SIU coach Barry Hinson has a great message for Big Blue Nation

Barry Hinson, head coach of the Southern Illinois Salukis, was very complimentary about his time in Lexington this week. In his post game press conference, he said that his team felt welcome in the town and was treated well by fans everywhere.

However, he had a very strong message for Big Blue Nation when it comes to criticism of this Kentucky Wildcats team.

“Now Big Blue Nation, I’m going to talk to you for a minute,” Hinson said. “You need to read the book of Job and have a little patience.”

He then yelled for fans to “back off” and “leave these players alone.”

In case you are not familiar with the book of Job in the Bible, Job is a character caught in the middle of an argument between God and the devil. Job has everything taken from him: his family, his possessions, everything he loved.

But Job kept his faith no matter how bad things got and no matter what negativity those around him brought into his life. Ultimately, his life was restored and he was blessed beyond anything he had before.

Sure, it looked like the sky was falling against Duke in Indianapolis on Tuesday. Things looked pretty rough for about 30 minutes in Rupp Arena on Friday. But it is November.

You can tell that Kentucky’s players have a ton of talent, and John Calipari has proven that he can bring that talent out by the time conference play comes around.

“You can’t microwave maturation,” Hinson went on to say.

I do not think that is a direct scriptural reference, but that’s a sermon that Big Blue Nation really needs to hear right now.