John Clay’s Sidelines

(H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Update: The Shiver reports Payne will announce at 5:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• Fox Sports’ Jeff Goodman tweeets that Adreian Payne will make his announcement today, with UK West Virginia and Michigan State the finalists.
• Kyle Nagel of the Dayton Daily News confirms that Payne will announce his choice tonight.
• Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star also reports that Payne may announce today.
• Bluegrass State Basketball thinks Payne is headed to Michigan State.
• Best of the Best thinks that Payne is headed to East Lansing. (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)
• Wildcat Blue Blog goes rumor-mongering with Payne.
• Jerry Tipton reports that the Cats showed their star power in basketball scrimmage.
• Tipton reports that John Calipari downplayed the John Wall eligibility questions.
• My master-of-the-obvious column that the Cats are much more athletic than in previous years.
• The Herald-Leader slide show of the scrimmage.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Is Adreian Payne headed to Michigan State?’

A ten-spot from the Blue-White scrimmage:

• 1. This team is athletic. I know that’s obvious. But when was the last time we could truly say that about a Kentucky basketball team. Not that the Cats lacked athletes in the past few years. It’s just that they haven’t had this many athletes on one team since, when, 1996?

• 2. John Wall is ridiculous. But then you already knew that. As for the eligibility issue, John Calipari tried to play coy in the post-scrimmage press conference, answering Alan Cutler’s first question about Wall’s status as if it was another question entirely. But Wall was made available to the media afterward, where he didn’t have much to say about what was going on, or how he felt about what was going on. But at least we got the opportunity to ask.

• 3. Darnell Dodson will fill a key role on this team. The sophomore juco transfer was slighted on the publicity, what with Wall and DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton, etc., being in the newcomer class. But Dodson’s outside shot is a needed asset on this team. He made four-of-11 threes on the night, and that after looking a bit nervous in the early going

• 4. Calipari claims that Wall and Bledsoe play better together than they do apart, and that may in fact be true. I’m not going to doubt the coach. So whatever happened to all those who said, before Bledsoe signed, that the two could not co-exist in the same backcourt. I’m with Cal. There’s no reason they can’t do better than that in the same backcourt.

• 5. The best move of the night was when Calipari pulled Joe B. Hall off the front row behind the bench and had him sit on the bench with him. That got a standing ovation from the Rupp crowd of 14,060, and deservedly so. I know, Joe has said all the right things about this Wildcat Coal Lodge controversy. And I have no doubt he understands the difficulties of raising funds for facility improvements, etc. But still, it’s the only thing on campus named in his honor, a former basketball coach who won a national championship and went to three Final Fours. And you’re going to tell me there’s anyone out there who loves the program more than Joe? Mitch Barnhart said the school will find another way to honor Joe. It better.

Continue reading ‘A 10-spot from the UK Blue-White scrimmage’

Gary Bedore of the Lawrence Journal-World has a pair of interesting nuggets this morning:

• Ex-UK coach Billy Gillispie, who reportedly checked himself into the John Lucas rehab facility in early September, was in Lawrence to attend former boss Bill Self’s coaching clinic. Said Gillispie, “I came here because I’m great friends not only to coach (Self), but the entire staff. I feel very honored. I’m definitely missing the game, and I love watching practice, those kind of things, but coach has been so good to me. I would never have had any opportunities if not for him. He’s got such a great staff and leadership up top starting with (athletic director) Lew Perkins. This place … what a beautiful facility they’ve built. I’m just having a great time visiting here.”

• And UK target Adreian Payne has canceled his visit to Kansas and will choose among Kentucky, Arizona, West Virginia and Michigan State.

(Charleston Daily Mail photo used by permission.)

Mike Casazza of the Charleston Daily Mail is reporting that West Virginia compliance officials are looking into whether secondary violations were committed when fans used signs and t-shirts to welcome recruit Adreian Payne to Mountaineer Madness.

WVU officials told Casazza that no violations had been found at this time, but an investigation was proceeding just to make sure.

An excerpt:

One issue likely to be explored is how the T-shirts were supplied. If the Mountaineer Maniacs, the largest student group on campus and part of the Student Government Association supervised by the Division of Student Affairs, paid for and provided the shirts, it could be interpreted as a university entity celebrating Payne’s visit.

Update: Had forgotten this tidbit, according to Raleigh News and Observer, Duke officials removed student signs welcoming Kyrie Irving for fear they would violate NCAA rules.

Update No. 2: Bluegrass State Basketball says/alleges a current WVU player tried to pull Payne onto the court.

(Charleston Daily Mail photo used by permission.)

Click the “more” line for a couple of updates to this post.

At its own Madness celebration on Friday night, West Virginia basketball fans went all-out, and then some — illustrated here in a blog post by Mike Casazza of the Charleston Daily Mail — to welcome top hoops recruit Adreian Payne, a 6-foot-10 center from Dayton.

Kentucky is also reportedly recruiting Payne, who is ranked as the 20th best player in America by Rivals.

West Virginia was not allowed to publicize Payne’s visit, or even acknowledge that he was there, but West Virginia fans certainly knew the center would be on campus for an official visit. They made signs, banners, etc. to welcome Payne.

An excerpt from Casazza’s blog:

Somehow, Bob Huggins was able to get Adreian Payne, only one of the best high school players in America, on campus for an official visit last night. This wasn’t a real secret, but rather a tremendous coup. Everyone had their version of Madness last night and Payne is a coveted prospect. WVU got him for the weekend. I left last night with the feeling if Payne went elsewhere, it was not fault of the Mountaineers. Or their maniacs.

Continue reading ‘Did West Virginia fans go too far for Adreian Payne?’

Big Blue Links for Tuesday:

• Herald-Leader’s Valarie Honeycutt Spears reports that UK is paying $30,000, plus monthly fees, for John Calipari to join Lexington Country Club.
• Chip Cosby of the H-L reports that Kentucky must avoid early KO against Florida.
• H-L’s Mark Story on Kentucky’s uphill battle.
• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger reports that Stacey Poole could be a Cat soon.
• Chris Rodgers of Palmetto Sports reports that Poole will make decision very soon.
• Seth Emerson of The State reports that South Carolina knows it trails on Poole.
• Lawrence Journal-World reports that Adreian Payne will visit Kansas on Oct. 31.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Stacey Poole could make choice today’

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

• NEW: Card Chronicle confirms Pitino’s hiring of Shabaka Lands, Marquis Teague’s assistant coach.
• Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader reports on the impact being made by juco transfers Chris Matthews and DeQuin Evans.
• Karla Ward and Greg Kocher of the H-L report on former UK player Ed Davender being involved in a basketball ticket scam.
• Zagsblog reports that Rick Pitino has hired Marquis Teague’s assistant coach as assistant to the head coach at Louisville.
• Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal writes on UK receiver Chris Matthews.
• Jody Demling of the C-J reports on John Calipari’s book signing in Louisville.
• Nick Craddock of the Kentucky Kernel writes on UK linebacker Danny Trevathan.
• H-L report on Jesse Witten’s win in first round of U.S. Open tennis.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Pitino hires Marquis Teague’s assistant coach’

Brandon Knight

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times talks to Derrick Rose about the Memphis test controversy. (Hat tip to Spam’s Wildcat Page.)
• Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that Brandon Knight’s top three are Miami, Kentucky and Connecticut, in no particular order. (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)
• Tobias Harris tells Zagsblog that he met Lee Todd during his visit to UK.
• Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader reports that the football Cats have left summer behind.
• Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal reports that UK is ready to start camp.
• Dicky Lyons, Jr. writes for A Sea of Blue that he was cut before he even stepped on the field with the Falcons.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Rose addresses test; UK in Knight’s top 3′

Big Blue Links for Tuesday:

• Herald-Leader report on Dicky Lyons, Jr. signing with the Falcons.
• Bob Hertzel of the Times West Virginian reports that the recruitment for Adreian Payne appears to be coming down to UK and West Virginia. (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)
• Information Week writes on why CIO need Twitter, and uses John Calipari as an example.
• Mike Bires of the Beaver County Times reports that Calipari is expected at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice Thursday.
• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger writes on John Calipari’s latest roster cuts.
• Vaught also writes that Tom Leach’s book with Rich Brooks is a must-read for Kentucky fans.
• Zagsblog has an update on basketball recruit Tobias Harris.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Report says UK and WVU battling for Payne’

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader reports that UK loses four-star safety recruit to Michigan State.
• WKYT reports that basketball walk-ons Dwight Perry, Adam Delph and Matt Scherbenski will not be back next season.
• Kentucky Sports Network talks to UK basketball target Adreian Payne.
• Tom Leach reports on Rich Brooks’ talk to the Lexington Rotary Club.
• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger reports that Cris Collinsworth’s son has an interest in UK.
• A Sea of Blue has learned to stop worrying and love the hate.
• Inner Circle keeps counting down its list of UK immortals.
• Bluegrass State Basketball reports that ex-Wildcat Allen Edwards has been hired as an assistant at Towson State.
• Wildcat Blue Blog looks at UK football’s recent recruiting losses.
• Straitpinkie has some concern about the UK football recruiting class.