John Clay's Sidelines

Video of Terrence Jones taken by Jerry Tipton today in New York, where top prospects are preparing for the Jordan Classic on Saturday. You can read Jerry’s blog post on Jones here.

From this morning’s press conference:

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

(Miami Herald photo)

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

Jerry Tipton and Ben Roberts of the Herald-Leader on UK’s one-day recruiting haul:

As recruiting analysts saw it, Kentucky sent a message to college basketball on Wednesday. Two messages, actually, when arguably the best prospects in the high school junior and senior classes committed to the Cats. “Sort of a display of strength,” analyst Jerry Meyer of Rivals.com called the commitments by senior point guard Brandon Knight and junior forward Michael Gilchrist.

My column saying UK fans are willing to settle . . . for every top recruit:

Well, Michael Gilchrist is the No. 1 player in the Class of 2011, and Kentucky already has him. Gilchrist made his choice Wednesday, as well. Did it on ESPNU. Knight opened the show by choosing Kentucky. Gilchrist closed it by committing to Kentucky. OK, Cal, so how come no one for 2012 yet? What’s taking so long?

Fabian Lyon of the Miami Herald on the now blue Knight:

On the same stage where he accepted back-to-back national Gatorade Player of the Year trophies, Knight paused for effect in front of a national TV audience and then announced: “The place I plan on playing my basketball career is at the University of Kentucky.”

Ethan J. Skolnick of Ft. Lauderdale’s Sun Sentinel on what UK got in Brandon Knight:

Yet this is what colleges got, if they cared to read it. They got an English Honors III teacher raving about “Brandon’s perfect articulation in reading Shakespeare,” and describing “the stillness of the room as his peers listened in rapt attention” to his “Macbeth” soliloquy. They got an Advanced Placement statistics teacher recalling all the times he would stay for extra help, even it meant missing dinner before a game. They got his college counselor gushing, “A finer Pine Crest student I cannot imagine.”

(Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)

Christy Chirinos of the Sun Sentinel on Knight picking the Cats:

Knight, the highly touted recruit who was twice named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, also considered offers from Connecticut, Florida, Kansas and Syracuse. “I was real comfortable with the situation at Kentucky,” Knight said. “That was my main factor, where I felt I could be comfortable and where I could get better. I felt I could get better at Kentucky.”

Sun Sentinel video of Brandon Knight talking about Kentucky:

Continue reading ‘BBL: Brandon Knight and Michael Gilchrist links roundup’

SEC links for Thursday:

• Former Kentucky commitment K.C. Ross-Miller signs with LSU, reports Gary Laney of The Advocate.

• Matt Sims grew up after leaving Louisville, not a punk anymore, reports Dave Hooker of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

• Mike Griffith of the News-Sentinel reports that Bruce Pearl has been taking some shots at Vanderbilt.

• Having lost out on Brandon Knight and Ray McCallum, Florida turns its attention to other guard prospects, reports Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.

• Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel thinks Knight would have been a good fit with the Gators.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Ex-UK commitment Miller signs with LSU’

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader reports that John Calipari is expecting a big day today:

“I’d be surprised if Brandon Knight doesn’t pick Kentucky,” analyst Jerry Meyer of the Rivals.com recruiting service said Tuesday. That surprise would spread to most people who follow recruiting. On his Lexy.com update Tuesday, UK Coach John Calipari suggested good news could come on the first day of the spring signing period that ends May 19.

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports predicts that Michael Gilchrist will announce for UK today:

The point is that eventually Douglas-Roberts introduced me to a tall kid, just said, “This is my little cousin, Mike.” I quickly realized that the Mike I had just met was the Michael Gilchrist I had just read about, and it doesn’t matter that he and Douglas-Roberts aren’t really cousins. What matters is that Gilchrist was “a part of the family” way back then, which is why it should come as no surprise when the Class of 2011 star formally commits to play for Calipari at a Wednesday afternoon press conference.

Christy Cabrera Chirinos of the Sun Sentinel on Brandon Knight:

For his part, Knight has played it pretty close to the vest when it’s come to the recruiting process. His top five–Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse–have been his favorites for a while. Miami had been in the mix too, but Knight dropped the Hurricanes from consideration in early March. That allowed Syracuse back in the mix.

(Hat tip Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)

Jennifer Smith of the H-L on UK women’s signing day:

Samantha Drake’s signature on Wednesday could mean big things for Kentucky in more ways than one. The 6-foot-3 Nelson County basketball star, who committed to UK in 2007 as a sophomore only to reopen her recruitment this season, ultimately will sign with the Cats, her high school coach said.

Continue reading ‘BBL: It’s all about Brandon Knight and Michael Gilchrist’

SEC links for Wednesday:

• Florida and all its basketball transfers gain the attention of Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.

• Chris Low of espn.com writes that Matt Simms is ready to prove he’s the quarterback at Tennessee.

• Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel reports that Bruce Pearl will be busy in Bristol today.

• David Climer of the Tennessean weighs in on Tennessee trying to sell tickets to the media.

• Gary Laney of The Advocate writes on basketball signing day for LSU.

• Auburn will go 9-3 in football, predicts Paul Finebaum of the Mobile Press-Register.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Florida’s transfers a perception problem’

Post just up from Adam Zagoria’s Zagblog in which Brandon Knight’s high school coach says he has no idea which college the top-rated guard prospect will choose on Wednesday before the ESPNU cameras.

But the most interesting part of the post is this:

The 6-foot-3 Knight is expected to choose from among Kentucky, UConn, Kansas, Florida or Syracuse, but a source said it will likely be either Kentucky or UConn.

The source said if Kentucky was the sure bet everyone believes it to be, “this would’ve been done a long time ago.”

Big Blue Links for Tuesday:

Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader reports that UK football ticket prices are going up:

Single-game tickets will rise from $35 to $41 for games against non-Bowl Championship Series opponents and from $40 to $46 for games against teams from BCS leagues. The board also approved a $50-per-seat increase in the K-Fund contribution that gives fans the right to buy priority seats. Tickets for about 36,000 seats in Commonwealth Stadium require a contribution to the K Fund. In the 2010 season, that contribution will rise to a range of $100 to $525 per seat. The required contribution last season ranged from $50 to $475.

Michael Carvell of the AJC reports that UK has offered a scholarship to Georgia’s Mr. Basketball:

Kentucky coach John Calipari has expressed heavy interest in Thornton, along with representatives from Texas and Florida. There is also speculation that Tennessee, Michigan, LSU and Auburn, among others, will also join the recruiting race. (Note: See Monday night’s updated list at the bottom). “We’re very surprised by all the attention,” said Thornton’s father, Billy. “People told us to anticipate it, but you don’t really know what is going to happen. It has been very overwhelming, and we feel very blessed.”

Mark Wiedmer of the Chattanooga Times Free Press thinks NCAA rule unfair to Patrick Patterson:

And given the questionable rep that has overtaken much of college basketball the past few seasons before last week’s remarkable NCAA tourney final between choir boys Duke and Butler, you’d think the NCAA would be doing everything possible to keep quality young men like Patterson around as long as possible. But if Patterson does the expected over the next 10 days and tests the NBA draft waters for the second year in a row, his college eligibility is over. Fini. Kaput.

Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader on the UK defense needing leadership:

“A lot of cats were looking depressed,” Evans said. “I was on the sideline trying to cheer everybody on because this is something you love to do. It’s not always going to be a happy situation when you mess up on a play or something, but you’re out here doing something you’ve done since a kid, and if you’re not having fun, you’re probably not going to do well. People who are good at things are usually having fun doing them.”

Continue reading ‘Thornton, Jones, Ross, Kanter and more recruiting news’

Justin Hamilton

SEC links for Tuesday:

• LSU basketball picks up 6-foot-11 transfer from Iowa State, Gary Laney of The Advocate reports.

• Jim Kleinpeter of the Times-Picayune has more on Justin Hamilton coming to LSU.

• Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury turns down Clemson, reports Brad Locke of the NE Mississippi Daily Journal.

• Chris Dearing of The State reports that Steve Spurrier is playing a waiting game with Stephen Garcia.

• Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News asks if Auburn should name its new basketball court after Sonny Smith and Joe Ciampi.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: LSU basketball picks up 6-11 transfer’