Kentucky Wildcats Seek New Men's Hoops Coach
A List of Possible Candidates to Replace Former Coach Billy Gillispe
Mar 29, 2009
After Tubby Smith's 1998 National Championship in his first year as the headman at Kentucky, most Wildcat fans figured Smith would carry on the success of his mentor, Rick Pitino. Despite stellar success in conference play, including a 19-0 record in 2003, Smith failed to return to the Final Four in any of the next nine seasons. The powers that be in Lexington deemed this championship drought unacceptable for the blue bloods in the Bluegrass State and opted to replace Smith.
The Hiring and Firing of Billy Gillispie
After missing on top candidates such as Florida's Billy Donovan (another former Pitino assistant) and Texas' Rick Barnes, Barnhardt settled for Gillispie, fresh off a run of tournament success Texas A&M. The marriage between Gillispie and Kentucky never seemed to head in right direction. Since Gillispie didn’t sign an official contract, maybe that's what happens when a couple never officially ties the knot. Combine shocking losses in Rupp Arena to Gardner-Webb in 2007 and VMI in 2008, a first round exit from the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the school's first appearance in the NIT in 30 years and a personality that didn’t mesh with Barnhardt and you have a recipe for a Kentucky fried disaster.
Potential Candidates
So where does Kentucky find their next big cat? Barnhardt once again will attempt to lure Barnes, Donovan and Villanova's Jay Wright, three of his top candidates from the search in 2007, to Lexington. It's hard to believe that any of them would consider leaving their current jobs since the situation in Kentucky has only worsened, but quite a few coaches might have the skills and personality needed to hang another banner in Rupp.
John Calipari, Memphis
Success at every stop (in college, at least) and a dynamic personality has launched Coach Cal into the top tier of today's coaches. Under Calipari's watch, Memphis basketball reached heights usually reserved for programs like Kentucky. Since 2005, the Tigers have lost only one game in Conference USA, but their record in the NCAA Tournament is even more impressive. National Runners-up, two Elite Eights and a Sweet Sixteen appearance speak for themselves. Throw in the ability to recruit top talent from around the country and Calipari is as close to a can't miss as possible. People close to Calipari have whispered that he may be ready to step up to one of the big six conferences to prove his success isn't a bi-product of coaching in weaker conferences.
Thad Matta, Ohio State
Matta is another coach with unbelievable consistency and the ability to recruit a roster full of All-Americans.
Stops at Butler, Xavier and Ohio State have resulted in 20 win seasons every year, a litany of NBA draft picks and several deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, including an appearance in the Championship game. No stranger to rebuilding, one of Matta's biggest achievements came in his first year at Ohio State. While trying to clean up the mess left by former Buckeye boss Jim O'Brien, Matta led the Buckeyes, under suspension from postseason play from the O'Brien regime, to a shocking upset of powerhouse Illinois. Unlike Calipari, Matta already has a job at perhaps the top athletic department in the nation, already coaches in a premiere conference and doesn't seem eager to leave Columbus any time soon.
Travis Ford, Oklahoma State
Ford might not have the coaching and recruiting track record of Matta or Calipari, but he does hold one significant advantage over both: Kentucky ties. As a former UK player, Ford knows exactly what Wildcat basketball means in the Commonwealth. Barnhardt’s main motive for firing Gillispie was political: Gillispie didn’t “get” Kentucky, but you can bet Ford certainly does. It doesn’t hurt that Ford is a decent coach, either. In his first season at Oklahoma State, Ford coached the Cowboys to the second round of the big dance and put a scare in the top-seeded Pitt Panthers.
