lower 2A. I'm not sure that the Dallas Academy girls should be in the 2A though, or maybe then need a new coach, considering they haven't won in four years. But to say that this was not Christian to continue to play, is a bit over the top. What would have been the Christian thing to do? Let them get a few baskets or play them at your skill level ? If this were a park game or a church league, then yeah, let them get a few baskets, but if you are talking about organized basketball with both teams agreeing on the rules and those rules remain unbroken...then it is a tough loss. What I think is great, is that the girls of Dallas Academy are over it and they don't really want to accept the forfiet loss; they want to earn the win. Good for you.

Here is a personal note. (Pulling from the recesses of my brain) I remember being 11 and having just started trying to playing basketball. My dad is teaching me in the driveway of our house; the lessons were purely fundamental. First, I wasn't allowed to shoot past ten feet away from the rim (not until I was strong enough to use the correct form from a farther distance). Second, the importance of learning to dribble. You need to be able to create your own offense, if you are always relying on someone else to get you the ball in the perfect spot you may not get to shoot too much. Third, defense is a must. You can score on accident, but you can't block, box out, steal, or shut someone down consistently by accident. Fourth, winning is a priviledge not a right; you have to earn victories. My dad played me to his skill level as a 40 year-old man and a once great athlete. Now, I am not condoning the physical level that he played me at, elbow to the chest, and pushing and shoving, but it took me four years to beat him; he missed one shot and in about 30 minutes of play and I didn't miss. He always said that the day I beat him that I will have actually beat him. He didn't allow me to win to feel better about myself, it was actually an achievement. He wanted to instill this in me so much that he wouldn't let me win at checkers. A win is a win and a loss is a loss.

This philosophy was the reinforced in middle school. I remember sitting in the locker room after gym class contemplating how unwanted I felt. I was picked last during a gym-class basketball game. Jimmie, a kid who had no coordination and no rugged boyishness about him was picked before me...I was dead last. Looking back I can't blame them. I can still see myself rocketing the ball towards the rim with unholy form and no skill whatsoever, and double dribbling everytime I touched the ball. (I don't think Jimmie even attempt a shot, that is probably why they wanted him over me). As sat there mulling over my play and the feelings of being last, I decided that no one would ever pick me last at basketball again. I went home and started a regiment of shooting for 6-8 hours a day (under my dad's watchful and very corrective eye) and all day weekends. I went from being picked last in middle school to playing with (skill-wise) and beating senoirs as a freshman in high school. The difference was passion and effort.

I really am glad that my dad didn't let me win just because he felt sorry for me. He would not have been helping me, but enabling me to think that I was better than I really was. Now, I have played many players ranging from college, ex-college, ex-semi-pro and gym rats and I have played very well. I haven't always won but I have always represented myself and my training.

The skill set that the Dallas Academy girls have been blessed with may have nothing to do with basketball. They may be great musicians or artists or business minded girls...but it is apparent that they need more training, passion, and effort before they get on the court. I hope that this either spurs the girls on to become great basketball players or to become great at what their skill set is. This much is true that are bad at basketball and there is no sugar coating it; Covenant is 100 times better than Dallas Academy.

The hardest part of this story, for me, is that the Coach Grimes was fired. The Covenant Headmaster is not commenting on whether that this had anything to do with the response that Coach Grimes emaied to a website. He stated that his girls acted with dignity and integrity. He didn't not agree with the school's apology. If the girls weren't jeering and making fun and they played within the rules, then I see nothing wrong with the score either.

All that to say this, I am hoping that the Cats shut out Ole Miss. That would be a great first for this team. Oh, and compete on every play. he he.