John Clay's Sidelines

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• USA Today says Kentucky is the biggest mover among merchandise sales, moving up five spots. (Hat tip to Tom Leach.)
• Jody Demling of the C-J reports that Chane Behanan has picked up an offer from Kentucky.
• Derrick Locke leads a deep stable of running backs at UK, writes Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• Cosby reports that Joker Phillips wants Louisville to be recruiting hotbed for the Cats.
• Lexington Christian offensive lineman Zach West commits to Kentucky, reports Mike Fields of the H-L.
• DeAndre Daniels confirms Jerry Tipton’s earlier report, telling Zagsblog he is going to prep school.
• Zagsblog also reports that Quincy Miller wants to play with Deuce Bello in college.
• Kentucky seeks depth at wide receiver, writes Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Kentucky moves up merchandise ladder’

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

More on the Elliott Porter saga from Glenn Guilbeau of the Opelousas Daily World: “Porter and his family say they did not learn of Miles wishes until just last week – two days before LSU’s players reported and after Porter had enrolled in summer courses and participated in the offseason conditioning program. Miles said Tuesday at Media Day he told Porter two months ago.” (Hat tip to Bleed Blue Kentucky.)

Quincy Miller tells High School Hoops he’s still interested in Kentucky: “HSH: Indeed. Let’s talk recruiting. What’s your list looking like? QM: Kentucky, Louisville, Oklahoma, Duke, Texas, Tennessee, Wake Forest and Baylor.” (Hat tip to Bluegrass State Basketball.)

UK women take big blow with possible loss of Amber Smith, reports Jennifer Smith of the H-L: “Senior point guard Amber Smith is out indefinitely after suffering a knee injury in a pickup game, the school announced Wednesday. Smith injured the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee on campus in late July. She is expected to have surgery this week.”

Michael Gilchrist is inspired his late father, writes Matthew Stanmyre of the Newark Star-Ledger: “But once a week, when Michael Gilchrist needs comfort, he watches ‘The Lion King.’ The DVD is already in the console, always ready. All he has to do is press play. He first watched the movie with his father when he was a baby, and they would watch it together nearly every day until he was almost 3.” (Hat tip to Tom Leach.)

Gary Laney of The Baton Rouge Advocate says that John Calipari takes advantage of a rule he doesn’t like: “Can’t say I blame him. Calipari has four million reasons (as in a $4 million salary) to do everything he can to win. When you have that salary, you’re at a place that expects you to win big. If that means capitalizing on a rule that might leave a bad taste in your mouth so you can get it done, so be it. Same thing applies to football and oversigning.”

Continue reading ‘BBL: Elliott Porter saga continues; Quincy Miller and UK’

NBAdraft.net has a nice wrap-up of the goings on at the Adidas Nations Basketball Tournament.

Excerpt:

Cody Zeller had his best game of the week leading all scorers with 22 points. His skill and experience playing in the post allowed him to take advantage of Asia’s thin frontcourt players.

Ryan Boatright had 13 and 3 assists.

Quincy Miller had just 2 points as it became apparent very quickly that he could rest this game and save his energy for the night cap and final on Monday. Miller had just 2 points sitting out the entire 3rd quarter.

Wayne Blacksheer had 13 while LeBryan Nash had 8 and joked afterwards that the USA had not been very “sportsmanlike” in their dismantling of Asia.

There is plenty more where that came from, so be sure and click.

Quincy Miller dunks on Italy during the Adidas Nations Tournament.
(Hat tip to Nation of Blue.)

Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports writes on UK targets Quincy Miller and Tony Wroten, and he doesn’t like what he’s seeing.

Goodman excerpt:

I worry about Quincy Miller. I’m concerned about Tony Wroten, too.

Before the Big Blue Nation makes this into a Kentucky conspiracy (which, of course, they will), it has nothing to do with the fact that both players are considering heading to Lexington in about a year or so.

It’s more that Miller and Wroten have their priorities out of whack.

Trust me. I’ve seen this story before, and it’s usually not a storybook ending.

(Hat tip to Nation of Blue.)

The current issue of Sports Illustrated — the “Where are they now” issue with Stan Musial gracing the cover — includes a story from Seth Davis on the battle between Kentucky and Louisville over hot hoops prospect Quincy Miller.

Davis gets into the whole scenario, of how Rick Pitino’s hiring of Tim Fuller got the Cardinals in on Miller, thanks to Fuller’s friendship with Brian Clifton.

He also talks about how Clifton’s protege John Wall played for John Calipari at Kentucky, but that Clifton and Calipari have no relationship.

Writes Davis: “The Cliftons and Calipari were never close to begin with, and one person involved in Miller’s recruiting says, ‘That relationship is over.’”

Meanwhile, Miller tells Davis that it’s great being recruited by Pitino and Calipari because, “they’re always going after each other.”

Big Blue Links for Monday:

• Fox41 in Louisville on the start of the Karen Sypher trial today.
• Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal writes on Andre Woodson trying a new path to the NFL.
• No easy answers in athlete-agent interactions, reports Brett Dawson of the C-J.
• Kentucky and Louisville basketball on trail of many of the same players, reports Jody Demling of the C-J.
• Mobile Press-Register ranks the top 120 high school football players in the Southeast.
• Frank Burlison of the Long Beach Press-Telegram writes on top prospect Tony Wroten.
• Matt May of the Cats Pause on a potential breakout star for UK football.
• Wildcat Blue Blog wonders if Quincy Miller and Tony Wroten could both end up at Louisville.
• Brett Carney of WLEX reports that UK football is building muscle and leadership in summer workouts.
• Kentucky no longer on Quinn Cook’s list, reports Zagsblog. (Hat tip Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)

(Hat tip to Nation of Blue.)

Big Blue Links for Saturday:

• Tennessee to be looking up at Kentucky in football is a rare sight, writes John Adams of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
• Kentucky picked to finish fourth in the SEC East, ahead of the Vols, reports Chip Cosby of the H-L from Hoover.
• John Calipari and Orlando Antigua are keeping tabs on Quincy Miller, reports Jason Hickman of Maxpreps.com.
• Anthony Davis tells Zagsblog that UK, Syracuse and Ohio State are all about even on his list.
• Michael Gilchrist will take a six-week break from basketball, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)
• David Turner is UK’s new assistant head football coach, reports Mary Jo Perino of WLEX-TV.
• Seattle’s Tony Wroten loves Kentucky basketball fans, writes Jody Demling of the Courier-Journal.
• Bluegrass State Basketball lends a hand to flood victims in Eastern Kentucky.
• The hits just keep on coming for Tennessee, reports Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.
• Rick Bozich of the C-J says don’t laugh about Kentucky being picked ahead of the Vols.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Tennessee not happy being picked behind UK’

Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News is in Las Vegas, and writes on Quincy Miller, who may or may not be a UK target.

He wants to be a target when he gets to college, he tells DeCourcy.

An excerpt:

“Once I get in college, I definitely want to be a rival,” Miller said. “I want to be somebody that everybody hates.”

Oh, that’s coming.

If he chooses Kentucky, he’ll be the biggest villain in Louisville since, well, John Calipari. If he chooses Syracuse, he’ll be as popular in Connecticut as the letters N-C-A-A.

A 6-8 forward from Chicago who is playing at Westchester Academy in High Point, N.C., Miller is considering UK, U of L, UConn, Baylor, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Texas, Tennessee and Oklahoma. He’s got a long way in choosing a college, but it’s only a year until he gets there.