ANOTHER Jackie Robinson? Tubby might be
the Jackie of basketballDon't look to Tiger Woods, who is more Asian-American than he is African-American.
Look to Orlando "Tubby" Smith, who will be named the next Kentucky men's basketball coach.
It's truly a changing of the old guard . . . forward and center. Remember that it was only 31 years ago that Adolph Rupp did not want to put his Wildcats on the same court as Texas Western in the NCAA championship game.
Don Haskins dared to put his all black starting five against the Wildcats in 1966 and then had the audacity to beat them. That game may have begun to change the look of college basketball but hiring Smith puts some concrete into the reconstruction.
I think back to the 1975 Final Four, sitting in the San Diego Sports Arena amid rabid Kentucky fans. They were not rooting for UCLA to beat Louisville in the semifinal in hopes that Bruin coach John Wooden would get a shot at his 10th national championship.
Some of the Wildcat faithful had but one motto: Their two favorite teams were Kentucky and whoever was playing Louisville. Or the "Blackbirds," as they referred to the Cardinals back then.
The intrastate rivalry was skin deep. Skin-color deep. Kentucky refused to play Louisville on a regular basis until the 1980s. And it had nothing to do with the Cardinals' power rating.
When Smith was hired at Georgia two years ago, Kentucky athletic director C.M. Newton and Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley discussed the possibility Smith might end up at Kentucky some day. Smith was a Wildcat assistant under Rick Pitino from 1989-91, serving as associate head coach the second season.
"I felt from the very beginning when he came to Georgia that there was no other job he would leave for except Kentucky," Dooley said. "That was the only one I was ever concerned about."
Since leaving Kentucky, the 45-year-old Smith was 79-43 in four seasons at Tulsa, guiding the Golden Hurricanes to two NCAA tournament appearances. In the past two seasons at Georgia, he was 45-19 with two NCAA trips and last December's Rainbow Classic title.
Smith is a good coach, the right coach, for the Kentucky job. And some year, we won't even have to think twice when the next Tubby Smith comes along.
IT'S always nice to see former University of Hawaii players doing well. The latest is ex-Rainbow volleyball player Sean Scott (1992-95), who has moved to California to team with Punahou/UCLA great Stein Metzger in an attempt to make the pro beach volleyball tour.
The two are preparing for an AVP pre-qualifier next month in Manhattan Beach, Calif., one of six events that qualify players for the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour. The top eight players with the most points earn a one-year exemption on the beach doubles circuit.
"We've been training almost every day," said Scott, who lives in Westchester, Calif. "Stein and I finished tied for first in our first qualifier (March 28).
"I think we're both suited for the beach game. We both have good skills, decent size, and we're both very athletic. There's a lot of stuff we need to fine-tune but it's just a matter of time before we can take that athleticism and turn it into something."
Scott is working part-time at construction jobs to support his new lifestyle. He's giving himself two years to chase a dream.
"I'm trying it out and we'll see," said Scott. "The Olympics is the ultimate but that thought is very, very far off. Our immediate goal is to do well in the AVP qualifiers and get in exemption for '98."
Moving to the mainland was a must for Scott. It provided opportunity and motivation, as well as a higher level of competition.
"I miss Hawaii and my family, but this is something I want to do and be able to say I gave it my best shot," said Scott.
Cindy Luis is a Star-Bulletin sportswriter.
Her column appears weekly.