VAUGHTS VIEW - UK Football and Basketball have become Bizarro World-Keith Peel
Nowadays facts are hard to come by. Even though we have 24-hour a day news, continuous posting of news items on social media, and non-stop briefings from governmental and organizational officials about everything from “life on Mars” to “what’s the best way to lose weight” nothing seems to be certain. Well, I’ve got a couple of facts that you can take to the bank.
First of all, college football season is only a few weeks away and fall practices for UK start today. Along with fall football practice comes the full installation of UK’s new Liam Coen-engineered offense.
Secondly, UK basketball has already started practicing this summer and a new offense, or at least some significant wrinkles, will be installed by John Calipari and his new staff.
Considering both of those facts made me wonder about how different Liam Coen’s football offense might look compared to the Eddie Gran offense of the last several years and how different John Calipari’s basketball offense this year might look compared to the last several years. While I was thinking about that, believe it or not that made me think about Superman comics. And at this point you’re probably saying, “Say what?”
But here’s why it made me think about Superman in the old DC comic books. If you grew up in the 60’s or 70’s you’re probably very familiar with the old comic books that featured Superman, Lois Lane, Metropolis, and all the rest. Even if you’re not familiar with DC comics I’m betting that everyone reading this knows Superman. His life story has only been told about a billion times in re-make movies. But, one other thing that hopefully you are also familiar with from Superman Comics is Bizarro World.
If not, then let me explain. Bizarro World was a place where everything was the exact opposite of Earth. In fact, the name of the Bizarro World planet was Htrae and it was in the shape of a cube. The dumbest person was considered the best and no one did anything to perfection. The worse you performed the more you were rewarded. You get the picture. Wikipedia says that Bizarro World has come to be known in our culture as “a situation or setting which is weirdly inverted or opposite to expectations.”
Now back to UK football and UK basketball. It seems that both programs have so many aspects that are so similar this year that it feels like they are going down the exact same path and because of that each is headed towards their own Bizarro World. Here’s what I mean.
Mark Stoops last year had one of the most anemic offenses in college football. Same is true of John Calipari’s offense in college basketball. Both ranked near the bottom in most offensive (no pun intended) categories.
After the season both coaches decided they needed to change. Both coaches made major changes to their coaching staffs to try to bring about those changes. Both coaches are defensive-minded coaches but both are working to implement new, more high-powered offenses for the upcoming season.
Mark Stoops would like to throw the “long” ball vertically down the field more to score more points. John Calipari would like to take and make more long outside shots to beef up UK’s scoring from the 3-point line.
Both coaches dipped heavily into the transfer portal to get players that can help make those offensive changes happen. In the case of football, Stoops brought in Wan’Dale Robinson, a do-everything wide receiver from Nebraska that should light up the scoreboard, and a quarterback candidate in Will Levis from Penn State that many are already penciling in as the starter. John Calipari followed suit by recruiting outside shooting phenoms CJ Frederick from Iowa, Kellan Grady from Davidson, and TyTy Washington from high school.
Both coaches cleaned house with their coaching staff — Mark Stoops replacing Offensive Coordinator Eddie Gran and Quarterbacks Coach Darin Hinshaw with a more wide open, offensively-minded Liam Coen while John Calipari replaced Tony Barbee and Joel Justus with Orlando Antigua and Chin Coleman.
Now I know, you’re saying, “Ok, that is a lot of Twilight Zone eerie kind of similarities between the two programs, but not Bizarro World where everything is opposite of normal expectations.”
Ok, did I mention that both programs are coming off of seasons that ended way below expectations, both programs believe they are set up for tremendous seasons this year and both coaches will be trying to prove that they aren’t as stubborn as everyone thinks and can turn over a new leaf and become offensive-minded coaches? Now, I know that all those are eerily similar between UK’s two major sports programs but aren’t completely opposite of expectations. I agree. But here’s where the Bizarro World comes in.
If everything goes according to plan Kentucky football could be a Bizarro World version of its old self this season. Gone would be the days of running the Wildcat up the middle seven times in a row. Gone would be using up almost the entire fourth quarter with a running attack that handed the ball off to the same running back over and over again while the worn-out defense tried vainly to stop it.
Instead, Kentucky could be throwing the ball in the fourth quarter. They may even throw a play-action seam route pass to a tight end for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Who knows? They may also concentrate on outscoring opponents instead of trying to grind out a low-scoring affair in the last few minutes of the game. But if they do — and I think they will — they would be a Bizarro World version of themselves.
Same with UK basketball. Instead of John Calipari sending a team out on the hardwood that plays lockdown defense with a shot-blocker in the middle and guards that initiate pressure at the point in an attempt to turn people over for easy layups UK could come down the floor and use dribble penetration to set up outside 3-point shots that might go in at a 40 percent or higher clip per game. They may have scoring games that consistently end up in the 90s and their opponents may consistently score in the 80s. Kentucky may end up as one of the Top 10 teams in points scored per game and 3-point percentage. That would be a Bizarro World change when compared to last year’s team that was 197th in points scored per game and 182nd in 3-point percentage.
It seems like Stoops must have looked around and said, “Wait a minute. Alabama is winning the College Football National Championship while averaging 48.5 points per game.” And John Calipari jumped in and said, “How can Baylor average 83 points per game and still win National Championship?”
So it looks like UK football and basketball may have joined the new Bizarro World of college sports where defense doesn’t win championships, it’s ok for players to get paid by sponsors and boosters and “one-and-done” might become “stay and play for pay.”
Everything seems to be the exact opposite in college sports these days.
If that’s the case then watch out for a Group of Five team like Loyola of Chicago or Coastal Carolina to win in both the College Football Playoffs and NCAA Tournament Championship this year. After all, it’s Bizarro World.
— Keith Peel, Contributing Writer
