UK hoops: No 'fun' without Final Fours

Calipari's attempts to put expectations in perspective probably futile

By Jerry Tipton / Herald-Leader Staff Writer

Jerry Tipton

Big Blue Madness
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Rupp Arena
KentuckySports.com: Read Jerry Tipton's blog for the latest news and updates about the Wildcats.

Dan Issel likes to tell the true story about a friend who rode in an elevator with some Kentucky fans. The fans were complaining about the coach not getting a bench warmer enough playing time in the just-concluded game.

Issel pauses for effect, then says that the elevator ride happened ... in St. Louis ... in 1978 ... less than an hour after Kentucky beat Duke in the national championship game.

"That sort of explains Kentucky basketball," Issel said in retelling the story a few years ago. "The people in Kentucky are so passionate. You could never satisfy everyone. I'm not sure you can satisfy the majority."

So, good luck to John Calipari, the new coach hoping to persuade fans to enjoy the upcoming season and � gasp � have fun.

During an appearance in Louisville last week, Calipari repeated his call for perspective. Shots will be missed. Turnovers committed. Games lost.

Calipari also used sarcasm to dampen expectations when he jokingly predicted a 40-0 record with an average margin of victory of 25 points.

Several of his predecessors battled the same demon. The gentlemanly Tubby Smith took on a harried look during particularly difficult seasons. Final Four appearances aren't given away, he noted.

Smith once snapped at a reporter whose fumbled attempt at a question came out as something like "Does the recruitment of three McDonald's All-Americans bring pressure to achieve something?" By then, Smith had won a national championship, returned to several regional finals and won five regular-season conference championships.

Rick Pitino dressed down a reporter who asked whether a loss at Mississippi served as a wake-up call. Give Ole Miss credit, Pitino said. The other teams are good. Blame doesn't have to be assigned after a loss.

Pitino's time as UK coach began with perhaps the most fun-filled season in the last 30 years. Fans cheered themselves hoarse as Pitino's Bombinos staged a nightly re-enactment of David versus Goliath.

In Pitino's last season, after he'd won a national championship and was in the process of guiding a third UK team to a Final Four, the fans booed the Cats during a 29-point victory over Mississippi State.

Perhaps "Wildcat" Wally Clark spoke for many fans when he predicted big success this coming season.

"I think we'll make the Final Four," he said last week. "If we don't, I hate to say it, but Calipari needs to hunt for a (new) job."

That seemed outlandish, even for a UK fan. A few minutes later, Clark re-defined his idea of success for Calipari's first Kentucky team.

"To me, it has to do with players playing like their hearts are really into it," he said. "Then there's no problem."

ESPN commentator Jimmy Dykes applauded Calipari's attempt to bring perspective. The Cats are learning a new system. The team lacks experience.

Kentucky has the potential to be a Final Four contender by March, he said. So fans should enjoy the ride and embrace the improvement that comes through a long season.

Let that define fun this UK season.

"After this year, the word 'fun' and Kentucky basketball will only be synonymous if fun equates to SEC championships and deep runs, if not Final Four runs, on a regular basis," Dykes said. "That's what Kentucky fans equate to fun. And no one knows that more than John Calipari.

"He knows his main job in year two, three, four, five and 10 is for Kentucky fans to be having fun. Fun for Kentucky fans is making travel plans for the Final Four, not travel plans for the SEC Tournament."

'We are back'

Commentator Jimmy Dykes looks forward to being part of ESPNU's coverage of Big Blue Madness on Friday night.

"The passion, the importance of it, everything, it's second to none," he said. "Especially when expectations will be as high as they will be this year for Kentucky. That's what that fan base knows. That's what they expect. That's what John Calipari was hired for: to be in the national picture, to be in the conversation for Final Fours and national championships.