Welcome to another edition of [B]The Ripple Effect[/B], where we discuss what might have been had events transpired differently in Kentucky basketball history.
Last time, we discussed the hiring choice of Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart in 2007. While it was generally accepted that hiring Billy Gillispie in 2007 was an epic fail, the coaching choice made by Athletic Director C.M. Newton in 1989 was not only successful, but quite possibly one of the best coaching hires in college basketball history. When Rick Pitino was hired as the head coach after leaving the New York Knicks, many people wondered if this brash 36-year old New Yorker was in over his head by taking a job with the Big Blue. But did you know that Pitino wasn’t the first choice? Some say he wasn’t even the second.
So, what would have happened if…
Kentucky hires Lute Olson instead of Rick Pitino in 1989
Olson surprised a lot of people in 1983 by bolting a cushy job at Iowa to become head coach for Arizona, a perennial doormat and one of basketball’s least successful major programs. However, Olson quickly built them into a national power, taking a 4-24 team and in two years time, getting them to the NCAA tournament. The 1987-1988 and 1988-1989 seasons were especially successful for the “other” Wildcats, as they made it to the Final Four and Sweet Sixteen, respectively. Olson was quickly making a name for himself as a power player in the college coaching ranks.
Enter C.M. Newton, who just took the job at Kentucky after incumbent A.D. Cliff Hagan was forced out after the Emory Worldwide scandal. Newton knew he had to make an impact on his first coaching hire, he needed someone to pull Kentucky out of the mire and back to national prominence. The natural choice, it seemed, was Olson.
Arizona, however, weren’t willing to part with their coach. Their athletic department offered a raise and contract extension for Olson to stay, and he accepted. Some people say Seton Hall coach P.J. Carlesimo was the second choice, but Athletic Department officials denied that he was ever offered a deal. They did, however, offer Pitino a deal, and the rest is history.
But what would’ve happened had Olson taken the job? Would we have still landed Jamal Mashburn? Could Olson had made like Pitino and used a silver tongue to lure Mashburn away from St. John’s? Would we still see The Unforgettables? Would the UK-Duke Elite Eight game still have went down the way it did? That’s probably no on each count.
But that’s not to say Kentucky wouldn’t have been a contender all those years. It’s very possible that Lute Olson could have built quite the program here, and probably even won a championship or two. But would he have been the same success that Pitino was? We’ll never know.
[I]Don’t forget to vote in Nation of Blue’s Top 50 Players of All Time Poll. Just send your list of at least five, but no more than ten, of your favorite Kentucky players from ANY era to [EMAIL=”[email protected]”][email protected][/EMAIL]. Voting ends July 1, 2012.[/I]
