[UPDATE 1]
Rajon Rondo and the Celtics lost game seven last night to the Orlando Magic in a game the Magic largely dominated. But Rondo did posterize Superman (Dwight Howard) in last night's game, so at least he'll have a memory.
Looking around the UK blogosphere today, there is very little new happening. John Wall is still deciding when he will decide, bloggers are still speculating who's on first in the Wall saga, and my feelings toward Wall have swung firmly into the realm of apathy -- I could care less whether he goes here or there, wherever there may be.
Actually, though, this piece at Kentucky Ink caught my attention. It seems likely that after next year, UK may have as many as seven available scholarships. That is more than 50% of the team, and would be one of the largest recruiting classes I can ever remember at UK. Even if they are seven of the very top high school basketball players, it's easy to see that if that situation actually does develop, the Wildcats would wind up with one of the most inexperienced teams to ever take the court in Blue and White.
I suppose this is just one of those things we will have to deal with when recruiting multiple players who are capable of going straight to the NBA. I am not totally convinced that Cousins is one of those players based on what I have heard, but there is little doubt that he thinks he is, and in the end, that's mostly what matters. But the prospect of fielding a team with seven freshmen just boggles the mind, and not in a particularly good way.
With all that said, UK will eventually be getting recruits that will stay around for more than one year, hopefully most of the time. One thing that would make that all go away is if the NBA would trash the one-and-done rule, and adopt a rule similar to professional football and just go back to the days when players could go straight to the NBA from high school. I would be much happier, I think, if the current one year players would just head off to the Association, and so would many other people including university presidents. The only people really benefiting from the "one-and-done" rule are the sports networks and the NCAA. But then again, money is usually at the heart of the matter.
And now, for the news.
UK Basketball News
- According to this article by Larry Vaught, John Calipari has no deadline to finalize the UK roster for next year.
- Adam Zagoria has an update on the Wall recruitment, for those who still care. The Wall recruitment reminds me of the camera focused on the white door during the courtship of John Calipari.
- NKYSportsWorld thinks Wall is leaning more toward Miami. I don't know if he has decided to lean one way or another.
- John Calipari tops 50,000 on Twitter, and gives away t-shirts. I noticed this yesterday when I was catching up.
- Dominique Ferguson is still trying to decide, but "[doesn't] want to be like John Wall." Good for you, kid. I'll be honest, I don't get the impression that Calipari is as interested in Ferguson as he is in others. Maybe that's just me. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Coach Cal would love to have Ferguson, but I get the impression that others are a higher priority.
- Cutler apologizes to Billy Gillispie. I think he should shave his mustache as penance. Via Aaron's blog.
- Bluegrass State Basketball blogs about Meeks' workout in Oklahoma City.
UK Football News
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[UPDATE 1] The ACC & SEC Blog ranks SEC coaches statistically. Brooks, unsurprisingly, winds up near the bottom.
Other UK Sports News
- Rashaud Scott wins the SEC Championship in men's discus.
- Ashley Muffet wins the SEC Commissioner's cup in women's track.
- The baseball team has a superb catcher coming in from northern Kentucky. Mike Fields has the details.
NCAA Sports News
- Oklahoma's front-court depth just took another hit.
- Donovan and Pitino -- cut from the same cloth. Interesting comments from Traitor Rick about the conversation he had with his son Richard about going to coach with Billy D.
- Is the smaller NBA window for deciding to stay in the draft a good thing? Rivals debates that question today. I think both of them are wrong about the new deadline. Why don't we set the NBA withdrawal date at one week before the deadline for the late signing period? That gives both recruits and coaches the best of both worlds -- recruits can hold out until then to see what the on-the-fence player does, then make his decision. Coaches with on-the-fence players will therefore still have a recruiting pool, however small, to pull from. Players will have plenty of time to get feedback. Win-win-win.
Other News of Interest
- The Rockets and the Celtics go down in game 7.
- The UK coaching drama had an impact on local television ratings.
- What happens if they held a Triple Crown horse race, and nobody came?