If you haven't seen John Calipari's appearance on the Colbert Report, here it is from last night:
Tweet of the Morning
Immediately after declaring for the NBA Draft, Julius Randle went to class. Bobby Knight is rolling over in his grave.
— Not Jerry Tipton (@NotJerryTipton) April 24, 2014
Your Quickies:
Kentucky football
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Meanwhile, Big Blue Nation will claim Bob Stoops as one of their own, right along with Ashley Judd and Drake.
Umm... Ashley Judd is one of our own — she graduated from UK. And we don't need to claim Bob, because we already have a football coach.
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Are you ready for the spring game?
RT @UKFootball: The Cat Walk on Saturday for the Blue/White Game will be at 1:45 p.m. ET at Gate 1 at CWS. #WeAreUK pic.twitter.com/DsGV4s7kAw
— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) April 24, 2014 -
Vince Morrow says attendance at the Blue/White game has a big impact on recruiting:
"Most definitely attendance at the spring game impacts recruiting," said Marrow. "I think what did it last year was a lot of those guys (recruits) and their parents saw a team come off a 2-10 record and people thinking football is not important … parents saw 50,000 people there and that made my job a lot easier in recruiting.
Kentucky basketball
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John Calipari will be watching 2016 prospect Jayson Tatum today, the #2 overall prospect in the class.
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Eamonn Brennan says Kentucky is going to be massive next season:
A 7-foot center whose combination of size and athletic gifts made him a low-post force in the tournament (especially alongside Julius Randle), Johnson is one of those big men who is both preternaturally athletic and still growing into his body. He has the proverbial "baby fat" scouts love to minimize in their imaginations. Either the NBA now or a year in school (and then the NBA) would have probably worked out equally well for him. A decision to return creates a crowded frontcourt situation for Kentucky, one that should terrify anyone outside Big Blue Nation's border territories.
Calipari already has two 7-footers back for next season in Johnson and Cauley-Stein. He has Marcus Lee (6-10 and maybe the most athletic player in the country) and 6-11 freshman Karl Towns as a potential backup frontcourt. Or vice versa. Or some mix therein. Poythress is a 6-8 small forward. Oh, and then there's Trey Lyles, the No. 6 overall player in the 2014 class. He is a power forward with real post moves and 17-foot range who also happens to be 6-10. That's at least two, and maybe three, waves of NBA size.
Read the whole thing.
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This was a great sentiment from Alex Poythress:
His coach at Northeast High School in Clarksville, Tenn., said he discussed the stay-or-leave decision with Poythress last weekend.
"He wants to make sure he's ready when the time comes" to turn pro, Al Cooper said. "He wants to make sure he has a career in the league, and he wants to make sure he has a career when his time is done playing basketball.
"That's why going back to school and getting a degree means the world to him."
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John Clay on fans vs. players. I'll have more on this later.
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Dick Vitale his usual effusive self:
All I can say is WOW! My pre season # 1 = KENTUCKY! @vaughtsviews @KySportsRadio @johnclayiv @JerryTipton http://t.co/OSKfp09bHX
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) April 24, 2014 -
John Clay warns us to get hyped about next season at your own risk. I think we all learned a thing or two this season about too much hyperbole. Still, if you can't get excited and risk disappointment, your fandom must be really, really boring.
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The Jackson Clarion-Ledger says that UK assistant Kenny Payne has expressed interest in the Southern Mississippi job recently vacated by Donnie Tyndall, who is now the coach at Tennessee:
A Laurel native, Payne is currently an assistant coach under John Calipari. Payne played under Denny Crum at Louisville and is regarded as one of the best recruiters in the country. Payne has reportedly already expressed interest in the USM job.
Via Aaron's blog.
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Gary Parrish says that if the Harrison twins return, UK will likely be ranked #1 in all the preseason polls. Well, why wouldn't they? That's what usually happens when a NCAA Tournament runner-up returns 60% of their points and 62% of their rebounds as well as having the #2 recruiting class in the country.
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After an all-freshman starting lineup last season, Kentucky could start zero freshmen next season. I don't think that will happen too often, but it might early.
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Chad Ford thinks both Harrisons will be in the D-league next season if they go pro. I think that is likely to be right, but not certainly.
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Jon Hood stopped by Waco Elementary school yesterday:
Hood, 22, said if someone had told him in elementary school that he would one day play for UK, he wouldn’t have believed it.
"But if it’s worth it, you do it. You must give it your all," said Hood, who is a former Kentucky Mr. Basketball from Madisonville.
Via Aaron's blog.
Other Kentucky sports
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Big Blue Weekend starting tomorrow.
One more day. #BigBlueWeekend pic.twitter.com/qK1XAmSH6V
— UK softball (@UKsoftball) April 24, 2014
Links posts
College football
- Here is a very simple, clear explanation of how the union ruling in the case of Northwestern case could affect NCAA sports. Hint — not nearly as much as you think.
College basketball
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Mike DeCourcy talks about Gregg Marshall and the Missouri job. I don't think Missouri will be interesting to Marshall, but you never know. They should surely try.
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John Clay asks why Tim Floyd is linked to the Missouri job. I think that's a good question.
Other sports news
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Longform piece at SB Nation about Ramogi Huma, the so-called "Athlete Advocate."
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Nerlens Noel rebuilt his shot during his down time with injury. That's good, because it desperately needed rebuilding. Via Aaron's blog.
Other news
- Barista competition in Louisville? I guess so — Latte art, anyone?