Archrivals

A few things are true:
1) I feel empathy for Billy D.

Switching jobs can be an intimating experience for anyone. Feeling comfortable, surrounded by friends and not having to deal with the scary nature of the unknown are natural feelings. I can’t blame him for not wanting to stick his toe in the choppy waters of the NBA.

2) UK got lucky.

No matter if it was UK, the Magic, or any other spot, Billy D. needs stay at Florida. His family is comfortable there, he is comfortable there, the administration and fans love him, and frankly I admire that type of devotion.

3) It won’t hurt him in the long run.

No one cares. In the next few weeks, you will see a # of articles that say that his flip-flop has cost his some image in the world of basketball. Perhaps so, but not for any kid willing to go to Florida. It will not affect his recruiting, and perhaps improve his recruiting since the NBA is seemingly off the table.

4) His legend will never be the same.

Billy D. established his legacy in the middle of the perfect storm. His team over-performed expectations and stayed to do it again. The perfect time to leave was this year. He would be revered as a basketball god, and could have moved on to new pastures without ever having to prove it was not a fluke. Now he will be judged eternally on how he followed up on an amazing 2 years.

Reading the CJ site message boards can be an impressively frustrating experience. Almost any discussion of expectations for UK deteriorates into a comparison of UofL and UK, how much people disliked or loved Tubby Smith, or even people questioning Billy G’s sexuality. Even those who attempt to objectively assess the team are drawn into a moronic back and forth about how many NITs are wiped out by a Final Four.

My expectations for 2007-2008 are based on a core of underachieving seniors; Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley, a few freshmen that showed potential; Derrick Jasper, Perry Stephenson and Jodie Meeks, and two newcomers; Alex Legion and Patrick Patterson.

It is hard to imagine that first year coach Billy Gillispie will be able to mold this team into one able to do a deep run into March. However, a fresh look at this team shows a number of All Americans, underachieving or no, but on the team none the less. I look for Billy G. to inspire the seniors in their last gasp, Meeks to thrive in a new, more open environment, and the two newcomers to get and perform admirably under their new regime.

Prediction:

23-11
Second Place in SEC East
Loss in Finals of SEC Tournament
7th Seed in NCAAS
Second Round Exit in NCAA Tournament

Today marks the rebirth of archrivals.com. In the many years I have owned this domain, I have struggled with my inability to make Archrivals the dynamic and exciting site that I have always known it could be.

Hopefully, as they say, the third time is the charm.