John Clay's Sidelines

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

• Wildcat Blue Blog on UK’s interest in a pair of 7-footers from India.

• The Yahoo Sports story on brothers Sim and Tanveer Bhullar, 7-footers who are now playing in Pennsylvania.

• John Calipari could be in the picture with Cleveland, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.

• Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader on slight improvement for UK basketball team’s GPA over spring semester.

• Boston Herald says Rajon Rondo and Celtics want to reverse the Sports Illustrated cover curse.

• Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal also writes on the UK grade point average for basketball, which was well below the average for the school’s other sports.

• WLEX-TV on John Calipari’s mother battling cancer.

• New Jersey may prefer Derrick Favors over DeMarcus Cousins, reports Mark J. Miller of Yahoo Sports. (Hat tip Bluegrass State Basketball.)

• Nation of Blue on President Obama praising John Wall when asked about the Wizards.

• D.C. Sports Bog also talks the president and John Wall.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Kentucky interested in twin 7-footers from India’

SEC links for Wednesday:

• Ole Miss trying to regroup for SEC Baseball Tournament, reports David Brandt of the Clarion-Ledger.

• Edward Aschoff of the Gainesville Sun previews Florida for the SEC Baseball tourney.

• David Jones of Florida Today profiles Gators pitcher Brian Johnson.

• LSU looking for a fresh start in Hoover, writes Randy Rosetta in The Advocate.

• Evan Woodbery of the Mobile Press-Register writes on Auburn pitcher Cory Luckie.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: League baseball tournament starts today’

By any academic standard, UK’s boast that it’s its grade point average for men’s basketball improved for the spring semester brings up the old line saying some people will brag about anything.

Last fall, the GPA for men’s basketball was an embarrassingly low 2.025, worst of the 20 team sports at the school.

Today, UK released a story on its Cat Scratches blog lauding its overall student-athlete GPA of 3.04 for the just-completed spring semester — commendable, to be sure — but also saying that the GPA for men’s basketball improved without giving the actual number.

Meanwhile, head coach John Calipari’s web site reported that the GPA was 2.18, and Cal sent out the following tweet:

A GPA just under 2.2 is not what we hoped for. But for the most part, every player improved from the fall semester and most finished strong.

Yes, Kentucky had four of its basketball freshmen enter the NBA draft, which no doubt hurt the overall GPA. But I doubt that the NCAA and its APR cares all that much about those excuses. If this continues, the school could find itself in some scholarship trouble down the road, not to mention that adverse publicity it brings to a school that has made a top 20 ranking its public goal.

Yes, 2.18 is an improvement over 2.025. But any math professor would tell you, not by much.

Big Blue Links for Tuesday:

• Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer thinks that John Calipari is on Cleveland’s coaching list.

• Jay Mariotti chimes in on the LeBron madness in Cleveland, with connection to Calipari.

• Odds of Calipari being next Cleveland coach are 9/4, tweets CNBC’s Darren Rovell.

• Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader reports that Calipari is tweaking the schedule for Terrence Jones.

• Coast 2 Coast Recruiting has transcript of Calipari interview in which he says Jones re-started recruiting process with Kentucky.

• Kenny Payne on the verge of taking Kentucky assistant’s job, writes John Hunt of the Oregonian.

• Mike Freeman of CBS Sports writes that Rajon Rondo was once uncoachable. (Hat tip to Walter’s Wildcat World.)

• Kent Spencer of WTVQ on Jodie Meeks’ return to school at UK.

Continue reading ‘BBL: CNBC places Calipari to Cavs odds at 9/4′

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Gentry Estes of the Mobile Press-Register reports that Justin Knox is transferring to North Carolina.

• Ken Tysiac of the Raleigh News and Observer on Knox joining the Tar Heels.

• Billy Donovan says Florida will face challenge of high expectations next season, reports Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.

• David Jones of Florida Today reports that one Gators basketball player is leaving, another is being moved to walk-on.

• Florida wins the SEC’s All-Sports title, reports Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun. (UK was ninth.)

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Justin Knox transferring to North Carolina’

Kenny Payne

Big Blue Links for Monday:

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports on Kenny Payne’s visit to Kentucky:

A move by Payne to Kentucky would come as no surprise given that he’s a close friend of William “Worldwide Wes” Wesley, the basketball powerbroker with longstanding ties to Calipari. It’s also worth noting that Payne has spent years recruiting McDonald’s All-American Terrence Jones, a Portland native who committed to Kentucky last week. Multiple sources told CBSSports.com that Payne’s probable presence at Kentucky was a factor, though not the determining factor, in helping Calipari lure Jones away from Washington, where he publicly committed last month before waffling in the wake of a phone call with Calipari.

Myron Medcalf of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that Tubby Smith is ready to take the stand:

Jurors will hear directly from the Gophers men’s basketball coach Monday when he takes the stand to offer his view of what happened the night in 2007 when Williams claims Smith called him and offered him a $200,000-a-year assistant position on the Gophers staff.

(Hat tip to Bluegrass State Basketball.)

Mike Fields of the Herald-Leader on a former UK golfer winning the ADI Classic:

Mark Blakefield calls Maysville home, but the former University of Kentucky golfer ought to consider opening a bank account in Georgetown. On Sunday, Blakefield won the Hooters Tour’s ADI Classic at Cherry Blossom Golf Club for the second time in three years and pocketed another $30,000.

In his Sunday notebook, Jerry Tipton writes that job rumors are part of the Calipari package:

The reader saw a method to his madness, a “beauty” to this “annual rite.” Calipari keeps himself and his program in the media’s crosshairs and, more importantly, in the minds of fans and, even more importantly, in the minds of recruits. Speculation that Calipari might leave for some high-profile job elevates him and his program in the eyes of every high school five-star recruit.

Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Pistons may trade up to get DeMarcus Cousins:

The thinking is that Cousins can be had if the Pistons can move into the No. 4-5 range (currently occupied by the Timberwolves and Kings). Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars has said several times that all options are open. Pistons officials get excited about Cousins because he’s a legitimate center and would give sorely needed balance to the perimeter-oriented roster.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Kenny Payne visits UK about staff opening’

Mike Slive

SEC links for Monday:

• Former Tennessee star Tyler Smith said threat to son caused him to buy gun, reports Bryan Mullen of the Tennessean.

• SEC Tournament baseball teams will be on the clock, reports Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger.

• Veazey also reports that TV deal helped commissioner Mike Slive earn $1 million bonus.

• Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News writes that if elected Auburn should serve as 2004 football champs.

• Mike Strange of the Knoxville News-Sentinel reports on Tennessee men’s tennis team reaching NCAA semifinals.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Tyler Smith says he had reason for buying gun’

(AP photo)

Big Blue Links for Saturday:

Mike Herndon of the Mobile Press-Register reports that Tee Martin says he likes working for Joker Phillips:

Now he’s excited about working for Phillips, whom Martin describes as energetic and full of new ideas.

“He doesn’t have a head-coaching complex,” Martin said. “His door is always open. He has new ideas, he’s fresh and he listens.

“It’s something that’s started to permeate our program already.”

Mike Strong of the Times-Picayune on New Orleans quarterback committing to UK:

Cobbins, 6 feet 2, 195 pounds, with 4.44 speed in the 40-yard dash, delivered his commitment to Kentucky Coach Joker Phillips via telephone Wednesday, the day before the Roneagles concluded spring practice with a scrimmage at South Lafourche, Cobbins and McDonogh 35 Coach Wayne Reese said Friday.

Jerry Tipton of Herald-Leader was in Chicago for a Q&A with DeMarcus Cousins:

Question: You came to UK with the reputation as a player who needed to control his emotions. You had five technical fouls and were involved in several other incidents in which referees checked the sideline monitor to determine what, if any, punishment should be imposed. How do you feel having your maturity questioned?

Answer: It doesn’t bug me at all because I expect it. That’s been the big question all year. That’s the main question I’m looking for. I want them to ask me so I can tell them the truth.

Q: What is the truth?

A: I’m not that type of person. … I’m still a work in progress.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Tee Martin happy to be working for Joker Phillips’

SEC links for Saturday:

• Gary Laney of The Advocate reports that LSU basketball player Bo Spencer is academically ineligible for fall.

• Florida wins the SEC baseball crown with win over South Carolina, reports Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.

• The Sun reports that former Gator star Brett Nelson has left UCF to join John Pelphrey at Arkansas.

• Charles Goldberg of the Birmingham News reports on Auburn’s 18-4 win over Ole Miss to take the SEC West.

• John Pennington of Mr. SEC says league denies report it held expansion meetings with CBS.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: LSU’s Bo Spencer academically ineligible’

Big Blue Links for Friday:

Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times says Terrence Jones showed his immaturity:

But Terrence, you screwed up and you no longer can hide behind the excuse that you’re only 18 and just a kid. It’s time to start acting like a grown-up.

You jacked around a lot of people for a long time. You played an immature shell game with those six college hats you placed in front of you at the news conference you held at your high school last month.

Judging by your recent tweets, you still don’t understand the idea of a commitment. But let me tell you, when you picked up that black Washington cap at that charade of a news conference, you made a commitment.

John Canzano of the Oregonian questions Kentucky’s recruitment of Terrence Jones:

I’m not buying that Jones was motivated solely by the idea of a bigger national stage at Kentucky. Or the idea that the Wildcats are a better fit for his style of play. And I certainly wonder about the people who surround Jones today, including his summer coaches, because they feel a lot like a pack of guys sucked into the jet stream of grandeur they found drafting behind the kid.

We’re being told the chapter on Jones recruitment is closed. Nothing more to say. Nothing more to see. Move along, right? Except, Kentucky coach John Calipari is involved.

Mark Story of the Herald-Leader says that UK basketball 2010-11 has a lot of ifs:

Let us count the Ifs. This week brought reports that the basketball power broker William Wesley – the ubiquitous Worldwide Wes – is working back channels to NBA teams to package free agent LeBron James with UK Coach John Calipari. If this talk proves to be smoke, not fire (which I believe), then you can count on next season’s Kentucky roster to be robust.

Jerry Tipton of the H-L reports that Daniel Orton has not been happy with fan reaction to his decision:

Yet the passion that some fans typically bring to UK basketball led them to insensitivity in Orton’s case. Orton recalled a fan suggesting that he had used the death of his mother the previous year as an excuse for his low productivity.

“Using my mother as an ‘escape-goat,’” Orton said before making sure reporters heard him clearly. “He said, ‘escape-goat,’ not scapegoat.”

Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger reports that Arnett Moultrie could still end up at Mississippi State:

Valentine told us yesterday that UTEP wasn’t going to release Moultrie to Mississippi State – and that he wasn’t sure why, either. Today, he says some things may have changed on that front, which could lead toward a release to State. “Just clearing some things up,” Valentine said.

. . . Of course, there is this: Texas and Kentucky are also in the running for Moultrie’s services, Valentine said.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Pacific Northwest unhappy with Terrence Jones’