ATTENTION ALL UK FANS – - SATURDAY IS DECEMBER 29, 2012

 Stop living in the past. I have news for you: John Wall and Anthony Davis are not playing in this game. Saturday, you guys are bringing in Flattop Nerlens. He’ll be a top five draft pick and have a career in the NBA just like Daniel Orton. His post moves are weak at best, nonexistent most nights. Cauley-Stein is better, but he didn’t have the hype machine behind him preseason and UK fans have a hard time admitting when they’re wrong. Nerlens has nothing on Dieng, and Gorgui recovered just in time to prove it. Get a haircut Nerlens… and work on an Up-and-Under

Let’s talk about UK’s past. “Rupp was usually a charming p.r. rogue, brimming with diplomacy and psychology, regrettably, his politics leaned more toward the KKK.” – Curry Kirkpatrick in Sports Illustrated, April 1st, 1990. If you want to bring up your past, there it is. UK fans like to forget about their segregated history, but as long as we they want to bring up the past, we can too.

While we are talking about the past, how about we mention the fact that UK has been sanctioned in every decade since the 40’s except for the 2000s, the one decade that they couldn’t put a decent product on the floor.

 “They [Arkansas] were coached, ironically, by Eddie Sutton, who would become Kentucky’s coach seven years later and eventually resign after getting caught up in the swirling scandal that was bound to catch up with Kentucky’s program sooner or later.” – John Feinstein, Forever’s Team, Villard Books, 1990, pg. 154.

I love this Feinstein quote because anybody watching UK now has the same feeling.

A Lesson in Coaching

Louisville has the better coach. Josh, you may not want to admit it, but you know it. Calipari (and World Wide Wes) is a great recruiter (he can wave that fat blue wallet around without anyone finding out). There isn’t a college basketball coach who couldn’t have taken Anthony Davis to the National Championship. What did Calipari do for John Wall, make him a mediocre turnover machine in the NBA? What did Calipari do for Terrence Jones, make him a D-League baller? What did Calipari do for DeMarcus Cousins? What could anyone have done for Daniel Orton? Probably nothing. Coaching is when you make someone better at something. An example of this would be making a 3-star player into a pontential player of the year. This is what Pitino has done with Russ Smith. You will learn all about it this Saturday.

A Lesson in Conference Talk

Just don’t bring up Conferences anymore. It’s come to the point that UK fans are red with jealousy over this topic. Josh, you want to say that we are in a dying conference? We are in a dying conference for the rest of this year, We KILLED It! We dominated the Big East throughout the years that it was the toughest basketball conference ever. Now we are moving to the ACC which has become an even tougher basketball conference.

UK has been in the SEC for 80 years. I guess you are proud of your conference’s football dominance? It has nothing to do with UK. Meanwhile, you guys scrimmage your way through what the SEC basketball conference has sadly become, and then brag about it. Sorry, but we aren’t hearing it, Ballard could beat Alabama.

Kentucky Fried – December 29, 2012

Expect to see that headline on Sunday Josh, and while you’re at it (for one day out of the year) forget that you know me.

Louisville once again played like the top 5 team that they are with a 99-47 win over UMKC (University of Missouri Kansas City).

Russ Smith came out and put on a clinic. He scored the first 6 points of the game and ended with a career high 31 points. Smith also added 7 rebounds, 5 assist, and 5 steals to his stat-line. Maybe Russ Smith should start eating an insane amount of waffles more often…

Peyton Siva was in a bit of foul trouble and he wasn’t really needed throughout the game. He played a season low 21 minutes. This left a spot open for Tim Henderson to come in and get some minutes. Henderson was 2-4 from beyond the arch and ended with 6 points.

Harrell and Van Treese both played more than starter Zach Price. Harrell had 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals in 23 minutes of work. Van Treese had 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal in 20 minutes.

Luke Hancock had a good game shooting 2-3 from the three point line also adding 6 rebounds (4 offensive) and 5 assist. Hancock ended with 15 points.

Chane Behanan had 3 points and 4 rebounds in 21 minutes. Wayne Blackshear had 7 points and 2 rebounds in 14 minutes.

UMKC was not a very good team by any stretch of the imagination. If you wanted to look at a stat sheet to see who our best players were, this would not be the game to look at. Our regular players did not get there usual minutes due to the large lead. Except for Russ Smith, who only lost to UMCK by 16, 47-31.

Louisville improved to 8-1 on the season. Their next game will be Dec. 15 in Memphis at 2:30. That game will be aired on FSN.

The Kangaroos are 4-4 this season and have already gone on the road to face a top ranked opponent, losing 91-45 at Ohio State on November 23.

The Roos got run out of the building at Ohio State a couple weeks ago and are looking for a different outcome Saturday.

Missouri KC has four starters back from last season’s squad, a team that finished with a 10-21 record, and they are picked to finish seventh in this years Summit League.

The Roos don’t have a scorer averaging double digit points this season, but they have three players averaging nine points per game. Estan Tyler is a sophomore point guard and the team’s leading scorer. Tyler also leads the team in minutes and assists and does a lot of his damage from three-point land.

Tyler is joined in the backcourt by Nate Rogers, another three-point threat. Fred Chatmon fills the middle for UMKC and provides the best matchup for the Roos with his rebounding and shot blocking ability. Chatmon has 20 offensive rebounds through the first eight games and has collected 13 blocked shots. The Cards allowed Adjehi Baru of Charleston to grab eight offensive boards on Tuesday, so look for Chatmon to try to get his on Saturday.

As surprising as it sounds, Kirk Korver (yes, brother of Kyle) is the leading three-point shooter for the Roos. Korver is 6’7” and can pull forwards away from the rim. He averages nine points and shoots lights out at the free throw line, but has struggled to find his rhythm lately, with just three points in 28 minutes in UMKC’s last game.

Thomas Staton has found his rhythm lately and scored 14 in the Roos last game and 15 in the game before that. Staton will come off of the bench and do a little bit of everything, turnovers included.

The Roos struggle with turnovers, 16 per game, and that is not a good place to start when you walk into the KFC Yum! Center. They don’t compensate for that problem by turning over their opponents, with just six steals per game.

Rebounding will be the key for UMKC and they will have to get after it on the offensive glass. Trinity Hall is another player to watch for on the offensive boards and provides his team with some depth on the front line.

The Cards are playing great basketball right now and are still improving. The Kangaroos are coming off of a win at North Dakota, but aren’t off to a great start this year.

The Cards have a great opportunity to rack up the turnovers and score in transition, but then again they always have that opportunity.

After what seemed like an excruciatingly long, drawn out process, Charlie Strong publicly announced his decision to remain at Louisville. By all accounts, Tennessee made a big-time run at Charlie, but in the end, the relationships Charlie had built during his time at UofL won out. While Charlie and Director of Athletics Tom Jurich both acknowledged there was no dollar figure agreed upon yet, ESPN’s Brett McMurphy is reporting Strong will have a new 8 year contract that takes him to 2012. Financial terms have not been released at this time.

Here are my some of my thoughts about the press conference today:

-Charlie appeared extremely relaxed, most likely due to the fact he had an enormous weight lifted off him by getting this decision off his chest. He hasn’t always appeared comfortable, but today was as relaxed and comfortable as I can remember seeing him.

-I thought he answered questions directly and didn’t dodge anything related to his sharp comments about the UofL fan base. One thing we know about Charlie, right or wrong, he says what he thinks. We better get used to it.

-Charlie said he hoped this kind of thing wouldn’t become a regular ordeal and I think all Louisville fans agree with him. While I think Charlie turning down a job like Tennessee will definitely keep some people away, it won’t keep all athletic directors from inquiring about his services. However, I think it will really take a special job to lure Charlie away.

-What does this mean for five-star receiver recruit James Quick? Well, it certainly won’t hurt. Quick still will take official visits to Oregon and Louisville before deciding.

-One of the things I was impressed with, possibly even most impressed with, was how matter of fact and up front Charlie was regarding the whole process. A lot of coaches would’ve been vague and hesitant to mention the name of the school(s) pursuing them. Charlie just directly stated when Tennessee contacted him, when he met with them, and what factors played into his decision. That’s not something you see very often.

-This has to give the team a big boost going into the Sugar Bowl. It’s going to be a monumental task to beat Florida, but knowing your coach is sticking around will definitely provide a lift for the Cards.

-Finally, my favorite line from Charlie’s initial statement was “We have not finished the job.” I love hearing that.

So there it is. Charlie is staying, Tennessee’s search goes on, and now let’s all focus on taking down the Gators on January 2.

L1C4

Charlie Strong addressed the media this morning following a week in which speculation ran amuck that he may be taking a head coaching position at another school. Amidst the rumors, things got a little hairy between Strong and the media as he refused to acknowledge that he had spoken to any other schools or put aside the rumors when giving the opportunity.

On Thursday morning, he finally acknowledged that he was in talks, thanked the media and the fans for their patience, and then said that he was staying at the Univeristy of Louisville.

Charlie Strong, the head coach of the University of Louisville with a ton of SEC pedigree, turned downed the opportunity to take the same position at football-crazed Tennessee. Tennessee, a place that packs in 80,000-plus, even when they are struggling and has an all-time attendance record of just at 110,000.

A week after criticizing the Louisville fanbase, Strong turned down an opportunity to coach one of the craziest.

Strong opened by saying that this was the most difficult decision of his life. As bad as he was with the media on Monday, he was that much better on Thursday morning. He first addressed the media with a written statement and it was perfect. He thanked Jurich for belieiving in him when so many other schools overlooked him.

He spoke a ton about family. THe football team is family. The administration is family. The fans are family. And most of all his family and how much they love community.

“After speaking with my family, it became crystal clear to me that we needed to stay in Louisville,” said Strong. “Louisville has a special place in our heart. After reflecting the last couple of days, I know the best decision is to stay here.”

He spoke about Tom Jurich coming to him last year when he was 2-4 and offering a contract extension, showing his commitment to Strong and the program.

He said this wasn’t about egos. In the end it was about all of the kids that he has recruited and the fact that they have more work to do.

Before he addressed questions from the media he closed with a quote from Stephen Mccovey. Again, heart was a big part of it, “You can buy a person a lot, but you can’t buy his heart. His heart is where his enthusiasm is. Where his loyalty is.”

He finished by adding, “My enthusiasm and heart are with the University of Louisville”.

So, there you have it, Charlie Strong will remain at U of L.

We’ll have more thoughts on this huge decision throughout the day.

To listen to the entire presser over at ESPN 680, click here.

Tonight marks a landmark night in Louisville athletics, Tom Jurich managed to keep Charlie Strong in Louisville instead of heading to Knoxville. If you were to say that a coach would turn down a Tennessee job to stay at Louisville 5 years ago, 99% of people would have called you crazy, but tonight it became a reality.

Yesterday afternoon, many people were reporting that Charlie Strong was going to Tennessee and it was going to be announced today. Then late at night, Louisville started to feel more optimistic about the chances of retaining him.

Earlier today, Tennessee offered around 3.75 million dollars to Strong and sent a plane from Knoxville to Louisville so he could sign the contract. Reportedly he sent the plane back to Knoxville and told them he was staying at Louisville. That is when Tennessee offered Mike Gundy the job, then shortly after, Gundy turned the job down. Then Tennessee came back to Strong and made a full out attack to get him. After pondering the job for a couple hours, he turned it down also. Who would have ever thought Tennessee would struggle to find a coach?

Charlie Strong had infuriated many fans along this process but it seems like all is forgiven now. In fact, fans probably have a little apologizing to do to Coach Strong, including myself. I thought that there was no chance that we kept him and that he was going to leave us just like Petrino did. I publicly criticized him for his actions, comments, and behavior. He showed that me that he is “Not cut like that,” just like he always said. So from me to Charlie Strong, I am sorry and YOU ARE THE MAN! Don’t ever listen to anything I say again.

There is no denying that by turning down a big time SEC job, Charlie Strong has solidified himself as a Louisville football legend. They are saying that a 5 year contract extension is coming up and is going to be finalized by tomorrow.

With Strong as our head coach for years to come, we can expect to become a powerhouse. Charlie Strong is already a household name in South Florida, now that the recruiting pipeline is opened to the ACC states, he can make a huge impact now by recruiting on the Atlantic coast. Not to mention that we already have one of the best young offenses in the nation, led by Teddy Bridgewater, a legitimate Heisman candidate next year.

Tom Jurich deserves all the credit in the world for pulling this off. Could this be the best week and a couple days in Louisville athletic history? BCS bowl game, joining ACC, and Charlie Strong picking us over 4 million dollars and SEC. I think it has to rank up there!

Also, Louisville fans will be able to keep their Charlie Strong Makers Mark bottles on display instead of either smashing them or getting smashed by them.

In the midst of all the Charlie Strong rumors, Louisville had a basketball game last night. They played College of Charleston (5-2) and beat them 80-38 to improve to 7-1 on the season.

This was seemingly the best overall game that the Cards had played all season. From the start of the game they swarmed the ball and looked crisp on offense, much better than the performance that we saw on Saturday against Illinois State. Louisville won the first half by 20 and the second half by 22.

My favorite stat from the game is that we were 18-20 from the free throw line. If we can shoot like that from the charity stripe, I think that put us over the hump of beating the Duke’s and the Indiana’s of college basketball. Another wonderful stat is that we caused 27 turnovers, 18 of which were steals. Then two ESPN announcers said later that night that the reason that Louisville won’t make it all the way this year is because of their defense….*sigh and shake head*

The Wayne Blackshear we all love showed up and scored 18 points. He added 4 rebounds, 2 assist and 3 steals to his statline as well.

Our guard duo of Russ Smith and Peyton Siva combined for 15 points and 9 steals while shooting 9-10 from the free throw line. Just to quote Coach K. “Those are two of the best guards in the country.”

Zach Price once again started in place of the injured Gorgui Dieng. But Price didn’t see much playing time, as he was only on the floor for 8 minutes. This could be a correlation between the 2 early fouls he picked up but even in the second half he wasn’t on the floor much.

Stephan Van Treese had another one of his gritty games where he only scored 4 points but grabbed 6 offensive rebounds (10 overall). Montrezl Harrell also played big minutes, playing for 24 of the 40 minutes.

Chane Behanan had 10 points and 6 rebounds, but most importantly he was 100% from the free throw line. (Even though it was only 2-2 it is still 100%)

We also had a Michael “Dark Slime” Balfour and Jordan Bond sighting last night in the closing minutes.

If you want to see the highlights, here is a video…

Let’s all take a break from the Charlie Strong to Tennessee rumors and just enjoy this video of Teddy Bridgewater dancing. Naturally, this is prior to him breaking his wrist and hurting his ankle, so calm down and enjoy.

Arkansas has hired Bret Bielema. Auburn hired Gus Malzahn. Tennessee…you’re up.

With the other two SEC jobs now filled, all eyes turn to the University of Tennessee and who they will select as their next head football coach. There are a thousand different reports out there claiming coach A is the top choice, and other reports stating coach B is the top candidate, but the bottom line is this, Charlie Strong is in the mix. We don’t know exactly when, but we should know soon who the Vols go with and whether or not Louisville will be looking for another head coach.

Before I begin with my thoughts on the whole ordeal, let me state a few things up front.

First, I like Charlie Strong. I think he’s done a tremendous job and believe he can continue to do so here. Second, I believe Charlie to be as good of a fit for this job as anyone out there. I would be thrilled if Charlie stayed at UofL. At the same time, I do not think Charlie is that great of an in-game coach. I think Teddy Bridgewater has saved him more than a few times this season and if Charlie gets the Tennessee job, he should send Teddy a big “Thank You” card.

In short, if Charlie Strong stays, I would be fine with that. If he leaves, I think UofL will hire an extremely solid replacement with no drop off.

Now, in regards to the situation at hand, let’s start with Monday’s press conference debacle. There is no other way to say it other than Charlie really stepped in it. Not only did he fumble his words while trying to answer direct questions about his future, but he then inexplicably called out the fans for not providing a great atmosphere on Senior Day. And if that weren’t bad enough, Charlie brought rival Kentucky into it by essentially asking UofL fans to be more like Kentucky fans.

I will say this, I have been as critical of Louisville football fans as anyone. Since the first day we started Straitpinkie.com in 2008 and I began writing about Louisville sports, I have consistently criticized UofL football fans for showing up late, leaving early, and sometimes, just not showing up. HOWEVER, when you put the uninspiring type of product on the field as Charlie did against UConn, your argument with the fans, no matter the validity, is void. If you torch the Huskies and then ask where the fans are, I’m with you.

On to the Tennessee job.

It’s obvious Charlie is a candidate. Where exactly he is on UT’s list is up for debate. At this point, most signs point to if Charlie gets offered, he will likely accept. Will he get offered is ultimately the question. I have no sources on this matter, but I get the sense someone will have to turn it down (or perhaps already has?) before Charlie gets the offer.

If I’m Tom Jurich, and for the record I’m not, and Charlie takes the Tennessee job, I immediately call Willie Taggart at Western Kentucky and see if he has any interest in leaving his alma mater. If that’s a no go, I go on to Plan B. And before you ask, yes that list of coaches would include Bobby Petrino, but that’s another issue for another day.

Update -  Literally, as I am writing this several outlets, including ESPN are stating Charlie Strong is the leading candidate to be the new coach at Tennessee. A few outlets from the Tennessee area are even stating it’s done and Charlie will be the coach. We will continue to monitor this and provide updates as soon as they are available.