Kentucky Wildcats Wednesday Quickies: Platoon No More Edition

It seems that John Calipari feels fairly strongly about not doing the "platoon" thing again. I don’t think he was comfortable with it, but at it’s peak, it was devastating.

Last season was an absolute outlier. It’s just not the way I like to coach," Calipari wrote on Tuesday. "I would rather play seven or eight guys because I believe that gives us the best chance to win. I think we wrote the book on platooning this year, but I hope we stick it on the shelf and never have to use it again."

I think, like platooning, this season’s recruiting was an absolute outlier, too.

Tweet of the Morning

If you were born the day Rick Pitino left Kentucky for the Celtics, Happy Birthday. You're now old enough to vote. I feel just plain old.

— Brett Dawson (@BDawsonRivals) May 6, 2015

Offered without comment.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• Mark Stoops likes the changes that Andy Buh brought to Kentucky. I’ll tell you how much I like them when I see games.

• Paintsville’s Kash Daniel has gone from mid-major recruit to near blue-chip status in just a couple of weeks. Very nice work indeed from KSR’s Tyler Thompson.

• Kentucky’s George Asafo-Adjei leads the SEC’s list of impact freshmen for next season. Hat tip: NextCats

• Inspiring story of former UK football Donte Rumph player trying to get back to the NFL.

• Marcus Lee ready for his turn at Kentucky. There are no "turns" at Kentucky. Just sayin’.

Kentucky basketball

• Arizona State and Kentucky are near to a multiyear deal that would have UK play ASU in Rupp Arena this December, and then the return would be in the Bahamas in 2016.

• Skal Labissiere overtakes Ben Simmons in Scout as well as Rivals as the #1 player in the land. Hat tip: Kentucky Sports Radio.

  Ben Roberts has more on this subject here.

Other Kentucky sports

• Bat Cats host Louisville at The Cliff tonight. UK lost in extra innings in Louisville, and a win here would be a big NCAA Tournament boost.

• Hittin’ Kitten Griffin Joiner named SEC All-Defensive team catcher.

Links posts

• John Clay’s Big Blue Links

• The Leach Report: Wednesday Wildcat Links

College football

• Support for a championship game in the Big 12 just isn’t there.

• Remember Mark Story’s article in yesterday’s Quickies? Here’s proof it was off base.

• Yeah, it’s pretty obvious there aren’t enough bowls, so get ready for three more. < / sarcasm >

• How’s this for logic: "It just doesn’t feel right." I’m trying really hard to keep my head from flying apart…

College basketball

• This disgusts me in more ways than one. First of all, the word "Havoc" being trademarked by VCU is, as so many similar trademarks, absolutely stupid and such activity should be forbidden by the NCAA. It sets up schools as little more than marketing organizations. How much commercialization is too much? Trademarking words like this is too much. What’s next, Calipari trademarking "players first?" For the love of God, where does it end?

  Second, really Texas? How freaking unoriginal is stealing another school’s shtick on top of stealing their coach? Pathetic. Both sides make me nauseous.

• David Gardner at SI has some suggestions for Florida’s new head basketball coach.

• Andy Kennedy signs a new contract with Ole Miss through 2019.

Other sports news

• John Wall seeking second opinion on his sprained wrist. I hope he’s able to play, but injuries are part of basketball.

Other news

• An awesome story about how a woman used the Pizza Hut app on her phone to ask for help in a hostage situation — and the help came because of alert and conscientious Pizza Hut employees.

• Two programmers expose dysfunction and abuse in the Seattle police department. Anyone think this is an isolated incident? I’m not down on the police, but I am concerned about their oversight.

• Why the Apple Watch is rubbing some users the wrong way. Literally.