40 years ago today: Dirk takes flight
- Thread starter rick64
- Start date
Thoroughbred Basketball.
This program has a historical identity. One that runs. Fast break basketball. Starting with Rupp largely being credited for mainstreaming and and popularizing the fast break offense that’s still used today.
Joe B Hall played similarly.
Sutton put us on probation and was also defensive minded and often would go stall ball “dead control four corners variant” with 15 minutes left in games.
Pitino brought back pressures 3/4 and half court court defense and fast break, Run and Gun basketball and Kentucky was back.
Tubby slowed it down and Billy was slow and methodical as well. Coincidently the fanbase grows restless even w top 25 and E8s under Tubby. If you’re going to play methodical you better be winning F4s and championships.
We need to bring KENTUCKY basketball back to the bluegrass and play a style that is capable of running teams out of the gym and is an exciting brand even when you have the inevitable losses bc you can’t win them all. That’s what made us CBB biggest brand long before Cal…it’s time to Be The Brand again.
Every golden period of Kentucky basketball has came when we were pushing the pace and trying to run teams out of the gym….including the first 5 years of Cal before he went all in on playing big man methodical basketball and wanting to win rock fights and allowing the opposition to dictate pace…his early teams and Memphis teams were guard dominant and pressured you offensively and defensively even if stall ball too early has always been his Achilles heel
This program has a historical identity. One that runs. Fast break basketball. Starting with Rupp largely being credited for mainstreaming and and popularizing the fast break offense that’s still used today.
Joe B Hall played similarly.
Sutton put us on probation and was also defensive minded and often would go stall ball “dead control four corners variant” with 15 minutes left in games.
Pitino brought back pressures 3/4 and half court court defense and fast break, Run and Gun basketball and Kentucky was back.
Tubby slowed it down and Billy was slow and methodical as well. Coincidently the fanbase grows restless even w top 25 and E8s under Tubby. If you’re going to play methodical you better be winning F4s and championships.
We need to bring KENTUCKY basketball back to the bluegrass and play a style that is capable of running teams out of the gym and is an exciting brand even when you have the inevitable losses bc you can’t win them all. That’s what made us CBB biggest brand long before Cal…it’s time to Be The Brand again.
Every golden period of Kentucky basketball has came when we were pushing the pace and trying to run teams out of the gym….including the first 5 years of Cal before he went all in on playing big man methodical basketball and wanting to win rock fights and allowing the opposition to dictate pace…his early teams and Memphis teams were guard dominant and pressured you offensively and defensively even if stall ball too early has always been his Achilles heel
And I’m not saying we have to press the entire game but we should be looking to play an aggressive defense attempting to force turnovers in the half court.
Oats, Muss, even Lloyd fits the bill even tho he’s a bigger unknown. Jay Wright plays 4 and 5 out. Potentially Drew. Mark Pope if you strike out on everyone plays that style. I’ve also advocated for safety net missed on the top 3 college candidates phone call to Steve Nash to see if he’d be willing to bring the 7sec or less early 2000 Suns system to Kentucky.
But if you hire Holtmann or even Tony Bennett….they better be in a final 4 by year 3 or the fanbase will be right back where we are now.…restless and unamused and there will be pressure for change. The leash will be longer if the HC is playing a brand that is exciting to watch, that players want to play in. And uptempo teams usually don’t have an effort issue bc it’s high energy naturally..forces you to play harder subconsciously.
Wins/losses, top 10 rankings, and F4s/Titles are the ultimate end all be all but Style of play creates the best environment to become the IT school again and be the must watch TV that everyone (even nonUK Basketball fans) tunes in for…. The Brand matters.
And apologies for the paragraphs.
Just tired of watching slop rock fight basketball. Even structured chess match, bellarmine style plow ball would be better.
And I dont hate Bennett. I’d be happy w that hire. I don’t believe he’s an ideal fit here but I do believe he’d likely be successful considering he consistently has UVA in the top 10. It’s an improvement over what we have. He coaches high quality basketball and really good offensive sets. Very Brad Stevens esque. CALM, Collected, Well respected, good representative of the university. If you want Stevens as your number 1 (that’s not happening) then you should want Bennett. But if he suddenly flames out in the S16 3 years straight it’s gonna feel a lot like the Tubby era
I just feel like this program needs a shot of adrenaline and I want to be the flash program headlining sportscenter nightly
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Winston Bennet had one, not as iconic but one that seemed he had to reach a country mile over the defender to finish.
This was the UK basketball I was raised on, not dribbling around for 25 seconds then drive into a triple team.
“We need to bring KENTUCKY basketball back to the bluegrass and play a style that is capable of running teams out of the gym” Kinda like the style that did just that to UNC and Kansas last year?
I knew what video it would be before looking. I thought the roof was going to get blown off of Rupp.
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