Now that A Sea of Blue has migrated to it's shiny new home with all the bells and whistles that can be imagined, I suppose I should start to do my job and talk a little bit about UK.

First off, the lingering hangover from the Tipton debacle.  Marc Maggard took me to task yesterday at his site, Kentucky Ink, for what I wrote about Jerry Tipton.  We exchanged a number of posts on his site, and ultimately agreed that I would appear on his radio show on Monday at 7:00 PM.  I still don't really know the procedure for doing this or where it can be heard, but I will update you on this as I have time to figure it out.

For just a little more on the story, AOL Fanhouse's Michael David Smith has thoughts.  Too bad he didn't read my recent post on the subject.  Or maybe he did.  Who knows?

Moving on to real UK news, Matt Jones had this interesting comment today on his blog:

(2): Billy Clyde was on the Scott Van Pelt show and said that UK would honor commitments of young players, regardless of their development. That means that if Avery, Zollo, Miller, Euton, etc dont develop, they still will be coming to UK. That is good from an ethical standpoint, but sure puts a LOT of pressure on the staff to identify talent early on.

Now, those of you who know my thoughts on this subject probably realize that this kind of thing makes me a bigger and bigger fan of Coach Gillispie.  What he is saying here is that he will keep his word.  That means a lot to me, and aught to stand as a shining example to the rest of the coaches taking early commitments.  How 'bout it, 'Ol Roy, Tim Floyd and the rest of you college coaches out there?  Jump on that band wagon and make us all proud.

John Clay has a story over at his blog Sidelines which brings to our attention the fact that Billy Donovan still hasn't signed his contract extension.  Donovan's excuse?

Donovan has changed attorneys since the extension was negotiated, which has played a part in the delay.

Ah.  OK then.  But wouldn't it be cool if Gillispie beat him to the punch?

Lots of thoughts over the last few days on committing young.  I'll just link dump these and you can read them if you're interested, and haven't:

KU Sports

Courier-Journal -- Eric Crawford

Rivals -- Jerry Meyer (free)

Arizona Republic

Armchair GM

I need to make a post on Jon Hood, which I will soon, I promise ...

UPDATE:  The Big Lead links us in a story about Tipton.

UPDATE 05/08 3:16PM:  The Cats Pause is reporting that Gillispie will have a press conference tomorrow morning.  Nobody is sure why.

Good morning and welcome to the new A Sea of Blue, guys and gals.  Below, you will find a very informative post from Trei  Brundrett, the guy who managed the overall process of SBN2 development and migration.  It has been a huge undertaking, but Trei and his team have done a fabulous job with this new platform, and I expect it to deliver a far better blogging experience to our users.

Be sure and migrate your account right away, it is really easy.  When you're done, study the post below and begin enjoying our new home.  Don't be afraid to break anything, just take your time.  The interface is very intuitive, but like all software, it isn't without its little quirks.

Have fun!  Do what you do.  I'll be bringing up a new post soon.

Tru

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Hey A Sea Of Blue,

Today is the big day. We've switched your community over to the new SB Nation sports blog platform. My name is Trei, and I'm here to help you get adjusted to the new home we've built for you. If you have questions or trouble with the new system, post a comment in this thread and myself or one of the team (lovitt, sixfoot6 or odacrem) will try to point you in the right direction.

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Please take a few minutes to read about what's new below. But if you just can't wait to jump in, here are some quick things to check out:

1. Sign up for your SB Nation network account and claim your old blog accounts
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6. Click the "Rec" button on posts and comments to help other people find the good stuff.
7. Customize display options on your Edit Settings page

What Has Changed

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Readers across all of our blogs told us they wanted one account to use on every SB Nation blog. To make this work, we're requiring that everyone create a new SB Nation network account. In most cases you should be able to keep your old username, but a few of you may have to choose something new, since every other community in SB Nation will be going through this same transition. We tried to be as fair as possible in deciding who gets to keep which name, using a formula that takes into account length of membership and frequency of activity.

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The new system does not work like the old diary editor. For example, in HTML mode the new editor doesn't auto-create a new paragraph from two line breaks. But it does offer a whole array of new features. Look for the blinking help button on the right side of the FanPost editor for quick tips, and take a look at our full guide to writing FanPosts on the new platform.

IMPORTANT - if you write your posts in Microsoft Word or some other off-line editor, you will get the most reliable behavior if you cut & paste your post into the HTML view of the FanPost editor. And if you do that, remember to wrap <p></p> tags around each paragraph so your text doesn't run together.

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This one is probably the most obvious change of all. Like other major websites working to improve readability for their audience, we've adopted a fixed-width layout optimized for the 1024 x 768 resolution used by the majority of A Sea Of Blue and SB Nation network users. Use the switcher below the user menu if you prefer the wider layout designed for 1280 monitors. We've introduced a top navigation bar with quick links into old and new sections of the site. We also polished a few edges, made some things larger, others smaller and moved a few boxes here and there. More changes and adjustments to come.

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There are plenty more small changes and additions we've made, so please take a careful look around and explore this new system. We appreciate your patience and hope you'll help us improve the new platform for this and all the other SB Nation blogs.

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There has been quite a controversy brewing in the last few days here in the Big Blue Nation over a couple of interviews that Marc Maggard of Kentucky Ink did with the parents of two of Kentucky's youngest and most recent verbal commitments -- Vinny Zollo and Michael Avery (Note:  The Howard Avery interview is about 30 minutes long, and the relevant part does not appear until near the end).  In these interviews, Maggard asked the mother of Zollo and the father of Avery to talk about the interviews Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader had with them, among many other things.  Their answers created a firestorm of criticism and invective directed at Tipton and the Lexington Herald-Leader that have set the on-line blogs and message boards ablaze.

At this point, I think it is fair to warn you, Dear Reader, that this is going to be a long piece, essentially an essay.  I am going to carefully examine this issue, and if you don't have the time to read it, stop now.  Still here?  Good.  Here we go:

The facts of the case, as best I can glean them from Maggard's website, his interviews with Avery and Zollo's parents, and reading the numerous threads about the subject are these:

1. Jerry Tipton interviewed the parents of Zollo and Avery about their commitments to UK.  In them, he asked the usual questions about why committing so early, why Kentucky, etc.  The sort of stuff that one would figure newspaper reporters would normally ask.
2. In addition to 1 above, Tipton apparently asked both parents (and we do not know the wording of these questions) something along the lines of,  "Are you concerned about the fact that Gillispie is considered to be arrogant and hard to play for?" and asked Avery something along the lines of, "There have been injuries at UK that some have attributed to the more difficult and numerous practices Gillispie holds, does that concern you?"
3. Tipton allegedly mentioned or asked a question to Zollo's mother about "rumors" surrounding the coach, apparently including his two earlier arrests for suspicion of DUI.  This allegation is a bit fuzzy in the recorded record, but Marc Maggard has insisted that Zollo's mother was more candid with him off the record about this subject, and even included an intimation that Lexington was a bad place to live.
   
4. Mr. Avery explicitly denied that Tipton ever mentioned any drinking or womanizing rumors, or discussed Lexington's suitability.
   
5. Both parents suggested that potentially negative aspects of Coach Gillispie's personality were discussed -- i.e. how "hard" he was on players, that he was arrogant, etc.
6. Both parents stated that they were "uncomfortable" with some of Tipton's questions, ostensibly because of their perception of them as negative.  Both of the parents declined to discuss the Tipton interview in detail, citing a desire to keep most of the details private.
   

First of all, let me say that I am not disputing anything Maggard is saying about what he was told.  I don't know Marc, but I am familiar with his work and read his website and I think he does a fine job over at Kentucky Ink, especially when it comes to recruiting.  With that said, I must point out that Marc Maggard has made it abundantly clear that he does not like Tipton, and considers him a threat to Kentucky's recruiting.  I will have more on this point later, but the reason I mention it now is that we must accept that Maggard has chosen a side here against Tipton.  That doesn't change Marc's facts in the least, but we do have to separate the facts he presents from his conclusions.  Second, let me point out that I am not unbiased, either.  I am not a journalist, and I don't play one on the Internet.  Like Marc, I am a UK partisan, and anything that hurts UK recruiting is very much "Not OK" with me.  Keep these two things firmly in mind while reading the rest.

Now that the disclaimers are out of the way, I want to examine the whole "hard and frequent practice creates injury" thing.  First of all, the medical side.  Here is a description of stress fractures from eMedicine.com:
Now, we know that Tipton wrote an article on his blog about questions asked of Gillispie about whether or not his famous hard and frequent practices could be responsible, in part, for the injuries suffered by Harris, Meeks and Patterson.  Predictably, Coach Gillispie didn't think he was pushing too hard, and said that his earlier teams did not suffer stress fractures.  But consider these facts:

1. Kentucky suffered 3 stress fractures this year, and abnormally high number.
2. Kentucky, by acclamation of various sources, practiced much harder under Gillispie this year than last -- game day practices, "boot camp," etc.
3. Stress fractures are caused by "overuse."
4. Gillispie's practice habits constitute an increased load on the bones in question that had not been experienced before by the players.
   

Is it logical to conclude that the additional frequency and intensity of Gillispie's practice routine produced the stress fractures?  No.  Is it logical to conclude that those same practice habits may have produced, or significantly contributed to, the overuse that cumulatively resulted in stress fracture?  Absolutely.  Can you connect Michael Porter's concussion to these practices and their frequency?  No -- concussions are a part of basketball that can occur anytime -- Just ask Ramel Bradley.

So while we don't have a straight "connect the dots" cause-and-effect conclusion, we do have what is essentially strong evidence that the team may not have been as physically prepared for the additional stress as Gillispie thought, and the stress fractures may have been partially due to that increased workload.  Does this cast aspersions on Gillispie's character or his judgment?  In no way.  There is no way a reasonable person could have foreseen these injuries, and no thinking human being in Gillispie's position would knowingly risk injuries like this to his best players.  But medically, and logically, it is possible to conclude in hindsight that UK's new tougher practices could have been a contributing factor.  I encourage any medical professionals who read this blog to correct my reasoning if they see a flaw.  To me, Tipton asking this question to the two new Wildcats' parents does not seem over the top.  Tipton would be incorrect to suggest a straight-line logical conclusion that Gillispie's practices were the cause of the injuries, but it isn't at all clear from the record available to me that is what he did. 

Moving along to the suggestions by Zollo's mother that Tipton discussed "rumors" with her that were "negative," I can only say this -- If Jerry Tipton asked about Gillispie's record of previous DUI related arrests, that is fair game.  That is public record, not a rumor, and not subject to dispute.  It is also public record that Gillispie was not convicted either time, so if he mentioned the arrests without also mentioning the lack of conviction, I would consider that a problem -- as I have pointed out before, Tipton sometimes writes articles that lack balance, and in almost every case, UK's or Gillispie's mitigating factors are the "balance" that gets left out.  That could be Tipton simply being a curmudgeon and writing "defensively," i.e. he would rather be seen as a critic than a "homer," or it could be (and I don't believe this is the case) evidence of some kind of anti-UK agenda on Tipton's part.

The Herald-Leader editor Linda Austin defended Tipton in this post on the Herald-Leader's "Behind the Headlines" blog.  In it, she denied that Tipton had asked Robyn Curry (Zollo's mother) about rumors surrounding Gillispie, or commented in any way about Lexington as a place to live.  What we appear to have, therefore, is a conflict between off-the-air series of comments Marc Maggard claims Curry had with him (and I see no reason why Marc should dissemble about that) and Tipton's side of the story as related by Austin.  While it is not out of the realm of possibility that any person in this chain of events is just flat lying, what is usually the case is that there is some sort of a misunderstanding or miscommunication between the parties.  I think this is the strongest probability here.

So what are UK fans to make of all this?  Well, I don't blame Kentucky fans for being angry.  Even if we assume that Austin's defense of Tipton represents the objective facts and that much of this is a misunderstanding (which, by the way, I do), Tipton asking recruits' parents about injuries in this manner does not make me happy.  As Cat fans, we don't want to see the potential negatives of our program, especially when the connection to the facts is not indisputable, paraded in front of the people who have the most influence on where their sons or daughters matriculate. 

Marc Maggard recently said in a post on Kentucky Ink,  "I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that Tipton is UK enemy #1."  I can understand why he thinks so, even if I would demand a lot more proof of that statement than has been supplied so far, and from more than one verifiable source saying so without equivocation.  Is Tipton deliberately setting out to sabotage Kentucky's basketball program?  I don't believe so, but then again, I can't and won't attempt to prove he isn't.  If he is, he is violating every tenet of journalism I know of, and probably should be disciplined by the Herald-Leader.  If he isn't, which I believe, his questions are still a good reason for UK fans to be angry with him.  While the injury thing is out there, it is far from being a cause-and-effect slam dunk, and I can't see why it should be mentioned in questioning for an article.  In fact, Curry denied in the podcast that Tipton had asked any questions along the lines of "have you heard that Gillispie works his players to the point of injury."  With respect to the rumors, I am dismissing that as a misunderstanding -- Curry did say that Tipton asked if she had heard any rumors about Gillispie, but that other reporters had also asked her the same thing.  Avery flat out denied any questions about rumors from Tipton.  With respect to Gillispie's "hard" attitude, I suppose that is a fair question, and we should just let that pass.  Other coaches have had to endure similar, and nobody could mistake Billy Gillispie for Mother Theresa.

Kentucky fans over at Kentucky Ink and The Cats Pause have gone so far as to demand Tipton be fired, and are trying to organize a boycott of the Herald-Leader's advertisers.  Quite frankly, I think that given the facts that we have to work with, and notwithstanding Maggard's admonition that Tipton is "UK enemy #1," that is over the top.  Unless someone can provide verifiable evidence that Tipton is actively trying to sabotage UK recruiting (and folks, despite what some will tell you, what I have seen so far doesn't qualify), I see nothing professionally or ethically wrong with the questions Tipton is asking these people and the pieces he writes for the Herald-Leader.  He is certainly not endearing himself to me by doing what he is doing, but when it comes to people who's jobs are to write stories about objective facts, it is hard to justify such extreme action just because we don't like the questions they are asking -- especially when those questions relate to issues that are not rumor and not innuendo.  If Tipton legitimately believes the injury thing is an issue, I guess it is fair to ask about it, although I think the evidence supporting it is less than totally compelling.

In the final analysis, I think what we have here is a couple of things:  Tipton has been asking questions that probe issues most UK fans would not want probed.  Further, I question whether some of these issues are really solidly grounded enough in fact to be considered issues at all, but that is a judgment call that is certainly within the province of the reporter to make.  I think from listening closely to these interviews that Tipton's reputation is preceding him in at least one of them (Robyn Curry), and that makes me question whether or not some anti-Tipton bias may be responsible for some of the comments made by Curry in particular.  Curry stated in her interview that Tipton first called Zollo's high school coach, who subsequently called her and warned her Tipton was "an ass."

In the end, though, what I think we will wind up with is what we have had for a long time now -- Kentucky fans at odds with Jerry Tipton, and to some extent, the Herald-Leader.  That is nothing new.  We at A Sea of Blue have taken media types, Tipton included, to task many times and will continue to do so when circumstances warrant.  But what I have seen so far about this situation is a lot more heat than light.

Update [2008-5-8 15:17:24 by Truzenzuzex]:  Matt Jones holds forth on the Tipton controversy.  Interesting read -- don't miss it.

Update [2008-5-8 19:18:38 by Truzenzuzex]:  Fake Gimel strikes!  If you haven't read this post at Firebilly.com, drop what you are doing and get thee hence.

Update [2008-5-8 19:23:41 by Truzenzuzex]:  UK Wildcat Country has thoughts.  No shrinking violet, this guy.

Tomorrow morning when you go to your computer to immerse yourself in A Sea of Blue, you will find it radically different.

That's because sometime in the wee, small hours of tomorrow morning, A Sea of Blue will be migrated from the venerable Scoop platform (what you see now) to the brand new, high-tech custom bogging platform of SBNation 2.0.

This is a huge change for this site, and should be a great new experience for our members.  When you wake up, there will be a lengthy post describing the new platform and many of its features.  It will be fun for us all, and I am positive that our readers will really enjoy 2.0.

So get ready for an even better blogging experience, more community development tools and a cutting-edge new AJAX-based platform for us to talk about our beloved Wildcats.  I think you will love it.

This post will remain on top all day today, so scroll down below for the new non-admin stuff.

Update [2008-5-8 6:17:29 by Truzenzuzex]:  OOPS!  Apparently, I misunderstood the date thing.  Instead of being ready this morning, the new digs will be ready tomorrow morning (Friday).  I somehow failed to assimilate the clarification I was sent after the original schedule.  Sorry for any inconvenience, but it does give me one extra day to prepare, which is not at all a bad thing.

... And Bobby Maze is a Vol.

Evan Hibbert at KSR has the news on Hood.

More on Kentucky's latest commit tomorrow.

As we continue our very early preview of SEC basketball for 2008-09, today we will be looking at the wild and wooly SEC West.  The SEC East has won or shared the regular season SEC crown in 11 of the last 20 seasons (not counting the officially vacated UK title back in 1988) and the West has won or shared the regular season title 8 times, while the East has a 14-6 lead in SEC tourney championships in the same time period with Kentucky leading the way with 10 all by itself (not counting 1988).  This coming year sees the West competitive, but as has been the case so often over the last 2 decades, the West lags the East overall.


Mississippi State

In ten seasons at Mississippi State, Rick Stansbury has gradually taken this school from a perennial doormat to a team that is winning 20+ games more years than not.  Out of his last 10 seasons, MSU has won 20 games or more in 7 of them, and has made a post-season tournament appearance in eight of his ten seasons at MSU.  Stansbury will likely lose one of the best big point guards in recent SEC memory in Jamont Gordon, but since Gordon has not signed with an agent, we really won't know until later this year.

The Bulldogs are certain to lose leading scorer and second leading rebounder Charles Rhodes to graduation, as well as reserve Billy Begley.  They have also lost 3-point shooter and Psycho-T sibling Ben Hansbrough to transfer, and 5-star recruiting flagship Scotty Hopson to Tennessee after his much-publicized failure to sign with MSU.  But Stansbury does have a solid recruiting class, including two Rivals 4-star players and another tall (6'5") point guard.  With super-soph Jarvis Varnado and another group of sold young players returning, MSU will be in a position to contend for the West.  If Gordon returns to school, they will be a definite favorite.  Despite this, they still look a cut below their Eastern counterparts.

Alabama

Alabama, as I have said many times, is perhaps the most underachieving team in the entire SEC.  Whenever Alabama looks loaded, as they have most every year for the entire Mark Gottfreid entire tenure, you can almost always count on them to leave you scratching your head.  Despite this, Gottfreid has taken Alabama to the post season every year but two, including last year.  Not bad for a school that sells out a 90,000+ seat stadium for a football practice, when you think about it.

The Crimson Tide appear to be about 50/50 to lose star forward Richard Hendrix to the NBA draft.  But since most projections do not show him going in the first round, I am inclined to believe he will be back next year, along with the oft-injured but now apparently healthy Ronald Steele.  Alonzo Gee has also declared for the draft, but has not hired an agent.  He will not be drafted in the first round, though, so I expect him back as well.  Alabama will lose late-season superstar and talented wing guard Mikhail Riley, as well as reserves John Dill and Kyle Sellers.  Add to all that yet another outstanding recruiting class headlined by 5-star forward Jamychal Green, #21 ranked overall in 2008 by rivals plus a couple of 4-star wings, and Alabama aught to be the class of the league next year.  Alabama has as much talent as any team in the SEC, and you would normally figure them as heavy favorites to win the West and big-time contenders for the overall SEC championship.

But if history is any guide, they will finish second in the West and limp into the tournament.  Mark Gottfried, the former Murray State head man, has proven he can recruit, but has yet to prove he can coach.

Ole Miss

In two years at Mississippi, Andy Kennedy has changed the culture at Ole Miss from one of cellar-dweller to a working-class winner.  Kennedy is 2-2 in post-season appearances since taking over the reigns in Oxford, and appears poised to compete with the big boys next year.
 
The Rebels will be losing Dwayne Curtis, second leading scorer and leading rebounder to graduation, as well as Jeremy Parnell and Kenny Williams which represents most of the beef on Ole Miss' team.  But with a solid returning core of sophomores and juniors moving into the breach, and their super-freshman point guard Chris Warren returning, the Rebels will be a contender in the West next year, although they appear a year away from seriously challenging the top teams.  Kennedy has Rivals 4-star power forward Terrance Henry coming in to shore up the post, as well as a couple of long wing players.  The Rebels will have a totally different look next year, being built more for speed than power.

Arkansas

In this writer's opinion, John Pelphrey underachieved a bit with last year's Arkansas squad, but he did so with other people's recruits.  Every coach has to get the kind of players he needs to fully implement his system, and although last year's Arkansas team was very talented and loaded with seniors, it often seemed like they weren't playing the game that Pelphrey was trying to teach them.

Arkansas will be undergoing a radical change for 2008-09  Gone are seniors Charles Thomas, Darian Townes, Gary Ervin, Steven Hill, Sonny Weems and Vincent Hunter, which represents the entire starting front line and most of the large backups for Arkansas, as well as the vast majority of Arkansas' scoring.  Also gone is freshman guard Nate Rakestraw, who asked for his release from the Razorbacks earlier this spring. Rising sophomore Michael Washington will man the post, and John Pelphrey will have no seniors graduating at all next year.  Super-soph Patrick Beverly will return for his junior campaign, and Michael Sanchez, formerly recruited by Kentucky who red-shirted this past year at Arkansask should be ready to make an impact.

Pelphrey has signed 5 new players and has a verbal commitment from another.  Two of them are Rivals 4-star recruits in Courtney Fortson and Jason Henry.  But none of them appear to be likely to burst upon the SEC scene, so I will expect this to be just a bit of a retooling year for the Hogs.  They will still be a tough out, but they will be fortunate to play in the post season.

LSU

New coach, new attitude and new players.  New athletic director.  LSU is new.  Gone is 11-year head coach John Brady, a victim of the high expectations at LSU only two years removed from taking them to a Final Four.  Replacing him is Trent Johnson, who LSU managed to lure away from Standford.  Taking over the reigns of AD is controversial former Duke athletic director, Joe Alleva.  Alleva was deeply involved and substantially on the wrong side of the the Duke lacrosse scandal of a few years back, and never really recovered from that.

Gone also is super-frosh Anthony Randolph, the 5-star stud recruited by Brady last year.  Randolph will be drafted very high in the NBA draft, perhaps even in the lottery, as his upside appears unlimited.  Randolph has already signed with an agent, so there is no coming back.  There is also no coming back for senior Dameon Mason, but he and Randolph are the only two players Johnson will be without next year.  Recruiting wise, LSU brings in a class once headlined by Rivals 5-star center J'Mison Morgan, but Morgan has now asked for his release and is looking elsewhere.  In the final analysis, LSU will be a veteran team with 5 seniors next year, but the combination of a new coach and lack of big-time incoming talent will make it tough for them to get into the top of the SEC west.  I foresee no post season for LSU next year.

Auburn

Jeff Lebo had a year he would like to forget last year with injuries to his prime-time players like Korvotney Barber and Boubacar Sylla. But with his quality big people coming back next year, Auburn is likely to be a much different team -- built for power instead of speed.

Jeff Lebo will lose two big-time producers to graduation in Frank Tolbert and Quan Prowell.  They also lose senior reserve Adam Luquire, and overall, it doesn't look like they have enough offensive production to compete for the West this year.  Incoming freshmen include some good-size players in the post and on the wing, but none of these recruits is above a Rivals 3-star, and in this day and age, you need more talent than that to win in the SEC consistently.  Lebo has some nice returning players, and of course the addition of Sylla and Barber will make them tough at home, but Auburn seems to be falling behind in the race for players and has precious little scoring on the team that is returning.  Barring an unexpected player development, expect Auburn to be improved from last year, but not too much.  I think Auburn will be at home next year when the post season begins.

When one thinks of great University of Kentucky rebounders many names come to mind: Jim Andrews, Kenny Walker, Cotton Nash, Dan Issel, Rick Robey, and Mike Phillips were all exceptional rebounders during their time at UK.  The player that most deserves to be associated with great rebounding though is Bob Burrow.  

Burrow played for UK for only two years (1954-1956).  In those two years he accomplished more than any other player in UK history rebounding the basketball: He averaged 17.7 rebounds per game his junior year (which is still a UK record), and 14.6 rebounds per game his senior year.  In a game versus Temple in 1955, Burrow grabbed 34 rebounds; simply an astonishing number, I don't care what era one played in.

The 6'7" center/forward from Malvern, Arkansas is without question one of the great players to ever don the blue and white.  He was also one of the first junior college transfers to ever play for Kentucky.  He matriculated to UK from Lon Morris Junior College in Jacksonville, Texas.

He was immediatley thrust into the starting lineup upon his arrival, and immediatley began producing very big numbers.  Burrow was not only a great rebounder, he could also score the basketball at a very rapid rate (his senior year he scored 40, 50, and 34 points in three different games).  In his two years on campus his aggregate scoring average was 20.0 points per game, which lead the team both years.  He was the original Mr. Double-Double.

Burrow was named All-America both of his years in Lexington.  He was also an All-NCAA Regional selection twice (a feat only eleven other UK players have ever achieved).  UK's record in his two years were a combined 43-9, excellent by anyones standard.  During Burrow's junior year UK was ranked either #1 or #2 for the entire year.

Upon leaving UK in 1956 Burrow was drafted by the Rochester Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) of the NBA.  He played one year with Rochester before playing a year with the Minneapolis Lakers where he was coached by another great big-man, Depaul's George Mikan.

His achievements are a vital ingredient of Adolph Rupp's legacy and historical standing.  Burrow is truly one of the pillars upon which Rupp's house is built.  So it is very appropriate Burrow's jersey # 50 hangs from Rupp's rafters.  

I recently had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Mr. Burrow.  Here is what the Kentucky legend had to say:

ASOB: You came from Lon Morris Junior College in Jacksonvillie, Texas.  How did Coach Rupp convince you to attend UK?

Burrow: "I never saw or spoke to Caoch Rupp before signing with Kentucky!  I did talk with (longtime UK assistant) Coach Lancaster and several of the players.  I had always heard of UK basketball and could hardly believe that they had offered me a scholarship.  I jumped at the opportunity and have never been sorry."

ASOB: Coach Rupp is famous for his "caustic" personality.  How was your relationship with The Baron?

Burrow: "I thought Coach Rupp was great.  I didn't have any problems with him."

ASOB: You still hold many rebounding records for UK including averaging 17.7 rebounds per game in the '54-'55 season.  At 6-foot-7 how were you able to corral so many rebounds?  Was it positioning, effort, or something else?

Burrow: "I think positioning, desire, and hard work are essential to be a successful rebounder."

ASOB: What is your favorite on-court memory of your time at UK?

Burrow: "Being ranked number one in the nation for part of the season my first year at UK."

ASOB: You gathered thiry-four rebounds in a game versus Temple in 1955.  How did you accomplish such a feat?  That's simply an unbelievable number of boards.

Burrow: "I always thought that rebounding was  very important; therefore I worked just as hard on that as any other phase of the game."

ASOB: You still attend games at Rupp Arena.  Can you compare the atmosphere of Rupp to that of Memorial Coliseum, where you playd?

Burrow: "I think the attitude of the fans is about the same.  They were wonderful then, and still are.  There are just a lot more fans at Rupp than there were at Memorial."

ASOB: January 8, 1955.  UK lost at home to Georgia Tech, UK's first loss in Memorial Coliseum in 129 games.  I hate to bring up an unpleasant memory, but what was the post-game locker-room like?

Burrow: "No one could believe we got beat.  We were talking before the game and someone said ' You starters better get your points in the first half; the subs will be playing the second half.'  Everyone agreed."

ASOB: You played two years at UK earning All-America honors both years.  How satisfying is that to you fifty years later?

Burrow: "I am glad that I was able to accomplish so much.  Going to UK enabled me to do this."

ASOB: As far as today's players; do you have a favorite player from the last twenty-five to thirty years?

Burrow: "My favorite player is Dan Issel."

ASOB: I know you still attend games.  How special is it to look up and see your name, on your jersy hanging from Rupp's rafters?

Burrow: "It is a great honor.  I was so thrilled when CM Newton called to tell me that my jersey was going to be retired.  My wife, sons, and their wives all attended.  It was very special."

I want to thank Mr. Burrow for consenting to my questions.  He and his wife Lee Ann have been very nice, and a pleasure to work with.

By the way, I learned after this interview that Brett Burrow of North Hardin High School and Vanderbilt fame is the Burrow's son.  It's true; you learn something new every day.

We all know by now Billy Gillispie never takes a break from recruiting (I hope he sleeps well on the plane).  His philisophy for procuring players for UK seems to be "recruit often, recruit early, and recruit aggressively".  Just last week UK received a non-binding verbal commitment from 8th grader Matt Avery (Tru did a wonderful job of laying out the pro and cons of this practice in a post Saturday).  Dominique Ferguson, a sophomore from Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis  also recently verbally committed to UK.  

What I can only describe as Gillispie's "forward thinking" recruiting style produces another possible verbal from Greenfield McClain High School's Vinny Zollo.  Zollo, a 6'9' 220 lb. hybrid forward seems like he's leaning Lexington's way in a fight with Tennessee and West Virginia for his services in 2011.  Zollo is a player with an extremely high talent ceiling.  He's experienced some growth, and has become a big man who handles the rock pretty well. He also has an exceptional perimeter shot.  Another plus is that he's competing with, and against very talented players while hoopin' it up for Indiana Elite on the AAU circuit.

I must admit I am very impressed with Zollo's maturity level.  He seems to be a very serious-minded young man, which for a high school freshman is as rare as a Christian Laettner sighting within the borders of the Commonwealth.  I highly recommend listening to Marc Maggard's interview with young Mr. Zollo (the interview is 18 minutes long).  I think most will find Zollo very astutely aware of what is important when it comes to winning basketball games.

By my count Gillispie has received verbal commitments from the following "undergraduate" high schoolers (current grade in school listed): Matt Avery - 8th grade, Dominique Ferguson - sophomore, KC Ross-Miller - sophomore, GJ Vilarino - junior, and Dakota Euton - sophomore. If Zollo commits as expected, add another freshman to the list.

If the current rate of early commitments continues Gillispie will have stuck his nose, and his relationship with UK fans, out on a very tenuous branch overhanging a bottomless pit.  I like his guts, and I love his style.  I just hope the "Texas Tornado", who as of late practices revolutionary "forward thinking" recruiting, knows what it is he does.  

Recruiting high school seniors is a very unpredictable task, much less players who are 14 and 15 years old.  Recruiting and coaching players are unpredictable, fluid undertakings (see Legion and Jasper).  Attempting to determine now what will happen in three, four, or five years is terribly unreliable prognosticating.  I feel though that Gillispie knows this, yet is confident enough in his own abilities to overcome any negative repercussions he may have to endure. After all, if committed players don't develop as he envisions, a Plan B may need to be implemented.  So obviously HAVING a Plan B at the ready is vitally important.

There is though something to be said for knowing what one has in store in the future as far as positions filled, versus positions needed.  Right now Gillispie has "promised-out", at minimum, five scholarships for 2010 and beyond (Zollo would make six).  As a fan, I am trusting my coach to deliver what he feels is the best team he can field for UK.  If Gillispie has determined that "forward thinking" recruiting is the most expedient way to return UK to the top of the college landscape, then I'll support that philosophy, until I'm proven wrong.  

He must remember though that UK is not a place to conduct a market test.  This is the big time. What we as fans have going for us is that Gillispie didn't arrive at his lofty perch through mis-evaluating prospects.  But the flip side of that very conflicted coin is the fact that he hasn't offered mid-teens scholarships in his previous head coaching positions.  Ergo, he has no track-record for his current actions.  How is one to accurately judge whether Gillispie's recruiting activities are being intelligently carried out?  We can't because he's breaking new ground even as I type.  It's exciting in a roller coaster kind of way I suppose.  We love to be flung around, and upside down, but at the same time we're praying that the wheels don't come off the track.

Like most UK fans I love the aggressive attitude Gillispie brings to the recruiting trail, but is there such a thing as being too aggressive, too early?  The variables at work in this particlar recruiting dynamic are many.  Too many to attempt to break down or evaluate.  Which is what makes this whole scenario of super-early offers and commitments so unsettling as a fan.  Fear of the unknown is the best way I know how to describe how some fans feel at this juncture.  So my advice is to hold on tight and hope for the best.  Gillispie will continue to receive this fans support until I have a reason to not support him.  

"Forward thinking" recruiting -- Is it the wave of the future?  I think so ... unless it's proven ineffective.  For the sake of UK fans everywhere, and Coach Gillispie, I hope Lexington isn't ground zero for the reason this philosophy becomes debunked.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats!

 

Update [2008-5-5 22:29:18 by Ken Howlett]: Vinny Zollo committs to UK. Thanks to Zoso and bluenva for the heads up!

Update [2008-5-6 18:51:34 by Truzenzuzex]:  Sports Illustrated has a pretty good and reasonably objective article looking at the Avery commitment and the trend toward younger players committing.

I thought I would take a minute today to take a look at the SEC as it is shaping up for next year.  We really don't know the full shape of all the teams with recruiting still going on, but with the available talent pool shrinking rapidly and with no really program-changing recruits left out there, I think we can safely start to make some early predictions about how the SEC will shape up next year, starting with the East.  I'll save Kentucky for last, after we have looked at all the other teams.

Just a few days ago, the picture in the SEC East looking largely the same for next year as it was this year, with the exception that almost every team appears to be headed for improvement.  But Tennessee was still looking like the team to beat despite the loss of senior scoring sensations JaJuan Smith and Chris Lofton as well as reserve Jordan Howell.  The Vols have a strong 2008 recruiting class headlined by Scotty Hopson coming in, and appeared headed for another top ten ranking.

But something happened on the way to Big Orange nirvana.  Duke Crews and Ramar Smith, Tennessee's prize recruits from the 2006 class and soon to be college juniors, were both dismissed from the team.  That changes everything, and now both Tennessee's front court and back court have lost substantial depth and experience.  In fact, the back court now has J.P. Prince and Josh Tabb as their most experienced players, and a very deep front court just became much less formidable with the loss of Crews.

Tennessee

Tennessee still looks like the team to beat, though, with a solid incoming freshman class and some quality players inside and out.  Even though the 2008-09 Tennessee team looked somewhat vulnerable in the area of scoring even with Crews and Smith, now they look a bit more vulnerable in terms of back court experience and rebounding.  Tennessee just made a significant move back toward the rest of the SEC East in terms of available talent and experience.

But with all that said, Tennessee has a very solid core of returning players.  Wayne Chism and Brian Williams and Tyler Smith make a very formidable and talented front court, and although depth at the big positions has been adversely affected with the loss of Crews.  Ramar Smith was also a very good rebounder for a guard, and rebounding was a big weakness of the Vols last year.  Big man Philip Jurick (also recruited by UK under coach Smith) should help out in that area.  But although Tennessee still looks like the leader even after recent events, their separation from the rest of the top competitors in the East has become significantly smaller.

Florida

Florida, on the other hand, continues to add pieces to their puzzle that will almost certainly have them competitive for the East next year.  The only player talking about leaving is Maurice Speights, and my money is on seeing Speights back in Gainesville next year.  Donovan has four Rivals 4-star incoming freshmen to supplement his relatively small and ineffective front line from last year.  That should make the Gators a much better team, and when you consider co-FOY Nick Calathes will surely be improved from last year, the Gators' prospects look very bright.  The Gators will still be very young, but their talent level will be among the highest in the SEC.

Florida is probably a year away from being a possible national top ten team again.  They have reloaded with a lot of talent, and if Calathes stays around past next year, the Gators will be poised to make another deep run into March.  But you never know what Donovan can accomplish with this much young talent.

Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt loses a total of 5 players to graduation, including SEC POY Shan Foster as well as major contributors Alex Gordon, Alan Metcalfe and Ross Neltner.  Returning will be Andrew Ogilvy, one of the best big men in the conference, along with skilled players Germaine Beal, Keegan Bell and Andre Walker.  In addition, the Commodores add three Rivals 4-star players, two on the wings and one in the post, and has a verbal commitment from former Kentucky recruit Brad Tinsley, a 4-star point guard out of Oregon.

Vanderbilt will be young and very thin in the post.  Ogilvy is a beast, but as we saw with Patrick Patterson last year, you have to be able to take him out of the game occasionally and still be competitive.  Vanderbilt does not appear to have that luxury next year, and although they have talent, they look too young and thin up front to compete for the SEC championship.

Georgia

Dennis Felton's amazing run through the SEC tournament probably saved his job, or at least serious discussion of a change at the top in Athens.  Georgia loses not only the great Sundiata Gaines, but also Dave Bliss, who was the force for the Bulldogs in the paint.  However, Georgia brings back a talented group of athletes, including Albert Jackson, a 6'10" post player who really came on strong at the end of the year, and Terrance Woodbury, a talented wing.  Add to that a strong recruiting class that includes Howard Thomkins, a Rivals 4-star who was very impressive in the Kentucky Derby Festival Classic, and Georgia figures to be a solid team next year.  I don't expect the Dawgs to seriously contend for the SEC East, but I think they are solid enough to play in the post season, and have a reasonable chance of going to the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row.

Felton's team is probably one year and a solid point guard away from being a threat in the East, but they have plenty of beef on the front line, some decent overall depth and some talented, athletic players coming in.

South Carolina

Western Kentucky's deep run in March got Darrin Horn on the big-school radar, and the Gamecocks snapped him up after the retirement of Dave Odom.  South Carolina loses the services of starting forward Dwayne Day, but returns the rest of his team including all-SEC performer Devan Downey.   Odom signed Darius Murrow earlier in the year, but he sought and was granted his release after Odom left, so it looks like the Gamecocks will enter the 2008-09 season with the same team as last year.

Darrin Horn learned college basketball under former Rick Pitino assistant Ralph Willard, and we expect to see a variant Pitino's fast-paced style at South Carolina next year, much as Horn employed at Western during his tenure there.  The Gamecocks are build for a high-possession offense, but their lack of rebounding and post play will likely make them an also-ran in the SEC race next year, and I don't see a post season in their immediate future until Horn begins recruiting better talent to Columbia.

Next, we will look at the SEC West, and then have a more detailed look at the Kentucky Wildcats, and how they are likely to fit into the SEC picture next year.

As the reigning "King of Scold" on this blog, I feel it is incumbent upon me to make a few comments regarding the recent commitment of Michael Avery to an offer Coach Gillispie made to him via his father.

As I wrote earlier, it has become obvious since last year that obtaining the commitment of younger and younger players is no longer a theoretical -- it has become the cutting edge of college basketball recruiting.  While many of the higher profile schools are able to recruit in the present fairly easily, non-elite programs or elite programs like Kentucky who have fallen on hard times recently have to be as innovative as possible.  When coaches see their peers recruiting classes stuffed full of 5-star players while they fight with smaller universities for decent JUCO's, it is not surprising to see coaches like Gillispie employing every legal tactic to out-maneuver his competition.

Make no mistake -- recruiting this far in the future contains many risks.  Verbal commitments, as everyone knows, are non-binding on either the university or the student athlete.  That does not mean, however, that they are meaningless.  Fortunately, most basketball coaches will live up to their commitment, even though we have seen far less inclination for students to do so -- we only need look at Scotty Hopson's change of heart to see how easy it is for the athletes.  For coaches, it is tougher -- if an early recruit doesn't pan out, he will take a lot of flack for backing out on his word (unless, of course, his name is Rick Pitino ) after offering a scholarship so early.  Indeed, one or two such back-offs may make future early commitments impossible -- once you get a reputation for doing something like that, your chances drop dramatically.

Be that as it may, many people (including yours truly) are concerned about the propriety of such early commitments.  A lot of this is simply due to being old-fashioned and concerned about kids who are four or more years away from being considered an adult making such a big decision about their future so far in advance.  But while that is maybe the gut-level response, I'll try to ignore that and look at this objectively.  So let's take a look at arguments against and the counter-arguments for such a commitment:

1. A kid that age is too young to make such an important life decision.
   
   Counter:  Because coaches cannot make direct contact with recruits before their junior year in high school, they must go through the young man's parents even to make such an offer.  It is therefore impossible for the kid to make this decision without the informed consent of his parent(s)/guardian(s).  Kids beginning at ages younger than this are always making life-changing decisions that we forget about -- whether or not to try sex, or drugs, or alcohol.  To be a good student or not.  To be a good person or not.  Is this decision really more important?
   
   Also, it is pretty much impossible for the kid to screw this up.  He is making a decision about what college to attend -- for FREE!  Gillispie has offered this young man an opportunity to attend the University of Kentucky and play basketball in return for the opportunity to obtain a priceless thing -- a college education.  Even if Avery had decided to attend Podunk State University instead of Kentucky, he would still have the opportunity for a free education in return for playing a game.  The way I see it, there is simply no way to screw this up no matter what school you choose (unless, of course, it is U of L, UNC or Duke -- then it would be a tragic error in judgment -- I kid, OK?).
   
   
2. The player may plateau and not really be (_fill in your school here_) material.
   
   Counter:  How is this bad for the young man?  I mean, we are talking about his interests here, not that of the offering school.  Schools and coaches know that this is risky, and this is one of the risks.
   
   
3. The player may (_get hurt, do drugs, go to jail, test out to be a moron, decide not to come_)!
   
   Counter:  See 2 above.
   
   
4. Kids this young should be concentrating on (_school, being a kid, getting better, etc_).
   
   Counter:  Wouldn't it be easier to do all those things if you took the decision about which college to matriculate to off the table?  You could ignore all the other advances from coaches and colleges and get yourself ready for your future.  Removing this decision from the table early on relieves pressure on the kid.  He doesn't have to worry about trying trying to make an impression on college coaches on the sometimes smarmy AAU circuit, which in any case does little to teach fundamental basketball skills.  Instead, he can concentrate on fundamentals, playing in events in which his family can participate, and generally minimizing the negative impact and influences (posse, AAU coaches with agendas) of being a big-time, uncommitted prospect.
   

The best argument that can be made against this process, in my opinion, is that of buyer's remorse.  If the kid later decides he made an error in judgment -- maybe his best friend went to a different school, or his parents moved, a girlfriend, or a family situation that makes him want to be closer to home -- it makes it easier for him to excuse backing out of his commitment.  Make no mistake, I take a dim view of people who don't live up to their agreements, whether the NCAA considers them binding or not.  The opportunities for an ethical breach by both parties are greatly magnified by such an early commitment.

But with that said, the opportunity for setting a good example are also magnified.  How much more does it say about a kid (and a coach, for that matter) who kept their agreement over such a long period of time and with so many potential pitfalls?  So the opportunity for being an ethical inspiration are also magnified.  My feeling is also that this will be more of a test on the coaches than the kids -- sooner or later, something unforeseen is going to reduce the value of such an early commitment that puts real pressure on the coach.  Also, what if the coach who accepted his commitment is no longer there?  Will his successor be as willing to honor a commitment he did not make?

There are many opportunities for agreements such as this to fail, but none of them appear to be substantially more severe than the same pitfalls which could happen in a normal, junior year recruitment.  In the final analysis, it looks to me like those of us (and I do include myself) who are uncomfortable with these situations need to think it through more carefully -- the negatives are there, but how bad can such a decision be when the adults are as involved as this?  Do we really expect a kid in his junior year in high school to have better judgment than his parents?  I say not likely, although it sometimes does happen.  In the end, though, there are many opportunities over the interregnum between the 9th grade and college for this to be corrected.  Can we say the same about a kid who waits until the late signing period to make his call?