Gillispie out at Kentucky? Travis Ford on deck?
A sign supporting University of Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie was put up in front of Memorial Coliseum on the UK campus. PHOTO COURTESY OF LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER
Friday morning, the Lexington Herald Banner reported one of Gillispie’s assistant coaches was seen cleaning out his office on Thursday. He wouldn’t say why.
The Herald also reported a press confrence was expected Friday concerning Gillispie’s future.
So, what does all this mean for Oklahoma State fans? Nothing yet, but it wouldn’t hurt to brace yourself.
Before Gillispie was hired two years ago, Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart got shot down several times when he contacted coaches about the job. Florida’s Billy Donovan? Nope. Villanova’s Jay Wright? Nope. Texas’ Rick Barnes? Nope.
Some say Barnhart was aiming too high, going for elite coaches.
So, was there a lesson learned? Could he go right after a guy like Travis Ford — a guy that would jump at the chance to coach his alma mater — instead of shooting for coaching stars?
Here’s a couple other links to items on Gillispie and Ford:
* ESPN’s Pat Forde says there’s plenty of blame to go around in this deal.
* Here’s a look at Gillispie’s “Memorandum of Understanding” at Kentucky. He never signed his contract. Oh, check out the part about his buyout. $1.5 million per years left on his seven-year contract. By my math that’s a cool $6 million Billy Clyde could be taking home.
* The USA Today had a quick item on Bill Self defending Gillispie.
– Ryan Sharp, Asst. Sports Editor
Foster considering walking on at OSU
By Scott Wright
The door isn’t completely closed on the possibility of Guthrie star athlete Donte’ Foster playing football at Oklahoma State.
I traded text messages with the 6-foot-2, 180-pound football and basketball standout Thursday afternoon and he said he is being pursued as an invited walk-on for the Cowboys.
Guthrie coach Rafe Watkins told multiple Web sites that Foster-to-OSU was a done deal, but Foster says it’s not 100 percent just yet.
“It’s a possibility,” he said. “I’ve talked it over with them and they said it would be a great idea, so there’s a chance I may do that. It’s not written in stone quite yet though.”
Foster got some interest from OSU just before signing day, but never received a scholarship offer. At that time, the Cowboys needed more help in the secondary and were considering Foster as a safety prospect.
But with some attrition at receiver, OSU has come back around to Foster on the offensive side of the ball.
The Cowboys may have balked at offering Foster a scholarship because they had not hosted him in camp, and thus, did not get the chance to see his ability up-close.
If Foster walks on, it’s the best possible scenario for the Pokes. They don’t have to use a scholarship, but still bring in a receiver with big-time play-making ability — just check his YouTube clips — who has NCAA Division I scholarship offers in football and basketball. And Foster gets to play at the school he has long wanted to attend.
Guthrie football player Donte Foster. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN
Travis Ford and Kentucky
Well, Cowboy fans, this is what happens when you’ve got a successful basketball team.
Just about every story coming out about Billy Gillespie and Kentucky names Travis Ford as a possible replacement.
I’m curious what Cowboy fans’ thoughts are. Happy to have a desired coach? Get away from him, he’s ours?
I would assume the answers would have been A LOT different three months ago.
Here’s a quick look at some of the stories that have come out in the last couple of days.
* The Bleacher Report thinks Gillespie should get another year.
* Another Bleacher Report blog that doesn’t name Ford, but does name others.
* ESPN’s Andy Katz says a decision could come Friday, and that Ford’s name will come up.
* SI’s Andy staples has Gillespie’s job security on life support.
Check back later for more links.
– Ryan Sharp, Asst. Sports Editor
NCAA Tournament live blog: OSU-Pitt
Byron and the midrange jumper
Something I don’t think we mentioned in all our extensive coverage of the Tennessee game:
A major key was Byron Eaton’s pullup jumper from 8-12 feet. That’s a shot he was struggling with the last couple weeks — if you recall, he missed about five of those in the second Bedlam game in Norman. He hit that shot at two critical points against the Vols.
That’s going to be a key shot today against Pitt, because the Panthers obviously protect the rim extremely well. Not saying Eaton shouldn’t try to get all the way to the rim, but in some situations he’s going to need that jumper and it’s good he gained a little confidence in it the other day.
by andrea cohen
an hour until tip …
Just had a quick chat with some OSU staff members and here’s the rub:
-The Cowboys will mix things up defensively on Pitt point guard Levance Fields. Terrel Harris will start on him, and Byron Eaton will guard him later.
-Unlike some teams that try to back off and contain Fields, OSU’s tactic is going to be to go after him hard right away.
-No stunner here, but the key is keeping Byron out of foul trouble. That’s part of the reason Terrel will start on Fields.
-Double team on DeJuan Blair. All very similar to the things OSU did against Griffin, with one guy fronting a lot and then another guy coming over to help (and hopefully take charges).
-The Cowboys are in the black unis.
by andrea cohen
NCAA Tournament live blog: OSU vs. Tennessee
What kind of date spot is Dayton for The Big Dance?
Despite working in nearby Indianapolis for almost two years, I’ve never been to Dayton Arena. It seems I’ve been missing out. This is the eighth year in a row that Dayton Arena will be hosting the opening rounds of the Tournament, and it’s even hosting the play-in game, which says something interesting. That something interesting, it seems to me, is that people around Dayton will come to watch any/all basketball being played.
On Sunday evening, after it was announced that the Cowboys would play Tennessee in Dayton on Friday, Travis Ford went on and on about what a cool atmosphere it is, and he should know — he beat Dayton at Dayton twice while at UMass. The second time Dayton was ranked No. 18 and on a 13 game winning streak.
Arena aside, Dayton will be an awfully hard ticket to get ahold of mainly because of the proximity of the teams playing. ESPN.com’s Dana O’Neil called it “The hottest place to be.”
“If you’re not real attached to your kidney, you might be able to score a ticket to the sub-regional in Dayton. Otherwise, good luck.
It could be the toughest ticket to find of all of the eight first-round cities.
Fans from Louisville, Pittsburgh and Ohio State (given, it must be noted, an awfully sweet site preference for an 8-seed in a year when the Buckeyes’ athletic director, Gene Smith, serves on the committee) will all converge on the University of Dayton Arena, none having to tax themselves for more than a four-hour drive.
An hour after the bracket was announced, upper-level seats already were going for $250 and up on stubhub.com.”
by andrea cohen
BIG 12 LIVE CHAT
Connecting the dots…
So, ran across an interesting story today.
By now you’ve read that OSU baseball player Dylan Brown intends to join the football team. Brown was an all-state wide receiver in high school in Florida. And let’s not kid ourselves, OSU needs all the options at wide receiver they can get.
But perhaps the most interesting thing about Brown, who I know very little about, is who his high school quarterback was.
Anyone care to take a guess?
Anyone?
That’s right, Robert Marve, the former Miami quarterback that’s looking for a new home and OSU just happens to be at the top of his short list. Marve told ESPN that he and Brown have talked but that the QB wasn’t going to pick a school just based on having a buddy there.
Marve also told ESPN that he’s been working out and throwing to Seattle Seahawks WR Logan Payne, a former University of Minnesota player who lives near him.
- Ryan Sharp, Asst. Sports Editor
