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imsoblue
11-08-2012, 07:27 AM
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – John Calipari won his first national championship at Kentucky last April. He took his 2011 team to the NCAA Final Four. His first UK team was parked at Number One for a long stretch of the 2010 season. He's yet to lose a game in Rupp Arena.

Calipari does not start this season ranked Number One. Tom Crean does at Indiana University. In 2008 Crean took over a program without any scholarship players. In 2012, the Hoosiers defeated three Top Five teams and surged into the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

Calipari and Crean have done remarkable work. But when WDRB polled 41 writers and media members from across the nation for their pick as the best college basketball coach in Kentuckiana, neither guy was the winner.

The pick was Rick Pitino of the University of Louisville – and it wasn't close.

Pitino was ranked first on 25 ballots. Calipari finished second with 11 votes. Crean earned four.

"All three of them are great coaches," U of L guard Peyton Siva said. "I think Coach Cal is a great coach and I think Coach Crean is a great coach. They're great at what they do.

"I love Coach P. I've been playing for him for four years and I know he's a great coach. He's a great X and O guy, he knows different situations. He's just a great person all around … I think it's well-deserved."

Even voters who chose Pitino said it was a difficult choice. Calipari's record at Kentucky has been remarkable. Crean handled a massive Mr. Fix-It assignment at IU.

"That was a hard one," said Jim O'Connell, the national college basketball writer for the Associated Press. "You can argue 10 different points and get different answers.

"But I think Pitino would get it with the main reason how his teams improve over the course of the season."

"Pitino, by a hair over Calipari," said Lenn Robbins of the New York Post.

"Rick Pitino is as good as any coach of any level of basketball right now," wrote Frank Burlison, a Hall of Fame writer from Los Angeles who writes for Sports Illustrated's web site.

Pitino's record is outstanding. It earned him a spot on the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame ballot last year. He's made six NCAA Final Four appearances with three programs. He won the 1996 national championship at Kentucky.

But Calipari has beaten him four straight, winning every UK-U of L game since he arrived at Kentucky. Calipari has directed three consecutive UK teams to the NCAA Elite Eight – and nobody would blink if he stretched that record to four, five, and six …

"I thought you said these (questions) were easy," wrote Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News.

"All three teams have great centers, and all have great coaches. But Calipari built and sustained enormous success at UMass and Memphis before coming to UK, and he's in the sweet spot of his career now."

"Calipari," wrote Tom Kensler of the Denver Post. "He's unmatched as a recruiter, motivator and team psychologist, and highly underrated as a game coach."

"You've got to go with Cal," said Mitchell Light, editor of the Athlon Sports College Basketball Yearbook. "It's hard to argue with the results. You can't go wrong with any of the three, but Cal is at the top of the profession right now."

Crean is the youngest of the three and positioned to gain on the other two. Not all of his support came from Indiana. He was selection of Al Featherston, veteran sportswriter and ACC historian from North Carolina, who gave Crean the edge on the court and off the court, too.

But in the end, the pick was Pitino.

"It's a crime that he's not in the Hall of Fame," wrote Dick Jerardi of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Here is a list of the poll participants:

John Akers, Basketball Times; Steve Andress, WDRB; Alex Bozich, Inside The Hall; Rick Bozich, WDRB; Kevin Brockway, Gainesville (Fla.) Sun; Frank Burlison, SI.com; Steve Carp, Las Vegas Review-Journal; John Clay, Lexington Herald-Leader; Eric Crawford, WDRB; Ken Davis, Fox Sports; Brett Dawson, Cats Illustrated; Chris Dortch, Blue Ribbon Yearbook;

Mike DeCourcy, The Sporting News; Jody Demling, Cardinal Authority; Pete DiPrimio, Fort Wayne (Ind.) News-Sentinel; Pat Doney, WDRB; Al Featherston, SB Nation North Carolina; John Feinstein, CBS Sports Radio; Pat Forde, Yahoo! Sports.com; Lew Freedman, Columbus (Ind.) Republic; Jeff Goodman, CBSSports.com; Herb Gould, Chicago Sun-Times;

Ron Green Jr. Charlotte Observer; Vahe Gregorian, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Bob Holt, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; Dick Jerardi, Philadelphia Daily News; Todd Jones, Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch; Tom Kensler, Denver Post; Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star; Tom Lane, WDRB; Mitchell Light; Athlon Sports; Mike Lopresti, USA Today;

Matt May, The Cats' Pause; Kevin McNamara, Providence (R.I.) Journal; Jim O'Connell, Associated Press; Dana O'Neil, ESPN.com; Brendan Quinn, Knoxville (Tenn.) News-Sentinel; Lenox Rawlings, Winston-Salem Journal; Lenn Robbins, New York Post; Mike Waters, Syracuse.com.

link (http://www.wdrb.com/story/20037364/bozich-pitino-wins-wdrb-media-poll-as-top-kentuckiana-coach)

ColonelSteve
11-08-2012, 03:37 PM
I wanna see the ballots

Catonahottinroof
11-08-2012, 04:36 PM
Bozich wins the douche sportswriter award. :party0035:

dan_bgblue
11-08-2012, 04:38 PM
:confused0053: :sHa_dielaughing:

CitizenBBN
11-08-2012, 05:18 PM
:sCo_huhsign:

let's highlight some of these insightful students of the game:

Here is a list of the poll participants:

John Akers, Basketball Times; Steve Andress, WDRB; Alex Bozich, Inside The Hall; Rick Bozich, WDRB; Kevin Brockway, Gainesville (Fla.) Sun; Frank Burlison, SI.com; Steve Carp, Las Vegas Review-Journal; John Clay, Lexington Herald-Leader; Eric Crawford, WDRB; Ken Davis, Fox Sports; Brett Dawson, Cats Illustrated; Chris Dortch, Blue Ribbon Yearbook;

Mike DeCourcy, The Sporting News; Jody Demling, Cardinal Authority; Pete DiPrimio, Fort Wayne (Ind.) News-Sentinel; Pat Doney, WDRB; Al Featherston, SB Nation North Carolina; John Feinstein, CBS Sports Radio; Pat Forde, Yahoo! Sports.com; Lew Freedman, Columbus (Ind.) Republic; Jeff Goodman, CBSSports.com; Herb Gould, Chicago Sun-Times;

Ron Green Jr. Charlotte Observer; Vahe Gregorian, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Bob Holt, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; Dick Jerardi, Philadelphia Daily News; Todd Jones, Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch; Tom Kensler, Denver Post; Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star; Tom Lane, WDRB; Mitchell Light; Athlon Sports; Mike Lopresti, USA Today;

Matt May, The Cats' Pause; Kevin McNamara, Providence (R.I.) Journal; Jim O'Connell, Associated Press; Dana O'Neil, ESPN.com; Brendan Quinn, Knoxville (Tenn.) News-Sentinel; Lenox Rawlings, Winston-Salem Journal; Lenn Robbins, New York Post; Mike Waters, Syracuse.com.


5 of them are from WDRB. I didn't know they had 5 writers. Even among those I didn't highlight you have writers from non friendly papers or areas. About 10 people on there I respect and funny enough about that many votes for Cal.

This is why I love basketball. What the media thinks counts for exactly nothing. If Cal manages to win at Yum this year do they do a re vote?

blueboss
11-08-2012, 09:24 PM
"That was a hard one," said Jim O'Connell, the national college basketball writer for the Associated Press. "You can argue 10 different points and get different answers.

"But I think Pitino would get it with the main reason how his teams improve over the course of the season."


Yeah because Cal's teams barely improve over the course of the year.

ColonelSteve
11-08-2012, 10:01 PM
I wanna know what it says about the Big East that one of its best teams loses in the NCAA to a Morehead State team that got blown out in the 2nd round...guess these voters forgot about that one

CitizenBBN
11-08-2012, 11:56 PM
I wanna know what it says about the Big East that one of its best teams loses in the NCAA to a Morehead State team that got blown out in the 2nd round...guess these voters forgot about that one

This is where they put their fingers in their ears and yell "LA LA LA" really loud. Fools or liars. Take your pick. :action-smiley-060:

blueboss
11-09-2012, 01:39 PM
Turrible, jus turrible...

Darrell KSR
11-09-2012, 03:25 PM
Yep, media bought the red koolaid. Or whatever color Rick wants them to drink.

Catfan73
11-09-2012, 10:24 PM
Pitino is something like 7-7 vs. Crean and 4-8 against Cal.

Catonahottinroof
11-09-2012, 10:28 PM
http://www.cyclonefanatic.com/forum/attachments/big-xii-conference/14423d1346873347-k-state-mask-turrible.jpg
Turrible, jus turrible...

blueboss
11-09-2012, 10:37 PM
http://www.cyclonefanatic.com/forum/attachments/big-xii-conference/14423d1346873347-k-state-mask-turrible.jpg

There's my boy!!

Edward100
11-11-2012, 04:51 PM
When a person does a poll and they want results to reflect their views, they will ask people they feel share their views. A republican will ask republicans and demarcates will ask demarcates. The poll was conducted by WDRB, a Louisville TV station; some of the voters are known to dislike Kentucky and looks like Indiana also.

Badinage
11-13-2012, 05:47 AM
Cal stopped Rick's and Tom's runs last year. Cal and Tom could be be Rick's chief opponents this year.