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Wildcat Quickies: Devin Booker Edition

Booker is really good, stars in Rookie/Vet Part 2. Murray is no slouch either. No. 1 loses again. Butch and UT in trouble. Roy talks UNC scandal. More.

By Jason Marcum

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Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky's impact on the NBA has seemingly grown every year under John Calipari, and one of his future Wildcat stars may very well be Devin Booker.

Though many questioned if Booker could have used another year in college or if he should go pro, Booker has silenced doubters with a breakout rookie campaign that saw him average 17.3 ppg in January. He  even had an eight-game stretch that saw him averaging 20.8 ppg while showing flashes of the Klay Thompson comparisons he's often gotten since his first game at UK.

Oh, and at just 19 years of age (which Jamal Murray turned on Tuesday), the ceiling for Booker is very high as he looks to become the latest former Cat to reach NBA stardom. It's crazy to think just one year ago today, Booker was putting in 14 points in a win over Mississippi State, and now he's making a name for himself in the pros.

Tweet(s) of the Day:

Your Quickies

Jamal Murray continues to impress - CoachCal.com
"I mean, how much better is he?" Calipari said. "Oh, my gosh, he’s not even the same player. His shot selection, he’s not turning it over, he’s defending better, he’s getting by people, he’s drawing fouls. He’s that big guard that he can be."

Latest UK Player-by-Player Breakdown - Kentucky Sports Radio
Believe it or not, there are only three games left in the regular season, so KSR did a breakdown of each player’s performance to date.

With Derek Willis out, Kentucky plays different - Cats Pause
Derek Willis has been an offensive catalyst for the Cats, but while he's out with injury, John Calipari said his team operated differently based on who was on the floor.

Suns rookie Devin Booker is now a magnet of attention - Arizona Sports
Booker has struggled coming out of the All-Star break, but it's part of the learning curve as teams focus all their attention on him.

What the Heck is a Quality Control Coach? - Kentucky Sports Radio
On Sunday, the Courier Journal’s Jon Hale reported that Brian Landis and Louie Matzakis will join Tommy Mangino as quality control analysists. What will their jobs entail?

Frosh of the Week: Rice's Marcus Evans, who joins top 10 of the Watch - CBSSports.com
Jamal Murray is in the running for CBS Sports' Freshman of the Year Award thanks to his scorching-hot month of February.

5 2017 prospects every Kentucky fan should know - SDS
The 2017 recruiting cycle is shaping up to be another good one for UK, and here are five 2017 prospects that every Wildcats fan should know.

Analyst explains UK commitment Mac Jones’ new four-star ranking - Rivals.comg
What led to UK commitment Mac Jones earning the uncommon fourth star on Rivals? Plus a nugget that suggests he may not be as solid to UK as we'd like to think...

Weekly NBA rookie rankings: Myles Turner rises, Devin Booker falls - USA Today Sports
USAT Today Sports' top 10 NBA rookies still has KAT on top, but Booker falls just a bit while WCS is barely on the outside looking in.

Tyson Chandler and Devin Booker star in "Rookie/Vet" episode 2 - Bright Side Of The Sun
Check out the amazing second episode of "Rookie/Vet" here, the series featuring Suns rookie Devin Booker and veteran Tyson Chandler.

Calipari, Self, Brown to Headline Roselle Catholic Coaches Clinic - SNY.com
Four days after the NCAA title game in Houston, John Calipari and Bill Self will headline a coaches clinic at Roselle (N.J.) Catholic High School.

Anthony Davis’s 59/20 Game Was A Throwback To The 1960s - FiveThirtyEight
Games like the one Anthony Davis had Sunday night don’t come along very often — at least not in the modern NBA.

SEC teams with the most returning starters in 2016 - SDS
Despite losing Jason Hatcher and Patrick Towles this offseason in addition to those who graduated, the Cats are still set to return around 13 starters next season, which is in the upper half of the SEC.

Key takeaways from No. 5 Xavier’s 90-83 win vs. No. 1 Villanova - USA Today
This was the win that the Musketeers needed to put a cherry on the top of their résumé.

Butch Jones told Tennessee WR he 'betrayed the team' for helping alleged assault victim - ESPN
Tennessee football coach Butch Jones told receiver Drae Bowles that Bowles "betrayed the team" after helping a woman who said she had been sexually assaulted by two football players.

NFL downplays arbitration ruling - ProFootballTalk
One of the topics about which the folks covering the Scouting Combine are buzzing comes from the recent arbitration that resulted in a finding that the league improperly diverted money away from players.

Jason Pierre-Paul Suing Adam Schefter, ESPN for Posting His Medical Records - The Big Lead
The Giants defensive end, who blew off parts of two fingers in a Fourth of July fireworks accident, filed suit Wednesday in Florida.

One and none: The paradoxical legacy of freshman Ben Simmons' LSU career - CBSSports.com
How do we define what Ben Simmons has -- and hasn't accomplished -- and why do we care so much?

Roy Williams doesn’t want to leave UNC amid unresolved NCAA case - News & Observer
Days after he strongly refuted speculation that he might consider retiring after this season, North Carolina coach Roy Williams said he’d have a "hard time" leaving amid an unresolved NCAA investigation that continues to drag on.

Hilton apologizes after Cavs' Kyrie Irving bitten by bed bugs Tulsa World
Hilton Hotels apologized Tuesday after Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving was bitten by bed bugs during a weekend stay in Oklahoma City.

FIFA Panel Cuts Blatter, Platini Bans by Two Years on Appeal - Bloomberg Business
The organization upheld bans on Blatter and European soccer head Michel Platini but cut their duration to six years from eight.

Peyton Barber reveals he turned pro early because mom is homeless - FOX Sports
Auburn RB Peyton Barber reveals he turned pro early because mom is homeless. Best of luck to Barber and his family.

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