John Clay’s Sidelines

Received several e-mails already about my column this morning arguing that UK’s inexperience showed in the clutch.

Most of the responses have the same theme: If Gillispie had been playing Darius Miller and Kevin Galloway more during the season, maybe those mistakes don’t happen.

Especially good points are made about the fact that UK’s weak non-conference scheduled afforded much opportunity for more playing time.

Click the jump to read some of the e-mails.

Steve wrote:

Usually you are right on, but today you wrote the wrong column. The article should not have been about the inexperienced players who made mistakes during the last couple of minutes of the UK game, but the coach who should have played those players earlier in the year against all those cupcakes so that they would be experienced enough to handle whatever comes their way during this part of the season. Anyone knows that Michael Turnover does not deserve to start for UK. He tries hard. It is nothing against him, but point guard has to be either Galloway or Liggins. Liggins is a loose cannon. Who knows what he will give you? So, you go with Galloway. Also, everyone knows the way to win a game is not to keep your opponent from scoring, but to score more points than they do. Therefore, Ramon Harris, who seldom scores, is not the answer. The problem is that neither is Stevenson, who shows up only on occasion, Harrelson, or Stewart. But Miller needs to play, and
should have been playing from the start.

Case in point, yesterday Tennessee beat Florida. Who blocked a shot late in the game? Scotty Hopson, a freshman with about the same amount of talent as Miller, who has been getting the playing time he deserved the entire year. If Gillispie had started the guys early in the year that he should have started, the Cats might have a couple more victories at this time. People like Bruce Pearl and John Calapari, who started freshmen and let them play through their mistakes, are being rewarded late in the year. No one can dispute that Memphis is playing much better now than they did early in the year, and a lot of the reason is their freshman point guard. I am tired of seniority winning out over talent. Our last two coaches have coached that way.

Mandy wrote:

I understand everyone’s frustration with that last second shot that clinched the game for LSU, but Galloway, Stewart, and Miller do not deserve the blame.  If it wasn’t for that group we would not have been in a position to win that game at all.  You don’t lose a game in the final seconds, it takes an entire game INCLUDING the first half.  We lost that game because of the first half, not the second.  If Gillespie had been playing that group the entire game, I truly feel we would have won by 10.  Instead, that group gets in and has to bring UK back from a big hole against the best team in the SEC.  If the group that started the second half would have been playing all season, including the entire first half, we would be a different team.  I understand Gillespie wants to play man-to-man exclusively and he wants to feed the ball to Patterson.  That hasn’t worked because of poor Michael Porter.  I give Porter all the credit for playing hard, but his defensive breakdowns and his inability to handle the ball against quick guards have been very costly.  Now, everyone wants to rail against Miller, Galloway, and Stewart and completely ignore the fact that they are what got us back into that game in the first place.  The only reason I felt halfway decent about that loss is because I felt we’d finally (3 games before the end of the season) found our lineup.  Fabulous!!  Now Gillespie will fill justified in never playing the best, most athletic players and we won’t see that lineup the rest of this season!!

Pete wrote:

I am a regular reader and enjoy your columns.  You’re right on the money this morning, especially emphasizing the difference between LSU’s Mitchell and Thornton, and UK’s less experienced players.  Very good point, and I believe especially critical in the last LSU possession, which has been dissected to death.  There isn’t any mention though, of the other critical UK failures on both ends of the floor as the game wound down, that cost UK the lead and control of the game - wide open, uncontested missed dunks by both Patterson and Stevenson, the missed front end of the one and one by Meeks, and then the following missed three-pointer by LSU, with no block out on the rebound, and subsequent put back & foul.   That’s nine points right there.   Patterson’s rebound of the missed free throw and Miller’s tying three might have bailed UK out, but LSU executed & hit the shot.  UK had plenty of time to do the same, but couldn’t do the execute part.

I’m convinced this would be a different team and season if UK had managed to keep a healthy Derek Jasper.  I think it’s very difficult to win at this level with no point guard, and his transfer was a major setback.  I also believe Gillispie deserves a chance to recruit his players and develop this team.   His track record of results, and what he did last year, are pretty impressive - despite the goofy quirks and his poor execution of responses to the media.

Brian wrote:

Your article about Galloway and Miller making crucial mistakes down the stretch, while accurate, misses one important element; these two indivduals should have had enough game experience at this point of the season that inexperience should not be a factor, or at least much less of a factor.

With the out of conference schedule that UK played (read: weak), Galloway and Miller should have been getting significantly more time where these types of mistakes could have been learned without the same magnitude placed on the moment.

I support Gillispie to the fullest, but this season has certainly left me scratching my head at times.  There is no mistaking that Galloway and Miller make us better; just imagine where this team would be if Miller and Galloway were averaging 20 plus minutes during our cupcake out of conference schedule…