John Clay is a sports columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader. A native of Central Kentucky and graduate of UK, he covered UK football for 13 seasons before being promoted to columnist in 2000. He lives in Lexington with his wife and two sons.
John does an excellent job for the Herald-Leader and is well-liked by everyone associated with Bluegrass State Basketball. I caught up with John this week for a Q&A that covers everything from John's career to his predictions for the upcoming Kentucky basketball season. Here is my interview with John Clay:
John, I appreciate you taking the time to speak to me today. First, let’s start by introducing your background as a journalist. How long have you been with the Herald-Leader? How long have you been covering University of Kentucky athletics? What other sports and teams do you primarily cover?
I started for the old Lexington Leader the summer of 1980 while I was still at UK. I worked for the Herald the summer of 1981 and was hired full-time on Dec. 1 that year. I took over the UK football beat in 1987. In 2000, I followed Chuck Culpepper as columnist.
Speaking only of UK athletics – your favorite Wildcat sport to cover is _____? Why?
I really do enjoy football and basketball equally. By fall, I’m excited for football. And by November, I’m ready for basketball.
John, if you will, give me a little insight to the behind-the-scenes world of sports journalism at the Lexington Herald-Leader. Guys like you, Tipton, Story and others have some very interesting articles on a daily basis. Are you guys dreaming those topics up on your own and running with them or do you have others behind-the-scenes that are developing ideas and presenting them to the journalists?
The ideas are often a collaborative effort with our editors, Gene Abell and Mat Graf. I would say I come up with most of my ideas, but Gene and Mat have suggestions, or topics they think should be addressed.
I’m going to veer from that topic and ask your thoughts on Internet bloggers, particularly those that blog about the same topics you cover. I am certainly not a professional journalist by any means, but I love the sport of basketball and I’m willing to work daily on networking and trying to keep basketball fans up-to-date. You are definitely one of the journalists that guys like me love because you embrace blogs and actually link to them when they have relevant information. How have sites like Bluegrass State Basketball changed your reporting and the information you deliver?
It’s a whole new world, and a better world in my opinion. I don’t have a problem with all the other outlets out there. I try to treat the other bloggers with respect, and help when I can. To me, it only adds to the interest in the sport and what we’re doing as a whole. I will say there is a difference in that mine is not a fan blog, as some are fan blogs. And that’s fine. More power to the fan blogs. But I think there is a distinction.
An opinion question – do you feel that relevant bloggers should be granted press credentials to games? What are your thoughts on that subject?
How do you make a distinction which blogs are relevant? The Lexington Herald-Leader is a news-gathering organization that employs professionals whose job it is to report the news. To me, that’s different than someone who writes a blog in his or her spare time. Those blogs are certainly worthy of readership, and contribute to the overall experience. But I’m not sure that qualifies for the limited media credentials given at an event, etc.
Let me switch gears here and talk a little Kentucky basketball. Have you noticed a significant change in the atmosphere surrounding the Kentucky program since the hiring of John Calipari? Is it that Calipari is doing things great that Billy Gillispie was doing things so poorly or a combination of both?
There is a huge change. Calipari has embraced all the aspects of the job like no coach I’ve seen at Kentucky. And that includes Pitino. Of course, we’re in a different age now with so many more ways to reach out to the public. But a lot of coaches say they don’t have the time for that. Calipari has made time. As for the atmosphere around the program, I think it is much more player-oriented. I think the Gillispie Era was an unmitigated disaster on a number of fronts, but the most damaging was the way he treated the players.
My opinion is that John Calipari is a perfect fit as head coach at Kentucky. What are your thoughts on Calipari and how he has seemed to embrace the entire role of being the Kentucky coach? I know he is yet to coach a game at UK, but would you label him the perfect person for the job at this point?
Well, as I said before, I’ve never seen a coach embrace every aspect the way Calipari has embraced them. As one UK official told me, “We’ve gone from a coach who detested that part of the job, to someone who has waited his whole life for it.” I would say that right now Calipari has been a perfect fit. He has brought hope, optimism and (best of all) a sense of fun back to the program.
Calipari has been labeled as a coach that walks a tight rope between fairness and bending the rules, particularly on the recruiting scene. Do you think the scrutiny is justified or do you feel that the media perceptions of Calipari are a little biased and unfair?
While I think the scrutiny is very much justified, I do think that Calipari has been treated a bit unfairly. He has never been named in an NCAA violation, this after 17-or-so years as a head coach. Do I think Calipari pushes the envelope? Absolutely. But I think he knows how to play the game with the shoe companies, etc., and he has a style of play that is attractive to top-shelf recruits. I guess I would say that Calipari knows how to take advantage of the rules that are in place.
Are you expecting an All-American type season from Patrick Patterson in 2009-10?
I started for the old Lexington Leader the summer of 1980 while I was still at UK. I worked for the Herald the summer of 1981 and was hired full-time on Dec. 1 that year. I took over the UK football beat in 1987. In 2000, I followed Chuck Culpepper as columnist.
Speaking only of UK athletics – your favorite Wildcat sport to cover is _____? Why?
I really do enjoy football and basketball equally. By fall, I’m excited for football. And by November, I’m ready for basketball.
John, if you will, give me a little insight to the behind-the-scenes world of sports journalism at the Lexington Herald-Leader. Guys like you, Tipton, Story and others have some very interesting articles on a daily basis. Are you guys dreaming those topics up on your own and running with them or do you have others behind-the-scenes that are developing ideas and presenting them to the journalists?
The ideas are often a collaborative effort with our editors, Gene Abell and Mat Graf. I would say I come up with most of my ideas, but Gene and Mat have suggestions, or topics they think should be addressed.
I’m going to veer from that topic and ask your thoughts on Internet bloggers, particularly those that blog about the same topics you cover. I am certainly not a professional journalist by any means, but I love the sport of basketball and I’m willing to work daily on networking and trying to keep basketball fans up-to-date. You are definitely one of the journalists that guys like me love because you embrace blogs and actually link to them when they have relevant information. How have sites like Bluegrass State Basketball changed your reporting and the information you deliver?
It’s a whole new world, and a better world in my opinion. I don’t have a problem with all the other outlets out there. I try to treat the other bloggers with respect, and help when I can. To me, it only adds to the interest in the sport and what we’re doing as a whole. I will say there is a difference in that mine is not a fan blog, as some are fan blogs. And that’s fine. More power to the fan blogs. But I think there is a distinction.
An opinion question – do you feel that relevant bloggers should be granted press credentials to games? What are your thoughts on that subject?
How do you make a distinction which blogs are relevant? The Lexington Herald-Leader is a news-gathering organization that employs professionals whose job it is to report the news. To me, that’s different than someone who writes a blog in his or her spare time. Those blogs are certainly worthy of readership, and contribute to the overall experience. But I’m not sure that qualifies for the limited media credentials given at an event, etc.
Let me switch gears here and talk a little Kentucky basketball. Have you noticed a significant change in the atmosphere surrounding the Kentucky program since the hiring of John Calipari? Is it that Calipari is doing things great that Billy Gillispie was doing things so poorly or a combination of both?
There is a huge change. Calipari has embraced all the aspects of the job like no coach I’ve seen at Kentucky. And that includes Pitino. Of course, we’re in a different age now with so many more ways to reach out to the public. But a lot of coaches say they don’t have the time for that. Calipari has made time. As for the atmosphere around the program, I think it is much more player-oriented. I think the Gillispie Era was an unmitigated disaster on a number of fronts, but the most damaging was the way he treated the players.
My opinion is that John Calipari is a perfect fit as head coach at Kentucky. What are your thoughts on Calipari and how he has seemed to embrace the entire role of being the Kentucky coach? I know he is yet to coach a game at UK, but would you label him the perfect person for the job at this point?
Well, as I said before, I’ve never seen a coach embrace every aspect the way Calipari has embraced them. As one UK official told me, “We’ve gone from a coach who detested that part of the job, to someone who has waited his whole life for it.” I would say that right now Calipari has been a perfect fit. He has brought hope, optimism and (best of all) a sense of fun back to the program.
Calipari has been labeled as a coach that walks a tight rope between fairness and bending the rules, particularly on the recruiting scene. Do you think the scrutiny is justified or do you feel that the media perceptions of Calipari are a little biased and unfair?
While I think the scrutiny is very much justified, I do think that Calipari has been treated a bit unfairly. He has never been named in an NCAA violation, this after 17-or-so years as a head coach. Do I think Calipari pushes the envelope? Absolutely. But I think he knows how to play the game with the shoe companies, etc., and he has a style of play that is attractive to top-shelf recruits. I guess I would say that Calipari knows how to take advantage of the rules that are in place.
Are you expecting an All-American type season from Patrick Patterson in 2009-10?
I do look for big things from Patrick. I think he returned because he wanted to have at least one year of college basketball, in other words a fun experience. I don’t think he had that under the previous coach. I think the offensive system will make him a better player. I have a tremendous amount of admiration for Patrick, his work ethic, the way he handles himself, etc. I think he deserves a big year.
There are going to be high expectations for the Kentucky team this coming season. Do you think a team with a new coach, new offensive scheme, new roster and a large group of freshmen will be able to live up to the great expectations that have already been placed on their backs?
Depends on what you believe are the expectations. A national title? That’s unrealistic for any team. Too many things can happen. My expectations are that this team has a legitimate shot of making the Final Four. If they don’t come close to that, then I think the season will be a disappointment. Yes, they will be young, and the holdover players have not played in this system. But college basketball is a different game now. Youth is not an excuse.
Give me your predictions on an SEC record and an overall record for this season’s team. How far do they advance in the NCAA Tournament?
It’s awfully early, but I would guess in the 30-5 area, with a 14-2 record inside the league. Those are wild guesses. I predict they will at least make the Elite Eight.
Who wins – Kentucky or Louisville? Kentucky or North Carolina? Kentucky or Uconn?
I think Kentucky will win all three of those games.
How much are you looking forward to the coaching battles between John Calipari and the likes of Rick Pitino, Bruce Pearl, Billy Donovan, Roy Williams and Jim Calhoun?
I can’t wait for all of those.
Best fit at Kentucky – Pitino or Calipari?
I think both were great fits at the time. Pitino’s style-of-play and work ethic both were what Kentucky needed at that point in the program’s history. I think Calipari’s personality and style of play are both what is needed at this point.
John, it has been great talking with you and again, I really appreciate your time. Give the readers a link to your blog, your Twitter and any other links you’d like folks to checkout.
You can find my blog at http://johnclay.bloginky.com/. My main twitter is johnclayiv, but I have a Sidelines twitter account that functions as a way to promote the blog.
Thanks for talking to me, and good luck with your blog. You guys do a good job not only covering UK basketball, but all basketball in the state.
Posts
_logo.png){kind=logo}
0 comments:
Post a Comment