Posts Tagged ‘Billy Donovan’

Selby who?  Bruce bounced back by getting the #3 PF, #7 player in the country to go with the #6, and #35 SGs in the country.  Billy Donovan’s day just got so much worse.

» Updated: 27 March 2009 — 4:25pm

Apparently, Gillispie’s firing became official about 5 minutes after I posted this.  At least I was a little bit ahead of the curve…

» Updated: 27 March 2009 — 4:42pm

Now, as his comment below points out, HSH has discovered an even more interesting development: perhaps Billy Donovan is going to Kentucky.

Well, friends and neighbors, it’s not like it is unexpected, but it appears that Billy Gillispie is out at Kentucky.  This comes from WHAS TV in Louisville.  Seemingly in response to this report, the Kentucky athletic department issued a public statement which—paraphrased—amounts to their complete refusal to make a public statement.  It read,  “UK mens basketball coach Billy Gillispie has not been fired. There have been no meetings between Gillispie and UK officials today and there is no scheduled press conference tomorrow.“

I think a simple “no comment” would have sufficed.

Either way, this does seriously change the dynamic in the SEC East.  Hooper over at RTT has an interesting article on why this prospect scares him as a fan of SEC and Tennessee basketball.  The uncertainty at Kentucky will definitely add confusion to recruiting, but what if Kentucky actually gets a “good” coach?  With rumors flying about as to who will replace Gillispie, it stands to reason that Kentucky Mitch Barnhart will be trying to save his neck by getting a coach who is a little better fit for the Wildcats this time around than was Billy Clyde.  According to the guys at Team Speed Kills, however, that new coach will not be Billy Donovan (or will it?).

In the meantime, I suppose we will all be guessing…

Read the rest of this entry »

Weekend Recap and Such

First things first, it’s snowing in Knoxville today. Although it’s stopped (temporarily?) this might be the first time I’ve seen snow actually stick to the ground in my time here in Knoxville (almost three years). I’m from Memphis, and it never snows there, so safe to say it’s pretty cool. Also an interesting little tidbit, as I was walking from my class to TRECS (yes, I spend lots of time there), I saw Renaldo Woolridge and Emmanuel Negedu in a mini-snowball fight. Those guys are from Nigeria and California (although Negedu did got to school in New Hampshire), so snow’s probably new to them too. Of course it’s ridiculously cold yet again, but I guess that’s how it’s gotta be for snow…

From my phone: Circle Park at 11 this morning...

Read the rest of this entry »

Final Score: Florida 63 • Tennessee 79

Postgame: Quotes • Box Score

The BasketVols managed to get back in the win column versus the Florida Gators, grabbing a key win in the Tommy Bowl.  The win was the Tennessee Volunteers’ 4th straight and 6th win out of the last 7 games against the Gators.  More importantly, with the Kentucky Wildcats losing back to back games against first Ole Miss and then South Carolina, Tennessee moved back in the running for the SEC East, in a three way tie with Florida and the Wildcats (I know, they are technically a 1/2 game back, but who’s counting?).  At 13-7 (4-2 SEC), the Vols are very much in the mix as they enter the final month of the season.

The key feature of this game was the absence of mental lapses.  This was the first “complete” game the Vols have managed since beating Vanderbilt on the 20th of January.

Hopefully, this was a turning point…

'Scuse me! Comin' through!

The Vols only shot 49.2% from the field, but made up for it by shooting 42.9% from behind the 3-point arc.  The Vols were led offensively by Scotty Hopson, who scored 20 points, followed by Tyler Smith (16), Wayne Chism (12), and Bobby Maze (11).  Defensively, the Orange led in steals 10-5 over the Gators who gave up 18 turnovers.  This was probably the best defensive showing by Tennessee this season.  Of course, it is easier to play god defense when you jump out to a quick lead, which is exactly what the Vols did.

Starting out 6-0, Tennessee grabbed the lead and never relinquished it.  Leading by as much as 23 points in the second half (16:03 remaining), the closest Florida could get from there was 9 points (7:09 remaining).  The Vols responded by putting on more steam and kept it going down the the stretch, securing the 16 point victory.

Player of the Game Scotty Hopson seemed to really turn a corner, shooting 4-6 from 3-point range, along with his 27 minutes of solid defense and “smart” play moving the ball. Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism both did their part, each with 9 rebounds and a stifling presence.  Still, the win was a team effort with each of the Vols contributing in a positive and meaningful way.

• Stats Courtesy of: CBS Sports

With ESPN’s College GameDay crew in Knoxville, it’s nice to see the men in orange send a message to the nation.  What was that message?

We may be young, but we don’t quit, and we are getting stronger…

After the game, Tennessee Head Coach Bruce Pearl, said that he felt that the Vols were ready to beat Florida.  After losing to the LSU Tigers earlier in the week, he was heartened by the effort he saw getting ready to face the Gators, “After we lost Wednesday to LSU, we practiced hard Monday; they showed me at that time they intended to move on.”

Apparently, Bruce Almighty was right.

Now, if the Vols can capitalize on the momentum over the Gators and push forward as they get ready to take on Arkansas, Auburn, and Georgia, they can put themselves in a good position to compete for the SEC East title, with the overall SEC Title still within reach.  The Vols face the Arkansas Razorbacks 13–6 (1–5 SEC) on Wednesday, 4 February at 8:00 pm in Fayetteville.

– So it goes …

Image Courtesy of: ESPN.com / AP – Wade Payne

Well, this one matters…

Tonight the BasketVols take on the Florida Gators in Gainesville. I know that Head Coach Eddie Munster Billy Donovan will have the Gators fired-up in hopes of beating the Vols and hopefully earning Florida a berth in the NCAA Tournament. In years past, the Tennessee Volunteers would have expected to lose, fortunately, Tennessee has a different coach now, and no longer expects to lose to anyone.

A win versus the Gators brings the BasketVols one step closer to their first outright SEC Championship in 41 years, and one step closer to rolling into the post-season as a number 1 seed. I have a feeling that the BasketVols will be ready and will bring leave it all on the floor tonight.

The game tips off at 9:00 on Raycom Sports. For those outside the regional broadcast area, you can catch the Vol Network broadcast at UT Sports.com or on XM Channel 199.

Gee, Billy, I’d say you turned out better than the rest of the family…

– Go Figure …

Well, once again I have added to the conversation over at Rocky Top Talk. This time a little look into how Tennessee values Bruce Pearl, as compared to other coaches — including it’s own.

While not as acerbic as my usual posts, this one was tough — and (cringe) actually resembles a real report by a real journalist. I actually had to do some research and find sources and things. I hate it when I can’t just make baseless allegations grounded on nothing more than the empty space between my ears. What is the world coming to?

Anyway, if you feel like giving it a look, just click the following link: How Much is Winning Worth?.

At any rate, I should be back on Gate 21 full time sometime in the near future (not that anyone cares).

– Go Figure …

Despite starting slowly, and allowing the Gators to go a run in the first few minutes of the game, Bruce and the Barbarians not only defeated Florida, but gave it to them the hard way in a 104-82 rout in front of a raucous Tommy Bowl crowd. There were simply too many superlatives to mention — most notably the Vols 60 second-half points. Chris Lofton led the Vols with 26 points with JaJuan Smith and Tyler Smith each adding 23. You can catch the video highlights over at YMSWWC.

With this win over the defending national champions, the Vols improve to 20-2 (7-1 in the SEC), their best start ever, and continue their winning streak in Knoxville — which now stands at 28 consecutive games. Not even Technical-happy referee Ted “I am the Law” Valentine could deny the Vols a chance to wallop the Gators.

Next up, the Vols face LSU in Baton Rouge on Saturday at 3:00.

The Vols continue to roll, as they move closer to tournament time, and the possibility of playing for championships. This team continues to give more effort, more hustle, and more determination than any team I’ve seen play this year. While there may be a few teams which are more skilled in some areas, there is no team which shows more heart.

Gotta hate it for Florida, though … well — actually — no, you don’t…

– Go Figure …