John Clay's Sidelines

So how did this happen? How did it happen that Louisville got left out in the conference re-alignment cold? How did the Cards go from proud Big East member, with major basketball bonafides and automatic BCS qualifier status, to clinging to flotsam and jetsam from its sunken ship as the better, luckier boats continue on down the revenue river?

West Virginia over Louisville for the Big 12? Really?

Where was Tom Jurich?

After all, Jurich is considered one of the nation’s better athletic directors. He’s among the highest-paid. Even the most loyal Kentucky fan must recognize the good work Jurich has done at U of L. (It’s the reason why most in the Big Blue Nation spit at the mere mention of the Jurich name.) Louisville has a top-shelf athletic program in men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s soccer and women’s volleyball. That’s just to name a few. And football, once a shining light under Jurich jurisdiction, is fighting for a comeback.

Continue reading ‘How did Tom Jurich and Louisville get left in the cold?’

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

• Judging by graduation rates, UK athletes have been cracking the books
• Heading into Blue-White scrimmage, Kentucky’s playing style a work in progress
• Terrence Jones’ serious approach is paying dividends
• You thought you knew Terrence Jones, but you don’t know Terrence Jones
• Is Jones really the best player in all 50 states?

SEC links for Wednesday:

• The NCAA is the last amateur left in college sports
• The SEC East just isn’t what it used to be
• Vanderbilt issues apology to Army over post-game
• LSU’s suspended trio returns to practice
• Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray is eager for a re-do against Florida

Kentucky quarterback Morgan Newton conversed with the media after Tuesday’s practice. He loves the new black uniforms. He loves them so much, in fact, that he is giving Randall Cobb a hard time about not getting to wear them.

Kentucky sophomore guard Doron Lamb talks about his development as a backup point guard, and Wednesday’s Blue-White scrimmage.

ESPN’s SEC blogger, Chris Low, is upset that UK linebacker Danny Trevathan is not among the 12 semifinalists for the Butkus Award.

An excerpt:

Still, there hasn’t been a more consistent linebacker in the SEC to this point than Trevathan, and it’s also hard to imagine a more valuable player to his defense than Trevathan. He’s second only to his teammate, Winston Guy, in total tackles and is averaging 11 per game after leading the league with 144 tackles last season. Trevathan is probably underrated because of the Wildcats’ struggles this season as a team, but the coaches who’ve played against him will tell you that he’s the real deal.

Chris is correct. Trevathan’s play is even that much more impressive considering how many snaps the Kentucky defense has had to endure. In the 54-3 loss to South Carolina, the UK defenders were on the field for 91 snaps. Last Saturday’s Jacksonville State game was the first this year in which Rick Minter’s unit played less than 60 snaps.

First six minutes of John Calipari’s meeting with the media — packed media, it should be added — previewing Wednesday night’s Blue-White scrimmage at Rupp Arena. Tipoff time for that event is 7 p.m., and yes, I will be liveblogging. Should have the frame up tonight or tomorrow. And before you even ask, the scrimmage will be televised by Fox Sports South and the Big Blue Network.

Darius Miller talks to the media today. (Photo by John Clay)

Three quick impressions from John Calipari’s media opp today:

1. Calipari is talking up Terrence Jones. A stock line from Cal now is that if there is a better college basketball player in the country, Calipari doesn’t know who it could be. He told this Andy Kat of ESPN, saying Jones had to be one of the top three players in the country. He told us today that if there is a better player, it might be in Joe Craft Center, but he’s not sure about that.

Calipari said Jones has a better attitude and is working harder this year. He joked that last year Jones and Lamb fought over which one got to be the last one through the door into practice. Cal said it’s not that way this year.

Continue reading ‘Three quick impressions from UK basketball media opp’

Videos here of Joker Phillips and Anthony Mosley talking about 59 football players signing a petition concerning student-athletes and revenue.

Click here to read the story.

Video of UK linebacker Danny Trevathan modeling the new black uniforms for media, and talking about the unis.