Kentucky Sports: Morning Quickies -- Tropical Storm Andrea Edition

Tropical Storm Andrea has put a big-time damper (and I do mean damp) on the last two days of our vacation. Ce'st la vie. We have had such good luck with weather here in South Carolina over the years here that we can hardly complain about the occasional tropical storm or rain-out.

Tweet of the Morning:

Critics say John Calipari pays players. They're right. His players at Kentucky have made a total of $66,991,500 in the NBA.

— Not Jerry Tipton (@NotJerryTipton) June 7, 2013

So when Cal-haters make this statement to you, now you know how to respond!

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• Revisiting the 2013 recruiting cycle by looking at the 2012 Parade All-Americans.

  Those few who show up as undecided? Tunsil signed with Mississippi. Adams signed with Auburn. Nkemdiche decided to play with his brother at Mississippi. Ngakoue signed with Maryland. Elder signed with Miami. Keith Bryant signed with Florida St. Funny thing is that Rivals and 247 Sports doesn't know who this guy is....Antonio Connor. Anyone want to take a stab? [Hank]

• Meet one of the recruits coming in for this weekend's camp - Vosean Crumbie from Florida. [Hank]

• If you're a recruiting junkie, here's an overdose! Oh My. [Hank]

• This may just be a bit beyond the pale, even for an eternal optimist. [Via Hank]

• Miami's Booker T. Washington is one of the top programs in the country. See for yourself. This is a 3 quarter Spring Game:

• The Pensacola News Journal says Demarius Rancifer is being forced out at Kentucky, and his former high school coach, Greg Seibert, was not happy about it:

  "This is disappointing; no, it’s disturbing," Seibert said. "The business of big-time college football dictated that the new staff create a situation where he needs to leave. There is absolutely no reward for everything he has done."

  It's tough, no doubt. The thing is, Rancifer will still have an opportunity to play college football, on scholarship, and graduate. Just not at UK.

  The truth is, though, that he wasn't "forced out," he was just presented with an option that he wasn't willing to live with. We have seen this with John Calipari as well, and although it is never to be admired, it is frankly, and unfortunately, necessary. With that said, you can hardly blame his hometown paper and coach for being critical.

• #4 JUCO outside linebacker, Ryan Flannigan, commits to UK.

Kentucky basketball

• This has been reported earlier, but it deserves repeating. Kyle Wiltjer has made the Canadian national team and is headed off to China.

  I'm positive Calipari is very pleased at this development.

• E.J. Floreal, son of the UK track coach Edrick Floreal, will walk on at Kentucky. He was being recruited by Tennessee and Western Kentucky.

• Slam Online interviews Karl Towns Jr., and this comment was particularly revealing to me:

  SLAM: What is your biggest weakness right now, as a player?

  KT: I always say that everything is a weakness. You can’t just work on one part of your game, I try to always work on all aspects of my game to make myself the best basketball player that I could be.

• I think this is a great mailbag piece that makes a lot of very solid points about the Tubby Smith Era.

• Check out Marcus Lee's picture with his mom. [Hat Tip: Rush The Court]

• John Calipari is wary of Michigan St. next year. He should be. The Wildcats are only 2-4 against the Spartans with Izzo at the helm.

• Kyle Wiltjer bumps into Josh Harrellson in China. [Greg]

Other UK sports

• Keith Hayes breaks UK 110M hurdle school record, makes NCAA finals. He will race for the title on Saturday.

Links posts

• John Clay's Big Blue Links

• John Clay's SEC Links

• The Leach Report: Friday Wildcat Links

College football

• SB Nation's Jason Kirk interviews Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin.

• The College Football Hall of Fame is being relocated from South Bend to Atlanta, Georgia. Want to buy a brick for the building that will be on display adjacent to the entrance? Here's how.

• What would have happened if the major conferences played their championship games on campus rather than neutral sites?

• It looks like Mississippi State stepped in some dog poop. [Hank]

  SB Nation's Peter Berkes has more here.

• Gordon Gee, your former secretary on line 1.

• Pennsylvania's antitrust case against the NCAA fails. [Greg]

College basketball

• No more aircraft carrier games? Probably a good thing.

• Not only was UNC's P.J. Hairston in possession of marijuana in an arrest at a checkpoint the other day, but a gun was found outside his vehicle. If Hairston's prints are found on that weapon, it could be real trouble.

Other sports news

• SB Nation's Spencer Hall interviews the NFL's Art Briles.

• David Stern wants more penalties for flopping. This is going to become an issue in college basketball soon, I expect. I think this ...

  "You're not going to cause somebody to stop it for $5,000 when the average player's salary is $5.5 million. And anyone who thought that was going to happen was allowing hope to prevail over reason."

  ... is right.