Kentucky Sports Radio

Remember that team that looked sluggish the other night against Campbellsville? Yeah me either. Tonight, Kentucky put on a completely different offensive performance, beating a Clarion squad by 65 that Calipari said is better than the team played on Monday. The Cats looked good on all facets, and showcased that as good as Eric Bledsoe is (and he is good), John Wall is special. With Wall at the helm, the offense ran efficiently, the defense was swarming and Kentucky pulled off a victory that generally left its coach happy. Some numbers from the game:

John Wall 27 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists (triple-double is coming)

Demarcus Cousins 20 points, 6 rebounds

Patrick Patterson 14 points, 6 rebounds

Darius Miller 11 points, 7 assists

Darnell Dodson 11 points, 9 rebounds

Jon Hood 7 points, 4 rebounds

Ramon Harris 11 points, 7 rebounds

Mark Krebs 5 points in 7 minutes

Perry STevenson 8 points (2-2 from floor, 4-4 from line)

Josh Harrellson 2 points, 3 rebounds

Some quick notes instead of player evaluations (they all played well):

— Daniel Orton went out early with some chest pains. He was taken to the locker room and then returned after. He sat out the rest of the game and afterwards Calipari and the players all said he seemed fine.

— John Wall is unbelievably special. Calipari said after the game that the performance was “very good,” saying he is a great leader. “He is saying to me, we gotta get Pat some shots. That is a leader folks.”

— Speaking of Patrick Patterson, Calipari said he thought he looked more aggressive and noted that he was urging Patrick to shoot more. He then said, “I gotta figure out how we are gonna play him.” He said he thought Patrick looked “a little uncomfortable” but said he had no concerns about Patterson in the season.

— Calipari called Demarcus Cousins the great term “a beast”, transferring it forever from Matt Pilgrim. Cousins had a great game and when he gets the ball in the low post, you can forget about it.

— Calipari specifically praised Mark Krebs, noting that when he is in the game, there is a “Krebs Effect”, meaning that the team executes the offense more efficiently and everyone passes better during those times. John Wall noted the same thing saying, “everything is just smoother when he is in. We have to all get like that.”

— Calipari also signaled out praise for Perry Stevenson who he said was now specifically in the rotation. Good to see for Perry and no one’s stock has raised more in a week.

— Speaking of stock, it is clear that there is some issue with DeAndre Liggins. Calipari said afterwards that he preferred to not talk about Liggins and talk about the players who played adding that he “would not throw any player under the bus” on an issue. I assume we will find out more soon.

— Calipari also noted for the first time that this “may end up being a post-up team.” While he looked a bit sad about it, he noted that Patterson, Cousins and Orton are all inside studs and Stevenson has stepped up as well. He said that the team might go to the post 50 times in a game, something he hasnt done, but may be required to use the skills this team has.

— Calipari also noted how important the aggression we saw tonight is to the success of the offense. He said that when people arent trying to score, the offense can look like a “Washington Generals weave”, which was a comment made by a couple of commenters on this site. He said aggression like tonight is what makes the offense work as it should.

— Finally, the most praise of the Cats came from the Clarion coach who said that in his 35 years of coaching, “this team is as skilled a team as I have seen.” He noted that the combination of young talent and quality veterans makes the team able to give a complete performance. He said that Wall was “the real deal” and that Patterson was a player he loved. “I told him afterwards that you are going to be the foundation. You are the key to how far they go.” He noted that the DDO is all about angles and with Wall, they do angles well. Ultimately he conceded they were outmatched and said that “our guys may end up on Wall Street. They may represent these guys when eight of them are in the NBA.”

It was a great night for the Cats in Lexington. The real games start next week. For now, the excitement of Rupp is back and there will be much more to come. As the Clarion coach said afterwards, “you guys are going to have a lot of fun in this building this year.” He is correct.

(Yeah, Beisner already posted this video back in June. I don’t care. I needed to hear Autotuned Jim Mora.)

Kentucky upped their defensive effort through most of the game, holding Clarion to 15-63 FG (23.8%) and forcing 23 Clarion turnovers. Of course, it helps when the Wildcats are completely faster, stronger and taller — really, Clarion’s tallest player is 6′ 8″. There wasn’t much of a doubt that Kentucky would dominate Coach Cal’s alma mater.

Daniel Orton left the game in the first half with an injury. In the second half, UK announced that Daniel has chest soreness and will be day-to-day.

Kentucky wins this not-a-game 117-52. Best practice of the year, guys. Next time it counts.

For those you you who don’t know, I’m in graduate school at UK and one of the courses I’m taking this semester is called International Intelligence.  We just basically talk about the CIA, James Bond and waterboarding for two and a half hours every Thursday.  What did we do in class this week?  Well, our professor went out and found the best guest lecturer on the topic of International Intelligence in Lexington- Mr. Mitch Barnhart. 

Now I know what you’re thinking, “Patrick, Mitch Barnhart is an Athletics Director, what could he possibly know about Intelligence matters?” I know.   I was skeptical, too.  Come to find out, Mitch really doesn’t know anything about International Intelligence but he did say some very interesting things about UK athletics.  Allow me to recap.

-Something that shouldn’t be surprising is that football and basketball are the only two revenue producing sports.  What I didn’t know is how far all other programs are from being viable.  The closest, he said, was Women’s Basketball.  “They make about $250,000 a year.  But they spend about $1.5mil.“  So next time you hear someone complain about spending $7 million on a dorm or the bucketfulls of cash to pay Coach Cal, just know that by doing so it helps keep all the other programs afloat.

-In football, they employ the Three C’s of recruiting.  Character, Commitment and Capacity.  The latter, he explained, is a unique situation for the football team.  Florida, Georgia, Alabama and others recruit guys that come in and are able to play right away.  UK doesn’t have that luxury and have to search for guys with high capacity (read: room for improvement), redshirt those guys to give them time to develop and hope that they’re ready a year removed from high school.

-He and Coach Cal are still going to be discussing the viability of exhibition games.  Some reported that Coach doesn’t want to play any more exhibitions, instead wanting to play in closed scrimmages against other D1 teams.  But Barnhart said the revenues from those exhibitions are crucial.  He also commented on how excited Campbellsville players were to play against UK in Rupp and how it is important for the state to have our smaller schools to have a chance to play the Big Blue.

-”The local media hasn’t figured out that negative doesn’t sell.”  He then proceeded to recall the story of exactly when he cancelled his subscription to the local paper.

-Here’s a stat for you.  98.5% of NCAA revenues come from college basketball.  And a majority of that from March Madness and the CBS broadcasting rights.  Little to no money is made in football because the Bowl games are all privately run.

-He also brought up several good points about NCAA policies that need some adjusting.  He said, and he wasn’t speaking on John Wall specifically, that sometimes kids, for whatever reason, just don’t have the money to go on college recruiting visits.  So it seems unfair that the NCAA levies penalties on these athletes just because someone helped them get on campuses.  Of course, he went into some interesting detail, but I’ll leave that for another day.  Or maybe a Live Blog if I’m ever invited back onto one. 

At the end of his talk I knew nothing more about spies, conspiracies or who shot JFK than when I entered. But I did leave VERY impressed with Mitch Barnhart.  He was way more candid than I had ever anticipated and I ended up learning quite a bit.  Now I just need to finally peel that “Ditch Mitch and Rich” bumper sticker off the back of my car.  I’d say it’s time, right?

**Before he took the solemn vows of initation at The Brown Tweed Society, Evan Hilbert and I enjoyed some good times at WildcatBlitz.com and here at Kentucky Sports Radio. I liked the way he laughed, his firm embrace and, mostly, his preview of the starting lineups of opposing basketball teams. So, just like the bat signal, I’ll be posting these each game, hoping that it brings Evan home.

Our beloved Kentucky Wildcats finish off their pre-season slate tonight at home against the Clarion Runnin’ Golden Eagles at Rupp Arena in what could be the final exhibition game for quite a while.. For UK’s head coach, John Calipari, who will face off against the team he used to play the point for, the game will be a lot like a high school reunion - except it’s a college and there won’t be a bunch of goofy pictures. Or maybe there will be. Nonetheless, the diminuitive player who didn’t start until his senior year will spend every second of this reunion establishing himself as the BMOC. Coach has said some players might not see time but, outside of Eric Bledsoe and his bum ankle, has not said who. No matter, who is on the floor, though, Coach hopes to find a little more offensive continuity from his troops after looking a little sloppy in a 74-38 win over Campbellsville. And then, of course, there is the whole John Wall thing. The NBA player who was nice enough to put in a year at UK will make his game debut tonight. For UK fans, who have seen their team treat these games with the passion of Rick Pitino’s marriage the last few years, it’s a pleasant return to excitement in this pre-season blowout-in-the-making.

For the Golden Eagles and veteran head coach Ron Righter - a former Duke player who served as an assistant under Dr. Tom Davis and George Raveling - tonight will serve as an opportunity to fine-tune their helter-skelter tempo against a team of similar talent. In Righter’s 22 season stearing the Clarion ship, the Golden Eagles have won 60% of their games and won the PSAC-West (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) three times (1997, 2000, 2005) and won the overall conference title once, in 2001, still the only year they’ve made the D-II Tourney under him. This season, despite losing the greatest base-stealer in history and coming off an 11-16 record, the Golden Eagles look to improve on pre-season predictions that have them ranked 7th out ot 8 teams in their conference. They’ll try to do so by going 11-deep (that’s what she said) and playing at a frenetic pace. By taking shots 3 seconds into the shot clock and pressuring a team that can either decide to dribble around them or throw over the top, this strategy should work quite well tonight. If it’s not a 30-point margin at halftime, someone look to see if Gillispie staggered in with a clipboard and is sitting behind the bench in a brown jacket.

Now, without further ado, let’s meet the starters!

 #1 Lloyd Harrison, 6-1, G, Junior

*2008-09 stats: 26.3 ppg, 6 rpg, 7 apg

If Lloyd Harrison looks familiar to you, it’s because he played at Colorado Northwest Community College last season, where he averaged LeBron-like stats of 26 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds per game. This season, he’ll look to fill in the large shoes (likely LeBron brand too) left behind by a hard-nosed point guard from the 1981-82 season. Harrison happens to be the cousin of San Diego Charger and former UK basketball opponent Antonio Gates (22 and 7 in 2001), which means he’s already genetically prepared for all the ESPN face time he’ll get as the guy getting burned on John Wall’s file footage.

 #22 Jamar Harrison, 6-3, G, Junior

*2008-09 stats: 17 ppg, 6 rpg

Showing that they are not ashamed about mining the JuCo pipeline of guys with the last name of Harrison, Righter’s squad will also welcome Jamar Harrison from Bakersfield Community College. They refer to him simply as “Impact Player” on their media notes and Harrison could certainly be that as he put up 17 and 6 as a sophomore last season. The Golden Eagles will count on him to play both guard positions, as well as small forward, and his athleticism makes him their best defender. He is not related to Antonio Gates or Lloyd Harrison but he looks like a guy I work with. So he might be related to someone in accounting.

 #31 Mike Sherry, 6-1, G, Junior

2008-09 stats: 12.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 43% on threes

Mike Sherry is the Patrick Patterson of Clarion if that tells you anything about the difference in these two programs. Sherry has started 52 of his team’s 54 games since arriving on campus and has no doubt won the hearts of those fine beauties above, which explains that Twinkie-eating grin. Last season, Sherry averaged 10 points as the team’s second-leading scorer and shot 40% from downtown. More impressively, Sherry remains one of two people on this planet who list both Young Jeezy as their favorite music artist and Kirk Hinrich as their favorite player (Rob Bromely being the other). Perhaps the best part of his bio, though, is the part under “Coach Says” where it reads “well coached”. The junior from Pittsburgh is listed in the media notes as 5′1″. which would make his matchup with Darius Miller quite interesting, although I believe it’s a typo. I’m hoping it’s not though.

 #15 Shameel Carty, F, 6-3, Junior

2008-09 stats: 9.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 35% on threes

Shameel Carter is a versatile piece of the Clarion puzzle as the New York native will contribute both inside and outside by playing both forward spots. And, since the Muslim meaning of his name is “Complete Carter”, I guess his mom is twice the prophet of Mama Legion. There is nothing really too remarkable about Carter besides the fact that he went to high school with a guy who looks more like Tim Tebow than Tebow does. Seeing as how he’s going to be using his versatility to be abused by Patrick Patterson and Darius Miller, I hope he put in his prayer requests with that guy already.

 #32 Paul McQueen, 6-5, F, Sophomore

2008-09 stats: 4.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg

Paul McQueen is not good. And I’m fairly certain he’s not related to Steve McQueen, but I can’t confirm that. There is nothing online denying it.

Notes: Clarion coach Ron Righter also served as an assistant on the bronze medal-winning 1988 US Olympic team….The Golden Eagles are 2-3 against D-1 opponents under Righter….Clarion was outscored by opponents last year by an average of 74-72….UK is now 42-4 all-time in exhibition games….Coach Cal has never coached against his alma mater….there are only two players on Clarion’s roster taller than 6′5″…..we could field a team of KSR bloggers bigger than Clarion’s entire starting lineup….the game will air on Fox Sports South at 7 and then replay later 11 in Louisville and 11:35 in Lexington….this game has the potential to reach “I feel bad for these guys” stages….like Campbellsville, these guys are just happy to be here.  Good for them.

Following in today’s theme of ‘more youtube for your dollar’ I’m bringing you one of the only clips I could find of the Clarion basketball team.  Now, there are quite a few reasons why I love this video.

1.) The Initial Isiah Thomas Quote - What strikes me as bizarre about this quote is, as far as I can tell, Isiah Thomas has nothing to do with Clarion University.  And when I say he has nothing to do with them, I am basing this all on research done by typing ‘Isiah Thomas Clarion’ into Google and getting no results.  Top notch research, in other words.  But aside from that, why pick Isiah Thomas?  You at least have Calipari, who happens to not be one of the worst executives and head coaches in the history of the game, to turn to for basketball quotes.

2.) The ‘Highlights’ - Not to spoil anything for those of you that haven’t watched the video, but the first five highlights consist of (and I kid you not,) a rebound, a rebound, an open three, a coaching shot, and a free throw.  Is making a free throw that monumental to your team that it’s worthy of being in a youtube video?  Did someone really say, “Oh yeah, hittin free throws, that shit’s going on my highlight reel?”

3.) The Atmosphere - I don’t know if you noticed this, but there are more fans at a Louisville Football game than there are in Clarions gymnasium.  They literally have tens upon tens of people in attendance.  I can’t wait until they come out in front of 23,000 big blue crazies tonight.  Which, by the way, is more than were in attendance at Louisvilles last home game.

4.) The Soundtrack - The soundtrack for the first five minutes (before it goes awkwardly silent for the next five,) include lyrics like, ‘yo where’s the competition, bring on the competition, we need some competition, ya’ll aint no competition!’  I’m sorry, but your competition is in Rupp Arena.  Bring it on.

5. 7?2? !!!! (What? I have a blackberry…)

Note: Yes, there is a second part to this video.  I could barely make it through the first ten minutes of rebounds and white guys hitting threes, though, so if you want to see part two, you must be a parent of a kid on the Clarion basketball team.  And for that, I am sorry.

Happy John Wall day!  Basketball tonight, football tomorrow afternoon.  What a great weekend!  I expect to see everyone tailgating tomorrow for the game.  Don’t give me this “it’s just Eastern” or “it’s too cold” excuse.  Man up and support the team.  I’ll be on Cooper at 6 a.m. if you need a friend.  Speaking of friends, I’ll use this spot to welcome the new people to KSR.  I don’t know your names, and frankly, I don’t care.  Just make sure you start the coffee if you’re the first one to the office and I better not be missing any Lean Cuisines from the break room fridge.  Now, meet the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky.  They are who we thought they were…

Eastern Kentucky University

As a former UK student and current Lexington resident, I know EKU for two things:

– Underage Drinking - I’m not calling out Richmond’s ABC task force here, but, I once saw a kid get into the bar with his personalized Tee-Ball trading card.  Is this a bad thing?  Not always.  But, it’s hard to socialize at the Paddy Wagon when you’re surrounded by Madison Central’s prom party.

– “The Slump Buster” - No, I don’t mean that the EKU football team is an easy win after falling into a slump.  I mean, if you are a young man in Lexington, and lately you have… ummmm… we’ll say, you have been on a rough streak with the ladies. And you need to meet someone that is… ummmm… a little more free-spirited, with loose morals and a questionable bill of health.  Spend a night in Richmond, I’m just sayin.

Notable Alumni

– Dan Patrick - That’s right, your favorite SportsCenter anchor not named Charlie Steiner attended EKU for two years on a basketball scholarship

– Thaksin Shinawatra - Thai businessman who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006.  I have no clue how he ended up in Richmond, KY

– Lee Majors - The Six Million Dollar Man and the pride of Middlesboro, KY.  Who knew that someone from Middlesboro could be successful?

Cheerleader Scouting Report

The Colonel cheerleaders are hot, and some of them are reallllly hot.  But, should we be worried about the guy on the left?  What is he doing? 

Head Coach, Dean Hood

(from FamilyWatchDog.com)

Coach Hood looks like that guy that smells like cheap scotch and gives inappropriate hugs to random kids at his nephew’s birthday party.  He is doing a great job in his second year with the Colonels, but, it has to be hard to recruit when you can’t be within 300 yards of a high school.  Just kiddddding, Dean.

Key Players To Watch

Last week, for the first time all season, I didn’t make fun of the Mississippi State players to watch.  I dropped the ball.  Deep down, I feel like the loss is my fault.  I was coming in high off the Auburn game and completely overlooked the Bulldogs.  To the fans and everyone in Big Blue Nation, I’m sorry.  I’m extremely sorry.

But, I promise you one thing, a lot of good will come out of this.  You will never see any blogger in the entire country, make fun of opponents as hard as I will the rest of the season.  You will never see someone tease the opposing team, as hard as I will tease them, the rest of the season.  And you will never see another guy piss off an entire university, like I will for the rest of the season.  God bless. 

#16 T.J. Pryor, QB
Pryor is a playmaker at quarterback (think Curtis Pulley, minus the weed).  He is in his first year at the helm for the Colonels and has eight touchdowns on the season (four passing, four rushing).  Unfortunately for T.J., Trevard Lindley is back and he’s hungry.

#99 Andrew Soucy, DT
Is that Tank Abbott?  Andrew Soucy prepares for games by ripping phone books in half, drinking Budweiser, and eating kittens.  He once won a toughman contest at halftime of the Austin Peay game.  Soucy has blocked a kick in each of EKU’s last four games (fact) and has proven that he can still be a force on the gridiron at the age of 46.  Look for Soucy on the field tomorrow (he’ll be the one in cutoff denim shorts and a wife beater, carrying a tire iron)

#70 Emory Attig, DT
UK offensive line, beware.  Emory Attig may smell like strawberry Pantene Pro-V shampoo and ocean breeze Herbal Essence conditioner, but he leads EKU with 3.5 sacks on the season… and I’m still not intimidated.

Final Word / Prediction

I’d like to think that Joker lets Newton throw it down field at least twice in this one, but, we all know it won’t happen.  UK needs to open up the offense against this weak opponent, before we head into the crucial three game stretch.  Let’s see what we’re made of!  Or run Cobb to the left out of the Wildcat and throw the bubble screen, your call.  

I’m sure we’ll see the same old boring offense here.  They will put up points just because we’re playing Eastern, but, I don’t expect to be wow’d at any point in the game.  If you want to see exciting plays from UK tomorrow, I recommend that you DVR tonight’s basketball game and watch it tomorrow at 1.

Trevard Lindley picks one off, Cobb returns a punt for a TD, and the Cats roll…

Kentucky 41, Eastern Kentucky 17 (Please, please, please, please no injuries!)

46 2287!

Earlier in the week, we had interviews with CJ Leslie and Terrence Jones. In the third of these interviews we recent UK visitors we talk to Torrel Harris, father of Tobias Harris.

Tobias visited UK during Midnight Madness. Since then he has visited Louisville and will be visiting West Virginia this weekend. He is currently ranked as Rivals’ #1 PF and #5 overall prospect for the class of 2010. Here’s a few of the highlights from my discussion with his father, Torrel Harris:

DR: Can you start off by telling me how the UL visit went since you guys just finished that one up?

Torrel Harris: Our UL visit was good. It was a good visit. We toured the school, met [University of Louisville President Dr. James R. Ramsey], sat down with [Athletic Director Tom Jurich], watched practice, all of the practices that they had, which was great. Practice was great. Pitino is a great teacher. Our trip went real well. We like the University of Louisville but it’s not my decision, it’s Tobias’.

DR: Can you talk about the planned visits that you guys have left?

Torrel Harris: Yeah, we go to West Virginia on Friday. Then we have Maryland and Georgia Tech.

DR: Tobias is still shooting for November as far as deciding and signing?

Torrel Harris: Yeah. When he completes all the visits, he’ll have a sense where he feels the most comfortable because he’s been to a lot of schools since he was a Sophomore. When he visits all the schools, he’ll know where he feels most comfortable. When you’ve been to them all you see all great coaches, all great staffs, all great fans and that’s why they’re in our top seven, all of these schools. So it’s just a matter of where he feels the most comfortable at and I think that’s what it’s going to come down to because they’re all great programs. To me as a father, any school in our top seven that he picks, I’m good with it.  That was my process as a father to help him get to that seven, me and my wife, and we did that. So any of those schools out of that seven we’re good with it. It’s his choice from then on. Picking from these seven schools, I’m not going to be involved because when you have children you don’t want them to come back and complaining and say ‘I went to this school because you told to go to this school’ because they’ll blame it on you [Laughs]. All I’m going to say is ‘That’s the school you picked, make the best of it.’

DR: Without saying a school, because I know that you aren’t going to say a school, do you feel that he has any leanings at this point?

Torrel Harris: No, I don’t think he’s thought about it that long yet. I think Tobias just goes and has a good time and has the experience there at the school. He may be going through things as an individual, just going through the thinking process, but he hasn’t ever came out and said which school was better than the other one. He just says ‘Wow, this is a nice school I like this school,’ but then again, every school we go to is the same thing. We haven’t visited any school where he’s said ‘I don’t like that school. I won’t go there.’

I’ve made it no secret on here that a big time Tobias fan. His work ethic and skill set, combined with Calipari’s knack for developing Pro’s, could be like catching lightning in a bottle.

Notes:

- Make sure that you are following Tobias on twitter for a little insight into his everyday life (which is working out, working out, sleeping and playing basketball).

- Don’t forget to check out Tobias’ journal over at Allkyhoops.com. Anthony Wireman, who runs AllKyHoops, is a good friend of this site and he’s very excited about some of the insight he is possibly going to get from Tobias’ West Virginia visit this weekend, so check it out.

- Other UK targets on visits this weekend: Terrence Jones (UCLA), Doron Lamb (UConn), Jelan Kendrick (Alabama).

I just found out that Clarion is the alma mater of one of my five favorite pro wrestlers of all time, the great Kurt Angle. Can we please make this the intro music tonight for their starters? Please….

When a team uses the 1967 Grantland Rice Bowl as one of the selling points for its program entering its hundredth year, I’m sorry but the intimidation level is almost too much for me to bear. Luckily, Richmond’s version of James Earl Jones was there to do the voiceover, his calming and melodic tones comforting me every step of the way. My fears have been squashed, Mr. Earl Jones. Those big scary Colonels won’t get me now.

Go Cats.

This video is making the rounds today and I have to say…this New Mexico girl is one I wouldnt want to meet in a dark alley….Wow

Notes before the only home “daily double” of football and basketball games on the same weekend:

— I am looking forward to tonight’s game against Clarion for a couple of different reasons. First, watching the offense with Wall at the controls will be interesting, to see if some of the stagnant nature from last week will be remedied. My guess is it will. But most importantly to me, I am looking forward to seeing Coach Calipari do adjustments. The most frustrating part of the Billy Clyde experience was his unwillingness or inability to ever change his gameplan, no matter how much it failed. Last Monday we saw a lack of aggressiveness and some strange performances from players that we are accustomed to seeing play differently. Lets see how that changes this week…my guess is that it will significantly.

— On the football side of things, I find it a bit odd that Trevard Lindley is reinserted in this game against Eastern after his injury. I am sure the coaches would say that they want Lindley in real game action before the crucial final three game stretch. However considering the nature of such injuries and the likelihood of them being repeated, it does seem like a bit of a chance to me.

— On the running back side of things, I hope for a big game for Alfonso Smith and Moncell Allen. Both have seemed to struggle to totally find their footing this year and this is a big chance for both guys. Plus this will be a time for Larry Vaught to make his weekly “I hope to see Donald Russell” play comment in the press conference…something I always look forward to.

— Even though I like watching him play, I was glad to see Lebron not get bailed out last night. The trend of star NBA players driving to the basket at the end of games and throwing themselves at the defense in hopes of getting a foul call is one that needs to end.

— I hate to say this because I like him so much and his writing could not have been a bigger inspiration on this blog, but the Bill Simmons book is a bit of a disappointment to me. 200 pages in and it can be a struggle to get through. WAYYYYYY too much on 1970s basketball…hey Bill, all your readers are under 35. Embrace it.

— Chris Fowler called UK and Vandy “perennial doormats of the SEC” last night on the ESPN game. I know lots of UK fans are up in arms, but unfortunately it is true. Havent had an above .500 record in the SEC in a long, long time. While we are better now and the improvement to the program that Rich Brooks has brought cannot be overstated, we still are only a slight notch above Vandy and Mississippi State on a year in, year out basis.

— That kid dancing in the video below is epic.

— The podcast this week should be great. We are doing it live from the Delta Tau Delta house at UK and our panel will include Kenny Walker and Keenan Burton along with our man Woo. Should be a great time. If you want to host a show in the near future, email me at matt.jones@kentuckysportsradio.com. We already have invited to the Bobby Keith Classic in Clay County, another fraternity house at UK and a Bluegrass Stallions game in Lexington. Get on the list….its worth it just to hang with Woo.

— There arent many more glowing reviews of a player than this article about Chuck Hayes in Houston. It starts “Chuck Hayes is the most remarkable player on the NBA’s most remarkable team.” How is that for praise?

We have said it numerous times on this site that Evan Daniels is the best recuriting analyst in the country.  Rumbaugh is the best for UK, but for a wide range view of recruiting, its Evan.  And I can tell you I have known Evan personally for 6 years now.  Once he began doing his recruiting work, he lessened his passion as a fan of particular teams, so as to be more objective.  But I can tell you (and he may hate for this), Evan preferred UL in college.  So, it was especially significant when Evan went on a UL message board yesterday and said this, in response to UL fans feeling Peyton Siva is better than John Wall:

EVAN DANIELS: No offense…this post title is ridiculous.

Straightforward, to the point, and as credible as they come.  For Evan to call the comparison “ridiculous” really means something.  I think we can starting calling Evan the anti-Tipton.  And I think we should welcome Evan into the UK fanbase.  Wildcat for life, Evan.  (By the way, if I do not post next week, it is likely because Evan has murdered me, so please report that to police.  Thank you)

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More on casinos:  The Horseshoe Casino in Southern Indiana costs the state of Kentucky TWELVE MILLION DOLLARS a year in lost revenue alone.  I have been to that casino AT LEAST 50 times.  I bet you Matt has also been to that casino at least 50 times.  I have NEVER seen one single prostitute and I have NEVER been approached to buy drugs, and I have NEVER seen anybody assaulted around the casino, and I have found ZERO articles that say that casino has brought anything but money into that area.  I feel that sometimes this idea about crime rising is just people’s opinion from watching movies, like “Casino”.  In New Albany/Jeffersonville, where the Horseshoe is located, there have been a total of TWO murders in the last 4 years, neither of which had any relation to casino activities.  If you have a moral problem with casinos, then I can respect that.  But, do not bring myth’s to the table, such as crime and prostitution will increase.     

I think Urban Meyer is the BEST coach in the country.  He can recruit, he runs an exciting system, players seem to love him, and he is a fantastic game-planner.  If UK could by some miracle have him, I would take him in a minute.  But, this entire Brandon Spikes fiasco is sickening.  First, Meyer gave the WEAKEST suspension imaginable to Spikes after he tried to blind a Georgia player.  I thought a 3-4 game suspension is in order, but AT LEAST 2 games was obvious.  Instead, Spikes got a HALF against Vandy.  Now, the story has come out that Spikes “asked” to be suspended for the entire game, because what he did “weighed on his heart”.  GIVE ME A BREAK.  Anybody that is willing to stab your finger’s in another man’s eyes has very little heart.  What really happened is the outcry from what Spikes did looked bad on Meyer, so he upped the suspension.  My sugegstion is people continue to call this crap, and maybe Meyer will up the suspension again.  Although, there is that whole national title to play for.   

SEC officials have screwed up again. 

Looks like Isiah Thomas really has Florida International rolling already, losing their exhibition opener against NAIA Northwood.  Dominique Ferguson, have fun with that.   

Allen Iverson is already bitching about playing time in Memphis.  To be honest, I am suprised that there is that much talent in Memphis that Iverson only sees the floor for 22 minutes, until you realize that Iverson is a washed up bum on his 4th team in 5 seasons.  And he’s never been the best teammate in the world either.

The other lawyer/sports journalist from Duke penned a column on ESPN.com today where he noted what he’s looking forward to this season.  Bilas also took opinions from his ESPN peers  (not that anyone is on his level) and, not surprisingly, the Cats factored into quite a few of their 2009-10 plans.  Here is what they said:

Bilas

Watching Kentucky’s freshmen mature under John Calipari, and seeing whether they can get the Dribble Drive Motion going and embrace defense, the real reason that Cal’s teams win …

Will Kentucky’s John Wall or Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors be the rookie of the year, or will it be someone else?

Dana O’Neill

Last year was the season of the none-and-done. Now we’re looking at the potential for a mass college basketball flyby, with a ridiculously deep and talented rookie class. Texas’ Avery Bradley, Kentucky’s John Wall, Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors, Kansas’ Xavier Henry, Washington’s Abdul Gaddy, Oklahoma’s Tiny Gallon, Villanova’s Mouphtaou Yarou … it’s an extensive list. From coast to coast, league to league, there are kids not old enough to shave ready to make a huge dent on the sport. The quest for a national championship is rarely led by a freshman, at least all on his own (Carmelo Anthony being a rare exception), yet some of these players — Wall, along with Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton, and Favors in particular — will be asked to carry much of the load. So I’m looking forward to seeing just how good the Class of 2013 is. Before they pack their bags and move on.

Dick Vitale

I want to see how John Calipari holds up under the expectations at Kentucky. He is competing in a tougher conference, and the fans of Big Blue are as passionate as any in America. Calipari has Patrick Patterson and a lot of young talent, led by DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall. There is potential, potential, potential for the Wildcats!

Doug Gottlieb

I want to see the Big Ten for the unreal parity and quality of its teams. Though Iowa, Indiana and Penn State appear to be mediocre by comparison, the top eight are ridiculously close, and due to some teams playing slow, the scores will be equally close. Some other things I’m looking forward to? The big games in the Big 12. Kentucky versus Mississippi State. Cal versus Washington (Jerome Randle has unlimited range, and Isaiah Thomas simply cannot be kept out of the lane). North Carolina versus Kentucky. Dayton against both Creighton and Georgia Tech early in the season.

Pat Forde

John Calipari against the world. He moves into a new realm of prestige, a new power conference and a new tax bracket after his bank-breaking move from Memphis to Kentucky — but he brings the same chip on the shoulder. The coach’s inherent chippiness should enhance several rivalries: Calipari vs. Rick Pitino is the must-see game of the year; Calipari vs. Bruce Pearl goes from a once-a-year blood feud to twice annually; Calipari vs. Jim Calhoun on Dec. 9 reignites an old New England hatefest; Calipari vs. Billy Donovan (which is almost like playing Pitino by proxy) has great promise; Calipari vs. Tom Crean will test the bonds of friendship amid a new rivalry setting; and, potentially, Calipari vs. Bill Self — a rematch of the thrilling 2008 national title game and a chance for two guys who dislike each other to feign otherwise in an NCAA tournament setting.

Good morning, folks, and welcome to Friday, November 6th.  Are you wondering what that fruity smell is?  Well, that’s the sweet smell of celebration as former UK coach Billy Gillispie celebrates his 50th birthday….on Saturday.  With no News and Views on the weekend, though, why not help Clyde ring in his half-century celebration with a post from his good friends at Kentucky Sports Radio?  Last year, we did a little selective celebrating with a timeline of the highlights of the Clyde era  because Coach Clyde hadn’t yet proven that he was about as pleasant as an enema.  This year, though, we’ll just keep it simple.  Coach, we wish you a good one and hope that Clarion isn’t the hidden devil that Gardner-Webb was almost exactly two years ago (coincidentally on his birthday).  May your recovery go well and may you resume your career on the sidelines sometime soon.  Hopefully in Louisville.

Now, onto some quick news notes so I can go to bed…

 - Perhaps the biggest news of the day was Cal’s post-practice media session where he noted that Eric Bledsoe would likely sit against a formidable Clarion squad Friday night.  Bledsoe tweaked his ankle a bit against Campbellsville, but the injury isn’t expected to prevent him from getting s–t right once the regular season starts.  Obviously, the Cats have the luxury of sitting one star point guard in favor of another, but it could be interesting to see how this injury affects DeAndre Liggins’ playing time.  Liggins has been the subject of speculation after not seeing a minute against Campbellsville and you would think that he would again have an opportunity to play as Darius Miller serves as the backup point guard and starting wing.  But, again, you never know.  Which brings me to the next point….

 - Another interesting note comes from Brett Dawson, who says that Calipari could hold other players out of the game, but would not elaborate on who those players were or why they would not play.  Calipair ushered a Rich Brooks-like line of “That’s the greatest thing about being the head coach.  I can do whatever I want”.  He then reminded Dawson to type in CHCAL when he orders pizzas for his family on Friday night.

 - One player who won’t be held out of the game (at least not by the NCAA), is freshman superstar John Wall, who will take the court for the first time as a UK player….against an opponenent not comprised of teammates, at least.  Wall’s presence will be monitored from coast to coast by media and scouts and there’s no doubt that expectations are sky-high this year for the youngster from North Carolina.  I’ve got a feeling…..that tonight’s gonna be a good, good night for Wall.  I expect him to outplay his Clarion counterpart.  And 374 of you expect him to be the leading scorer Friday night.

 - Obviously not pleased with what he saw against Campbellsville, Coach Cal has apparently gotten hardcore this week as he preps his team for the regular season.  Two-a-day practices were on the agenda this week, the first starting at 6am and DeMarcus Cousins referred to Coach as “intense and focused” in his post-practice interview today.  Patrick Patterson noted how draining the practices were through his Twitter account and was apparently coping the best way he knew how:

 pdpatt   body hurting. resting for game tmr. but first got to judge girls n sororities

 - Over at Sports  Illustrated, they unleashed their college basketball preview online late Thursday and it included a number of UK notes.  Here they are:

Kentucky is dominating college basketball discussions

John Wall is a newcomer to watch

Kentucky and UConn is a game you don’t want to miss

 - I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, as I’m sure you were tuned in to your television set or closest wi-fi hotspot, but Shagari “Skyscraper” Alleyene was the 1st pick of the 5th round (65th overall) in the NBDL Draft Thursday night, serving as my generation’s “Where where you when…” moment (I was napping).  The Albequerque Thunderbirds (another pro team who found no interest in my resume) were the lucky team to bring size, rhymes and upper deckers to their franchise in a selection process that works just like your Fantasy Football draft.  Pick last, then pick first.  Then repeat.  Former Card Perrin Johnson went in the 6th round to Springfield, while Reece Gaines pulled off the impressive “get picked lower in the D-League draft than you did in the NBA Draft”, going to Bakersfield in the 2nd round.  In all seriousness, if you’re a basketball junkie, there is nothing better than the D-League draft.  It’s like a who’s who of players you’ve watched over the years and wondered where they’ve gone.  Here’s the whole list.

 - Speaking of Clyde, former Gillispie commitment Dakotah Euton committed to Akron late Thursday, finally giving the Zips a player who’s game is described in the same way.  Euton ranks as a two-star player on Rivals and will no doubt ease the sting of losing hometown hero LeBron James to the NBA.

 - As a special note for all of you who aren’t tired of the coal debate yet (I’m talking to you lexslamman), UK held a forum debating what coal means to Kentucky and Joe Craft spoke some, including some light Wildcat Coal Lodge talk.  In hindsight, it really doesn’t have much to do wth the lodge or with the basketball team, but I’m not passing up a chance to link to a story including my former professor, Al Cross.  It’s not too late to get that grade changed to an “A”, right?

 - On the football front, Rich Brooks announced that Trevard Lindley would play and Derrick Locke would sit against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday.  Lindley, of course, has been battling an ankle injury and Locke’s status had been in question after tearing some of the scar tissue in in the knee he injured last season.  As far as the flu-bitten players, Brooks said he expects almost all of them to play.

That’s it for now.  Stay tuned throughout the day as we toe the line between ridiculous and informative, but always keep it interesting (except the Picks to Click).  Drew Franklin will stop by with his “They Are Who We Thought They Were” and those other guys who won the blogger contest will write stuff.  It’s going to be a fun day.  See you in a few…