Yesterday, UK head men's basketball coach Billy Gillispie held a press conference that was essentially a defense of his recent policy to recruit players as young as the 8th grade in high school.  This is the story that won't go away, and why it is such a big story this year and not over the last couple of years when it actually broke, nobody seems to know.  It was definitely news last year when Tim Floyd of Southern California got a verbal from 8th grader Ryan Boatright, but since the verbals by Michael Avery and Vinnie Zollo to Kentucky, young commitments have become the topic of the spring.  Who was it that won the national championship this year, again?  I forgot.  It's old news.

There are several articles out there today about the press conference, but I really only want to deal with two of them:  an opinion piece by John Clay and a news article by everybody's favorite UK reporter, Jerry Tipton.

First, a look at what John Clay said.  In my opinion, John Clay is a fine writer and a good on-line friend.  He has always been respectful of A Sea of Blue, links us frequently from his blog and has emailed me a time or two helping to clarify things I've said, which I appreciate.  Clay's article was essentially a defense of the premise that recruiting players from 8th grade classes in high school is a problem, and a practice that should end.  He doesn't come to bury Gillispie in this article, but ostensibly to address the practice itself.  Here is how he broaches his feelings on the subject:

Asked if he thought this new trend was good or bad for the sport, Gillispie said, "It's just different."

Different in a negative way, I'd say. Many of Gillispie's points are valid, but you still can't shake the feeling that this somehow cheapens the game. It turns coaches into speculators, not recruiters. It turns kids into commodities instead of individuals. In a world in which we ask kids to grow up too fast, it accelerates the process.

Believe me, I understand this sentiment -- it was mine as few as ten days ago, but after careful consideration and soul-searching I have abandoned it.  Why?  Well, I will admit that the idea of recruiting the very young has a smarmy feel about it.  It just seems unctuous and a little bit wrong if you look at it in isolation.  However, in full context and with an open mind, it doesn't seem that bad at all.  In a way, even describing the process as "recruiting" is a bit of a misnomer.  Traditional recruiting is very much a two-way street, with coaches talking to recruits and working hard to convince them to come to their school over often many other competitive programs making the same sales pitch.  It is a genuine competitive process with coaches and assistants fighting for a recruit, often casting ethical behavior to the wind on the process.

The process for Avery was nothing like that at all.  Gillispie saw Avery play, liked what he saw and said so to some third party, ostensibly the player's coach.  That word got passed to both the player and the player's father, and Michael's father Howard called Gillispie until he got hold of him.  That conversation lead to a scholarship offer, which Howard passed on to his son.  They discussed the offer father-to-son, presumably involving others in his family, and Michael decided he wanted to go ahead and commit himself to be a Wildcat.

How is this different from the normal recruiting process?  It's easier to count the ways in which it was the same -- an offer and an acceptance.  First off Gillispie, as far as I know, has never spoken to Michael.  That almost never happens in traditional recruiting.  Second, there was no sales pitch that we know of -- Michael was far more aware of Kentucky and what playing there means than his father was.  Third, and perhaps most importantly, there was no competition.  No other school had offered Michael a scholarship.  There was no sales pitch, no "snake oil," no rumor or innuendo about opposing coaches or programs, no opportunity for offering illegal enticements and no reason to do so.  The process was completely pure and uncorrupted by comparison to the usual process, and finally and most importantly, Michael's  parents were intimately involved from the start.

Does that make it better?  In some ways, arguably so, but there are risks -- Avery could have a change of heart, could turn out not to be good enough for a UK scholarship, etc.  Gillespie could also not be here when Avery is ready to come, and even though Gillispie has stated he would keep his word to his young verbals, would his successor be compelled to do so?  But to me, these risks seem small compared to the amount of potentially unethical tripe the kid avoided in an apparently informed and well-considered decision.

Moving on to more of John Clay's arguments, rather than quoting the article extensively I will enumerate the points he makes and ask you to read the article carefully if you haven't already:

1. It makes coaches look out of control
2. Coaches are like little kids always trying to see what they can get away with
3. Avery may not be "balanced enough or mature enough" to make this kind of decision, because "most [young people his age] are not,  And anything that encourages more 15 year-olds to follow suit isn't good."
4. John cites numerous situations where young players have failed in professional sports.
5. The coup de grace is that common sense tells us this is not the way to go.

All these points are perfectly valid.  I would argue that many of them are more a reflexive revulsion to the perception that young players are somehow being opened up to corruption or setting themselves up for failure by doing this, and the perception of a coaching arms race.  The former, I think, is an reluctance to look honestly at the world today -- a feeling I know all too well.  Kids grow up very fast these days, and they are still faced with life-changing decisions every single day -- sex, drugs, various opportunities for antisocial behavior, poor performance in school.  Many of these decisions are taken without involving parents.  There is no way this one could happen without the parents' intimate involvement.

In sum, I understand John's position and his lament, but I no longer find myself in agreement.  If 8th graders want to verbally commit and the NCAA doesn't feel the need to stop it, I am fine with that.  Regarding the coaches showing poor judgment, I think this is simply a reflection of fans and the schools who hire them -- that's where the pressure to win comes from.  What do you expect?  As to whether this could extend to younger and younger players, I think that it is likely to end at some age, and maybe this is it.  Before that, it seems to me the risks simply outweigh the benefits, but only time will tell.

Just to make this piece a little longer, I want to briefly look at Jerry Tipton's report today about the news conference.  Tipton has been assailed by the UK faithful and this blog -- rightly in my view -- for reporting stories from what seemed to me to be a "glass half-empty" perspective.  This was not such a piece -- it was very balanced, presenting Gillispie's opinion honestly as well as those of critics of young college commitments.  In my view, Gillispie came out looking more thoughtful and his critics reflexive, but what I really liked about the article was that it is what I consider to be good journalism -- a thought-provoking piece that fairly shows both sides but doesn't take sides.

So to Tipton, who has taken a major amount of heat from the Big Blue Nation lately (and quite a bit of it was deserved, in this writer's opinion), I just have two words for pieces like this:  More, please.

... 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.

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.

Various internet sources now reporting Kentucky has secured a verbal commitment from ... wait for it ... AN EIGHTH-GRADER.

Michael Avery, a 6'4" combo guard out of Southern California, joins the nascent UK Class of 2012.

Seriously.

Clark Francis, the infamous recruiting guru, has Avery ranked as his No. 8 player in the class, No. 2 at his position, inexplicably listed as power forward.

A brief writeup from an AAU event in which his team went undefeated among strong competition...

Marc Maggard spoke to Michael's father about the commitment on his latest podcast, which I recommend. Great way of hearing how some of this stuff goes.

Avery recently spent time playing with Indiana Elite, the top flight AAU team which brought the world Greg Oden and Mike Conley, among others, and which currently boasts Stephen Van Treese, another UK target.

Avery also has played a level "up" on teams with players such as Duke commit Mason Plumlee and Treese, meaning this kid is getting into some very heady company recruit-wise.

More as it comes...

  [ED NOTE]...

For all of those folks talking about how sad this is, or how somehow we've crossed a line, what did you expect?

I'll address this in a future post, but you can't have it both ways. If you want elite talent a la UNC, Duke and Kansas, you have to be willing to play the game. We had a coach who was "above" such tactics. And it landed us more Mike Williamses and Sheray Thomases of late than it did Tywon Lawsons.

It's admittedly new ground for the program, but Billy Gillispie has a crack staff who is extremely visible on the AAU circuit. This trend, at least for now, of taking super early commitments is ahead of the curve. Maybe eventually, the game will change. But for now, I'd rather have a coach willing to play the game, short of cheating or shady street agents, than one who is above it and slowly fading into the woodwork.

End of brief rant...

SSSSSooooo.  Josh Harrellson decided to play a little cat and mouse game with us UK fans, and while we were all waiting quietly and away from our computers, he announces that he is going to be a Wildcat and faxes in his signed LOI.

What does this mean and why is it important?  Well, everyone knows that UK has had difficulty recently, for whatever reason, recruiting quality big people.  Yes, we got Patrick Patterson, but for several years prior to that and this year up until now, we have been unable to land anyone who could help out Patterson in the post.  Today, we got one in Josh Harrellson.  Harrellson is a big, thick-bodied player with developing but already serviceable skills in the post, and improving range.  He has not been playing basketball for all that long, but his skill set fills a crucial need for Kentucky next season.

In a way, it is somewhat frightening to me to see Kentucky fans waiting with bated breath over a player who is only moderately ranked in the 2008 class.  He is nowhere near the stud Majok is projected to be, nor Terrance Jennings, or virtually any of the other big men (outside of a couple who never got offers) that UK was recruiting.  But on the other hand, the fact that his skills mesh so well with Kentucky's needs combined with the lateness of the hour in the 2008 recruiting class make this a rather huge commitment.

But before we could draw another collective breath, a genuine, 5-star stud from the 2010 class decided that he, too, would look mighty good in blue.  His name is Dominique Ferguson, currently the 8th ranked player in the 2010 class, a 6'9", 210# program-changer out of Lawrence North in Indianapolis.  Kentucky pried him away from the foul clutches of Traitor Rick, Thad Matta, Koach K, Billy Donovan, John Calipari, and Gillispie's nuveau riche mentor, Bill Self.

You may remember another couple of players out of Lawrence North that did pretty well, a certain Greg Oden and Mike Conley.  You may also remember that one of Tubby Smith's biggest early recruits, John Stewart, went tho Lawrence North and tragically perished after collapsing in what was to be one of his last high school games.  Ferguson will be Gillispie's third 5-star player recruited in 4 classes, and the 2009 class hardly counts because it is so small.

There can be no doubt that the fears and recriminations we have been reading (and perhaps, to some extent, feeling) have been misplaced and the seemingly long night is officially over for Kentucky basketball recruiting with this most recent news.  Recall that in a recent post, I said that nobody is going to beat Gillispie for a recruit by out-working him.  Seems like the the harder he works, the luckier he gets.

We still have questions about next year's team -- will Jasper transfer?  Will we bring another guard, or stand pat with what we have?  If Jasper stays, there is no real reason to recruit another guard.  After having seen Liggins play in the Derby Classic, I am not concerned at all about our ability to get the ball up the court and get it in scoring position.

But I am not concerned in either case.  Gillispie is showing me, every day, that he knows the shape he wants for next year's team given the constraints of scholarship and a very shallow talent pool.  We got the best player available for the hole we had in our lineup, and that is all you can ask for.  Convincing a genuine top talent to come at the same time is the kind of giddy bonus we all hoped we would get when Billy Gillispie was entrusted with the job of restoring the Big Blue Nation to the top of college basketball.

It hasn't left the station yet, but the Big Blue Train is gathering steam ...

According to Matt Jones, who just got off the phone with Harrellson, he is postponing his decision until tomorrow afternoon "around 2 or 3."  KSR notes that this is probably Central time.

Treat this as an open thread.

Even the youngest of UK fans know Louie Dampier.  The 6'0", 167 lb. long-range sharpshooter is best remembered as being a member of the iconic Rupp's Runts.  

The Southport, IN native starred for UK from 1964 to 1967.   His #10 jersey hangs in Rupp's rafters with all of the other UK greats.  Dampier was a two-time All-America, earning those honors in his final two years at UK.

He currently ranks #12 on UK's all-time scoring list with 1,575 points in 80 games played.  At the time of his graduation he ranked 3rd on UK's scoring list behind only Alex Groza and Cotton Nash.  He carries a career 19.7 points per game average. He is also #8 in all-time free throw shooting percentage at 83.4%.

Dampier was a two-sport star at UK.  He also played baseball for Coach Harry Lancaster.

Upon graduating from UK he was drafted in the 4th Round (38th overall) of the NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings).  He chose instead to play for the ABA's Kentucky Colonels.  He spent 9 years with the Colonels, averaging 18.9 points per game for his ABA career.  The Colonels won the ABA Championship in 1975 with a team that included Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore.  Dampier is also included on the All-Time All-ABA team.

The NBA and ABA merged in 1976, and Dampier was selected in the dispersal draft by the San Antonio Spurs.  He played 3 years with the Spurs, playing behind George "Iceman" Gervin.  In his three years in San Antonio, Dampier averaged 6.7 points per game.  He retired from professional basketball in 1979.  Dampier later was an assistant coach for the NBA's Denver Nuggets for three-and-a-half years.

I recently spoke with Dampier, and he was kind enough to answer a few questions for A Sea of Blue:

ASOB:  Being from Southport Indiana, why did you choose to go to UK?  

Dampier:  I really didn't want to attend UK.  I wanted to go to Indiana, but Branch McCracken (IU Coach) didn't want me.  My uncle Louie took me to IU and met with McCracken while I looked around the facilities.  McCracken came out and told me I had a scholarship, but I didn't feel like he really wanted me.  So that's when I visited Kentucky.  I really felt like they wanted me.  Coach Rupp and everyone were very friendly.  Coach Rupp seemed very genuine.  So that's how it all started.

ASOB:  You made 50.8% of your shots at UK.  Considering you took mostly outside shots, what do you attribute your incredible accuracey to?  Were you a "gym rat?"

Dampier:  No, I wasn't a gym rat.  I was a seasonal athlete, I played baseball, so I just shot whenever I could.  In those days we couldn't get into the gym, I shot around whenever I could.

ASOB:  Do you remember the game-plan going into the National Championship game versus Texas Western?

Dampier:  Honestly, we didn't have one.  We had played Duke the night before, and the next day we played Texas Western. Back then the games were played on back-to-back days.  We really didn't know much about them.  We did know about their "karate" defense.  We knew they were very aggressive defensively.  If we had had more time we would have been more prepared.

ASOB:  What is your overall impression of Coach Rupp, and did you enjoy playing for him?

Dampier:  I was fortunate.  I really enjoyed playing for him.  I was a starter from the beginning so I never had to go through what the reserves went through -- the discipline and "verballizing", but not enjoying playing time.  Rupp didn't like to play many substitutes.  I did enjoy playing for Rupp.

ASOB:  Who was the best player you played with at UK?

Dampier:  Pat Riley.

ASOB:  Who was the best player you played with while in the ABA?

Dampier:  Dan Issel.

ASOB:  Who was the best player you played against in college?

Dampier:  I don't have an answer for that.  I looked more at the team we were playing, not the individuals.

ASOB:  Who was the best player you played against in the ABA?

Dampier:  Rick Barry and Julius Erving.

ASOB:  Was the '75 season with the Kentucky Colonels the most memorable season you had?

Dampier:  Yes, of course.  It was the only championship I ever won at any level, high school, college, or pro.

ASOB:  Did you enjoy your 3 years with San Antonio?

Dampier:  Yes.  I enjoyed my time with the Spurs.  I really enjoyed my time there, except for having to practice against George Gervin.  Gervin was a small forward when he played for the Squires, so I didn't have to guard him (in the ABA).  But I had to guard him in practice.  I was really lucky to be drafted by the Spurs and not one of the other NBA teams, because I already knew all of the players (the Spurs were one of four ABA franchises to merge with the NBA).

ASOB:  What are your impressions of Gervin?

Dampier:  He is a great personality, and fun to watch.  He was always coming up with new moves.

ASOB:  Do you follow UK basketball?  If so, what are your impressions of Billy Gillispie?

Dampier:  Yes. I liked the results at the end of the season.  Early on the players weren't buying into Gillispie's plan.  I really felt sorry for Crawford.  Early on he seemed to always be in the doghouse, but by the end of the year he was as reliable as anyone.

ASOB:  Can you think of a player from the last twenty years or so that reminds you, of you?

Dampier:  I don't really look at it that way.  But I'd say Cameron Mills, because of his shooting.

ASOB:  What do you think of the 19'9" three-point line in college?

Dampier:  It's too close.  It needs to be moved back a foot or so.

I would like to thank Mr. Dampier for spending time answering my lame questions.  He is truly a UK legend, and his time with me is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading, and Go Cats!

There are a few things to talk about recruiting-wise this morning, the most surprising being this article by Jerry Tipton that Nicola Kecman is not a Buckeye just yet, directly contradicting this story at Bucknuts.com.  I have no idea at this moment who is right, but Rivals' OSU page has him listed as a Buckeye commit.  Who is right?  I don't know for sure.  Bucknuts was citing "sources" but named no names.  Word is that he may be visiting Ole Miss this week.  We will probably know for sure sometime today.

According to the same Tipton article, Majok's decision will be coming as soon as early this week.  His coach and advisor apparently told Tipton that "UConn led, in part, because it's the last suitor to embrace Majok."  This is not Majok's first visit to Storrs, and even though I think UConn is leading, it is instructive to note that Majok did not commit on the spot.  That fact has been used to justify speculation that Majok is not quite in the bag for UConn yet.

Still, my experience is that unless he saw something at Connecticut he didn't like that well, or UConn somehow failed to make the kind of impression UK made on him, I don't expect Majok to be in blue next year.  It is a nice hope, but it feels to me like Cat fans are grasping at straws here.  UConn has been on Majok longer than anyone, and as we saw with Patrick Patterson, that means a lot.  Kentucky had been on Patterson for a long time, developed a relationship that was enough to bring him even through a coaching change.  That takes time that Kentucky has not had, and leads me to this somewhat pessimistic appraisal.

In case you haven't heard, Josh Harrellson wrapped up his visit with St. Louis and will be making his decision on Tuesday.  This is another one of those calls that is closer than expected, and once again, a competitor has had the chance to make the final impression.  While nobody watching the situation believes that St. Louis is now the leader for Harrellson's services, Harrellson has indicated that proximity to his home is an advantage that they have, while tradition, visibility and the "grand scale" of Kentucky are advantages there.

This case is, fortunately for UK, different than Majok.  Majerus has not been on Harrellson for years, and neither has Gillispie.  Both have had about the same opportunity to make an impression, and we are not talking about thousands of miles as far as proximity to home is concerned, so even though it may be a bit harder for his parents to see him play, we are talking about a matter of some 5.5 hours of driving time.  I feel very good about this recruitment, and would be quite surprised if we were unable to secure Harrellson's services.  It still could happen, and Majerus apparently did a bang-up sales job, but I believe that we are in a very good position here.

There is no real update about Paul McCoy, but the UK staff has reportedly been in contact with Verdell Jones recently.  Many had given up on Jones, and Marc Maggard has stated that he doesn't have an offer from UK, even though Jones himself has said more than once that he does.  Kentucky has been on Jones a long time, and for my money, he is the best combo guard prospect we are currently recruiting.  Many like McCoy and Maze better, but not me.  Jones is a smart kid with good skills who is likely to thrive in Gillispie's, "I shave by driving my whiskers through my cheeks with a hammer and biting them off on the inside" style.  Jones is expected to make his decision this week.

As to everyone else, well, I have nothing new to report.

Update [2008-4-28 15:21:8 by Truzenzuzex]:  A UConn blog is reporting that Majok has committed to the Huskies.

Update [2008-4-28 18:14:39 by Truzenzuzex]:  This doesn't make me feel real warm and fuzzy.