blogs: Billy Reed's Blog 

Well, at least the 2009-'10 University of Louisville Cardinals didn't screw up the final game at Freedom Hall. That's their epitaph. Of all the 54 U of L teams that played at the Kentucky State Fairgrounds arena, this one has to be the most maddening. Assistant coach Ralph Willard described the team by recalling the Forrest Gump line about life being like a box of chocolates -- you never know what you're going to get. It was apt except for one thing: Any kind of chocolate is good, but this team sometimes was very, very bad. And here's the thing: After following this team through 33 games, almost every one of which since January seemed to be of the “must” win variety, I still can't decide what kind of job Coach Rick Pitino did. On the one hand, you can make the case that because the parts never fit, because nobody ever really stepped up to fill the sneakers of Terrence Williams and Earl Clark, Pitino deserves credit for getting as much out of them as anybody could reasonably expect -- a 20-13 final record, an NCAA bid, and, of course, that glorious final victory over top-ranked Syracuse on March 6, the last home game for the Cards in Freedom Hall. But on the other, you also can make the case that Pitino hurt the team by stubbornly refusing to play Samardo Samuels and Terrence Jennings together until the end of the season, by never starting Peyton Siva at the point and moving Edgar Sosa to shooting guard, and by erratic personnel moves. How many times did a player have a good game, only to get little or no playing time the next time out? Conversely, Pitino kept giving plenty of minutes to Jerry Smith despite one lousy performance after another. Early on, it was obvious that Smith, for whatever reasons, was going to be more of a liability than an asset this season. His two-of-eight shooting performance in the 77-62 NCAA opening-round loss to California was more or less typical of his season. Too often the Cards became perimeter-oriented offensively when it was obvious their best option was to get the ball to Samuels in places where he could score. Too often the shot selection was horrendous. Too often the Cards gave up easy baskets by not playing defense with the usual Pitino grit. And then there are the intangibles. Only insiders know how much of a distraction the Karen Sypher scandal was for Pitino. The whole season, I never thought he looked relaxed or happy. At times, in fact, he looked downright haggard -- haunted, almost. For the first time since I started covering him in 1989, he rarely seemed to be enjoying himself. As usual, the rumors have started about him leaving. Just the other day, a guy was telling me that Joanne Pitino wanted to get out of Louisville because she felt the family needed a fresh start in a new location. I didn't laugh, as I usually do at Pitino-is-leaving rumors, because it makes sense. Besides, whether Rick was working in Lexington or Louisville, Joanne has remained a New Yorker to the core, declining to get involved in community activities and spending a lot of time away from Kentucky. Already jobs are open that I think make more sense for Pitino than Arizona or Sacramento ever did. I could see him coaching at St. John's or Seton Hall. I could see him going back to the Knicks or even coaching New Jersey. One particularly interesting rumor has Pitino resigning at Louisville and Billy Donovan replacing him. Donovan may be ready to leave Florida, where basketball always will be no better than a distant No. 2 to football, because he hasn't been able to build on his back-to-back national titles in 2006-'07. But this is pure speculation and should be taken for what it's worth, which isn't much. Maybe Pitino's future will depend on what happens when the Sypher case goes to court, if it ever does. Unlike some observors, I see the Cards being better next season. The senior guards, Sosa and Smith, will not be missed. Neither will shooting forward Reggie Delk, a streaky player on a streaky team. And if Samuels returns instead of transferring or -- horrors! -- opting for the NBA draft, the Cards will have more returning experience than most of their Big East rivals. With a potential starting lineup of Samuels at center, either Rakeem Buckles or Jennings at power forward, Jared Shropshire at small forward, Siva at the point, and Preston Knowles at shooting guard, the Cards should be ranked in the preseason Top 20. Kyle Kuric and Mark Marra will be solid reserves at either small forward or shooting guard. George Goode will be back from an injury and Stephen Van Treese could emerge as a useful backup center. The recruiting class right now consists of Justin Coleman, an exciting 6-foot-5 small forward from Huntington, and 5-11 point guard Russell Smith. This is a matter of concern to Cardinal fans who are worried that the guy down the road in Lexington has surpassed Pitino as a recruiter. The good news is that the Cards will be moving into the new, state-of-the-art, NBA-ready downtown arena in November. This should generate a lot of positive national buzz around the program -- in addition to being a helpful recruiting tool. If Pitino needs something to re-energize him, the arena just might be the ticket. Speaking of which, please tell me that the rumors about New Mexico State being the first opponent aren't true. Their place in basketball history is almost invisible. The first opponent in the new arena should be one of the game's great names -- UCLA, Duke, North Carolina, Indiana, or Kansas. Or, failing that, I'll settle for Memphis or Cincinnati, who were U of L's biggest rivals in the 1960s' 70s, 80's, and 90s, going all the way back to the Missouri Valley Conference days. When you close one arena by beating a traditional national rival that is ranked No. 1 nationally at the time of the game, you need to open the new one with a game of similar magnitude. Sorry, but New Mexico State just doesn't measure up.

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	El Speedy Loco   sat mar 20 2010 at 5:33 pm         ·  guess he did about as best a coach can do with the players he had...now maybe he can go and recruit top 10 players...look at calipari,steps right in,gets top recruits and probably going to the final four atleast...Ive been a diehard fan since 1980...I love Rick but Im hearing grumblings from other diehard fans also
	Mr. Goodnight   sat mar 20 2010 at 10:58 pm         ·  I, for one, am SO glad to see Sosa leave. He cost us way more games than he won for us. As for Ricky P. losing some cred from us diehard fans, that is so true. Ricky P. may be a hell of a motivational speaker, but when it comes to Xs and Os, then he is average. Rumor has it he will be taking the job at St. Johns. If he leaves, I wouldn't be upset one bit
	(Eric)   sun mar 21 2010 at 8:28 am         ·  If Rick Pitino Left U L. We'd Be Then Saying I'm Happy With Being Ranked 18th. Its Rick Pitino. Thats Like Being a Duke Fan And Saying Oh Idc If Coach K Leaves Were Better Off W.o Him. Rick Pitino Is What Maks The Cards. That Strong Full Court d Comes From Some Where. Also Sosa Is 1 Of The Best Players. He's 1 Of My Favorites. Not Cause He Acts Like Lebron Driving To The Hoop.But He's My Favorite Cause He Plays Cause He Loves The Game. When He Makes A And 1 3 Pt Play Hes Never Pumping His Chest Hardly Showboats. But We All Gotta Give It Up To My Great White Hype Kuric. He Is Gonna Improve Especialy By The Way He Drills The 3's. But NOW Before You Talk About Sosa My Man You Needa Bring Up Swopshire. This Cat Is A Starter... He Needs To BeA Starter Fr The Bench If You Ask Me. He's Way Worse Of a Player Then Sosa Any Day And Night. But U L Didnt Have Many New Players This Year. Next Year There Recruiting Some Real Good Freshmens. This 1 Kid From Chicago Averages I Think 45 PPG IN HIGH SCHOOL... I Give It Up To The Cards Tho. For Making It That Far. You Can't Blame The Coach When You Got A Medioker Team Tho. But They Scraped For There Spot And Earned There Games
	amy :)   sun mar 21 2010 at 11:33 am         ·  A coach can only do so much if he doesn't have the players to pull it off. I've never been almost relieved to see a lackluster Senior class go. There's no big loss there, sad to say. Each player has contributed spotty performances. I think next season will be far better. I love Rick and I hope he stays for years to come. But IF he leaves, a Pitino prodigy like Billy Donovan would be a helluva replacement... (But please don't leave, Rick...)
	Less is more   sun mar 21 2010 at 11:45 am         ·  Pitino did as good of a job as anyone should have expected. The preseason ranking was completely unrealistic for a team that lost the #11 and #14 pick in the NBA draft, not to mention a point guard who was a senior captain. In a rebuilding year in the Big East, 11-7 is really good. You know who else lost their top players to the NBA and Graduation? UCLA, North Carolina, UConn, and Oklahoma. How'd they do this year?
	amy :)   sun mar 21 2010 at 11:58 am         ·  Excellent point and well said!
	tinkerbell tink #323538   sun mar 21 2010 at 12:00 pm         ·  "guess he did about as best a coach can do with the players he had" But it's his job as the coach to recruit the players. He picked them, so there is nobody to blame but himself. I personally think his heart isn't in the game anymore. Retirement might be his best option.
	Music 4 The Soul   sun mar 21 2010 at 12:23 pm         ·  Whoever the coach is next year, would they please teach UL players how to make a dang free-throw?
	truejager1   sun mar 21 2010 at 12:26 pm         ·  I am neither a U of L fan, or a Kentucky fan. Ricky P is a great coach. Calipari is a great coach. What people need to start realizing is that the playing field is leveling out. There is enough talent that any team can win or loose. This years tourny has proved it. Of 5.1 million brackets filled out on ESPN, there were only 56 left that were correct after the first day of play. I have not seen anything that says that anyone had the Jay Hawks loosing yesterday. Being a gambling man, I would beat that if the NCAA digs into Kentucky's program, there were some recruiting violations that went on. Just my thoughts. I am an Ohio State fan, so now you may all start to make fun. I am use to it.
	alsdafkl;j   sun mar 21 2010 at 12:56 pm         ·  I think Pitino's style of basketball just didn't work for this team. He has to have a good point guard and forwards that can hit threes consistently to open up the paint for his big guys. Plus his big guys don't like having their bubbles busted in the paint. They gotta toughen up and learn some post-up moves.
	SweetAngel69   sun mar 21 2010 at 3:21 pm         ·  Actually the first game is going to be against Duke...this was said like a month ago
	FuNkY CaPrIcOrN   sun mar 21 2010 at 3:49 pm         ·  No it's not official yet. They are still trying to work it out.
	GtownGuy   sun mar 21 2010 at 5:14 pm         ·  I heard that the Rick was a womanizer as soon as he moved to Louisville - perhaps a reason that Joanne has never even bothered with creating a life in this town. That, plus it may be that the Rick sees "arranged marriages" as a solution to certain problems - like how to get a bimbo off his back, and how to appear a "straight" arrow while enjoying a friendship with, YES!, a brother-in-law! And that brother-in-law's death on 9/11 is when I saw the spark and the drive begin to ebb out of the Rick. As many who mourn a great loss, his priorities seemed to become less about basketball and maybe more about living life & "enjoying the game." BTW, I don't think Karen will be permitted to have any input in her trial. Bet it all will be very cut & dried, no "sensation." Nothing she has to say - or wants to say - will be permissible. And what we already know of her "excuses" for her illegal actions will be both ridiculed and damning.
	(Eric)   sun mar 21 2010 at 6:27 pm         ·  What And The F Does HIs Trial Have To Do With Anything. You Can't Talk Down About Someone Thats Doing Way More Than You In THe Same City. HEs A Legendary Hall Of Fame Coach. And Your Ignoranat Self Is Gonna Talk About How A Blonde Bimbo Tried To Extorant Pitino Cuz She Wanted Pitino Bread And Tried Gettin It On Top Of His Taliwhacker. When Your A Hall Of Fae Coach. BAsketball Is Your Life. His Son Is In Basketball As Well. I Know This Cuz My Cousin Is The Equipment Manager Of The B Ball Team. Thats Like Saying Johnny Cochran Should Have PAid More Attention To His Life Instead Of Being A Multi Millionaire Attorney. Basketball Is A Lifestyle Not A Choice
	SomethingAlways   sun mar 21 2010 at 9:38 pm         ·  Why do you capitalize every word?
	**Kristie**   today at 12:08 am         ·  I hear what everyone is saying and there are some legitimate points here and there. As a fan, I don't bail on my team when they have an off year. That's my gripe about some KY fans...I don't recall seeing this much KY Blue last season or the one before that. I happen to like both UK and UofL...I support all KY teams. Pitino is a great coach. As for the scandal, I can't say how it has impacted the players or his coaching but I do know that it is his and Joanne's business. I hope for a better season next year. I want Rick in Louisville and I hope he wants to be here. I think the team needs him.
	just here   today at 12:25 am         ·  I think Rick did a great job this year with what he had to work with. Sosa really did cost us alot of games and most of you diehard U of L fans must have forgotten last year and the fact that we have been to two elite 8s back to back. We need to back our coach during the bad times just as we did during the good ones.
	Brian8605   today at 12:39 am         ·  Coach Cal is about to take a program that was in the NIT last year to a national title, rick just cant get the recruits anymore, hes been there 10 years 1 final 4, 2 NIT trips a few elight 8's. I think it may be time for him to hang it up

If you liked the movie “Hoosiers,” you're going to love the NCAA basketball tournament. The little team from Indianapolis, Butler, has an excellent chance of coming home for the Final Four. I hesitate to call Butler a “Cinderella” because the Bulldogs have been a consistent Top 25 team for years. They're always a team that nobody wants to play because they're so hard to play against. The typical Butler team is fundamentally sound, disciplined, and patient. Butler is in the same class as teams like Gonzaga, Xavier, and Richmond. Nobody is ever surprised to see them pull an early upset and make the round of 16. But rarely do they go farther. At that point in the tournament, the teams from the BCS conferences flex their muscles and take over. But this year Butler has a legitimate shot to crash the party in its hometown. It's too bad the Final Four will be played in Lucas Oil Stadium instead of Hinkle Fieldhouse, the ancient hoops shrine where Butler plays its home games. Named after longtime coach Tony Hinkle, this is the arena that Hollywood used to film the final basketball scenes in “Hoosiers.” Of course, it's also the arena where Bobby Plump led tiny Milan High to the 1952 Indiana State High School championship, the story upon which “Hoosiers” is based. In the movie, Milan is called Hickory High and coached by Gene Hackman. I admit to having a personal rooting interest in Butler. I've spent this academic year teaching some journalism courses at Indiana University's new Center for Sports Journalism. On Mondays I teach at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), so I've been able to follow Butler from close proximity. Also, one of my students dates a Butler starter. I believe it's Matt Howard, but don't hold me to that. He is Butler's second leading rebounder and third leading scorer. The Bears open the tournament against Texas-El Paso, which is led by U of L transfer Derrick Caracter. Apparently Caracter has re-invented himself in the land of cactus and sagebrush, becoming the sort of player Rick Pitino knew he could be but seldom saw due to Caracter's bad traits, such as, oh, a reluctance to attend class. Caracter may score a ton against Butler, but his teammates aren't good enough to stop the Bears' disciplined and balanced attack. So Butler wins and advances to play the winner of the Murray-Vanderbilt game. Neither, in my view, is good enough to keep the Bears out of the Sweet 16. Then Butler would get Syracuse, the No. 1 seed in the West. I can't see a team that lost twice to Louisville making the Final Four. So Butler knocks out the Orangemen and plays Kansas State for a berth in the Final Four. If they get this close, I can't see Butler blowing it, especially since the entire country would be rooting for the Bears. Voila! Butler makes the Final Four, joining Kansas, Kentucky, and Duke. But just as Michigan State made it to Detroit last year and then finally ran out of gas, so will Butler's run end before the home fans. Kansas is just too experienced, deep, and talented. The Jayhwaks beat the Bears to make the title game for the second time in three years. On the other side of the bracket, Kentucky and Duke meet in what could be another classic. The Blue Devils will push the Cats to the limit, but, at the end, the amazing John Wall finds a way to get the Cats into the final game. For UK Coach John Calipari, it will be déjà vu. Two years ago he took Memphis to a title-game showdown with Kansas. The Tigers had the game all but won, only to let Kansas back into the game with poor free-throw shooting in the closing minutes of regulation. Given a reprieve, the Jayhawks won in OT on a great clutch three by Marco Chalmers. This time, though, Calipari will get revenge. Despite being the youngest team in the tournament, the Cats ride freshmen John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins to the program's eighth NCAA title. But here I must insert a disclaimer: The Cats also could get beat in the second round by the Texas-Wake Forest winner. I expect it will be Texas and I expect Rick Barnes will have the Longhorns playing back to their early-season form, which carried them to the nation's No. 1 ranking for a week or so. A UK-Texas game could be one of the greatest second-round matchups in tournament history. As for U of L, I'm not at all certain that Cards will beat California in the first round. Sure, the Pac 10 looked so weak this season that it's easy to discount Cal's regular-season title and conference tournament runner-up finish. But the Bears also are quick and experienced (four senior starters). They could easily break down a Cardinal team that has never shown any consistency or mental toughness. Be looking for Jerome Randle, who figures to be the best player on the floor. He's the leader of a Cal team that comes into the tournament with nine wins in its last 11 games. In the preseason, the Bears lost to Syracuse by 22 in New York, to New Mexico by eight in Albuquerque, and to Kansas by 15 in Lawrence. So they will not be intimidated by this group of Cards. A win would be nice for U of L's pride, but that's about all. Even if the Cards beat Cal, there's no way the Cards would beat Duke in the second round. The only interesting thing about U of L-Duke, in fact, would be the chance to see Duke's Nolan Smith play against the school his late father, Derek, helped win the 1980 NCAA title. Looking at other schools of local interest, I think both Purdue and Notre Dame are capable of getting to the Sweet Sixteen. Murray State has a good shot to upset Vanderbilt in the first round, but I can't see the Racers handling Butler in the next game.

Butler Univ. photo

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	DavidsonDuke   tue mar 16 2010 at 10:52 am         ·  Go Devils!
	FuNkY CaPrIcOrN   tue mar 16 2010 at 1:38 pm         ·  Well sign up and play the mojo braacket game Billy Reed and put your team Butler as your cinderella.....:P

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- At both the campuses where I teach, Indiana University in Bloomington and IUPUI in Indianapolis, there's no building excitement about the NCAA tournament because neither school's name will be called when the 65-team field is announced Sunday evening. This assumes, of course, that IU will not pull off a miracle in the Big Ten tournament. Tonight the Hoosiers face the same Northwestern team that they were life-and-death to beat in Assembly Hall last Saturday, ending an 11-game losing streak that has inspired some grousing and restlessness about Coach Tom Crean. Memo to the grousers: Stifle yourselves. Sure, I was among those who hoped the Hoosiers could finish .500 this season and maybe get an NIT bid. But though we didn't know it at the time, those hopes went down the drain when an ankle injury sidelined guard Maurice Cheeks, the team's best player, for the season. When you consider how even good teams struggle after the loss of a key player – for reference, see Purdue – you'll understand how the Hoosiers had little or no shot without Cheeks. At this stage of the rebuilding process, IU simply is too fragile to withstand a bad break. As for IUPUI, the Jaguars were only a game away from making the NCAA field. Unfortunately for Coach Ron Hunter's squad, however, they couldn't find a way to cool off Oakland City in the championship game of the Mid-Continent tournament. Leagues like the Mid-Continent only get one invitation, so IUPUI must now hope for an NIT bid. But even that is unlikely because the NIT would rather have a so-so team from a major conference instead of a good team from a minor league. So my students have been forced to endure hearing me tell stories about the NCAA tournament in place of actually having the experience. That's not a good deal for them. For many college students from Manhattan, N.Y., to Manhattan Beach in California, the excitement of having your team in the Big Dance is an important part of the college experience. While I can't help but feel sorry for my students, in no way do I believe the tournament should be expanded. College basketball is a part of the educational process, and the educational process is set up – or, at least, it should be – to reward excellence, not mediocrity or even failure. So forget the idea of opening the tournament to all Division I members. The conference tournaments – every league but the Ivy has one – already take care of giving everybody a second chance. And forget expanding the field to 96 teams. Why reward 31 mediocre-to-bad teams that have not earned the right to compete for the national title? The NIT takes care of that. Most importantly, lest we forget that these teams represent academic institutions and not shoe companies, why take the players out of class for another week? (I'm assuming, of course, that academics still mean something in college hoops, an assumption I'm not sure is valid anymore.) For basketball historians, it's shocking to contemplate an NCAA tournament without Indiana, UCLA, North Carolina and UConn. They now are in the same place that Kentucky was last season. It just goes to show that not even the biggest names can take success for granted in these days of parity, the one-and-done superstar, and the summertime AAU programs. When I try to talk to my IU students about Scott May or Quinn Buckner or even Calbert Cheaney, they look at me with blank expressions. To them, that's ancient history. Heck, they're barely aware of what Jared Jeffries did just a few seasons ago. So when I kidded them about storming the court after a win over Minnesota, they shrugged and told me that I had to understand how far removed they were from anything worth celebrating. They were right, too. Even the seniors have been cheated out of a positive NCAA experience, thanks to the controversy that swirled around the cheating Kelvin Sampson. But trust me: the IU program is in good hands. Tom Crean is a proven winner. Give him one more class of his recruits and the Hoosiers will again start looking like, well, the Hoosiers. Their link to the past will be more than the candy-striped warm-ups. They'll regain their rightful place among the college game's elite. I'll even go so far as to predict that this year's freshmen will see an IU team in at least the NCAA Sweet Sixteen before they graduate in 2013. The worst has passed. Now there's a foundation in place upon which Crean can rebuild the program to where it was under Bob Knight. I realize that's little consolation to my students. When the NCAA tournament begins next week, they'll be on the outside looking in, their noses pressed to the windowpanes like street urchins. I suggest that the IU students at IUPUI adopt Purdue, and that the IU students in Bloomington rally around Butler. At least, that will give them a rooting interest for the time being.

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SciFiNut   thu mar 11 2010 at 2:23 pm         ·  The Hurryin' Hoosiers will be back! I was there when we won it all by stomping UNC 63-50.

Now that it is upon us, a lot of people seem surprised by how emotional they feel. After tomorrow afternoon's game against Syracuse, the University of Louisville never again will play a home game in Freedom Hall. Next season the men's and women's teams both will begin playing in the new downtown arena. Wedged between the Second Street Bridge and the Galt House, the new arena overpowers its space. It will be state-of-the-art inside, but outside, well, it will be a state of confusion, chaos and culture shock, at least for the short term. Going downtown for games will be a very different experience than going to the Kentucky State Fairgrounds. We can only hope that the new arena serves the community as long and as well as Freedom Hall has. Today, almost 54 years after Freedom Hall opened its doors, we must applaud the visionary leaders who planned it, funded it, designed it and got it done. Way ahead of its time when it was built, Freedom Hall still is an outstanding place to watch a basketball game, a concert, or a horse show. It is old, but not antiquated. The vast majority of NCAA Division I basketball programs play in arenas that are inferior to Freedom Hall. But the downtown business community defines downtown differently than I do. They seem to think downtown is limited to the area between Broadway and the Ohio River. They seem determined to pack Main Street so full of attractions that it will someday simply sink of its own weight into the river. I think that's myopic. I think downtown includes Churchill Downs, the U of L campus, and the airport. I think downtown includes the South End and the West End. I wonder why we haven't expanded more in that direction, where there's plenty of land and a severe need for economic development. But I digress. The point here is to tell you about the people I've met and the things they've said as I've done signings for my book, “Celebrating 54 Years at Freedom Hall,” which is available at all local bookstores. Everybody has a Freedom Hall story because everybody has been to Freedom Hall at one time or another for something. Although my book mainly is about basketball, it also has chapters about concerts, boxing matches, the Mason-Dixon Games, the World's Championship Horse Show, the tractor pull, and family events such as circuses, rodeos, and ice shows. I love it when people in their 50s and 60s tell me about the time the first time their mom or dad took them to Freedom Hall. They remember what they saw, where they sat, and even what they had to eat (remember the little frozen milkshakes with the wooden spoons?) Sometimes the memories cause eyes to grow moist. Sometimes they inspire deep peals of laughter. Sometimes they lead to other questions: “Do you remember the time that…” But they're all good. They're all happy. They're all testimony to a building that has become more than just a big collection of bricks and steel. The good news is that Freedom Hall is not being torn down. It still will be used frequently for horse shows, certain concerts, and lots of conventions. All that's changing is that U of L no longer will play there. But that's a big change because U of L and Freedom Hall are so entwined in basketball history that it's difficult to imagine one without the other. Freedom Hall has been a significant part of my life on both the professional and personal levels. The first event I covered in Freedom Hall as a newspaper reporter was the 1962 State High School Tournament won by St. Xavier and its star, center Mike Silliman. Since then, I have no clue how many basketball games I've seen there as both a writer and a spectator. High school games, U of L games, UK games, Colonels' games, Final Four games, all-star games, Harlem Globetrotters games. I wish I had $1 for every dribble I've seen in Freedom Hall. I've also seen my share of concerts there. In the book, I make special mention of the week in 1976 when three megastar shows – Elvis Presley, Elton John, and the Eagles – all played Freedom Hall within a four-day period. I took my kids to the circus and the Globetrotters at Freedom Hall. I saw Bob Hope there right before he led another USO troupe to Vietnam. I even covered a political convention there in 1972. It was put on by the American Party, most of which morphed into Rush Limbaugh's supporters. The best rivalries in Freedom Hall were U of L-Memphis State, UK-Notre Dame, and Kentucky Colonels-Indiana Pacers. On those special nights, the place rocked. I wish it were possible to bottle the Freedom Hall atmosphere on the night of a big game and save it for release into the new arena. The University of Kentucky won one of its seven NCAA titles (1958) in Freedom Hall and John Wooden captured two of his 10 there (1967 and '69). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played there when he was Lew Alcindor and Muhammad Ali fought there when he was Cassius Clay Jr. I've run into people who remember the time when Kip Keino and Jim Ryun ran against each other in the Mason-Dixon Games…when Hank Williams Jr. doused the crowd near the stage with a quart of Jack Daniel's…and when Louisville police arrested 268 during a two-day Grateful Dead love fest. One thing I didn't get in the book, but wish I had, was the fact that the Toy Bowl was played there in the late 1950s, making it the first football game ever played indoors in the South. Thanks to Freedom Hall – and the adjacent Fairgrounds Stadium – sports fans around the world came to Louisville as more, much more, than the home of the Kentucky Derby. The mellifluous voice of John Tong made him the best-known public-address announcer west of John F. X. Condon of New York's Madison Square Garden. I can't remember any negative experiences at Freedom Hall, and that's due mainly to the dedication and competency of the people who work there. They work hard to make sure patrons are treated courteously. Freedom Hall always has been in good hands, and the current staff, headed by President and CEO Harold Workman, has taken customer service to new levels of excellence. It's hard to believe that we'll never again see the Cards coming out of the tunnel, wearing the home white uniforms. From Charlie Tyra to Samardo Samuels, from Phil Rollins to Edgar Sosa, we've seen an incredible string of young men represent the red-and-black at the highest level of college hoops. Now it's one and out. One more U of L home game in Freedom Hall. One more chance to celebrate 54 years at Freedom Hall before it's time to turn out the lights and move downtown. Or, as John Tong surely would have said after tomorrow's game, “Alllllllll exits will be open to outgoing traffic.”

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	Papi   fri mar 05 2010 at 9:57 am         ·  Out of many, many memories my favorite was when they brought out Muhammed Ali at halftime of a Colonels game to greet the hometown crowd after a big victory overseas. They turned off the houselights and had a single spotlight on Ali and the crowd was just mesmerized. After he spoke they brought Artis Gilmore alone out of the locker room to jokingly spar with the champ. He didn't stay with it very long.
	Steve Coomes   fri mar 05 2010 at 10:09 am         ·  So right on the rivalries: I loved to hate Memphis State and the Pacers because they so beguiled my Cards and Colonels. Great memories in Freedom Hall. Maybe the greatest, though, was the Wave the Cards Home party after the 1980 championship.
	BASHFUL   fri mar 05 2010 at 10:17 am         ·  Why have such a good story about freedom hall and then have a pic of rupp areana?
	Black Gladiator   fri mar 05 2010 at 10:56 am         ·  "remember the little frozen milkshakes with the wooden spoons?" *sigh* I miss malts.
	Steve Coomes   fri mar 05 2010 at 11:07 am         ·  good eye, bashful. the blue court border and that center court sound system tell it all.
	davilledude   fri mar 05 2010 at 11:24 am         ·  I'll miss that wonder popcorn smell that hits you when you walk through the door. What I won't miss is the worst traffic layout in the history of arenas. We call it it: The Circle Of Death.
	LUCIANO   fri mar 05 2010 at 12:54 pm         ·  freedom hall has been a great part of my life things change but my thing is if louisville doesnt make it to the big dance and they play in the NIT then this wont be there last game in freedom hall
	kyman01   sat mar 06 2010 at 3:17 pm         ·  I will really miss Freedom Hall. As a kid we would go to see the Kentucky Colonels that was some great basketball. Freedom Hall really is a great place to watch a basketball game even from the rafters there was always a great view. No banners hanging all over the ceiling blocking your view like at Rupp arena. Maybe UofL will finally get some championship banners for their new arena. Maybe UK will loan them a couple they have so many its hard to find room to display them all.
	Red Chick83   sat mar 06 2010 at 8:01 pm         ·  I have been a Cards fan forever, but today was the first time I have ever attended a game. What a great arena!
	Blanche Kitchen #324632   mon mar 08 2010 at 3:19 pm         ·  Your e-mails are undeliverable? Great piece on Freedom Hall.