The VMI loss probably should be laid on Gillespie for allowing the Cats to play VMI's style, because the Keydets generally struggle in the half-court, match up environment (a BU-VMI game would be an interesting contrast/match of styles). Bottom line: Kentucky basically played right into VMI's hands.
The Keydets changed from a Princeton-like style last preseason when three of their best players were booted for honor code violations and Coach Baucom realized they needed to get radical if they wanted to have any chance for success. The results have been pretty good, particularly by VMI basketball standards:
1. Back-to-back 14-win seasons for the first time in 30 years (that's not a misprint)
2. Reggie Williams (now departed) led the nation in scoring for each of the past two seasons
3. For the first time anyone affiliated with VMI can recall, recruits are actually reaching out to VMI, instead of VMI having to settle for the bottom of the barrel e.g. Keith Gabriel, who scored 20 points last night at Kentucky in his first college game (!) probably wouldn't have been interested in the Keydets prior to their change of style.
While is probably more than anyone on this board cared to hear about VMI basketball, I gotta shout about it somewhere and may as well do so on the best hoops board around!!!
