Kentucky sports and beyond.
In a video on the official New York Knicks, rookie center Josh Harrellson explains where he got his twitter handle @BigJorts55. Not only does the former Kentucky center appear to be a sure-thing to make the Knicks roster, he may end up picking up quite a bit of playing time for a second-round pick.
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Former Memphis prep star Jarnell Stokes may have turned down Kentucky to announce his intentions to enroll at Tennessee, but the 6-foot-8 forward, ranked 11th by Rivals, is still a fan of John Calipari.
This quote from the Memphis Commercial Appeal:
I know a lot of people around here don’t think highly of him, but he’s actually a very engaging guy.
Also, Commercial Appeal’s Jason Smith tweeted that Calipari made a strong push for the Memphis native on Wednesday night before the Thursday announcement.
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Rick Pitino and John Calipari have been spending a lot of time together lately. Well, not together. In the same building.
Last night, the Louisville and the Kentucky head coach were both in Chicago to see Jabari Parker, the 6-foot-8 Chicago forward who is rated No. 1 by both ESPNU and Scout. Alas, Parker had an off night (for him), scoring just 15 points, grabbing six rebounds and blocking five shots.
UK’s Anthony Davis was reportedly at the game, as well.
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Chuck Hayes is expected back in Sacramento tonight after signing a new four-year, $22.4 million contract with the Kings. That’s a $1 million more than Hayes originally signed for with the Kings, who voided the contract when the former Kentucky forward failed a physical because of a heart abnormality. After visiting the Cleveland Clinic, Hayes earned a clean bill of health and re-signed with the Kings.
Kasey Hill, a point guard from Florida ranked No. 12 by Scout for the Class of 2013, tells Five-Star basketball that Kentucky is one of his three finalists. Hill lists Louisville and Florida as his other two choices. UK could have an extra advantage may be that Hill is being coached by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s high school coach. Think Hill would have to be impressed with MKG’s development.
Click here to watch the video.
Continue reading ‘Kentucky in final three for point guard Kasey Hill’
Considering how close we are to Christmas, there is a decent amount of college basketball games on the tube tonight. For local interest, top selection is the 7 p.m. game between Western Kentucky and Louisville at the Yum Center on ESPN2. WKU is struggling under embattled coach Ken McDonald. The Hilltoppers are a mere 4-8 with wins over Tennessee State, SE Louisiana, Bowling Green State and Southern Illinois. Fourth-ranked Louisville is 10-0.
Program note: I plan to be at U of L-WKU, so look for updates on twitter.
Continue reading ‘WKU-U of L highlights hoops on television tonight’
After UK’s win over Loyola of Maryland on Thursday, I made the case for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as the Cats’ pre-Christmas MVP. My reasoning: Through the first 12 games of the season, no Cat has given more consistent effort and production. Now the freshman is providing leadership, leading a group of players who come in early to work out before eating breakfast together in preparation of morning practices.
But do you agree? Maybe you think Doron Lamb’s point production entitles the sophomore to MVP status. Maybe you think Anthony Davis’ prodigious shot-swats make him the most valuable. Maybe you think Marquis Teague’s improving floor game has put him at the front of the value line.
Make your voice heard.
Continue reading ‘Who is Kentucky basketball’s pre-Christmas MVP?’
Kentucky’s matinee victory over Loyola of Maryland on Thursday lead to many Kyle Wiltjer stories. After all, the freshman did come off the bench to score a game-high 24 points. Now John Calipari has to find a way to improve Wiltjer’s defense to keep him on the floor. In other news, UK football signs a junior college safety and UK soccer hires a new coach and Chuck Hayes gets some good news.
Another good night in what has been a good week for SEC hoops. Florida manhandled Leonard Hamilton’s Florida State club in Gainesville. Auburn won on the Islands. LSU won at North Texas. Mississippi State remains on a roll. Arkansas held off Louisiana Tech. And, of course, Kentucky won. But then so did Tennessee, picking up the services of Jarnell Stokes.
John Calipari’s post-game press conference after 87-63 thumping of the Greyhounds.
