Like many of us, I've been part of this board for a considerable amount of time, checking in almost daily for 17 years according to my profile.
(Maybe it's time for me to explore other interests! LOL)
But there's one thing I've been wishing for: regardless of whether we all agree on whether we've got the "right" coach or not, we need to come together as a fanbase and throw our support behind whoever it is.
Even if it's just to shift the prevailing narrative that paints us all as:
I love(d) for Cal, Joe B., Eddie, Rick, and even Billy G (for a brief moment), but after years of falling short of our usual standards or even just reasonable expectations for a solid program, many of us felt it was time for a change.
I believe Cal received more leniency than others because of his past successes.
However, the loss to Oakland made even the national pundits realize that it wasn't solely the fanbase at fault. Our coach was underperforming to an alarming degree by Kentucky's standards.
Finally, we weren't being branded as unreasonable! HALEELUJAH
Yesterday, many echoed these sentiments.
However, as last night into this AM, I've noticed a shift in the narrative.
Many national commentators and radio hosts, as I listened this morning, began with the tired refrain of "who would want that job?" They're citing unreasonable expectations from the fans, too much pressure, and even politics.
I wouldn't want a coach who is intimidated by expectations, pressure, and so on.
Admittedly, some of our fellow fans have contributed to this reputation, but most of us understand that we are not the backward, unhinged hillbillies that I feel we often get labeled as.
So, I urge all of us to rally behind the new coach, get some NIL initiatives going, and show the college basketball world that we don't demand or expect perfection. We just want to be contenders, to be in that conversation.
(Maybe it's time for me to explore other interests! LOL)
But there's one thing I've been wishing for: regardless of whether we all agree on whether we've got the "right" coach or not, we need to come together as a fanbase and throw our support behind whoever it is.
Even if it's just to shift the prevailing narrative that paints us all as:
- Overly passionate to the point of being irrational
- Unreasonable with our expectations
- Placing excessive pressure on the coach
I love(d) for Cal, Joe B., Eddie, Rick, and even Billy G (for a brief moment), but after years of falling short of our usual standards or even just reasonable expectations for a solid program, many of us felt it was time for a change.
I believe Cal received more leniency than others because of his past successes.
However, the loss to Oakland made even the national pundits realize that it wasn't solely the fanbase at fault. Our coach was underperforming to an alarming degree by Kentucky's standards.
Finally, we weren't being branded as unreasonable! HALEELUJAH
Yesterday, many echoed these sentiments.
However, as last night into this AM, I've noticed a shift in the narrative.
Many national commentators and radio hosts, as I listened this morning, began with the tired refrain of "who would want that job?" They're citing unreasonable expectations from the fans, too much pressure, and even politics.
I wouldn't want a coach who is intimidated by expectations, pressure, and so on.
Admittedly, some of our fellow fans have contributed to this reputation, but most of us understand that we are not the backward, unhinged hillbillies that I feel we often get labeled as.
So, I urge all of us to rally behind the new coach, get some NIL initiatives going, and show the college basketball world that we don't demand or expect perfection. We just want to be contenders, to be in that conversation.
