still thinking on this one, but my foremost thought is that i wouldn't want to be the first team into lexington on the heels of this.
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Cats air problems in 4-hour huddle
Smith calls for unity as season hits final stretch
A meeting is the universal sign of a troubled team.
Kentucky met for four hours Sunday.
Draw your own conclusions.
UK players went into the marathon meeting bogged down by a season filled with distraction and questioning their unity. A scuffle between teammates Gerald Fitch and Cory Sears during the trip home from Georgia Saturday put a timely hook on those issues.
With Coach Tubby Smith publicly issuing another unite-or-else ultimatum, the Cats find out tonight against visiting Tennessee if they will begin walking the walk after talking the talk.
"I'd like to think they're becoming close," Smith said yesterday. "There again, I have to wait and see how things pan out. You always have that next game to measure what you've accomplished.
"We've had guys have the wrong agenda, thinking they have their own agenda. That's been a problem. Now it's getting everybody back on the same page again."
Senior guard J.P. Blevins said Smith dominated the meeting, which covered a wide range of issues.
"There was more of a family-type tone, a togetherness-type tone -- let's rally around and get this done," Blevins said.
But the UK players also acknowledged that the meeting was not all sweetness and light.
"Yeah, there was some finger-pointing," point guard Cliff Hawkins said.
Added center Marquis Estill: "We talked about the issues we have as a team. Things we need to do to lift each other up and stop putting each other down. Talk positive to one another."
The Fitch-Sears scuffle happened during a scheduled refueling stop at the McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville. A mechanical failure extended the planned 20-minute stop to about 90 minutes.
With the chartered jet's air conditioning going on and off, the cramped cabin heated. Then tempers flared.
Smith, who did not accompany the team back from Saturday's loss at Georgia, said the spark was "people ragging each other, that's pretty much it."
A report by the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority said that its officers did not board the Comair jet. Instead, Det. Don Mullikin of the Kentucky State Police, who traveled with the team, met the officers at the gate and assured them that he and UK coaches had broken up "the fight" and separated the players, the report said.
After speaking to the pilot, the airport officers considered the matter closed, the report said.
Yesterday Mullikin, an unofficial sergeant-at-arms on many UK road trips, expressed surprise that the incident became news.
"I've seen 2-year-olds fight better over a rattle," he said. "Before I could get turned around and assess the situation, it was over. Boom. Boom. Boom. It was over."
Smith noted that scuffles among teammates are common. "I played on teams that had a lot more scuffles than we've had," he said.
But the UK coach saw a clear need to suspend Fitch and Sears for tonight's game and possibly other games if the players do not comply fully with team rules. Smith said he also levied additional unspecified punishments.
"They know I don't tolerate that type of behavior, to start with," Smith said, "because those things can be more divisive to a team than anything. And handling emotions. When you lose control of your emotions, things become very dangerous."
Without Fitch, the Cats will probably move freshman Chuck Hayes into the starting lineup against Tennessee, Smith said. Hayes scored a career-high 15 points at Tennessee two weeks ago.
Hayes would start at power forward, Smith said, with Tayshaun Prince moving to small forward and Keith Bogans to shooting guard.
Freshman Josh Carrier and Blevins also figured to get additional minutes, he said.
"You worry about a matchup problem (for Hayes)," Smith said of the freshman guarding either 6-10 Marcus Haislip or 6-10 Brandon Crump.
Tennessee Coach Buzz Peterson downplayed the impact of Fitch's suspension. "They have depth," he said. "We didn't have Crump last time and somebody else stepped up and played big for us."
Peterson applauded Smith's act of discipline. "There's not too many coaches in the country nowadays that are going to do things the right way," the UT coach said. "That's why I have a lot of respect for Tubby."
The scuffle was the latest in a long, long list of distractions this season. Smith acknowledged he felt the weight of handling one problem after another.
"You start to wonder, What's going on? What are you not doing? What's not happening? How does this type of thing exist?" the UK coach said.
During the meeting, Smith said he told his players if another distraction should occur, it will be "time to make changes." He said punishment could include "suspension for the year" or "find another program."
Only time will tell whether the many problems have worn away the players' resolve and brought on a desire to simply endure the rest of the season.
"I think the guys enjoy playing basketball," Smith said. "I think they know we have a lot of games to play and they have a lot to play for."
Blevins admitted his disappointment with the season to date.
"It's been a little bit of a roller coaster," he said. "A little bit of disappointment. But the good thing about it is you haven't played March yet. And you still have a chance to redeem yourself."
The four-hour meeting stressed the need for a unity of purpose.
"We're trying the best we can to get everybody to pull together and be on the same page," Blevins said.
In contending that time remains for a triumphant conclusion, Blevins calculated the four remaining regular-season games. Plus, UK could play three games in the Southeastern Conference Tournament before entering its defining moment: the NCAA Tournament.
"So you're looking at seven games," Blevins said. "I think seven games is plenty of time to get on a roll."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cats air problems in 4-hour huddle
Smith calls for unity as season hits final stretch
A meeting is the universal sign of a troubled team.
Kentucky met for four hours Sunday.
Draw your own conclusions.
UK players went into the marathon meeting bogged down by a season filled with distraction and questioning their unity. A scuffle between teammates Gerald Fitch and Cory Sears during the trip home from Georgia Saturday put a timely hook on those issues.
With Coach Tubby Smith publicly issuing another unite-or-else ultimatum, the Cats find out tonight against visiting Tennessee if they will begin walking the walk after talking the talk.
"I'd like to think they're becoming close," Smith said yesterday. "There again, I have to wait and see how things pan out. You always have that next game to measure what you've accomplished.
"We've had guys have the wrong agenda, thinking they have their own agenda. That's been a problem. Now it's getting everybody back on the same page again."
Senior guard J.P. Blevins said Smith dominated the meeting, which covered a wide range of issues.
"There was more of a family-type tone, a togetherness-type tone -- let's rally around and get this done," Blevins said.
But the UK players also acknowledged that the meeting was not all sweetness and light.
"Yeah, there was some finger-pointing," point guard Cliff Hawkins said.
Added center Marquis Estill: "We talked about the issues we have as a team. Things we need to do to lift each other up and stop putting each other down. Talk positive to one another."
The Fitch-Sears scuffle happened during a scheduled refueling stop at the McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville. A mechanical failure extended the planned 20-minute stop to about 90 minutes.
With the chartered jet's air conditioning going on and off, the cramped cabin heated. Then tempers flared.
Smith, who did not accompany the team back from Saturday's loss at Georgia, said the spark was "people ragging each other, that's pretty much it."
A report by the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority said that its officers did not board the Comair jet. Instead, Det. Don Mullikin of the Kentucky State Police, who traveled with the team, met the officers at the gate and assured them that he and UK coaches had broken up "the fight" and separated the players, the report said.
After speaking to the pilot, the airport officers considered the matter closed, the report said.
Yesterday Mullikin, an unofficial sergeant-at-arms on many UK road trips, expressed surprise that the incident became news.
"I've seen 2-year-olds fight better over a rattle," he said. "Before I could get turned around and assess the situation, it was over. Boom. Boom. Boom. It was over."
Smith noted that scuffles among teammates are common. "I played on teams that had a lot more scuffles than we've had," he said.
But the UK coach saw a clear need to suspend Fitch and Sears for tonight's game and possibly other games if the players do not comply fully with team rules. Smith said he also levied additional unspecified punishments.
"They know I don't tolerate that type of behavior, to start with," Smith said, "because those things can be more divisive to a team than anything. And handling emotions. When you lose control of your emotions, things become very dangerous."
Without Fitch, the Cats will probably move freshman Chuck Hayes into the starting lineup against Tennessee, Smith said. Hayes scored a career-high 15 points at Tennessee two weeks ago.
Hayes would start at power forward, Smith said, with Tayshaun Prince moving to small forward and Keith Bogans to shooting guard.
Freshman Josh Carrier and Blevins also figured to get additional minutes, he said.
"You worry about a matchup problem (for Hayes)," Smith said of the freshman guarding either 6-10 Marcus Haislip or 6-10 Brandon Crump.
Tennessee Coach Buzz Peterson downplayed the impact of Fitch's suspension. "They have depth," he said. "We didn't have Crump last time and somebody else stepped up and played big for us."
Peterson applauded Smith's act of discipline. "There's not too many coaches in the country nowadays that are going to do things the right way," the UT coach said. "That's why I have a lot of respect for Tubby."
The scuffle was the latest in a long, long list of distractions this season. Smith acknowledged he felt the weight of handling one problem after another.
"You start to wonder, What's going on? What are you not doing? What's not happening? How does this type of thing exist?" the UK coach said.
During the meeting, Smith said he told his players if another distraction should occur, it will be "time to make changes." He said punishment could include "suspension for the year" or "find another program."
Only time will tell whether the many problems have worn away the players' resolve and brought on a desire to simply endure the rest of the season.
"I think the guys enjoy playing basketball," Smith said. "I think they know we have a lot of games to play and they have a lot to play for."
Blevins admitted his disappointment with the season to date.
"It's been a little bit of a roller coaster," he said. "A little bit of disappointment. But the good thing about it is you haven't played March yet. And you still have a chance to redeem yourself."
The four-hour meeting stressed the need for a unity of purpose.
"We're trying the best we can to get everybody to pull together and be on the same page," Blevins said.
In contending that time remains for a triumphant conclusion, Blevins calculated the four remaining regular-season games. Plus, UK could play three games in the Southeastern Conference Tournament before entering its defining moment: the NCAA Tournament.
"So you're looking at seven games," Blevins said. "I think seven games is plenty of time to get on a roll."
