<p>I root for two teams - UK, my alma mater, and Vanderbilt, kids’ school. With both out of the tournament this year, I didn’t even bother to fill out a bracket. Yesterday’s big news is that Billy Gillespie won’t be back at Kentucky. I am not an obsessed fan anymore, but I support that decision for a variety of reasons. Anybody else interested in how the search for a new coach will play out? I read something on MSNBC that said it could likely have a major impact as the domino effect plays out. Several things I have read say don’t count Billy Donovan out of the picture even though he has declared a commitment to Florida. One piece in our local paper said it’s time for him to decide if he ever wants to coach at a school where the fans will love basketball as much as he does.
Thoughts?</p>
<p>They never should have run Tubby out of town. They have gotten what they deserve.</p>
<p>I have heard many coaches do not want to deal with the aggravation that is being the UK head basketball coach.</p>
<p>I always liked Tubby. There definitely are fans who can cause aggravation. If you watch Friday Night Lights and see how the boosters try to run the football program of that Texas high school, there are some similarities with UK basketball fans.</p>
<p>The basketball head coaching job at UK is one of the premier coaching jobs in the country but there are so many lucrative other places to coach it may not be worth all the other issues.
Are their any alumni that have experience coaching other places that would come back?</p>
<p>Much loved alums Travis Ford (Oklahoma State?) and John Pelphrey (Arkansas) are being discussed. Billy Donovan was on Pitino’s staff back in the early 90s and is well regarded in the state. I like John Pelphrey and his style from what I’ve seen watching him coach against UK and Vandy, but one of the newspaper articles I read today said it might be hard for him to be considered given his team went 2-15 in the SEC this year.</p>
<p>I think Billy Donovan would be crazy to leave Florida. It is the secondary sport but he has had great success and the crazy alum bother Urban Meyer and leave him alone. Relatively of course. It would be an entirely different story at Kentucky.</p>
<p>I can’t see Donovan leaving UF, for the reasons stated by tom1944. The guy has won two national championships, consecutively!!! Plus, I’m guessing that recruiting at UF is much easier than recruiting at Kentucky in recent years. Division I sports is all about money these days, which means that if Donovan is still under contract, UK would have to pay a pretty penny to get UF to release him. And seeing as how basketball money is now just as important as football money (see Title IX requirements), UF is going to keep Donovan as long as he keeps getting into the tournament. Remember, Florida wasn’t a BB power until Donovan arrived. Finally, I think Donovan would only leave Florida for a northeast or big city university.</p>
<p>Also, hiring Calipari from UMemphis would be a big mistake for Kentucky. Unless he’s cleaned up his act, Calipari has been known to run a “barely legal” program, dating back to his days at UMassachusetts. His UMemphis teams are quite good, and I wish they had won at all last year against Kansas. But Calipari has not made his success in a highly competitive league like the SEC. Also, I think the temptation to skirt the rules may be too great for him at Kentucky.</p>
<p>But Calipari is probably what they want in terms of charisma, PR, alumni-schmoozing, etc. And he’s always been a great recruiter. That’s where I’d place my bet right now. Tom Izzo may also be what they want, but I think he’s a lifer at Michigan State.</p>
<p>I agree; they will probably erect a bronze statue of Izzo at MSU before he retires. And well heeled alums like Magic Johnson will keep the pressure on MSU to keep Izzo happy. With the basketball mess at UMichigan, Izzo has the entire state and its basketball talent to himself.</p>
<p>Rick Pitino is pushing for either Travis Ford or John Pelphrey. While he alienated many by going to Louisville, there are many in Kentucky (me included) who still love him and value his opinion.</p>
<p>I think they’ll go with a well-regarded alum like Ford or Pelphrey. To be brutally honest, this job is not the plum UK fans, alumni, and administrators think it is. Not after the way they ran off Tubby Smith, one of the best coaches in America and one of the most loved and respected in the profession. Not after they dismissed Gillespie after two years in the pressure cooker. I think Tom Izzo is the kind of guy they’re looking for, a true basketball genius who recruits well, develops his players within a disciplined team-first approach, is brilliant at developing and teaching the game plan for the big game, and manages the game itself as well as anyone. But Izzo would be a fool to throw away lifetime tenure at Michigan State where he is thought to sit at the right hand of God for the intense and often unrealistic expectations of immediate success on the part of UK fans and alums. That’s a recipe for blowing up any career. And Tom Izzo is no fool. Neither are most of the top coaches in America. So the pool that UK can realistically expect to draw from these days is really quite small. Almost has to be an alum.</p>
<p>Agree. The luster is off these overrated programs that think they have some God given right to be in the Final Four. Outside of basketball UK is just another third tier school in a small state. Having to compete with two other top level programs for attention and talent makes it even less attractive.</p>