Steve Hazelip
Bowling Green
Vaught's comment: No argument. Talent is down and Smith deserves the blame for that.
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Overrated
Glad to see you still have your head in the sand in regards to the former overrated-coach.
Jason Williamson
Mansfield, Ohio
Vaught's comment: Still don't see how you can blame Smith for everything that happened Saturday.
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Best article
This is one of the best articles that I have read so far this season. I have tried to give the new coach the benefit of the doubt, but he seems intent in breaking down the players instead of building them up. He is in love with (Michael) Porter. I just don't see the attraction. He doesn't start (Joe) Crawford? Crawford or Porter? Gee, who is the better player?
As far as UK sports go, at least I have a bowl game to look forward to.
Jim Prince
Paris
Vaught's comment: No doubt the rebuilding stage includes breaking down players and something is not right between Gillispie and Crawford. If that doesn't get better, UK won't get better.
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Need a new coach
Larry Vaught has it right again. I'm proud to say I was the worst of the Tubby bashers, and we surely needed to fire him. But Billy Clyde seems to be an even bigger mistake than Tubby. In fact, I'm willing to bet that even the Tubby would be 6-2 right now. Why? Because he would have figured out Porter, (Ramon) Harris and (Mark) Coury have no business in any game! They are truly horrible, especially Porter and Harris. Thirty-nine minutes for Porter indeed! I'd rather play Roseanne Barr for 39 minutes if I were coach.
Gillispie never plays a zone defense? Is that right? And no one dares question that? I have never ever heard of a coach that never ever uses a zone defense - never once in my 54 years. And no one will even mention that to him that he is the only coach in the history of the game of basketball to ever use man to man 100 percent of the time? Something is bad wrong there. Even Bobby Knight, who was known for his man-to-man defense, would play zone on certain occasions. I've seen him do it. That is without a doubt the dumbest thing I've ever heard a coach say.
If you ask me, first we need a new athletics director. If the AD didn't think him playing man-to-man 100 percent of the time was something that should at the least raise an AD's antenna, then we certainly need a new AD. And we certainly need to can Gillispie. He obviously doesn't have a clue! Fire him before he inks a contract.
If not, then we have no one to blame but ourselves and here comes another lost decade where Kentucky basketball continues to wander in the desert.
And to think I was so excited to think we finally had a good coach coming in. Billy Clyde's no better than the Tubby. Basketball is not rocket science. Looks to me like it shouldn't be that hard to find someone with common walk the road sense.
Keep it up, Larry. You got a major point when you say Billy Clyde does not get to be a fool without anyone ever questioning him.
Mark Smith, D.M.D.
Knoxville
Vaught's comment: I'm still willing to give Gillispie time to implement his system and upgrade the talent, but there are valid points to ponder like not changing defenses in a particular game. Like many, I thought UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart made a good hire with Gillispie. Like me, I am now waiting to see if that turns out to be right or now.
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Still propping up Smith
Where were you, and the others, when Tubby was recruiting Harris, (Jared) Carter, (Mike) Williams, Porter and the other Division II players? I know where you were - propping up Tubby. The Lexington Herald-Leader and yourself are sorry people. When Billy gets the last laugh, I hope you admit you were wrong, but you won't.
Funny how the announcers said Joe (Crawford) couldn't guard (UAB's Robert) Vaden, yet you don't mention Joe and Harris trying to guard him.
Perry Townsend
Vaught's comment: If memory serves me right, I criticized Smith time after time for his poor recruiting effort in recent years. And don't disagree about Crawford and Harris being unable to guard Vaden. However, why not try a zone or trap rather than watch him score 35 points.
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Be positive
