(AP Photo/James Crisp)
Big Blue Links for Thursday:
College Football News praises Rich Brooks: ” Kentucky’s Rich Brooks has been named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year by CollegeFootballNews.com. Brooks, in his seventh season at UK, led the Wildcats to a 7-5 record and a fourth consecutive bowl game for the first time in school history.”
ESPN’s Scoop Jackson on John Wall: “If he had a nickname, it would be “The Biz.” He gives opponents the business; he handles his business. Not Biz Markie, but mark thee as the best N.C. has seen since CP3; Jason Kidd size and speed, EBC imagination.”
Dick Vitale on Calipari and Rupp: “At 10-0, Calipari has matched Adolph Rupp for the best start by a first-year Wildcats coach. With a favorable schedule ahead (Austin Peay, Drexel, Long Beach State and Hartford), it looks like Calipari will be 14-0 heading into a showdown against Rick Pitino and his Louisville Cardinals. Rupp Arena will be electric!! Pitno is sharp as ever — Cardinal fans should not panic as they must get healthy.”
Bluegrass State Basketball reports on Josh Selby: “Josh Selby, a superstar 2010 point guard, has added the Wildcats to his list of potential college destinations. Unfortunately for Kentucky fans, he has added another set of Wildcats – the Arizona Wildcats.”
Jamal Mashburn will help broadcast UK-Drexel: “f the Wildcats win Saturday against Austin Peay, the Drexel game would be the program’s first attempt to become the first college basketball program to win 2,000 games.”
Inner Circle on the Mashburn return: “Mashburn, as most of you know, is my all-time favorite Kentucky Wildcat. He was the kind of guy that could do anything on the court. He bled blue through and through. I think he was the recruit that helped save UK basketball from the brink of probation decimation. I’ll even go a step further, I think he is the greatest UK player in the last 25 years.”
Andy Katz talks to Calipari about UK’s break: “But Calipari said the Wildcats continue to look for him to lead. He said during the Indiana game last Saturday the younger players were constantly looking to the bench for affirmation.”
Tom Leach thinks John Wall could make history: “The Wooden Award was established in 1977, the Naismith Award in 1969 and the Adolph Rupp Award in 1972. And the Associated Press has been picking a college basketball player-of-the-year since 1961. The one thing all four of those awards have in common is that none of them has been won by a Kentucky Wildcat, but Wall is certainly a leading candidate to claim one of more of those prizes at the end of this season.”
Jody Demling of the C-J reports on an injury to a UK football commitment: “University of Kentucky football commitment Justin Henderson of Bamberg (S.C.) Ehrhardt suffered a concussion and now won’t be able to participate in the Shrine Bowl.”
Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger on DeAndre Liggins: “But there’s something else I want to see over the next three games — what happens with DeAndre Liggins.”
Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches on UK’s A’dai Mathies: “It appears Mathies knew best. While Louisville isn’t on a slide, it has lost three games to start the season. Meanwhile, Mathies’ college choice is off and rolling to a 9-0 start, one win short of setting the school’s best start to a season.”
Jonathan Lintner thinks UK and Syracuse deserve some love: “The Wildcats have debatably the best player in the country in Wall and one of the best post-up players in the NCAA in Patrick Patterson. Kentucky has already beaten two ranked opponents (you hear that, Kansas?), and look to have at least five games left against Top 25 teams. Plus they’re only going to get better as three freshman starters grow into their new roles.” (Hat tip Spam’s Wildcat Page.)
Wildcat-Den looks back at past 10 years of UK basketball: “Although the Wildcats didn’t reach the Final Four in the first decade of this new century, they had two teams worthy of remembering.”
Kentucky Sports Radio is looking ahead to UK-U of L: “You should see the list of media coming for the Louisville game. I am sure in the past there have been more star-studded media affairs, but even with the ones I know so far, it is going to be a who’s who of sports media folks. And Alan Cutler will be there too…so it will be special.”
Wildcat Blue Blog on the UK record books: “Even though the season is just 10 games old, John Calipari and his third ranked Cats are making their mark on the UK record book. With a win on Saturday, John Calipari will have the best record of any first year coach at UK, eclipsing Adolph Rupp’s 10-0 start in 1930-31. UK is also off to their best start since 1992-1993. If UK can win their next two games, not only will they get that 2000th win, but they will be off to their best start since Joe B Hall in 1983-84.”
Wildcat Wrap on Brooks’ award: “Michigan was 5-7 with a true freshman quarterback, Southern Cal was 8-4, and Kentucky played a tougher schedule than each of those teams and faced more injuries, but managed to be 5-2 with road wins over Auburn and Georgia, despite starting a third sting Freshman Quarterback and numerous other injuries throughout the season.”
I think it is absolutely wonderful to get Jamal Mashburn involved with the program again in a direct fashion. I was in school at the same time as Mashburn and he was all class then and continues to be now. Patrick Patterson is the current Jamal Mashburn and I would love for him to be heavily involved with the program after a long and successful NBA career as well. Jamal and Patrick are both athletes that any university would be proud to have. These are the types of people that the NCAA should promote as the face of collegiate athletics everywhere. This year’s team seems blessed with a lot of really good kids but even amongst great people guys like Jamal and Patrick stand out.
One of the greatest things about the UK program is that these guys will always be welcome in Lexington. Even though I haven’t lived in KY in 15 years I have that sentiment as well and would gladly go out of my way to support these guys. They have “friends” everywhere.