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Good morning, folks. It's getting to that time of the summer when finding Quickies headlines becomes a little more difficult to do. As people turn their focus to vacation, barbecues, and fireworks, the sports world has slowed down a bit.
But that won't stop us here at the Quickies! We have a lot of football discussion on tap because, as far away as it seems right now, it will be here before we know it.
We start today with The Sporting News and their rankings of SEC football coaches. Derek Mason comes in dead last and Nick Saban is on top. Mark Stoops comes in just ahead of Mason at 13.
Overall Rank: 70
Record: 12-24
Lowdown: Stoops is coming back-to-back 5-7 seasons with back-to-back 2-6 records in conference play. It’s been a tale of two halves the last two years. Kentucky is 9-3 in the first half of the season and 1-11 in the second half. Stoops needs to pick up that one win that can get the Wildcats back to a bowl game.
Yeah, I would say this is about right. I do think Stoops is a better coach than this ranking but he needs to finish a season in strong fashion to prove it. Two straight years of promising starts and complete flameouts have left fans and critics skeptical of him despite his relative success in other areas at Kentucky.
Tweets of the Day
Paintball with the team. #WeArePHX pic.twitter.com/V1594AxJjO
— Devin Booker (@DevinBook) June 28, 2016
#WheresArchie
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) June 29, 2016
This is in response to the deadly terror attacks carried out in an Istanbul airport by suicide bombers. The death toll is up to 41. As we all know Enes Kanter is from Turkey and I am sure he is feeling homesick and sadness right now. When will the madness end?
Quickies
Derek Willis tasked with building on breakout season as a senior - The Courier-Journal takes a closer look at Willis, who is faced with a new task in building on success for the first time in his UK career. One has to wonder if his season wll get off to a slow start due to a possible suspension from his PI.
The Charlotte Hornets want Aaron Harrison as their summer league centerpiece- This is great news for the former Wildcat. He was a part of their roster at the end of the season and in the playoffs. While he didn't see much playing time, it is evident that the Hornets see him as a part of their future. And Harrison is sticking close to fellow Wildcat Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, which is never a bad idea.
Karl-Anthony Towns and John Calipari announce "Rookie of the Year Camp"- Cal loves all of his former players, but it seems that he has a special bond with KAT. The two have been inseparable all summer.
John Robic calls this team "Hungry"- Reports coming out of the summer workouts are of Isaiah Briscoe leading the charge for 6:00 AM workout sessions. This is exactly what Cal wants out of him.
Big Blue Blueprint: A Statistical Path to the Postseason - Freddie Maggard addresses six statistical categories that require improvement for UK to take a step forward this year and finally make it to a bowl game.
Elite Talent on NBA Horizon: Top 10 High School Prospects - While Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram now having joined their respective teams, it is never too early to look ahead at talent on the NBA horizon, at the high school level. As you can imagine, several UK targets are on this list.
There will never be anyone like Tennessee Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt - She was one of sports' most accomplished figures but also universally beloved and humbly warm. To say there will never be anyone like Pat Summitt is not hyperbole. In fact, it seems inadequate.
Former Maryland pitching coach Jim Bleanger is now a Wildcat- Belanger has quite the resume and has recent postseason success with Maryland. Welcome to Kentucky, coach!
Stansbury on recruiting high-profile prospects: 'Why not?' - Rick Stansbury isn’t slow-playing his gameplan when it comes to recruiting, even if his program is a third-best Kentucky school in the shadow of two powerhouses with Final fours and national titles.
Football Glossary IV - In his latest weekly football glossary post, Freddie Maggard takes a look at Cover 2 Zone Defense and Cover 2 Sugar Spots.
Jedrick Willis is one of the nation's best- Rivals has Willis ranked as one of the five best offensive line prospects in the country. Getting him on board in Lexington should be priority number one for Stoops and company. Landing him would get some momentum back on the recruiting trail.
For some reason Harrison Barnes has a lot of suitors- I'll never forget how he was named as an All-American as a freshman before the season even started. He's an average player at best but people still act like he's going to break out eventually. I'm not holding my breath. Some team is going to throw away a lot of money on him.
Did Lorenzo Romar, Brandon Roy and UW’s recruiting of the Porter brothers cross the line? - Washington’s recruitment of a family of prep basketball stars from Missouri, including Michael Porter, and their arrival at Seattle’s Nathan Hale High School, is raising eyebrows. did it all cross the line when it comes to recruiting?
Former NFL coach, defensive guru Buddy Ryan dies at age 85 - Buddy Ryan, who coached in the NFL for 26 seasons and was known for building some of football's top defenses, died Tuesday at age 85. His most signature contribution to football was the 46 defense, which he founded on sending more blitzing players than an offense could block. Thanks to it in 1984, the Bears tallied 72 sacks, a record that still stands.
LeBron James turns down $24,000,000 player option to become a free agent- But Cleveland Cavaliers fans should not worry. The future Hall of Famer and three-time champion will stay put. WIll Dewayne Wade reunite with his former teammate? His talks with the Heat have come to a halt.
Johnny Manziel continues his downward spiral- After his father stated that he is worried that he will have to bury his addict son, the former Browns QB taunted his father from Mexico. There is no team in the NFL willing to sign this train wreck. He's done as a football player.
Rolling Stone counts down the 40 greatest animated movies of all time- Up is criminally low, no Toy Story 3, and number one is a serious joke. One of the worst lists I've ever seen. No, seriously. But at least the Iron Giant cracked the top ten. That's one of my favorite animated movies and not a lot of people talk about it.
Writers confirm seasons 7 and 8 for Game of Thrones will be shorter- There is still so much to do! But I get it. The record-breaking season six finale set things up for the ending of the show. I just wish getting there would hurry up and that the seasons would be just as long as before.
Ancient Mayan Observatory Tracked Venus as well as the sun- Those Mayans sure were a smart bunch, weren't they?