Kentucky Gets First Rejection

General NCS Basketball103

Based on the standard the media last year during the NC State Coaching search, Kentucky has now been turned down by its first ‘candidate’ for its open coaching position.

Pitino Says No

Pitino said Monday that while he enjoyed his eight years with the Wildcats, he’s happy coaching Louisville and wouldn’t consider returning to the school he led to the national championship in 1996.

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General NCS Basketball

103 Responses to Kentucky Gets First Rejection

  1. skywalkerdt 03/27/2007 at 6:03 AM #

    i was REALLY not sure where to post this but thought it was of great interest for everyone on statefans. rivals.com is posting updates of the mcdonald’s all america practices with comments on the players. for jj hickson
    practice 1: “J.J. Hickson was the biggest presence on the East squad.” and

    practice 2: “J.J. Hickson- He has an NBA ready body right now. He looks every bit of 6-foot-9 and is noticeably taller than Patterson and Lawal. He has been a force around the basket as a finisher and rebounder. It will be interesting to see if he and Kevin Love match up during the game.”

    he is also mentioned under the discussion of patrick patterson “It has been fun watching Patterson, J.J. Hickson and Gani Lawal go at it around the basket. All three are aggressive athletes with a knack at getting to the ball.

  2. thirdworld333 03/27/2007 at 7:19 AM #

    ^thanks for that.

    and now i wonder if the uk coaching search will turn into a circus? i guess that’ll all depend on their AD. we’ll see i suppose.

  3. BoKnowsNCS71 03/27/2007 at 7:36 AM #

    Does it really count if he was never asked? Other than by reporters but not the AD? In our debacle, we got turned down after offering. Seems to me a distinct difference.

  4. Dan 03/27/2007 at 7:38 AM #

    Gosh, I dont how many other coaches can turn that job down. Ben Howland, K, Williams, Calhoun, Boeheim. Sidney Lowe of course.

    Pitino’s quote was hilarious though. Camelot and the Roman Empire… Good stuff from Rick.

  5. Dan 03/27/2007 at 8:07 AM #

    Chris Wright won the McD’s 3 point shooting contest last sight. (whimper)

  6. highonlowe 03/27/2007 at 8:07 AM #

    Pitino is too old if he thinks camelot was part of the roman empire. Like they say – when in Rome, do as King Arthur does.

  7. RickJ 03/27/2007 at 8:07 AM #

    I really expect Donavan to take the Kentucky job for the following reasons:

    Florida home attendance – around 12,000
    Kentucky home attendance – around 24,000.

    Number of non-conference games sold out at Florida this year, 1 – Ohio State. Kentucky sold out Rupp Arena for a practice this year.

    If you know any Florida fans ask them to compare the celebrations that took place after the basketball & football championships. Trust me, there is no comparison.

    Noah & Horford are almost surely gone after this year. Florida should still be good but nothing like the last two years.

    The timing just seems right for this move.

  8. tractor57 03/27/2007 at 8:07 AM #

    At least this year we aren’t part of the circus (at least I hope not!).

  9. Dan 03/27/2007 at 8:12 AM #

    This might be good for a separate entry of Hickson superlatives.

    http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=657138

    “J.J. Hickson- He has an NBA ready body right now. He looks every bit of 6-foot-9 and is noticeably taller than Patterson and Lawal. He has been a force around the basket as a finisher and rebounder. It will be interesting to see if he and Kevin Love match up during the game.”

  10. choppack1 03/27/2007 at 8:12 AM #

    File this in the “duh” category. No way Pitino was leaving Louisville to go back to Kentucky – he would literally be endangering his family by doing that. The ‘Ville, while not having Kentucky’s storied tradition, is no job to sneeze at. Kentucky isn’t big enough of an upgrade for him to leave there – and it’s too close for any sentimental/family reasons to be a factor in their favor.

    As far as Donovan goes, the only possible thing that Kentucky would have over Florida right now is some type of sentimental draw. However, Donovan’s not from Kentucky. In theory, you can mark him off your list.

    I think you look at Gillespie next. Supposedly, Arkansas – what they aren’t happy w/ 2 straight NCAA’s?? – is going to go hard after him. However, I don’t think Arkansas is so much better than A&M that it’s a given Gillespie would leave for that job…though it is closer to his recruiting base.

  11. TNCSU 03/27/2007 at 8:13 AM #

    RickJ,
    You are correct — Donavan should take it!

  12. packpigskinfan23 03/27/2007 at 8:21 AM #

    Donavan would be respectable, but CRAZY not to take the Kentuky job… and I agree that the timing is perfect.

  13. Pack92 03/27/2007 at 8:23 AM #

    Speaking of a circus, I saw where Arkansas is going after Billy Gillespie. The last we heard here from the guy in College Station was that no way could the 12th man be out-spent. If Arkansa can come up with the money to lure Gillespie away I hate to even consider what Kentucky would offer the coach they really wanted.
    As for Calamari, it stinks when it’s been sitting too long and the folks in Memphis are going to find that out one day.

  14. LRM 03/27/2007 at 8:28 AM #

    Ky HAS to go after Donovan the same way we HAD to go after Barnes and UNC HAD to go after Roy after Guthridge. Perception is reality for you donors.

    Arkansas is a great coaching job, and they’re idiots if they don’t go after Gregg Marshall.

  15. choppack1 03/27/2007 at 8:30 AM #

    I’d be surprised if Donovan left Uof F for UK. He has always recruited well there – and has easy access to the beach. A couple of years earlier, perhaps a no-brainer. However, if he can win back to back championships, I just don’t see the draw of leaving Gainesville for Lexington – unless it’s financial. The, U of F has a decision to make.

  16. highonlowe 03/27/2007 at 8:32 AM #

    Let me first say that Skip is a class act and well respected by all the big four coaches, but why is Wake keeping Prosser? Marshall seems like a great fit for that job.

  17. Dan 03/27/2007 at 8:35 AM #

    I cannot believe that Skip Prosser is still the coach at Wake.

  18. Dexter 03/27/2007 at 8:40 AM #

    The rumor around south beach is that Billy D will be the coach of the Miami Heat next season.

  19. BoKnowsNCS71 03/27/2007 at 8:44 AM #

    I suspect Florida will match about anything Ky can offer. Plus I hear Billy is tight with the UF AD.

    Would think the only reason Dononvan would go to KY is to be a “part of the great history of KY BB” and try to achieve Ruppism (Resume inflation). BD as god.

    Here’s a question. Will all this inflationary coach buying and increased salaries reach critical mass someday? At this rate a coach is going to be paid $5-10 mill (or something outrageous) per year in a short time.

    I just wonder if an academic backlash is going to start to build against coaching salaries and the emphasis on sports over scholastics. (might be called the Les Robinson effect).

  20. Rochester 03/27/2007 at 8:48 AM #

    How can Donovan leave Florida and walk away from Dan Werner? It wouldn’t be fair for that youngster to lose his coach two years in a row. Where would he transfer to? Oh, and by the way, has anyone actually seen the kid play lately? We might have been in the NIT, but at least Dennis Horner got off the bench.

  21. Dan 03/27/2007 at 8:50 AM #

    I would imagine that coaching Kentucky basketball has to be a goal of ever lover of college basektball…. depending on your background of course.

    No matter what Billy D does, he will never be Spurrier-loved in Gainesville. And Donovan saw it first hand when Ricky P was in Kentucky.

    I’m saying he goes, but its gotta be tempting. Credit Billy D if he finds a way to repeat while dealing with this dilemna.

  22. LRM 03/27/2007 at 8:53 AM #

    It’s simply amazing to me that the Ky job would be about the money…when it should be about the fact that twenty times a year you’d be in the presence of Ashley Judd.

  23. RedTerror29 03/27/2007 at 9:02 AM #

    ^I don’t know, does Erin Andrews come back to support her Florida Gators?

  24. choppack1 03/27/2007 at 9:02 AM #

    LRM – Gainesville doesn’t exactly lack for those sights. As a matter of fact, I’m not even sure Ashley Judd would rate in the upper echelon there.

    I guess it all depends on perception, dreams and goals. Why would you want to leave Ford for Chevy, if you’d made Ford better than Chevy?

    For the life of me, I can’t figure out why Donovan would want to test the NBA waters…if that’s the case, UK should take comfort, he’ll be back in a couple of years. Has a college basketball coach ever successfully transitioned to the NBA??

  25. newt 03/27/2007 at 9:03 AM #

    Kentucky short list:

    Billy Donovan
    John Calipari
    Rick Pitino
    Thad Matta

    …

    Matt Doherty

    …

    …

    Tommy Amaker

    …

    …

    …

    …

    Tubby Smith

    …

    …

    …

    …

    …

    Herb Sendek

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