UK Basketball: The 'Cat's Finally out of the Bag

Senior Day. Playing the #12 team in the SEC standings. I was about to cry. Not like I had always done before. What is going on, with this. ?!?!?
I had tried my entire shirt collection throughout the season. Sometimes, I would change at half-time. I tried so hard to find one that worked. Sometimes it worked. So that was the shirt, for the next game. Until halftime anyway. All my shirts where becoming unlucky. What??

Thanks Ken for pointing out one of the reasons why we deserve to be crazyily, unbelievably, giddy over what is happening plus,,, we see as our little glimmer of hope, that never went out, finally receiving the oxygen it needed to burn so bright.

Does he actually think the BBN can’t? 100K is right around the corner….lol
:-)

And anyone who says we wont can take a hike!…..one more comment from someone about how John Wall and John Calipari are going to make us even more of a cheating, sneaking, corrupt program, and I am going to find a really frustrated postal worker to send on a vacation to a blogger’s house.

I love embracing the HATE———- What others think matters not to me. We of the BBN know our program and won’t
back down one bit. You know without the valleys—-you can’t enjoy the peaks…..!!!!!! Every time the valley comes to the BBN we gain more to our family as we climb up to the peak! I have never known of ANYONE to wash their hands of our CATS (win-lose-draw). Yes we get down, but that is why cats have CLAWS!!!!!

Let’s PLAY BALL——-GO BIG BLUE

after I read this for the third time..lol..Even though we felt hope, trying to leave unwillingly, we would not allow this. Here is what we fans do…

UK Basketball Leads Nation in Attendance

I know you have seen it, but if not, here is a link.

See……we are and always will be the University of Kentucky Wildcats. :-)

I had never seen the #’s——but believed it in my heart!! Now I have the FACTS!!!!! I love being hated…

Everybody can love us. That’s fine. Everybody can hate us. That’s fine, too. But if people don’t care, that’s not fine. One other note to the non-Kentucky fans (in other words, the uninformed and stupid), when you talk for four years about how irrelevant UK is, you are disproving your own point.

I thought i was reading something Forty wrote. No, really I remember far too many of these low points. I also, thought all my lucky tee shirts had soured.

Disappointments come and go, and thankfully gone now!!! I am sooo excited about this season, and will soon go shopping for updating game day attire!!!…Good for a gal’s mood, also good for the economy!!! We will never forget the low points, but I think we can breath deep now and smile really big. The sun shines bright…for sure!!!

IT’S THE REASON CATS HAVE CLAWS!!

Amen!

Let’s shop together!!!!! Bring the Credit Cards!!

I think it is jealousy mixed with a bit of fear. Forde’s article yesterday made me realize how much I hate Pitino. The main reason being, EVERYone wants to kiss his rear, but he along with just about everyone else at one point or another has had troubles with the ncaa, http://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/24/sports/pitino-unfazed-by-past-infractions.html. Is crazy how hes still the media’s darling, and Calapari gets egg on his face.

Matt Jones wrote a blistering article on Pat Forde, and now it has disappeared.

But to paraphrase using a quote sure to go down in the history of Wildcat lore…

“Its time to get sh!t right.”

Ken, Thanks for such a great piece on what it means to be a part of the Big Blue Nation. These Blue and White colors don’t run!

My first UK basketball memories are of listening to games on the radio when Cotton Nash was performing his magic. I graduated from UK in ‘72. My faith has never wavered. Along with everyone else, I’ve been frustrated of late, but never wavered in my belief in the unique program we have.

Re; recent blowout losses. We now have the most comeptitive coach in the nation who has a true understanding of what it means to coach the University Of Kentucky basketball team. He “gets” the history and how deeply those losses hurt. To paraphrase Mr. T, " I pity the team" that took out years of frustration on us when we were struggling. Paybacks can be bad. Excited doesn’t begin to explain how I feel. I’ve never been prouder to be a part of the BBN.

When you’ve been as successful as Howard Beth, there are going to be detractors. Someone’s team has obviously met the Lady Marshlls on the hardwood!

The Pistons just dont need much help at the two guard. They currently have Stuckey, Bynum, Hamilton and Afflalo in the backcourt. Stuckey is going to play the one and will also be moved off the ball some so Bynum and he can get minutes in the backcourt. Hamilton will play the majority of the minutes at the two guard with Afflalo getting whatever is left. When Stuck moves to the two Hamilton will either get rest or move to the three to spell Tay. That’s ASSUMING Tay and Rip are back. Either one or both could be moved for a frontcourt free agent. If that occurs I expect Joe D will go hard after Ben Gordon to replace them in the backcourt. Either way Jodie is a real stretch for the Pistons. I think they will go after a third point guard (since Stuck and Bynum are what they got and Stuck will see time off the ball) or a power forward.

Coming off 7 50 win seasons and 6 Eastern Conference finals appearances with 2 NBA final appearances and 1 championship Joe D is reloading. Their worst season in 7 years is still a first round playoff exit and they have 20 million in cap space to sign or swing trades with to bring some very good players into Detroit next season. The Pistons are going to be radically different next year. Joe D is one of the best GM’s in the business and the organization is attractive to players if not the city.

they lost their impact guy in the middle, now the Tayshaun rumors….and I know I will sound like a killjoy, but Rip Hamilton doesnt impress me. I just do not get a good feeling from the guy when it comes to running a team. I know he has been successful in the past, I just could never jump on his bandwagon.

Which wallace? both have been on the downslide for several seasons. Maybe you arent impressed with Rip running a team becuase he is a shooting guard and doesnt run the team. Rip is great in a system. He plays fairly good defense and is very good at generating points in the system. He isnt a game changer though and never has been or claimed to be and he isnt great at breaking anyone down off the dribble. Detroit has two young players in Stuck and Bynum who are really good at breaking people down an creating.

The beef is going to come from someone not yet on the roster. A free agent or a sign and trade. Maybe Boozer, West, or Bosh, and possibly Gordon. There are a lot of possible scenarios with so much cap room in a year when only 2-3 other teams are going to be major players in the offseason and none of those teams will attract very good players.

when BOTH Wallace situations started deteriorating. Maybe Joe felt like he could get a little more mileage with what he had. It just seems that they have let Cleveland and Boston put them in their place lately. I know that Cleveland may be on their last legs if James bolts next year, and Boston is going to have to bring in some youth soon to get ready to replace the BIG 3. Detroit was my team for a long time when I lived up there, and I would just love to see them get some attitude back in the paint. As far as Rip goes, I meant running the team from a GM standpoint, not a PG standpoint, I should have been more clear. Detroit needs a big time 3 point guy at that spot who can still drive and create. I think they are 3-4 players from being significant again in the East….IMHO.

It’s been another fantastic week in UK land, and I hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend.

As someone else said, we can’t totally erase the past 4 years from our memories…it only makes the future seem brighter. We deserve the optimism for the future as you so aptly said. It’s not a sense of entitlement. Fans of the BBN have been patient in waiting, well maybe not some, but I still believe we are the best fans in the country overall.

On another note according to Brett Dawson there is a “mystery” presser in the morning at 10a.m. Has him totally confused.

http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/dawson/blog.html

John Clay texted Larry…Stewart gone.

Stewart was “gone” weeks ago. The real “Q” is whether it’ll be Liggins or Galloway leaving, or both. I think Liggins. Hope Harrelson does indeed stay. Like the kid. Think he’s got alot of promise. The report was terrific, Ken! I think that the slide started about Tubby’s third year. He rebounded once or twice, but three good years out of ten? Sorry. Few respect Tubby Smith more then I do. He was/is a truely great man, just sadly not a great coach. Better then average, just not great. He let the offense slide. He managed to hang close with defense, but the offense fell off the charts. His only year where the team averaged 80+ was his first year. (80.1) Pitino’s worst year was I think 82! What this does is it even the odds, which is why we saw so many upsets to lesser opponents. That started with Tubby. It is hard to score 80+ points against major college teams, but if all you have to do is score 70 to have a chance to win? If a team knows they have to score 80 – or even 90 – to have a chance to win? They are almost beat to start with. It takes a lot of pressure off of them to know that 65 or 70 gives them a shot. When you can play tough “D” AND score 85 or 90, the mental war is almost over before it starts. Check out how many times Pitino’s teams scored over 100, then over 90, then over 80. Compared to Tubby’s teams! The more victories you win before the tip, the less likely you are to lose!

We get it. Now let it rest.

I am more concerned about what ABC said above re Coach Brooks than anything about past stats and opinions.

will not elaborate about what he says is “not basketball related” and “bad news”

will not be staying at UK….he, Williams, and Carter seem to be either headed elsewhere or graduating

UK wanted this kept under wraps. I hope what you heard ABC is just a rumor started on another blog.

I have it from 3 people at three different places and one is NOT a blog….NONE of the three knew about the other sources….all believe it IS NOT bball related……only one said it was health related

got malaria on a mission trip. Must get IV fluids for the next few weeks. By mid- summer should be back in the gym. Come football season he’ll be 100%. Really appreciates everyone’s comcern….says GO BIG BLUE!!!!

What a trooper!!!

Seems like ideal for UK to announce the deal. Vaught said it was close to being done earlier in the week.

Ken.

Your narrative was simply great! Better than anything I have read on ESPN.com. Informative and inspiring. I am impressed :-)

Right on!