John Clay’s Sidelines

College basketball on TV this weekend (and if you know of any games I’ve missed, let me know):

Friday, November 21

Saturday, November 22

Sunday, November 23

SEC links for Friday:

• Maurice Patton of the Tennessean reports that a young Vanderbilt basketball team couldn’t finish off Illinois. “Vanderbilt’s youth showed up in a rather unlikely place Thursday night, as free-throw shooting keyed the Commodores’ 69-63 loss to Illinois. The Commodores (1-1) seemed to solve the Illini’s defensive effort, shooting 43.4 percent (23-for-53) from the field, but connected on just 13 of 21 foul shots to end a 20-game Memorial Gym winning streak.”

• Tennessean columnist David Climer writes that the youngest Commodores struggled with consistency. “This is how the game is played when freshmen hit the court. Every possession is an adventure. Vanderbilt’s Commodores will spend much of this season living and learning. With so many new players in so many key roles, there will be serious growing pains.”

• Chip Towers of the AJC writes that Gerogia Tech’s big win over Miami last night should get Georgia’s attention. “Come on now, Georgia fans, you’ve got to admit it — that was an impressive performance by Georgia Tech against Miami last night. Four hundred seventy-two yards rushing, are you kidding me? Two gift TDs for the Hurricanes there at the end, too. In reality it was more like a 48-9 game than 41-23.”

• Robbie Andreu of the Gainesville Sun writes that Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong is making all the right moves. “Last Saturday, Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong won what many might consider a defining chess match. He put Steve Spurrier in checkmate. He outstrategized the legendary offensive playcaller in the Gators’ 56-6 victory over South Carolina. It’s been that kind of year for Strong, who is drawing lots of praise for his game-planning, his playcalling and the way he and his staff have brought together a still relatively young defense.”

• Nate Allen of the Northwest Arkansas Times reports on Arkansas’ win over UC-Davis. “So with a disciplined defense defying its uptempo ways to close the backdoor layups from UC-Davis’Princeton-style offense, Arkansas takes a 68-59 victory and moves on to a couple of tough road games. Saturday night Arkansas opens Missouri State’s new JQH Arena in Springfield and Wednesday night in Mobile visits South Alabama, the school from which second-year Arkansas coach John Pelphrey left to become the Razorbacks’coach.”

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Vandy can’t finish Missouri’

Kelenna Azubuike has jumped into the starting lineup with the Golden State Warriors to the point now that coach Don Nelson is worried about over-extending the former Cat.

• Janny Hu of the San Francisco Chroncile writes on Azubuike’s playing time: “Azubuike entered Tuesday’s game having logged nearly 44 minutes over his past three outings. He is averaging 15.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in 35.9 minutes this season - second only to Stephen Jackson’s league-leading 43.4 mpg.”

• Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News writes about how Brandon Wright has been caught in a squeeze since the insertion of Azubuike into the starting lineup: “The minutes he once owned have been hijacked by swingman Corey Maggette, who was forced out of his small forward position by fellow swingman Kelenna Azubuike, who had to move over to make room for shooting guard Anthony Morrow.”

• Jon Saraceno of USA Today writes about the gems unearthed by Warriors’ GM Chris Mullin: “Three other undrafted Warriors — second-year guard C.J. Watson, rookie guard DeMarcusNelson and rookie swingman Kelenna Azubuike— have all started, although not in unison. Nelson has since been sent to the D-League. A fifth non-draftee, first-year forward Rob Kurz, also has played.”

And here’s a recent video feature on Kelenna from Warriors Weekly:

Or at least it is, as of 6:50 p.m., on my back porch.

Photo by John Clay.

I’m scheduled to be back on WLXG-1300 AM tonight in Lexington at 6:05 with Chris Cross and Mike Cameron.

Turns out I was one of the last guests on Matt Jones and Jody Demling’s show on 93.9 The Ticket in Louisville. If you haven’t heard by now, the station made a format change, canceling all its sports programming. As you might expect, there’s a bit of controversy over the change.

Photo by David Stephenson.

Received an e-mail from Carol about my column today twinning Curtis Pulley with Derrick Jasper:

I finally have an issue I can disagree with you on — Curtis Pulley.  Rather than think wistfully about where the Cats would be if Pulley were here rather than FA&M, I prefer to think about where Pulley would be if Rich Brooks had not taken a stand on questionable conduct.  The lesson would have been loud and clear — you are an acceptable human being because of your football ability, not your strength of character.  Coach Brooks did what he was supposed to do — attempt to build the character of his individual player, even though it might be at the expense of the win-loss column.  That makes Brooks a winner in my estimation.

Actually, the day that Pulley was dismissed I wrote a column praising Brooks. I didn’t mean to imply today that the UK coach should have kept the quarterback on the team. In my estimation, he had no choice but to give Pulley the boot. And credit to Curtis, who has done an excellent job this season at Florida A&M.

In fact, Curtis’ father sent me a link to an Orlando Sentinel story just today about his son. An excerpt:

(Pulley is) the quarterback who’s helping to lead FAMU to its best season in years — and he’s doing it just months after he arrived here with hopes of rebuilding his life. Pulley has passed for more than 1,200 yards, run for more than 700 yards and has accounted for 20 touchdowns. He figures to be a major part of the Rattlers’ offense on Saturday when FAMU plays Bethune-Cookman in the annual Florida Classic at the Citrus Bowl.

Records of UK basketball coaches after 33 games:

Sutton had a terrific first season, inheriting Kenny Walker, Ed Davender, James Blackmon, etc. Team reached the 1986 Elite Eight before losing to LSU before the NCAA changed the bracketing guidelines. Now, thankfully, you usually don’t end up playing someone from your own league until the Final Four, with some exceptions. The LSU loss was a total fluke.

Adolph Rupp was Adolph Rupp.

Tubby Smith won a title his first season — yes, with Rick Pitino’s players.

Joe Hall had a good first season, reaching the regional final, but dipped to 13-13 the next year.

Rick Pitino inherited a total and complete mess, and turned a sow’s ear into a silk purse.

Billy Gillispie went 18-13 his first year, and is off to an 0-2 start his second.

Excerpts from the inbox:

James from Michigan writes:

I agree with coach that Liggins showed his enormous potential, but there was nothing else to celebrate other than the fact that Harris seemed to give 100 percent.  It will take days and many bottles of clorox to remove the smell UK left in North Carolina.  Spring flowers will flourish in Chapel Hill from all of the fertilizer UK left.

. . . Please do not write about Patterson leaving for the NBA after this year.  He is not even close to making the NBA; PTA maybe.  He looked sluggish, missed many opportunities for easy offensive rebounds, did not play with spirit, was not effective on the defensive end, etc.  Unfortunately he appears too small to play 5 in the Bigs, too slow to play 4 and lacks the speed and shooting skills to play 3.  He looked better one year ago than he looked last night.  Maybe he was in a funk because NC’s Player of the Year was out.

Ashley wrote:

I thought (Liggins) stunk! Like Jasper, he never shot the ball once, until 4 seconds remained. Does Billy G. tell our point guards to never shoot the ball? He had some wide open shots! . . . Now as for football…how do we rush for 240 against UGA, then decide NOT to run vs. Vandy?? Whomever is calling the offense has cost us 3 games this season. USC, UGA and VU. UK fans deserve better!! Competent leadership in this dept. is severely lacking and we’re not getting it form WHOMEVER is calling the plays. They are putting R. Cobb is a very uncompromising position as a drop back passer. What a JOKE.

Martin wrote:

I am hugely disappointed this year.  I really thought with the players coming back and his recruits coming in it would be a vastly different team.  I know all the arguments, but it seems that everyone but Kentucky gets players that come in their freshman year and contribute.  and, also, the practices that are supposed to make the difference, and the mistakes in ball handling.  being a born and bred Kentucky fan, I expect a little more than the losses we have had over the past two seasons.  I had no problems with last season, but I didn’t expect to start this season with 2 flops in a row.

Continue reading ‘E-mailbag: UK basketball’

Update: Here’s a post from the Bleacher Report saying that Gillispie will turn the Cats around, if he doesn’t get put on probation first.

Checking out the blogosphere:

• (Someone claiming to be or using the name of or maybe it really is) ex-Cat Bobby Perry gives his opinons on the UK debacle at Kentuckysportsradio.com: “Granted Coach G doesn’t have a solid point guard this year but that is his own fault.  He had a point Guard in Derrick Jasper.  Why did Derrick leave? No one really knows except Derrick but I guarantee with my sack of marbles he didn’t leave because he was homesick.”

• Truzenzuzex at A Sea of Blue puts his analysis to the UNC loss: “Never in recent history has the end of a UK game felt so much like an act of mercy from God.  Congratulations to the North Carolina Tar Heels on an outstanding win, and a complete domination of the Wildcats from start to finish.  I did warn what would happen if we let them get out to a fast start, and alas, we did.”

• Over at the Leach Report, Tom Leach talks to ESPN’s Jay Bilas about Tuesday night’s game. It’s an audio interview.

Continue reading ‘Blogosphere on the UK basketball start’

Ask and you shall receive.

Here are UK’s assist ratios, based on assists per minutes played. In other words, the chart shows the average of how many minutes before the player makes an assist.

Players with 34 or more minutes are included in the chart: