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The Big Blue Daily Mail -- UK Basketball: Who's to Blame for the Henrys?

By Glenn Logan

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This just in -- the NCAA and the NBA are to blame for the fact that the Henrys are being so flighty and indecisive about their college choice.  And if that doesn't work for you, it is the fault of the Kansas City Star for writing an article that painted the Henry family in what looks more and more like the light of the truth.  I know you're shocked ... Shocked! that the Henry family is apparently blameless in this kerfuffle.

Of course, we can't blame the father of these kids for running around telling anyone who will listen about how great they are, about how they might go to Europe, or UK, or whatever.  We can't blame Xavier Henry for telling anyone who will listen that he really doesn't want to deal with the whole "going to class" thing.

You know, it really makes me wonder what this world is coming to when sportswriters fall all over themselves to grind their favorite axes at the expense of reality.  Why not just deal with the situation at hand, instead of coming up with ludicrous excuses that allow fingers to be pointed anywhere but where they actually belong?  Bloggers are even blaming Calipari, who apparently had very little interest in seeing the Henrys shift to the more stately Blue and White.

Excuses, excuses.  How about blaming those actually responsible.  Just once, for the heck of it.

Now, for the news:

Top Stories

  • Xavier Henry's father was always bluffing, right? - The Dagger - NCAA Hoops - Rivals.com
    Another great piece by Eamonn Brennan. Be sure to follow the links, he does a good job of reconstructing this story. I do have to take issue with one point he made:

    "Here's why [Kentucky can't take the Henrys]: Kentucky has one scholarship to offer, and it's clear they'd be very interested in Xavier Henry, the younger, lankier, and more talented of the two players. But that's not really how it works with the Henrys. They're a package deal.

    So for Kentucky to take them both on, as Henry's father would probably demand, Kentucky would have to find a way to run off yet another scholarship player in an off-season in which they've already been heavily chided for doing so. Xavier's good and all, but isn't Kentucky talented enough already? Would John Calipari really want to get involved in that mess?"

    As we all know, C.J. Henry would not require using another scholarship because he is signed with the New York Yankees to play baseball, and part of that deal requires the Yankees to pay his college expenses. Therefore a scholarship would be meaningless to him. Therefore he would walk on, just as he will walk on at Kansas.

    But he goes on to make a good point that C.J. would be playing behind John Wall.  But won't he be playing behind the even more accomplished, if not more talented, Sharron Collins at KU?  Just askin' ...

  • BB Recruiting Update - 2010 PF C.J. Leslie
    My second choice for most likely to sign first for 2010.

  • Meeks' 54 made good impression on Bucks | KentuckySports.com
    Oh, God:

    16. The Bledsoe buzz. Take this for what it's worth, but the Kentucky player getting the most raves from the summer pick-up game rumor mill is incoming freshman guard Eric Bledsoe.

    That's usually the kiss of Death. Remember Lukasz Orbzut and how he was tearing it up in the summer? Josh Carrier? The list goes on and on.

  • ZAGSBLOG " Kentucky Leading for Lamb
    That's all you need to know. I predicted he was one of two guys I thought would be first to sign for 2010. He's now my leader in the clubhouse.

UK Basketball

  • Calipari wants to see a more confident Miller | Vaught's Views

  • UK Basketball: Calipari thinks ahead: WinchesterSun.com
    Yes. He does. Way ahead.

  • Looking At The SEC’s 10 Best Recruits. " The Pick And Roll
    Money quote about John Wall:

    "His outside shot is the one glaring weakness on his game. Opposing teams will already be looking to zone the DDM, and Wall isn’t really a threat to bust it. Is a one and done player."

    Read the rest, there are blurbs in there about Boynton, Sindey, Cousins, John Jenkins of Vandy, Daniel Orton and more.

  • Darius Miller getting it done
    Miller is a smart player. Be sure to follow the links to get the whole story.

  • TheBigSpur.com - SEC Hoops notebook
    As with the strength of the conference, most of the coaches were asked about Calipari. Calipari built a powerhouse program at Memphis with relatively limited resources, and now moves to Kentucky, where the resources are nearly unlimited. The other coaches were not as eager to promote Calipari’s arrival as they were to tout the improved league, but Tennessee’s Pearl summed up the general feeling.

    "John has raised the bar tremendously for all of us," he said. "It’s going to bring great credibility to our league, and John being in our league is going to make us all better. It’s going to be more difficult to win a championship, and it’s going to be more difficult to finish ahead of Kentucky."

    I'm no lover of Bruce Pearl, but he got this one exactly right. I think the other coaches are thinking the same thing, even if they aren't saying it.

  • Porter has no regrets about UK career | Vaught's Views
    After being asked by Larry Vaught if he was "...treated fairly, or did Calipari force him out ...", Porter responded, "Coach Calipari was fine. I just went in one day and told him I felt like I was done playing basketball." Classy comment by a classy young man making a wise and obviously well-considered decision. He didn't need to be pushed out -- he has other fish to fry.

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