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  • Bilas perplexed about Kentucky criticism

    By: LARRY VAUGHT

    Jay Bilas spent time with Kentucky when the Wildcats played a six-game exhibition schedule in the Bahamas in August and even talked to the team about the challenges/distractions they might face during the season.

    The ESPN analyst has followed UK closely this season and has been a bit perplexed by the perception about John Calipari’s team.

    “I have been really interested in a lot of things that have been written and said about Kentucky this year because it seems there’s a narrative that has developed, questions being asked on Kentucky, the one-and-done program, whether it’s good for the game. Really interesting things that have been asked,” Bilas said.

    “One of the things that I’ve asked is, What do we want in a team that we would admire that Kentucky is not? In other words, in college we’ve got this holier than thou provincial view of things that we want players that value the front of the jersey more than the back. You hear that a lot. Well, okay. Who plays harder defense, who plays more together, who sacrificed more than Kentucky?

    “Their players have sacrificed individual playing time, individual numbers, starting spots, minutes, all the things that the selfish player of today, at least the stereotype of the selfish player, would demand. They’ve sacrificed all of it. They seem to get along wonderfully well together, going against the stereotype of the one-and-done.

    “The one-and-done culture… They’ve come back. They have six guys that have come back from last year. Two of them have come back twice. That goes against the one-and-done thing, the thing we seem to despise in college basketball.”

    Bilas pointed out that UK has not had anybody suspended or with off-court issues this season, either.

    “They’re great with the media. Like they’re nice, goofy kids,” Bilas said. “If they were wearing different uniforms, they would be celebrated for all those things. You kind of have to wonder, when we say we want something, like why aren’t we accepting it because we’re getting it from Kentucky. We don’t seem to want it from them, we seem to want it from somebody else.”

    Bilas’ honesty and candor have made him ESPN’s lead analyst and someone coaches, players and fans respect. He has praised UK on ESPN, but pointed out on a recent ESPN conference call what he thought there was about Kentucky that brings out animosity in fans and some media members.

    “I think it’s a number of things that you see every day. It’s sort of the New York Yankees syndrome where Kentucky has been so good for so long that I’m sure people root for them to lose. That’s okay. I don’t have any problem with that. But I do have a problem with, like, players being stereotyped improperly,” Bilas said.

    “Some of it is John Calipari, frankly. People have views of John, and they’re entitled to like or dislike him. I have zero problem with that. That’s a matter of taste. I happen to like John very much. I don’t like people questioning me why I like him, so I wouldn’t question why somebody doesn’t. But when you get down to factual matters, when people say things based on some sort of factual basis, they better be right. Most of it is not right. Most of it is unreasonable. That’s an issue.”

    By now, Bilas was really on a roll.

    “But more than anything, I have a problem with the way the players are treated. If you took Karl-Anthony Towns, put him in another uniform, I think you’d see him viewed differently. Same thing with all the other guys,” Bilas said. “They’ve done nothing but handle themselves in a first-class manner. Like if we really believe that it’s virtuous to sacrifice for the good of the team, for the good of the team rather than the name on the back, what have these guys done other than anything we love about college sports? The answer is nothing.

    “They have been everything we have said we want. Look, if they haven’t been, I would say so, but they have been. For people not to acknowledge that … I’m not saying they have to go out and throw parades for them, that’s fine. They don’t have to do that. But some of the things that are said and written I think are frankly a little bit out of line given what we say we want.”
    Comments 2 Comments
    1. kingcat's Avatar
      kingcat -
      Bilas has been a friend to the University of Kentucky and is a true bright spot in the sports media.

      Duke should be very proud of him.
    1. DanISSELisdaman's Avatar
      DanISSELisdaman -
      I really like Bilas. He's the best and most knowledgeable reporter that I have seen. He tells it like he sees it and don't make no apologies for it!