Leaving Las Vegas
by Glenn Logan on Dec 1, 2008 1:32 PM EST
in Kentucky Wildcats Basketball
Email
PrintWell, as I sit here pecking out this post on a very tiny keyboard, I am struck by the feeling that this weekend, I have been present at the rebirth of Kentucky basketball. That's a sweeping statement, I know, and perhaps wildly premature, but it is, as I said, a feeling and not the product of deductive reasoning. Sometimes, intuition is just far more satisfying than cogitation.
With that said, we take our leave of Sin City with a spring in our step and a well-earned championship for the trophy case. For me, this trip has been as much fun as anything I have ever done, and I highly recommend the Orleans Hotel for those travellers not requiring the glitz of the Strip.
I'll be back sometime tomorrow with more, including pictures and more stories from the road.
27 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Cogitation
I had to look that one up.
Orleans is a very friendly place and I don’t get sick of the Vegas atmosphere staying there.
Have a safe trip
Back to Kentucky. I am very much looking forward to more pictures and your experiences with Big Blue fans in Vegas.
Here's
to the rebirth of Kentucky basketball!! I feel it too, Tru!
by kentuckygirl0724 on Dec 1, 2008 2:42 PM EST reply actions
More Than a Feeling
He had HIS players and Jodie out there for the run and you saw the difference it made. This is no fluke; these are the guys that will get the minutes and be key parts of this years team. As they gain experience, Liggins, Miller and Josh will be starters and hopefully future stars. They get it and anybody else that wants to step up and be a part of this group is going to have to start showing the same level of non-stop aggressiveness and determination. This is what our teams are going to look like for the future and everybody else is going to learn to deal with it.
Liggins And Miller, Yes
Harrellson is a back-up. A good one, maybe. But a reserve. ESPECIALLY next year and the year after.
actually, at this point and time...
Harrellson may be a tic ahead of Perry with his play… I can see him winning a starting spot this year…
As far as next year and beyond..??? No one really knows who will be here and who will not… lol
BTW: Who think Courey would still be in the starting line-up if he stayed..??? (that is a rhetorical question)
Steelers fan 1st! UK is my 2nd love.
Coury Didn't Belong There Last Year
Like or not, Coury (and Porter) were used correctly in 2007 but not in 2008.
by FortyYearCatFan on Dec 1, 2008 4:15 PM EST up reply actions
Harrellson is better than Stephenson
He may not block as many shots but he is a better rebounder, he is stronger around the basket and he hustles a lot more. I do not see how you could watch those two games in Vegas and feel like Stephenson should be getting minutes over Josh.
Stevenson
Better defender. Runs the court better. Much better shotblocker.
I think he deserves to start. SEC opponents present strong, quicker players than WVU or K-St.
by FortyYearCatFan on Dec 1, 2008 5:02 PM EST up reply actions
Glad to hear you feel this way...
having read several of the chat boards around, I was surprised by how many Cat fans (or pretenders) seemed to be complaining because neither game was a “pretty” win. I know there are tons of problems… we all know what they are and I won’t waste time naming them… but I saw the positive quality that I consider to be the more important than any of the basketball 101 mistakes that were made… I saw lots of heart.
The team maintained enough composure in the first half of each game that they didn’t get buried when they fell behind, and when the going got really tough, they just got tougher. (maybe not more talented or skillful, but at least tougher).
Crawford and Bradley showed us last spring just how very far you can go with lots of heart and little manpower. Sure a seasoned man at the point would solve a multitude of woes, but as these guys proved this weekend, the willingness to throw your body on floor for every loose ball and perhaps to even throw an elbow or two (that you hopefully get away with) also counts for much.
I think they played with amazing passion and aggressiveness, and they had some priceless learning time in Las Vegas, and oh yeah, they brought home the trophy!
Last Winter
Crawford and Bradley did well in SEC play but lost both postseason games.
Both are very talented basketballers, hardly “lots of heart and little manpower” type players.
by FortyYearCatFan on Dec 1, 2008 4:17 PM EST up reply actions
Dang forty....
i find myself disagreeing with you several times today…
But, are you saying that both those players did not show heart last year..??? I hope I’m reading that wrong… My God, both those kids left it all on the court last season after having to go through a coaching change in their senior season… Crawford especially gave everything he had and then some in the final lose… Ans Bradley gave it all year, while trying to keep everyone together…
I was hard on Crawford for being selfish at the start of the season, but man did he ever turn it around and carry this team late…
I feel we as fans owe both those young men a lot for staying at UK after tubby left and giving everything that they had…
Once again, just my opinion…
Steelers fan 1st! UK is my 2nd love.
No To Your ???
Crawford and Bradley are very good players. You don’t score 1400 and 1300 career points at UK on heart alone.
by FortyYearCatFan on Dec 1, 2008 4:38 PM EST up reply actions
Forty
isnt saying they showed no heart.
He is saying they are talented and dont typify players that arent talented that only play with heart.
DEEETROIT BASKETBALLL!!!
Correct
That’s what I was trying to say.
by FortyYearCatFan on Dec 1, 2008 4:37 PM EST up reply actions
Good to know...
…that’s the problem with blogging sometimes… It’s hard to read the raw emotions at times… lol
Steelers fan 1st! UK is my 2nd love.
could I settle this
if instead of saying that Crawford and Bradley had lots of heart and little manpower, I changed it to read, lots of heart, and talent… and little manpower?
by “little manpower….” I didn’t mean JC and RB lacked talent; I meant we were never all healthy at the same time, and we played with some huge holes in our lineup.
So heres a question someone asked me last night:
What does UK do with the pre-conference tournament trophies? Do they still display them next to the NCAA, NIT, and SEC trophies?
the locker room..
..where they will see it everyday would be a good place to keep it during this season. A daily reminder of where heart, humility and hustle will lead this team.
Guess Who.......Leads the SEC in
FG Shooting ? ……..Come on guess, you got it, the CATS! We are also shooting almost 76 from the free throw line. But there is a glaring area of opportunity for us in regards to turnovers. We are averaging, wow, 23.0 turnovers per game. Wow, this is craaaaazzzy! Our assists aren’t all that bad at 15.5/game, which is 5th in the SEC.
I know, I know, this is an obvious issue, but I thought it was interesting to actually put into perspective. Also, we average 6.8 blocks per game, which is 3rd in the SEC, but only 7.2 steals per game (9th in SEC)
So looking at this tells me what I already knew. That we are a talented team, that doesn’t always play smart. For example, if we can learn to keep some of our blocks “in play”, then our steals will go up. This will give us additional posessions, and when you are shooting 50%, this can only help.
We have to reduce our turnovers, and I think by giving Liggins more playing time, this is very possible. As Patterson continues to heal, and Josh, Deandre, and Darius continue to gain playing time and confidence, we will keep getting better.
WE WILL BECOME A GOOD TEAM, THAT WILL LEARN HOW TO WIN, AND GO FAR IN THE TOURNAMENT THIS YEAR! YES I SAID THIS YEAR! 2008! WE WILL CUT DOWN THE NETS IN THE SEC TOURNEY, AND WILL ALSO BE SEC REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS! AM I CRAZY, YES, BUT WE WILL BE GOOD THIS YEAR! TOO MUCH TALENT FOR US NOT TO! COACH IS ALSO LEARNING AS HE GOES, BUT HE’S TOO PASSIONATE NOT TO BECOME ONE OF THE GREATEST COACHES EVER!
GO BIG BLUE! I LOVE THE CATS! I BLEED BLUE, AND TO ALL OF YOU PESSIMISTS, GO SHOPPING WITH YOUR SPOUSE OR SOMETHING, BUT GET THE HELL OFF OF THE GREATEST WILDCAT SITE EVER! A SOB THAT IS!
gobigbluecatsfan72
by gobigbluecatsfan72 on Dec 1, 2008 6:52 PM EST reply actions
Pessimists on this site?
In all honestly I have experienced very few fans of that sort here. The only one I can remember was Paris10 and he has not been here for a while.
The majority of members on this site are true blue fans and have been for many years. We’ve been through the ups and downs of the basketball and football programs and I think most are optimistic yet realistic.
I will agree this is the greatest UK site around for intelligent commentary and hearing other opinions on our teams. It’s a community of intellectual people who have followed the Cats for years and love our guys and gals that wear the Blue.
27 Or 28 W Still Possible
12-3 OOC. 12-4 SEC. 2-1 SEC. 1-1 or 2-1 NCAA. Equals 27 or 28 W.
Ambivalent
On the plus side we are demonstrating the grit and determination — the refusal to give up — that characterized last year’s team. And that’s a great thing. The man defense is also strong for this early in the season.
What I don’t see is a functioning offense. We’re not yet a team.
For whatever reason, WVU had an off game, and we scored only 54 points. We made what one? three. Lots of free throws.
It seems (look at the Texas A&M stats) that Gillespie basketball is disruptive defense, few threes, lots of free throws. Harris and Stephenson will play because they understand that Billy values defense. Billy’s offense is throwing the ball to a big guy (Patterson) for a close in shot or a perimeter player (Meeks) going to the basket on the dribble. The objective is to get a layup or get fouled. All the other scoring is just hustle and the bounce of the ball.
The players who haven’t been through an SEC season on the road are in for an experience. I suspect they’ll be very good at times and absolutely awful at other times. We’ll win most of the games, but it won’t be pretty.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Community Guidelines
[UPDATED 01/18/2012]
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
