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This is the first Monday of official basketball practice. From now on, things start to get interesting.
Big Blue Madness was a big hit all around, and it looks like it might have led to our next 2013 commitment. Consider the Tweet of the Morning:
Check out what Marcus Lee just tweeted. Is commitment No. 5 coming soon? RT @superkingme That's just scary instagr.am/p/QymndHHBwI/
— Ben Roberts (@NextCats) October 15, 2012
Tweet of the Morning II, from Marcus Lee himself:
No filter can make it any better. It's just perfect.instagr.am/p/QymsnMHBwN/
— just me(@SuperKingMe) October 15, 2012
I happen to agree, Marcus.
Your Quickies:
Bobby Knight to Call Two Kentucky Games // Everything Kentucky Online
Heh. Well, maybe he'll give us some more material during those games
Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville court Evansville's JaQuan Lyle // The Courier-Journal
How would Lyle rank the regional powers this season?
"I’d have to put IU first, Louisville second and UK third," he said.
UK is the only one of the three not to have offered him a scholarship. Dozens of other major programs have made offers, and Lyle could narrow his list before or shortly after the season starts.
I'd say the reason UK is third is just that - they haven't offered him a scholarship. I have a feeling if Calipari offered him that Kentucky would be in the lead.
What coach in their right mind with any kind of name recognition would stake a career move on this program as it presently stands and playing in the conference it resides ?
Probably none. I have always said that we need an up-and-comer, and I still think that's the case.
In John Calipari they trust at Kentucky // KansasCity.com
ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla suggested last year that the confidence players have in Calipari helps explain how great players can be molded into a team.
"There's an art form to coaching great players," Fraschilla said. "John's a Michelangelo when it comes to that. They trust him. He has their best interests at heart. When you trust, you allow him to coach you."
This.
The Morning Mix // CollegeBasketballTalk
- There are not many people more critical of John Calipari and Kentucky than coaching legend Bob Knight. Despite repeatedly criticizing Calipari in public, and refusing to mention the university’s name, Knight will be part of a broadcast team for two Kentucky games this season
Little to suggest Kentucky football can rise from depths // The Courier-Journal
Thanks to attrition in the upper classes compounded by an almost unprecedented rash of injuries, Kentucky has been forced to thrust several young players into unexpected duty. The Cats played 13 true freshmen and 20 total freshmen on offense and defense against Arkansas.
Of the 50 players who saw action Saturday, not counting specialists, 32 were freshmen and sophomores.
What can you say? We're putting a high-school team out there.
ESPN's Bob Knight, after past criticism, to call Kentucky action
On how Calipari and Big Blue Nation might react to Knight calling the Wildcats -- and Knight might in turn respond -- Fraschilla says it'll all be fine: "Coach Knight has always been like E.F. Hutton. When he opens his mouth, you'll listen. ... And we constantly find ourselves in situations where people didn't like what you said. You have to be truthful to your core beliefs. I don't work for the coaches association, I work for ESPN."
Dear Fran: I understand the occasional nonsense line, but how about not trying to drown us in bovine excrement?
UK basketball notebook: Don’t look for a rule to take charge of flopping // Kentucky.com
Until 2002, the NCAA rulebook allowed referees to assess a technical foul on a player deemed to have faked taking a charge. It was called so infrequently, even coaches forgot the penalty existed.
So many BS rules in the NCAA rulebook, and they picked this one to take out?
Willie Cauley-Stein Wins First “Helmet Award” of the Season // Everything Kentucky Online
A "Welcome to my poster" moment. :-)
Kentucky Sports Radio // Can We Please Put This to Bed?
I think Matt is right about where the money needs to go. Kentucky does need to spend more on recruiting, primarily because we don't have a good in-state recruiting base, but not that much more.
Offense barely shows up in game cut short // The Kentucky Kernel
The receivers, appearing despondent, had little room to work with against the Razorbacks’ defense that ranks No. 92 in FBS.
That's not what I saw. I saw a young quarterback unable to find his receivers. If the first guy was covered, Whitlow simply couldn't go through progressions, and feared throwing the ball.
It's very hard to do what Whitlow was forced to do. Maxwell Smith got massacred in his first few starts, and what we are seeing from Whitlow is about what you would expect.
There’s no sure-fire method that will work, but the one given is that what is going on now isn’t working. Young talent or not, the lopsided loss at Arkansas had to seal Phillips’ fate because keeping him would be financial suicide for the football program and maybe career suicide for Barnhart. Fans want a change and maybe the players do, too, based on how they played at Arkansas.
Frankly, the only part of this article that matters to me is the financial suicide part. Vaught makes good points, and bad ones, but in the end, it all comes down to money.
Barnhart can survive any decision this time around, I think, so I'll strongly disagree with that comment. Fans can't really get Mitch Barnhart fired, and as long as the basketball team is winning, he's pretty much safe no matter how exercised the football folks get.
Board of Trustees // Bleed Blue Kentucky
You want change in the football program? This is how you do it.
Calipari advises against comparing this year's Cats to last year's // Kentucky.com
While conceding the comparison comes naturally, Kentucky Coach John Calipari discouraged the likening of freshman Nerlens Noel to Anthony Davis.
"I worry about it," Calipari acknowledged, "because he's not Anthony Davis. Anthony Davis was once every 10 years."
Calipari's right. Davis was a freak of nature with that bizarre growth spurt. Noel is very much a traditional big man with freakish athleticism. The two are very different.
Kentucky Sports Radio // Opening line for UK vs. UGA is out
I'm not sure 27 points is enough. I'd have to take the Dawgs.
Quick BBM highlights:
The 'Cats take down 8-0 Texas A&M.
The 'Cats take down 8-0 Texas A&M.
Question: With the Harrisons and Young, could Calipari be on the verge of landing the highest rated recruiting class ever?
Biancardi: “As far as ratings go if they land one or two more top recruits, yes it could be his highest rated class. Don’t forget the 2011 class with Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague as they were three top ten players and Kyle Wiltjer, who was a top 25 player. They became the best and the highest rated class ever by John Calipari
Calipari has a chance to exceed that, but it will be difficult even with these three in the bag.
Kanter creates his own poster. Hat tip: Sam Henson:
A tale of Kentucky athletics and two light shows // John Clay's Sidelines
Fallout from the $300,000 light show at Big Blue Madness. Look folks, it doesn't matter what you think - basketball is getting the money they want, and they are getting it first.
Deal with it.