What has been the tenure of SEC M BBall Coaches during the Expansion Era?

[jbcarol]

Vanderbilt

54-year old Kevin Stallings has completed 16 seasons at Vandy and is currently the dean of SEC coaches. His highlight was defeating UK's 2012 national champions in the SEC Tournament final.  Stallings is 127–135 (.485) in SEC regular season games.

Stallings' best run has been '04-'12 including all six of their NCAA appearances during his tenure and two Sweet Sixteens. This represents two of six times Vandy has made the Sweet Sixteen ever. Roy Skinner took Vandy to the Elite Eight during Kentucky's off season in '65 and in a 23-team tournament field winning one game. Vandy has not won  the SEC regular season under Stallings.

Stallings was a teammate of Arkansas native JB Carroll during his playing days at Purdue.

Jan van Breda Kolff preceded Stallings at Vandy and coached for six seasons. Jan was the SEC Player of the Year in 1974 and helped Vandy gain a share of the Conference regular season title and a Sweet 16 run in the NCAA-T.

Jan was 43-53 for a prorated average of 7-9. van Breda Kolff took Vandy to the NCAA first round once in his six seasons. Vandy was in the NIT three times, runners up in '94.

Eddie Fogler was Vandy's coach for four seasons. His last two seasons were the first two of the SEC expansion era. Fogler went 38-30 in conference regular season play prorating to a 9-7 mark. He took Vandy to the NCAA twice and to the NIT the other two seasons.

For Fogler, Vandy was the NIT Champ in '90. In '93, Vandy won the SEC regular season championship with a 14-2 mark. Vandy made the Sweet 16 and finished with an overall 28-6 record.

Fogler left Vandy to take on a rebuilding task at South Carolina.

[jbcarol]

Ole Miss (updated)

Andy Kennedy, 47 completed his ninth season at Ole Miss in '14-15  Kennedy is 78-72 (52%) in SEC regular season games.

After failing to lead Ole Miss to an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first six seasons, Kennedy had a team advance past the first game in two of the last three campaigns. His '12-13 team with Marshall Henderson went 27-9 and advanced to "NCAA Third Round".

In Dec. 2008 Kennedy and his staff were involved in an incident with a cab driver. A number of questionable decisions were made by the Coach in the moments and days following his arrest. Kennedy, stuff-faced, was caught on police cam asserting that his arrest would create an "international incident". He and his attorney (also Pete Rose's counselor) sued an eyewitness, a college student working part time as a valet, for defamation of character. His wife through counsel also sued for loss of consortium. Kennedy and his attorneys did not count on a citizen obtaining one of the leading attorneys in Cincinnati to defend the eyewitness pro bono. Kennedy dropped the suit against the eyewitness and chose to pay an undisclosed sum of cash.

Kennedy was preceded by Rod Barnes a former All-SEC player at Ole Miss in the late 80s. Barnes coached eight seasons and was 50-78 (39%) which prorates to a 6.25-9.75 per season average. Barnes took Ole Miss to the NCAA-T in three of his first four seasons and the NIT his second season. Barnes took Ole Miss to the Sweet Sixteen in '01 after finishing 1st in the SEC-W. This is the only Sweet Sixteen appearance for Ole Miss.

Barnes had an over-.500 conference record in his first four seasons. His last four seasons he finished tied for 5th in the SEC-W and 4-12 was the typical record.

Rob Evans was coach at Ole Miss for six seasons. He led the Rebels to NCAA-T appearances in his last two seasons of '97 and '98. It was Ole Miss first NCAA-T appearance since winning the SEC-T in 1981 for their first ever NCAA-T trip. Evans also led Ole Miss to a huge win in Rupp Arena over Tubby Smith's National Championship team on Valentine's Day, 1998. It is to-date one of only two wins by the Rebels over UK in Lexington. The first was in 1927. Coach Evans was 86-81 overall at Ole Miss and left to take the Arizona State job.

Ed Murphy coached Ole Miss from '86 to '92 and Murph's last season was the first year of SEC Expansion. He was 76-98 overall at Ole Miss.

[jbcarol]

Georgia (updated)

Mark Fox, 46, just completed his sixth regular season at UGa. Fox is 51-51 in SEC regular season play to-date. His '11 and '15 teams earned a spot in the NCAA-T, losing their openers as ten seeds to end both seasons. Fox's '14 team earned an NIT bid after finishing 12-6 and a tie for second in the SEC.

Pete Herrmann was an interim coach at UGa finishing the '09 season. His team defeated UK in Rupp on senior night.

Dennis Felton coached the Bulldogs from '03-'09 with an 84-91 record in six seasons at Georgia, including a 26-59 mark against SEC opponents (prorates to 4.9-11.1).  Felton's team won the 2008 SEC-T giving UGa their first NCAA appearance since '02 which was vacated. Felton also made the NIT twice.

Jim Harrick coached UGa for four seasons and he and Jim Harrick, Jr. left UGa with NCAA sanctions. Harrick's vacated victories leave him well under 50% during his SEC regular season career.

Ron Jirsa coached UGa for two seasons going 35-30 overall and well below .500 in SEC action.

Tubby Smith coached UGa for two seasons making the NCAA-T in both. His '96 team reached the NCAA-T Sweet 16. Coach Smith's SEC regular season record was 19-13 (59.4%) which prorates to 9.5-7.5.

Hugh Durham was the coach at UGa from '78 to '95 and was coaching the Bulldogs when the SEC expanded. In his SEC regular season career, Durham was 148-150. He was 31-33 during the SEC's 12 team era making two NIT first round appearances.

Coach Durham took UGa to the NCAA Final Four in '83. UGa made four other trips to the Big Dance during his UGa tenure. Of course Coach Durham took Florida State to the NCAA final game in '72 losing to UCLA.

[jbcarol]

LSU (Updated)

Johnny Jones, 54, followed Trent Johnson after an 11-year run at North Texas where he won 50.8% of his conference games and he made the NCAA-T twice. Jones' third LSU team in '14-15 went 11-7 in the regular season finishing tied for third in the league. LSU lost to NC State on a last second shot in an NCAA-T "second round" game.  Jones is 29-25 in SEC regular season play after 3 seasons.  His 2015 recruiting class has raised expectations for the '15-16 team.

Trent Johnson completed four seasons at LSU. His first LSU team won the SEC regular season championship going 13-3. His overall record was 27-8 and LSU advanced to the NCAA second round. Johnson suffered two tough seasons in '10 and '11 and after a 7-9 run in '12 wrapped up at LSU with a 25-39 (39.1%) or 6.2 - 9.8 prorated regular season conference record.  The '12 team was one and done in the NIT. Johnson went to TCU where his '13 team was 1-16 in conference.

Butch Pierre was 5-4 as an interim replacing ASU Coach John Brady mid-season in '08.

John Brady coached LSU for 10.5 seasons in a feast or famine type of run.  Brady finished sixth in the SEC-W five times.  This included three of his first four seasons and his last two seasons. Brady's teams earned first round SEC-T byes in five other seasons.

Brady's 2006 team reached the NCAA-T Final Four. This was LSU's fourth Final Four appearance ever but their only one during the SEC Expansion Era to-date. Brady also reached the NCAA-T Sweet 16 in his third season. Brady's teams reached the NCAA-T four times and the NIT two times.

Brady's SEC conference regular season record was 74-93 (44.3%) prorated to 7-9 as an average season. Brady's 2000 team shared the SEC regular season title with an overall 28-6 record (12-4 SEC). His Final Four team finished 27-9 (14-2 SEC) and was outright SEC regular season champs.

Dale Brown had the second longest SEC Basketball coaching tenure ever.  Brown coached from 1972 to 1997. Coach Brown first made the post season in his seventh season at LSU. Brown then made the post season 15 consecutive years. His teams failed to make the post season his last four years. Coach Brown's teams made the NCAA-T ten consecutive seasons.

Coach Brown's teams made the NCAA-T Sweet 16 five times, the Elite 8 four times, and the Final Four twice. LSU won the SEC regular season championship outright in '79, '81 and '85 and shared the title in '91. LSU won the SEC Tourney in 1980, the second year of the revived tournament. Coach Brown's best record was with his '81 team which went 31-5 (17-1 SEC).

Brown's SEC regular season record was 238-200 (54.3%) or 8.7-7.3 prorated. His latter seasons after SEC Expansion were some of his tougher seasons. Coach Brown went 39-57 (40.6%) in six seasons prorating to 6.5-9.5.

[jbcarol]

Kentucky (updated)

UK had two head coaches from '30-31 to '84-85. They have had more frequent turnover since.

John Calipari, 56 completed his sixth season at UK with an SEC regular season record of 82-20 (80.4%). 18 of those 20 losses came in the '11, '13, and '14 seasons. Calipari's team won the '12 national championship and the '11, '14 and '15 teams advanced to the Final Four.  The '13 team led by Archie Goodwin lost in the first round of the NIT to Robert Morris in Calipari's home township.

Billy Gillispie coached for two seasons at UK. He filed a lawsuit against Kentucky for breach of memorandum of understanding that was settled out of court. One error in judgment Gillispie made was getting arrested for a DUI in Kentucky the evening before the scheduled settlement.

Gillispie was 20-12 in SEC regular season play (62.5%) which prorates to 10-6. Gillispie's '08 team which was 12-4 in the SEC was eliminated in the first round of the NCAA-T. His 8-8 SEC team in '09 accepted a bid to the NIT snapping UK's NCAA consecutive appearance record dating back to the '91 season when UK was on probation.

Tubby Smith left Georgia to come to UK for the '97-98 season and coached at Kentucky for 10 seasons. His first UK team won the NCAA National Championship.

Coach Smith's SEC regular season record was 120-40 which of course prorates to 12-4. Each Smith team at UK went to the NCAA-T second round at a minimum. He had six teams make the Sweet Sixteen and four make the Elite Eight including the Championship team.

Smith's '03 team went undefeated in the SEC regular season and won the SEC Tourney (19-0) before advancing to the Elite 8. Smith's '04 team was the NCAA Tourney #1 overall seed before being eliminated in the second round by Mike Anderson's UAB team.

Coach Smith's teams won the SEC-T five times: '98, '99, '01, '03, and '04. His teams won the SEC regular season outright in '98, '03, and '05 and shared the title in '99 and '01. Smith left UK to coach Minnesota.

Rick Pitino was coaching UK when the SEC expanded. Pitino's regular season SEC record during his 8 seasons at UK was 104-28.  During the SEC expansion era Pitino was 80-16 (83.3%) which prorates to 13.3-2.7.

Pitino's teams won the SEC-T each season (five times) during the expansion era except in '96 when they won the NCAA-T. Pitino's teams went to the NCAA Elite 8 five times, the Final Four three times, and the NCAA final game twice. Pitino left UK to coach the Celtics.

[jbcarol]

Auburn (updated)

Bruce Pearl, 55 has had one of the top winning percentages as an SEC coach (67.7% in regular season games prior to '14-15). His show cause penalty from his time at Tennessee expired in August 2014, which limited his personal recruiting efforts prior to his first season at Auburn.  Auburn was 4-14 in the SEC in '14-15 and then won three games in the SEC Tournament (State, A&M and LSU) before running into Kentucky.

Tony Barbee, 42 was let go after his fourth SEC regular season with a cumulative 18-50 (.265) record. Barbee is from the Coach Calipari coaching tree and has close ties to William Wesley. He is an assistant coach at Kentucky.

Jeff Lebo coached Auburn for six seasons going 35-61 in regular season SEC play and prorating to 5.8-10.2. He led Auburn to only one NIT appearance. Lebo is currently coaching East Carolina.  He holds UNC's all-time career FT% record (83.9%).

Renaissance man Cliff Ellis (musician, author, ostrich farmer and gourmet cook) coached Auburn for 10 seasons going 73-87 (45.6%). Ellis took Auburn to the NCAA-T in '99, '00, and '03. The '99 team finished 29-4 and Auburn won the SEC Tourney. The '00 team was an SI preseason pick to win it all. Agent dealings cost Auburn's Porter eligibilty. The '03 team made the Sweet 16. Cliff Ellis coaches Coastal Carolina and has made the NCAA-T in '14 and '15. Bruce Pearl brought Ellis back to Auburn Arena and his Chanticleers won.

Tommy Joe Eagles was the Auburn head man when the SEC expanded in '91-92.  During his five seasons, AU was 29-55 (34.5%) which prorates to 5.5-10.5. Eagles won the 1990 SEC Coach of the Year award defeating Rick Pitino et al. On a 1994 recruiting trip while coach of the University of New Orleans, Eagles died of a heart attack at age 45. Auburn awards the Paul Lambert/Tommy Joe Eagles Leadership Award with past winners including Wes Flanigan and Daymeon Fishback.

[jbcarol]

South Carolina (updated)

Frank Martin, 49, had led Kansas State to four NCAA-T appearances in five seasons, including an Elite Eight, when he was hired by South Carolina to replace Darrin Horn.

His conference record in his first three seasons at SC was 15-39 (27.85) in regular season play.

Darrin Horn, a former Tates Creek and Western Hilltopper completed his four seasons at SC before being let go in '12. He has done work as an analyst during the first season of the SEC Network. Horn has been hired by Shaka Smart as an assistant coach at Texas.

Horn finished 23-41 (35.9%) in SEC regular season play which prorates to 5.75-10.25.  His first season was 10-6 and good for an NIT bid. The Gamecocks did not return to post season play in '10, '11, or '12 (after going 2-14 in SEC play). Horn's '09 team lost in the first round of the NIT. His predecessor had better luck in that tourney.

Dave Odom was coach at USC for seven seasons. He made the NCAA-T once and the NIT three times. Odom's Gamecocks were NIT runnerups his first season in Columbia and NIT champs in '05 and '06.

Odom's teams never earned a first day bye in the SEC-T. His SEC regular season record of 41-71 (36.6%) prorates to a shade under 6-10 on average.

Eddie Fogler left an SEC Regular Season champion at Vandy to take the USC rebuilding job in 1993. The first two seasons were tough. Fogler's 1997 team went 15-1 in the SEC winning the regular season title outright and beating UK on their Senior Day. They were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA-T. Fogler took a USC team to another NCAA-T first round elimination the next season. These two were Fogler's only NCAA-T appearances for USC. They also made the NIT twice.

In Fogler's eight seasons in the SEC at USC, his regular season record was 57-71 (44.5%) which prorates a tad better than 7-9. His final three seasons yielded only 17 regular season conference wins.

Fogler replaced Steve Newton who coached the first two seasons that USC was in the SEC. Newton's overall record was 20-35. Newton was 8-24 in SEC regular season play.

[jbcarol]

How quickly they forget

Tubby Smith came to Lexington recently to visit Van Florence, who is being treated at UK Chandler Hospital.

Of course, Florence was the Man Friday to numerous UK basketball coaches and long-time president of the Committee of 101 service group. He retired in 2009 [the last season of the Gillispie Error]. And Smith was UK's coach for 10 seasons beginning with 1997-98.

Smith re-routed a trip from Texas to a July 4 family gathering on the East Coast in order to visit Florence.

A visitor to another room happened to see Smith in the hospital hallway. "You look so familiar," the person said.

To which, Smith coyly responded, "I hear that."

Not able to stand the suspense any longer, the visitor asked a direct question: "What's your name?"

Smith identified himself.

[jbcarol]

Chris Dortch ‏@cdortch Jul 30

Only two teams in SEC have had winning records last nine seasons. One is Kentucky. The other? @OleMissMBB. 2015-16 will make it 10 in a row.

[jbcarol]

 Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio Jul 30

John Calipari becomes $1.6 million richer tomorrow http://bit.ly/1KDD54e

Cal gets his $1.6 million retention bonus for the 2014-2015 season, the first of many in his latest contract. Here's how much Cal will get if he stays on each season from now through 2020-2021:

    July 31, 2015: $1.6 million
    July 31, 2016: $2.1 million
    July 31, 2017: $2.25 million
    July 31, 2018: $2.55 million
    July 31, 2019: $2.6 million
    July 31, 2020: $2.6 million
    July 31: 2021: $2.6 million

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein  2h2 hours ago
Oregon's Dana Altman has had the lawsuit regarding B. Austin, D. Dotson, and D. Artis voluntarily dismissed, sources told @CBSSports.

[jbcarol]

Pat Dooley ‏@pat_dooley Jul 31

It's White's house now: Every time he walks through the front door of the Florida basketball facility, ... http://bit.ly/1HcE5r5

Oh, and look to your left. See that? That's what you're trying to replace. That 20-foot tall picture of Billy Donovan hovering over the lobby, his eyes seemingly watching you every time you go up the stairs to the office, his office.

Here in the building that Billy built, White is searching for a comfort level as the new Florida basketball coach. On the one hand, he's starting something new. That includes the new chair he sits in behind his desk because he didn't feel comfortable sitting in Donovan's old chair.

On the other hand, he's embracing the past because it represents what Florida basketball can be. What is has been. What it can still be.

That's why when White was approached about removing the huge picture of Donovan on the southern wall of the practice facility lobby, he said no.

"It's not intimidating," White said. "I was told they were going to take it down and my first response was why would we take that down? I think it helps recruiting.

"It's a reminder every day of what's been accomplished here and how special this place is."

It is special, but it certainly is different. Different assistants, different director of basketball operations. Different guy running the show.

The walls of White's office show how new he is to the job. They are bare except for a photo on one wall, John Moran's iconic shot of dozens of alligators with eyes glowing in Lake Alice at dusk.

"Someone found that in a closet," he said. "(Decorating) is just not that much of a priority for us now."

[jbcarol]

Bryan the Intern ‏@BryantheIntern 6h6 hours ago

Which title slipped through UK's hands the most during the Cal era?  My answer might surprise you: http://kentuckysportsradio.com/main/btis-rants-and-ramblings-which-title-should-the-cats-have-won-most/#comments ...

Despite playing quite poorly against UCONN, the Cats were a Deandre Liggins 3-pointer away from winning that game.  And there is NO DOUBT they would have crushed Butler in the title game.  While that UK team might be Calipari's 2nd or 3rd worst team, this is the title that they could have won the easiest.

[jbcarol]

Frank Martin ‏@FrankMartin_SC Aug 2 South Carolina, USA

Frank Martin retweeted Clarence Murray

Don't put words in my mouth. Also I really appreciate your unbelievable support. Don't know what I'd do without it

Clarence Murray@Clarence_Murray

@FrankMartin_SC yeah all people struggling must be lazy  huh frank. You've not been a great employee at SC thus far

[jbcarol]

Steve Finamore ‏@CoachFinamore 12h12 hours ago

Congratulations to Stan Heath - @StanHeath_BC he is now an assistant coach at Boston College. Good advice from Stan

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/CuonzoMartin/status/632428542702161921

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/ESPNDari/status/634104796757102593

[jbcarol]

Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 19h19 hours ago

John Calipari's HOF presenters: Larry Brown, Julius Erving, Pat Riley. http://www.hoophall.com/news/2015/9/8/naismith-memorial-basketball-hall-of-fame-announces-2015-ens.html ...

[jbcarol]

Tom Leach: I want to introduce Mike who is sightless and does impersonations.  Mike you shoot free throws too, don't you?

Mike: I beat John Pelphrey.

[jbcarol]

Fredie Carmichael ‏@DeveloperFredie 14h14 hours ago Peachtree City, GA

Discovered a similarity between @rickstansbury & Tammy on today's @finebaum show: their use of the word "freshmans" @bradlocke @kyleveazey

[jbcarol]

CollegeBasketbllTalk ‏@CBTonNBC 4h4 hours ago

Louisville coach Rick Pitino responds to escort allegations http://wp.me/p1aWjM-2feY

"I've had about 12 different assistants take part in this program in the last four years, as well as grad assistants, different video guys, and when this broke a month ago, I questioned everybody. If anybody had any knowledge, or hearsay, or seen anybody. Over 15 people said they had no knowledge, hadn't seen anything. I've had players call me and tell me they were contacted by the person in the book. I asked them if they had any knowledge or seen anything and the answer to that was absolutely not."

"How can over 20 people be involved and not one person ... not one ... just give me one person that knew something. Not one of us has ever heard anything about being out with the wrong people," Pitino said later in the press conference. "So, that bothers me. I can't say what's true or not true because we're investigating."

Chuck Smrt, who spent 17 years on the NCAA Enforcement Staff, has been hired by the university to conduct an independent investigation.

[jbcarol]

 Kevin Brockway ‏@gatorhoops 10h10 hours ago Miami Lakes, FL

Successful preseason coaching debut for Billy D as OKC Thunder beat Minnesota Timberwolves 122-99.

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 12h12 hours ago

I saw Fred Hoiberg the other day with the Bulls, but much stranger to see Billy Donovan with the Thunder here in OKC

[jbcarol]

Adam Zagoria ‏@AdamZagoria 2h2 hours ago

As ESPN's Bob Ley points out, there are now 3 Hall of Fame coaches to face NCAA investigations: Rick Pitino, Larry Brown and Jim Boeheim.

[jbcarol]

Kevin Brockway ‏@gatorhoops 6h6 hours ago

New big-name SEC basketball coaches raise league profile, but can they win?- via @Gator_sports http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20151021/ARTICLES/151029942/1136 ...

Despite losing a future Hall of Fame coach in Donovan to the NBA, the SEC added its share of starpower with Howland (three Final Four appearances at UCLA), Barnes (one Final Four appearance with Texas) and Johnson (an NBA Finals appearance with the Dallas Mavericks).

Barnes is described by Tennessee players as detail oriented. Tennessee forward Armani Moore recalled going through one individual drill with Barnes for three straight hours in order to get it exactly right.

"You take something from people every year," said Barnes, who has won a combined 604 games at George Mason, Providence, Clemson and Texas...

Howland is bringing a defense-first mindset to Mississippi State, which allowed him to have success at both Pittsburgh and UCLA. He also convinced five-star freshman guard Malik Newman to stay in-state and turn down scholarship offers from Kansas and Kentucky...

"They've won here before with both Richard Williams and Rick Stansbury," Howland said...

Johnson faces more of a rebuilding challenge at Alabama. His goal is to bring a running, pressing style to a team that lost its top two scorers.

"The talent that's going to be on court is going to be very competitive, if not tops, of any conference in the country," Johnson said. "I feel the same way about our coaching roster."

Of the four new coaches in the league, White is the most under the radar. But those in basketball circles know White's ability, having posted 101 wins and led teams to three postseason appearances in four seasons at Louisiana Tech. At Louisiana Tech, White has already posted wins against a pair of SEC teams, Texas A&M and Georgia.

"With those three guys (Howland, Johnson and Barnes), you can't argue with the amount of success that they've had at the highest levels," White said. "So the SEC continues to again strengthen its brand."

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/kyleveazey/status/657277118901039104

[jbcarol]

Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN Oct 23

Rick Pitino advised not to attend ACC media day by legal counsel. Been told not to talk about situation, but "no comment" not his strength.

[jbcarol]

Former LSU coach Dale Brown had his 80th birthday yesterday.

[jbcarol]

Ben Dowsett ‏@Ben_Dowsett 22h22 hours ago

Quin Snyder says a Dominos driver at Missouri once drew a lob play on the back of Quin's delivery - "It was better than anything I had."

Follow up, Quin: "I can't say I ran it, but what I'm saying is I think we can learn from all places." What a guy.

[jbcarol]

Kevin Brockway ‏@gatorhoops 19h19 hours ago

Joakim Noah Q&A on Billy Donovan: 'He's the best coach that I ever had' http://es.pn/1Wz6GPZ

Noah: I think Coach Donovan is somebody who cares about his players, but really cares about his guys. I know that if something ever happened to me, I know that he would be there for me, and that's a great feeling. I always felt like it was more than basketball with Coach Donovan. He's the best coach that I ever had. I got nothing but love for him. I have nothing bad to say about him. I think that he's somebody who has great balance in his life ...

[jbcarol]

Mike Organ ‏@MikeOrganWriter 16h16 hours ago Nashville, TN

Local college basketball coaches are entrenched. http://tnne.ws/1Mw6ekk  @BelmontMBB @VandyMBB @letsgopeay @MT_MBB

The coaches at four schools in the Midstate —  Kevin Stallings (Vanderbilt), Rick Byrd (Belmont), Kermit Davis (Middle Tennessee State) and Dave Loos (Austin Peay) — have bucked the trend.

They have been in their current positions for a total of 83 years and accumulated 1,563 wins.

STALLINGS: "I've had opportunities to go elsewhere and I really can't say how close I came to leaving because I didn't leave. So apparently, not that close."

STALLINGS: "Because generally when you're at a place a long time in this job you go through highs and lows. The reason why it's so rare is because when you go through the lows administrations fire you. I'm fortunate because I have a tolerant and an understanding administration. They don't get itchy the first time you have a bad season or something goes wrong off the court. For so many athletic directors, so many college presidents and chancellors, it's 'What have you done for me right now?' I'm just fortunate that our people have a much better picture view than that."

STALLINGS: "I hope to retire where I am and I hope to never be forced into retirement. I've thought a lot about how much longer I will coach and I don't really see an end in sight. I don't want to be doing this past an age to where I can really give these guys what they deserve, and that's a real intense, committed effort on a daily basis. I have plenty of energy right now; probably more fire than I need, more fire than is good for me. I used to say it would be at least until my daughter (Jordyn, 15) graduated from high school, but I think it'll be quite a bit longer than that now."

[jbcarol]

UK went to 37-20 all-time after last night:

SEC Network ‏@SECNetwork 13h13 hours ago

With a 36-20 all-time record, no other team has won more Top-5 matchups than @KentuckyMBB.

[jbcarol]

 Ben Garrett ‏@SpiritBen 2h2 hours ago

What makes Andy Kennedy such a divisive figure for #OleMiss fans? I tried to find out. http://www.scout.com/college/ole-miss/story/1613206-andy-kennedy-and-great-divide ...

Ole Miss is renowned for its extravagance.

Fans deck out in their Sunday best on football Saturdays, the men wearing suits and ties and the women cocktail dresses. Chandeliers hang from tents with the air of whiskey in the Grove, a true celebration of college football and the South's passion for it. Ole Miss baseball sees thousands of students crowd right field game-in and game-out. Beer showers signify a home run. Swayze Field capacity is around 11,000. On the perfect day, the stands overflow with bodies.

But it's not that way in basketball. It's the bridge sport between football and baseball for a number of fans, yet there's an incredible demand to win, even if the attention paid only arrives when it's convenient.

There's also a football mentality that is brought to basketball - one where each loss is magnified more than it should be during a 30-plus game season. Ole Miss won a school-record-tying 27 games in 2013. Kennedy was named SEC Coach of the Year. But a loss at Mississippi State, then a sub-100 RPI team and the Rebels' in-state rival, earlier in the season brought questions about his job security. A loss to South Carolina, another RPI hit, didn't help matters.

Ole Miss ended up in the NCAA Tournament, the first for the program since 2002. The Rebels have made it two out of the last three years. In total, Kennedy has a 194-114 record, an SEC tournament championship, two SEC West championships, seven 20-win campaigns and seven postseason berths. Ole Miss had all of seven 20-win seasons and nine postseason victories in its nearly 100 years of existence prior to his arrival. He's averaged more than 21 wins per season.

"I know a lot of people in Oxford that are not big fans of A.K., quite frankly," Marshall Henderson said. "People call for his head. That first year I got there, we lost to Mississippi State and people called for his head. People were calling for it before that. Even this past year, people started calling for it, then they get back to the NCAA Tournament. A lot of people don't know what goes on on a day-to-day basis with players and whatnot."

[jbcarol]

Former LSU basketball coach John Brady announces resignation plans at Arkansas State

"Over the last two or three days, I've thought long and hard about what I really want to do," said Brady, according to an Arkansas State release. "I've talked to some close friends of mine in the coaching business and some not in the coaching business. I met with (athletic director) Terry Mohajir, who is a great AD — a good guy, a caring guy — today for an hour. I told him where I was, and that regardless of how well we do this is my last year here. I told the players after the game, and I've told my coaches."

[jbcarol]

As 87th birthday nears, Joe B. Hall remains close to Cats

Hall, who turns 87 on Monday, remains not only a UK basketball icon, but an active UK basketball icon. He goes to at least a couple of practices each week, attends home games (his seat is [CENSORED], near center court) and is something of a regular at high school sporting events.

It's not unusual for Calipari to cite an observation Hall has made.

His résumé includes the 1978 national championship, two other Final Four appearances, integration of the UK program, successfully following a legend (Adolph Rupp) and induction into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

Hall's season and a half as a UK player did not include on-court heroics. "I was definitely in over my head with the Fabulous Five there," he said.

But his time at UK had a profound effect on Hall's life. It opened his eyes to the possibility of working in sports.

"I was really bitten by the bug, so to speak," he said.

Well into his ninth decade of life, Hall remains a true believer in sports. At its best, sports can teach competitiveness, teamwork, sacrifice and the wisdom of playing by the rules, he said.

Hall put his 1985 retirement at age 56 as a promise fulfilled.

"When I got into coaching, it was kind of a selfish thing on my part in that it greatly affected my family to be gone so much," he said. "So I made a promise (that) I wouldn't go past a certain age. That I could come back and be a father and husband and give my family a normal existence."

[jbcarol]

Mark Schlabach ‏@Mark_Schlabach Dec 1

Pretty amazing words about Mark Richt from UGA basketball coach @coachmarkfox (via AJC)




Best buds.  Fox outlasted Richt.

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 17h17 hours ago

Billy Donovan: Move from Gators to Thunder strengthened my family http://trib.al/Qdluydp

It might be an easy choice for most, but Donovan saw a huge cost. His bond with Foley and other staffers helped create an ideal workplace, and his family was rooted. His wife Christine was happy, two of his four kids were still in school and his father hung around the team like an unofficial assistant.

Regardless of what he might gain professionally, there was great personal risk. However, the change turned out to be what the Donovans needed. He likes seeing his two younger children stretched by the challenge of adapting to a new environment, and staying in Gainesville as long as he did gave them a permanent hometown that many coaches' kids lack. The move also sparked something in his marriage.

"You're at a place for 19 years and in my relationship with my wife, it's so easy for her to live her life because she's comfortable, and I'm working at Florida," he said. "It's actually forced us to evaluate and look at ourselves as we continue to grow in our relationship and try to evolve as a husband and wife, where maybe you wouldn't have had a chance to do that if you would've stayed there.

"There's been a lot of interesting things. There's an opportunity for great growth for me as a coach and as a husband and father, and for my kids and my wife. If you look deep, the experience is very valuable beyond just coaching basketball games."

His dad continues to live in Gainesville...

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/ESPNU/status/672965459227058177

[jbcarol]

Auburn Basketball ‏@AuburnMBB 5h5 hours ago

RT to wish former Auburn head coach Cliff Ellis a Happy 70th Birthday #WarEagle

[jbcarol]

LA ... It proved too much for the man (too much for the man)

Kentucky's previous trip to UCLA was anything but humdrum.

Jim Host, then one of five radio play-by-play announcers calling UK games, recalled a bus accident after the Cats beat UCLA on Dec. 4, 1959. A car crossed the center line and T-boned the team bus. The impact sent Host, who always sat in the front of the bus across the aisle from Coach Adolph Rupp, over the rail and onto the steps leading up to the seating area.

"Knocked me out," Host recalled last week. "As I was coming to, I heard Coach Rupp say, 'My Gawd, is he dead?'"

Four passengers in the car died.

Host was taken to the hospital, where doctors stitched up his wounds. With his head heavily bandaged, he called Kentucky's game the next night against Southern Cal.

Which is the other interesting thing about the trip. Kentucky played at UCLA and at Southern Cal on back-to-back nights.

The following weekend had games at Saint Louis and at Kansas in a three-day period. Then Kentucky came home for the UKIT to play North Carolina and Jerry West-led West Virginia on back-to-back nights.

Whew! That's six games in 15 days with opponents including UCLA, Southern Cal, Kansas, North Carolina and West Virginia. UK had a 3-3 record in those games, which explains why nobody plays such a gloriously challenging and entertaining schedule anymore.

Failed to note that Kentucky played a then tough Temple team the next day after losing to West Virginia and then beat Ohio State with Lucas, Havlicek, and a reserved named Knight before starting conference play.

[jbcarol]

Brent Zwerneman ‏@BrentZwerneman Dec 11

Was in Baton Rouge today for a Ben Simmons feature & @LSUCoachJones told me I should have brought him some @ILoveBlueBell. He was right 👍🏼.

[jbcarol]

Daniel Paulling ‏@DanielPaulling 53m53 minutes ago

Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy earned his 200th win Tuesday night: http://on.thec-l.com/1Yj1zEs

That would be his 200th win with the Rebels, not of his career.

[jbcarol]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein 2h2 hours ago

South Carolina stays undefeated with a road win at Clemson. A breakthrough season continues to unfold for Frank Martin's team.

[jbcarol]

David Kellum@RebVoice

John Calipari in his 7th year at Memphis met Ole Miss in his 216th game & was 154-61. Josh Pastner meets Rebs 7th year, game 216, 155-60.


Both 155-61 after 217

[jbcarol]

Happy birthday

To former Mississippi State Coach Rick Stansbury. He turns 56 on Wednesday. ...

To former Arkansas Coach Stan Heath. He turned 51 on Thursday. ...

To former Georgia Coach Ron Jirsa. He turns 56 on Monday.

[jbcarol]

South Carolina: Frank Martin's team cracks the poll this week at No. 25 thanks to a 10-0 start.

It's the first time the Gamecocks have been ranked in men's basketball since 2004. Before this season, Martin was 45-54 for his three seasons in Columbia.

[jbcarol]

Re: Former Bama coach after his 73-59 win over Mizzou:

David Morrison ‏@DavidCMorrison Dec 19

Mark Gottfried got his 100th win at NC State tonight, in 154 games. That's 2nd-fastest at the school behind Everett Case (120 games).

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/TimSullivan714/status/679665360795222016

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Joe B. Hall makes his move between the player introductions and the tipoff. Once the fans have found their places, and the players have put on their game faces and the noise level at Rupp Arena makes conversation futile, Hall slips quietly out of the wings and into the stands.

His seat is conspicuous – front row, aisle, right behind the broadcasters, close to center court – but his entrance is carefully timed for the sake of stealth. At 87 years old, Hall's old-school manners won't allow him to refuse an autograph or a photograph. Still, he strives to avoid being stopped and has not yet forgotten the fundamentals of breaking a full-court press.

"I don't have that much trouble, really," he said. "It's just sometimes, with these early games, when a lot of people are giving away their tickets, there are a lot of fans who are not regulars. Once I get trapped, then I'm there for an hour. (But) If I duck my head and head out the door and I can get out at a time when people are rushing out, then I get in the flow."

Thirty years since he last coached the University of Kentucky men's basketball team and 37 years since his 1978 NCAA Championship, Hall remains a familiar face and a sought-after signature in the Commonwealth and was, as recently as last fall, the kindliest voice on Kentucky talk radio before the show he shared with Denny Crum was felled by a format change.

"Joe B. Hall is one of the neatest guys I've ever met," Crum said of his former rival and partner. "He's fun to be around. He's got a great sense of humor. He's not under the pressure he was under when he was coaching. His personality is upward and giving.

"He said he was feeling his age, but that's not a bad thing if you've got feeling at that age."

As the successor to Adolph Rupp and a forerunner to Rick Pitino and John Calipari, Hall was a successful coach whose achievements sometimes suffer in comparison to the Hall of Fame coaches who came before and after him. Though Hall compiled a 297-100 record in 13 seasons at UK, earning eight Southeastern Conference titles and coaching in three Final Fours, he is careful to credit the enduring power of the program rather than any of his own contributions.

His son-in-law is former Arkansas o-line coach Mike Summers.

[jbcarol]

 SportsTalk ‏@sportstalksc 11h11 hours ago

Frank Martin said tonight on SportsTalk he's never before been undefeated at the Christmas break until his team's 11-0 start this season.

Frank Martin is in the holiday spirit with team off to an 11-0 start (AUDIO) http://goo.gl/fb/0oYYj4  (SFW)

[jbcarol]

 Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 5h5 hours ago

Kentucky's John Calipari after 200th win: Christmas break helped team clear minds http://trib.al/uIRfKCT

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 5h5 hours ago

WATCH: Louisville coach Rick Pitino makes gesture to Kentucky crowd http://trib.al/EZHSvOq