Rick Pitino was named head coach in 1989--my dad and I listened to the press conference on my way to get my tonsils removed. I vividly remember the town going silent after the infamous "shot" by Christian Laettner of Duke (I hate Duke) with 2.1 seconds left in overtime in 1992. You can watch it here, if you can stand the pain. And in 1998, during my senior year of high school, I rioted on UK's campus (don't tell my mother) and actually saw the madness created by wild college revelers first hand.
So, after 10 years of Tubby, and I loved Tubby, it's time to start again. Mark Story, a columnist for the Herald-Leader did a great item on what it takes to be a Kentucky coach. Check it out. Basically he says the person needs to be a bit of a jerk. Here's my favorite part: the job description:
Wanted: Head men's basketball coach, University of Kentucky. Must employ up-tempo style of play. Must recruit with a relentless fervor. Must consistently beat Louisville, Indiana, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and everyone else. Consistent Final Four appearances mandatory. One final requirement: It helps to be a jerk.
Of course as the world knows, the jerk of choice is one Billy Donovan from Florida... you know, that former UK assistant who is about to lead his team to a consecutive national championship. (Yes, I'm so bold as to make that prediction.) Other favored choices include Rick Pitino for a second coming, and I'm glad he's not interested. Once is enough. John Calipari at Memphis says he's not interested either. And thank god Thad Matta from Ohio State isn't interested... we just shouldn't taint our beautiful bluegrass with any fugass former Buckeye leaders. (Me no like Ohio State). Anyway, I'm sure this will get very interesting next week, after the Final Four. Call me crazy, but I still bet Billy Donovan with his enormous widow's peak will be in Lexington next year. Bye Bye Gators!
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A few days ago, I thought there would be NO chance that Donovan would be at UK. Now, with the amount of money I've heard being thrown around (3.5 million for seven years), I think UK probably has a 50-50 shot.
But I heard that Donovan reassured one of his Florida recruits via text-messaging that he would be back next year, but coaches are worse than politicians in the way they lie. Donovan hasn't denied publicly about whether he's staying or going, so he's playing it the right way.
Besides, I need as little distraction on Donovan and his team as possible. I win the Paxton office pool if Florida and Georgetown meet in the finals, and Florida wins.
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