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Most Loved Coach
- Thread starter giffhawk
- Start date
Impossible as things stand. If he were to win another title and then retire real quick, it becomes possible after enough time and future crappy events for contrast.
If he goes to another final four and also wins a title in a different year, better for his legacy if it’s in that order, and then retires quick, it becomes likely.
If he wins two more titles and retires within five years from now you wouldn’t even have to wait ten years.
But it’s impossible as things stand now. Now his tenure is like Tubby got some extra final fours but then phoned in his job for five to seven years, depending on who you ask, instead of one to two years before bowing out. As things stand now he may well come out ahead of Tubby after the march of years takes the edge off the bad memories, but he could never touch Rick or Joe B., let a million years pass.
Fans did treat Hall that way. He had to change his phone number because nuts were calling him at home.
Tubby never brought the level of embarrassment to the program as Cal has. Unlike Cal, Tubby didn't lie to his players to get them signed before planting their butts on the bench with no intentions to play them. He didn't come up with phony excuses such as not being able to play man defense for why he didn't play them. He didn't attempt to turn UK into an NBA farm system. Nor did he run players out of the program before they were really ready to go under the false pretense of players first. Tubby would have turned Cal's 5-star stunned teams into several more NCs. It is too bad that we couldn't combine Cal's recruiting with Tubby's coaching and generally good character.
Kentucky fans of age know the greatest coach we ever had love for was Rick Pitino. The dominator.
The best that we ever had it was 93 through 98. Minus 94' lol.
The best that we ever had it was 93 through 98. Minus 94' lol.
Huh? Carolina maybe, but I don’t know anybody that didn’t love him after Arizona. Not one person. The man almost went back2back. Some of the **** you say is just straight up lies.
Fans were mad at Nazr for missing a billion free throws, and at the refs for rewarding Miles Simon’s flailing theatrics all game, but not at Pitino.
Let see. He didn’t play Derek Anderson who was healthy and dominating in practice if reports were correct. And he let Lute GD Olsen out coach him. And why didn’t he make Nazr practice free throws?
Nazr was one guy. Cal has entire teams that can’t shoot FT’s for 10+ years. Don’t even try to make that comparison.
So you criticize Cal but give Pitino a pass. Sounds about right. Thank God Tubby got things back on track in 98.
You are correct. The NCAA thought they had shoveled the last shovel of dirt on the program they tried to kill and bury. They even allowed players to transfer without having to set out a year. Their attempt failed because out of the grave they buried us in led by RP came some of the hardest working and most fearless no-star players I have ever seen. They were led by the cockiest, coolest, most arrogant coach I have ever seen. However, like the greatest boxer of all times, RP was able to deliver. All teams truly feared UK when RP was the coach. Those were the days.
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You are straight up lying. Derek wasn't healthy and RP did the right thing by not risking his long-term health. I don't think you even attempt to tell the truth.
What sounds about right is that you have no clue what you are posting about. As for Tubby, he lied about keeping the tradition of the style of ball that RP was successful with. As much as I appreciated and respected Tubby, he dropped the ball with his style of play.
Joe B Hall
I tolerated the rest. Joe B was a Kentuckian who loved the program. He considered it a great honor to coach UK. I will always be grateful he put the program first and respected the name on the front of the jersey. RIP Joe B Hall
I tolerated the rest. Joe B was a Kentuckian who loved the program. He considered it a great honor to coach UK. I will always be grateful he put the program first and respected the name on the front of the jersey. RIP Joe B Hall
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Hall then tubby
Pitino will end up coming back around as being loved but he did a vile thing and it will take time.
Cal is ruining UK basketball and this will have long lasting repercussions unless he bows out after this season or pulls a miracle title somehow this year or next. Final four isn’t gonna be good enough.
Pitino will end up coming back around as being loved but he did a vile thing and it will take time.
Cal is ruining UK basketball and this will have long lasting repercussions unless he bows out after this season or pulls a miracle title somehow this year or next. Final four isn’t gonna be good enough.
Wrong Coach Rupp built the program from nothing and will always be held in legend status
Cal wouldn't have ever been able to turn that overweight kid into one of the greatest centers to play for UK. Hell, he wouldn't have ever gotten off the bench. Cal would have said he can't guard his man well enough and if he can't stop his man from scoring, he can't get any action.
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I remember hearing that Anderson had been playing Ron Mercer one on one in practice and was fine. I have always felt that if Pitino had played him in OT, Kentucky would have won. I really like Pitino as a coach but I’ll never forgive him for NOT playing DA.
Going to. Uavel did it for me he should be banned from coaching for the strippers scandal
The question asked was who is the Most Loved Coach (Post Rupp)
How and why Joe B retired was not the question. The question asked was who do I consider the most loved. Do you even read the questions before you answer and go on your tangents. So why do I like Joe B? Because he put the program first. Not players, not the NBA, not his career. But the University of Kentucky Wildcat basketball program.
You are much too young to know about the transition from Coach Rupp to Coach Hall. Joe B understood he was taking over a Rolls Royce program that could be improved with a little tune up but it was the Standard. Even in the early 1970's. He took on the pressure of replacing a GIANT. A man who was an innovator, brilliant with a mind like few others. The job facing Joe B hall would have overwhelmed most people but Joe B understood what was important and he embraced it. He left it in excellent shape and he cared.
He has my respect.
I get it, I’ve never heard anyone say he was a good person but the guy can coach. IMO
Cal wrote checks he couldn't cash.
People are now taking the checks to the bank, and they're all bouncing.
Cal told us we're the gold standard. We're not. We haven't been.
Villanova, Duke, and UCONN have 2 titles since Calipari has been here.
UNC has been to the title game 3 times in the last 7 years.
Kansas and Gonzaga are always a 1 or 2 seed.
The "gold standard" sucks in the regular season. But that's ok, cuz March is what matters. In 2021, we missed the tournament. In 2022, we lost to St. Peter's in the 1st round.
It took until this year for me to "turn" on Cal. He got a lot of grace thanks to his previous success. Some people think we should never turn on him after the championship. But I'm sick of turning to SEC network only to see we STILL don't know how to run an offense.
People are now taking the checks to the bank, and they're all bouncing.
Cal told us we're the gold standard. We're not. We haven't been.
Villanova, Duke, and UCONN have 2 titles since Calipari has been here.
UNC has been to the title game 3 times in the last 7 years.
Kansas and Gonzaga are always a 1 or 2 seed.
The "gold standard" sucks in the regular season. But that's ok, cuz March is what matters. In 2021, we missed the tournament. In 2022, we lost to St. Peter's in the 1st round.
It took until this year for me to "turn" on Cal. He got a lot of grace thanks to his previous success. Some people think we should never turn on him after the championship. But I'm sick of turning to SEC network only to see we STILL don't know how to run an offense.
Joe's wife even told the media that they wouldn't have Joe to kick around any longer. Most fans I knew were embarrassed by Hall after the Georgetown game when he went on and on about the extra-terrestrials, etc. Claims were made the players never had joy and were always looking over their shoulders at him on the bench, etc.
He BECAME a legend and became loved by the fans after he retired and not before. The stuff in this thread is the stuff of fairy tales.
Serious question: Were you an adult when Hall coached? I don't think our younger fans know just how bad it was back then.
It makes no sense to believe that RP didn't play Anderson if he was capable of playing. Playing one on one in practice doesn't mean that he was capable of playing in a game. Hearing that he played one on one doesn't tell you the intensity of their play. This is utter nonsense.
Okay, thanks. Do you remember the joke after Hall retired and went to work for a bank? It goes like this: Joe B got fired from the bank this week. It got robbed and he told the guards not to shoot."
I guess my point is that Hall endured a LOT! But, as I said, in time, fans embraced him!
Jock Sutherland had a 50,000 watt radio station, WHAS, to blast away at Joe Hall 5 nights a week. The press were constantly on Joe B's back.
But I liked Joe B because he never turned his back on the UK basketball program. He was a Kentuckian and he was loyal. He put the program first. Not Joe B and not NBA hotshot prospects. He could not control what the media was doing to poison fans. I never wavered in my respect for him and the way he left the program and went into retirement. He read a short statement on Cawood's post game show and left. Classy
I had a brother in law who hated Joe B and he would not talk to me because I refused to join in the hatred of the man.
He endured a lot, but as a public figure he was mature enough to understand that when things aren't going well you will be killed by the press. Unlike Cal, Hall was smart enough to realize that you can't win a war of words against someone paid to write them. Fans never believed that Hall thought they were fools and consistently talked down to them like they were idiots. Other than not always coaching up to fans' expectations, Hall never did anything else for fans to dislike him. Cal talks to fans as if they are stupid while sounding like the village idiot.
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As I was thinking about Hall, I remembered the NCAA tournament losses to Middle Tennessee, UAB, and, of course the loss to UL when UK could NOT inbound the basketball leading to the loss. Hall took a LOT of heat for those losses.
Was Hall the coach when Georgetown made the big second half comeback?
Thank you. This was my point on Hall. History has been very kind to him. And he deserved being treated so good. By the way who treated Hall better than Cal? Pitino sure didn’t. I was 14 in 84. After that Georgetown game is was bad. People were terrible to Hall.
That is, for the personally, one of the most heart breaking losses in UK history. You are correct. I didn't include it probably because my mind, to this day, blocks that game out.