John Clay's Sidelines

Big Blue Links for Friday:

In case you missed it, Michael Marot of AP on Bob Knight knocking John Calipari: “‘We’ve gotten into this situation where integrity is really lacking and that’s why I’m glad I’m not coaching,’ he said. ‘You see we’ve got a coach at Kentucky (John Calipari), who put two schools on probation and he’s still coaching. I really don’t understand that.’”

Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger on Knight’s cheap shot: “There was a time when I had some respect for then Indiana coach Bob Knight, but not now.”

USA Today asks if Knight is really a good messenger: “Many people will applaud Knight for his honesty both during his career and in his assessment of the game’s present state. During the speech the Hall of Famer also criticized the NCAA and players who don’t attend class. But there are others who feel that Knight cheap-shoted Calipari and that the problems at Memphis and Massachusetts should not all be laid at his door.”

Kentucky Sports Radio on Bob’s blast: “Interestingly enough, his point regarding the questionable integrity of college basketball could have been better made had he said the last two national champions were a team on probation (Kansas) and a coach (Roy Williams) partially responsible for them being there. But, Calipari continues to be a convenient scapegoat a la BTI.”

Jerry Meyer of Rivals thinks UK could land the top three recruits in 2011: “Actually, the chances are pretty good. Mike Gilchrist, Marquis Teague and Quincy Miller all have strong interest in Kentucky.”

Jennifer Smith of the H-L reports on an LSU transfer ready to make her debut with UK women: ” For an entire season, Crystal Riley has sat at the end of the Kentucky bench watching the coach walk past her, knowing that he’ll never call her name to go into the game. Riley was sitting out because of NCAA transfer rules after leaving Louisiana State midway through last season. The point guard’s wait ends Sunday against Louisville.”

Crystal Riley

Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches also writes on Crystal Riley: “Riley bided her time, riding the pine for UK’s first nine games of the season, practicing with the Cats as part of the scout team and anxiously waiting her chance to help UK, especially during a tough late-season stretch when the Cats were down to one point guard and could have desperately used the PG’s services.”

UK women’s coach Matthew Mitchell will be on SportsFirst Online live at 9 a.m.

Kevin Travis of the Washington Daily News reports on 2010 UK target Chris Hill: “The 6-foot-8 wing is getting some big-time looks from some big-time schools. Hill said he would love to play for the University of Connecticut, because his favorite player is former UConn great and current Memphis Grizzlies’ star, Rudy Gay. Other top choices are Arizona, Kentucky and West Virginia, while Hill said he’s also looking at Memphis, Maryland and Duke.” (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)

Inner Circle says UK fans should watch out for impostors: “When Kentucky continues to win and gain more national media attention, you will see that there will be more people singing the praises of the Wildcats. Don’t be fooled by these individuals who come across as true blue Cat fans. They are not. You might even see them posting on your local message board. They may even talk about how great Coach Calipari is. If you dig deep enough, you will notice that these same people criticized him over his ‘shady’ past.”

A Sea of Blue on embracing the hate: “I have to admit, I used to really loathe Doyel, but over the past couple of years, he has grown on me. I can’t really put my finger on it, he really hasn’t been that much different — maybe I’m just getting less sensitive to sarcasm in my old age and learning to appreciate it more. Embracing the hate, as it were.”

Wildcat-Den says post-season play a plus for football Cats: “It gives the younger players more time to work on fundamentals not only for the here and now, but for the future. Kentucky coach Rich Brooks likes the idea of workouts during the holidays. Three years ago when the Wildcats took on Clemson at LP Field in Nashville, Kentucky fans packed the house and supported the Wildcats in their win over Clemson, the first step of gaining experience playing in the postseason.”

Straitpinkie on the John Wall experience: “My off the wall theory about John Calipari taking over the John Wall/LeBron James-led New Jersey Nets has gotten a fair amount of attention in the last day. It was talked about all day on the Cats Pause and a few other message boards, including the Memphis Roar, where it was met with hysterical laughter by Tiger fans.”

Bluegrass State Basketball has the rundown on UK recruits at a weekend classic.

Wildcat Blue Blog dips into the Calipari one-and-done talk: “According to a show in Ohio called “All Bets are off”, they were talking about the possibility of Cleveland Cav coach Mike Brown being let go in the offseason in an attempt to keep LeBron James happy. The host of the show, Bruce Dennan, said he knew through Cleveland insiders that the Cavs will make a legitimate run at Calipari in an attempt to capitalize of Cal’s and LeBron’s friendship and keep LeBron in town.”