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And Mitch Barnhart thought he had this hoops thing nailed down ...

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by novelist_wannabe, Apr 11, 2007.

  1. loveyabye

    loveyabye Guest

    I hope it's not family problems. It is surprising for sure.
     
  2. Central-KY-Kid

    Central-KY-Kid Well-Known Member

    If Tubby had DeMoss' attitude, he wouldn't have bolted for the Land of 10 Gazillion Lakes (and the Vikings to boot!)

    DeMoss was pretty good when it came to dealing with the media.

    I'm shocked she resigned.
     
  3. D-3 Fan

    D-3 Fan Well-Known Member

    71-56 was a hell of lot better than what her predecessors could do. That program stunk before she walked in. It's ironic that schools like UK and KU can have great men's teams, but mediocre to pitiful women's programs.
     
  4. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    There's nothing to recover from. AD's don't lose their jobs over women's hoops hires
     
  5. Hammer Pants

    Hammer Pants Active Member

    Or bad hires all over the place (coughSkipBertmancough).
     
  6. Freelance Hack

    Freelance Hack Active Member

    All I've heard is how great every hire Mitch has been. Perhaps it's UK fans with some serious Foley/Jurich envy, but it's a laughable statement nonetheless.

    Barnhart is a bad AD, while he won't get fired over this. He may find himself canned within the next couple years when the football team returns to form and if Gillispie struggles to right the ship in men's hoops.
     
  7. Bob Slydell

    Bob Slydell Active Member

    How can you say Barnhart is as bad AD. Look at his record, he has hired some great coaches. If the football program returns to form, it is no fault of his. They just had their best season in forever, and like it or not Rich Brooks had a lot to do with that.

    And financially, the UK athletic department is in good shape. He may not be the most open person, and he certainly isn't as good as Jurich. But to say he is a bad AD is just false.

    If Gillispie fails, then I may agree with you, but until then, what has he done to show he's a bad AD. Except for letting Alvis Johnson and others minorities in the athletic department go, that is about his only major misstep.
     
  8. CollegeJournalist

    CollegeJournalist Active Member

    First, there was no Pokey situation. Barnhart dismissed that and actually got a little angry.

    Second, how can you realistically say Barnhart is a bad AD? Is that the Louisville bias coming out in you, FH?

    The UK Athletic Dept. was a one trick pony when Barnhart arrived, and even that pony wasn't in its best condition. Since then, he's hired one of the best young baseball coaches in America in Cohen, who won an SEC Championship at KENTUCKY. That is a big deal. And the bigger deal is that when it was rumored that an SEC school was going to come after Cohen, Barnhart gave him the farm to keep him.

    He made a great women's basketball hire in DeMoss, and even if you say UK should be an NCAA team year-in, year-out, look how bad they were when DeMoss arrived. She had them a few minutes away from the Sweet 16 last year, and if Eleia Roddy doesn't tear up her knee this year, they're probably back in a similar position.

    The golf team has finished in the top 10 at the national championships three years in a row and is consistently at the top of the best golfing conference in America.

    UK is performing well in men's and women's soccer (both, IIRC, nationally ranked), women's tennis (currently ranked), swimming and diving and the other Olympic sports.

    His football hire is working out, despite a fan base full of dumbasses that, for whatever reason, thought Guy Morriss was the second coming of the Bear.

    And when he had to come through the most (the basketball hire), he made an exciting and good hire that may put UK back on the map.

    He swung the big media deal that gave UK tons of money and his dept. is in great financial shape. Plus, they've had no hint of trouble with the NCAA since he got there, which was imperative for him.

    And Slydell, while the minority issue may have been bigger then, look at UK's staffs now. They have a Latino coaching tennis and black guys coaching all over the place (they became the first SEC school to ever have 2 black coordinators this year).

    FH, you're "Barnhart's a bad AD" thing is something I'd expect to hear from some 'neck at Commonwealth Stadium on a Saturday afternoon who's pissed that Barnhart isn't a southern good ol boy. Not from someone who actually follows it all. Besides, if you compare him to Larry Ivy, how bad can Barnhart possibly be?
     
  9. HejiraHenry

    HejiraHenry Well-Known Member

    Well, gosh, that settles that then.
     
  10. CollegeJournalist

    CollegeJournalist Active Member

    HH, I think somebody would have broken something about a Pokey-like story. And Barnhart's reaction was very assuring. He interrupted the question and was very adamant that it was nothing of the sort.

    And DeMoss seemed so at peace and happy at the presser that it sure didn't have the feel of "something's wrong so I'm leaving."
     
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