The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Darnell Dodson Edition

This morning, Larry Vaught is reporting that UK assistant John Robic confirmed to him that Darnell Dodson is eligible to play basketball for Kentucky and will be returning to play in the 2010-11 season.

This finally puts to bed the recurring rumor of academic and/or other problems with Darnell Dodson that began right after the season ended.  There were rumors that Dodson was considering announcing for the NBA Draft (didn't happen) that he was academically ineligible (apparently untrue) or that Coach Calipari has issues with his attitude (remains to be seen).

Now, for the news:

• UK football notebook: SEC Media Days | KentuckySports.com

  Kentucky's 2010 signee Tim Patterson is still hoping to enroll at UK in the fall, according to his high school coach Ty Scroggins. Patterson has recently improved his ACT score and is now trying to improve his core GPA and gain admission. Patterson, who is rehabbing a knee injury suffered late last year, could be a grayshirt candidate if he's able to enroll.

  I hope we can keep Patterson, as he is a very talented player.

• Retired Brooks still has UK on his mind | KentuckySports.com

  Brooks ended his seven-year UK tenure with one of the most successful runs in school history, leading the Wildcats to an unprecedented four consecutive bowl appearances. But Brooks said he walked away feeling as though he didn't quite finish what he started.

  I regret that Brooks didn't accomplish more of his goals, but I'm happy he will be in Lexington a lot during football season.

• UK fans in love at first sight | KentuckySports.com

• Another Vanderbilt coach bites the dust | al.com

  "Football is not life, but it's a way of life and it con­sumes your life," Johnson, 59, said Wednesday at a news conference announc­ing his retirement. "You only have so many years to live, and you want to see a different way."

  I totally sympathize with Johnson's desire to enjoy some peace and quiet, or at least a change.  Life can quickly get away from you if you let it.

• Tom Leach's take on the Ohio Convention

• Tar Heels should be nervous about NCAA investigation – ACC Insider - Wilmington Star News - Wilmington, NC - Archive

  "I can acknowledge that representatives from the NCAA have been to Chapel Hill to speak with some of our student-athletes," athletic director Dick Baddour said in a statement issued by the university Friday. "However, they have instructed us to maintain the confidence of this review by not discussing it publicly. We have cooperated fully with the NCAA and will continue to do so."

  Not much national buzz about this investigation since it is directed toward the North Carolina Tarheels football team and not basketball.  But this seems to be a continuation of the NCAA's determined effort to crack down on agent contact, or at least ensure that the contact was not a rules violation.

• Former Kentucky basketball star Scott Padgett named assistant at Manhattan | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal

  "I have always wanted to be a head coach in college, so this is a great first step for me to coach basketball in New York City and learn every aspect of running a program from recruiting to coaching in practice and the day-to-day operations," Padgett said in a release.

  Congratulations to Scott Padgett.  We'll miss him.

• John Wall Benched as Wizards Lose | NBC Washington

  The new "big man" in D.C. watched his Wizards, sorry Gilbert Arenas, blow a 20-point lead and lose 109-107 in overtime to the New York Knicks. The loss was the first of the summer for the Wizards as they fell one game short of going undefeated in Las Vegas.
  
  Wall scored 31 points in the game on Friday against the New Orleans Hornets. The former Kentucky star was leading the Summer League in assists and was second in scoring coming into Saturday, but the night off might shake up the standings.

  The Wizards benched John Wall in favor of Gilbert Arenas -- and lost their first game.

• Casspi leads Kings comeback victory over Chicago

  DeMarcus Cousins struggled to find his shooting stroke, as he did Friday. The rookie went just 3-for-15 from the field, posting 10 points and 7 rebounds.

  Off game for the Big Cuz.

• CLIPPERS: Clippers Fall to Spurs 77-62 in Game 4

  Eric Bledsoe ran the point for the Clippers once again for most of the game, but this was certainly an off night for him. He shot only 1-5 from the field — his one make was a powerful left-handed dunk that really showed off his potential and athleticism.

  Eric Bledsoe also has an off night.

• Pumps' charity now off limits to coaches - College Basketball - Rivals.com

  Despite the generous nature of the Pump Foundation over the last decade, sources told Yahoo! Sports the NCAA has become uncomfortable with potential conflicts of interest as the Pump brothers’ influence has swelled in college sports. Beyond the foundation and their traveling summer basketball teams, the Pump brothers also operate ChampSearch, a firm that offers its services to colleges looking for advisement on coaching hires.

  Yeah, I would think that a couple of guys who apparently illegally scalped NCAA tickets would tend to make the organization uncomfortable.  Duh.

• Recruiting Insider | Louisville and Kentucky make the cut for Quincy Miller | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal

  The 6-foot-9 Miller, who is ranked No. 2 nationally by Rivals.com and Scout.com, tweeted on Wednesday night that he has a list of schools. It includes Kentucky, Louisville, Baylor, Texas, Duke, Wake Forest, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

  The question is, is Miller the best of the players we don't have signed for 2011?

• Rush The Court " Blog Archive " Morning Five: 07.16.10 Edition

  We haven’t talked much about this topic yet (at least compared to some other sites), but the news and columns about the potential ban on early recruiting keeps on building. Today’s news comes out of Atlanta where Paul Hewitt said what everybody has been thinking: the new rule will mean that coaches will just have "a wink and a nod" agreement.

  Just as I predicted earlier.

• DeMarcus Cousins is receiving more accolades than double teams – and earning every one of them
• Friday's Clickables
• Kentucky Sports Radio -- Lightning Links
• Phillips: Academic questions remain for some players | Vaught's Views

• 49 Teams 'til Kickoff: Kentucky - BCS Evolution

  Let's face it. Kentucky is a basketball school. Football is little more than a pass time until basketball season starts.
  
  I would be lying if I said I didn't hate Kentucky Wildcats basketball. I hate them because they are good. So good they knocked my favorite team out of the NCAA tournament three consecutive years, once for the NCAA title. My team could win three NCAA basketball titles in a row and it would not feel complete. Not unless we beat Kentucky to do it somewhere along the line.
  
  But this is a football blog and I don't hate Kentucky football. I don't hate them because they are not good.

  Heh.  See if you can guess what school this guy is a fan of.  I'm betting 100% of you can.

• An UPDATE to the RCR SEC Coaching "Jerk" Power Rankings - Red Cup Rebellion

  Quit Jokering (ha lol) around and do something shitty already.

  Apparently, at #11, Phillips just hasn't generated much hate yet.

• Charting Where the SEC Was in 2009 - Team Speed Kills

  Some illustrative charts of the SEC's offense and defense in 2009.

  Great stuff from Team Speed Kills.