Promoted from the diaries -- Ed.

Obviously, Coach Calipari is known as a great recruiter, but even he has not had the quality of talent that he finds on this year’s Cats team. Like many of you, I have been yearning for a new up-tempo style of play that will attract major high school talent. One of the most important jobs of a college is to develop the overall skills of a player so he can play a number of different positions and become both marketable to the NBA and hard to guard at the collegiate level.

To me, the DDMO will provide UK’s players with a variety of new weapons with which to dispatch their opponents. With Coach stating that "he would not play anyone over 28 minutes a game," it seems I am about to get my wish of seeing waves and waves of blue and white players playing in the games. For the last few years, I would have liked to see the development of our "secondary" players to assist in case of an injury or, of course, in order to find that "diamond in the rough." This development has to happen with REAL game experience in a TEAM setting.

As the first week of practice draws to a close, let’s look at the current level of talent and how individuals must both develop their talents and mesh into a team concept.

The Newbies:

Though extremely talented, it is always tough to pin a teams hopes on freshmen and a JUCO transfer. This is why these guys have to have quality playing time in order to be ready for March Madness. Due to this need we could lose some close games early, but it is necessary.

John Wall: All-world talent, but has to learn to play with the various levels of talents on the team. Not everyone can take the hard, low or high pass. Who will needs the soft pass and time to finish the play. To be effective, John will have to learn "when to gun and when to run" the team. Because of his size, I see Wall having to play both the 1 and 2 guard positions. He has to be able to play defense as well as lead the team offensively.

Eric Bledsoe: Just too talented to ride the bench behind John Wall. He has to play PG a lot and play it well. That means great FT %, high assist to turnover ratio, develop his perimeter shooting, play big defensively and use his speed. If he is on the court the same time as John Wall he needs to learn to compliment John, not compete against him.

Jon Hood: He must live in the weight room. He cannot become another Perry Stevenson. He must put on the muscle, and quickly. His perimeter shot is needed, but not at the expense of being outrebounded or outmuscled under the basket. He needs to plan to play the 2 guard, but be ready to play the 3. Sound fundamentals and defensive skills will get him noticed. Blocking out, rebounding, diving for loose balls and a high assist to turnover ratio will help ease the loss of Jodie Meeks in the 2 position. This team will score in the other four positions, so we don’t need to pressure anyone to try to be Jodie.

Darnell Dodson: Unbelievable talent. Shoots left or right handed, a good FT shooter, can drive to the basket, good size and speed. Like everyone else, Darnell has to learn to be the team player that is needed at the 2 or 3 guard position. He can’t wait until next year, this JUCO must play well this year.

DeMarcus Cousins: A real big man athlete with great basketball skills. Cousins has the God-given talent to dominate the entire nation at the center position. It is however, in his personal interest to develop his PF skills. With Cousins playing PF, Orton can play center. This would help UK this year and Cousins’ marketability in the NBA, as well. I do not believe he will dominate at the Center position in the NBA. Cousins can be the dominating center UK needs. The question is can the big men run with the fast guards or will the team have to slow down the pace for them to catch up?  DeMarcus has to realize, this is his time.

Daniel Orton: Super strong, very good center. Less athletic than Cousins and yet is no slouch as a center. UK is probably in the best position for big men that it has been since Robey and Phillips. Daniel has muscle, good skills and great size. He is still recuperating from an injury, but now is the time for him to work on foot speed, FT%, ball handling and perimeter shooting. Orton can be the dominant 6th man (at PF and C) that every championship team needs.

The Oldies:

Patrick Patterson: Superstar and the emotional and physical leader of this team. PP has to become the go-to man. He needs to develop small forward skills on both defense, and offense. He has great speed for a big man and he should not ever slow down the offense, but the speed of the offense will demand that he take breaks.  Patrick will need to play at least two different positions and possibly three. His outside shot has never been a thing of beauty, but it must develop. We may lose some games, but he has to shoot from the outside. In fact all of the SF, PF and Cs who play must shoot from the outside.

Mark Krebs: Speaking of outside shooting, this big guard has got to shoot. He is a senior and he has to bring this team leadership. He has good size. He has to guard well and keep up with the speed of the game. An excellent FT%, perimeter shooting and excellent defense will get this young man playing time.

DeAndre Liggins: To me one of the most versatile athletes on the team. He can play the 1, 2 or 3 position. Since we are loaded at the PG position this year, DeAndre can concentrate on the 2 or 3, but no doubt he will learn a lot playing against Wall and Bledsoe. DeAndre has excellent speed, he just has to decide where and when to use it. He is a great ball handler and really can hand out a lot of assists. However, to be effective, he has to be able to hit the three point shot. He is such a good athlete; it will be hard to sit him on the bench very long.

Darius Miller: A strong contender to start at the 3 position. He is quick, very strong and fundamentally sound. He can bring the ball up the court in a press and does very well at the free throw line. He has to hit his three point shots and play good defense to get a lot of playing time. Darius can also play the 2 guard. Since he, like Liggins, has experience, it will be hard to keep him off the floor. At 6’7" and 225 lbs., he may play some PF.

Josh Harrellson: Jorts is the surprise of the team. The JUCO jinx is over. A new coach likes what he does and he seems to be thriving. Talk about "a diamond in the rough", Josh may be the reason Pilgrim was encouraged to move on. While not as strong as some PF’s, Josh uses his size well and could be another person who fills in with a few minutes of all out gut busting play to spell the starters. He simply cannot slow down the pace when he is in the game.

Perry Stevenson: I think Perry has to become a SF. This team has so much talent, Perry has to be able to shoot the 12-15 footer like I know he can, guard a smaller faster player, rebound and block all the shots he can. He can’t get stuck under the basket where he is at a disadvantage. He needs to develop a handle and drive to the basket and take the pull up shot or the easy dunk. He has to cut down on his turnovers.

Ramon Harris: Senior with a good handle, speed and size for the 2 and 3 position. He is tough as nails although somewhat injury prone. He has to improve his FT % and outside shooting. His defense is good, but again with the talent on this team it has to be great and he has to have improved offensive skills for him to get much playing time. He too has to cut down on his turnovers.

There you have it. Wave after wave of Blue Crush. A tsunami of talent under the direction of a coach who goes for the jugular and won’t let go. We may not win them all as we are learning this DDMO system, but I do expect the waves to keep coming.