Isn't an easy thing at all.
I've been seeing this circus for 45+ years now. Hell, wasn't it Ray Mears that had the unicyclist and circus performers to come out when we used to go to Knoxville?! LOL
good times! LOL
That's a lot of basketball to have as perspective. And it seems to me that the best Kentucky teams (and there have been quite a few over the years to look at) have to learn some very difficult lessons along the way in order to have made Kentucky basketball everyone's Super Bowl game.... or Tshirt game, white out red out black out green out whatever the color-out 24 to 48 hour pregame party and festivities before each and every Kentucky game when they come to YOUR town ??? Not to mention the incredible court storming if Kentucky is sufficiently awesome enough in any given season to justify rushing the court for a regular season if you can upset Kentucky....
And in those lessons, the SEC regular season is year in and year out - a brutally tough, physically bruising and dangerous game that has always seemingly had a football tough vibe that makes the basketball games more physical than other conferences.....
And add in on top of all of this, the maturation process of a group of young men that has a rabid/vapid fanbase chock full of chicken littles and negative nancies after the slightest loss, and if Kentucky wins and looks good? They quiet down and the sunshine pumpers are quickly espousing Kentucky as so awfully awesome killer terrific that they might as well mail the trophy....
it's enough to make you laugh at seeing it happen
Every.single.year.
in some form or fashion
But the MOST important thing in all of this is how the PLAYERS see themselves, and what they take as a personal responsibility to do to become as good as they can be as a team.
Hence, we come to the post game remarks by Jacob Toppin :
“We’ve got to fight,” Toppin said. “They definitely outfought us. We’re not going to make every shot so we’ve just got to get in the gym and start making shots. Defensively, Coach always emphasizes how defensively it’s just fighting and effort and we didn’t bring that today so we’ve just got to watch film, see what we did wrong and take this one on the chin and move forward.”
And that is the kind of things you want to see and hear as an honest assessment from the players moving forward after such a bad game but having success so far in the season.
“100%. We said that in the locker room as soon as we came in after the game: we needed this. It’s a wake-up call and now we’re going to dial back in. We’re going to lock in and we’re going to go back to dominating the game how we can.”
BEAUTIFUL, I say. Because what you have there is self accountability and the players know they can do better and take the blame squarely head on.
I couldn't teach my children any better by example than that.
So as we move forward, remember the uncountable lessons and hard knocks that Kentucky teams have to learn as a season progresses. Some lessons are more valuable than others.
And with how likeable and loveable this years' Kentucky wildcat squard has been to watch perform, all I can say is :
I feel extremely proud of this group for coming together, and I am sure they will be the best they can be of themselves, and that's all I could ever ask out of anybody.
Go Big Blue ! You make us all very happy to be your fans !
I've been seeing this circus for 45+ years now. Hell, wasn't it Ray Mears that had the unicyclist and circus performers to come out when we used to go to Knoxville?! LOL
good times! LOL
That's a lot of basketball to have as perspective. And it seems to me that the best Kentucky teams (and there have been quite a few over the years to look at) have to learn some very difficult lessons along the way in order to have made Kentucky basketball everyone's Super Bowl game.... or Tshirt game, white out red out black out green out whatever the color-out 24 to 48 hour pregame party and festivities before each and every Kentucky game when they come to YOUR town ??? Not to mention the incredible court storming if Kentucky is sufficiently awesome enough in any given season to justify rushing the court for a regular season if you can upset Kentucky....
And in those lessons, the SEC regular season is year in and year out - a brutally tough, physically bruising and dangerous game that has always seemingly had a football tough vibe that makes the basketball games more physical than other conferences.....
And add in on top of all of this, the maturation process of a group of young men that has a rabid/vapid fanbase chock full of chicken littles and negative nancies after the slightest loss, and if Kentucky wins and looks good? They quiet down and the sunshine pumpers are quickly espousing Kentucky as so awfully awesome killer terrific that they might as well mail the trophy....
it's enough to make you laugh at seeing it happen
Every.single.year.
in some form or fashion
But the MOST important thing in all of this is how the PLAYERS see themselves, and what they take as a personal responsibility to do to become as good as they can be as a team.
Hence, we come to the post game remarks by Jacob Toppin :
“We’ve got to fight,” Toppin said. “They definitely outfought us. We’re not going to make every shot so we’ve just got to get in the gym and start making shots. Defensively, Coach always emphasizes how defensively it’s just fighting and effort and we didn’t bring that today so we’ve just got to watch film, see what we did wrong and take this one on the chin and move forward.”
And that is the kind of things you want to see and hear as an honest assessment from the players moving forward after such a bad game but having success so far in the season.
“100%. We said that in the locker room as soon as we came in after the game: we needed this. It’s a wake-up call and now we’re going to dial back in. We’re going to lock in and we’re going to go back to dominating the game how we can.”
BEAUTIFUL, I say. Because what you have there is self accountability and the players know they can do better and take the blame squarely head on.
I couldn't teach my children any better by example than that.
So as we move forward, remember the uncountable lessons and hard knocks that Kentucky teams have to learn as a season progresses. Some lessons are more valuable than others.
And with how likeable and loveable this years' Kentucky wildcat squard has been to watch perform, all I can say is :
I feel extremely proud of this group for coming together, and I am sure they will be the best they can be of themselves, and that's all I could ever ask out of anybody.
Go Big Blue ! You make us all very happy to be your fans !
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