Mitch Barnhart: What Would The Big Blue Nation Miss?

So UK may be losing Mitch Barnhart. Anyone upset? Anyone concerned? Anyone happy? Ask most of the Big Blue Nation those questions and you will get a myriad of answers. The truth of the matter is that Barnhart while having a blunder or two along the way ( see photo above), has been very good for UK athletics as a whole. Now before you basketball and football critics start screaming at the top of your lungs, remember I said, as a whole. Barnhart took an athletics department with a decidedly and historically basketball slant and has made attempts to bring it into the 21st century. He has been ambitious as well as daring in some of his moves, and none more so than his Rich Brooks experiment in football.

Barnhart has been here at UK nine years. For his accomplishments and accolades see here, because listing them is just rehashing a lot of things that Barnhart himself knows all too well. Upon coming here from Oregon State, a lot of folks were scratching their heads because Mitch did not fit the Good Old Boy profile that the position has always had attached to it’s job description. From the problems of the Cliff Hagan era, which led to the resurrection of the previous languishing program under C.M. Newton , to the ineptitude of Larry Ivy who followed him, Barnhart was seen as an outsider who just was not what the fan base thought they should have. Some wanted to see Joe B. Hall return as AD, a move which I am not sure Hall ever really seriously considered, and others wanted to see the program turn to another familiar face and bring Newton back, who was seriously embedded in the NCAA and the SEC at the time. There were other candidates, but back when Barnhart was hired, there was not as much information out there which we had easy access to, so not a lot of talk went on.

But not giving Barnhart credit where credit is due would be a mistake here. He has given the football program unprecedented success. That is not up for debate. He will always hear about the Gillispie debacle, but he followed that one up with bringing in John Calipari, a move which may have given him his biggest accomplishment to date. But do not forget the hiring of Matthew Mitchell, who followed Mickie DeMoss’ short tenure in women’s basketball either.

Right now we seem to have the most well-rounded success going on that UK has ever enjoyed. His “15 By ’15” approach is still in full swing, and could still be accomplished. He puts the success of the entire department above the success of one program. A dangerous thing to do at a school like UK where basketball is king, and no one cares if anyone else likes it or not. I have been critical of some of Barnhart’s moves in the past, but he has definitely won me over simply by delivering on what he has promised. As with most things UK, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, however, and some just do not see Barnhart as anything but a liability for the program. For those of you with that approach in mind, let me simply say this. Barnhart has kept UK out of the eye of the NCAA since his tenure began. Want to give the credit for that to Sandy Bell? Go ahead, but Barnhart could have decided to make a change there years ago, and didn’t. Smart move #1. UK has begun to have unparalleled success in women’s basketball as well. You say that is due to Matthew Mitchell, and Mickie DeMoss, Barnhart’s first hire would not even stick around for five years. That was not Barnhart’s fault, and DeMoss started what Mitchell has continued, success, period. Smart move #2.

Football has already been mentioned, so that gives him #3. Throw in the fact that academics seem to be improving and that facilities have improved, and you have a really good track record. When you cap all of this off with the resurgence of the premier program in men’s basketball in the country you would think that Barnhart can have his choice of jobs, and that may be exactly why he is being looked at for the Kansas job. Their athletic department is in a shambles, scandals are more commonplace than wins there right now, and their standings in anything other than men’s basketball are languishing terribly. Barnhart has seen all of that at UK. He is from Kansas so that may also hold some allure as well.

Should Mitch Barnhart leave UK, there will be some seriously big shoes to fill, that is just a fact. Like him or not, the man made history in a lot of ways here at UK during his tenure. And that is one of the primary reasons he is a very attractive candidate for the same job anywhere else. Can UK get a good replacement? Sure. But as with any replacement there is going to be a learning curve. Barnhart has built success, keeping him would not be a bad move by UK. However, with Lee Todd leaving as well, someone has to step up and make this thing fly. Who will that be? Who knows.

Editor’s Note:  I do realize that the current news has Barnhart saying that he does not know if he is a finalist or not and there seems to be some general dissent out of the Kansas media suggesting that Barnhart is not a real candidate for the job.  Like the Enes Kanter situation, no one really knows where Barnhart’s candidacy lies at the moment.  Greg’s article was written before Barnhart’s comments and the Kansas City Star’s comments, so I did want to address that. 

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