John Clay's Sidelines

More from John Wall today:

John Wall was at Memorial Coliseum this morning for an appearance at the second day of the Calipari Pro Camp.

He met with the media for 10 minutes during his stay.

Couple of A few highlights:

• The now Washington Wizard said he wants to come back to Rupp Arena and do the Y. “Hopefully, I can be (in the NBA) for years to come and come back to the game and be one of those persons that throws up the Y at the end of the Kentucky thing.”

• He said that Washington has shown him a warm welcome, but not the same welcome he received when he arrived in the Bluegrass. “It’s nowhere near the same,” he said. “Kentucky is always gonna be on top. There’s nothing I’ve seen that can beat it.”

• His advice to youngsters learning the game: “Learn how to dribble.”

• A camper asked him when did he make his first shot? Answer: On a Fisher Price goal when he was a little kid.

• He also told the campers he dunked for the first time when he was in ninth grade.

• Wall said he had not yet been to a Nationals game, but he does want to see Strasburg pitched. “And he’s injured, so really ain’t no point in going,” Wall said with a sly smile.

As you can tell, I’m behind a little today on the Big Blue Links.

I did not want to promote Mike Fields’ story on DeMarcus Cousins visit to the Calipari Pro Camp on Wednesday.

And here’s some Boogie video:

SEC links for Friday:

• Young and new describe the Tennessee quarterbacks, reports Austin Ward of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• David Climer of the Tennessean thinks Vanderbilt needs a full-time athletic director.
• Mr. SEC updates its conference football commitment chart.
• Bryce Brown’s run-away style was not for the Vols, writes Jay Greeson of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• David Paschall of the Times Free Press writes that LSU is expecting a special defense this season.
• Texas A&M could still be a possibility for the SEC down the road, says Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News.
• Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun thinks you might be a college football nut if . . .

Continue reading ‘SEC: New and young describe Tennessee quarterbacks’

Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino finished up his testimony in the Karen Sypher trial at 11:52. He was cross-examined by Sypher’s attorney Jim Earhart from 9:48 a.m. to 11:31 a.m., with one 20-minute break. U.S. assistant district attorney Marisa Ford conducted re-direct for about 20 minutes before finishing. Earhart then said he had no further questions.

Some highlights:

• Pitino became emotional when he testified that the most difficult thing he had to do was tell his wife and family about his sexual encounter with Sypher. He then became more emotional when telling the jury that beyond that was the fact that his two most enjoyable years in coaching were the two in which his son, Richard, had been on his staff, and now had to “suggest to him that in order to avoid the embarrassment and humiliation he had to move on to another job was very difficult.” Richard Pitino did leave Louisville to become an assistant at Florida.

• Earhart concentrated first on Pitino’s preparation for his testimony — the coach said he did not have a plan going into testimony — and that he had a loyal staff and had done motivational speaking for considerable sums of money. “I was until Ms. Sypher made these allegations,” Pitino said.

• It took about 10 minutes into Earhart’s questioning for things to get contentious. Pitino objected to Earhart continuing to mention rape, when Pitino denied that a rape occurred. “I understand,” said Earhart. “I don’t think you understand that, because you keep repeating it,” Pitino said.

• Earhart also threw out the assertion that Pitino’s attorney, Bill Rambicure, and his financial advisor, Rick Avare, met with Sypher’s attorney, Glen Coulter Dana Kolter, on March 31, 2009 and offered a $500,000 settelment. Pitino said he had no knowledge of that. He said that the two went to Coulter Kolter on a fact-finding mission.

• In re-direct, Ford pointed out that Pitino and Rambicure had already gone to the Kentucky attorney general’s office before that meeting with Sypher’s attorney occurred.

• Earhart also honed in on the fact that after the first two threatening voice mail messages Pitino received, in a recorded meeting with Sypher, he never challenged the assertion made by the caller that the coach raped Sypher. “I didn’t have to challenge something that’s not true,” Pitino said.

Continue reading ‘Rick Pitino finishes testimony at the Karen Sypher trial’

Much to (previous commenter) Pete’s chagrin, I’m back in Louisville for Rick Pitino’s second day of testimony at the Karen Sypher trial. I should have an update around lunch time.

Here are few leftover items from Wednesday:

• The 15 seconds. Make up your own joke, and most everyone already has.

• Poor Vincent Tatum. Pitino’s personal assistant/designated driver located himself on the other side of a brick wall at Porcini’s while his boss and Sypher were together that night in an otherwise empty restaurant of July 31, 2008. Tatum waited for an hour, he testified, before hearing Pitino leave. Then he waited another hour to see if Pitino was coming back, before he, too, finally left.

• At the end of the day, Pitino stood up in the witness box, waiting to be told he could leave. As he stood there, Karen Sypher rose from her spot at the defense table and stood staring at the U of L coach. Pitino never looked her way. When Rick finally got the OK he could leave, he left down the center aisle of the courtroom, as the gallery was filing out. Sypher’s eyes followed the Louisville coach all the way out the door.

• This morning, anyway, Bill Rambicure may be the most famous attorney in Lexington. He is the legal counsel that convinced Pitino to take the alleged extortion attempt to the authorities.

• This morning’s cross-examination promises to be much more tense, and more entertaining than Wednesday, when the U of L coach received friendly questions from U.S. assistant district attorney Marisa Ford. Sypher’s attorney, Jim Earhart, is tall, with a bald head, and a direct manner. No doubt, he’d love to get Pitino hot under the collar.

• When talking about U of L basketball, Pitino couldn’t help but fall into old habits. He told the jury that every team starts with the dream of making the NCAA Tournament. It was as if he was in a recruit’s living room making a sales pitch. He continually called the Big East arguably the most difficult conference in college basketball. He clamed the team’s game at West Virginia that year, the day after he received a hand-delivered note outlining Sypher’s demands, was the toughest road environment any of his teams had ever played in.

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• Donte Rumph finally qualifies, blogs Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• Derrick Locke may be the key for Kentucky, writes David Paschall of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
• Eric Crawford of the Courier-Journal on the feel-good football rivalry.
• Andrew Wolfson of the C-J on Rick Pitino’s long testimony on a brief encounter in the Karen Sypher trial.
• Joker Phillips and Charlie Strong are ready for a huge game, reports Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger.
• Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches on the Governor’s Cup luncheon held Wednesday.
• Brandon Ashley denies that UK and Oregon are his top two picks, reports Jody Demling of the C-J.
• Herald-Leader video from the Governor’s Cup luncheon:

SEC links for Thursday:

• LSU coach Les Miles claims to be feeling no heat, reports Randy Rosetta of The Advocate.
• Houston Nutt says he hopes Jeremiah Masoli situation is resolved by weekend at Ole Miss, reports Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger.
• Austin Rivers still open to Florida, reports Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.
• College football has an agent problem, but what can it do about it? asks Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel.
• No days at the beach for South Carolina defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, writes Joseph Person of The State.
• Joe Medley of the Anniston Star on just who the 2004 national champ should be.
• Depth is on its way to Auburn football, writes Charles Goldberg of the Birmingham News.
• Tommy Deas of the Tuscaloosa News looks at the Dennis Franchione Era at Alabama.
• Rumor of a Georgia-Southern Cal football game is merely that, reports Tim Tucker of the AJC.
• LSU running back Richard Murphy is looking for a big year, writes Krysten Oliphant of the Shreveport Times.

(AP photo)

Rick Pitino finished today’s appearance on the stand at 5:06 this afternoon before a packed courtroom is U.S. District Court.

He returns Thursday morning for cross-examination from Karen Sypher’s attorney, Jim Earhart.

Should be interesting.

Meanwhile, here is reporting on today’s proceedings from Brett Barrouquere and Will Graves of the AP.

Here is Fox 41′s blog on the trial.

I’ve written my column on the Pitino testimony. It should be posted at kentucky.com shortly.

Am headed back to Lexington, but plan on being back in Louisville for the cross-exam on Thursday.