Concerned Fans Press Release #1

CONCERNED FANS FOR

BASKETBALL

RESPONSE TO COLUMN BY JOHN CLAY, 11/23/06

On November 23, 2006, Lexington Sports Columnist John Clay became the first member of the Lexington Sports Press Corps to write about and expose the pre-season lies that Tubby Smith and his minions has been spreading to maintain public support for his dieing tenure as UK's head basketball coach.

The Lies:

Addition by Subtraction

Last Year's Problems were due to Rajon Rondo's selfishness

Last Year's Problems were due to conflict between Rondo and Sparks

Sims was not willing to be a team player

This year would be different because the team has "Chemistry"

Last year's problems were due to inadequate strength and conditioning

Thank you Mr. Clay for bringing these lies to the forefront of public discourse in the Lexington Herald Leader.

Now some relevant excerpts from Mr. Clay's article:

"So it wasn't all Rajon Rondo's fault.

And it wasn't all a lack of
strength and conditioning.

And it wasn't all Patrick Sparks, or chemistry, or
whatever it was that supposedly caused
Kentucky basketball to suffer through a sub-par
campaign last season.

After a telling pair of Maui matchups against top-12 teams,
it's obvious that Kentucky is still far from fixed."

"Now the Cats limp home 3-2 overall,
knowing the cold, hard truth
that it might not have been
addition by subtraction, after all.

It might just be talent. It might just be athleticism."

"This game was decided long ago,
not in the first period or the second period,
but during signing period.

You can't keep getting dusted on the recruiting trail --
...
-- and expect to continue kicking tails.
Especially a UCLA or a Memphis."

"This isn't vintage Kentucky,
for whatever the reasons."

The last phrase is very telling, because the vast majority of UK fans recognize that this is not "vintage Kentucky" basketball and have so recognized it for a long time. Mr. Clay used this phrase as a convenient out to sidestep the reasons why this is not "vintage Kentucky" basketball.

There are other lies still lingering out there that Mr. Clay did not address including:

Tubby Smith is a Great Coach who knows how to win on the National Stage
Tubby Smith is a Great Defensive Coach
Tubby Smith is a Great Recruiter
Tubby Smith's problems are due to a few, loud malcontents that are not true UK fans, but only trouble makers, including and according to Mr. Mitch Barnhart, the members of Concerned Fans For UK Basketball

Perhaps Mr. Clay will address each of these lies in an objective straight forward manner soon becuase the excuses must end with this pitiful season and the root cause of these problems must be eliminated from Kentucky basketball forever.

Richard Cheeks, Concerned Fans For UK Basketball

Go Back

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