The man destroyed UK basketball. There’s no guarantee we recover from decades of neglect.
I wish Matt would stop calling Mitch our “best AD”
- Thread starter ChocoChicken
- Start date
The man destroyed UK basketball. There’s no guarantee we recover from decades of neglect.
An ad don't just worry about basketball. He hired your boy cal too.
The guy signed bad contract after bad contract.
I think Matt is wrong but I’m not offended by his opinion. CM Newton exists.
He deserves credit for hiring Cal, Stoops, Skinner, Kenny, but also deserves blame for how Cal and Stoops ended, Billy G, Joker, Elzy. Part of being in charge for so long is you have duds, but he also got several second chances after bad hires.
It's kind of like a UK football fan that started watching in Joker's first season saying Stoops was the best coach of their lifetime.
Only AD here post SEC revenue boom and bonding for better facilities. Just Matt playing the middle.
Who was better? None in my fan lifetime. That is for sure.
CM was great for basketball only. The fact they named the football field after him (or some part) was a joke. I love CM, but he was not a great AD. He was a celebrity AD. LOL
He hired Cal. How did that destroy UK Basketball?
Some of y'all are ridiculous. MB by any measure is our best AD ever.
What about the measure of men’s basketball national titles? He’s not best there.
I think you are confusing AD as basketball only. He hired Rick and Tubby. Two wonderful hires. People raved about Hal Mumme, but that was fake success and bit us in the end. Heck, people bitched about Tubby for years before he left. Mitch has made UK one of the top schools for all sports in the NCAA. You may not care about any of those sports but the AD is supposed to care
I’d rather my AD heavily prioritize our flagship sport. I love football, but it isn’t the measuring stick for me the way basketball is. The AD at Kentucky should be responsible for, in my opinion, ensuring basketball eats first and then disseminate to the rest of the sports. Yes I know about “revenue generation” for football and no, I don’t think it’s a compelling point.
I’m not a Mitch hater but our flagship program fell under his watch.
MB might've led the Rifle Team to new heights. Maybe gymnastics is now in better hands than it's ever been. The track and field team might be the best we've ever had. Maybe the cheerleaders will keep winning. The swim team might be absolutely terrific. I don't know about any of that.
However, what I DO know is that we've been a basketball school since the early 40s. And, as MB flies off into the sunset, you can make an argument that no UK AD has ever made as many questionable basketball decisions as he has. So, I'm OK with him leaving. Like now.
However, what I DO know is that we've been a basketball school since the early 40s. And, as MB flies off into the sunset, you can make an argument that no UK AD has ever made as many questionable basketball decisions as he has. So, I'm OK with him leaving. Like now.
Whoa!!! Football eats first at EVERY P4 school. If you are lagging in football, you will eventually fail. Mitch has been the best football AD at UK.
I didn’t agree with the post so I picked out the part I agree with.
“Mitch has been the best football AD at UK.”
Completely agree. I can’t see the argument to the contrary, unless someone wants to go 60+ years into the past and start talking Fran Curci and Bear.
I do not want to defend Mitch here, but he DID do a lot of good things for UK athletics as a whole.
When I was a kid we were good at basketball and sucked at everything else with the worst non-basketball facilities in the league.
I am a fan of UK sports, not just the calling card sport.
That said, the golden parachute was extremely shady and his last couple basketball hires not named Cal were bad and his contracts and extensions were worse.
When I was a kid we were good at basketball and sucked at everything else with the worst non-basketball facilities in the league.
I am a fan of UK sports, not just the calling card sport.
That said, the golden parachute was extremely shady and his last couple basketball hires not named Cal were bad and his contracts and extensions were worse.
Bernie Shively - Wikipedia
Shively hired Bear Bryant and was AD during the height of Rupp’s dynasty. It’s absurd to say anyone else is better.
He kept Bill Curry around too long and hired Bernadette Locke Mattox as women's head coach.
Matt said “in my lifetime.”Bernie Shively - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Shively hired Bear Bryant and was AD during the height of Rupp’s dynasty. It’s absurd to say anyone else is better.
I don’t think Matt is 90 years old. Lol
He was the AD not the Basketball coordinator. His job was to improve all the sports rather just the one you personally like. By any measure he has done that.
The "lifetime" part of it is key because Mitch has been AD for a freaking quarter century. It would be impossible to be AD at a P4 school that long and not have a few accomplishments, especially given that he walked into the SEC revenue explosion era. The issue is that his main accomplishments were with non-TV sports like rifle.
Don’t agree that the AD should apply equal weight to the success of all programs.
Certainly agree that he is responsible for all programs but I see each program is having a specific weight in the mix.
Rupp's dynasty was in a totall weak SEC era. Some SEC schools didnt even have wood floors. I believe the assistant FB coaches coached the team in some cases. Hire Bryant and lost him. This is because he put all our eggs/weight into the basketball basket. Bernie presided over the Death Penalty. I must say that MB didnt have that happen.Bernie Shively - Wikipedia
Shively hired Bear Bryant and was AD during the height of Rupp’s dynasty. It’s absurd to say anyone else is better.
"Though he led Kentucky's football program to its greatest achievement, Bryant resigned after the 1953 season because he felt that Adolph Rupp's basketball team would always be the school's primary sport. The point shaving scandal that rocked the basketball program had Kentucky focus their energy on basketball, keeping Rupp on even after it had broken the rules in 1951, causing the Wildcats to be given the death penalty for the 1952–53 season. Bryant tried to resign that year for Arkansas but the school did not let him. Once it was confirmed that Rupp would not resign, Bryant was even more determined to leave."
See above for the real world version of what you prefer.
I read it and don’t understand.
Are you saying I’d prefer for the SEC to back to absolutely being terrible in basketball and us dominating poor competition?? If so, yeah!!! I haven’t exactly been secretive about that. I’ve openly campaigned for a much weaker basketball schedule for quite some time.
Hey Matt,
I was gonna say don’t tempt him, but then I remembered you’re not a man.
It’s clear Matt’s opinion has validity even if you disagree
The SEC is as strong as it is because of strong athletics directors whose jobs are to see all sports in their portfolio are strong. The SEC and obviously the dang B10 are pretty freaking tough across the board. The AD should not be AD if he is the AS...Athletic Specific. MB did his job.
I respect your opinion. I think we just see priorities a little different. Ultimately, we have the resources/capital to be better in basketball than we have been lately. I understand that not everyone sees basketball as more important than everything else. I even understand people thinking I am a simple-minded fool in that regard --- I just can't give more than a passing grade if basketball has been on the downswing. Not at Kentucky. (Again, not a Mitch hater at all.)
This. When you inherit a football or men’s basketball program that is historically the greatest ever, then your #1 job — before all else — should be the continued excellent stewardship of said program. And no matter what else Mitch may have accomplished in his time here, he failed miserably at that.
Must agree with Matt. Best AD in UK history. Mitch helluva lot better than Cliff 'cheating scandals galore' Hagan and Larry '21 months AD and fired' Ivy.
Mitch Barnhart since 2002:
12 post-season bowl appearances in football, (7-5 record)
1 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship
4 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four appearances
8 SEC Men's Basketball Champions
8 SEC Men's Tournament Basketball Championships
1 NCAA Volleyball Championship
1 SEC Women's Basketball Champions (2011-2012)
1 SEC Women's Tournament Basketball Champion (Thanks Kyra)
2 SEC East Baseball Champions
1 NCAA Men's Baseball College World Series
1 SEC Softball Tournament Runners-up
1 NCAA Women's Softball College World Series
2 SEC Men's Tennis Championships
1 SEC Men's Tennis Tournament Championship
2 SEC Men's Tennis Runners-up
1 SEC Women's Tennis Championships
2 SEC Women's Tennis Runners-up
1 SEC Women's Soccer Runners-up
1 SEC Women's Soccer Tournament Championship
9 SEC Women's Volleyball Championships
1 SEC Women's Volleyball Tournament Championship
1 SEC Men's Golf Championship
3 NCAA Team Rifle Championships
10 Men's NCAA Soccer Tournament appearances.
2003 and 2004 MAC Men's Soccer Regular Season Champion
2015 and 2018 CUSA Men's Soccer Regular Season Champion
2018 and 2021 CUSA Men's Soccer Tournament Champion
2022 Men's Sun Belt Regular Season and Tournament soccer Champions
99% of that I bet almost every person in the state doesn't care about. Didn't even know some of those teams existed until just now. No hate --- that's just not gonna impress most people.
I agree 100%. Matt can have his opinion. However his opinion is 100% wrong in this case. Especially if he is supposed to be the he voice for the fans. Mitch was the worst AD Kentucky has ever had for the fans. He took something we all loved and were actively a part of and corporatized it and disconnected from the fans. Furthermore,I agree with the poster who said Mitch was a beneficiary of the huge SEC contracts. Also for a guy who supposedly did amazing things for facilities; it’s amazing how many coaches said support was lacking from the athletic department when they left.
Yeah but I don't think it's the ADs job of an institution to put more weight on the things that most people care about. WE do this obviously as fans. I'm sure no one cares about the riffle team here or a very small minority lol. But HE has to focus on all of them.
Like he didn't take this job with the job description saying "well so long as u have success in college basketball you're fine here" lol.
He's over the entire althetics program.
Also it's not as if the basketball team didn't have some success under him as well lol.
No way for me to agree with you if that's your position.
If the AD at Alabama has a killer women's rugby team and a 4-7 football team, that's not progress.