CONCERNED FANS FOR

BASKETBALL  

Welcome to
Big Blue Fans For UK Basketball,
A Site Dedicated to the Preservation
Of UK Basketball History, Traditions, and Lore
From the Fans' Perspective

Is It Time To Revive
The Concerned Fans' Movement
To Eliminate the NBA Shill Calipari
From the BBN?

Welcome To The Concerned Fans Page
We Are Pleased That You Have Taken Your Time
To Review This Part Of the Big Blue History

ABOUT CONCERNED FANS FOR UK BASKETBALL

When BigBlueFans4UK.com debuted in June 2006, I simultaneously announced that a group of Concerned Fans would use this website as its internet platform to advocate a change in the head coaching position for the Basketball Program. Concerned Fans expressed their clear vision that the program would not return to national prominence so long as Tubby Smith remained at the helm of the UK program, and expressed confidence that the right man in that chair would return UK to prominence.

On March 22, 2007, a mere 9 months later, Concerned Fans For UK Basketball achieved its only goal as Tubby Smith resigned and ran to a waiting plane at Blue Grass Airport to make his escape to Minnesota. At that time, Concerned Fans Closed Its Membership Roles while it monitored how the program responded. The rest is history, with a return to the final four in 2011, and the program's 8th National Championship in 2012. Following John Calipari's 6th season, the Cats have played in 4 Final Fours, winning the championship in 2012. In 2015, the Cats rewrote the record books, 31-0 regular season, and 38-0 before falling short of the program's 9th championship in the Final Four.

Yes, Concerned Fans were right. UK is the premier program in all of the land once again. The return to glory required four seasons before the Final Four saw another UK team, and five seasons to bring home the trophy. Looking ahead to the 2020 season, the Cats again boast the nation's #1 recruiting class for the 7th time in Calipari's first 11 recruiting crops. The Cats will again enter the season as a concensus #1 or #2 pick.

UK fans must remember the past, good and bad, and remain vigilant that the mistakes known today as the Tubby Smith Era must not be allowed to ever repeat. This is why this site will always preserve the documentation of the activities of the Concerned Fans movement. Concerned Fans members have a quiet confidence about the important role they played in rescuing the UK Basketball program from the mediocrity that Tubby Smith embraced.

Please maintain your vigilance. The program must NEVER repeat this set of mistakes. One way to remain vigilant is to know this part of UK basketball history, which the Concerned Fans Activities document. Use the "Concerned Fans" Navigation Button in the Left Frame to access this section of our cyber-museum.

Oh, yes, what happened to the master of mule train basketball? His tenure at Minnesota ended in his firing. The Golden Gophers needed six of his 20 win seasons (actually failed to get 20 wins in his 4th season) to understand that he could not deliver a single season with a winning Big 10 record. Yes, dear Gopher fans finally figured out that Tubby Smith really is the total fraud of a basketball coach that Concerned Fans said he was way back in 2006 (and for several years prior). Smith then took his traveling snake oil show to Texas Tech, and in three seasons has posted a combined record of 46-50, and 18-36 in the Big 12, while dazzling the Red Raider fans with his plowing with among the slowest pace in the NCAA. Memphis became the Plow's next address, a tenancy that only lasted 2 seasons before the Tigers' brain trust figured out they had been the latest fraud victim. Tubby Smith has now returned to High Point, where he played college basketball. In his first season at High Point, he posted a record of 16-15 with the 333rd slowest pace in the land.

Minnesota 6 seasons

Texas Tech 3 seasons

Memphis 2 seasons

Perhaps High Point and Tubby deserve one another.

Concerned Fans were right on the mark about every aspect of Tubby Smith's destruction of the UK Basketball program. Some even believed he implemented an intentional act of destruction, but as the record since 2007 clearly shows, the UK platform served to mask his complete ineptness as a college basketball coach. Good Luck with your man Texas Tech. At least the Knight clan produced overall winning records for your program.

Big Blue Fans Must Never Forget!!!!!

AND!!!!!

UK Should NEVER remember this man with a banner in Rupp's Rafters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TO RELIVE THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF THE CONCERNED FANS MOVEMENT IN ITS ORIGINAL CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE, READ FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP

THERE ARE MANY LINKS THAT EXPAND THIS EXPERIENCE
PLEASE FOLLOW THEM, AND
WHEN YOU RETURN, PICK UP AT THE LINK THAT YOU EXPLORED
__________________________________________________________________

February 13, 2011
Open Letter From Jim Souhan, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Uh, Kentucky, y'all were right about Tubby

An open letter to the Bluegrass State:

When Tubby Smith left the University of Kentucky to replace Dan Monson at the U, we provincial Northerners sneered at you.

Sorry. I meant to say, "Y'all.''

We assumed that if a coach of Smith's stature decided to leave one of the five greatest programs in college basketball, it had to be the fault of obsessive fans who have been known to spend entire evenings second-guessing the execution of a first-half inbounds play.

We figured a pungent blend of idiocy and racism drove Smith from a university built for and around basketball greatness, a place where he won a national title and his son played point guard.

Our suspicions were not baseless. Drive through Kentucky, and you still can find the odd Confederate flag and a museum featuring a dinosaur wearing a saddle, celebrating the belief that man and Magnosaurus co-existed.

To those Kentucky fans who based their assessment of Smith on facts and trends, though, let us apologize. You were right.

Four seasons after his arrival, Smith's tenure at the University of Minnesota is officially a disappointment.

Kentucky fans complained that Smith runs no discernible offense.

That he failed to recruit outstanding talent.

That his program had lost momentum and had slid into mediocrity.

Smith won the national title in his first season at Kentucky, with Rick Pitino's players. He continued to be remarkably successful through 2004-05, when he reached the NCAA Elite Eight for the fourth time in eight years.

Since then, Smith appears to have become a different coach. Since then, Smith's teams have been mediocre, and he has appeared increasingly aloof and sensitive.

At Minnesota, he is 31-35 in Big Ten games and has failed to win an NCAA tourney game. Since his last Elite Eight appearance, he is 49-49 in conference games and 2-4 in the tournament, despite having enjoyed the immense advantages provided by Kentucky.

If a coach without Smith's résumé had performed to that level over the course of eight years, he probably wouldn't get fired, but he wouldn't be treated as a conquering hero, either.

This week might have provided the low point of an impressive career. Smith not only coached poorly; he became whiny, an unseemly characteristic for a supposed leader of young men.

After his team lost to Ohio State last Sunday, Smith linked his team's weak play to Minnesota's lack of a practice facility. Smith actually told Minnesotans that it was hard for his players to walk across the street in the cold to lift weights, one of the most pathetic excuses in the history of sport.

After his team lost to a struggling Illinois team at Williams Arena on Thursday, Smith called out a handful of his players for gutless or unintelligent play. He even criticized Blake Hoffarber, who is playing out of position and with a troublesome knee, for failing to draw more fouls.

This is scapegoating at its worst. In college basketball, coach is king, and the program is his fiefdom. He is responsible for recruiting, player improvement, roster makeup, offense, defense, game management and public relations.

He reaps the rewards when he wins; he should accept blame when the program that is a manifestation of his skills and decisions implodes.

Hoffarber is playing point guard because Smith failed to recruit or keep enough other players who could handle the position. He ran off Devoe Joseph, whose presence would have guaranteed an NCAA tournament berth by now, and Justin Cobbs.

Thursday, Smith complained about lacking "men'' on his roster like last year's upperclassmen, Lawrence Westbrook and Paul Carter. Carter left the program. It is well-known on campus that Smith did not like Westbrook. Suddenly, Westbrook and Carter are role models?

Nearing the end of a remarkable career, Smith is becoming increasingly petty as his coaching skills appear to wane.

So congratulations, Kentucky. We thought Tubby viewed Minnesota as a place he could win. Turns out that when he looks at Goldy Gopher, all he sees is a 401(k).

Concenred Fans knew 4 years ago when Minnesota hired Tubby Smith away from UK, that UK would be the big winner, and Minnesota would learn the truth about Tubby Smith soon enough, probably within 4 years. Some of our members even said that Tubby Smith would not survive at Minnesota more than 5 years. February 13, 2011 is about 1 month shy of 4 years, and almost 1 year to the day since our Member, Badboy [Dynasty Defender screen name] issued the following OPEN LETTER TO MINNESOTA BASKETBALL FANS.

OPEN LETTER TO MINNESOTA BASKETBALL FANS
Prepared by Badboy and posted February 14, 2010

It has been nearly 3 years since Tubby Smith Cut and Ran out of Kentucky for the Minnesota Tundra to lead the Golden Gophers to glory. How has that worked out for the Gophers? Not as well as the Gophers had hoped, but just about the way most UK fans anticipated. Smith, in his third season at Minnesota has a current record of 14-10, 5-7 in the Big 10 with 6 regular season games remaining. Pomeroy projects a final record of 16-15, 7-11 going into the Big 10 Tournament. If that proves to be the case, Tubby Smith's record will be altered in two huge ways. First, his string of 20 win seasons will end, and second he will experience the most losses in a single season in his head coaching career. The Natives in Minnesota are getting restless as their unreasonable expectations are taking a beating. In all fairness, the Gopher expectations regarding what Tubby Smith would do to their program are unreasonable because the Gophers ignored the facts regarding his record prior to March 22, 2007. Yesterday, in response to recent public criticism of Tubby Smith's Minnesota record in the Minnesota press, a knowledgeable member of the Big Blue Nation prepared an "Open Letter To Gopher Fans" which you can read here.

 
Dick Vitale Goes Ballistic On Concerned Fans
After Tubby Leaves UK for Minnesota

 
This video no longer appears on the NET

Tubby Smith Acknowledges That
He Knew He Was Not Wanted
AND
That Mitch Barnhart Heard and Listened
To Concerned Fans' Message

Here are the relevant quotes from the interview

"It's more important to be wanted." Smith said. "At that time, I felt like, I needed that in my life ...

Smith still calls Kentucky fans the greatest fans in the world. Contending even the most critical factions did not force his decision.

"Everybody wants to win and everybody wants to be a part of that, everybody," Smith said. "They want to help and that's the way I used to look at it at Kentucky."

But Smith hinted the criticism may have taken its toll on those closest to him.

"It's who they affect. Are they affecting your family? Are they affecting your superiors?" He said. "That's where it affects most coaches and that's where it trickles down."

Dynasty Defender's Vision 7/15/2007
Thanks Concerned Fans For Our Part In Ridding UK of Tubby

What Some Additionaal Videos
Using this Link

Wildcat nation abuzz again

Gillispie's recruiting pumps up enthusiasm

By Jerry Tipton HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
July 15, 2007

"From what I've read, he's a real hard worker," said Jerry Hale , a UK player in the 1970s. "He's proven that right off the bat Coach ( Tubby ) Smith was a little complacent. I don't know if his heart was in it.

"Coach Gillispie has the right attitude to get Kentucky back to elite status."

Richard Cheeks , the adjunct professor who served as a spokesman for the fan group that sought a change in coaches, is pleased.

"I'm tickled to death," he said. "I love his work ethic, the energy, the excitement he's brought to the program."

Cheeks, who like Hale has not met Gillispie, likened the new coach to the Kentucky basketball icon: Adolph Rupp .

"There's a total commitment and interest in basketball," Cheeks said. "And he wants people around him to share that commitment."

Read the Entire Column with the Above Link

Tubby Smith Reflects On His UK Experience
Three Months After Fleeing Lexington for Colder Climates
Listen for yourself as Tubby Explains How:
1. Rick Pitino begged him to take the UK Job
2. Tubby Seriously Considered 6 NBA Jobs while at UK
3. Tubby Accepted 2 NBA Jobs, but then Backed Out
4. Tubby's record at UK was NOT a Failure

Lexington Herald Leader Features
Concerned Fans on March 24, 2007
Read it Here

TUBBY SMITH RESIGNS
AS UK BASKETBALL COACH ON
MARCH 22, 2007.
READ ABOUT PRESS REACTION TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HERE.

On March 5, 2007, Tubby Smith Completed His "One More Year"
In Which He Had Promised to "Right The Ship"
DID HE SUCCEED?
Now Tubby's Supporters Are Demanding Another
"One More Year"
Claiming It To Be Tubby's Right
Concerned Fans Issued Another Press Release on March 6, 2007
To Explain That He Has Had His "One More Year"
and It Was More Of The Same
Read it HERE

Many great UK fans have observed that
Tubby Smith's style of basketball is so laborious
that it is much like trying to plow a concrete road. 
Plow Ball has become synonymous with Tubby Ball. 
However, if one intends to pull a plow,
he needs Mules not horses.
Read all about Tubby's
Ten Mule Team
with this Link

On December 30, 2006, during his pre-game interview with Tom Leach,
Tubby Smith Discussed the Offensive Rebounding by the 2006-07 Wildcats. 
Find out what he said, and why it is wrong HERE.

On December 15, 2006, Mr. Rick Bentley
wrote in the Appalachian News Express
that UK Fans who believe Tubby Smith
is not getting his job done as UK Head Basketball Coach and
should move on have "stabbed him in the back"
Read About This, and Read Concerned Fans' Response
To Mr. Bentley HERE

ESPN: THE MAGAZINE RECENTLY PUBLISHED
A TWO PAGE PIECE ENTITLED


"TUBBY IN THE CROSS HAIRS" 
CHECK IT OUT HERE

Bimani Jones Wrote a truthful and scathing article
abut Tubby Smith's Failings at UK. 
This article was posted on the ESPN.com website, but
ESPN.com pulled the article down for an unannounced reason. 
Read the entire article here.

On his weekly Call-In Radio Show on December 4, 2006,
Tubby Smith discusses his goals for this season
with respect to scoring. 
Tubby Said that he told his team that
he wanted them to average 85-90 points per game this year. 
LISTEN TO TUBBY HERE

On the eve of the UK-UNC Basketball Game,
Tubby Smith held a Press Conference in which
he discussed the importance of winning. 
Tubby says that winning and losing is more like
a pass-fail examination than a way to earn moral victories. 
Concerned Fans are pleased that our coach takes
no comfort in Moral Victories.  READ MORE HERE

FIRE TUBBY SMITH
A FLASH VIDEO

On November 23, 2006, in the aftermath of back to back losses in Maui,
the last being an embarrassing blowout at the hands of Memphis,
John Clay became the first member of the Lexington Sports Press Corps
to expose the pre-season lies coming from Tubby Smith
and his band of believers.  READ MORE HERE

On November 17, 2006, Mr. Chuck Hamilton,
Sports Writer with the Maysille, Kentucky newspaper,
The Ledger Independent Wrote a Column entitled
"Bashing the Tubby Bashers" 
Concerned Fans have responded
to his typical Tubby Smith defense. 
To read the Concerned Fans' response
to Mr. Hamilton, CLICK HERE

NEW! NEW! NEW!
IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM JOIN 'EM
MUST BE TUBBY SMITH'S ATTITUDE ABOUT"
INTERNET CRITICS
CHECK OUT TUBBY'S ANSWER TO THE INTERNET HERE
A MUST SEE

On November 3, 2006, Mr. Jerry Tipton
Reported in the Lexington Herald Leader
that Tubby Smith Believes UK will be
the Team To Beat in the SEC in 2007. 
Read the Entire Tipton Column Here, and
Read the Concerned Fans' Response to Tubby's Assurances.

On November 3, 2006, Mr. Gary Parrish Wrote
for CBS Sportline.com that while
Tubby Smith's job performance has been
unacceptable to the UK Fan,
he is nonetheless "too good to fire." 
Read More Here, and Read the Concerned Fans' Response

On November 1, 2006,
Concerned Fans For UK Basketball
Break Their Self Imposed Five Month Public Silence
on Eve of the 2006-07 Basketball Season
with a Press Release About Historical Top 10 National Rankings
of the UK Basketball Teams Since 1949. 
Read It Here.

Have You Wondered
How Well Tubby Smith Coached
UK Basketball Teams Have Ranked
During His Tenure as Head Coach, and
How the Other UK Coaches Have Fared? 
CLICK HERE FOR MORE

"When a Kentucky baby is born
his mother wants him to be president,
like anothe Kentuckian, Abraham Lincoln.
If not president, she wants him to play basketball
for the University of Kentucky."
Adolph Rupp

"I Bleed Blue"
by Ryan Parker
Ryan Parker Songs

To Watch the Video
Click Below

DID YOU EVER WONDER
WHAT TUBBY SMITH THINKS
ABOUT FINAL FOUR APPEARANCES?

REMEMBER THE ORIGINAL
CONCERNED FANS' PRESS RELEASE
THAT POINTED OUT HOW
TUBBY SMITH'S FAILURES IN
RECRUITING, PLAYER RETENTION,
STYLE OF PLAY, AND NATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS
HAD DESTROYED UK BASKETBALL'S
"PUBLIC AURA"?
NOW IT IS CLEAR THAT
TUBBY SMITH GOT THE MESSAGE
READ MORE HERE

HAVE YOU NOTICED HOW
TUBBY SMITH NEVER SEEMS
TO DEVELOP TALENT OR
USE AVAILABLE TALENT
FOR THE BENEFIT OF
THE TEAM AND PROGRAM? 
"It now seems that the pace
that Rondo ran the offense at
in Kentucky was more of a
product of coach Tubby Smith's philosophy
rather than a glimpse into his skill set."
Click Here To Read More

HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT DURING
TUBBY SMITH'S TENURE AT UK
THE PROGRAM HAS TAKEN A
LONG SLIDE INTO MEDIOCRITY?

DO YOU WONDER WHY
TUBBY SMITH'S RECRUITING
IS IN SHAMBLES ?

WHY ARE SO MANY FANS
CONCERNED ABOUT TUBBY SMITH
AS COACH AT UK?
Read One Fans Reasons Here

Concerned Fans For UK Basketball believe that Tubby Smith is not Good For UK Basketball and that Tubby Smith should move on sooner, rather than later.  We have explained the basis for this Opinion in the Editorial entitled:

"Why Concerned Fans For UK Basketball
Believe Tubby Smith Should Resign"

You can read this entire Editorial using the "Editorials" Navigation button in the left frame of this page and following the links.  When you are done, you will have an opportunity to add your name, as a Co-Signer of this Editorial, to the Growing Group of Concerned Fans. 

Please Add your Voice to Ours, so Together We can Speak in a Unified way about this Important Issue.  In this way, other fans, the Press, the Boosters, and the UKAA will hear from Concerned Fans and know that UK Basketball Fans want a coaching change NOW.

YOU CAN ALSO ADD YOUR NAME
TO A PETITION CALLING FOR THE UKAA
TO FIRE TUBBY SMITH; CLICK HERE

 The Low Point of 2005-06
UK v Kansas
Dick Vitale's Comments About
Tubby Smith's Team
After Concerned Fans issued their press release on June 7, 2006,
Dick Vitale appeared on Lexington radio to provide Tubby Smith
complete support, and characterized Richard Cheeks,
spokesperson for Concerned Fans, as a whacko. 
So be it, but listen to how Dick Vitale described the
quality of performance of Tubby's team last season.

LISTEN TO VITALE'S PLAY BY PLAY HERE

LISTEN TO CLIPS OF
GREG DOYEL INTERVIEW
ON KY SPORTS RADIO AUGUST 2006

On August 15, 2006, Gregg Doyel, CBS Sports, was a guest on the Kentucky Sports Radio with Matt Jones.  During this interview, Gregg Doyel made the following points.

1. Kentucky Basketball is in trouble and can't recruit.  While Tubby now recognizes the problem, it may be too late.
2. Tubby must compete head to head with the major coaches for talent, and to do so Tubby must work just as hard, if not harder than they work.
3. The story of the 2007 season will be the performance of the great freshmen in this class, consistenting of several players who would have by-passed college for the NBA just one year earlier.
4. What other college coaches are overrated, including Brady, Hamilton, and Olson.
5. The significance of UK's recent recruiting losses to Florida State and Leonard Hamilton.
6. The importance of the Patterson Recruitment to Tubby's future at UK.
7. Billy Donovan will consider an offer from UK, will probably accept and become the first $3 million coach.

LISTEN TO THE DOYEL INTERVIEW CLIPS HERE

PRESS RELEASE DATED JUNE 7, 2006

Many UK Basketball fans are concerned about the current state of the UK Program after nine years with Tubby Smith as Head Coach.  On June 7, 2006, these Concerned Fans emerged from the background and issued a Press Release to leading journalists to set out the basis for these concerns.  View the entire Press release with the following link:

LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Download Concerned Fans Ad [PDF]
To download, right click on link and select "Save Target As"
and then select your preferred folder for the file

 CUTLER INTERVIEW
ABOUT PRESS RELEASE
ON JUNE 7, 2006

On June 7, 2006, Concerned Fans spokesman, Richard Cheeks, appeared on the Alan Cutler radio show on WLAP in Lexington.  Use the following link to listen to the entire interview.

LISTEN TO THE Cutler Interview of Richard Cheeks HERE

BRYAN GRAHAM ARTICLE
AT CSTV.COM

On June 15, 2006, Mr. Bryan Graham with CSTV.COM published an article about the Concerned Fans efforts.

READ the Article by Bryan Graham, CSTV.COM HERE

OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST REGARDING CONCERNED FANS'
ACTIVITIES AND THE
RECORD OF COACH SMITH

The following links provide responses by Concerned Fans to News Reports of the Activities of the Group.

Response To Mark Story Column About Concerned Fans

Response To Jerry Tipton Column About Concerned Fans

Did you know that Coach Smith's best offensive team was no better than Coach Pitino's average, and Coach Pitino's worst offensive team was better than Coach Smith's average?  To learn more,

CLICK HERE

Did you know that the quality of play declined immediately after the Pitino to Smith coaching change during the summer of 1997?  Did you know that the quality of play by UK's basketball teams since this coaching change has continued to slide?  Did you know that even during the 1998 championship season [Tubby's first year at UK] that Tubby tried to immediately install his Tubby Ball, but the players reverted to the Pitino Ball they knew could win.  To learn more,

CLICK HERE

Concerned Fans believe that Tubby Smith has had nine seasons to demonstrate his ability, and he has done so effectively.  That is why Concerned Fans believe that Tubby Smith is not good for the UK basketball program.  However, the UK Administration has made other decisions.

What will happen to the UK program should Tubby Smith be allowed to complete his current contract, through 2011, if the trends of the last 9 years continue for the next 5 years?  To learn more,

CLICK HERE

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