The Finney Factor

[Coldstream]

The Finney Factor (../modules/news/article.php?storyid=1583)
Posted by Coldstream (../userinfo.php?uid=14) on 2006/9/19 8:08:44 (0 reads) By JL Blue Section: Basketball
Posted on Mon Sep 18, 2006 at 11:30:44 AM EST

Whether you consider yourself a Tubby Smith apologist or a Tubby Smith detractor or somewhere in the vast region in-between the two, it's doubtful you wouldn't agree that the Kentucky coach is old school.

This certainly has it positives, as Smith is a coach's coach, and his Q rating is extremely high outside the unfriendly confines of the online Big Blue universe.

But it also has its downsides, as evidenced by a two-year recruiting struggle, a sometimes less-than-rosy relationship with the media (local and national) and trouble with the always thorny 'perception' game.

--more-- (http://aseaofblue.com/story/2006/9/18/12127/1253)

[audacious1]

Kentucky may be "at the the top of the list" for some blue-chip recruits, but honestly, if they don't sign with UK, all this "progress" will be a mirage.

Way too soon to judge the recruiting of '07.

[fanaticfan]

I am not going to even try to judge the recruiting! What I am going to do is support the University of Kentucky Wildcats and this just happens to include the coach. Yeah, we do have a lot of good prospects, do I think that we will sign every one of them? No. Do I appreciate the hard work that goes into getting these kids to want to come to Kentucky? yes! We can all say he is just doing his job that he gets paid $2 mil a year to do. I make far less, butI still like to have a pat on the back or hear an atta girl from time to time. That too, is a big motivator! Go Tubby, keep up the hard work and bring home some of those studs for 2007. I am glad that Finney is back.

[SunBaller]

fanaticfan wrote: I am not going to even try to judge the recruiting! What I am going to do is support the University of Kentucky Wildcats and this just happens to include the coach. Yeah, we do have a lot of good prospects, do I think that we will sign every one of them? No. Do I appreciate the hard work that goes into getting these kids to want to come to Kentucky? yes! We can all say he is just doing his job that he gets paid $2 mil a year to do. I make far less, butI still like to have a pat on the back or hear an atta girl from time to time. That too, is a big motivator! Go Tubby, keep up the hard work and bring home some of those studs for 2007. I am glad that Finney is back.
Atta girl fanaticfan. Atta boy Tubby. Keep it up.

[T75]

The original post makes me think of the old saying: "If it quacks like a duck and waddles like a duck....." Tubby is what he is no matter what we choose to call him. And it's time he successfully recruits some 5-star superstars and gets back to the final four. Then it won't matter what we call him. If he doesn't do this soon, more people are going to be checking for webbed feet.

[FrogtownRoadCat]

fanaticfan wrote: I am not going to even try to judge the recruiting! What I am going to do is support the University of Kentucky Wildcats and this just happens to include the coach. Yeah, we do have a lot of good prospects, do I think that we will sign every one of them? No. Do I appreciate the hard work that goes into getting these kids to want to come to Kentucky? yes! We can all say he is just doing his job that he gets paid $2 mil a year to do. I make far less, butI still like to have a pat on the back or hear an atta girl from time to time. That too, is a big motivator! Go Tubby, keep up the hard work and bring home some of those studs for 2007. I am glad that Finney is back.

This way of thinking is what epitomizes the modern UK basketball program. Less than the best is acceptable. "Try hard." "We'll get 'em next year." "That's ok, we won 23 games." "There's parity now.""The SEC is better." "Tubby works hard." "The guys are nice guys." "We've had a good year."

I long for the days of a (legal) cut throat, mean and nasty, anything less than the best is unacceptable approach.

Change for the sake of change is sometimes a good thing . . .