[FBALL]

I can remember a couple of Pitino clubs that were not that great either. And I'm not talking about the first couple of years when the leftovers were there.

Anybody remember 1994. Getting beaten soundly by Marquette in the second round of the NCAA tournament. What about 1995 when North Carolina just pummeled the cats in Birmingham. I believe after those two disappointments even allmighty Rick Pitino himself was catching some flack for not having the Bluechips in the program to get to a final four. Of course Ron Mercer came in the following year. Delk, McCarty, Walker and the talent that was their matured and the next few years brought on a run that can only be matched by few other schools.

The point is that all schools and coaches go through cycles. Pitino and his Cardinals had a very rough stretch at the start of the season. The close losses in the past few games for UK do not signal the end of the world. They have shown that this team has leadership issues. And no matter how much a coach preaches, if the players don't want to listen you can't make them. I love the freshman class. But I can't wait until the Juniors are gone. They have been nothing but trouble since the left the arena following the 2004 McDonalds All American game.

Tubby does need to get things turned around and I believe this years freshman are the start of it. Meeks continues to get better and better. Jasper despite recent criticism was praised for his play the first half of the season. Stevenson has a world of potential. Porter is very solid IMO and could be a great leader for this team in the future. With a good recruiting class this year and an attitude adjustment before next season starts the cats might not be in as dire of straights as some may think.