Today's quickies will feature a story above the fold, Dickie V's annual gala against cancer. Cancer was responsible for my beloved mother's decline which ultimately resulted in a stroke and her passing. It killed my favorite aunt, and it has had an impact on my life in many ways, like taking my best friend's father, mother, and sister.
It is a horrible disease, and even though we've made great progress, we still have such a long way to go.
7th Annual Dickie V Gala honoring Lou Holtz, Jay Wright and Gary Williams on Friday // ESPN
Cancer flat-out sucks. It affects the patient, their families, friends, everyone involved in their lives.
Amen, Dickie V. Amen.
The rest of your quickies follow the jump. Just so you know, this thing gets updated throughout the morning, so if you haven't checked lately, check again.
Kentucky Sports Radio // Jabari Parker on the cover of Sports Illustrated
"Best player since LeBron James?" Hmm. If he's truly better than Anthony Davis, I'd be shocked.
The Dagger // Sports Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Well, Duke is still Duke. Jefferson always seemed like a long shot for UK to me. Not sure why.
Grad transfer rule has to remain as long as we have "student"-athletes // CollegeBasketballTalk
On the one hand, I think it is fair to allow a player that has completed his degree an opportunity to transfer without having to sit out for a season. They put in the work, they should be rewarded. On the other hand, I can see the frustration that comes with developing a player for three or four years only to see them leave the program at the peak of their collegiate career.
I thought we had moved past caring about what coaches want, and become all about the player. Right? I mean, you can make a similar argument on principle about restricting players' transfer destinations, a la Bo Ryan, but we saw how that worked out.
In the end, opposing the transfer rule is going to get you Bo Ryan'd. I'm fine with it, but if I wasn't, I'm not sure it would be worth complaining about.
Is Jabari Parker ready for pressure that comes with SI cover? // CollegeBasketballTalk
Anthony Davis got to escape all this, because he bloomed so late in his career. This guy has been on the radar for a long, long time.
Former Kentucky player Michael Porter arrested on sex charges // CollegeBasketballTalk
Ugh. That's bad news. Let's let the legal system do it's job.
A look at each coaching hire // college basketball - ESPN
Of course, that presumes there is such a thing as a Gamecocks hoops fan. (My high school buddy Ben went to South Carolina; I remember him getting really excited when the 2004 team started the season 18-2. He hasn't mentioned the program since.) Yes, South Carolina is the definition of a "When does spring football start?" school.
That's really why I was so shocked to see Martin go to USC. That school is a coaching graveyard, and the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide manage more support for their basketball team than can be found in Columbia.
So what do you call a great hire that's bound to end in failure?
What-if scenarios for the 2011-12 season // ESPN
With apologies to Austin Rivers, it was the shot of the season, the one that reignited (for real this time) a previously depressed Indiana fan base and led to every Indiana fan's favorite commercial (the WatchESPN ad in which Watford's shot is seen across laptop and iPad and iPhone screens over and over and over again). But what did that shot do to Kentucky?
Really good piece by Eamonn Brennan, and not just for the Kentucky parts.
Not done yet: Book far from closed on class of 2012 // CBSSports.com
Former Virginia Tech signee Montrezl Harrell has been one of the hot names in the recruiting world since the Hokies made a coaching change. Once he officially is released from his letter of intent, expect schools to heat up their pursuit of Harrell. Kentucky has been one of the schools linked with him in the past couple of weeks.
I am not one on the Montrezl Harrell bandwagon right now. From what I have seen of him, I don't really think he is Kentucky material. Others have disagreed with me about that so, perhaps my perception is mistaken. But color me skeptical.
If what we have is what we go to battle with, I'm fine with it. We did it last year, but we do need some front-court bench support, so if Harrell is okay with that role, then I say sign him if he wants to come.
Morning Five: 05.16.12 Edition // Rush The Court
Our long national nightmare may be nearing an end. No, the unemployment numbers still are bad (even with the fudging), but we may have seen the end of those atrocious and dangerous tournament sponsor stickers. After several near-misses and plenty of angry comments from players and coaches the NCAA has given a recommendation to the Playing Rules Oversight Committee that it should use a consistent surface (read: no stickers) for the sake of player safety.
These need to go away. I have seen way too many slips, and if someone winds up injured badly, they'll go away for sure. Why not get rid of them before that happens?
Amile Jefferson picks Duke, narrowing UK's options // Kentucky.com
Jefferson is rated in the Top 25 by Scout.com, ESPN and MaxPreps. Rivals.com ranks him as the No. 36 recruit in the class of 2012.
He pointed to the immediate availability of playing time as one reason for his decision.
Reading between the lines, "...and Kentucky does." He's right. If playing a lot right away was high on his list, I don't think UK was his best call.
On that same note, if playing a lot is Montrezl Harrell's main desire, he is not likely to find it at Kentucky. He will get some minutes, but they will be bench minutes.
Knee injury a 'setback' for ex-Kentucky star Joe Crawford // Kentucky.com
Former Kentucky basketball player Joe Crawford tore a knee tendon Sunday while playing for a team in Israel. The ill-timed injury, which is expected to sideline him for four to six months, comes as interest from other teams, including some in the NBA, has grown, the player's agent said Tuesday.
Oh, man, that's a bummer. I hope he recovers fully and quickly.
Georgia State Football Adds Impact FBS Transfer Nermin Delic // Panther Talk
Glad he found a new football home. All the best to him.
This might cost Kentucky a national seed. Murray State is a very weak team to lose to.