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Top 3 UK Coaches

Rupp. Cal, Hall, Tubby, Pitino is distance because of his character which should be a part of a winner..
 
Right behind Rupp. Rick a distant 3rd and Joe B right on his tail.

I don't see how you can put RP a "distant 3rd". I'd say 2 & 3 are close (could go either way). Personally I'd go RP #2, but wouldn't argue w/ Cal #2.
Cal - 8 years, 1 championship, 1 runner-up, 4 F4's, 6 E8's. He inherited a team that BG had taken to mediocrity with only 1 talented player returning.
RP - 8 years, 1 championship, 1 runner-up, 3 F4's, 5 E8's in 6 tournament eligible years. He inherited a team on probation (no tv or tournament for 2 years) & no returning talent.
 
I don't see how you can put RP a "distant 3rd". I'd say 2 & 3 are close (could go either way). Personally I'd go RP #2, but wouldn't argue w/ Cal #2.
Cal - 8 years, 1 championship, 1 runner-up, 4 F4's, 6 E8's. He inherited a team that BG had taken to mediocrity with only 1 talented player returning.
RP - 8 years, 1 championship, 1 runner-up, 3 F4's, 5 E8's in 6 tournament eligible years. He inherited a team on probation (no tv or tournament for 2 years) & no returning talent.

Besides the obvious(Final Fours are not easy, having 1 more in as many years coaching is huge), it's pretty easy. Rick left, Cal's not done. And the talent representing Kentucky in the NBA thanks to Cal. There's plenty other reasons I could come up with but yea it's not even close for me...Rick's many personal issues not even counting.
 
Besides the obvious(Final Fours are not easy, having 1 more in as many years coaching is huge), it's pretty easy. Rick left, Cal's not done. And the talent representing Kentucky in the NBA thanks to Cal. There's plenty other reasons I could come up with but yea it's not even close for me...Rick's many personal issues not even counting.

I think we have to base this on what has occurred, and not what could occur over the next X years (or what occurred after RP left "Camelot"). I am very hopeful Cal surpasses RP (by a wide margin) soon, and hey even catches or surpasses Rupp. To me it is a dead-heap between the 2 after 8 years for each. Yes, Cal has created the added benefit of NBA player representation (debatable as to how big a benefit that is), and RP had a slightly worse starting point. I just opposed the word "distant". Whether you think Cal 2 RP 3, or RP 2 Cal 3, I think it is close.
 
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It is odd that i was thinking about this last night(maybe because I watched a couple of minutes of 30 for 30 on Cal)

I think that none of us here fully understand what Rupp meant to UK and the game of basketball.I became a fan in the late 50's and Coach Rupp was in the autumn of his career at that time.His influence and impact on the game can't be overstated.

If Cal stays here 15 years he will be a clear 2nd to Rupp,you can make the case that he is there now but it is a debatable issue. OAD and his management of it puts him in a class by himself compared to other UK coaches. Pitino did great things for us at a time when we needed great things to be done.Joe B Hall followed a legend of the game and did it successfully,for that reason I see them as basically equals

Cal needs to win another national championship or two to claim the place he deserves in college basketball history,I hope that he is able to do that and force the media and the NCAA to give him the credit he is due.
 
Besides the obvious(Final Fours are not easy, having 1 more in as many years coaching is huge), it's pretty easy. Rick left, Cal's not done. And the talent representing Kentucky in the NBA thanks to Cal. There's plenty other reasons I could come up with but yea it's not even close for me...Rick's many personal issues not even counting.
Pitino's numbers are actually better. He had six eligible yrs compared to eight for Cal. Pitino did not go to the NIT either.

Right now...Pitino 2 with Cal at a very close 3. Very close.
 
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I would say Cal is right there with Pitino begind Rupp with a chance to move up. That being said, if Rick had stayed here and also avoided the side show antics of the past decade, he could have built one heck of a resume here....certainly would exceed what he has done over in Louisville over the same amount of time. He may have passed Rupp in titles at this point at UK.
 
Rupp
Cal
RP
Hall
Smith

What separates Cal from Rick for me is the recruiting. The college game has never seen a coach bring in such loaded classes year after year. Which has led to the mass exodus of Kentucky players littered throughout the NBA. Pitino did a fantastic job pulling Kentucky up from the ashes as quickly as he did and then playing the style he did was extremely fun to watch but he still didn't pull in the players like Cal has year in and year out and getting guys in the NBA and excelling. The rest of their results are pretty similar.
 
I don't see how you can put RP a "distant 3rd". I'd say 2 & 3 are close (could go either way). Personally I'd go RP #2, but wouldn't argue w/ Cal #2.
Cal - 8 years, 1 championship, 1 runner-up, 4 F4's, 6 E8's. He inherited a team that BG had taken to mediocrity with only 1 talented player returning.
RP - 8 years, 1 championship, 1 runner-up, 3 F4's, 5 E8's in 6 tournament eligible years. He inherited a team on probation (no tv or tournament for 2 years) & no returning talent.
Cal inherited Billy G's crap stain which actually included 3 or 4 contributors to the rebuild in Harris, PP and D Miller and maybe Perry Stevenson. Pitino got the Unforgettables, Miller and Hanson I think. That's no returning talent? I don't think so. It's a wash talent wise but it was harder to recruit for RP due to the probation but he, like every other coach in all of time, can't hold a candle to Cal recruiting. Cal is 2nd best easily IMO.
 
Agree with JRowland

Rupp
Pitino/Cal
Hall
Smith

I will never understand the revisionism of some (not all) who almost want to downplay Pitino's tenure. By any objective measure he knocked it out of the freaking park. It was one of the greatest eras of UK basketball in its history - no need to try to make it seem less impressive because the guy happens to be a scumbag. He and Cal are right there behind Rupp.
Cal has done a much better job of embracing the marketing aspect of it.
 
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In this order

Rupp


Cal
Hall
Smith

Pitino (Demoted due to scum baggery, coaching at UL and being part of a program that recruits with whores.)




Sutton





















BCG (should have been separated by a 1000 or more line feeds.)
 
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Rick Pitino is a despicable human being. With that said, and notwithstanding that . . . Pitino is, IMHO, by a substantial margin the best basketball coach to ever coach at U.K. My ranking of the top two is:

1. Pitino
2. Rupp

After that, we get into the minutia of the issue: Are we talking only about "coaching", as opposed to "recruiting", or does the ranking lump those two aspects of the position together, etc.?

I think Joe B. Hall and Tubby Smith were about equally mediocre basketball coaches, with very little difference as recruiters. Players came to play for Hall for no reason other than that he was the coach at U.K. Same for Tubby. I think Eddie Sutton was a slightly better basketball coach and a slightly better recruiter than either of those, but I think his off-court demons were so significant as to put him on the same level, for the purpose of this exercise, of Hall and Tubby.

I assume that we can all agree that BCG is not in the discussion.

3. Calipari

I rank Calipari as No. 3, solely on the basis of his status as the best recruiter ever in college basketball. Even if one assumes that he is only mediocre as a "coach", comparable to Hall, Tubby, and Sutton, his recruiting prowess elevates him far above Hall, Tubby, and Sutton, IMHO.
 
I hate the man Pitino has become, but if you're saying he's a distant third shows your lack of knowledge of basketball

If you say third, no issue, but if you had "distant"...horrible take
 
Rick Pitino is a despicable human being. With that said, and notwithstanding that . . . Pitino is, IMHO, by a substantial margin the best basketball coach to ever coach at U.K. My ranking of the top two is:

1. Pitino
2. Rupp

After that, we get into the minutia of the issue: Are we talking only about "coaching", as opposed to "recruiting", or does the ranking lump those two aspects of the position together, etc.?

I think Joe B. Hall and Tubby Smith were about equally mediocre basketball coaches, with very little difference as recruiters. Players came to play for Hall for no reason other than that he was the coach at U.K. Same for Tubby. I think Eddie Sutton was a slightly better basketball coach and a slightly better recruiter than either of those, but I think his off-court demons were so significant as to put him on the same level, for the purpose of this exercise, of Hall and Tubby.

I assume that we can all agree that BCG is not in the discussion.

3. Calipari

I rank Calipari as No. 3, solely on the basis of his status as the best recruiter ever in college basketball. Even if one assumes that he is only mediocre as a "coach", comparable to Hall, Tubby, and Sutton, his recruiting prowess elevates him far above Hall, Tubby, and Sutton, IMHO.
Dude. Hall was a great recruiter. He and Tubby shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence when it comes to recruiting. Hall put together the 78 team, one of the best ever at UK. He had top 10 classes almost every year at UK. His player development was in question sometimes.
 
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Rick Pitino is a despicable human being. With that said, and notwithstanding that . . . Pitino is, IMHO, by a substantial margin the best basketball coach to ever coach at U.K. My ranking of the top two is:

1. Pitino
2. Rupp

After that, we get into the minutia of the issue: Are we talking only about "coaching", as opposed to "recruiting", or does the ranking lump those two aspects of the position together, etc.?

I think Joe B. Hall and Tubby Smith were about equally mediocre basketball coaches, with very little difference as recruiters. Players came to play for Hall for no reason other than that he was the coach at U.K. Same for Tubby. I think Eddie Sutton was a slightly better basketball coach and a slightly better recruiter than either of those, but I think his off-court demons were so significant as to put him on the same level, for the purpose of this exercise, of Hall and Tubby.

I assume that we can all agree that BCG is not in the discussion.

3. Calipari

I rank Calipari as No. 3, solely on the basis of his status as the best recruiter ever in college basketball. Even if one assumes that he is only mediocre as a "coach", comparable to Hall, Tubby, and Sutton, his recruiting prowess elevates him far above Hall, Tubby, and Sutton, IMHO.

The dumbest ranking of all time. Rupp is by far #1.
 
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Rupp (c'mon)

Cal, (immediate impact after BCG and later years Tubby and greatest recruiter ever excitement)

Hall (followed a legend with success)

Pitino (got us back on track after probation)

Smith (very solid early years success and title)
 
Pitino's numbers are actually better. He had six eligible yrs compared to eight for Cal. Pitino did not go to the NIT either.

Right now...Pitino 2 with Cal at a very close 3. Very close.
You're ignoring Cal's greatest accomplishment: He's made UK the most talked about school in basketball.

And Cal has ensured UK will remain great for 20 years. At the time when the NBA is the most visible pro sport, Cal flooded the League with Stars and Superstars. Unprecedented in our history. We now have what Carolina had during the 80's/90's.
 
Rick Pitino is a despicable human being. With that said, and notwithstanding that . . . Pitino is, IMHO, by a substantial margin the best basketball coach to ever coach at U.K. My ranking of the top two is:

1. Pitino
2. Rupp

After that, we get into the minutia of the issue: Are we talking only about "coaching", as opposed to "recruiting", or does the ranking lump those two aspects of the position together, etc.?

I think Joe B. Hall and Tubby Smith were about equally mediocre basketball coaches, with very little difference as recruiters. Players came to play for Hall for no reason other than that he was the coach at U.K. Same for Tubby. I think Eddie Sutton was a slightly better basketball coach and a slightly better recruiter than either of those, but I think his off-court demons were so significant as to put him on the same level, for the purpose of this exercise, of Hall and Tubby.

I assume that we can all agree that BCG is not in the discussion.

3. Calipari

I rank Calipari as No. 3, solely on the basis of his status as the best recruiter ever in college basketball. Even if one assumes that he is only mediocre as a "coach", comparable to Hall, Tubby, and Sutton, his recruiting prowess elevates him far above Hall, Tubby, and Sutton, IMHO.

There is nothing equal about Tubby and Hall. Hall is a far superior coach and recruiter. Hall had great classes at UK, went to three final fours and won a title, also an NIT title when it meant something. Tubby Smith to this day has never coached his own recruits to a final four.

Hall is closer to Cal than he is to Tubby. Much closer.
 
Rick Pitino is a despicable human being. Eddie Sutton was a drunk. With that said.

1. Pitino
2. Rupp
3. Sutton
T4. Hall
T4. Calipari
 
Rick Pitino is a despicable human being. Eddie Sutton was a drunk. With that said.

1. Pitino
2. Rupp
3. Sutton
T4. Hall
T4. Calipari
Please just go away. Recruiting is a huge part of coaching period. People who say Cal can't coach are silly. I remember him beating Pitinos 96 team with freaking UMass and destroying a Tubby coached UK as well. Number 2 for me. Went from dumpster fire to competing for a title in 2.5 months of recruiting.
 
Full disclosure... I'm not a UK fan, but I find this discussion very interesting. I want to ask a question I ordinarily wouldn't ask as I'm rather an old school kinda guy and I don't necessarily like the direction in which modern college athletics is drifting. I think the vast majority of folks here would say Rupp is #1 and Pitino and Calipari are next (in either order.)

Can an argument be made that Calipari is actually the best?

The reasoning would be that during Rupp's tenure, basketball in the South was the red-headed stepchild compared to football. The exception in the SEC was UK (and maybe Vandy to a much lesser degree). That began to change in the 70's as the tournament began to flourish on TV and the money became so big. Everyone tries to win now. Rupp only had to get past 7 other schools in '48 and '49 before the tourney expanded to 16 teams in '51 and 24 teams in '58. Calipari has to run 64 other teams (assuming UK doesn't have a play-in game). I'm asking UK fans... I genuinely don't know... could you argue that Calipari's recent tourney runs have been more impressive even if they've fallen a bit short of a title (excepting 2012 of course)? You can reasonably argue there were fewer slots in the tourney for Rupp, but a counter argument might be that geographic considerations played a much greater role back then and UK actually had an easier task as they were one of the few southern schools which took the sport seriously at a time when the NCAA was looking for equal regional representation.

Is it unreasonable to say 1) Calipari 2) Rupp 3) Pitino?

I am curious to know UK fans think about this.
 
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