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The John Wall Watch continues without any sign of abating (at least it isn't a white door in a brick building). So of course, we will update that situation first.
The Fayetteville News & Observer reports that the citation of John Wall for misdemeanor breaking and entering is unlikely to hurt him or his recruitment, and cites Dave Telep and Bob Gibbons' opinions as evidence. Of course, the caveat there is, paraphrasing, "as long as nothing else negative comes to light."
I think that's right. But the article does go on to point out that borderline academics, Wall's one-and-done intentions, and this little incident may add up to enough to make some schools reconsider. Possibly. I think if schools were OK with the first two, the third is unlikely to matter. If the academics and intended short stay were a problem to begin with, this incident is likely to be enough to push them over the edge and stop recruitment.
As to why Wall was not in school at the time, Word of God Christian Fellowship pastor and founder of the school explained that:
Wall's school day usually ends at noon because he is not taking a full load of classes this semester, Summerfield said. Wall is on course to graduate.
At the end of the day, I think the John Wall situation will not make any difference to any school currently on his list, except possibly Kansas. Kansas has a full boat right now, and they could use this as an excuse to drop recruitment with almost no penalty at all. North Carolina isn't really interested and hasn't been for at least a month (more on that in the news), and Duke is not likely to back off for something minor like this.
Now, for the rest of the news.
UK Basketball News
- Bluegrass State Basketball thinks Eric Blesdoe will be a Wildcat. I am going to respectfully dissent and say he will be a Memphis Tiger. No inside knowledge here, just a feeling.
- Michael Eaves has an excellent blog post on the Wall and Bledsoe situation.
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Heh. [Hopefully this link works for everyone now]
- It's UK or Memphis for Bledsoe, according to Kevin Scarbinsky. My money is on Memphis. Just a feeling I have. As we have all heard, he plans to make his choice public on Wednesday.
- Matt Jones says the Wall incident is no big deal, and reminds us that Duke looked past a similar incident in Sheldon Williams' past when recruiting him. So for those of you hoping that this will back of Coach K, don't get your hopes up.
UK Football News
- Zipp Duncan makes another position change, this time to left tackle from left guard.
- Brooks waiting on two young QB's to retire? I would not even venture a guess.
Other UK Sports News
- UK Men's Golf selected for NCAA tournament.
NCAA Sports News
- Five questions will shape SEC hoops. I think he nails most of them in these five. I also think that John Wall perhaps choosing Florida ought to be included -- that would likely make Florida a serious contender for at least the SEC championship, even more so than they are now.
- Matt Snyder writing for Fanhouse says the nation's best basketball coaching is in the Big Ten. I think he has an argument, but what about the Big East? Pitino, Calhoun, Jamie Dixon, Bob Huggins, Jim Boeheim and more. Plus, you have to go back to the turn of the century to find a Big Ten NCAA champion. Yes, they have knocked on the door twice since then, but they were rebuffed sternly both times by the ... ahem ... SEC and the ACC.
- The Sweaty One has convinced another poor woman to march down the isle with him. I will pray for her.
- Calipari is on Will Barton like white on rice on a paper plate in a snowstorm.
Other News of Interest
- Getting older means pain when you participate in sports. Nobody knows that more than me, my knees are still barking from the hour I spent shooting hoops yesterday. To me, athletics beyond 40 is about managing a bit of pain, knowing your limitations and engaging in exercise often enough to avoid injury. It's important to be well-hydrated, warmed up and well stretched before beginning.
- I don't know about this. Brandon Jennings trip to Europe was greeted with similar hyperbole and wound up being a bit of a debacle. My feeling is that this little adventure by Jeremy Tyler will wind up similar.