the job is Ford's according to today's RonnieGram

gui98 · Post by **gui98** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:08 am

UMass87 wrote:
gui98 wrote:bringing in a coach from the midwest ...
Maybe one of the Kentucky lurkers can ad their 2 cents but Kentucky is the South not the Midwest. People on this board keep referring to Ford's geographical connection as a connection to the Midwest.

right, but coaching near the midwest he probably has midwest ties and since he coaches a team that is in the south he has south ties as well, or whatever. Geography. awesome.

PintOGuinness · Post by **PintOGuinness** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:16 am

Here's what UK fans are saying on their Rivals site. A lot of them feel that Ford should stay where he is and wait for another opportunity at a "major" school.

A lively debate about where UMass is relative to some other programs ensues within this thread.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/showmsg.asp? ... d=&style=2

philosopher · Post by **philosopher** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:17 am

gui98 wrote: Geography. awesome.

Xavier, Dayton, St. Louis... members of the Atlantic 10.

Then you look at the commissioner and oddly, it all makes some semblance of sense.

local · Post by **local** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:20 am

UMass87 wrote:
gui98 wrote:bringing in a coach from the midwest ...
Maybe one of the Kentucky lurkers can ad their 2 cents but Kentucky is the South not the Midwest. People on this board keep referring to Ford's geographical connection as a connection to the Midwest.

This depends on who and where you are. Having lived in that region of the country I can say that this is a very relative thing. We see is as the south. People in AL, GA, FLA, MS probably don't they don't think Virginia is in the south and probably arent fully convinced about North Carolina. I have also talked to people from Michigan who believe they live in the Northeast. I would call Michigan the Mid-west. It is very open to interpretation.

CRR_ · Post by **CRR_** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:21 am

philosopher wrote:
gui98 wrote: Geography. awesome.
Xavier, Dayton, St. Louis... members of the Atlantic 10.

Then you look at the commissioner and oddly, it all makes some semblance of sense.

Xavier, Dayton, St. Louis...CHARLOTTE, NC? Golly, why would UMass want some guy who could recruit the state of North Carolina, just because the conference will now be playing in the largest city in that state?

Geography is awesome, I agree!

MC85 · Post by **MC85** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:27 am

PintOGuinness wrote:Here's what UK fans are saying on their Rivals site. A lot of them feel that Ford should stay where he is and wait for another opportunity at a "major" school.

A lively debate about where UMass is relative to some other programs ensues within this thread.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/showmsg.asp? ... d=&style=2

Ouch! Except for one poster in this thread, UMass gets very little respect.

isithow? · Post by **isithow?** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:28 am

I'd be encouraged by this choice if indeed it is correctly reported. This may have been the best candidate, in the all around sense. Also if you honestly think re-building doesn't have to be done I have no clue why. Yes this next year there may be a success as there is a lot of talent here (if they all stay). If you think that is going to continue year after year after that, that's kind of funny. After year 1 or 2 it is then up to the coach to show that he can coach at this level, and recruit the proper people at this level. I still say that the new coach should be given at LEAST 5 years, only so there is stability in the program. Really no program no matter who or where can expect to be successful if there is constant turn around every 3-4 years with the coaches. I wish whoever it be the best of luck. And hopefully it will be a quicker turn around then I think.

isithow? · Post by **isithow?** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:30 am

MC85 wrote:
PintOGuinness wrote:Here's what UK fans are saying on their Rivals site. A lot of them feel that Ford should stay where he is and wait for another opportunity at a "major" school.

A lively debate about where UMass is relative to some other programs ensues within this thread.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/showmsg.asp? ... d=&style=2
Ouch! Except for one poster in this thread, UMass gets very little respect.

Has there been a reason for respect the past 5 or 6 years (maybe longer depending on how you see it)?

UMass87 · Post by **UMass87** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:35 am

local wrote: ...This depends on who and where you are. Having lived in that region of the country I can say that this is a very relative thing...

I'm sensitive to that because, having grown up in the Hub, I think southern Indiana is the South and southern Ohio is the South and Buffalo is the midwest and anything west of Philly in Pennsylvania is themid west and anything south of New Jersey is the South (I don't generally acknowledge Delaware's existence so I have no clue what region it is in).

Anybody who doesn't think Virginia is the South has never spent time in Richmond.

Kosty · Post by **Kosty** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:42 am

UMass87 wrote:Buffalo is the midwest

No no no....Buffalo is Upstate.....Syracuse is Upstate.....according to my wife who is from Westchester County, everything north of the Tappan Zee is Upstate.

kdogg8173 · Post by **kdogg8173** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:50 am

isithow? wrote:
MC85 wrote:
PintOGuinness wrote:Here's what UK fans are saying on their Rivals site. A lot of them feel that Ford should stay where he is and wait for another opportunity at a "major" school.

A lively debate about where UMass is relative to some other programs ensues within this thread.

http://kentucky.rivals.com/showmsg.asp? ... d=&style=2
Ouch! Except for one poster in this thread, UMass gets very little respect.
Has there been a reason for respect the past 5 or 6 years (maybe longer depending on how you see it)?

I just think it's funny because they based everything on conference. Thats like saying Baylor and Rutgers are bigger basketball schools because they are Big 12 and Big East, even though they suck year after year and have never even been remotely competitive.

CRR_ · Post by **CRR_** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 11:00 am

kdogg8173 wrote: I just think it's funny because they based everything on conference. Thats like saying Baylor and Rutgers are bigger basketball schools because they are Big 12 and Big East, even though they suck year after year and have never even been remotely competitive.

Exactly!!!

Coaches should think a long time about their careers before they take a job at a football school that will routinely get its head kicked in hoops. How much success would you think Dick Barnes has had at UT-Austin? The Tennessee job is another example, only there you also get to play second fiddle to the WOMEN'S team.

The A10 is a very good hoops conference that still gets lots of national exposure. Many of the schools have recently built brand-new, sparkling on-campus arenas. Adding Charlotte is an huge plus. You don't get two teams to the Elite 8 last year by accident.

philosopher · Post by **philosopher** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 11:01 am

The data is old (circa 1980), but the premise of Joel Garreau's "The Nine Nations of North America" still holds firm. I'd shift his boundaries a bit, but he provides a very good "100,000 foot view" of North America and how the regional cultures play out.

CRR, my bad, but I had never put Doherty/NC/Charlotte together in my mind. Nice insight.

CRR_ · Post by **CRR_** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 11:04 am

philosopher wrote:
CRR, my bad, but I had never put Doherty/NC/Charlotte together in my mind. Nice insight.

I was thinking of our potential "hick" coach, actually.

Ford was interviewed on one of our sports radio stations the week of the UK game. He does NOT talk like aw-shucks Buzz Peterson, believe me. But with all the hoops talent available in the south, what's the harm in having a coach who can visit the AAU tournaments down there and "talk the talk" with the local coaches?

DS Bruce Robertson · Post by **DS Bruce Robertson** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 11:15 am

I'd say there is more inherent mistrust of Northerners by Southerners than there is of Southerners by Northerners. We just think Southerns is dum.*

*The FDA has labeled this sentence as having zero redeeming qualities