Bernadette Locke Mattox
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This has to be the biggest misconception concerning Kentucky basketball ever. The program was not dead and gone, or forgotten when Rick was hired. It was one season removed from the Top Ten. The roster bailed and all the next coach needed to do was recruit a few studs to go along with a solid core. Sure it was on probation but Pitino didn't get one second of that probation reduced, it expired when it was supposed to. His job was much easier and with next to no pressure from silly fan expectations than Cal's was the day he was hired.
Once again I see that a Pitino hater gives him no credit for what he did at UK.
A few stud recruits was all he needed. I guess it was easy without those studs to go 14-14 in his first year without any studs, and playing guys that would be starters on very few big-time teams. And how many big-time studs did he get in his first couple years - Mashburn and ?????
Pitino continued the legacy of UK basketball. Calipari is trying to change it to make a name for himself.
A few stud recruits was all he needed. I guess it was easy without those studs to go 14-14 in his first year without any studs, and playing guys that would be starters on very few big-time teams. And how many big-time studs did he get in his first couple years - Mashburn and ?????
Pitino continued the legacy of UK basketball. Calipari is trying to change it to make a name for himself.
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Got to dissagree John and i very seldom do that with you.Rick getting Jamal to commit during those times was something else,kind of Cal like(LOL)but that was the start of the come back as far as i'm concerned and not many coaches could have pulled that off.He was also blessed to have the Kentucky kids on board that he had.Know if you want to talk about rick today that's a different story............
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I have to disagree also. Whether you like RP on not shouldn't come in to play when analysing what he did while he was here. Nothing short of miraculous.Got to dissagree John and i very seldom do that with you.Rick getting Jamal to commit during those times was something else,kind of Cal like(LOL)but that was the start of the come back as far as i'm concerned and not many coaches could have pulled that off.He was also blessed to have the Kentucky kids on board that he had.Know if you want to talk about rick today that's a different story............
Come on John, that is crazy talk. When Pitino came in, he had 2 years of no post season play ahead of him and no TV. He inherited a roster that had 1 guy who played a total of 26 minutes in the NBA. He had to recruit knowing that they were still not going to play in the post season. Try recruiting with those perimeters.
Cal comes in and inherits a roster with 5 guys who played in the NBA, 4 of which had a decent shot of getting their prior to his arrival. He knew he was bringing Boogie and Dodson with him right away once he took the UK job. So, he knew the day he started, he had a nucleus of Boogie, Orton, Miller, Liggins, Dodson and Patterson and a couple guys in Harris and Stevenson that could contribute. Do you think Cal would have been able to put that type of roster together if he came in and UK was on a 2 year post season probation and no live TV...no way in hell.
I know we all love to bash Pitino, but the mess he took over was 100 times worse than what Cal took over. I will agree that meant that Cal had more pressure, but he also inherited a roster that was so much better than the one Pitino inherited.
Yeah, have to agree with the mob on this one. Hate Pitino now if you like but respect what he did for the UK basketball program. He was a perfect fit at that time. Would we have eventually recovered with a different coach? Sure. But he righted the ship pretty quick basically starting from scratch.
For what it's worth...I never thought Pitino was a particularly good in-game coach. Still don't.
For what it's worth...I never thought Pitino was a particularly good in-game coach. Still don't.
I absolutely despise Pitino. But to deny what he meant to the UK program and how quickly UK basketball recovered from probation under his direction is pure folly.
Didn't just get us back to good, but greatness.
In the all of the 80's, Kentucky went to 3 elite eights and 1 final four.
Under Pitino, Kentucky went to 5 elite eights, 3 final fours, 2 championship games, and one national championship.
In the all of the 80's, Kentucky went to 3 elite eights and 1 final four.
Under Pitino, Kentucky went to 5 elite eights, 3 final fours, 2 championship games, and one national championship.
I was at UK when Pitino was hired. He basically SAVED the program with the 14-14 season. Many predicted us to only win 5-6 games. He made UK exciting and got Mash. Anyone who thinks differently is crazy. And I don't like him now either, but he was the MAN at UK
As someone said, UK was ONE year removed from a top 5 team when pitino took over. CAL took over a program decimated by Lazy Tubby and Inept Billy. UK was an NIT team with its First Team All America Meeks gone when Cal took over. We have been the Dominant program from day one with Calipari.
Nearly all the players you name would not have come to UK without Cal. He recruited them, he gets credit for them. You're holding his success against him - and you have an odd definition for the word "inherited".....
Can anyone give me a current Pic of Bernadette? I want to see how she has "aged." Also, what is she doing now?
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-She coaches for the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA.
-Mashburn coming to UK was a huge get knowing they would be on probation.
-Until watching this special, I had never heard about Pitino pulling out the SI issue with "Kentucky Shame" on the cover after the Duke loss. He went on to tell them they have nothing to be ashamed of.
-Mashburn coming to UK was a huge get knowing they would be on probation.
-Until watching this special, I had never heard about Pitino pulling out the SI issue with "Kentucky Shame" on the cover after the Duke loss. He went on to tell them they have nothing to be ashamed of.
I,agree with both and disagree with both. Slick rick was the best hire at the time and used the new three point shot to,his advantage and did great. Can't take nothing away from his time here. He brought us back and quickly.
But to say liggins, miller and Jorts would have played, especially drafted is crazy talk. Liggins refused to go into a game before Cal got here. And Jorts would have not been drafted. If kanter was not deemed ineligible , he still might have not been. Read Cals book. Ellen had to talk Cal into not kicking him off the team. Nobody is drafting Jorts a juco that gets kicked off the team at UK . Hell,even billy and the bathroom stall story still lingers. So to say he had five NBA players coming in is kinda absurd. And liggins is one of Cals best coaching jobs since he has been here. He got him to buy in to defense I think everyone was surprised he was drafted. Miller disappeared throughout his career and he is one of my all time favs.him being drafted is amazing. If you would have asked anyone even UK fans at a point in time that Darius would be drafted and Aaron Harrison would not almost everyone would argue. Hindsight is 20/20 now but Aaron was a burger boy with high expectations Darius was not
But to say liggins, miller and Jorts would have played, especially drafted is crazy talk. Liggins refused to go into a game before Cal got here. And Jorts would have not been drafted. If kanter was not deemed ineligible , he still might have not been. Read Cals book. Ellen had to talk Cal into not kicking him off the team. Nobody is drafting Jorts a juco that gets kicked off the team at UK . Hell,even billy and the bathroom stall story still lingers. So to say he had five NBA players coming in is kinda absurd. And liggins is one of Cals best coaching jobs since he has been here. He got him to buy in to defense I think everyone was surprised he was drafted. Miller disappeared throughout his career and he is one of my all time favs.him being drafted is amazing. If you would have asked anyone even UK fans at a point in time that Darius would be drafted and Aaron Harrison would not almost everyone would argue. Hindsight is 20/20 now but Aaron was a burger boy with high expectations Darius was not
You had me up until that very last sentence and then the the whole post went right out the window. That is a hypocritical statement after what you just posted. You just blasted someone for not giving credit to a UK coach for the great things he did while at UK and them you blast the current coach and say he is doing everything for his name. That's just ridiculous , especially when you're defending a coach that split for money and the NBA. If you don't think Pitino has just as big a ego as Calipari then you don't know Pitino at all. You had a really good point and then you through it all to hell with that last sentence. Completely hypocritical statement since the coach you're defending is Pitino.
Every player I named was already here when Cal arrived. I said that he had Orton, Miller, Liggins, Patterson, Stevenson and Harris. They were here, or in Orton's case committed under BCG, so not sure how cal gets credit for them. I mentioned Boogie and Dodson because they had verbally committed to Memphis under Cal and were going to follow him wherever. Yes, Cal gets credit for those 2 guys.
I'm not holding success against him at all. What he was able to do in that first year was awesome. But take the players he had when he took over (Orton, Miller, Liggins, Patterson, Stevenson, Harris, Harrelson, Hood, Galloway, Stewart and Pilgrim), compare them to the players when Pitino took over, and the talent level isn't even close. What Pitino was able to do in 2 short years is a miracle.
I said that we had 5 NBA guys, 4 of which I believe had a shot with or without Cal. The 5th is Jorts, so we agree on that. What Cal did with him was amazing. Liggins had the talent to be an NBA player, Cal does get credit for bringing him around his junior year. Miller also had the talent to be an NBA player imo. Patterson and Orton were NBA guys. Again, I was just comparing rosters when the 2 took over and it's not even close with the talent level the 2 of them had.
Cal did an amazing job putting a roster together and making us one of the bes teams in the nation immediately. Pitino did an amazing job of putting a competitive team together, having the best record in the SEC and being ranked 9th in the final AP in his second year despite not being eligible for the post season for the second year in a row.
Cal brought us back from mediocrity. Pitino brought us back from death.
I see what you are saying now. I thought you meant Cal was left with that many nba players. Even tho liggins Jorts miller were drafted I think it's highly unlikely they would have been drafted under Gillespie. But I get your point He had the horses
