Kirby Smart has had enough. The story must end.
Asked Tuesday night about the infamous lunch-time basketball games he had with Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher back when they were both coaching under Nick Saban at LSU, Smart said they simply didn’t happen.
“This legend has gone too far,” Smart said after the Bulldogs’ practice Tuesday night. “First of all, (Fisher) never played pickup basketball when I was playing. He’s probably forgotten because he’s gotten to the point where he can’t remember, I guess. But he and (Will) Muschamp played basketball, not me.”
» RELATED: Georgia-Texas A&M: TV, online, radio information
» MORE: How to watch all 64 FBS games
As the Aggies prepare for their first trip to Georgia on Saturday as an SEC team, Fisher has been telling local media that he used to own Smart on the basketball court.
“We used to play noon-time basketball, and I used to get him,” Fisher said during his weekly news conference in College Station. “If we were playing (basketball instead of football), we’d be OK. But I’m getting older now.”
Asked for his version of those events Tuesday, Smart said Fisher’s account is a myth.
“I was coaching at Valdosta State or somewhere,” Smart said. “When I came, the only guy that played was Muschamp. The rest of them were long gone. They were getting ice baths or something. They didn’t even play basketball. So I didn’t even play basketball with Jimbo. I don’t know, he dreamed that up.”
Smart and Fisher were at LSU together only one year, in 2004, when Smart coached defensive backs. Fisher was with the Tigers as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2000-06. Muschamp was at LSU as linebackers coach and/or defensive coordinator from 2001-04.
About the Author
