John Clay's Sidelines

(H-L photo/Charles Bertram)

Three points as I return from the Rich Brooks’ retirement announcement:

1. Brooks said that even if Mitch Barnhart had met his contract requests, that he probably would have still made the announcement this morning. Barnhart came close to Brooks’ requests, but did not totally meet them. Still, I think what tugged at Brooks over the past few days is his regret at not getting the program to the next level. He wanted to be the coach who ended the streak against Tennessee, that upset Florida, that put the Cats in position to really compete for the East title. He’s a competitor. It was hard for him to walk away from the challenge of doing that.
2. Heard Mitch Barnhart say that the facility upgrades are the “last pieces of the puzzle.” How many times have we heard that? I was around when C.M. Newton sold the Nutter Field House as the last piece of the puzzle. The thing about those facility puzzles, they are always expanding. And you always have to get new pieces. And they always cost money. There seems to be no end to it. So let’s not hear about this or that is “the final piece of the puzzle.”
3. The buzz is this won’t be the last change. This is Joker Phillips’ program now, and the feeling seems to be that some staff changes are coming. Not sure about specifics. And don’t think there will be a total overhaul. But I do believe we will see at least 3-4 new faces on the staff next season.