John Clay’s Sidelines

Excerpts from the inbox:

James from Michigan writes:

I agree with coach that Liggins showed his enormous potential, but there was nothing else to celebrate other than the fact that Harris seemed to give 100 percent.  It will take days and many bottles of clorox to remove the smell UK left in North Carolina.  Spring flowers will flourish in Chapel Hill from all of the fertilizer UK left.

. . . Please do not write about Patterson leaving for the NBA after this year.  He is not even close to making the NBA; PTA maybe.  He looked sluggish, missed many opportunities for easy offensive rebounds, did not play with spirit, was not effective on the defensive end, etc.  Unfortunately he appears too small to play 5 in the Bigs, too slow to play 4 and lacks the speed and shooting skills to play 3.  He looked better one year ago than he looked last night.  Maybe he was in a funk because NC’s Player of the Year was out.

Ashley wrote:

I thought (Liggins) stunk! Like Jasper, he never shot the ball once, until 4 seconds remained. Does Billy G. tell our point guards to never shoot the ball? He had some wide open shots! . . . Now as for football…how do we rush for 240 against UGA, then decide NOT to run vs. Vandy?? Whomever is calling the offense has cost us 3 games this season. USC, UGA and VU. UK fans deserve better!! Competent leadership in this dept. is severely lacking and we’re not getting it form WHOMEVER is calling the plays. They are putting R. Cobb is a very uncompromising position as a drop back passer. What a JOKE.

Martin wrote:

I am hugely disappointed this year.  I really thought with the players coming back and his recruits coming in it would be a vastly different team.  I know all the arguments, but it seems that everyone but Kentucky gets players that come in their freshman year and contribute.  and, also, the practices that are supposed to make the difference, and the mistakes in ball handling.  being a born and bred Kentucky fan, I expect a little more than the losses we have had over the past two seasons.  I had no problems with last season, but I didn’t expect to start this season with 2 flops in a row.

Rob wrote:

Don’t be too hard on them this early.  Yes they should have beat VMI, but honestly they had a slim chance beating the Heels at the Dean Dome (even without Tyler and Marcus).  The turnovers killed them and you can’t get away with that against UNC or most opponents for that matter.  I think Tubby is a great man and above average coach, but he could not seem to get the maximum out of his players or elevate the program back to the top (save his 1st year).  I think Gillispie has the ability to motivate players to their potential (unfortunately not in the beginning of the season).  If nothing else…Billy has avoided giving a scholarship to anybody 7 ft tall.  It was not until the last third of last season that Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley started playing well.

Tim wrote:

Perhaps I speak for lots of Kentucky fans but Kentucky should be embarrassed by such a performance at the Smith Center.  I cannot recall ever seeing a Kentucky team more lost or clueless than this one.  I wrote to you last year regarding my feeling that Gillispie’s team had no clue what they were doing, that Gillispie obviously had a problem communicating and I think that is more apparent than ever.  I’m not even sure he knows the game all that well.  Whatever, he is clearly in over his head at Kentucky.  He may be a first class recruiter but that seems to be as far as it goes.  I think the only reason Kentucky did as well as it did last year was because of Bradley and Crawford, the pride they had as Kentucky seniors.  Barnhart needs to go and Kentucky needs to clean house.  There is no excusing or explaining this.  This is a discredit to a very proud Kentucky tradition and all the people who forged that tradition.  Get rid of Barnhart (an athletic director who seems to have no problem playing in the gray areas regarding NCAA regulations and/or the perception of playing within the rules), buyout Gillispie, and let’s make a restart.

Scott wrote:

I think a more appropriate question to ask is why Meeks is taking so many ill advised shots and not trying to penetrate and get the ball into his teammates hands (Patterson).  It seemed to me he wanted to play UNC all by himself, but he had his team make the trip with him. With 15 missed shots and 6 TO’s he effectively handed the ball back to UNC them the ball 21 times ( 14 if you count his rebounds as a +).  I never thought anyone at this level could be such a ball hog and I don’t understand why the coach doesn’t point this out in practice rather that have them make a fool of themselves (and yes, there fans) on national TV.  Last years guys got it at the end, why can’t these do the same? This is going to be a long, painful, year.