Tennessee/Random Thoughts

Chalk up another signature win this season for Billy Clyde Gillispie.

Last night's win over Tennessee at Rupp coupled with the double overtime win almost two weeks ago against a previously unbeaten Vanderbilt squad, I think it is safe to say the monkey is off Billy Gillispie's back.

For now.

It has taken into Southeastern Conference play for this team to start to mold into the type of team that Gillispie wants to put onto the court. This was a game that Kentucky really needed for a confidence boost that I believe will get them through the rest of the SEC schedule, assuming the win doesn't go to their heads. It is going to be a tough road to win the SEC and qualify for the NCAA tournament, but any rational basketball fan that watched the game last night knows that Kentucky is starting to turn the corner.

That being said, thoughts on the game:

The biggest weakness in Kentucky's lineup may have been filled last night with the play of Perry Stevenson. When Perry first committed to Kentucky to go along with Derrick Jasper and Jodie Meeks, I thought he had a potential of another Louisana product who had went pro that year in Tyrus Thomas of LSU. Instead, he played more like Sheray Thomas, who really never contributed much over his time at Kentucky. His problem over the past two seasons has been a lack of assertion in not stepping up his game, but the past two games against Florida and Tennessee, Stevenson has been absolutely fearless and has not been afraid to take the ball up. I think it is safe to say that Stevenson should beat out Mark Coury for the starting job.

For those knocking Tubby for not recruiting Chris Lofton, please consider the following. In 2004, Kentucky had the no 8th, 13th, and 15th ranked players in the nation coming into that season, along with another four star point guard from New York. Those recruits were Randolph Morris, Joe Crawford, Rajon Rondo, and Ramel Bradley. Chris Lofton was a 6'1 shooting guard, undersized for that position and possibly more suited for the point and was viewed as a bench player for Kentucky. With the exception of Mason County, if Kentucky would have offered Lofton a scholarship over any of these four AT THAT TIME, Tubby likely would have been rode out of the state quicker than he was last season. That being said, while I think Tubby was a less than stellar recruiter and unfairly judged talent, I cannot fault him for not offering the Mason County star a scholarship. Bottom line is, nobody, not even Rick Pitino(who also did not offer Lofton), knew that Chris Lofton would go on to break the SEC record for three's in a career and lead Tennessee from mediocrity to ranked in the top five.

On a somewhat lighter note, what do you get when you mix blue and orange? The answer is Maysville, Kentucky. I had read that in a blog last year and it definitely stuck last night when they showed at I believe Wal-Mart a Kentucky section with a little bit of Tennessee orange apparel in the back of the room. Of course, this is the same state that made Bruce Pearl a Kentucky Colonel, even though Buzz Peterson recruited Lofton to Tennessee.

One thing I will say about Bruce Pearl, while I don't particularly care for his attitude, especially last night with letting the players wear earrings during warmups and letting his players get into a pissing match with the Kentucky fans, he is a coach that is not only good for the SEC, but also college basketball. He is a players coach, and I do believe that he as well as Pat Summitt would coach for free if it were financially possible. Kentucky fans may find him obnoxious and jump him for crossing the state border to find talent, but I doubt you will find Billy Gillispie(much less any of the players) covered in body paint at a girls game in the near future.

As I mentioned, I had faulted Tubby for not being a judge of talent. He did not pursue Corey Brewer, who likely would have committed if offered, because he thought Brewer wasn't physical enough to play in the SEC. Billy Donovan thought otherwise and offered him, and the rest is history.

If you want to consider how far Kentucky has fallen, consider that we are fighting to keep our own talent in state. For the first time that I can remember, Kentucky is generating top high school talent capable of playing on the Division I level. We had to hire Tracy Webster away from Illinois in order to land Darius Miller, the other Mason County star who will provide instant depth next season for the Cats. Scotty Hopson, who is ranked 11th in the nation by Scout.com and is from Hopkinsville, verbally committed to Mississippi State early in the recruiting process but has yet to sign and is being heavily recruited by Tennessee. Bud Mackey, the top senior point guard from the state champion Scott County and outdueled OJ Mayo last season, committed to Indiana before the whole cocaine incident. Even Dakotah Euton, the Rose Hill product who has eased the loss of OJ Mayo from people in Ashland, said that before Kentucky hired Gillispie, he was considering Florida and Duke, and he was a Freshman in high school!

I know people are saying Hopson is a headcase and most everybody in the state knows what happened with Mackey, but bottom line is, if you are a perennial power, you have to keep the quality in-state talent in state playing for the state school. Now, Hopson may prove to be uncoachable and Mackey will likely never play on the major college level, but a proven coach would have been after these kids early in the recruiting process instead of letting our neighbors beat us to the punch.

Another reason I am for local talent is the tradition of Kentucky basketball. I do believe that Billy Gillispie, a man from the Henry Iba coaching tree, has respect for the traditions and considers it a true privilege to coach this team. Patrick Patterson is another one who I think shares in that as growing up in Huntington, he is close enough to the state to understand what this team means to the state. I do not believe players like Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley, even though they are seniors, understand that it is a privilege to play at Kentucky and are playing just to make themselves look good. Players like Darius Miller and Dakotah Euton are going to play hard because they understand and respect the program and I don't see that in many of the players on this team.

That about wraps it up,

Cheyne