SouthEastern Wildcat Review

Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys. Jimbo Fisher of the Florida State Seminoles. Will Muschamp of the Texas Longhorns. Former Eastern Kentucky Colonels Coach Danny Hope, now of Purdue University.
What do all of these names have in common?
All of these men either hold or have held the title of "Head Coach in Waiting." On Friday, January 18, 2008, the Offensive Coordinator of the Kentucky Wildcats, Joker Phillips, added his name to the above list. This is a relatively new trend in the sports world, for a head coach to name his successor prior to his departure from the program. On many levels the idea is a good one, as it shows recruits (and returning players) that the program will remain stable and not have any drastic philosophical changes. The H.C.I.W. is, under most circumstances, a coach with a lot of experience within the program and one that would continue on with the processes and ideals established by the current head coach. The H.C.I.W. already has a relationship with the organization's administration and fans, allowing both to already know what kind of product to expect to see on the field. The future of the team has been set.

Personally, I haven't made up my mind whether I like the idea of a head coach in waiting or not. While all the above facts are true, I think that it really limits a program's options. What if (and I know this might be a little stretch for 'Cat fans) after Brooks announces his retirement, a high-profile coach becomes available. Say that for whatever reason, an Urban Meyer, Steve Spurrier, or Rich Rodriguez had left their current teams and was showing an interest in the Kentucky job? Wouldn't someone like this have the ability to maybe take the UK football program to new heights? I'm not saying anything against Joker as the best case scenario would be to keep him on staff in his current position. Don't get me wrong, I like Joker and think he will do a good job as the head coach. Maybe he will be the coach that continues raising the bar as Brooks did before him. Just imagine for a moment, however, the instant credibility one of these names would bring to Lexington. Enough of the debate, let's take a look at the man who, maybe as soon as the end of the upcoming season, will be charting the future course of the Kentucky program.

Joseph "Joker" Phillips was born April 12, 1963, in Franklin, Ky. Always athletic, he was a three-sport star at Franklin-Simpson High School, lettering in football, basketball, and track. His mother and grandfather bestowed the nickname "Joker" on him due to the fact that his father's name was also Joe, and they didn't want to call for Joe and have them both come running. "Joker" quarterbacked the Wildcats (a mascot he would become very familiar with) to two consecutive Class AAA Kentucky state titles in 1979 and 1980. He was also named to the All-State team as a senior. Since leaving Franklin, he has stayed very close to his hometown roots, returning every year to conduct the Joker Phillips Football Fundamentals Camp. His high school coach, Kentucky Hall of Fame member James Mathews, had nothing but good things to say about his former player:

"He's a class act," Mathews said. "He's a classy guy who gets along with people and knows how to deal with kids. He also has a great relationship with all the other coaches. I've never heard a negative thing about him."

Very high praise, and a sentiment that is echoed among all people that know Joker, one of the two most famous products of Franklin, the other being PGA golfer Kenny Perry. Following graduation, Joker accepted a scholarship offer to play wide receiver at the University of Kentucky, where little did he know, he would spend the majority of coaching career.

Joker arrived in Lexington on campus in the fall of 1981 and ended up being a four-year letterman for the Wildcats. He donned jersey numbers 80 and 84 during his Kentucky career, which concluded with him being 5th on the all-time receiving list sporting final numbers of 75 catches, 935 yards, and 9 touchdowns. In his senior year of 1984, Joker had 28 receptions, 305 yards, and 5 touchdowns and was part of the last UK team to win 9 games in a season. The team also accomplished something that year that hasn't been done since, they defeated the Tennessee Volunteers. He helped lead the 'Cats to back-to-back Hall of Fame bowl appearances. One of the highlights of his UK career came on October 15, 1983, when he had two touchdown catches during a 21-13 victory over the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge. Fellow Franklin product Kenny Baird supplied the other touchdown with an interception return. This prompted his old high school to produce bumper stickers which read: Franklin-Simpson 21 LSU 13

After graduation, Phillips spent the next three years playing professional football in the NFL with the Washington Redskins in 1985 and 1987, spending 1986 with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Following his pro career, Joker followed his heart and began his coaching career with his alma mater in Lexington.

Joker came back to UK as a Graduate Assistant, a position he held for the '88 and '89 seasons. He was the Assistant Recruiting Coordinator in 1990, then was promoted to Wide Receivers Coach in '91 where he was instrumental in the rise of Derek Abney. Joker left UK after the '96 season to accept a position with Cincinnati Bearcats where he coached the wide receivers and cornerbacks. Then he moved north to Minnesota in '99, helping the team receive a berth in the Sun Bowl. Head Coach Bob Davie of Notre Dame hired Joker in 2001 as the wide receivers coach, replacing Urban Meyer who was hired to be the head coach for Bowling Green. After only one year with the Fighting Irish he came back to the SEC and served in the same capacity under Lou Holtz at South Carolina.

"Joker Phillips is a class individual who comes to us very highly recommended," said Holtz. "He's going to be an outstanding addition to our staff. He is a true role model for our players, and he possesses a well-rounded knowledge of the game."

While performing an internship with the Atlanta Falcons in 1998, Joker met his future boss, Rich Brooks. After Brooks was hired at Kentucky, Joker soon followed to become the WR coach and Recruiting Coordinator. In 2005 he was promoted to his current position of Offensive Coordinator. Kentucky's offense soon became one of the best in the SEC. In 2007, UK ranked 4th in the conference (15th nationally) in scoring at 36.5 points per game, the second highest total in school history. The Wildcats were the only team in country that sported five players with over 1,000 career receiving yards. (Keenan Burton, Steve Johnson, Dicky Lyons Jr., Jacob Tamme, and Rafael Little). Phillips' offensive style has shown great flexability and balance between the running and passing games. His tenure has seen a 3,000 yard passer (Woodson), two 1,000 yard receivers (Burton and Johnson), and a 1,000 yard rusher (Little). He gave up the title of Recruiting Coordinator in 2005, however he remains very heavily involved with all the players UK hopes to bring to campus.

"Joker Phillips is huge down here," said Courtney Dalcourt, a former Franklin-Simpson quarterback (now at Western Kentucky) whom many said reminded them of Joker when he was the same age. "Everybody knows him and loves him, so when he's down here (in Franklin), it's a big deal."

Joker has been recognized as one of the nation's top recruiters by Sports Illustrated and Rivals. Kentucky appears to have a bright future ahead of them with Joker at the helm. Regardless of my personal feelings about naming a head coach in waiting, unless an absolute marquee name was available, UK should continue to build upon the positive foundation that Rich Brooks has poured. Only time will tell if this decision was the right one, and Joker certainly has the Kentucky roots and professional pedigree required to lead the 'Cats higher up the SEC and BCS ladders. His attitude towards the team has not changed since the announcement to succeed Brooks was made as evidenced by the way his players feel towards him:

"He's always been the same guy to me," said Dicky Lyons when asked about the future Wildcat head coach. "You might think he'd be more of a business guy now, but he's still easy-going with the guys. He's a real reasonable guy, wants to talk to you, see how you're doing. I think he's going to be a great head coach."

At the end of the day, I will trust the opinion of the man responsible for the turnaround of the Kentucky football program, who obviously has all the faith in the world in one Joseph "Joker" Phillips:

"As I am one of the elder statesmen in the coaching profession, I thought it important for recruits to know that there will be continuity in the program and the coaching staff," Head Coach Rich Brooks said. "Joker Phillips has earned the right as a Kentucky graduate, and having built one of the most productive offenses in school history, to have the opportunity to lead the program in the future."

Everything else you have said has come true Papaw Brooks, let's hope this does too.

While doing a little thinking earlier this morning about just how wonderful it is to be a Wildcat fan right now, a terrible thought crossed my mind. What if Mitch Barnhart and Lee Todd hadn't pulled the trigger and fired Clyde following the NIT loss to Notre Dame? What would we be looking forward to this fall? What would the roster and probable starting lineup look like? Very sobering train of thought let me tell you. Of course we have all heard the rumors about some of BCG's more disturbing motivational tactics. All of these are alleged, no one to my knowledge has come out and directly vouched for the validity of any of these stories. There is the one where Clyde made Josh Harrellson sit in a toilet stall during halftime after Billy thought he turned in a bad first half performance. Then the one regarding an injury to Darius Miller where he was supposedly told by Clyde to suck it up and play like a man, and if he couldn't do that, maybe he needed to walk back to the team hotel instead of riding the bus. Of course a team mutiny followed, with the players stating that if Darius had to walk, they were all walking. Jodie Meeks and Derrick Jasper were also victims of the BCG "Play Through Pain" philosophy. It led Jasper to transfer and Meeks to insinuate leaving for sure if Clyde came back.

And we all know about the Jeanine Edwards interviews and the "Ambassador wasn't in my job description" comments, so I think there was a clearly defined pattern of behavior all Kentucky fans had to look forward to. Add to that the undefined substitution patterns and unpredictable starting lineups, and 'Cat fans would be standing in line to jump off the nearest cliff and what a sad, sad season we had coming my fellow fanatics.

Now my next comments are not meant to disparage any of these players in any way. All these guys (Porter especially) either gave or would have given their all for the program, this is just a talent comparison. A realization of what could have come to pass had the UK brass not had a change of heart. B.C. = Before Calipari and A.C. = After Calipari. I'm not going to compare what each player brings (or would have brought) to the team, I'll leave that judgement up to you. This list is just to remind you what would have been versus what now is.

Point guard: B.C. - Michael Porter, Konner Tucker, G.J. Vilarino. A.C. - John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, DeAndre Liggins (combo 1 & 2). Maybe Porter still leaves the team, maybe he doesn't, but Liggins has stated the had Clyde came back, he would've been gone. Konner Tucker went on to sign with Wake Forest, but I believe that Wall and Bledsoe are adequate replacements.

Shooting Guard: B.C. - Jon Hood, Kevin Galloway (combo 1 & 2), Landon Slone. A.C. - Jon Hood, Darius Miller (combo 2 & 3), Darnell Dodson. The difference here being the exchange of Galloway for Dodson, Miller playing SG and SF for Cal, and Slone. I thought Galloway had more game than Clyde allowed him to show, and Dodson is still an unknown quantity, so this one will just have to play itself out. Slone had the potential to be the shooter the 'Cats need this season but transferred to Morehead after realizing Cal wasn't going to offer the scholarship that BCG had promised.

Small Forward: B.C. - Darius Miller, Ramon Harris, A.J. Stewart (combo 3 & 4). A.C. - Darius Miller, Ramon Harris, Perry Stevenson. Perry might play some power forward for Cal, it's not clear yet at this point. Stewart may or may not have been back, as he had already been suspended for the first 10 games of the season due to academic troubles. Miller will almost certainly play more shooting guard for Cal than he would have for Clyde.

Power Forward: B.C. - Matt Pilgrim (combo 4 & 5), Josh Harrellson, Perry Stevenson, A.J. Stewart (combo 3 & 4). A.C. - Patrick Patterson, Josh Harrellson, DeMarcus Cousins (combo 4 & 5). This has to be the greatest impact position because had Clyde stayed, Patterson would likely have joined Jodie Meeks and stayed in the draft. Pilgrim migrated to Oklahoma State, so the jury is still out on that one. Cousins appears to be an incredible talent who will also see time at the SF and C positions.

Center: B.C. - Daniel Orton and Matt Pilgrim. A.C. - Daniel Orton and DeMarcus Cousins. Cal's offense has so many interchangeable positions, center may not be much of a label. However Orton will be a beast either way, and personally I would take Cousins' potential over Pilgrim's potential.

So there you go, you can extrapolate whatever starting lineup you like from that list of players, and in my view Cal's version will always be superior, talent-wise. But draw your own conclusions and comparisons and come up with your own results. (I have a sneaky suspicion yours will be very similar to mine) Now onto the UK news for the day, started off with the new Louisville logo......the one on the left is before Calipari was hired, the one on the right is the redesign to reflect 'Card fans feelings about Coach Cal leading the Big Blue Nation.

It's great to be back, Kentucky has 5-1 odds to win it all this year.

Does tradition really matter? You bet it does!!

Will former 'Cat Randolph Morris ever fulfill his potential? Who knows??

Big shocker here, Cal's offense is perfect for point guards.

TMZ is claiming they have the tape of LeBron getting dunked on by Jordan Crawford.

Cal hopes Antonio Burks is OK and has learned a lesson.

John Clay's random notes.

Rich Brooks wants Randall Cobb to be more creative.

A look at the SEC by the numbers.

A pre-season SEC power poll. (UK gets no respect)

A ranking of the toughest stadiums in the SEC.

And that's the end. I haven't forgotten about the funny story to post today, I'm trying to get the guy who is the subject of the story to write it himself.

I think I'll start off today's post with a little rant. Josh Selby. As I addressed in my last post, he de-committed from Sweaty Bruce and Vols a few days ago. Of course the naysayers are throwing Kentucky and Coach Cal under the bus by insinuating that Cal and World Wide Wes talked Josh out of his commitment to Tennessee. Many sources have stated that Selby was thinking about opening his recruitment back up a few months ago, however none of UK's detractors want to hear any of that. Shortly after Coach Cal was hired, I worried that every little thing would be scrutinized beyond belief number one because this is Kentucky and it has always been that way, and number two because of the undeserved reputation of John Calipari. I can see now that my fears were founded in truth.

From now on, every time a recruit changes his mind or if another school is perceived as being the leader to sign [insert 5-star player's name here] and suddenly he signs with UK, then automatically Cal cheated or World Wide Wes interfered or something else shady/behind the scenes happened. I mean why in the world would a kid want to play for the winningest program of all time?? Why would they want to try and see if they can add to the richest tradition in the NCAA?? Why would they want to practice in a world-class facility like the Joe Craft Center which is better appropriated and better looking than many division one home courts?? Why would they want to live in a storied building like Wildcat Lodge and be treated like a rock star every time they step foot out of it?? Why would they want to play at home in front of 24,000 screaming idiots every single time they take the court whether it's against North Carolina or The Wyoming School for the Criminally Insane??

And of course, why play for a coach that "unleashes" players and prepares them for the NBA?? I'm officially done with worrying what rival fans, overzealous reporters, and jealous programs think about Kentucky and John Calipari. UK has moved back to the forefront of college basketball, a spot that has been earned over time and one that 'Cat fans have been accustomed to occupying. Not only does Kentucky have the greatest salesman and recruiter in the country for a head coach, the product that is the University of Kentucky is incredibly easy to sell. I bet it's like selling me Mountain Dew, not too much work involved. So in light of UK recapturing its place among the college basketball elite, I hope ALL other fans hate us, hate our coach, and hate our arrogance. Because if they feel that way, that means all is right in the world and Kentucky is back to their old ways, meaning beating the everlovin' CRAP out of everybody!! Only one thing I have to say to fellow 'Cat fans:

Let's start off this evening with football links. The SEC Football Media Days start on Wednesday. In attendance representing UK will be Coach Brooks, Zipp Duncan, and Trevard Lindley. Here's 5 questions that will be answered during the upcoming season, and a quick overview of all 12 SEC teams. I wrote a post a while back about my feelings on Rich Brooks and the Kentucky program. Here's another good one from Bleacher Report. Regardless of your feelings about "Papaw," it's hard to deny the job he has done with the program. Two ex-'Cats in the NFL, Andre Woodson and Jacob Tamme, are both beginning their second seasons with the Giants and Colts respectively. Nothing would be better than these guys turning into superstars. Play-by-play man Tom Leach and Lexington Herald-Leader writer Chip Cosby both think it's time for football season. I agree with that myself. And to end the football links, Mark Story has ten questions for the upcoming UK football season.

Now for hoops links, Tennessee's assistant coach "smells" something fishy about the Josh Selby situation. I already addressed that above. The most bizarre recruit of the BCG era, Donald Williams, has changed his mind again. I wish the kid the best of luck, he was a victim of Clyde's madness. Jerry Meyer of Rivals talks about UK's chances with Josh Selby. Jodie Meeks keeps getting praise for his summer league performance, this time getting an "A" grade. Quickie about what recruits the 'Cats might be getting.

I don't think it will come as any surprise to Wildcat fans that as Patrick Patterson goes this season, so goes the 'Cats. Resident loudmouth and ACC homer ESPN analyst Dick Vitale put Patrick on his Second Team All Rolls-Royce Squad. Second team?? Come on Dick, show a little more respect. Speaking of ESPN, they have profiled Kentucky in their "Teams on the Rise" series. (Must have Insider account). In you don't have an Insider account (I don't either) Tom Leach has a few excerpts on his website. Are you jealous of all the guys out on the July recruiting trail? Gary Parrish tells us what we're missing. Point guard U?? Sure is starting to look that way... Joe Jackson happens to be one of the targeted point guards, and he had this to say about his recruitment. What does Coach Cal think about Louisville? He had this to say during his speech to the Pikeville Chamber of Commerce.

Now for a segment entitled, Remember Me? How about Derrick Caracter? The schoolboy superstar that totally flamed out as a member of Ricky P's team answers a few questions. Of course you would have to have a pretty short memory not to remember Tyreke Evans, superstar point guard from Memphis that was the fourth pick in the NBA draft this year. He explains why he went to Memphis and chose Cal and the Dribble Drive Motion Offense. Another trip to Memphis, former guard Antonio Burks was shot, but is now recovering and should come out unscathed. Ending on a pro-UK note, I hadn't thought of this but here's a list of the best current NBA players who actually graduated from college. When you think about it, you don't see that nearly as much as you should.

Thanks for reading, see you guys tomorrow when I put up a really funny story that happened recently to one of friends. Most of you will be able to identify, I think.