# Breaking News: Joe Crawford may transfer...



## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=376766

_UK coach Tubby Smith addressed rumors of McDonald's All-American Joe Crawford's happiness on his Monday night call-in show, admitting that he isn't quite sure if Crawford will decide to transfer from the program or not. Smith said he met with the player and his parents on Monday, just a day after Crawford played only three minutes in a 65-59 loss to No. 2 Kansas.

"Joe, his parents, and I met (Monday) and at this juncture it's still up in the air and is going to take some time," Smith said of Crawford's thought process. "There is the possibility there that he will transfer."_

_Smith expressed his hopes that the 6-foot-4 guard would stick it out at UK and allow some adjustment time.

"You hate to see any young man (possibly) leave because I think he can be very valuable as we go into the SEC," Smith said. "Joe is a great kid. I hope he understands we want him here, but he's got to do what's best for him."

Freshmen leaving a program early on in their career is far from a foreign concept these days. In the past few seasons, the trend has grown and UK has even lost Rashaad Carruth and Marvin Stone – two highly thought of recruits. To that end, Smith said he understands the frustrations Crawford and his family might have._

_"He needs…and a lot of kids go through this," Smith said. "I went through it. I remember calling my dad when I was away from home (at High Point College) and there were only three blacks on campus and I was a little uneasy. 

"The decision is tough. In this day in time, the visibility, the media scrutiny and you come in with great accolades as a high school All-American, so the expectations are pretty high. But then again, we are 12 games into the season and he is sixth on the team in minutes."

Crawford has played well in spurts, dropping a career-high 12 points against William & Mary and grabbing five rebounds on two occasions. But the unhappiness likely stems from Crawford playing just a scoreless four minutes in the SEC opener against South Carolina and three against Kansas. 

A decision about Crawford's future could come as early as Tuesday or Wednesday because the university starts spring classes on Wednesday. If Crawford does leave UK, he would have to sit out at any other school until next January, when he would be a junior in eligibility because the NCAA would penalize him for not completing one year at UK after signing a National Letter of Intent to play for the Cats._

This wouldn't be like losing Carruth or Stone. Carruth was a terrible headcase and Stone had some of the worst hands in college basketball and certainly never lived up to expectations.

Joe needs to understand he has practice to prove himself every day to Tubby and the staff. I'll admit it myself; I wasn't overly impressed with him over the summer, but came away satisfied with how he played in the pick-up games.

I know three guys Joe needs to talk to:


























What really upsets me is that one of the reasons his minutes are being cut short is not because Tubby puts him in and then pulls him out, but Joe has been too passive with the ball way too often. This wasn't the case against UNC or W&M, but too many times this season has he simply given the ball up without ever putting it on the floor, making him a guy that just stands there and takes up space on the court, which forces Tubby to send in a sub. If Joe would notice, in the UNC game when he was actually being aggressive and scored 11 or so points, Tubby kept him in. Against Kansas, the one time he did get aggressive, he was called for a charge.


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## HeinzGuderian (Jun 29, 2004)

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=1964059
I said in another thread, its hard to respect a guy that whines over playing time when he is a freshman on a team like Kentucky. He has skills though.


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## Ghost (Jun 21, 2002)

Where would he go?


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## VincentVega (Oct 12, 2003)

Oregon.


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

He'd be crazy to transfer now. That would make him a junior by this time next year.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>VincentVega</b>!
> Oregon.


Another "guy in the know" on Kentucky's scout.com website said he thinks he will come to Oregon as well. What makes you think he'll come to the O, or is it just a hunch? If we did get him, and looking back at the class, it would easily be #1 with 2 5*'s,3 4*'s, and a 3*.


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>MAS RipCity</b>!
> 
> 
> Another "guy in the know" on Kentucky's scout.com website said he thinks he will come to Oregon as well. What makes you think he'll come to the O, or is it just a hunch? If we did get him, and looking back at the class, it would easily be #1 with 2 5*'s,3 4*'s, and a 3*.


His high school teammate Mailk Hairston is on the Oregon team.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>UKfan4Life</b>!
> He'd be crazy to transfer now. That would make him a junior by this time next year.


Would he be able to play all of next season if he sat out this year?


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>MAS RipCity</b>!
> 
> 
> Would he be able to play all of next season if he sat out this year?


No. If he transfers before the season is over, he'd have to resume next season where he left off THIS season as junior, which would be a dumb decision on his part.

If he sits out the rest of the year and transfers away at the end, then he would have to sit out all of next season, but would be able to resume the next season as a 3rd year sophomore.


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

Yeah I liked Joe Crawford but to many players now-a-days expect to contribute so early on because many peers of theirs are doing so. If you want to be on the floor you play hard and get on the floor if you cant make it on the floor in gametime your just not good enough. 

He should get lmore playing time next year. I think Crawford forgot that college is a 4 year deal not just a stepping stone to the pros.

It is true that high schoolers are getting more attention now than ever and they think they deserve more. If you wanted to be "the man" on a team you should go to a team and coach that play to individual stars instead of team ball and winning like UK and coach Tubby Smith.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>UKfan4Life</b>!
> 
> 
> His high school teammate Mailk Hairston is on the Oregon team.


Being an Oregon fan, I knew that. I just was curious if there were any other reasons why he would go there?


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

According to TCCat, the guy who predicted UK's recruiting class, this is the work of Joe's dad, who was appalled that Joe only got three minutes vs. KU. He yelled at Mitch Barnhardt that Joe was the best player on the team and cited Malik Hairston's playing time at Oregon.

If this is true, then Mr. Crawford, this is Kentucky, not Oregon. PT is earned here, not handed out.


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

What schools were he interested in?


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## froggyvk (Sep 12, 2002)

His final two were Michigan and Kentucky, he went back and forth on that before deciding on Kentucky. But, he made his decision before Malik decided to go to Oregon.


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>UKfan4Life</b>!
> 
> If this is true, then Mr. Crawford, this is Kentucky, not Oregon. PT is earned here, not handed out.



Kentucky like all other schools makes promises to these kids which they ultimately break. Happens at all big schools.


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

But if you expect to waltz into Kentucky and start playing big minutes as a freshman ESPECIALLY as part of a HUGE recruiting class then you obviously havent followed NCAA basketball over the past...80 years or so...


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>UKfan4Life</b>!
> 
> 
> If this is true, then Mr. Crawford, this is Kentucky, not Oregon. PT is earned here, not handed out.


 Yes, Oregon just hands out PT...BS you earn your PT at Oregon like you do everywhere else. I am sick of UK fans putting down Oregon when they mention Malik and Joe and playing time.


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Jsimo12</b>!
> But if you expect to waltz into Kentucky and start playing big minutes as a freshman ESPECIALLY as part of a HUGE recruiting class then you obviously havent followed NCAA basketball over the past...80 years or so...


Well then the coaches shouldn't make promises then.


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>JuniorNoboa</b>!
> 
> 
> Well then the coaches shouldn't make promises then.


Joe Crawford is a stand out talent...Coaches tell players that they can get playing time and he could he must not be doing something right to get the PT. I mean when Azubuike is gone he'll play simple as that...


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>MAS RipCity</b>!
> 
> 
> Yes, Oregon just hands out PT...BS you earn your PT at Oregon like you do everywhere else. I am sick of UK fans putting down Oregon when they mention Malik and Joe and playing time.


Misworded my post. I don't know a damn thing about Oregon except that Mailk Hairston plays there. I didn't mean to insinuate Oregon just hands out PT, but at UK and any big name school with tradition, PT is hard-earned, and it doesn't seem right for Joe's dad to assume Joe should just be handed PT at UK. Also, since when did Oregon and UK fans have arguments concering the PT Malik Hairston gets at Oregon and the PT Joe gets at UK? 

Tubby gives it to guys straight: When Joe first came here, he said his reasons were "Coach told me I had a chance to come in and be a big part of this team." No guarantees were made, and seeing as how Joe is sixth on the team in minutes, it's his job to make sure he makes better use of what he's getting to convince Tubby to play him more.


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

Some articles have been posted on the Cats Pause about Joe's decision. It IS official that he's leaving.

_"We are certainly disappointed that Joe has chosen to transfer," Smith said. "He has been given his release (to talk to other schools). We want to wish him the best wherever he decides to continue this collegiate career and his college studies. Certainly we wish we had more time…but he's a kid that will do well wherever he goes."

Crawford, who was averaging 3.8 points and 2.4 rebounds in 13.3 minutes a game, will be able to speak with any school interested in him without restriction, but UK has yet to decide whether Crawford will be released from his binding Letter of Intent for fear of setting a bad precedent.

"In the middle of the season? Yeah, I'm a little surprised," Hayes said. "When it happened it was all new to me. Joe has his reasons. I don't know if he did (express his feelings). I don't know if this was a decision he made or one he made with his family. I caught the news from my coach and I didn't ask anything about it. 

"I could tell he wasn't playing as well as he would have like to. There were times that he felt like he should have done more things or wished he had more opportunity to do something. When you come in as a freshman, you have to work your way into the system."

Crawford's exit process sped up when he played just seven total minutes in consecutive games against South Carolina and Kansas. His parents - Joseph and Sylvia – were in town for the Kansas game and met with Smith on Monday morning. By that evening, Crawford had moved out of the Wildcat Lodge and headed back to Detroit.

As for the players who are left and how they are affected, Smith didn't sound too worried.

"Whenever someone leaves, in most situations, it's an opportunity for someone else to step up and contribute," Smith said. "I know we have a lot of guys that are eager to play and we certainly need to have their energy and enthusiasm."_

http://kentucky.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=377132


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## thrillhouse (Apr 18, 2003)

there is an article in the lansing state journal saying he is enrolling at MSU today. Nothing is confirmed though.


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## LionsFan01 (Aug 7, 2002)

He should have stuck with UM...with all the injuries there right now he'd definitely be starting.


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

If he's upset that he's not getting much PT under Tubby, things won't be that much better with Izzo (no knock on Izzo, obviously).


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## Jonathan Watters (Jul 20, 2002)

Ironically, I thought Crawford looked a lot like current MSU underachiever Kelvin Torbert did coming out of high school.


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

*Joe Crawford to Michigan State* 

http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=175&p=...=http://michiganstate.scout.com/2/340881.html

Oh well. He probably won't be getting much more PT at MSU than what he got with Tubby.

This was a stupid, stupid move. Now he loses a year of eligibility. Why would you do that? :whoknows:

Oh well. I'll continue to support Joe. He's a good kid and has his heart in the right place, just seems like he needs to use his head a little more.


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

Ill go ahead and say it...Joe Crawford is the next Rashard Carruth/Kelvin Torbert...I hate to say it but that was BONEHEAD...


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Jsimo12</b>!
> Ill go ahead and say it...Joe Crawford is the next Rashard Carruth/Kelvin Torbert...I hate to say it but that was BONEHEAD...


Well Rashaah Carruth was also a terrible headcase, often giving Tubby some extreme back-talk and going around the UK campus boasting about how he's going to go pro after one year. Obviously things have changed.

Joe is a good guy and has his heart set in the right place, but keep in mind, it wasn't totally up to him to leave UK.


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

Izzo was on a local radio station in Michigan and said he told Joe his best bet was to stay at UK. TCCat has also reported that Joe will be returning. I doubt Joe will see anymore PT this year unless this was really the doing of Joe's parents and not neccessarily him.

Craziest bunch of crap I've seen in a long time.


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## TM (Jun 30, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>UKfan4Life</b>!
> Well Rashaah Carruth...


What ever happened to him. Didn't he transfer out West? Oklahoma or something. He ended up not even staying there. Went juco?


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>TonyM</b>!
> 
> 
> What ever happened to him. Didn't he transfer out West? Oklahoma or something. He ended up not even staying there. Went juco?


He's at Southern Miss.


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

Joe Crawford returning to Kentucky

Hopefully his parents will let him make his own decisions now.


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## TM (Jun 30, 2003)

> His parents met with Smith Monday to voice their displeasure over his playing time,


Time to grow up, Joe... As a teammate, I don't know if I'd want him back.


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>TonyM</b>!
> 
> 
> Time to grow up, Joe... As a teammate, I don't know if I'd want him back.


Teammates never had a problem with him. Joe is a great guy and never voiced displeasure with his PT. He was very friendly as well. Joe just needs to tell his parents when to shut up.


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## UKFan33 (Sep 25, 2004)

This may just be my opinion, but I feel that Joe should have to start over, and work his way back up to get PT, When I mean work his was all up, I'm saying he should go below Preston LeMaster. At the very end of the bench.

I really don't see him getting much PT the rest of theyear...


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## thrillhouse (Apr 18, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Jsimo12</b>!
> Ill go ahead and say it...Joe Crawford is the next Rashard Carruth/Kelvin Torbert...I hate to say it but that was BONEHEAD...


I dont think torbert should be lumped in with carruth, kelvin may have not lived up to his reputation coming out of high school, but he is a good player, and there has never been any sort negative issues associated with kt exept for people sometimes wishing he would do more.


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

Well now that he's coming back things are different. So he may not end up being Carruth or Torbert. But after this odd turn off events I dont see this being the last problem with Crawford/His Parents.


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>UKFan33</b>!
> This may just be my opinion, but I feel that Joe should have to start over, and work his way back up to get PT, When I mean work his was all up, I'm saying he should go below Preston LeMaster. At the very end of the bench.
> 
> I really don't see him getting much PT the rest of theyear...



I assume that's what Tubby will do. Offer the kid PT, not fulfill those promises, not release him from this NLOI, and then screw him to the bench for the rest of the year.

He's gone at the end of the season.


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>JuniorNoboa</b>!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow. That makes PERFECT sense.

:uhoh: Who even said he's back to play? For the last time, this is all his parent's doing, not his. Tubby had a talk with his parents today and information on whether or not Joe is staying at UK just to transfer at the end of the season or staying at UK for good should be released sometime soon, probably tommorrow. If it turns out he's here to stay, I doubt many minutes, if any, will be taken away from him since he never had anything against his PT. Tubby offered Joe PT when recruiting him, and he got PT. 13 MINUTES A GAME. 6TH ON THE TEAM IN MINUTES. You say Tubby didn't fulfill those "promises" of PT? Tubby never even promised PT in the first place; Joe said it himself. He liked the idea of having a chance to come in and COMPETE for PT on the team. Not once did Joe say "Coach told me I could come in and get guaranteed big minutes". Even if Tubby did guarantee some minutes, he certainly gave them to Joe. You would think Joe, iwth all of that talent he has, would be able to make better use of his minutes rather than just scoring 3 points a game in 13 minutes of action. If Joe would just stop being so passive and start being more aggressive like he was against UNC, Tubby will keep him in, just like he did against UNC. His parents were just PO'ed he only got three minutes against KU (and the reason he didn't play in the second half was because of something that happened in the lockerroom apparently) and barged into Tubby's office without an appointment and decided to ***** at him. If this is really all his parents fault and Joe was just obeying his parents, then I doubt Tubby will take anything away from Joe if Joe is here to stay. If Joe is benched, then there is obviously something we don't know about the situation then. Tubby wouldn't bench a guy for something his parents did.

And about releasing him from the NLOI: If UK did this, it would be bad for the NCAA. It has never been done before since the rule has been in place. UK was setting a precedent here. If we let him out, then that would mean any ol' recuit to any team could transfer from a school at any point in the season without the usual having to sit out a year "penalty" occuring.


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## Rip City Road Blocker (Jul 23, 2004)

Even if he had gone to Oregon, he wouldn't have started unless Malik left for the NBA. Bryce Taylor is too good, and he is a freshman too. Oregon wasn't the right place for him anyway.


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

WLEX in Lexington just reported that Joe IS back on the team. Sounds like his parents made ammends with Tubby.


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>UKfan4Life</b>!
> WLEX in Lexington just reported that Joe IS back on the team. Sounds like his parents made ammends with Tubby.


Sounds like his parents need to sit in the stands with the rest of the FANS.


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

Joe Crawford: "I want to finish my career as a Wildcat" 

_"I'm glad to be back and I'm ready to give this my all," Crawford said in a statement released by UK. "I'm thankful that Coach Smith has given me a second chance, even though he didn't have to. That shows me that he's glad that I'm a part of this team."_

_"I'm back and I want to finish my college career as a Kentucky Wildcat," he said.

In the statement, Smith said he remains committed to Crawford. 

"We're pleased that Joe is back with us and working out with the team," Smith said. "As a leader, it's important to have patience and give young people the space to make their own decisions. We're glad Joe has chosen to rejoin us. Our commitment to Joe remains to help him become a better person, better student and better basketball player. It's the same commitment we make to anyone who is a part of Kentucky basketball."

Smith did not disclose any possible disciplinary action, but did say that Crawford will return to practice immediately._

Team is glad to have him back 

Gone at the end of the season, huh?


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

I posted this in the SEC forum, but figured I might as well post it here as well.

The argument that Tubby does not "respect" or play his freshmen is baseless when you look at the facts.

Keith Bogans as a freshman averaged 27 minutes a game.

Tayshaun as a freshman averaged 20 minutes a game.

Desmond Allison averaged 15 minutes a game.

Chuck Hayes got big minutes towards the end of his freshman year when he started playing well (averaged 16 minutes a game total but would've averaged more if he was playing like he did at the end of that season).

Jason Parker started as a freshman and averaged 19 minutes a game.

Gerald Fitch averaged 19 minutes as a freshman.

Marvin "I have the worst hands in college basketball" Stone averaged 13 minutes a game as a freshman.

Saul Smith averaged 13 minutes a game as a freshman.

Erik Daniels averaged 12 minutes a game as a freshman.

Rashaad Carruth averaged 12 minutes a game as a freshman.

Jules Camara averaged 11 minutes a game as a freshman.

Cliff Hawkins averaged 11 minutes a game as a freshman.

Now we have Rajon Rondo starting and averaging 25 minutes a game.

Randolph Morris is starting and is averaging 19 minutes a game.

Joe Crawford is averaging 13 minutes a game and those minutes will only increase if he uses them effectively, as evidenced by the UNC game.

Ramel Bradley is averaging 11 minutes a game and those minutes will only increase as the year goes on if he uses them effectively.

The bottom line is if you play well in practice and make a positive impression, you WILL play in a game. If you play well in a game, your minutes will increase. The "Tubby refuses to play freshmen" arguement is completely bogus.


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## JuniorNoboa (Jan 27, 2003)

UK Fan:

Just to let you know. My feelings for Tubby are not directed at him alone.

I think the majority of college coaches make promises to freshment that they know they can't always keep. The "work hard and you will be rewarded" promise is also broken ... a lot. Tubby or other coaches might try their hardest, and put in a worthy attempt, to appease their promises, but they can't always do it, even when the frosh is holding up his end.

It's a feeling I have about all coaches, not an agenda against Tubby. Recruiting is all about promises, and the # of transfers out there are an indicator of how many promises have been broken.

It's my general feeling - my comment would be the same if it was Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim or Bobby Knight.

Don't think I am picking on Roy - I am picking on coaches ... and it is hard to blame them ... it is the nature of the beast of recruiting.


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## UKfan4Life (Mar 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>JuniorNoboa</b>!
> UK Fan:
> 
> Just to let you know. My feelings for Tubby are not directed at him alone.
> ...


I understand what you mean. Tubby has fulfilled these promises more often than not, but I'm sure not as much as he knows he should have or as much as a particular freshman would have liked him to. In recent games, however, Tubby is letting our freshmen play through their mistakes as opposed to the "make a dumb freshman mistake and your *** is on the bench" method.


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