A little bit of Ford, and a little bit of Jasper

by Glenn Logan on Apr 17, 2008 9:35 AM EDT in Kentucky Wildcats Basketball

There is not much in the way of news today -- yet. Coach Gillispie is holding news conference this morning at 10:00, ostensibly to discuss the signing of Kevin Galloway to a National Letter of Intent yesterday. But the elephant in the room is the Internet discussion being had about the status of Derrick Jasper at Kentucky. There are all sorts of people assuring us that Jasper will be transferring, but absolutely none of them are authoritative. You can be assured that the press will want to ask Gillispie about that this morning, and we may or may not get clarification. Kentucky Sports Radio has more on this story this morning. We will be watching with interest, and report news as it develops.

Everyone knows that Travis Ford has accepted the head coaching position at Oklahoma State. I think that is an interesting hire for numerous reasons, not the least of which is the difference in stature between Bill Self, who OSU AD Mike Holder considered the only candidate at one time, and Ford. Bill Self has taken 3 different teams to the NCAA Elite Eight a total of four times, plus one Sweet 16 and one national championship. Travis Ford, on the other hand, has managed to make the NCAA tournament only one time in the eight years he has been a D-1 head coach and the NIT twice. So it appears that OSU went from the filthy rich of national coaches all the way down to the lower middle class.

I think Travis Ford will do well at OSU. He now has a much bigger stage in a much more respected conference to play on, and that is likely to benefit both him and Oklahoma State. Ford will play an up-tempo, Pitinoesque style of basketball that the Cowboy fans will likely love, and the facilities and program of OSU will give him much more leverage with recruits than he had at UMass. What will work against him with some recruits is the small-town nature of Stillwater, but Sutton was able to get good players to come to OSU, and I believe Ford will be able to do so, as well. As Mike DeCourcy correctly points out, Ford is somewhat untested in pitched recruiting battles that are likely to be the norm in the Big 12, so we'll have to see how well he competes against the Selfs and the Barnes' of the conference.

The Oklahoman has this opinion piece praising the hire. Money graf:

But here's why I like Oklahoma State's hiring of Ford to be sheriff of Gallagher-Iba Arena: He had a big name, entered the profession with silver sneakers on his feet, and still he worked his way up.

Campbellsville University, an NAIA school of little more than 2,000 students. Eastern Kentucky, which hadn't sniffed hardwood success since the 1970s. And finally Massachusetts, which was a force when John Calipari coached the Minutemen but at no other time.

That is true. Ford has been a success everywhere he has gone, and everywhere he has gone was struggling before he came. That situation does not exist in Stillwater, so we still have to see how he handles a roster that is not talent-challenged. His former teammate John Pelphrey did OK at Arkansas this year, but with the talent he inherited, it could be said that he underachieved very slightly. Will that be Ford's situation as well?

John Rohde, another writer for The Oklahoman, had this to say about the process:

By offering a monster contract, Holder single-handedly could have skewed the national pay scale of collegiate coaching.

He realized this, which made finding a genuine candidate even more difficult.

Ford could be a bust, or he could be a bargain.

Having a wait-and-see attitude never hurts, no matter how big your wallet.

I think that is a fair approach. Ford is taking another step up, and every time he has done so he has been a success. I like his chances at OSU.

Obviously, UMass is less than pleased about how this went down. First, there is a bit of controversy over the fact that Holder apparently didn't contact the UMass AD for permission to talk to Ford. The Massachusetts Republican has this editorial that accuses Ford of going back on his word. That is what the college coaching carousel has become, though -- an exercise in carefully crafted denials followed by flip-flops and recriminations.

Update [2008-4-17 11:0:35 by Truzenzuzex]: Presser is over. Jasper is homesick, but no decision has been made one way or the other. The coaches are continuing to talk with him, much as they had to last year. More to follow ...

More ... Gillispie confirmed rumors that Mike Williams is considering a transfer for playing time reasons. There is still more, but none of it is earth-shaking I will wait for official information for the rest. Matt and Brett Dawson have the story so far.

Update [2008-4-17 14:46:38 by Truzenzuzex]: Matt Jones now has a more complete update on today's media availability by Coach Gillispie.

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Comments

Ugh

I don't like the mere possibility of Jasper leaving.

The Kentucky Democrat
Redbirds Fun
GO BIG BLUE!

by cardsfan84 on Apr 17, 2008 10:08 AM EDT reply actions

I really do not want Jazz to go

But if it is to be it will be.

The over recruiting may be a factor. That also means we will have more bodies and talent on hand and will be better equipped to get through it.

Again I want him here but I would be MUCH more worried if BCG had none coming in behind him.

For conversation sake, serious injuries and surgery can make a person really think about their life in shorter terms and different terms. He may worry more about hitting the NBA and if not what are his life plans. I do not blame him at all if he thinks returning to his help net of home and making the contacts for possible career jobs closer to home.

Stay! Good Luck! You pick D-Jazz.

by wilson452 on Apr 17, 2008 10:54 AM EDT reply actions

KSR

So according to Matt Jones Jasper hasnt decided exactly what he is doing yet and M.Williams is looking to transfer due to playing time reasons.

Morakinyo transferring doesnt come as a shoker to anyone and while I hate to see a kid leave it should open up a spot for someone that can contribute more quickly next season.

Personally I hope Jasper's teamates can convince him to stay.

DEEETROIT BASKETBALLL!!!

by davw83 on Apr 17, 2008 11:02 AM EDT reply actions

Last Year

Jasper thought about leaving last year as well....kind of been an issue ever since he got here....It's got to be tough to be that far away from home and family. I can understand him wanting to get back but I REALLY hope he stays! He's going to be great and I want to see that happen in the Blue and White!

C....A....T....S CATS CATS CATS

by MartinGolf9 on Apr 17, 2008 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions

Just an open observation...

Boy BCG really played this one PERFECT. While we were all fretting and speculating and wishing he would make a statement he was, recruiting.

We even asked several times on this board why we would believe a statement that said "I have no interest..." and now we see why he did not do that, because he actually may have had no interest. WOW, the coaching profession could be a real life Bizzaro World.

Make a statement and then go, no statement and stay???

By BCG 1) never appearing to media and needing to answer the questions 2)never making a statement that addressed it directly and 3)letting assistants go out and "leak' that he is not going anywhere, he effectively made it a non-issue. So much so that he did not give it the value of a passing statement of his love of UK and blah blah blah.

Like Mom always said "Keep the cat out of the dryer...NOPE wrong one...oh yes, ignore the bully long enough and he will leave you alone." He becomes a non-factor in your life. OSU, if my assumptions are correct, was not high in his "real life" thoughts. Odd as Davis went out of his way to say he knew OSU was in his dreams.

Still no contract that we were sure would be the unraveling of the BBN. Not even the jacked up one after using OSU as leverage.

Now the "DUI" Crap and it is CRAP:
Well, if you made it known that there were two targets and the first openly said no in the media and, for argument, lets say the second just said no quietly over the phone, a little face saving might be in order and the loose relationship of BCG's past to Eddie's present would be an easy target. Just thinking out loud and again in the fresh glow of hindsight, the OSU expectation level needed a serious reset at that point. Hell, if the AD has any skill, he would have "spun" the DUI stuff out to the MG for T-Bone's ears as well. Much easier than telling him target two said no. It may sound crazy but many issues in big business, politics and even sports are worked in just such ways when you would think the two parties could just call each other or even walk down the hall and talk.

IF all of this hindsight clarity was from skilled vision of BCG and Co. LOOK OUT! He is a better puppet master than Pitino. If it was luck, LOOK OUT! He is luckier than Paula Abdul's showbiz career. Either way, I feel better.

If this is all just the lunatic fringe from a guy who obsesses on crap like this and reads WAY too much into statements, spin and damage control in these arenas, well, I am still happier today.

UK just may be in very capable hands after all.

Oh yes, this is all IMHO :-)

by wilson452 on Apr 17, 2008 12:06 PM EDT reply actions

Crystal ball observations

Regarding the media statements, or in this case, the lack of media statements, I believe BCG is actually a very principled person. By not answering questions or making public statements of any kind, he is ensuring that he is not lying. : )

by BigSkyCat on Apr 17, 2008 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions

BCG '08

Good read. He should run for office.

Principle or calculation :-)

If it were politics he would issues a statement that only restates the question in different wording and then proclaim he had alwasy supported OSU's need to hire a coach.

My real point was that the guy we met in December is not the guy today. He is learning really fast what it takes off the court. I am happy to see it. I always trusted him on the court.

by wilson452 on Apr 17, 2008 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Just to clarify,

I really enjoyed your post; I was just adding my own observation.

Principle or calculation? How about a bit of both?

I would think even the most principled person has to learn some calculation in order to survive and be successful. And yes, I am glad BCG is learning too. : )

by BigSkyCat on Apr 17, 2008 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh I know

I got that from your post. I was just playing off of your post and having fun.

It is such a fuzzy line between acting on principal and calculation. If calculations are derived from principal it is very powerful and easy to sell. But even the most honest man of principal who leans on calculation too much looses the principal and becomes a politician. Needing more and more calculation to make a much harder sell.

I'll stop now :-)

by wilson452 on Apr 17, 2008 10:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Homesick Derrick

Gee I was homesick when I was
in Iraq. I also felt under
appreciated by half the people
in the U.S. I should have thought
to transfer back home.

by lukethedrifter on Apr 17, 2008 12:32 PM EDT reply actions

seriously?

you're really going to compare fighting in a war to playing college basketball?

surprised to see that coming from someone in the military especially.

GO BIG BLUE!! GO BIG BLUE!!

by UKWildCatFanatic on Apr 17, 2008 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions

It was a joke

I thought it was a pretty funny way to undermine that Derrick's situation is not that serious.

Thanks for your service

You were not unappreciated

DEEETROIT BASKETBALLL!!!

by davw83 on Apr 17, 2008 1:21 PM EDT reply actions

if it's not one thing it's another...

To quote the late, great, Roseanne Roseannadanna! First we worry about CBC going to OK State and just when TFord gives us relief on that front, we have to worry about Jasper leaving us!

How long before you guys can put up the countdown clock to Big Blue Madness? Just having it up there makes me feel like there is stability in this uncertain world. :)

by cat woman on Apr 17, 2008 4:05 PM EDT reply actions

The one I had ...

got dumped during a site troubleshooting marathon. Internet Explorer, the insidious evil of the Internet and Satan's minion, suddenly stopped displaying pages correctly. Eventually I found the problem, but the Satanic influence of I.E. caused me to delete the script.

I'll find another one and put it up.

by Glenn Logan on Apr 17, 2008 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions

Satanic influence of IE

"[T]he insidious evil of the Internet and Satan's minion"? Just another reason to like Tru, IMO. Telling it like it is about Redmond's evil empire and the big blue "E". Long live Firefox!

by Acdixon on Apr 18, 2008 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions