Practice Facility

[I’m The Village Idiot]

Remember when the men’s basketball coach at Kentucky asked for a practice facility and we didn’t get it done because our athletic director was allocating resources to build for other sports like football? Record and frustration with Calipari aside, at the time, me and my brother-in-law both agreed that it was a dark day in Kentucky basketball when the head coach can’t get an upgraded practice facility. The coach of Kentucky basketball should be able to get anything they feel they need to get the job done. I think there’s a decent chunk of people who may look back on those times and see that Calipari may have had a point. Mitch didn’t have the same vision that we are a basketball school. That HOF coach could have done wonders with the 22 million dollars we spent on this roster because of the difference in how their rosters are assimilated.

If we ever get a coach like that again, I hope we can be patient through the trials and give them the support they need to truly be the gold standard. I’m sick of losing games and when we start winning again, I don’t want anything to hold us back even a little.

 

[Pygmy Sasquatch]

Pitino wanted an on campus arena. Might have been a good move, but we'll never know.

 

[KyWideWes]

I have been wondering lately if a more competent AD with some personal skills could have fostered a better environment with Cal. I was very fatigued with Cal but I have flipped my blame on that relationship.

 

[CELTICAT]

And then said coach reached out to his own private network and had the funds promised and the AD still shot it down. That's the really killer part.

 

[jedwar]

I have been wondering lately if a more competent AD with some personal skills could have fostered a better environment with Cal. I was very fatigued with Cal but I have flipped my blame on that relationship.

Me too.

 

[Catlogic1552]

I think Cal’s enthusiasm for the job waned as a direct correlation to his frustrations with Barnhart. My how things could've gone differently.

 

[Yardeth]

Would a new practice facility equal more wins? Maybe more made layups?

 

[I’m The Village Idiot]

Would a new practice facility equal more wins? Maybe more made layups?

No. But it was important to the coach.
Toward the end of Calipari era, Mitch allowed his dislike of Cal lead to withholding:

- NIL contributions that would have allowed more roster continuity and stability

- Upgrades the coach deemed were helpful in recruiting.

The facility wasn’t a massive deal, the message withholding it sent was massive.

 

[MegaBlue05]

Off topic, I’d make this bunch practice outside in a park somewhere. They don’t deserve to use the facilities. Lol

 

[CatManFromCa]

When UK decided to be a “football” school, is when it went sideways w/ Cal.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Pitino wanted an on campus arena. Might have been a good move, but we'll never know.

This! Many say that this issue directly affected his decision to ultimately leave. Not sure how true that is. IIRC, he wanted his name to be a part of the building name. Like, idk, Pitino’s Palace.

 

[I’m The Village Idiot]

When UK decided to be a “football” school, is when it went sideways w/ Cal.

It was a Mitch Barnhart/KSR machination to begin with. Matt was close friends with Vince Marrow and really needed the additional engagement during parts of the year when basketball season wasn’t active so he started gaslighting fans into believing they weren’t real fans of the school if they didn’t live and die by football games. In short, fans like me who haven’t missed a football game since 2002 but don’t care about winning/losing in football became the villains. Now, most fans don’t even know if we are a basketball school, something no one would have ever contested during the CM Newton administration. Furthermore, we get to hear how football generates all the money —- something they did perfectly fine for the last 50 years without being any good. Many of our fans got mad that we were giving too high a rev share % to basketball lol. You think if that opportunity was available during the Pitino era, fans would second guess going all-in on basketball? Obviously not. We are just as confused as Mitch thanks to Mitch and Matt Jones.

 

[Anon1762403337]

Would a new practice facility equal more wins? Maybe more made layups?

You know what, we've had trouble with layups and 1--2 footers for several years now. It really pisses me off each time it happens. I mean a major college player and we miss this many???????

 

[Pygmy Sasquatch]

This! Many say that this issue directly affected his decision to ultimately leave. Not sure how true that is. IIRC, he wanted his name to be a part of the building name. Like, idk, Pitino’s Palace.

I've also heard that about his decision to leave. I don't know about his name being attached to it, but to be honest, I would not have had a problem with it. Coach P should have eclipsed Coach K.

 

[AllBall]

Remember when the men’s basketball coach at Kentucky asked for a practice facility and we didn’t get it done because our athletic director was allocating resources to build for other sports like football? Record and frustration with Calipari aside, at the time, me and my brother-in-law both agreed that it was a dark day in Kentucky basketball when the head coach can’t get an upgraded practice facility. The coach of Kentucky basketball should be able to get anything they feel they need to get the job done. I think there’s a decent chunk of people who may look back on those times and see that Calipari may have had a point. Mitch didn’t have the same vision that we are a basketball school. That HOF coach could have done wonders with the 22 million dollars we spent on this roster because of the difference in how their rosters are assimilated.

If we ever get a coach like that again, I hope we can be patient through the trials and give them the support they need to truly be the gold standard. I’m sick of losing games and when we start winning again, I don’t want anything to hold us back even a little.

Mitch is the problem.

 

[AllBall]

I have been wondering lately if a more competent AD with some personal skills could have fostered a better environment with Cal. I was very fatigued with Cal but I have flipped my blame on that relationship.

Me too. Cal had his faults but Mitch enjoyed impeding progress. This is karma. Karma isn't a b!+ch, it's a mirror.

 

[BlueSince92]

Would a new practice facility equal more wins? Maybe more made layups?

If it brought in better recruits, which was why he said we needed it.