John Clay's Sidelines

Winston Bennett and Joe B. Hall at Melvin Turpin

Big Blue Links for Tuesday:

• Fans and friends remember Melvin Turpin, report Karla Ward and Josh Kegley of the Herald-Leader.

• North Carolina may join the mix for UK target Anthony Davis, reports Zagsblog.

• UK receiver Chris Matthews finds his safety away from Los Angeles, writes Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.

• Rick Bozich of the C-J writes that the “First Four” is likely to be a first bore.

• Wall’s Wizards best Bledsoe’s Clippers in Las Vegas Summer League, with report by AP.

• DeMarcus Cousins was impressive in his summer league debut, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.

• The Oklahoman reports that Daniel Orton was a summer league dud. (Hat tip Bluegrass State Basketball.)

• Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches says UK’s NBA draft crop proving they were worth the hype.

Continue reading ‘BBL: North Carolina now after Anthony Davis’

(AP photo)

Big Blue Links for Sunday:

• American Thinker’s Cindy Simpson, a Kentuckian, compares basketball officials to Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.

• Michael Gilchrist produced a double-double in US team’s opener at World Championships in Germany.

• USA U-17 team routs Lithuania in second round, reports Jason Hickman of maxpreps.com.

• My column on ex-UK associate AD Scott Stricklin, who is now the AD at Mississippi State.

• Ex-UK women’s coach Debbie Yow, now AD at N.C. State, loves coaching coaches, writes Edward Robinson of the Charlotte Observer.

• Wall Street Journal picks up on the Dermontti Dawson bankruptcy filing.

• Williamson Daily News on Jeff Sheppard’s Hoops Not Drugs camp in Eastern Kentucky.

• DeMarcus Cousins answers fan questions in Sacramento:

(Hat tip to Bluegrass State Basketball.)

Continue reading ‘BBL: Supreme Court and Kentucky basketball?’

Tony Wroten

Big Blue Links for Saturday:

• My Herald-Leader column on the TMZ report claiming NCAA is looking into UK basketball.

• Greg Nord coming back to Lexington as a UK assistant, reports Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.

• Tony Wroten has narrowed his choices to Kentucky and Washington, reports Diamond Leung of espn.com.

• Kentucky finishes 29th in the Directors’ Cup standings for overall sports programs, reports Eric Lindsey of Cat Scratches.

• Mary Jo Perino of WLEX reports that Steve Ortmayer was shocked by his firing from UK football staff.

• Scott Padgett may be leaving UK for Manhattan, blogs Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal.

• Bozich also writes on TMZ spreading the dirt on Kentucky basketball.

• Louisville sports agent questions validity of TMZ report, says Maria Ansari of WAVE-TV in Louisville.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Tony Wroten down to Kentucky and Washington’

Much speculation that former Minnesota signee Royce White could end up playing for Kentucky sometime in the near future. Here are some things to know about Royce White:

• He’s a 6-foot-7, 210-pound small forward from Hopkins, Minnesota. (Some list him now as being 6-8, 250, but that was not his listing coming out of high school.)

• White was dismissed from DeLaSalle High School in Minnesota for academic misconduct.

• After transferring, he led Hopkins to a Minnesota state title.

• ADDED: White was rated as the No. 2 small forward in the 2009 class, and the No. 19 prospect overall, by Rivals.com.

• White committed to Minnesota and Tubby Smith on April 3, 2008. He later signed with the Gophers.

• On Oct. 13, 2009, White was involved in an incident at a Minneapolis mall after which he faced misdemeanor charges of theft and fifth-degree assault. White allegedly shop-lifted a pair of pants and a shirt totallying $100 and pushed a mall security guard.

• White was suspended indefinitely by the Gophers.

• White admitted to the crime and reached a plea agreement to pay $600 in fines and to remain away from the mall for a year.

• On Nov. 11 of last year, White was investigated for allegedly being involved in the theft of a laptop from a University of Minnesota dorm room. The case was referred to the Minneapolis city attorney’s office for possible charges.

• With White still under investigation, Smith said that the freshman would not play in Gophers’ opener.

• White announced, via YouTube, on Dec. 19 that he was leaving college basketball.

Continue reading ‘Many things to know and consider about Royce White’

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• Minnesota’s Royce White could be Kentucky-bound, writes Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
• Sons of Dirk Minniefield and Rex Chapman are succeeding on the court, writes Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader.
• Rankings rankle some recruits at NBA-sponsored Elite Camp, writes Tipton.
• Some Day 1 notes from the NBA Elite Camp, courtesy of the Courier-Journal’s Jody Demling.
• Michael Gilchrist is trying to get Tony Wroten to Kentucky, writes Adam Gorney of Yahoo Sports. (Hat tip Bluegrass State Basketball.)
• Quincy Miller is keeping his options open, reports Zagsblog.
• Daniel Orton could go as high as No. 10 to the Pacers, writes Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
• Randall Cobb is the 14th best football player in the SEC, according to Chris Low of espn.com.
• Video of Darin Minniefield and Zeke Chapman:

Continue reading ‘BBL: Minnesota thinks Royce White is UK-bound’