Way too early coaches on the hot seat rankings. Tubby Smith leads the list
- Thread starter Smashcat
- Start date
I like Tubby fine. He moved on at the right time.
my take on this thread
my take on this thread
You keep associating being a good person with being a good coach. He has always been a good human being. Schools don’t spend millions of dollars to hire selfless coaches. They hire coaches to win. Show me where he has done that in the last 10 years then we can discuss him being a good coach. If you want to discuss him being a good person, I won’t debate that.
The last 10 seasons with Tubby Smith:
2011-2012-NIT Runner Up. I realize the NIT long passed relevancy but it is still is a national tournament and for a school like Minnesota, its a taste of success.
2012-2013-NCAA Second Round. The first NCAA Tournament victory for Minnesota since 1997. For some odd reason, he was fired after that.
2013-2015- Tubby did have back to back losing seasons at Texas Tech as he was building a team that was in shambles after Billy Gillispie. Over those two seasons though, 15 of those losses were by single digits. They may not have won, but they did compete and improve. People say he couldnt recruit, but then....
2015-2016-Texas Tech gets back to it's first NCAA Tournament since Bob Knight lead them there in 2007. Tubby helped get Texas Tech back on a relevant stage nationally, setting Chris Beard up to have the success he had.
2016-2018- A 40-26 overall record, highlighted by a 21 win season in 2018 at Memphis.
2018-2019-Winning first season at High Point.
I'll give you he's had back to back losing seasons after that at High Point but this past season the team showed marked improvement. Most of the losses were by single digits and I think they will improve to a winning season in 21-22 much like Tubby's team did at Texas Tech.
He's had 30 seasons as a head coach and only 4 of those resulted in losing records.
LMAO. This has got to be a parody account. No way anyone with a functioning brain believes any of this.
I'm no troll. Having said that though, start a thread about Tubby and see all those poor souls who come out to insult the man. Besides, the UK history is always remembered. Some more than others as many have never gotten over '92 while they seem to forget '98 and the coach who beat the team their beloved Pitino couldnt do while at UK.
No parody at all. Just a fan who appreciates Tubby Smith and gets tired of seeing him disrespected on this board almost every time someone mentions his name or starts a thread about him here.
Yea he’s a bit over the top so it’s just not believable. But he got a few I see.
Any UK fan should appreciate Tubby winning a NCAA title at UK. A person can do that and not agree with your initial post. They aren’t mutually exclusive.
I appreciate Ricks players, the fact that Tubby didn’t screw it up, and have no problem with any coach who’s won a title at UK in the rafters.
What I do have a problem with:
1. Not acknowledging that without Pitino tubby really doesn’t even have a single final four.
2. Not acknowledging that Tubby ran ricks system in 1998.
3. Not acknowledging that Tubby was in over his head at UK and
4. Comparing Tubby and Joe B Hall in the same breath. Joe B was 10 times the coach of Tubby Smith.
5. Not recognizing how great of a team 1998 really was and attempting to pretend that because Tubby couldn’t jump out ahead of anyone they were under par and lucky. How many pros were on that team? I have always thought that the only reason we call them the comeback cats is because Tubby was notorious for holding players back and micromanaging on the court.
Several here want to lower the bar for him and I think we know why without going there.
I enjoyed several of those teams and look back on them fondly. But he really should have never been the head coach at Kentucky, and we’re fortunate to have that championship (so is he).
Having said that throw him in the rafters. Throw every coach who’s won a title in the rafters. I don’t get people who want to stand in the way of that, as it only adds to our accomplishments. 5 coaches who’ve won titles. No one comes close.
Tubby did not run Rick’s system no pressure too slow Rick did not run ball line defense
In February of that season UK lost to Ole Miss
At home Tubby told me he had a Come To Jesus meeting with team and said “let’s try my way”
UK won out and brought home the Title everyone.on that 98 team has told me that they
Were too slow
Tubby never gets credit and he should
That's fair but you have to admit some people make a point to chime in on every post about Tubby with some sort of negative comment. Someone made a post wishing him a happy birthday and it wound up being closed.
Just like several here cant let their hatred for him go which they illustrate by adding negative comments on any thread that he's mentioned and sometimes they bring him up solely for that reason. I think we know why without going there as well.
Is there any chance we can get Tubby back after Cal leaves? He's such a selfless man and he's done so well at his previous 4 schools ...i want him at UK before anyone snags him.
Tubby chose to move on, though I wish he were still here. Maybe when Calipari does leave they'll do the right thing and offer the job to Saul. Someone who played here and knows all about the tradition and pride of wearing the blue and white.
Its a shame people like yourself want to discredit a man so much. I am sorry you never had a mentor or father like Tubby Smith to teach you how to conduct yourself with class.
Yeah, I read that Memphis, Texas Tech and Minnesota were all tired of him winning so many games that nobody attended games anymore. They needed a fresh start from too much success.
Theres just no way possible way you have all your marbles.
Where did you read he was fired from Texas Tech? He wasnt. Minnesota made a mistake and so did Memphis.
I'll give Penny Hardaway credit though, he hired Larry Brown to be an assistant coach and that should pay dividends. Calipari should have done that. Of course Calipari shouldnt even be at UK. Kentucky should have gave Tubby that lifetime contract. Since he left, Kentucky has won one title. Had the ball line defense still been there it would have been at least 5 more by now.
I feel like i lose IQ points every time i read your posts. Theres just no way youre legit. Either youre missing some marbles, related to Tubby or its a parody account.
Based on your postings towards Tubby you didnt have many to lose to begin with. It's a shame you cant appreciate greatness for what it is.
Some of the things I remember about Tubby, he won us a championship, he hated recruiting, recruiting not a strong point, always lauded as a good man, in his final days saying that UK fans are way too serious because it is just a game.
Very fair post. I think Tubby never was a self promoter nor did he want to cheat to get a kid. I think while very admirable and exactly what every coach and human being for that matter, should strive to be in college athletics the days of being that way are just about completely over.
I think he made a good point with the fans being too serious. Sports are supposed to be something to enjoy and distract us from the real world. When death threats and slurs get heaped upon someone who lead the team to the national title, it is a bit much. It is a shame some of those so called fans did that. Even on these threads you see people go out of their way to discredit and run his name in the mud.
People act like he was taking over for some deity in Pitino. Yeah, Pitino built the program up from the very bottom but at the end of the day, its Kentucky. Lute Olson would have done the same thing here. Pitino, Cal and Tubby all have a championship each yet Tubby seems to be the least appreciated of the three. I just think that's odd.
I’m sorry that some of us haven’t recognized the greatness of Tubby like you have. We’re a little slow I guess. All Tubby needs is a few more years to get it turned around at High Point I’m sure. He’s just had a long run of bad luck ever since winning the title in 98 but I’m willing to bet his greatness will reveal itself very soon.
At least you admit your shortcomings. Tubby did have some bad luck, that's for sure, I think John Stewart would have been one of the greatest big men to play the game.
You'd win that bet if you were smart enough to find someone to take that bet.
Hahaa...you'd think if he was great he'd be wanted by other programs. If he's so great, why is he getting smashed at High Point where all the talent is equal? He's really awful.
He's building High Point up. They arent getting "smashed" either. They were very competitive last season. Right now they are catching up to Winthrop, who has long dominated that conference. With a new coach there, the door is open. Sit back and watch the Panthers improve this season. I wouldnt be surprised if they win the conference. Doubting the fire in the belly of Tubby Smith has made fools of many, my friend!
Say what you will but he was wanted by UK in 1997 and he lead them to a title.
Its obvious you dont know basketball. It's a shame your unexplained hatred for Tubby Smith gets in the way of you realizing facts and truth.
Tubby leaving UK was the right move…but I stand by this, tubby was an awesome human. Was fortunate enough to meet him once while I was a kid and he was extremely gracious and kind.
I agree with many of these names in terms of disappointing results, but come on. Tubby? Dooley? These schools don’t care enough. High Point gets more notoriety by having Tubby (former UK coach and national champion) than they would if they were at the ceiling of their program. It’s a bit ridiculous. Weber and Brey are the only names here that make any kind of sense - and Brey has been decent. Don’t see ND doing much better than him at this point.
Cal does deserve props for taking a unpopular stand in standing behind his team with their right to take a knee before the Florida game. Showed a lot of character and integrity, it was like Tubby was still here. Respect given.
I'd say we mostly agree Arcadia. There is no doubt, what Tubby did with that '98 team was special, one for the ages. That team got better and better as the season progressed. I give some of the credit to the emergence of Scott Padgett and the improvement of Jeff Sheppard and Nazr Mohammed, but I give much of the credit to Tubby's intensity and coaching. But as you say, after that season, things seemed to change. It may have been the relentless pressure of the UK job, I'm not sure. Or maybe it was that he had been to the top of the sport and lost some of his passion. In my opinion, he was never the same coach after winning that national championship. In his latter years, I always said that if Tubby had someone else recruiting for him, he'd be a great coach. It always seemed like the talent went elsewhere and he was left having to coach his guys up to really even have a chance. You look at one of his best teams at UK- Hayes, Daniels, Fitch, Hawkins, and Azubuike. Only Azubuike was highly recruited. Hayes turned out to have as much guts as any player we've ever had at UK, but he wasn't highly recruited. Daniels, Fitch, and Hawkins were all guys few schools wanted. That was usually the story. Tubby coached them up and they became a solid unit but were vulnerable to a more talented and more athletic group, like UAB in the 2nd round of the Dance. Another of his teams had a guy like Keith Bogans, who was strong as a bull and developed over several seasons, but his loss to injury spelled doom against Dwyane Wade and Marquette. That was the closest we got to another Final Four under Tubby.
I wouldn't argue that he left the cupboard totally bare at UK. Patterson and Meeks were both very talented players. Patterson may have been the best recruit Tubby ever signed. If Gillispie had been a better coach, he could have done more with what he was given.
Great post! I do think something else that hurt Tubby was the fact he was more of a coach from yesteryear. A coach who loved his players and would do anything for them, but one who wouldnt sugarcoat things and wasnt their buddy. I agree if he had an assistant to recruit that had those intangibles, his career would have been different. I think may still be here.
You made some great points about what he left behind. The fact Gillispie had both and only mustered an NIT says a lot about him as a coach. Had he stayed he also would have had Draymond Green and that would have been an interesting team to watch.
You think Tubby is a better coach than Gillispie? Better person, yes. But on a even playing field where both teams are equal talent, I think Gillispie owns him. He's done well at every stop but UK. Tubby has left more places below par. I think Gillispie would at least have High Point competitive.
The choice to hire him was poor. 1 final four from a team that had all returning players from back to back titles games isn't impressive. He made UK worse each year.
I remember him on the post game show after a 2nd round loss and he started off with a "well, its been another successful season here..." couldn't believe his acceptance.
