John Clay's Sidelines

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• Christian Laettner coming to Lexington to coach in Villains game.
• Kentucky staff visits No. 1 prospect Shabazz Muhammad.
• Kentucky recruiting could experience a slight letdown, says SI’s Luke Winn.
• Kentucky officially off Mitch McGary’s final list.
• South Carolina’s point guard Bruce Ellington is now returning footballs.
• Matt Roark follows his early drops with his first touchdown catch.
• Wide receiver LaRod King wants everybody on the same page.
• South Carolina’s offense is behind new starting quarterback Connor Shaw.
• Don’t count Stephen Garcia out just yet, says Brad Senkiw.
• Raymond Sanders: Dap King.
• Previewing Saturday’s Kentucky-South Carolina football game.
• Doron Lamb returns for his sophomore season with a purpose.
• Kentucky’s point guard transfers are working to improve.
• John Calipari has a bad case of Rick Pitino envy, writes Rick Bozich.
• The hilarious whine from many quarters over Calipari’s comments.
• John Calipari’s subtle geography lesson.
• After knee surgery, Jon Hood wants to use recovery time to improve.
• UK freshman Anthony Davis grew into a big man overnight.
• More details on those Big Blue All-Stars games.
• UK women’s soccer reaches highest ranking in school history.
• It’s tough to hate the most hated man in Kentucky.

Big Blue Links for Sunday:

• Stuart Hines is the quiet leader of Kentucky’s offensive line
• UK softball’s Brittany Cervantes meets her hero Erin Andrews
• Kentucky basketball thinking outside the luxury box
• Collinsworth says Towles is as good a high school player as he’s been around
• Cousins in negotiations with multiple European teams
• Arizona injury could provide chance for Alfonso Smith
• Cat fights continuing in football position battles
• Kentucky football coaches are fired up over freshmen
• UK receiver LaRod King gets a grip on things
• New lights make a difference at Nutter Field House
• Notes from Kentucky’s final football scrimmage
• Joker Phillips makes the all-card team

With Randall Cobb and Chris Matthews having departed, LaRod King is the Cats’ leading returning receiver. The former North Hardin star caught 36 passes for 478 yards and five touchdowns. Over two seasons, King has 46 grabs.

But the question is do the Cats have any receivers to go along with King. At Media Day, Joker Phillips talked about UK’s five new freshmen receivers. Big difference this year, said Phillips, is that the group consists of true receivers.

Videos from UK’s press luncheon today of LaRod King, Brad Durham and Ricky Lumpkin.

(AP photo)

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• Three prep schools steered clear of Enes Kanter because of fear he was a professional, reports Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader.
• My column says that with the NCAA, Kentucky’s wait on Enes Kanter could be a long one.
• Young receivers Matt Roark and LaRod King give UK depth at that position, reports Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• Furor over Kanter one more challenge for John Calipari, writes Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal.
• Kanter’s biggest problem is geography, blogs Eric Crawford of the C-J.
• The burden of proof in Kanter case is on Kentucky, writes Andy Katz of espn.com.
• Kentucky’s football players are open to a scheduling change, writes B.W. Jones of the Kentucky Kernel.
• Lauren Rapp has become the face of UK volleyball, writes Ethan Levine of the Kernel.
• Another Turk gives his perspective on the Enes Kanter situation to Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger.
• Assistant coach says his words were taken out of context by New York Times, blogs USA Today.

Continue reading ‘BBL: More reaction to Enes Kanter situation’

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

(Miami Herald photo)

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

Jerry Tipton and Ben Roberts of the Herald-Leader on UK’s one-day recruiting haul:

As recruiting analysts saw it, Kentucky sent a message to college basketball on Wednesday. Two messages, actually, when arguably the best prospects in the high school junior and senior classes committed to the Cats. “Sort of a display of strength,” analyst Jerry Meyer of Rivals.com called the commitments by senior point guard Brandon Knight and junior forward Michael Gilchrist.

My column saying UK fans are willing to settle . . . for every top recruit:

Well, Michael Gilchrist is the No. 1 player in the Class of 2011, and Kentucky already has him. Gilchrist made his choice Wednesday, as well. Did it on ESPNU. Knight opened the show by choosing Kentucky. Gilchrist closed it by committing to Kentucky. OK, Cal, so how come no one for 2012 yet? What’s taking so long?

Fabian Lyon of the Miami Herald on the now blue Knight:

On the same stage where he accepted back-to-back national Gatorade Player of the Year trophies, Knight paused for effect in front of a national TV audience and then announced: “The place I plan on playing my basketball career is at the University of Kentucky.”

Ethan J. Skolnick of Ft. Lauderdale’s Sun Sentinel on what UK got in Brandon Knight:

Yet this is what colleges got, if they cared to read it. They got an English Honors III teacher raving about “Brandon’s perfect articulation in reading Shakespeare,” and describing “the stillness of the room as his peers listened in rapt attention” to his “Macbeth” soliloquy. They got an Advanced Placement statistics teacher recalling all the times he would stay for extra help, even it meant missing dinner before a game. They got his college counselor gushing, “A finer Pine Crest student I cannot imagine.”

(Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)

Christy Chirinos of the Sun Sentinel on Knight picking the Cats:

Knight, the highly touted recruit who was twice named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, also considered offers from Connecticut, Florida, Kansas and Syracuse. “I was real comfortable with the situation at Kentucky,” Knight said. “That was my main factor, where I felt I could be comfortable and where I could get better. I felt I could get better at Kentucky.”

Sun Sentinel video of Brandon Knight talking about Kentucky:

Continue reading ‘BBL: Brandon Knight and Michael Gilchrist links roundup’

Miss Kentucky USA, Maria Montgomery, was working hard in the press box. (Photo by John Clay)

Big Blue Links for Sunday:

• Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader writes on UK’s workman-like effort in win over Colonels.
• Chip’s notes leads with Sam Maxwell’s interceptions.
• My column saying the next three games will decide Kentucky’s season.
• Mark Story’s column about freshmen playmakers Morgan Newton and La’Rod King.
• Herald-Leader photo slide show from Kentucky-Eastern Kentucky.
• Jerry Tipton of Herald-Leader writes that UK could be headed for big recruiting haul.
• Zagsblog reports that C.J. Leslie may wait until spring. (H/T to Bluegrass State Basketball.)
• Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal has gamer on Kentucky’s win over EKU.
• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger writes about Randall Cobb’s injury.
• Larry also wrote about his press box guest, Miss Kentucky USA.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Miss Kentucky USA watches Cats crown EKU’

Post-game video interviews with Morgan Newton, Trevard Lindley and La’Rod King after Kentucky’s 37-12 win over Eastern Kentucky. Newton completed 20 of 29 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Lindley sat out the second half after having his ankle stepped on near the end of the first half. King caught four passes for 41 yards.

Continue reading ‘Video: Morgan Newton, Trevard Lindley and La’Rod King’

Big Blue Links for Friday.

Traditional:

• Doug Binder of the Oregonian reports that UK target Terrence Jones may wait until spring before choosing a school.
• Gary Bedore of the Lawrence Journal-World reports that Brandon Knight will also wait until spring. (See Zagsblog link with blogs section.)
• In the Herald-Leader, Chip Cosby reports that UK’s defensive line wants redemption.
• Mark Story of H-L writes on Eastern Kentucky coach Dean Hood’s connections.
• Jerry Tipton of the H-L reports that John Calipari is challenging his team to improve.
• Tipton of the H-L writes that Mark Krebs’ focus is paying off.
• Tipton also blogs that Calipari said Patrick Patterson needs to be more aggressive.
• Paul Gattis of the Huntsville Times writes that Tennessee basketball has taken a backseat to Kentucky this off-season. (H/T to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)

Continue reading ‘BBL: Terrence Jones is waiting; Knight to visit Florida’

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader writes that Clarion game brings back memories of John Calipari’s time there.
• Chip Cosby of the H-L writes about freshman quarterback Morgan Newton.
• The Easy Being Green blog reports on the Wildcat Coal Lodge banner protest at UK.
• Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal writes on UK freshman receiver La’Rod King.
• Matt May of the Cats Pause reports that Trevard Lindley and Mike Hartline are making progress.
• Marlen Garcia of USA Today writes on the red-hot UK-U of L basketball rivalry.
• Brian Rosenthal of Husker Extra reports that Billy Gillispie was at Nebraska to watch the Cornhuskers. (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)
• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger reports that DeQuin Evans thinks Cats backed down.
• Kevin Patton of the Henderson Gleaner writes that Newton’s progress comes at Will Fidler’s expense. (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Football Blog.)
• Metz Camfield of the Kentucky Kernel writes on John Wall and high expectations.
• T.J. Walker of the Kernel writes on volleyball’s Gretchen Giesler.

Continue reading ‘BBL: USA Today tackles UK-U of L, and other links’