Defending the Kentucky Fans(Tubby Smith's Departure)

This is quite a bit overdue, as the non conference schedule is past and we are into SEC play, but there is an issue that has still been bothering me.

On March 22nd, 2007, four days after being eliminated 88-76 by Kansas in the second round of the NCAA tournament, Orlando "Tubby" Smith decided to resign as head coach of the University of Kentucky and accept a "new challenge" as he called it, rebuilding a Minnesota Golden Gopher program that was decimated by the recruiting antics of Dan Monson. Immediately on Sportscenter that evening, the very first person interviewed was Dick Vitale, who immediately praised Tubby for winning five SEC titles and averaging 26 wins a season. In addition, Vitale called out Kentucky fansfor their expectations, comparing them to the Yankees in baseball.

Vitale is right on some points. The expectations at Kentucky are very high, but with those expectations come some of the greatest benefits in college basketball:

• Being able to coach at the winningest program in college basketball history (second to UCLA in NCAA tournament titles).
  
• The ability to recruit the top players in the nation.
  
• A top notch brand new on-campus practice facility.
  
• Being able to follow in the steps of coaches such as Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, and Rick Pitino. Yes, Sutton shamed the program and Pitino is a traitor, but their records speak for themselves.
  
• Being able to play in a downtown arena that leads the nation in home attendance.

In addition to these benefits come the most passionate fans in all of college basketball. Former coach Rick Pitino called Kentucky fans the "Roman Legion of College Basketball". However, with those passionate fans come the expectations, sometimes unrealistic, of leading a team to prominence. Inheriting a roster led by Wayne Turner, Jeff Sheppard, and Scott Padgett, Tubby Smith did just that and took the Wildcats in his first year to their 7'th NCAA Championship.

So what went wrong? Well, as much as people back then would have become furious for even mentioning it, Tubby Smith won that championship with Pitino's players. It sounds like an excuse, but the players that Pitino had left over were still very impressive, just not as much as the 1996 and 1997 teams.

Tubby did have success with his own players, most notably in the 2002/2003 season when his team went 32-4 and went undefeated in SEC play, and would have likely made the Final Four if not for the efforts of Dwayne Wade and an injury to top scorer Keith Bogans. Two years later, Kentucky would again make it to the Elite Eight, losing in double overtime to Michigan St.

Tubby is a successful and accomplished coach, but while his winning is well noted, there are several flaws to Tubby Smith while at Kentucky:

1. Recruiting: You cannot deny the impact that the NBA has made on recruiting. In the day and age of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Tracy McGrady, top teams were forced to adapt constantly to the changes being made and Tubby decided instead of going after players who were only going to be there for one year to pursue lesser players who would fit his system and would stay all four years. While Tubby did not go after the one and done players, the players he did recruit did well. Gerald Fitch, Chuck Hayes, Cliff Hawkins, Erik Daniels, Derrick Jasper, and Jodie Meeks are all talented players and three of the first four players have seen time in the NBA. The one recruiting class that consisted of four top recruits, Ramel Bradley, Joe Crawford, Rajon Rondo, and Randolph Morris, eventually ended up being Tubby's undoing.
   
2. Style of Play: Tubby's style of play, known around the state as "Tubbyball", focused primarily on slowing down the tempo of the game on offense and pressuring the opponents on defense. This was a major turnoff for Kentucky fans who loved the up-tempo style of play that Rick Pitino made popular. Because of this style of play, the scoring distribution was fairly even with no single player dominating a game. Top players that Tubby did pursue nationally began to spurn Kentucky, most notably Tyler Hansborough and Brandan Wright, who committed to North Carolina and cited Kentucky's style of play as a reason for not committing.
   
3. Conditioning: This is something I believe that Tubby needs to address if he is ever going to be truly successful with "his" players at Minnesota. Whether it was because he substituted freely and the players didn't have the motor to compete, or that the death of John Stewart (a commitment who collapsed and died during a high school game) possibly could have affected him in how hard he pushed his players, Tubby Smith teams constantly appeared out of shape and could not play against more physical teams. If you want proof of this, check this years team with Coach Gillispie versus last years team.

These three things led to an overall decline of the Kentucky program in the last two years. Another reason that fans were not too fond of Tubby, unfortunately, is race. I personally do not share these views, but people in the state of Kentucky were not too thrilled to learn that the person coaching in "The House that Rupp Built" was black. You may not find many of these people in Lexington, but get further away from the central part of the state and you will find it still lives.

In closing I leave you with this. Living in West Virginia, people are still bitter over the messy divorce involving Rich Rodriguez leaving WVU for the Big Ten and Michigan. However, the administration at Kentucky is not doing the same insane things that WVU has been claiming since Rodriguez left. It seems like every week something new is surfacing, and whether true or not, some people need to just let go and move on. I wish Tubby the best at Minnesota, and I think his style of play will work well there. I just hope that he adjusts his conditioning, or he will run into the same problems there that he fell into at Kentucky.

Thank you for reading.

Cheyne