[Stardust]

UK basketball is the greatest basketball in the world. People from one end of this state to the other live and die with this team. Coaches of this team in the past include some of the greatest to ever coach the college game. We have been blessed with tradition that is second to none. Having said that, look at our situation right now. Teams in the past have had identities, the last two years we have had no identity. I know Billy G is only in his second year, but look at all the things we have went through in that short of time. On the current roster he is responible for 9 out of the 15. Now that is roughly 66% of the roster. Now out of the 6 he didn't bring to UK, he plays 4 of them the majority of the game. Now this poses the question, if he was supposed to bring in this major upgrade in talent, why isn't it showing in more minutes for his nine out on the court? Answer: because he constricts the game so much that unless you are on the talent level of Meeks or Patterson, you can't produce on a consistent basis. Another thing that has troubled me since the Tubby days. Numerous times people were to critical of the lack of points Tubby's teams were scoring. Fact: The lowest scoring Tubby team still averaged more points a game than the Highest BIlly G team ever did, until this season. I don't believe we should have fired Tubby, Tubby had his teams prepared and ready for every game. We were competitive with the likes of Duke, North Carolina, and UCONN, even when we were losing ten games a year. Can anyone honestly see us in the near future competeing with any of them. I love UK, but I really feel Billy G is not the answer we were looking for.

We complained that Tubby could not bring in the top players in the country like the programs listed above, now we are saying the same thing about BCG. Maybe the top recruits in the country DO NOT want to come here. Yes, UK basketball is the greatest Basketball in the World (if you live in the State of Kentucky), but you do not here the clamor for UK basketball from the blue chip players. Don't beleive me, go to Rivals, Scout, etc... and stay up with wha the kids are saying. yes, they all list UK, but that is because UK is recruiting them. You don't hear the comments about UK from the top players in the country like you hear them talk about UNC, dUKe, etc... UK fan's won't want to hear this and will be too single-minded to admit, but it looks to me like we are going through a period just like Notre Dame football, where tradition has worns itself.

The recruits are out there. This is not new. We have been lucky t land a single top 10 player every two years, where 10+ years ago that was not the case. We love blue, but it's a different blue that the top players are seeking.