This is rich, coming from the guy who left Georgia at the drop of a hat for a better opportunity at Kentucky.
Tubby Smith had a must-listen rant on college basketball today, citing 800+ transfers last year.
"We're teaching them how to quit."
When Smith said he called his dad wanting to transfer from High Point, he told him to stay there or join the Army.@LocalMemphis pic.twitter.com/ywfJDJbLaZ
— Clayton Collier (@ClaytonJCollier) March 4, 2018
The hypocrisy, it burns.
Some of you wonder why I keep harping on certain topics. It’s because certain assholes can’t quit when they’re ahead.
Filed under The NCAA
“We remember the Sugar Bowl, I think it my junior year of high school, we let Alabama beat us twice,” Brinson said of a team that also lost to the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game. “We’re not letting Alabama beat us twice. In the Sugar Bowl in 2018, they… thought they should have been in the playoffs and lost to Texas.” -- AB-H, 12/27/23
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Memphian here. Tubby Smith is 100% robbing the University of Memphis. He scoffs at the notion that local fans / media expect him to get off his ass and recruit. $3m/ year. HIGHWAY ROBBERY ! To hell with Tubby Smith !
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“The Coach doth protest too much methinks”
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Took his son with him!
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Not exactly.
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Took Saul from uga to ky, correct?
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Took his son Saul from uga to ky, correct?
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No. Saul stayed in Athens as I recall. Am I wrong?
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The older brother, GG Smith, stayed in Athens. The younger brother, Saul, went to UK with his dad (he was still in HS at the time).
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easy Senator…Tubby is the best b-ball coach UGA has ever had. Him NOT going to UK would have been like Gurley staying for his Senior season. (i.e. stupid)Some decisions make themselves. And equally important is that Tubby is right. Sometimes quitting is just too easy As a high school player I got benched for a couple games and an underclassman got to start in my place. As a kid I would quit if I could go elsewhere but I couldn’t and didn’t and it made me mad enough to play harder and better to win my starting position back. Some of these players need to learn the lesson the coach is trying to impart instead of taking their game to Middle Tenn State or Alabama State.
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The players he’s talking about aren’t quitting, they’re transferring. They’re going someplace where they think they’ll have a better opportunity.
If leaving for a better opportunity is quitting, then how is Tubby leaving Georgia anything but quitting?
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but that’s like different or something.
Its the golden rule. The more gold you have the more rules you get to make for others that don’t get applied to you.
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Tubby? He’s not even phat.
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It’s worse. Tubby allegedly promised AD Vince Dooley that he would never leave Georgia to take a job offer from U.K. as a condition of employment. That’s why Vince was so pissed off when Tubby left for Lexington. I thought at the time that Tubby was making a mistake–that he could never win enough games or titles at U.K. To satisfy the Rupp afficianados. And he did ultimately get fired didn’t he?
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“When I was a boy I had to walk 10 miles to school, uphill… BOTH WAYS!”
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Hugh Durham was the greatest. Greatest in game coach. Greatest recruiter. Greatest voice. Greatest sweater.
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Yes, and that’s unfortunate, because he was more a good coach than a great one.
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Gotta second that, TX. Had some great players then, too. Dominique Wilkins. Vern Fleming. Good times.
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LaVon Mercer, Lucious Foster and can anyone ever forget the great Mark Slonaker.
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Come on people ….statistically Tubby’s winning percentage while at UGA is far and away the highest so don’t tell me he wasn’t the best….if Hugh had been as good as Tubby he would have been hired away just like Tubby was but he wasn’t so that settles that BS. As to the conflating of issues …there is a reason there are different words for quitting and getting a better job. Because they are different things. These transfers are very,very seldom going from starting forward at Georgia to starting forward at UK. They generally look like a physically gifted knucklehead who either can’t or won’t listen to his coach so he transfers to Jacksonville State and usually finds another reason to quit that program and go to Pasadena City college. Also Mayor a first year law student could write a contract in such a way as to make going to a specific school prohibitive by writing a very expensive buy out provision…so either Vince didn’t get that promise (my personal belief) or he was stupid and hired a poor lawyer. Either way when I start seeing more kids go from mid-majors to Duke I’ll buy the allegation of hypocrisy but until than I’ll listen to best b-ball coach UGA ever had and believe that the current system is encouraging kids to leave rather than grow a pair and compete. So the point is Senator most …..95% aren’t leaving for a better opportunity they’re leaving for more playing time but seldom are they going to an elite program….like Tubby was doing….generally they’re just not willing to listen to their coach….they like being told how good they are when they are being recruited but not willing to work harder to get better. So as I write this much longer post than it should have been it crosses my mind the Forrest Grump was right …maybe its both….happening at the same time …Tubby is a hypocrite and this system is encouraging quitters. Making it one or the other is the logical fallacy.
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Can’t a player realize in his heart of hearts that he is not going to beat out Michael Jordan no matter how much he practices and tries so instead of riding the pines, he goes to a place that gives him an opportunity to play. That is quitting? I don’t see it. How about wanting to go where he can play, cause time is running out on his athletic career. He is seeking a place he can play. His choice- cause this is America. But a coach breaking his commitment to his player, recruits, and a contract is a great guy. Tubby has a lot of gall in my book to complain about anyone transferring.
The rule of holes, my friend.
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Curious where you got the stat from… presume it was from somewhere other than your derriere.
Was Cam Nizialek a quitter? How about Maurice Smith?
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Or Baker Mayfield?
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Two of the transfers from Memphis went to Kansas, people say has a more elite hoops program.
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And I guess Jarvis and Jonas Hayes quit on Western Carolina when they transferred to UGA
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Senator the two you cite are grad transfers not underclassman…..apples and oranges…..The stat comes from assuming Tubby’s no. of 800 is correct and knowing that in 2017 there were only 8 players that were transfers to P-5 conferences that were written up as preseason major gets for the new program they were going to. That is 1% and I figured there were more than in the article I found but I left a huge fudge factor. If the write up had that 1% number. I figured upping the number to 5% was intellectually honest. There is and always will be a difference between quitting and getting a better offer.
Red Cup your Micheal Jordan example is very interesting since I think most basketball fans know that Jordan DID NOT make his high school varsity his sophomore year but using that snub as motivation came back and dominated the next two years……point being …..he didn’t quit he worked harder and got better.
When the second greatest b-ball program comes knocking …you go and win a Natty. When your coach benches you for being a knucklehead and you leave to get playing time at UT-Chattanooga you PROBABLY are being a petulant child and quitting…IMHO.
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So, there are supplemental rules here: (1) only underclassmen count; (2) Tubby’s numbers are accurate; (3) transfers have to be judged in the media to be “major gets”. Interesting.
I can’t get my hands on the article, but as I recall, there are a number of mid-major basketball coaches who are upset about players they develop jumping to bigger schools. In fact, that’s what Tubby’s bitching about, as he lost something like six of the top scorers he inherited from Pastner.
Speaking of Tubby, your argument might hold a little more weight if he were still UK’s coach. Instead, he left Kentucky for Minnesota and left Texas Tech for Memphis. Maybe you can explain how those are steps up. Occam’s razor suggests Tubby is a hypocrite.
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I also cited the two who left Memphis for Kansas and two UGA guys who left W. Carolina. Not quitters. And they are not hypocrites like Tubby. And my MJ hypo assumed the so called quitter played in college behind him. No way that guy will ever get better than MJ. Leaving for what the player perceives is a better opportunity for his own self is not quitting.
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I’m reasonably sure his departures from UK and Minnesota were not exactly voluntary……..BUT…..My point is that it appears that you both think that saying Tubby is a hypocrite irrevocably ,unequivocally and unquestionably proves he is mistaken about his point. It doesn’t do anything of the sort. A few exceptions to the rule does not invalidate his or my point. Episodic evidence proves nothing regarding trends rules and facts. If you incentivize quitting you get more of it …….as unpopular as his opinion maybe and as much as the twitterverse maybe enjoying playing the dog pile game on his ass….I believe he is right. Learning to keep fighting when things aren’t going your way is one of the most important lessons to be learned from sports.
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You don’t think you lose many arguments, do you…
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Agree with the Senator on this Wewoof. Listen to the Tubster complain that the kids made a commitment and they need to learn how to keep their commitments. Perhaps Tubby should remember he was under contract and made a commitment to UGA and the players he recruited. He could make the commitment but just couldn’t keep the commitment. Heavy bullshit right there.
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https://giphy.com/embed/xUA7aLMq7BD17XsOeA
via GIPHY
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Tubby is analogous to a situation where a kid can transfer to a better school and play right away. Like our punter from this year or Catalina last year. Tubby would be dumb to not go from UGA to Kentucky but he shouldn’t be allowed to act like a kid leaving is any different.
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Typical old man trying to act wise when he’s really full of shit.
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I hate it when that happens.
He’s going to pay for The Wall. Count on it.
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Unpresidented! Stable genius!
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That’s because I come to GTP during Fox News commercials. It’s my secondary PDB but actually my first because Jared always takes the morning PDB. Some people, and I don’t know who they are, are saying he fences it for jewelry somewhere outside a sandwich shop.
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Anything for some financing amirite?
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do what i say not what I do and if I do it, that is so different. If you need me to explain it to you, then you just would not get it anyway. Bye time to go and make more money.
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Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say: “we taught them how to quit and then we allowed them to?” Seems to me that most coaches teach kids either how to quit or how to get fired.
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Just yesterday, the sports columnist for the memphis paper referred to Tubby Smith’s current tenure as malpractice. He is not exaggerating. Tubby saw Memphis as a sweet and juicy retirement package… he is tired, lazy and resentful of anything beyond X’s and O’s coaching. It is so bad that people are wondering (hoping) if he can be fired for cause because he has been derelict in so many duties attendant a $3million coaching position. He even said publicly that he is “not sure if [I’m] the right man for the job,” which really wins on the recruiting trail and sells those season tickets.
Seriously, F Tubby.
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How is Tubby any different from most ball coaches? And just because you are a hypocrite doesn’t mean one can’t complain about the way kids are nowadays. You don’t owe much loyalty to a team of people who have no loyalty to you. And if the fans , alums , etc. don’t think you are doing the job, then it’s open season for the players to criticize Tubby as well. If they are trying to transfer because of Tubby’s coaching, then they ought to put their voices in with all the rest.
Seems I remember a player called “Magic” that did something like complaining about his coach and got his way.
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I actually agree with him. Yes there are valid reasons to transfer. An ailing relative or change of major and things of that nature. But to up and quit your team because you don’t think your getting to play enough? I’m sorry but I’ve seen to many Pee Wee parents complaining because little Johnny is obviously the best player on the team and the coach want play him. Now these parents have kids in College. Big surprise that this is the result. Here in our area, and I know some others as well, we even have parents sending their kids to other high schools because they’re mad at the coach or the other schools winning or (insert excuse). It’s no wonder most of the fellow employers I know have trouble finding anyone willing to work their way into to something better. They want it given to them. The “I only care about myself” attitude that is pervasive throughout our society is only going to get worse. We’re even teaching it at the University level now apparently.
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If you agree with Tubby’s comments because you are glad he criticizes the “I only care about myself” attitude then you agree with the Senator that it is hypocritical for Tubby to only care about himself and quit of his Georgia team.
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He was merely the hired help. He was not a team member.There is a big difference.
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Blutarsky, you chasing hypocrisy? Good luck finding the end of that.
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Rest assured, we are very proud of our winter and spring sports programs.
As we all know, The Georgia Way operates the most cost-effective P5 sports programs in the nation. We take great pride in this.
Our student-athletes stay loyal to us and our reserve fund objectives regardless of the very small COA stipend and the inevitable humiliation they will face against their fully-funded competition.
And when it is time to leave here, they will receive total consciousness in knowing they, indeed, were part of The Georgia Way.
#COMMITTOTHEG
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They have that going for them.
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which is nice
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Best comment of the day. When B-M isn’t committed to winning why should the players be committed?
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Must be the off season. We’re commenting on an X-Georgia basketball coach who thinks kids are quitting today. He’s right. A lot of them are
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Let’s not forget that Tubby up and left Texas Tech after three years to head to Memphis. He’s quite possibly the worst messenger for this message, regardless of whether you think it’s correct.
As for the best Georgia basketball coach, I think that’s Jim Harrick, irrespective of his NCAA issues. Georgia basketball was more fun to watch those last couple of years of his tenure than any other point I can recall in the last 30 years. Remember that Tubby inherited a group of players that was ranked as the number one recruiting class in the country when they arrived at Georgia under Hugh (not unlike Tubby’s situation at UK). Harrick did more with less than any other coach at UGA. Just wish he didn’t feel like he had to cheat.
And since we’re talking hoops coaches, mark me down as being in favor of us hiring Tom Crean or Thad Matta.
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Harrick didn’t cheat. His son was an assistant who taught a basketball PE class and didn’t require B.B. Players to come to class. We saw something similar exposed at UNC and the NCAA ruled it was a nothing burger. If anything Harrick got screwed.
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Tony Cole agrees.
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Tubby was on Golic and Wingo this morning and they called him out on his quitting comments and his moving around to different programs. His answers were crap and he made himself look like an ass and a hypocrite.
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