http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2808406 Updated: March 22, 2007, 3:51 PM ET Sources: Smith to leave Kentucky for Minnesota By Andy Katz ESPN.com Tubby Smith will leave Kentucky to take over the head coaching job at Minnesota, multiple sources told ESPN.com's Andy Katz. Smith had four years remaining on his Kentucky contract. Smith has met with Kentucky players and Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart. Smith is expected to fly to Minnesota later Thursday afternoon. Smith called former Minnesota coach Dan Monson early Thursday and told him he was accepting the job. Minnesota is expected to pay Smith $1.8 million per year. In 10 years at Kentucky, where he replaced Rick Pitino, Smith went 263-83 and went to the NCAA Tournament every season, winning the 1998 championship. But the Wildcats have not won been back to the Final Four since, and this season's team, which went 22-12 and 9-7 in the SEC, had more Kentucky fans calling for Smith's ouster. Earlier this month, before the Wildcats began the NCAA Tournament, Barnhart issued a statement supporting Smith, saying "Tubby's our basketball coach." But he also said that he and Smith would sit down after the season to discuss changes -- and declined to say whether any of Smith's assistants might be replaced.
Man thats crazy, I wonder if Tubby just got tired of the expectations in UK land. Doubt he would have gotten the boot seeing as he made the tourney this year. How did Minnesota come into the picture? Minnesota is just giving Munson the boot for no reason? I know he has struggled at Minnesota but he did well with the Zags before going to Minnesota.
I wonder if Barnes could be a candidate? Knowing how much Gillespie's life revolves around basketball, I wouldn't be surprised if he would leave A&M for UK. In fact, unless you're coaching at Duke, UNC, Kansas or UCLA, I wouldn't be surprised if you left for UK.
A couple of people in the office think that Kentucky might make a run at Tennessee's coach, Bruce Pearl (sp?). Gillespie should be a frontrunner for the UK job.
Gillespie already makes over 1 Mil a year. Kentucky would have to offer him 2 Mil a year to leave, and with the season A&M has had this year, I am quite sure A&M would match it. Barnes leaving Texas for Kentucky is a more logical scenario than Gillespie leaving A&M for Kentucky.
Agreed, but UK is a more storied program and who woulnd't want that...Although, the pressure would be a lot higher...I don't see Barnes leaving...
There's restricted free agency in NCAA basketball coaching? I would guarandamtee you that Gillespie (and Barnes for that matter) would leave their schools for a program like UK's. It's a no-brainer, especially for a guy like Gillespie who lives and breathes basketball.
Hell, there are a lot of coaches that would take a pay cut to coach at Kentucky. I highly doubt that a coach would demand KY double his salary before he left a school with zero basketball tradition.
Gillespie would be crazy to turn down Kentucky. I know he's a Texas guy and has done a great job both recruiting and coaching at aTm, but Kentucky....?
Why would anyone stay with a job like the A&M job when they could leave for one of the pinnacle jobs of college basketball coaching? Rick Barnes would be crazy not to take that job if offered as well.
Wow that's amazing. I hadn't even heard this yet on local MN radio. That said as an MN tax payer and a U of MN alumni, I got my Master's degree at the U. I would rather not see my money going to pay for hiring a star basketball coach when tuition at the U is rising through the roof and while they're building a new football stadium paid for by the state and student service fees.
ESPN updated that article a little bit more by mentioning possible candidates for the now open UK job - Gillespie and Pearl are not named at all. Some of the names mentioned include Tom Crean, Tom Izzo, John Calipari, Mark Few, and Mike Brey.
Barnes and Gillespie will both be leading candidates for the job. Barnes has always complained about the lame atmosphere at the Erwin Center, and lack of fan enthusiasm for the most part. The Kentucky job might just be enough to make him leave. Problem is he's making $1.8 million/yr, so it would have to be more than just about money. He'd have to want to follow in the footsteps of Rupp and Pitino Billy Gillespie, on the other hand, is a Texas guy and is building A&M into a national contender. He just signed a huge extension last offseason and Billy Byrne won't let him go without a fight.
except, i think at this point Gillespie is more highly thought of than Barnes. Barnes has been taking a lot of criticism in the court of public opinion.
well, barnes already has a really strong recruiting base in (arguably) on of the deepest recruiting zones in the country (Texas). barnes has proven that he can bring top-quality talent from out-of-state as well (tucker, durant). even if aTm makes it to the final four, gillespie is still going to be behind barnes in recruiting within his own state -- and i would suggest even further behind with out-of-state recruiting. however, gillespie would immediately begin to (have the capacity to) draw top-quality talent from the state of kentucky as well as from any other recruiting hot-bed nation-wide. while i agree that kentucky is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a basketball coach, i think barnes realizes that he's got something special going on at Texas right now (and for the future). ...just an (extremely biased) opinion.
