John Clay's Sidelines

Media releases from UK sports information on UK volleyball, soccer, women’s clinic for men’s basketball and baseball.

UK volleyball opens at FSU tourney on Friday

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky volleyball team will officially begin its quest for an unprecedented seventh consecutive run to the NCAA Tournament with a round-robin tournament on the campus of Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla., Friday and Saturday. UK is set to take on Albany, Florida State and No. 23 Tulsa in the opening weekend of competition.

“It’s that time of the year when players are really amped up to begin playing some matches, and our team is no exception,” UK coach Craig Skinner said. “We’ve made a good deal of progress during preseason and we’re looking forward to a great weekend ahead of us.”

Skinner has led the Wildcats to six consecutive NCAA Tournaments. It is a feat only 17 other teams in the nation have achieved in that same six-year span. The Blue and White return four starters from a 17-win team a season ago, along with the reigning Southeastern Conference Libero of the Year in Stephanie Klefot.

UK opens with Albany at 11 a.m. ET Friday morning, before taking on the host Seminoles at 7 p.m. later that evening. Kentucky’s opening weekend is capped off by a 1:30 p.m. ET matchup with Tulsa Saturday.

Continue reading ‘UK volleyball, soccer open schedules on Friday’

Is Steve Brown still around?

Of course Steve Brown is still around.

True, the tag co- has been added to his defensive coordinator job description. True, new co-defensive coordinator Rick Minter is really the man in charge on that side of the football.

But Brown is still in charge of the secondary. After today’s mini-practice, the coach talked about his unit’s personnel and depth.

Adolphus Washington, the defensive end from Cincinnati who has Kentucky in his final five choices, is denying internet reports that he has committed or is about to commit to Ohio State.

Brian Giesenschlag of Fox 19 in Cincinnati reports that he talked to Washington’s coach, Mike Martin, plus a Washington teammate, both of which said the report was not true.

Josh Helmholdt of Rivals says he talked to Washington who said the report was untrue and “I’m open to everyone.” Washington did say that Ohio State was his leader.

Helmholdt is playing host to an online chat with Washington tonight at 8.

The Big Lead does a good job summarizing the twitter rant ex-convict and street agent Ken Caldwell went on Wednesday against the University of Louisville and its embattled recruiting coordinator Clint Hurtt.

You remember Hurtt as one of the former Miami assistants implicated in the Yahoo Sports expose last week.

The NCAA has informed Louisville that it wishes to speak with Hurtt.

One day after he received a three-year show cause penalty from the NCAA, Bruce Pearl returned to the scene of the crime.

The former Tennessee basketball coach played host to a Bar-B-Q for the media at his up-for-sale house, the same house that got him into trouble with the NCAA in the first place.

As you remember, Pearl lied to the NCAA about the location of a picture of himself with a recruit. Pearl said he didn’t know where the picture was taken. Turns out, the picture was taken at his own house.

Said Pearl today, ““I was in control of that situation, and I didn’t handle things right at my house. Had I been more forthcoming in my interview with the NCAA, we wouldn’t be here.”

Pearl said he will not appeal the NCAA ruling.

Update: Jennifer Smith’s story from today’s presser with Mitchell.

Two videos of UK women’s basketball coach Matthew Mitchell talking to the media at the Nutter Training Center. The top video deals with his good friend and mentor Pat Summitt. In bottom video, Mitchell discusses his newest recruit and the return of point guard Amber Smith.

On his personal blog, Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino gives some individual workout news about his players.

But he also acknowledges that heralded freshman Kevin Ware has still not been cleared to play.

Ware is the 6-foot-4 guard from Georgia who originally signed with Tennessee but was released from the letter-of-intent when Vols’ head coach Bruce Pearl was fired. Ware subsuquently committed to Central Florida, but quickly de-committed after stories surfaced that alledging that Central Florida used street agents in his recruitment.

He then committed to Louisville in May after visiting Georgia.

Rivals ranked Ware as the 70th best player in the Class of 2012.

(h/t Card Chronicle)

Today’s UK fan on twitter we are spotlighting is Regina Lexi Rickert.

She’s @acrphoto on twitter.

Tag line: “Photographer and sports junkie living the dream in the beautiful Bluegrass. #TeamCousins #WeAreUK Go Cats!”

Recent tweet: “Stopped in Goodwill and they had a framed ’93 team photo with Pitino’s auto on it. $25. #probablycouldntgiveitaway”

Her submitted bio info:

Growing up in Cincinnati with three brothers, I became a big Reds and Bengals fan. It wasn’t until I moved to Lexington in the early 90′s that I began following Kentucky basketball. I am a stay-at-home mom to six and wife to my husband of 17 years. When I’m not taking care of kids or obsessing about the Cats, my main hobby is photography.

I maintain a sports photo blog and post images from UK athletics and other local sporting events. I am also an admin. for a UK Baseball page on facebook. In addition to numerous baseball games, gymnastics meets, Big Blue Madness, Football Fan Day, Blue/White games etc., last season I attended my first UK soccer, volleyball and women’s softball games.

Unfortunately I don’t get to attend many football and basketball games for financial reasons, but I’m loud and proud every single game from home.

I first joined twitter to follow my favorite Wildcat, DeMarcus Cousins. Little known fact: I manage the TeamCousins twitter, facebook and youtube fan pages. DeMarcus has such a large fanbase from Alabama to Kentucky to Sacramento. I have enjoyed getting to know them, and some of us traveled to Indianapolis this season for the Kings/Pacers game.

Someone said, “Facebook is where friends become strangers and twitter is where strangers become friends.” I have made many friends on twitter through our shared love of sports and there is no stronger “twitfam” than the Big Blue Nation.

We meet up online and off to share our thoughts on everything from the Wildcats, to our distaste for all things red or orange, and literally everything in between. We celebrate every victory together and analyze every defeat.

We give players wardrobe and dinner advice, endure countless attacks from opposing fanbases and even help recruits with their girl problems (probably a secondary NCAA violation).

I love that sense of community you find on twitter. I didn’t realize what a close-knit group we had become until a fellow Cat fan tragically passed away recently. It was a harsh reminder that there are more important things in life than sports. The UK fan base can get a little carried away and something like this helps put things back in perspective.

Through it all…#WeAreUK

Previously: @KevinWFaris – @SirMattPowell - @MackSmacks - @bradjeffries 91 - @CMD_77 - @bradcundiff - @WyldcatGirl - @LeeWeatherly

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• UK’s Arin Gilliland perseveres in face of her mother’s illness, reports Graham Hayes of espn.
• Matt Norlander of CBS Sports backtracks on some Billy Gillispie claims.
• Danny Trevathan is the leader of UK’s linebacking corp, reports Jen Smith of the Herald-Leader.
  • Sophomore Brian Adams wants this to be a special season, writes Larry Vaught of A-M.
  • Unproven receivers want to show worth, says Ethan Levine of the Kentucky Kernel.
  • Steve Brown is confident in safety depth, reports James Pennington of Cats Pause.
  • Bleed Blue Kentucky looks at the linebackers and hybrids.
• Joker Phillips is mistaken for Charlie Strong in Louisville, says my column.
  • Phillips leaves ‘em laughing at alumni luncheon, reports Kyle Tucker of C-J.
  • Joker’s reign requires patience, says Cody Porter of the Kentucky Kernel.
  • Phillips is creating great expectations, says Nation of Blue.
• WKU students offered free admission to UK-WKU game, reports C-J.
• Eloy Vargas does not make Dominican Republic National Team, says H-L staff report.
• Dominicans lose a friendly to Brazil, reports FIBA.