John Clay's Sidelines

Click here for the Herald-Leader photo gallery from today’s John Calipari ProCamps at Joe Craft Center.

(H-L photo/David Perry)

As part of the John Calipari ProCamps going on at UK, DeAndre Liggins was today’s featured guest. He met with the media this morning. Highlights:

• Liggins said that with the NBA lockout going on, he was giving serious consideration to playing overseas. He said his agent was exploring the possibility. Liggins was a second-round pick of the Orlando Magic.
• The money would be a factor, said Liggins, especially considering he has a son to support. “Money talks,” said DeAndre.
• Liggins said he was here a couple of weeks ago and played some pick-up games against the new players. He was particularly impressed with Anthony Davis. “He blocked a couple of my shots,” he said. “You’re going to have to dunk on him because he’ll block your shot.”
• Liggins said he has spent most of his time in Chicago working out.
• He said he was happy to be picked by Orlando, that the Magic are a good fit. “I can’t hold no regrets now,” he said. “I’ve got to stick with my decision and live up to it.”

Click here to see this video on YouTube.

(AP photo)

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• Kanter and Knight go in first round while Faried, Harrellson and Liggins drafted in second round, reports Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal.
• Mark Story of H-L looks at how UK’s first-round hires might do in their new jobs.
• Shelvin Mack’s day ends with emotion, and chance to play with John Wall, writes Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports.
• Kanter gives Utah Jazz an inside force, writes Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune.
• Jazz comes up a big winner by taking Kanter, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com.
• Scholarly Brandon Knight brings more than a high IQ to Detroit, writes Kevin Bull of the Detroit Free Press.
• Pistons will find a lot to like about Brandon Knight, writes Mike Rosenberg of the Free Press.
• Orlando believes Liggins can “guard opposing point guards, shooting guards and small forwards,” reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
• Knicks buy Hornets’ lone pick to get Josh Harrellson, reports AP.
• Draft caps impossible turnarounds for Liggins and Harrellson, writes Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches.

Remember last year when on NBA Draft night, John Calipari called it the greatest night in the history of the program? I don’t expect him to make the same misstep — possibly his only one in two years at UK — tonight when the league goes about choosing players, two of which have prominent Kentucky ties.

Meanwhile, keep your fingers crossed for the other two, DeAndre Liggins and Josh Harrellson.

Check out the Herald-Leader NBA Draft preview slide show.

Don’t forget tonight’s draft liveblog.

Plus, this morning brings an interesting feature on Andre Drummond, the Class of 2012 stud who may or may not have Kentucky on his list, depending on which (real) recruiting site or source you believe. Drummond told the C-J’s Jody Demling he is “not interested in anybody right now. . . . I’m not going to sit around and play games with the coaches. I’m not going to tell them I’m interested when I’m not. It’s just what I want to do. I don’t want to make everything hectic; I want it to be smooth. It’s funny people throw out schools and I’ve never said anything. But people have to say something, so they throw out random schools.”

Click the continue line for today’s Big Blue Links.

Continue reading ‘BBL: NBA Draft night, plus Andre Drummond likes nobody’

Big Blue Links for Saturday:

• DeAndre Liggins will work out for the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
• John Calipari uses CoachCal.com to talk about where he thinks his former players will go in the draft.
• Calipari helps a friend land on Stan Heath’s staff at South Florida, reports the Port Arthur News.
• Brandon Knight is confident in his ability to play point guard, writes Sam Amick of SI.com.
• Former UK women’s star Victoria Dunlap is set for her WNBA debut, reports H-L.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Bobcats to look at Liggins; Calipari helps a friend’

T.C. Drake

I’m back from furlough, by the way. So in UK news, former tight end T.C. Drake is still recovering from a serious motorcyle accident in Bardstown. Top basketball prospect Andre Drummond denies that he will reclassify for the Class of 2011. In surprising news, former UK guard Derrick Jasper will join former UK coach Billy Gillispie’s staff at Texas Tech. This is the same Jasper who transferred from UK when Gillispie was coach. And John Calipari lashes back at his critics with a late night tweet.

Click on the continue line to get today’s Big Blue Links.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Drummond to stay in 2012; Jasper to join Gillispie’

Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader is among those up in Chicago at the NBA Pre-Draft Combine. He took the Flip camera along and shot video interviews with Brandon Knight and DeAndre Liggins. The Knight vs. Kyrie Irving dynamic is interesting. The guess is Cleveland will take Irving with the second pick, leaving Derrick Williams for Minnesota at No. 2. Then Utah might take Knight at No. 3. But what if Cleveland takes Enes Katner instead? Possible scenario: Minnesota takes Williams, Utah takes Irving, and Knight ends up at No. 4 with Cleveland. Then Kanter and Knight would end up on the same team.

Click the continue line to see the videos.

Continue reading ‘Videos: Knight and Liggins at NBA pre-draft workouts’

(H-L photo/Charles Bertram)

Kentucky tennis moved into the NCAA quarterfinals by beating Florida out in Stanford, while the UK baseball team was losing to Florida in Gainesville.

Chicago was getting the most eyeballs, however. That’s where NBA draft prospects Brandon Knight, DeAndre Liggins and Enes Kanter are participating in the league’s pre-draft combine.

Kanter apparently wowed the scouts with his workout. For some reason, Draft Express sent out a tweet earlier in the week quoting an unnamed GM as comparing Kanter to Joe Klein. Think Enes issued a rebuttal yesterday.

Click on the continue line to get today’s links.

Continue reading ‘BBL: UK tennis advances; Kanter does well in Chicago’

(Hat tip Nation of Blue)