theres been a lot of talk about Barnes just being a good recruiter/program builder and not a good game day coach. Can't close out games, can't make adjustments, etc. Fairly similar to the knock on Mack Brown not too long ago.
I don't know about that or if that is even legal. My understanding is the coach is an employee of the university and as such is a state employee.
Tom Izzo ewww..i would hate to see Izzo leave Mich St. I'm not a Michigan St fan, it would just be to weird to not see him there.
Bruce Pearl will most definitely be a candidate. I'm also hearing names like Tom Crean from Marquette, Billy Donovan from Florida, and Mark Few from Gonzaga. Kentucky will probably make the next coach the highest paid coach in the nation.
Boosters donate to the athletic department though. If hiring Smith raises the donation levels, he pays for himself. That's how it is with Mack Brown here - he more than pays his own salary by bringing in millions upon millions of dollars into the athletic program.
Just based on the style of play Kentucky seems to be known for recently (pressing, running, athletic), I think these guys are a better fit than Barnes or Gillespie. Pearl would be most interesting, though if you can get Donovan, I think he'd have to be the #1 option.
Agreed, but here's a piece from the Times that suggests otherwise: http://bracket.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/a-new-coach-for-kentucky/ March 22, 2007, 5:19 pm A New Coach for Kentucky? By Pete Thamel Tags: Billy Gillispie, horse racing, kentucky, Kentucky Derby, Notre Dame football, Tubby Smith With the surprising news today that the Kentucky Coach Tubby Smith was headed to Minnesota, expect one of the big storylines for tonight’s game between Texas A&M and Memphis to be whether the A&M coach Billy Gillispie would jump to Lexington. I talked to about a dozen people around Gillispie over the past three days, and I got the strong feeling that he’d consider the Kentucky job. Gillispie avoided a question I asked him about Kentucky with his typical homespun humility: “I think you have to try and be happy where you are,” Gillispie said. “The best job that I’ve ever had is always the one I currently possess.” Indeed, Gillispie has transformed A&M from a college basketball sinkhole to a legitimate Final Four contender. But here’s a few hints that make me think he’d take a long, hard look at the Kentucky job. 1) The guy switched jobs 10 times in 19 years. He was quick to point out that all were upward moves of some type. Well, Kentucky basketball is a bit like Notre Dame football. There isn’t much going up from there. 2) Gillispie loves horse racing. It may sound silly, but when I asked him if he had any outlets outside basketball, he immediately brought up horse racing. Gillispie said he’s been to all the major tracks and that an A&M booster took him to the Kentucky Derby last year, which he said was a thrill like going to the World Series. Obviously, the horse farms in Lexington have a lot of influence on Kentucky. Don’t laugh. These things tend to come into play. 3) Gillispie is crazy. Kentucky fans are crazy. One of the problems that they had with Smith was at times it seemed like the fans may have cared more about things (such as recruiting) than Smith did. And while that’s likely not true, Kentucky fans would drool for someone with Gillispie’s work ethic. 4) Gillispie’s recruiting ties are strongest in Texas. And while that may work well at A&M, it can work even better at Kentucky, as he can compete for the state’s top players. Texas has produced a glut of great players in the last seven or eight years– Deron Williams, LaMarcus Aldridge, Ike Diogu, T.J. Ford, Chris Bosh, Bracey Wright, Kendrick Perkins, Acie Law IV, Gerald Green and there’s quite a few that are left off that list. Gillispie could definitely land a player or two from Texas each year.
normally the boosters donate to the athletic dept and that pays his salary. Hes a state employee but his multi million dollar salary isn't coming from tax money, just rich alumni donations, thats why they have so much pull. Not sure if its different up there but thats how it is in Texas If they were paid like any other professor this wouldn't be going on.
Bill Simmons has taken a jack hammer to Barnes. Serval othe sports writers have also criticisized his X's and O's during games. Oh and Billy would be an aggie tard if he turns down Kentucky.
I don't think there is any restriction on how coaches get paid. They take salary from the school, they definitely get money from shoe companies and from radio and tv deals. Many of their packages outside of their salary swamp their pay from the schools. So I don't think any big program has to worry about coming up with the money for their new coach. Especially Kentucky where the Wildcats are the main draw in a basketball state without any professional teams. I think it'll come down to Donovan or Calipari, but it would be hilarious to see Pitino move back!
Looks like Kentucky is making a mistake... Reaching for great recruiters rather than X and O guys? Thats a shame. The Kentucky name alone gets the talent.
Ya. Just the names mentioned as candidates. And no they didnt fire Tubby. But if they really wanted him he would be there.
I'm not sure why it is a mistake. Tubby clearly can coach with good players, but also clearly is not a great recruiter. Bringing in someone like Calipari (who can do both) or Donovan (who can do both) wouldn't exactly be a mistake. Kentucky is Kentucky, but since Pitino left how many great players has Tubby recruited - none? Getting to the Great Eight once in awhile isn't the standard they want to set at Kentucky.
