John Pelphrey is already flexing his muscles, and has shown Kentucky that he can take our new coach on head-to-head and win. Courtney Fortson, the 4-star point guard out of the Patterson School in North Carolina has eschewed the Wildcats to become a Razorback.
The Courier-Journal (via Aaron's blog) gives us word that John Hood, the rising Madisonville High junior, has been offered a scholarship by UK.
It's hard to be too concerned about Fortson's decision, as UK is simply flush with guards. Hood is one of those late-blooming players that seem to show up in Kentucky all the time, and of course, the sweaty guy in the orange blazer from 200 miles south of Lexington offered him a scholarship back in September. Obviously, Gillispie was paying attention to the wolves baying at Tubby Smith's door when Tennessee stole Lofton from Kentucky, and doesn't intend to let another such situation develop.
Concern about another Lofton is not really a good thing -- we could wind up letting Pearl dictate our scholarships to some extent, and he doesn't seem the type to be beyond such gamesmanship. However, if Gillispie is as successful as we all hope he'll be, that lingering disconnect won't last too long. But it is a bit disconcerting that we seem to be reacting to Pearl's offers in Kentucky, even if it's only perception and not reality. The Lofton angst still swirls around a lot in the Big Blue Nation, and it has shown the potential to be a destructive force.