However, just as swift as Athletic Director Ross Bjork said the process would be, indicating that a hire may come before the end of this season, the candidates are equally as swift to shrug off any question about their candidacy or interest.
We have heard heaps of names.
Everyone from Tubby Smith(we shit you not) and Bobby Knight.(A bigger we shit you not). But once you get down to it, and you throw out the obvious ridiculousness of those two even being thought to give this job a serious look(C'mon people, it's WKU, not a bad mid-major, but let's not over-state your worth), you find the candidates that are a very distinct possibility, and are actually connected to the job by admission of a search committee.
Numero uno on the The Big Red Grimaces list is the big red ginger from Paintsville. Former UK hero, and long-time Donovan assistant John Pelphrey is that guy. After a good run in WKU's Sun Belt Conference with South Alabama, Pelphrey ran into some trouble, perhaps even over his head, in the Land of Waltons. But this would be a good opportunity for the 'unforgettable' to get his feet wet and move to the big seat on the bench and leave Billy D's side again. He retreated back to Gainesville to recuperate from the Arkansas thing, so after recharging his energies as a right-hand man for half a season, maybe he is ready to jump back in the fray...into something more suited for him to have success. That would be the world of Mid-Major basketball.
Pelphrey's official stance at the moment is that he is going to decline to comment on the WKU job. So say's Florida's Athletics Office.(Tubby was an assistant during Pelphrey's playing days in Lexington, alongside Pelphrey's mentor Donovan, who Pelphrey has spent most of his adult-life with)
Next up, we have current Division II coach Scotty Davenport. Davenport is the coach of Bellarmine, who won last year's National Title. Davenport has been at the Louisville school since 2005. Davenport is also a native of the city, and was the former head coach at Louisville-Ballard, guiding the Bulldogs to the State Title in 1988. Davenport has been an assistant alongside Tubby Smith(This name is going to keep coming up in Kentucky basketball ain't it?). He also spent time on the benches for both Denny Crum and Rick Pitino at Louisville. He was also named the DII National Coach of The Year. So, it would seem that he has all the tools necessary to have success in the mid-major ranks of Division I. He's response to questions about his interest: "I haven't even given it a thought."
Then, we come to daddy's little boy, Richard. Little Ricky Pitino's name has surfaced. Now, if Rick Sr.'s life wouldn't have come crashing down on him in Louisville(Couldn't recreate Blue magic in Red, couldn't get the state to follow him out of Lexington, Adultry, Lashing out a the press for no good reason, blaming everything on 9-11, Karen Sypher, Morehead State, Etc,) we would think that there was a chance for this hire to happen. But, Pitino has seemingly maneuvered his boy into the fashionable and trendy 'coach-in-waiting' position at the state's urban research school, but will that stick? And, does anybody else besides him think that he has put his son in that spot? Pitino has said that he would not coach after 2017, if not before, and with the way things have turned out, he may not last another season, let alone til' 2017. However, if he has any hopes of weaseling Richard into his job, he had better. So, if they offer the job to him, If I was the unproven Jr., I would take it. Because when it comes down to dad's job, I think they will hire outside the family. (Tubby was an assistant on those Kentucky staffs when Pitino had control of the Big Blue Nation and probably had to give Lil' Ricky piggy back rides around Rupp)
The rest of the candidates are your standard fair of long time assistants and what not waiting for their chance to have the keys to the car:
Minnesota Assistant Vince Taylor(A Tubby connection again...)
VCU Assistant Mike Rhoades(Hey, Tubby used to be an assistant there.)
Vandy Assistant David Carson(First season on Stallings staff, before arriving in Nashville, he was an assistant at Tulsa... yeah, Tubby Smith used to coach there)
So, it seems, that they have interest in several candidates, Pelphrey seems to be the favorite among the folks who are going to do the hiring, and it's almost safe to say nobody expects current interim coach Ray Harper(One letter off from being a Led Zeppelin song) to get a certified letter with a job offer from the athletic department.
Knowing what we know, and looking at the situation from the outside. I think the man they will hire is obvious: It's going to be Tubby Smith.
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