The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

UK shouldn’t be punished for SEC losses

Vaught’s Views


Tennessee coach Rick Barnes appreciates the way Oscar Tshiebwe (right) plays and wishes his players could duplicate the same energy and production. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes appreciates the way Oscar Tshiebwe (right) plays and wishes his players could duplicate the same energy and production. (Vicky Graff Photo)

If he had his way, Kentucky coach John Calipari would prefer to play marquee neutral site games as often as possible because that can have more of an NCAA Tournament atmosphere. However, he understands the value of grinding out a win at Texas A&M or even losses at LSU and Auburn — games where UK had its top two point guards, Sahvir Wheeler and TyTy Washington, both hurt during the games.

“When you get in league play making plays like TyTy did at the end of that (Texas A&M) game, that was huge,” Calipari said. “At the end of the day, teams are going to stop you from doing what you want to do, and it becomes players making plays.

“If you don’t have anybody on your team (that can do that) it’s harder to advance. You’ve got to have a couple of guys on your team, and it appears as though we do.”

That’s why the NCAA Tournament selection committee should not penalize UK for the LSU and Auburn losses. Both were top 25 teams — Auburn was No. 2 — on the road and Kentucky had two key players get injured each game. Wheeler played only four minutes at LSU and Washington just nine minutes at Auburn last week.

 

 

The odds of losing a starting point guard and starting two guard, who is also the backup point guard, in two road games against ranked teams has to be astronomical but it happened and should be taken into consideration by the selection committee. s

Before Auburn hosted Kentucky last week, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl joined a long list of college coaches praising former UK coach Joe B. Hall.

“I would be remiss if I did not once again tell you what a wonderful man Joe B. Hall was,” Pearl said after Hall’s passing at age 93. “Not only did he do an amazing job, he was a good person and he loved his players, cared about his staff.”

Pearl won the Adolph Rupp Coach of the Year Award when he was the head coach at Tennessee. He still remembers Hall reaching out to congratulate him.

“He was also very willing to provide advice as an elder statesman,” Pearl said. “I couldn’t believe how much he knew about me and he knew about our team and he even had some advice for me, so I’ll cherish that.”

At the Kentucky team hotel in Auburn, the video message board the night before the UK-Auburn game had a salute to Hall also.

Maybe it was just coincidence but a week after Hall’s passing, Pearl announced on his postgame radio show after the win over Kentucky that a banner will be raised at Auburn honoring former coach Sonny Smith. He was the head coach at Auburn from 1978-88 and went to the NCAA Tournament five straight years from 1984-88.

Pearl said the honor was long overdue for the 84-year-old Smith, who has been the Auburn Radio Network analyst for several years. Early in his career Smith also was a high school coach in Kentucky. s

If you think Kentucky fans are enamored with what Oscar Tshiebwe has done this season, then pay attention to what Tennessee coach Rick Barnes thinks about Tshiebwe — and his 15 rebounds per game.

“There’s not enough you can say about Tshiebwe, with what he’s doing. The last guy that I heard got 20 rebounds as many times as he has was Marvin Barnes, way back in the early ‘70s, when I think he averaged that,” Barnes said. “But what he’s doing there is phenomenal.”

Barnes gave Tshiebwe the ultimate compliment before the Vols played UK — and lost by 29 points — when he said he wanted his players to play with the energy Tshiebwe does.

“Is there a talent to it? Absolutely. The biggest thing, I think, is a tremendous want to do that. Because it’s hard. When you’re getting that many rebounds, I have enough respect for the coaching profession that when other teams have played against them, they made a conscious effort at keeping him off the offensive boards,” Barnes said.

Barnes said that Marvin Barnes once told him he wanted his teammates just to block out and he told them he would get all the rebounds.

“And he did, pretty much. I’m not sure how Kentucky is doing it, other than the fact that Oscar has a tremendous passion and drive to go get it. You admire it, because you want that from people,” Barnes said. “I think he understands the importance of it. What’s he’s doing, he’s got to (understand it). I’d like to get some of our guys with that mindset, to do it night in and night out like he’s done it.” s

Vince Marrow’s relationship with recruits and their parents is what makes him so special. The UK associate coach/recruiting coordinator knows how to establish relationships that last long beyond a player’s recruitment.

However, he admits recruiting star receiver Wan’Dale Robinson was a bit different. Robinson originally committed to UK before flipping and signing with Nebraska. The former Western Hills star transferred to Kentucky after two year at Nebraska and set records for receptions and receiving yards this season. Now he’s headed to the NFL.

“You recruit some kids and some you get really close to,” Marrow said. “I got so close to Wan’Dale that he was like a son. I remember when people were a little pissed that he went to Nebraska.

“But I kind of understood. We had (receiver) Lynn (Bowden) playing quarterback and we were not throwing the ball. He left (UK) and everybody was killing him on Twitter. I tweeted out, ‘I love you and it’s good.’”

That was something Robinson and his family appreciated.

“His dad told me they never forgot that. His dad said after the first year at Nebraska they were already thinking about coming back to Kentucky,” Marrow said.

“That’s why you never burn bridges. Things can change. And like I said, I kind of understood why he went to Nebraska. But now with what he did and having (offensive coordinator) Liam Coen here, receivers want to come here. We owe Wan’Dale a lot for what he did.” s

Quote of the Week: “He was the first Kentucky coach I ever knew. Little did that kid from Western Kentucky realize that one day he would get to know him personally. He was a kind, grateful man who was given an almost impossible task and yet still succeeded. Rest easy, Coach!” ESPN anchor Michael Eaves on Twitter after the passing of former UK coach Joe Hall.

Quote of the Week 2: “Some people are larger than life. Others make life larger and better for all of us. In a life that knew the biggest of victories on the biggest of stages, he B. Hall did both,” University of Kentucky President Dr. Eli Capilouto after the passing of former UK coach Joe Hall.

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