John Clay's Sidelines

Big Blue Links for Tuesday:

Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader reports on John Calipari defending his academic record: “In his first meeting with the media since the season-ending loss to West Virginia in the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament, Calipari pointed to his 80 percent graduation rate while the coach at Massachusetts and the fact he graduated 19 of his 23 players at Memphis as proof of his diligence over academics. He also noted he’s brought back players who left school without receiving their degree at every program he’s coached.”

Percy Allen of the Seattle Times on an interview with Terrence Ross, who thinks Terrence Jones is still coming to Washington: “(What do you know about Jones and Calipari?) ‘From what I heard, I’m just saying … Calipari was kind of disappointed … I don’t know why he would do that to a kid, but he’s going to do what he wants to do. I don’t know how it’s going to go. I haven’t talked to him since Saturday afternoon. I don’t know what’s going on with him.’”

Cosby also reports on Calipari saying Bledsoe and Orton are not likely to return: “‘I got another call today from a team that loves Daniel Orton,’ Calipari said Monday during a news conference. ‘That team is going to pick in the middle of the first round. There are teams all over that first round that say we really like the guy.’”

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports thinks DeMarcus Cousins could have problems in the draft: “Which is why I’m concerned about DeMarcus Cousins. He’s a knucklehead. And that’s precisely why he won’t be drafted where his talent suggests he should be drafted. It doesn’t matter that Cousins “never got in trouble while at UK.” He’ll still have issues of some sort in the NBA, guaranteed. I would bet my Super Saver winnings on it because, again, knuckleheads rarely change.”

Scott Coen of The Republican says Cal’s kids refuse to lose, and go to class: “He has also managed to get the old fish eye when it comes to the academic performance of his players. There was a grades issue at UMass on the road to the Final Four. While leading Memphis to the Final Four there were reports that someone other than Derrick Rose took his SAT test.”

Continue reading ‘BBL: Is DeMarcus Cousins a knucklehead?’

SEC links for Tuesday:

Rick Cleveland of the Clarion-Ledger writes that player defections are troublesome new trend: “In all the stories about all these players, one quote jumped out at me like Michael Jordan soaring up for a jump shot. It was this from Romero Osby, who played behind Kodi Augustus and Ravern Johnson at State. Said Osby: ‘It’s just a lot of stuff that was in the way of me being able to showcase what I really can do. It’s no knock on Ravern or Kodi.’”

Seth Emerson of The State on Murphy Holloway’s transfer: “Murphy Holloway was watching ESPN on Monday when he saw an item on the scroll stating he was transferring from Mississippi to Clemson. That caught the Irmo native by surprise.

Tim Tucker of the AJC reports on Georgia quarterback pleading guilty to sexual battery: “Former University of Georgia quarterback Zach Mettenberger pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery stemming from a March 7 incident in a bar in Remerton, Ga., near Valdosta. Mettenberger entered the plea in Lowndes County Superior Court and was sentenced under the Georgia First Offender Act to 12 months probation and 80 hours of community service. He also was fined $2,000 and banished from Valdosta for a year.

Paul Finebaum of the Mobile Press-Register writes that Dan Mullen is the future of college football: “I met him last week in Birmingham while he was schlepping from one end of nowhere to the other, spreading the gospel for Mississippi State. While Auburn coaches were rolling in stretch limousines and luxury buses and Nick Saban was flying in helicopters and lear jets around Dixie, Mullen began the annual “Road Dogs Tour” in a motor home, taking the message to 12 different places.”

Mike Strange of the Knoxville News-Sentinel writes that Bruce Pearl carries Tennessee’s banner high: “Then a football spokesman took the microphone. He praised the direction a new coach would guide the program, but warned there might be rough waters ahead. Finally, the men’s basketball coach took the podium – to a standing ovation.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Transfers becoming a troubling trend’

Big Blue Links for Monday:

Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times knocks John Calipari in the Terrence Jones affair: “But there is a time when a coach should give up. There is a time when the clock has run out and a coach should shake a player’s hand and admit defeat. Take Friday, for instance, when Terrence Jones and his best friend Terrence Ross announced at a joint news conference, held at their Portland high school, they were going to play basketball for Washington. It was a day for celebration. It was their day, nobody else’s.”

Christian Caple of the Washington student Daily on Terrence Jones: “And he still might. Nothing is final or binding until Jones signs a letter, and he has until May 19 to do so. He had narrowed his finalists to UW, Kentucky, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon and UCLA by Friday’s press conference.”

John McGrath of the Olympian on Terrence Jones saga: “As Huskies fans were celebrating – the West Coast’s premier big man, on his way to Montlake – the story took a severe twist: Terrence Jones picked up the Washington cap because, after all, there were all these people in the gym, friends and family members and reporters and spectators drawn to the circus, and he figured he was supposed to choose, well, something. But Jones has yet to fax his signed letter of intent to Washington, as he’s having second thoughts.” (Hat tip Spam’s Wildcat Page.)

Jerry Tipton’s story Sunday about UK’s poor GPA in basketball: “The same Kentucky team that won the Southeastern Conference regular-season and post-season tournament championships had a cumulative grade-point average of 2.025 for the fall semester, according to records obtained by the Herald-Leader through an open records request. That was the worst of nine SEC schools that gave their men’s basketball GPAs to the newspaper.”

John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times says Calipari’s name could surface in Chicago: “It’s doubtful the Bulls will reach down to the college level — unless, of course, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski is interested — but one name to keep an eye on is Kentucky’s John Calipari, who coached Rose at Memphis and has previous NBA experience.” (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)

Continue reading ‘BBL: Seattle columnist knocks Cal over Terrence Jones’

SEC links for Monday:

Tennessean photographer rescues former Vandy football coach: “Longtime Tennessean photographer George Walker IV helped rescue former Vanderbilt football Coach George MacIntyre from his flooded home in Bellevue on Sunday. Walker said that he saw the former coach’s son Matt standing outside the home needing help to move his father, who is bedridden with multiple sclerosis.”

Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger reports on Ole Miss baseball’s sweep of MSU: “The Rebels swept State at Dudy Noble Field for the first time since 1972, which was also the last year in which Ole Miss went to the College World Series. The win moved Ole Miss (33-13, 14-7 SEC) into a tie with Arkansas, which lost Sunday to Auburn, atop the Southeastern Conference Western Division standings.”

Jim Kleinpeter of the Times-Picayune reports on DWI arrest of LSU football center: “Hebert, 21, was arrested between 2:30 and 3 a.m. Saturday. He was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison shortly thereafter and released, according to attorney Nathan Fisher.”

Edward Aschoff of the Gainesville Sun on Florida’s sweep of LSU: “Den Dekker’s wacky first at-bat made for a big afternoon as he finished a perfect 5-for-5 with a season-high four RBIs, propelling the sixth-ranked Gators (31-11, 15-6 SEC) to a 13-6 victory over No. 9 LSU (32-13, 11-10 SEC) Sunday at McKethan Stadium, sweeping the Tigers for the first time since 1996.”

Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel reports that Tennessee basketball is nationally relevant: “Harris, the No. 1-ranked power forward in the nation, plans to enroll at UT for the second semester of summer school. The 6-foot-9 five-star prospect out of Half Hollow Hills West (N.Y.) High School suffered a broken bone in his foot in the McDonald’s All-American game but is expected to make a complete recovery and be ready for fall workouts.”

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Photographer rescues ex-Vandy coach in flood’

SEC links for Sunday:

• Michael Carvell of the AJC reports that Marcus Thornton visited Alabama this weekend.

• Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel writes on Marquette transfer who could make an impact on Tennessee basketball.

• Alabama football is No. 1 with CBS, as well, writes David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

• Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News writes that the Tiger Prowl might be dead, but Auburn recruiting is very much alive.

• Romero Osby is transferring from Mississippi State basketball team, reports Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Marcus Thornton visits Alabama’

Big Blue Links for Saturday:

Percy Allen of the Seattle Times on Jones wavering on his commitment:

Once the interviews and photo-ops were completed, Jones wandered to a far corner where he spoke for several long minutes on a cellphone. A family member said he was breaking the news to Kentucky coach John Calipari, who finished second in the recruiting battle. After the call, Jones huddled privately with his parents while the building emptied. Nearly two hours after the conference began, a few spectators stayed behind hoping to watch Jones sign his letter of intent with Washington until a family member said: “That’s not going to happen today.”

More from Percy Allen’s blog after Jones’ announcement:

Kentucky coach John Calipari called Jones after his announcement and Jones was on the phone for a very long time. About 15 minutes. Reading body language, Jones seemed pained. He told me, “You hurt thousands of people just as much as you make people happy.” Jones’ mother said if he hadn’t chosen Washington, he was going to pick Kentucky.

Seattle Times reports that the are rumors flying that Jones will decommit from Washington:

No that’s not John Calipari on the phone with Terrence Jones. I believe it was KJR-AM, but it’s difficult to know because many folks were handing Jones a cellphone for interviews, asking him to pose for pictures and generally pulling him in several directions. Needless to say, it was a bizarre day. I was going to drive back to Seattle last night and catch the Mariners game or UW Spring Game, but decided to remain in Portland because someone close to Jones said it would be a good idea to stick around today. I assumed that meant another news conference and rumors are flying about a 10 a.m. press conference, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.

Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader on Terrence Jones choosing Washington over UK:

Clark Francis of the Hoop Scoop echoed that sentiment in assessing the loss of two forward prospects: C.J. Leslie to North Carolina State and then Jones. “You’ve gotten everybody you were supposed to get,” Francis said of Kentucky’s recruiting haul since Calipari became coach. “The law of averages catches up to you at some point. Every beautiful girl you want to go out with isn’t going to go out with you. The more important question is what’s Plan B.”

Continue reading ‘BBL: After talking to Cal, is Terrence Jones wavering?’