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Yesterday was a sad day in Big Blue Nation as former Kentucky Wildcat great Ed Davender passed away at the age of 49. The man wasn't even 50 years old. He suffered a heart attack on Tuesday and was put on life support until his mother could come and visit him.
He played for Joe B. Hall and here is what the coach had to say about him:
Joe B. Hall, the UK head coach in Davender’s freshman season, remembered a player blessed with basketball intelligence and skill.
"He was a real heady basketball player," Hall said. "A good team man. He always gave his most every game (and) every practice."
The Lexington Herald-Leader makes the case that Davender was one of UK's most under-appreciated stars. He was the only player in program history with 1,500 points and 400 assists.
Tweet(s) of the Morning
We were a problem for ppl on the floor - & sometimes off. Nobody I'd have rather run with. I love you, Bug. Always. pic.twitter.com/qLE3E56NFe
— Rex Chapman (@rexchapman) April 30, 2016
Ed Davender as Wildcat in the late 1980s. Great defender & teamed with @rexchapman for 1 of nation's best backcourts pic.twitter.com/tFO5YJRjEJ
— Oscar Combs (@wildcatnews) April 29, 2016
Joe Craft and Kelly Knight have tied the knot today!!! Congrats on this special day! Two great friends!
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) April 29, 2016
Kentucky Football:
Jon Hale of the Louisville Courier-Journal takes a look at Mark Stoops' receiving core, which was tabbed as sixth best in the SEC. This was a unit that fell way below expectations last season. They were plagued with drops and the occasional bad attitude. Lamar Thomas looks to right the ship.
Kentucky Basketball:
A day after releasing a video of him running on a treadmill and hinting at staying at Kentucky for another 20 years as Tyler Ulis looked on, John Calipari released another gem of a video yesterday. In this one, Cal is pumping iron and talking about going to war.
Make no mistake about it, Cal knows that he has a potential juggernaut in Lexington. And he promises there is more where that came from.
Marques Bolden is trending again, this time in the direction of the Wildcats. Three Duke Blue Devil insiders have changed their picks from Duke to Kentucky. What do they know? I'm not sure, but as frustrating as this whole saga has been, I think the length at which it has played out has been good news for Kentucky. If the rumors are true, Bolden has wanted to go to Kentucky all along while his parents were lobbying for Duke. Maybe they are finally letting the young man make his own decisions. Again, this is all speculation.
Dakari Johnson and DeAndre Liggins both received post-season honors from the NBA D-League. Liggins was named the defensive player of the year earlier this month and yesterday was named Second Team All D-League. Johnson was named to the All-Rookie Team.
Coach Cal reflects on his friend and mentor Howard Garfinkle, whom he credits as the man that made him the coach that he is today.
Other Kentucky Athletics:
Kentucky baseball falls to Auburn 5-2. The 'Cats will play Auburn tonight at 7:00 PM.
The Kentucky track and field team look to end their season at the LSU Invitational today at 10:00 AM. The men's track team is unranked but the women are ranked second in the nation.
Other Sports Quickies:
EKU's Noah Spence was drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft yesterday by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Spence gave the Kentucky offensive line fits last season in Commonwealth in a game that the Wildcats had to come back to win. He was a highly rated recruit that had previously played for Ohio State. Good luck to Spence in his pro career.
The bizarre and sad story of Miami Dolphins rookie Laremy Tunsil continued yesterday. Initially he was kept from the media due to an "allergic reaction". But later he did speak to reporters and only about Miami football.
Ole Miss is already looking into those Tunsil texts. Considering he was suspended for imporoper benefits last season and the Rebels are already in deep doo-doo with the NCAA, this is the best course.
Ray Lewis III, son of former NFL star Ray Lewis,
has been charged with criminal sexual conduct.
Here are your winners and losers from the second day of the draft.
Luke Walton will become the next head coach of the Los Angelas Lakers as soon as his current gig with the Golden State Warriors ends. Walton won multiple championships with the Lakers as a player and led the Warriors to a 39-4 record while head coach Steve Kerr recovered from back surgery. Walton is only 36 years old and may be what this young Kobe-less group needs.
In NBA playoff news:the Portland Trail Blazers finish off the series with a win over an undermanned but feisty LA Clippers team; the Pacers came back from down 12 in the first quarter to win by 19 points to force a game 7 with the Raptors; and the Heat tied the series 3-3 with the Hornets.
Random Quickies:
Pearl Jam played their seminal grunge album Ten in its entirety at their show in Philadelphia.What a treat for those fans.
Rapper Warren G butchers Take Me Out to the Ball Game at Wrigley Field and promptly gets booed like Santa Claus at an Eagles game. For fonder memories of Warren G, I leave you with this:
If you are a complete Game of Thrones nerd like me, then check out the Bald Move Game of Throes podcasts. There are two kinds, the show podcast and the SpoiLore podcasts for those of us that have read the books. I HIGHLY recommend them if you can't get enough of the show.
Enjoy your Saturday. I have to go prepare my house for a birthday party for my soon to be 2-year-old twins.