SEC Media Days: Basketball tidbit

This year the SEC will continue to treat basketball as the red-headed stepchild, and cram 28 teams (14 men and 14 women) into one jam-packed day for media, October 25.

We will be there to cover it as usual. Although I no longer fret (too much) over the fact they shrunk the media dayS from two days to one a few years ago, I am very disappointed this year they are also eliminating ALL players.

No Kentucky men's basketball or women's basketball players will make the trip. No anybody's players will make the trip. Coaches only.

That is disappointing to me. Larry and gang will get all the info you can stand on Kentucky basketball players, but I actually look forward to visiting with players from OTHER schools at this event, and I know that there have been some very good interviews, quotes, and tidbits that have arisen from talking to them. Many of the players know each other and share information about each other. It will be very disappointing this year not to have that opportunity provided by the Southeastern Conference.

Comissioner Slive strikes again! :mad:

This is especially ridiculous given that Kentucky, an SEC team, IS THE REIGNING NATIONAL CHAMPION, the MONEY that BOTH football and basketball has brought to the conference over the past year, and there are two new teams, ONE of which, Missouri, brings excellent basketball tradition to the conference.

It's stupid on so many levels, Darrell, but I guess I am never surprised anymore by what fat bureaucracies reap. I mean, REALLY, how much freaking cash do they need to give y'all decent digs AND let a handful (maybe even just ONE per team?) of players appear?

It's weak.

I'm very surprised.

I actually thought with adding Texas A&M and Missouri that the league would go to 1-1/2 days, rather than 2--which would suit me just fine. But cramming 28 teams/coaches in one day is bad enough; now to "help" they eliminate the players?

UK will have their media day the following week, and we'll have 3 or 4 people there, but we won't have other coaches & players to give insight. Years ago, I used to write more, and I would store up tidbits that I obtained from SEC Media Days until we played that team. Then could bring a story with a slant that had not yet been seen. Larry and the gang still do that all the time.

This was not a good move. Very poor decision, IMHO. The truth is, though, SEC Media Days for football gets about 1,000 media members, and for basketball, maybe 100. At one time we used to cast our all-SEC votes like we do in football for basketball. Last year I voted, Larry, Lonny and I were 3 of 22 people voting in the entire SEC media for preseason predictions. So the SEC finally determined it wasn't worth the effort to hold a full event anymore, they cut it from two days to one, and eliminated voting (now done by a "select" group of beat writers, two per school. Stupid.

And now they're eliminating players.

I will go, but it will not be nearly the interest for everybody as it has been in the past. You may also see, from time to time, pics of UK players on the Front Page here that came from Media Days. I enjoy their pictures with them dressed in a suit, or even neatly with a sweater or a polo, as a nice change of pace from an action shot in a uniform.

Won't be able to do that this year. I hope they fix it after this year.

Too many sensitive questions to ask of the players I imagine. I hear they are secretly developing plexi-bubbles for SEC players to stay in when not being used for profit or attending class. In slight contrast to ACC b-ball programs which appear to be doing away with classes altogether and allowing athletes time to power shop, blow bubbles, and such.

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"GO HEELS"

With SEC Media Day tomorrow; thought I'd resurrect this thread.