Calipari Ignites Kentucky

It wasn't long ago when we Kentucky fans spent most of our time bickering. We didn't know what to do with our coach, and we didn't know what to do with our team. Over the past ten years we'd watched our program fall from national champions to barely noticeable.

Regardless of how you think it happened-lack of coaching, lack of recruiting, lack of players, or a poor hire in Billy Gillispie-every Wildcat fan agrees that the past ten years have been hard ones.

While Kentucky fans seemed impatient, we supported our coaches and team. Tubby coached at UK for almost 10 years! We supported Billy Gillispie. Many of us wished to give him another year despite an atrocious 2008-2009 season. We didn't realize that a shadow lurked in the UK locker room and cast its darkness across the minds and hearts of our players. We all wondered how a team could completely blow up 1/3 of the way through a season. We are now glad he's been relieved of his duties.

The result is that Kentucky has been the laughing stock of college basketball. We've been perfect fodder for all the teams we beat up on over the past century. It has been a miserable past few years for any Kentucky fan.

Worse yet, we've had to put up with numerous fans from other schools mocking the pride we have in our Wildcat tradition. Many have said that no one really cares about our tradition and that it simply doesn't matter. They say that for college basketball all that matters is the past 5 or 10 years.

Those who say that Kentucky tradition doesn't matter, you only need to look at our most recent hire as head coach, John Calipari, to see that you are dead wrong. If it weren't for the rich Kentucky Basketball tradition-as supported by generations and generations of Kentucky fans-then John Calipari would not have considered coming to Kentucky.

The man himself said that it has always been a dream of his to coach at Kentucky. "It was my dream job," he said on Jim Rome's show. "It was what I'd always dreamed about." Calipari had thought about one day becoming the Kentucky head coach since playing against Kentucky in Rupp in the early 90's. "This is crazy. This is the best of the best," Calipari said of that time playing in Rupp. And in the 70's, his favorite player was Kyle Macy.

So...Kentucky tradition doesn't matter?

Over the past 10 days, John Calipari has stepped into the role as Kentucky's head coach with grace, assuredness, and emotion. He has managed to speak candidly to Kentucky fans about his plans for Kentucky basketball while assuring Memphis that they will be just fine without him.

Mr. Calipari has spoken to former Kentucky players-from Tayshaun Prince to Kyle Macy-and expressed his love for deceased Kentucky equipment manager Bill Keightley. He has flown to meet with potential recruits and their families. He has already had the first practice with his new team, and all signals look good.

There are signs of a pulse.

John Calipari flat out cares. And we're pretty sure he can coach too. Kentucky fans are happy that we finally have a coach whose passion for Kentucky basketball just about matches our own.

For Kentucky fans, this is our chance to wipe away a brutal recent past. This is a chance for us to thump our chests a little bit and feel the pride we once felt.

Next year is our chance to see the "beat downs" we are so accustomed to seeing. Because we cannot leap onto the court and do it ourselves, our team will do it for us. We will support them like a rock that supports the soil that supports the strong tree.

We want to see our strong forward grab an offensive rebound and then give us a thunderous slam dunk not in frustration but for the sheer joy of playing basketball.

We want to count every loss from the 2008-2009 season-every snicker of an opposing player-and wipe it away little by little with every three pointer.

We want to see our guys unleashed!

This is no joke. Kentucky will soon be back. Our players will beat up your players. Our coach will beat up your coach. Say it any way you want to say it. When teams come to Rupp, they will be walking into a buzzsaw. It'll be just like the old days.

I'm ready for the season to start. Are you?