C.L Brown is pretty respected in the sports journalism biz. He was a UofL beat writer for years for the Louisville Courier-Journal, so he is very familiar with the local talent around the Kentucky Wildcats.
Now Brown is now a writer for ESPN. He wrote a piece previewing some of the newcomers in the SEC and, of course, De'Aaron Fox is highlighted along with Bam Adebayo. Both players are top 15 recruits and both figure to be in the races for SEC Player of the Year and All-SEC Team honors.
Here is the headline and tell me if you notice anything a little off about it:
Yes, that's right, John Calipari cannot wait to get Bem and De'Aron on the court, ready to take the SEC by storm.
Now, far be it from me to call out writing mistakes, I've made my fair share of mistakes during my illustrious amateur blogging career. But C.L. is a professional and should do better than this.
But it's not all on him. ESPN has editors. Paid editors that have the one job of cleaning up any messes or oversights. Notice the highlighted date on the picture. Yup. August 8th, 2016. This has been up for TWO DAYS.
Other Kentucky freshmen that could make an impact:
Malook Monk
Sacha Killoya-Janes
EJ Fo Real.
Lost in all of this is that C.L. actually has some good stuff to say about Bem, I mean Bam, and De'Aaron.
Bam Adebayo, Kentucky Wildcats
The Wildcats' frontcourt was, in a word, unreliable last season. Although Skal Labissiere possessed a gifted offensive skill set, he didn't respond well to the physicality needed on the blocks. Marcus Lee made his presence known defensively but was absent on offense. That allowed opponents to outperform the Wildcats in the frontcourt in a way that hadn't really been done under Calipari.Those times appear to be over. Adebayo, a 6-foot-9 power forward, has the potential to bring strong post play back to UK. He doesn't mind the physical play inside. He rebounds well, and the description thrown around a lot by those who have watched him play most is "high motor."
The Wildcats will need all of Adebayo's energy, especially with Labissiere (NBA) and Lee (transfer) no longer on the roster. Adebayo will likely start immediately and be the team's No. 1 option in the post.
De'Aaron Fox, Kentucky Wildcats
Even though he was only 5-foot-9, Tyler Ulis left a big hole at point guard in the Wildcats' lineup. He was one of the most steady floor leaders in the country last season, and he presented a strong case that he was the best pure point guard Calipari has had at UK.The 6-foot-3 Fox is a different type of point. He'll bring size back to the position, but can he bring the stability that Ulis provided? That could be the difference between UK being simply a good team and UK being a special one capable of another Final Four run.
Fox has the kind of speed with the ball that has drawn comparisons to John Wall, but Wall didn't have the athleticism that Fox possesses to finish on fast breaks. Fox will need to avoid the trap of playing at only one speed. If he can learn that nuance, the Cats have enough talent around him to shine.
It happens to all of us at some point, but seriously, clean it up ESPN.