How to Keep Andy Kennedy

I live in the Cincinnati area. The media in this area love Andy Kennedy. They were really upset with how UC treated him and many still follow him. I watch a couple of localTV sports shows occasionally to see if they mention Andy Kennedy. The other night, one of the shows was talking about Kennedy. One reporter on the show had been to Oxford to visit him. He said that Andy seemed happier than he had ever seen him. "Andy was in his element". He then called the Tad Pad "ratty".
I was a bit embarrassed by this comment. I didn't think the Tad Pad warranted being called "ratty". I thought there were a few leaks recently but that overall it was still in good shape. Forward to today when CBS Sports runs a front page article on Ole Miss basketball entitled "Rebel Hell". If you haven't had the chance to read this article, please do. The following quotes from the article really opened my eyes to just how far we have let our basketball facilities fall:

"And then the next thing you know you're walking into practice and watching
your staff arrange three garbage cans to catch the drip, drip, drip while
towels
soak up everything that was missed. And then you can't help but
scratch your
head and wonder how you're the reigning SEC Coach of the Year
and yet in
jeopardy of losing a practice because of a hole in the roof. "

"Despite a strong commitment to football -- Ole Miss just fired
national
punchline Ed Orgeron and hired Houston Nutt at roughly $2 million
per year --
the school's lack of general interest in basketball is out of
whack with most of
its SEC peers. For instance, Kentucky has a $30 million
practice facility and
Florida just added $1.8 million in renovations to its
already state-of-the-art
practice facility. Each program opened workouts
this season in their luxurious
digs while Ole Miss held its first workout at
... Oxford High School."

"Then there's the travel setup,
particularly for this week's trip to Puerto
Rico. Whereas most high-major
programs would charter, Kennedy loaded his players
on a bus Monday at 5:30
a.m., rode 80 miles to Memphis International Airport,
then flew commercial
to Atlanta and caught a connection to San Juan. "

"We don't control
the heat in here; it comes from the physical plant or
something," Kennedy
explained during Sunday's practice. "And so the other
morning we practiced
at 10 a.m. and it was freezing in here."

WOW! This article screams: Ole Miss = Lack of commitment. Granted, Kennedy has only been here for just over a year but who let it get to this state to begin with?

What to do? First and foremost, show up and support the team. There is no reason not to sell out every home game. The DeSoto center should be rocking with Ole Miss plays Southern Mississippi. This should carry over to the SEC home games in Oxford.
Next, let Pete Boone know that having facilities such as these in the SEC is unacceptable. I am not necessarily advocating tearing down the Tad Pad but something has to be done.
Finally, ask Andy Kennedy what he wants and do everything in your power to help him get it done.
I honestly believe that Andy Kennedy will be here as long as we make the commitment deserving of an SEC team.

Here is how we stack up against the rest of the SEC west:

Alabama:
Coleman: 15,316 Opened: 1968 Practice facility: No
Arkansas:
Bud Walton: 19,200 Opened: 1993 Practice facility: No
Auburn:
Beard-Eaves: 10,500 Opened: 1969 Practice facility: No
LSU:
Maravich: 13,472 Opened: 1972 Practice facility: No
Miss. St.
Humphrey:10,500 Opened: 1975 Practice facility: No