Listen to me, Kentucky. I'm talking to UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart but also to UK fans, because if Barnhart doesn't do what I'm about to suggest, it's up to Kentucky Nation to rise up and overthrow him.
Forgive me my lack of confidence in Barnhart to hire the right coach, considering the way he allowed Billy Donovan to humiliate one of the grandest programs in college basketball. Less than two whirlwind days after leading Florida to a second national title, Donovan turned down Kentucky. Which means Kentucky never had a serious chance. Which is something Barnhart should have sniffed out ahead of time.
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| At this point, Kentucky's No. 1 option should be this guy, Billy Gillispie. (Getty Images) |
Even for the best of the best college sports programs, easy hires do not come easy if the person in charge doesn't know what he's doing.
If Mitch Barnhart's next phone call is to anyone but Billy Gillispie, then Mitch Barnhart doesn't know what he's doing.
Barnhart's next candidate must meet the following requirements:
1. Someone who can coach his ass off.
2. Someone the fans will automatically embrace.
3. Someone who will say yes.
If you can argue with any of those three objectives, I'm all ears. But quickly let's discuss them.
1. A great program deserves a great coach. Are we finished with this topic?
2. After a decade of keeping -- and being kept by -- Tubby Smith at arm's length, Kentucky Nation needs a coach it can love. Not learn to love. Love right now. That is the surest way to heal after a long run with a coach as admirable, yet unlovable, as Smith.
3. Kentucky can't afford to be turned down. Not again. It took a shot at the hottest coach in the game, and he decided to stay where he already won two national titles and where his family has put down roots. OK, it happens. It shouldn't have happened -- again, Donovan's quick "no" tells me he wasn't even thinking about saying yes -- but it did. But it cannot happen again.
