12/20/07: Kentucky Basketball

OK. So the Kentucky men's basketball team isn't looking very good so far this season. If you're a Kentucky fan what did you honestly expect?

The biggest gripe that everybody seemed to have with Tubby Smith was his recruiting. So, why is everyone complaining about the Wildcats substandard performance on the floor this season? Let's face it, Billy Gillespie didn't exactly inherit a talent rich team when he came to Lexington. The cupboards were pretty bare, even by Tubby's standards. Don't get me wrong, there are some talented players on this year's roster. But, the only developed talent that Tubby left in Lexington was at the guard position. Tubby didn't leave any big men on the roster that had any meaningful experience.

Billy Gillespie came to town, and now finds himself in the unenviable position of having too many talented back court players and not enough developed front court players. As a result, Billy has had to rely heavily on a talented freshman (Patrick Patterson) and a walk-on (Mark Coury) to do most of the heavy lifting in the low post. Add to that the injuries to Meeks and Jasper in the back court at the start of the season, and Billy Gillespie's unenviable position suddenly became an unenviable mess.

I'm actually impressed that the Wildcats have, at times, looked as good as they have. They haven't yet impressed me with their defense or rebounding, but it is honestly about what I expected when I saw the lineup that Gillespie has been forced to put on the floor. When the season started I made a note to myself that I thought Kentucky would be lucky to finish the season at .500. And that was before Meeks got injured and Legion left the program.

I understand Kentucky fans being upset, but what does everybody honestly expect to gain by bashing Gillespie and the players this early in the season? I'm afraid that if the bashing continues it might have a negative impact on Gillespie's recruiting. If you were a highly sought after recruit would you want to go to a school where the fans were constantly criticizing the players and coach? Billy will never be able to resurrect the program if he can't convince the big name recruits that his job is safe in Lexington.

If you are truly a Kentucky fan I am begging you to have a little patience. Rome wasn't built in a day. Yes, Billy does things a little differently from what we are all used to. But, that doesn't necessarily mean what he is doing is wrong.

I think Gillespie is a good enough recruiter to bring in the required talent to return the Wildcats to greatness. The guy just needs some more time and a little faith from the fan base. I'm not saying that we as Kentucky fans don't have the right to be critical, all I'm suggesting is that we should think about the possible ramifications of what we say before we say it.