"I'm on the phone Cutler. Respect me."
The Billy G era is over. The first question I have is this. Was he really on the phone when Alan Cutler was chasing him around the Craft Center? We will never know, but I'm saying it was a fake call. I don't blame Billy. If Alan Cutler was chasing me I don't know what I'd do.
Let it be known from the beginning that I was in the minority group of fans who wanted to give Billy G another year. I really think he was on the verge of putting some very good teams together, starting next season. However, he just wouldn't act right. He wouldn't sign the contract, and if even half the stories of player abuse are true, then he had to go. I had no clue the level of abuse he was dishing out to the players. If I had known that, I wouldn't have been in support of keeping him. I DO NOT think he forgot how to coach all of a sudden, though. It's obvious now that he just lost the team. Reputable writers who are close to the program have said that there was going to be a mass exodus if Billy had been retained. I mean like 6-9 players were rumored to be strongly considering transfer. That's ridiculous. He had to go. National media types are killing us for only giving him 2 years. I hate to agree with a Florida guy, but their A.D. Jeremy Foley fired Ron Zook from football after 3 seasons I think. His explanation was simple. Why put it off if you can clearly see it's going to happen soon anyway. That's worked out pretty good for Florida football.
Now on to the candidates. My first choice (who I want, not who I think we'll get) will probably bug some people. I want Rick back. I know it ain't happenin, but that's who I want. No Cat fans will admit it, but I will. Be realistic. I bet the poll at the top would easily be won by Billy Donovan or John Calipari if it was a poll for "who do you want to coach UK". Think about why you want one of those guys. I'll tell you why. Because they remind us of Rick. Like him or not, Rick was the perfect fit for UK. He needed us. We needed him. Match made in heaven. We are jealous of what he's doing at the Ville and we want someone just like him because we think that's the only way we can keep up. Just my opinion.
I also might be the only one who won't lose it if we end up with Tom Izzo. Izzo shouldn't be anybody's back up plan. He is a top notch coach. He may not run and gun, but he's been to multiple Final Fours and has a title in his resume. In fact, he has a resume that would make everybody's favorite, Calipari, jealous. The fans don't want him because he reminds them of Tubby. Let's be real here. Are we really in a position to be picky about style of play when we're talking about a winner like Tom Izzo. Michigan State is lucky to have such a fine coach, and the Cats would be lucky too. No matter what the fans think. We would win with Izzo. Name me 5 coaches who are active today that have a better resume than Tom Izzo. I haven't researched it, but I bet he would be considered a top 5 coach. At the very least he's in the top 8.
Would Travis Ford be a good fit? I think he's a good coach. He's kind of like Billy G in that he hasn't been anywhere long enough to see exactly how good he can be long term. He's also like Billy G in the fact that he's a prick. However, I think he's a prick who understands the UK job and would do everything necessary to be successful. The only problem I have with Ford is the perception nationally that we had to "settle" for Ford. Make no mistake, we would be "settling" if we hired Travis. I think if it comes to that, in the long run, we will be happy. Travis plays an exciting style that the fans would love, and we know he bleeds blue. I would love to have a guy in charge who truly feels it when we lose. I want the players to be so passionate that it hurts their hearts when they lose. If it affects the coach that way, there's a better chance it'll do the same to the players. Saying that, there is nobody who would be more passionate about the job than John Pelphrey. I'm concerned about John after the season Arkansas just had, but I wouldn't go jumping off a cliff if we hired him either. I was actually in favor of hiring Pelphrey when Billy G got the job. My first choices were Donovan and Calipari, but John was right up there. I know one thing in hindsight. I would rather have suffered through these last 2 years with an Unforgettable running the show. There's just something about Pelphrey that I like. He's no longer near the top of my list, but I know in my heart I would be very excited if he got the job.
Some other candidates have been mentioned as well. Sean Miller is a guy at Xavier that I don't know much about. I know Xavier is good, and he's a respected coach. However, I don't know enough to give a very good opinion, so I won't. Jamie Dixon has been mentioned as well. His teams at Pitt are tough as nails, and I like that. Physical, don't back down, we're gonna hit you in the mouth and see how you respond kind of teams. I would be happy if we got Dixon, but he's not near the top of my list. Another guy who's name is gaining some steam is Mike Anderson of Missouri. 40 minutes of hell. Now that is a guy who would bring a style that the fans would love. He might be my favorite candidate outside of the Donovan, Pitino, Calipari trio. I don't get the feeling he is anywhere near the top of the list for Mitch though, so it probably won't get down to him. Now that I think about it, for some reason I left Anderson out of the poll at the top of the page. I had too many names going through my head.
Who do you think will be the next coach? Vote in the poll and let us know.
