Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
Its been a long day and I have spent a lot of time in the car, so we gotta make this quick. Internet rumors are rumbling about Eric Bledsoe and what his status may be with the Cats. I talked to a couple of people today about Bledsoe, one of whom is very close to the program who told me that there was “little change in Eric’s status.” Kentucky still likes Bledsoe a lot and have tried to convince him to come to UK with John Wall. However the coaching staff believes that Kentucky is not likely to get both young men, even though they will continue to try. UK wants Bledsoe to visit and as of noon today, they had not received confirmation that he would visit. If there has been a visit scheduled since, I do not know about it.
I like Bledsoe as a player, but it is important to remember that he may have a difficult time qualifying. The test score he needs is relatively high and all schools recruiting him are concerned about his qualification. These concerns are part of what pushed Billy Donovan to begin pursuing John Wall aggressively. So all excitement about Bledsoe should be tempered a bit by an understanding that even if the Cats get over the hurdle and get him to Lexington, qualification will be an issue.
One last thing….if Bledsoe does come to UK, a hat tip should be given to Billy Gillispie. In the same way that Tubby Smith set the ground work for Patrick Patterson, Gillispie did so with Bledsoe. Had he stayed at UK, it is very likely that Bledsoe would have been a Cat. So if Calipari is able to convert that into a commitment, Clyde does deserve a share of the credit.
More all day, including Tomlin’s NTK, a look at Rondo’s continued domination of the NBA and a UK Fan of the Day you will love…..
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April 29th, 2009 at 12:17 am
first
April 29th, 2009 at 12:21 am
wow didn’t know about him going to have trouble academically
April 29th, 2009 at 12:21 am
It is probably doubtful he qualifies.
April 29th, 2009 at 12:22 am
woyunder what his bball iq is
April 29th, 2009 at 12:25 am
Too bad the SEC has policies against partical qualifiers. If Bledsoe is having a problem qualifing academically, it would be nice to see him sit for a year and watch Wall and maybe even learn some things from him. Once Wall is ready to leave in a year, Bledsoe would be ready to move into his place in the line up.
April 29th, 2009 at 12:31 am
Sorry “Law Dog” LOL, but Bill Gillispie got what he deserved.
April 29th, 2009 at 12:31 am
y does bledsoe look 14
April 29th, 2009 at 12:34 am
2 - are you being sarcastic? Because I don’t think Bledsoe’s name has been mentioned without mention of his struggling academic status in about … well, ever.
April 29th, 2009 at 12:34 am
BCG was on WLEX tonight talking about how he might finally get a chance to go to a place everyone thought he’d fit in………the infield. Seriously.
April 29th, 2009 at 12:44 am
8 yes I was being sarcastic…thanks for trying to set me straight, lol
April 29th, 2009 at 12:57 am
6} BCG had the talent coming and left UK in 500% better shape than what he took over. He got Miller, Hood, Orton, Pilgrim and DFerg, all of whom are great talents and he would have had Bledsoe by now. BCG also did a great job with getting PPat here.
April 29th, 2009 at 1:00 am
11 - he also would have entered next season without Meeks, Miller, Patterson, and Liggins … maybe more. Right direction?
April 29th, 2009 at 1:03 am
11 are you Billy Gillspie???
April 29th, 2009 at 1:55 am
BIRMINGHAM, AL - CBS42 has learned that Parker standout guard Eric Bledsoe is set to visit the Memphis campus on Thursday.
Bledsoe is a 5-star point guard according to Rivals.com. He has interest in Florida, Alabama, Cincinnati and Kentucky according to that website.
Ex-Memphis head coach and current Kentucky coach John Calipari is also in hot pursuit of Bledsoe. Josh Pastner, Calipari’s replacement at Memphis, is said to have heated up the pursuit of Bledsoe in recent weeks. He was one of Bledsoe’s main recruiters before Calipari left to Lexington.
Bledsoe won the Class 5A Player of the Year award for the state of Alabama and led his Thundering Herd team to the finals of the state playoffs.
April 29th, 2009 at 2:17 am
Small part of an article: Simply Put–Your welcome Brucie!
Cause: John Calipari goes from Memphis to Kentucky as basketball coach, Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl is rumored at the top of the U of M shopping list.
Effect: Pearl gets a renegotiated six-year deal, with thickened wallets for him and his staff.
Conclusion: “I called Cal a couple of weeks after it happened and said, ‘Listen, me and my staff just want to thank you because you helped us get a nice raise,’ ” said Pearl on Tuesday, who was in Memphis along with new Vols’ football coach Lane Kiffin as part of the annual Big Orange Caravan spring tour stop at the Hilton.”
Ironically, Pearl said no one involved from the U of M in charge of the Memphis coaching search contacted him directly or indirectly through his agent.
But what if they would have? Would he have entered into contract negotiations on the vacancy that eventually went to Josh Pastner on April 6?
“I would not, out of respect for Tennessee,” Pearl said. “That just wasn’t an option for me. Memphis is a rival, a competitor, a team on our schedule.
“I think everybody knew what could have been, but I think we (Pearl and Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton working on a contract extension) moved as quickly as possible so it never was.”
April 29th, 2009 at 2:29 am
15. Pearl is a tool after two/three years of getting waxed by Calipari he will be looking for another mid-major job…coed…
April 29th, 2009 at 4:13 am
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=419565&op=1&o=global&view=global &subj=1493615363&id=1190677424#/video/video.php?v=77876545458&ref=mf
Patrick Patterson and AJ Stewart singing R&B…hopefully NBA scouts would look at this and tell Patrick to go back to school.
April 29th, 2009 at 6:35 am
Wow Jerry Tipton, oh I mean Matt,
I think Patterson was more up in the air about UK but Gillispie sealed the deal. The only credit Tubby deserves is getting Patrick to put UK on his long list. Calipari cleaned the UK recruiting slate, as far as giving Gillispie credit, yes he should get a nod for Hood and Orton. Orton was basically a redo and Bledsoe fits into a total redo category as UF was in the lead before. Tubby deserves credit for ‘98. Gillispie deserves credit for hard work, but he also gets credit for overworking players in practice plus embarassing losses. Calipari has yet to Coach a game, but as for comparing Coaches, so far he is miles ahead of what we had.
Why is the site leaning towards criticism of our new Coach? That’s the theme of the week!
April 29th, 2009 at 6:38 am
John Wall - at it again.
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/story/1505636.html
Decision by Friday —– No favorite —— list to be trimmed to four ——- hasn’t heard from NC ——— more updates in the year 2024.
Stay tuned.
April 29th, 2009 at 7:02 am
Cheers BCG!
April 29th, 2009 at 7:17 am
What did Rondo’s five fingers say to Miller’s face?
April 29th, 2009 at 7:28 am
We knew when BCG was coming in that he was a good recruiter. WE KNEW THAT. What we did not know was how big of a jackass he is to his players, the media, and the fans (unless it is at 2 keys…). Barnhart and Todd deserve some serious street cred for kicking Billy to the curb. So while BCG may have possibly recruited Bledsoe some, I REFUSE to give him any acknowledgement of a job well done. May seem over zealous, I know, but he really was running the program into the ground and tarnishing UK.
April 29th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Today I’m gonna dream like it’s 1996 again.
April 29th, 2009 at 7:48 am
[...] Once again, Kentucky Sports Radio has talked to “someone very close to the program,” this time on Eric Bledsoe. [...]
April 29th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Is anybody else gonna Dream like their 12yrs. old again?
April 29th, 2009 at 7:51 am
19] Thanks for the update. I think he will likely make an abrupt decision at some point that will catch everyone off guard after all of this procastinating.
April 29th, 2009 at 8:04 am
So, what exactly are/were the rumblings about Bledsoe’s status with UK?
April 29th, 2009 at 8:38 am
I wouldn`t worry about Bledsoe qualifying. Everyone was worried that Liggins wouldn`t qualify and he made it. I just hope we can get Bledsoe then maybe i`ll worry about the other stuff
April 29th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Got an email from today from my buddy in the UK AD dept saying that
there should be a lot of UK basketball news start coming out very soon,
be prepared it is going to be a crazy ride with Calipari. Rumors should
start really coming out today from people with inside sources.
any predictions what is the first news we will get?
April 29th, 2009 at 8:45 am
29 New assistant Coach? I hope we get something good to talk about soon.
April 29th, 2009 at 8:46 am
I thinking Meeks might go ahead and announce he is coming back and
then the pieces start to fall into place
April 29th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Matt, sorry to burst your bubble, but your sources are WAY off base on this one.
April 29th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Wall is saying that he will narrow his list of schools from eight to three or four by friday. Wall says that his mom is ready for him to decide on a school.
I would think that if his mom is ready for him to make a decision then it wont be much longer.
Wall says that he still has not heard anymore from Carolina since he spoke with Coach Williams in Detroit.
So maybe we will get some good news very soon
April 29th, 2009 at 8:52 am
I am all for getting the best players possible for UK–one and done players, ones who barely qualify–because I love UK and want to do anything possible within the rules to win. However, I have to hold my nose sometimes. I am a university administrator and take education very seriously, so I find it hard to advocate for players who don’t care in the least about school, or have difficulty showing basic proficiency on the SAT (which isn’t asking much), to come to my alma mater. I realize that big-time collegiate athletics is hardly about academics anymore, but the discrepancy between the university’s stated goals, and what compromises get made for football and basketball, make me a bit queasy.
April 29th, 2009 at 8:52 am
#33 that would be great, I hope your right
April 29th, 2009 at 8:54 am
The best case scenario will happen for the CATS…PP/JM come back and then the ultimate prima donna next to TO will commit the following day…..He needs to have his own day, LOL.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:01 am
I’m still committed in saying that both Meeks and Patterson will pull their names out of the draft this week, praying that they will and John Wall and Bledsoe both make a committment on Friday and then the Big Blue Nation can have one HELL of a DERBY PARTY>>>>>>
April 29th, 2009 at 9:04 am
34) I agree with you 100 percent. Most of the one and done players are only going to do the bare minimum to stay eligible….and that’s only for the first semester. They will then tank the second semester and stop going to class after the season is over.
I don’t know if UK has this, but might not be a bad idea to start especially since it looks like we are going to get at least 1 or 2 one year players from here on out. Taylor a one year curriculum that stresses the importance of the different life skills that these young men will be facing. Most of them have been catered to by advisors, hangerons and the entorage since they were deemed the next greatest. Teach them to look at certain things objectively to make good sound decisions.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:06 am
[...] Once again, Kentucky Sports Radio has talked to “someone very close to the program,” this time on Eric Bledsoe. [...]
April 29th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Billy Clyde has some thoughts on how he’d have used Rondo in his offense!
http://twitter.com/hobodrunk
April 29th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Why on earth does Wall have Kansas listed as a school of interest? Self himself came out and said they were done recruiting. In all honesty, I’m beginning to hate Kansas with the same fervor as Duke and UNC….maybe more. While I believe we have a reasonable shot at landing Wall, I also believe the situation is not as it appears. Hear me out. Ol Roy contacted Wall back during the final four to spark some interest at a critical point then disappeared. In my opinion, Roy went flip mode on Wall. Meaning he knew Wall grew up a Tarheel fan so he knew the interest was there. So he decides to show interest to build curiousity and plant the idea in Wall’s head. Wall maybe playing other schools having them hang on his every word, but it is just the opposite with UNC. He even mentions it in his interviews. I correlate this to the fine looking woman all the guys drool over. While most fellas treat her like a goddess, the one bad boy who plays the whatever card draws her attention. It’s all about the challenge….because deep down we usually want/desire what we can’t have. This is my conspiracy theory. More later on the JFK assasination, UFO’s, and Bigfoot.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:13 am
Question…What is Coach Cal’s twitter page?
April 29th, 2009 at 9:15 am
42 - UKCoachCalipari
April 29th, 2009 at 9:19 am
41] I think you may be onto something. I’ve noticed the same thing concerning Wall and UNC. I don’t think he’s coming to UK even though that would be his logiical choice with Coach Cal, the DDMO,publicity and all of the rest. It’s becoming clear that he may not be the brightest bulb in the pack IMO.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:22 am
41 - if you look closer you will notice that Wall went “back and to the left…back and to the left…back and to the left” therefore there had to be another shooter.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:23 am
#34
While I understand your point of view, and agree with some of it, the overall message you’re sending, I couldn’t disagree with more. Isn’t an institution of higher learning supposted to prepare these kids for the workforce in their chosen professions? If there is a high caliber athlete at your school, why should he/she be held back from achieving their dreams simply because they haven’t spent enough money or time to complete degree work that isn’t even going to benefit them any once they make their millions in their respective sports? I realize that most athletes will never play professionally, and those that won’t should use their athletic programs to finance their education and work hard to complete their degrees. But even those athletes who will be fortunate enough to play professionally, DO have a place in your college culture/campus life. Institutions of higher learning are also supposted to teach students just how diverse this world is. Schollary students do have some life lessons to learn from poorly educated athletes.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Cal Twitter: Eating with J. Craft and then having individual player meetings.
Roster news by end of day?
April 29th, 2009 at 9:35 am
Tom Crean has thrown in the towel on trying to out do Cal’s Twitter following. No one can beat the Big Blue Mist regardless of the competition.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:37 am
But Crean is talkin b’ball smack now since he, “expects to get the win”…
TomCrean: I dont know if we can beat Coach Cal in the twitter battle but we expect to get the win in December in ASSEMBLY HALL!
April 29th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Raleigh News Flash: John Wall collects first Social Security Check..cuts list of prospective colleges to 10.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:43 am
John Wall Update!
He’s thinking of changing high schools!
April 29th, 2009 at 9:45 am
MM said bledsoe got 17 on act.If that is true he would be able to play next year more than likely but we know that we can’t alwats trust MM sources. If he was having big problems with maling it I don’t think he would get a 17. If he didit would be flagged.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Think about going to Blockbuster with him…….four hours later, what do you want me to watch?
April 29th, 2009 at 9:47 am
#46 - Some good points. The NCAA, IMO, is a monopoly and a higher education farce. Why should someone who has NO interest in pursuing further education, and has EVERY intention of going professional in their chosen sport be forced to go to school for ANY amout of time. It is ludicrous! Look at Europe; anyone who wants to go pro in soccer or any other sport does not have to go to school to do it. The enroll in a club and can focus on developing their gift and the club supplements their education. The NCAA is a cash cow that WILL NOPT let go of their death grip on the revenue these young men and women generate for them. COMPLETE GARBAGE.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:51 am
J. Wall is making me weary..just decide one way or the other..don’t care what the decision is (right)..JUST GET IT OVER WITH AND DECIDE!
April 29th, 2009 at 9:53 am
54 - I think it is a learning experience for these kids, even if it is just for 1 year. They interact with other college students, live on their own in a safe (most colleges) environment, have structured schedules….college is not just about education, it is also about maturing into an adult. And for some kids it takes that one year in college to mature into an adult.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:53 am
55 - get over YOURSELF. Patterson strung it out FAR longer and there was a LOT more drama involved. My how some have such a short memory.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:59 am
57. Okay..I’m over myself now and frankly over you too..have a nice day!
April 29th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Guys be patient you arn’t in Walls shoes and never will be so we have to be patient with him if he comes great if not oh well and move on we have COACH CAL!! GO CATS!!!!!
… and can any one update me on Coach Cals twitter page, im at school and they block everything from youtube to barney
April 29th, 2009 at 10:05 am
60. Actually we were saying the same thing..I just didn’t articulate it very well. I am weary of the process that J. Wall is putting all fans through (not just UK fans). I’m more ready to move on to more productive things rather than a 19-yo’s ego trip.
April 29th, 2009 at 10:07 am
The problem with Wall is that he still says he has 8 schools but everyone knows that Kansas is not recruiting him and the only reason he mentions Baylor is because of the aau coach. He even said that he wasn’t interested in Miami till he made the visit. He will name 20 schools that he knows he probably has no interested in but says he won’t be going to NC and they have a good chance of getting him if they show even a little interest in him.
April 29th, 2009 at 10:08 am
There is a difference between him and PP.
April 29th, 2009 at 10:13 am
63. I agree..as I recall PP didn’t try to “play” the media as much. He was just silent while he was making up his mind..I respect that approach.
April 29th, 2009 at 10:24 am
In all honesty, it may not be J. Walls fault totally. If he is going about his business of trying to choose a school and the local media keeps hounding him for information, I can see where he might get a little annoyed and just try to put them off. Since I have no idea what the “real” situation is..I’ll try not to be so anxious…take your time young man! Make the right choice..be a CAT.
April 29th, 2009 at 10:42 am
#46, Thanks for the thoughtful comments. I don’t have any problem with athletes, from poor educational backgrounds or otherwise, coming to college. My problem is with athletes who would not come to college otherwise coming to college simply to play athletics. Often, these athletes are admitted at standards far below the regular admission standards of the university (it happens at Duke as much as it happens at UK). The NCAA’s SAT eligibility standards is far below most competitive universities’ admission standards. Universities are not places where everyone “achieves their dreams.” They are schools where people learn and work to graduate. Having a group of students who would not normally be admitted come to the institution with no intention of doing what the other students are doing to graduate is not in the spirit of a university education.
Some revenue-sport athletes do graduate and have the university change their lives, which is great. But the athletes that do not want an education shouldn’t have to go to a university to play a sport. Let them go pro.
Again, I am enough of a realist to know the importance of athletics to the university, so I am all for doing what is allowed to win–just the academic side of me isn’t always happy about it.
April 29th, 2009 at 10:43 am
65- LOL, are you arguing with yourself now? lol, I like it, keep going.
April 29th, 2009 at 10:47 am
67. Just trying to keep perspective..laughing at myself..
April 29th, 2009 at 10:48 am
A little Ying/Yang never hurt anybody..
April 29th, 2009 at 11:28 am
#40 That’s worth repeating. I was lmao at those tweets!
Mr. Obvious Says:
April 29th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Billy Clyde has some thoughts on how he’d have used Rondo in his offense!
http://twitter.com/hobodrunk
April 29th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Who cares what they do in Europe? Do we need to start driving on the wrong side of the road as well?