Of course we all know by now that Jalen Whitlow will be transferring. We wish Jalen all the best wherever he decides to go, and much success.
Tweet of the Morning
My point is what Jim Calhoun always asked his guys, "do you want to play in the NBA or have an NBA career"
— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) April 17, 2014
I don't think this is anywhere near right. There are benefits to playing in college, no doubt about it. It's a nice transition between boyhood and manhood, rather than being thrown into the primordial fire of the NBA and the shock of dealing with all the man things like fast cars, women, and big-dollar finances without any preparation.
But those benefits are not usually the difference between an NBA career and playing in the NBA, at least, not for elite talent. Occasionally, we see players self-destruct out of college, so you know that out of high school, their odds are slightly worse.
SB Nation's Tom Ziller said it best:
Those other coaches -- the Boeheims of college ball -- believed their own bullshit, that the stars needed them. Wrong. The stars needed a year to camp out before entering the draft, and the Boeheims and Krzyzewskis and Selfs and Roys all beg for the privilege of being the host. Only Calipari acknowledges the power of the relationship lies with the players. That he moves on to next weekend while the others stay home is some sort of righteous cosmic justice.
That first sentence between the dashes could also read, "the Boeheims and Calhouns..." And honestly, just to be equal-opportunity here, neither Anthony Davis nor Julius Randle needed much John Calipari. But both were helped with the transition by their year at Kentucky, and that is worth something. But it isn't the difference between success and mediocrity, contra Gottlieb's Calhoun quote.
Your Quickies:
Kentucky football
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Mark Stoops happy with the new NCAA rule allowing unlimited meals. I think it was long overdue. Consider:
"We demand an awful lot from these guys," Stoops said. "You know, we work them out in the morning, they got practices, study halls. So they're quite busy and work their tails off for us. And they do need the nutrition and they need the meals. You guys have heard me say that before. I'm all for whatever we can give to these players.
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In case you somehow missed Jalen Whitlow's transfer yesterday, here is the Courier-Journal story.
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As widely reported yesterday, 2015 4-star signee Marcus Walker has reopened his recruitment. He says UK is still his #1 choice.
Kentucky basketball
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NBA Draft Blog sees both of the Harrison twins late in the first round. I think he's a touch optimistic, but then again, he pays much more attention to this sort of thing than I do.
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Calipari out of touch with reality? Better look in the mirror, pal. You're probably going to see a moonbat or something when you do.
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John Calipari has lunch with former president Bill Clinton. I think having lunch with coaches, lending their names to charitable causes, and stuff like that is exactly what ex-presidents should be doing.
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Calipari is trying to get every last mile out of his bad hip, I guess.
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John Calipari had no problem with the questions Bill O'Reilly asked him. I don't have a problem with them either, per se, I just thought they were largely dumb questions that exposed O'Reilly as being ignorant of his subject in this particular case. Note that this is not an invitation to attack Fox News or engage in political commentary. Please observe our community guidelines.
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Sam Malone takes a shot a Jeff Goodman. Love it.
Other Kentucky sports
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The Cardinals helped the Bat Cats win the season sweep by making four errors.
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Incoming freshman Alyssa Rice has been named 3rd team All-American by USA today. She's the heir-apparent to departed senior DeNesha Stallworth.
Links posts
College football
- "Brady Rule" coming to college football — no hits at or below the knee when the quarterback is in his throwing motion. I think this is a good rule.
College basketball
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Sports Illustrated ranks the best one-and-done seasons since the NBA Draft age limit was implimented in 2006-07, and Julius Randle is higher on that list than I would have expected. Of course, the tall, skinny guy playing down in New Orleans this year tops the list.
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Frankly, picking Duke #1 next season with or without Parker is genuinely stupid. If the Harrisons also return for Kentucky along with Dakari Johnson and Marcus Lee, any rational person would have to pick Kentucky over Duke without Parker. With Parker, it's a much, much closer call. If you observe Davis' comments about incoming players, you'll see that this is dashed-off tripe with very little thought.
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Mike DeCourcy says that the NCAA's draft deadline is an "affront to every college basketball player." Consider:
The rule is so obviously an affront to the players who participate in college basketball that you’ll have a heck of a time finding a single coach who was in the room for those ACC meetings who’ll admit to a role in it. None wants to own it, because it’s so clearly self-serving. The rule’s very existence is equivalent to this statement: My program matters more than the young men it is designed to serve.
But we know who was driving this train, don't we, ladies and gentlemen of the Big Blue Nation? Two fellow bluebloods in the ACC. I'll just leave it at that.
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Bruins Nation takes a self-serving look at what rule changes would benefit them. Why would anyone do that? Win by the rules that are in place. Then this:
Here's my prescription. While I'd welcome incremental change such as changing the draft-eligible age from 19 to 20, personally, I'd rather let anyone who graduates from high school enter the draft - its a free country.
So if it's a free country, do those freedoms also extend to businesses like the NBA to determine their qualifications for entry via collective bargaining? And if the USA is so free, why are people under the age of 18 largely forbidden from working in a lot of industries, and under a lot of conditions that adults are allowed to work under? Not so free after all, eh?
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The Tar Heel Blog defends UNC's honor from what they see as a crusading reporter. Jerry Tipton, your office on line 1.
Other sports news
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Archie Goodwin went off for a career high 29 points in 31 minutes last night against Sacramento, including this:
Well, he could always do that! You'll see the comments at Bright Side of the Sun were overwhelmingly positive regarding Goodwin. He's become a fan favorite, along with Eric Bledsoe. The Suns had one of the best records in history for a team that didn't make the playoffs. They have to be excited about next season.
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The NBA Playoffs are set. Tayshaun Prince gets to go yet again as the Memphis Grizzlies down the Dallas Mavericks.
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The UConn women's team is what Kentucky would look like if there were a four-year requirement to play in men's college basketball.
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Will unlimited meals lead to celebrity chefs at colleges? Maybe occasionally. So what?
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Brandon Knight has quietly had a fantastic season for the Milwaukee Bucks. Via Aaron's blog.
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At midseason, Kentucky is #15 in the Directors' Cup. Little brother is #21.