John Clay's Sidelines

Kentucky’s Eloy Vargas talks to the media about playing recently in China and his preparations for next season.

Click here to see this video on YouTube.

Eloy Vargas

Anthony Wireman of All Ky Hoops reports that Eloy Vargas scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds to help the Reach USA team to an 87-82 win over a Lithuanian team this morning in China. Vargas had five rebounds. The senior center had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in Reach USA’s loss yesterday. This is the same trip that Josh Harrellson and Jon Hood went on last year, which paved the way for Harrellson’s surprise senior season. The Cats are no doubt hoping the trip helps Vargas improve, as well.

Continue reading ‘Eloy Vargas scores 12 points as Reach USA wins’

(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’

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

• Braeden Anderson talks KU and UK to All Ky Hoops.
• Calipari wants Cats to have fun, reports Jerry Tipton of the H-L.
• Jones named SEC Freshman of the Year, reports Tipton.
• Texas Tech might be right fit for Gillispie, says my column.
• What if Kentucky and Louisville play again? asks Eric Crawford of the C-J.
• Kentucky wants to plant high seed, reports Brett Dawson of the C-J.
• Larry Vaught of A-M says he would have voted for Knight over Jones.
• UK’s road woes won’t follow Cats, writes Matt Murray of the Kentucky Kernel.
• Murray also has a Twitter-esque breakdown of the SEC.
• Cats are playing for a high NCAA seed, says Chandler Howard of the Kernel.
• DeAndre Liggins is making it personal, writes Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches.
• Wildcats growing as tourney approaches, writes Will Graves of the AP.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Braeden Anderson talks Kansas and Kentucky’

Videos from today’s Kentucky basketball media opp previewing Tuesday night’s game with Tennessee.

We have John Calipari, Doron Lamb, Eloy Vargas and Jon Hood.

Lamar Dawson (H-L photo/Mark Cornelison)

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• Lamar Dawson visiting Southern Cal this weekend, reports Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger. The state’s Mr. Football will also visit Central Florida and Tennessee before making his decision Feb. 2.
• Calipari watched Marquis Teague play on Wednesday night, reports Kyle Neddenriep of the Indianapolis Star.
• Randall Cobb taking his talents to the play-for-pay, reports Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• Mark Story of the Herald-Leader writes that Randall Cobb’s many talents will be difficult to replace.
• Emotional Cobb compares himself to Wes Welker, reports Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.
• Cobb has put on the Kentucky uniform for the last time, writes Matt May of the Cats Pause.
• Kentucky has the opportunity to replace a legend, writes Chandler Howard of the Kentucky Kernel.
• A 23-3 spree sends Kentucky’s women past South Carolina, reports Jennifer Smith of the Herald-Leader.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Lamar Dawson to visit Southern Cal this weekend’

Eloy Vargas

John Calipari keeps saying Josh Harrellson taught the Kentucky coach a valuable lesson this season. Some kids need more. Some kids need more work, more conditioning, more attention. Harrellson was one of those kids. The senior center has done extra conditioning, taken a more serious attitude, and profited from Calipari’s attention.

So now the coach says he will turn his attention to a couple of more in-need players.

One is surely Eloy Vargas.

The 6-foot-11 junior is avearing 2.8 points, three rebounds and 11.5 minutes per game backing up Harrellson. A native of the Dominican Republic, Vargas came to Kentucky from Miami Dade Junior College, where he excelled, and before that Florida, where he suffered through an injury-filled first season and never met expectations.

Vargas was rated No. 10 nationally by Rivals when he signed on with the Gators. But whispers from the Sunshine State complained he was soft and unfocused. Injuries were a contributing factor. Vargas played in just nine games after undergoing ankle surgery. His academics weren’t the best, and ultimately Vargas and Billy Donovan agreed to part ways.

Continue reading ‘Cats need Eloy Vargas to be next success story’

Friday pre-game videos of Doron Lamb, Josh Harrellson and Eloy Vargas to get you ready for tonight’s Kentucky-Mississippi Valley game at Rupp Arena.

Lamb is the first video. Hit the jump for the Harrellson and Vargas videos.

BTW, for iPhone and iPad users, there’s a YouTube link under each video.

Click here to see this video on YouTube.

Continue reading ‘Videos: UK players preview Mississippi Valley State’

Kentucky newcomer Eloy Vargas talks about the game he brings to this year’s team.

Click here to see this video on YouTube.

As Eloy Vargas is interviewed, that’s Enes Kanter across the hall.

(AP photo/Ed Reinke)