It took two games for a noisy segment of Kentucky fans to change Big Blue to big boo.
Boos and grumbles could be heard repeatedly during UK’s 84-68 loss to Gardner-Webb in Game 2 of the Billy Gillispie era.
As Gillispie noted in his post-game news conference, you could not miss the boos. Gardner-Webb Coach Rick Scruggs certainly didn’t.
“I told my assistant, I’m just glad they’re not booing us,” he said. “It sort of surprised me. It surprised me they left early.”
For even casual observers of UK basketball, it was no surprise. Fans booed Sheray Thomas in one game last season. Joe Crawford heard boos in another.
Not that Kentucky fans stand alone as boo birds. Coming off a national championship, Florida’s football team heard boos as it left the field at halftime against Auburn this season.
But you have to wonder if any other fan group would boo in a game their team won by 29 points. That happened in 1997 when Mississippi State threw long passes over UK’s press for layups on back-to-back possessions.
Continue reading ‘Notebook: Boo birds show up early this season’
Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald- Leader has covered Kentucky basketball since the 1981-82 season. That time includes five coaches, five Final Fours, four athletic directors, two interim athletic directors and many memories. Before coming to Lexington, Tipton worked eight years for the Huntington (W.Va.) Herald-Dispatch. He covered Marshall’s basketball team for two seasons before coming to the Herald-Leader.