John Clay's Sidelines

Much speculation that former Minnesota signee Royce White could end up playing for Kentucky sometime in the near future. Here are some things to know about Royce White:

• He’s a 6-foot-7, 210-pound small forward from Hopkins, Minnesota. (Some list him now as being 6-8, 250, but that was not his listing coming out of high school.)

• White was dismissed from DeLaSalle High School in Minnesota for academic misconduct.

• After transferring, he led Hopkins to a Minnesota state title.

• ADDED: White was rated as the No. 2 small forward in the 2009 class, and the No. 19 prospect overall, by Rivals.com.

• White committed to Minnesota and Tubby Smith on April 3, 2008. He later signed with the Gophers.

• On Oct. 13, 2009, White was involved in an incident at a Minneapolis mall after which he faced misdemeanor charges of theft and fifth-degree assault. White allegedly shop-lifted a pair of pants and a shirt totallying $100 and pushed a mall security guard.

• White was suspended indefinitely by the Gophers.

• White admitted to the crime and reached a plea agreement to pay $600 in fines and to remain away from the mall for a year.

• On Nov. 11 of last year, White was investigated for allegedly being involved in the theft of a laptop from a University of Minnesota dorm room. The case was referred to the Minneapolis city attorney’s office for possible charges.

• With White still under investigation, Smith said that the freshman would not play in Gophers’ opener.

• White announced, via YouTube, on Dec. 19 that he was leaving college basketball.

Continue reading ‘Many things to know and consider about Royce White’

Here’s chart with Rajon Rondo’s stats in the NBA Finals, which Rondo’s Boston Celtics lost 4-3 to the Los Angeles Lakers:

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• Minnesota’s Royce White could be Kentucky-bound, writes Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
• Sons of Dirk Minniefield and Rex Chapman are succeeding on the court, writes Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader.
• Rankings rankle some recruits at NBA-sponsored Elite Camp, writes Tipton.
• Some Day 1 notes from the NBA Elite Camp, courtesy of the Courier-Journal’s Jody Demling.
• Michael Gilchrist is trying to get Tony Wroten to Kentucky, writes Adam Gorney of Yahoo Sports. (Hat tip Bluegrass State Basketball.)
• Quincy Miller is keeping his options open, reports Zagsblog.
• Daniel Orton could go as high as No. 10 to the Pacers, writes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
• Randall Cobb is the 14th best football player in the SEC, according to Chris Low of espn.com.
• Video of Darin Minniefield and Zeke Chapman:

Continue reading ‘BBL: Minnesota thinks Royce White is UK-bound’

SEC links for Friday:

• Florida will honor Heisman winners with statues, reports David Jones of Florida Today.
• Billy Donovan made the right call by staying at Florida, writes Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Assessing the state of LSU basketball is Gary Laney of The Advocate.
• South Carolina will pay Navy nearly $1 million for home football game, reports Seth Emerson of The State.
• Tyler Smith returns to Tennessee, reports Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• UT athletic director Mike Hamilton says USC penalties were a gut check, reports Dave Hooker of the News-Sentinel.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Florida’s Heisman winners will get statues’

Congratulations to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s “Packers Blog” which won the EPpy Award for the nation’s best sports blog, as announced Thursday at the Interactive Media Conference in Las Vegas.

This blog was fortunate enough to be one of four finalists in that category, along with the Journal Sentinel’s Brewers Blog and the Christopher L. Gasper’s blog on Boston.com.

We were happy and honored to be a finalist.

John Wall with Ernie Grunfeld (left) and Flip Saunders (right) at his workout in Washington today. (AP photo)

From Michael Lee’s story in the Washington Post on John Wall’s workout for the Washington Wizards today:

But the highlight of Wall’s session with the media was a challenge directed at President Obama for a game of one-on-one and/or horse, preferably at the White House. Wall met the president last year and issued a similar challenge, but Wall said he was politely rebuffed.

“Hopefully I’ll get picked by the Wizards,” Wall said, “and if I do, yeah I want [Obama] to come to the games, but before that, I want to play him in that game of horse. I challenged him to a game of one-on-one and horse, but as the president, I guess he backed down. He didn’t want to play, so I’ll convince him into that first and then invite him to some games.”

Who wins Game 7? Lakers? Celtics? Let’s hear it.

(AP photo)

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• Jacksonville State from the OVC is added to UK’s 2011 football schedule, says a Herald-Leader report.

• More on Jacksonville State’s visit to Commonwealth Stadium, from Al Muskewitz of the Anniston Star.

• John Wall to work out for the Wizards this morning, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post.

• Can Rajon Rondo return strong for Game 7? asks Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal.

• A relaxed Rondo is the key to Boston’s chances, writes Ron Borges of the Boston Herald.

• Rondo upset about Ron Artest’s elbow, writes Chris Forsberg of espn.com.

• Rondo overstates the stitch count, reports RealGM.com.

• Rondo can’t afford to be a missing person, writes Julian Benbow of the Boston Globe.

• Kenny Payne wants to take the next step at Kentucky, reports Rod Walker of the Clarion-Ledger.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Rajon Rondo gets ready for Game 7′

SEC links for Thursday:

• Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma actually talk, reports Dan Fleser of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

• Tennessee basketball is eager to erase memory, writes Mike Strange of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

• Scotty Hopson is getting serious about winning, reports Mike Griffith of the News-Sentinel.

• Georgia’s dream team recruiting pitch is getting a mixed review, reports Michael Carvell of the AJC.

• South Carolina credits its good-luck charm, writes Ron Morris of The State.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Tennessee wants to erase memory’

Ashley Judd at the UK-West Virginia game. (AP photo)

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

• A tentative menu has been released for the Judd-Calipari dinner, reports Sharon Thompson of the Herald-Leader.
• Patrick Patterson canceled his workout with the Bucks because he doesn’t believe he’ll last to the 16th pick, reports Gary Woelfel of the Milwaukee Journal-Times. (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)
• My notes column, which leads with the fact that Calipari’s APR numbers at Memphis rank favorably when compared to SEC schools.
• Alabama superintendent orders review of Eric Bledsoe’s transcript, reports Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader.
• Kenny Payne will be in Lexington next week, reports Kent Spencer of WTVQ-TV.
• Bluegrass State Basketball reports that Derrick Millar will receive a shock probation hearing.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Patterson cancels workout; Payne on the way’