Received an interesting e-mail this week from a Kentucky fan, all the way from Iraq. The author asked that I only use his initials, but thought I’d post the rest here:
Dear John:
All the way from
Iraq it really pains me to see at my ripe old age of 49 our Wildcats play so poorly and for Tubby to appear so impotent.
I have never in all my years as a die hard KAT fan listening to Cawood and watching afterwards the delayed broadcasts of the games in
Louisville.
(Never) seen players so talent laden play with so little passion and with an almost total inability to execute the simplest give and go, crisp pass, much less box out and fundamentally go after the ball…rebound.
The team appears to be made up of one on one experts flirting with the idea of being a team but not yet internalizing the value of doing so.
Some even state that they are one on one experts which leaves no doubt where their priorities lay as opposed to where they really should be.
This team may better be called the schizophrenic KATS.
As an optimist I never count my KATS out. As long as Tubby is the coach, our players wear blue, bleed blue and know what it means to be a KAT then I remain hopeful that Tubby has the right medication to treat this malady…If not this could be a very painful season for players, fans and the great gentleman of the game Tubby Smith. My heart goes out to him as he personally recruited these players, investing his time and effort to help them on and off the field and awaits as an expectant father for them to mature to be responsible team players in a collegiate game that rewards that style of play.
For us fans we need to re-look our criticism of Tubby for going after second tier players. Tubby may need to go back to recruiting those same type players as their focus is to subordinate their one on one skills, individual style for the better meant of the team…It seems a daunting task for him as he and is coaching staff are expending a lot of energy trying to find the right combinations of players so the team will jell.
I think the character of this team is at a crossroads as well as the temperament of the coaching staff. My bet is on the KATs and Tubby getting thru this season a little over .500 and building a team next year of committed players willing and able to internalize the principal of playing team ball and with the fundamental skills to pass more and rebound effectively. Time will tell but my gut says that this is really a rebuilding year.
We lost to Vanderbilt…
Your thoughts are invited.
J.J.P., COL GRD
