Vicky Graff Photo
The first thing Kentucky associate coach Vince Marrow did on WLAP Sunday Morning Sports Talk was apologize for being hoarse.
Knowing Kentucky started spring practice last week, it was not surprising to think Marrow might have strained his voice coaching his tight ends. However, that was not the reason for his hoarseness.
“I kind of lost my voice from the basketball game Thursday night,” said Marrow.
That was the NCAA Tournament game in Pittsburgh that Kentucky lost 80-76 to Oakland, UK’s second first-round loss in the last three years.
Marrow was a talented high school basketball player who played two years in college at Youngstown State before earning all-conference honors as a tight end at the University of Toledo.
“I follow all the sports … softball, gymnastics, baseball. I am a basketball guy and close with a lot of the (UK) coaches,” Marrow said.
Marrow knows the loss has created a firestorm with many fans calling for John Calipari to be fired.
“I really feel for their families. They really put in a lot of work,” Marrow said. “A lot of people don’t realize.
“I texted after the game to see how he (Calipari) was doing and he said this one hurts. When we lose football games, they (basketball coaches) text me. I feel bad for the players. This was really a fun team.”
It was not only for Marrow but for most fans is what made postseason play even more disappointing.
“You feel for them (players, coaches) but mostly for our fans. I saw our fans. They show out,” Marrow said. “I got to see as a fan who was amongst them and I feel bad for them.
“I just wish things could be different but they (fans) will be back. Our fans will be who they are but I feel for them.”
21 Responses
That’s something any Friend of the coaching staff would say. I think deep down he knows they have been underachieving.
only a person with a closed mind would say uk DIDN’T UNDER ACHIEVE. Of coarse they have the last 6 years. And like all relationships that end.. there’s blame on both parties, this is about UK MBB a once proud and prominent program reduced to not winning championships but producing NBA pros. One would think that equals championships ,but reality it doesn’t it only produces hype
Real good article
Our heritage has created unrealistic expectations! Scrutinize the records of the “goat” coaches & you will realize that these
“speed bumps” occur for all of them.
Unbelievable
May know Cal’s faith later this afternoon.
"our fans will be back" is a statement that only has context if the fans have already left.
This fan saw this coming for years, and we are now witnessing an expanding realization that the dire forecasts of the future for the program are real.
More and more fans are moving to the conclusion that the fraud is inadequate. Some of these moving fans have either outrightly supported this fraud or supported this fraud without any effort to understand what has been happening (ignorance is bliss).
The fraud knows what is happening within the fan base. He has been aware of this growing segment of the BBN for several years.
He does not care!!!!!!
i for one been following UK over 54 years, I’ve decided as long as Cal at UK. I’m not watching or following UK until he is GONE, I’m not saying every year UK is going to win the NCAA tournament, but i at least expect them to compete for the Sec league and Sec tournament championships. shouldn’t everyone expect that from a BLUE BLOOD PROGRAM? FYI. Coach K left Duke…they didn’t miss a beat.. btw their still playing in the NCAA tournament..
Right there with you, Rick! CAL has the A.D. and the entire athletic dept and university by the u-know-whats, and HE IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE. if it was finally ever going to happen, THIS would have been the loss that broke the camel’s back on it–but now that he’s going to be allowed to stay aftrr THIS debacle, and now a 4th straight year of this same BS, its nevrr going to happen. CAL will leave KY when he is damn good and ready, and Mitch will NEVER stand up to him. And CAL knows exactly how the fans feel, and that’s what gives him the sick pleasure of continuing to hang around and show us that he really is KING and that he can survive anything. CAL could lose every single game that he’s the coach for the rest of his time here, and not only would the same fans out there who still want him to be here now still want him here then, Mitch would continue to allow him to stay here. He would say "well CAL u didn’t win any games at all this year, but we’ll give you one more year to try to win just one game." He really is KING. It’s politics and money over fans and a bball program, y’all. That’s the age we r living in, sadly enough. So Vince, in my case, you’re wrong about "the fans will be back". I definitely will not be, and I’m sure alot of others won’t either. There have already been a bunch that have bailed out on this show since two or three yrs ago. People who have sense and half a brain are over it. And it may be that some of us will be checked out for good because idk that KY BBALL will ever be the same again, even when the time comes he is no longer here. So much damage will have been done by then, what remains will be unrecognizable. Just think, had they done the right thing two yrs ago after the St Peters loss, we would already have two yrs in the books on a fresh start with somebody new. I don’t think somebody new could have done much worse than 9-16, and the two worst tournament losses in school history. Just a little food for thought for the ones who say "ohhh how awful it would be for us to take the chance on getting rid of him and getting somebody new, GOD only knows what they might do to our beloved bball program". It’s funny how they are so worried about the damage any new coach might do to the program, but the damage CAL IS CURRENTLY DOING to the program RIGHT NOW is just ignored, given a free pass on, or being treated as if it never happened. See y’all down the road somewhere, but it sure won’t be the road to the Final 4!!!!!
Maybe you should go buy a Duke shirt…Cal will have them winning soon enough and what will you say then? negative folks are gonna be negative,I for one can’t wait until next fall.GO BIG BLUE
I admit Cal made a mistake but we all do. He should have viewed the game of Oakland’s and saw how they played the zone. The fact is some of these freshmen had a bad case of nerves. Cal needs to go to the portal and get some older players. Let the older guys help them out, I would say about four good sized guys that can defend as well as score. If they fire c
Cal would would they get.
Keep Cal
Calipari won’t be able to talk his way out of this mess. BBN is tired of losing and being the laughing stock of college basketball. You would think if the man had any decency about him that he would just resign, take his millions, and go back to New Jersey.
There were a resource in CBS sports saying more likely Cal will be back next year. Find out tomorrow hopefully.
Presuming he is back, a few suggestion:
No more than 3 strong freshmen. The rest are returning players or portal/transfers.
An assigned coach on the staff whose soul purpose is to scout and evaluate opponents.
Meetings with players to discuss the best approach in defending next opponent.
On court walk-through day before a game designing the defensive approach for next game.l
If someone was doing these steps this year, then based on the ranking of the defense, they failed and perhaps should be reassigned.
It looked obvious that the last game there was very little preparation which is simply unacceptable. GO CATS!
Really like Vince Marrow and his support for all things UK. Thanks for sharing.
Would all y’all wanting Cal fired be ok with him taking his freshman class down the highway to Louisville???? Be careful what you wish for.the man wasn’t out there shooting the ball.they had a bad game at the worst possible time but I believe Cal will figure it out.if all you haters quit on our program then maybe us REAL FANS can get some tickets to the games
I’ll buy any season tickets y’all want to get rid of…GO BIG BLUE
John. Calipari Needs to Stay at Kentucky until HE Decides he’s Ready to step away
The Man is the best for our Program and I support him
Is there any coach in the country who achieves less with more than Calipari? Getting very little bang for the big bucks.
John, it’s time to go.
All you who say I won’t watch the CATS if cals coaching is B/S. I have been a Cat fan longer than cal has been a head coach hell for that matter an assistant Coach. Will be a die hard cats way after he is gone. If it should today or 10 years from now. I don’t jump ship cause of a coach. Hell I even rooted for them when we had Sutton and billy clyde. UK Basketball is way bigger than Cal always has been always will be.