John Clay's Sidelines

Samford athletic director Martin Newton (Southern Conference photo)

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

• As new athletic director at Samford, Martin Newton has negotiated a deal with Kentucky for basketball games over the next three seasons, with the final game to be played in Birmingham, reports Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News.
• Florida’s Billy Donovan beats out Kentucky’s John Calipari for best basketball coach in SEC, according to a media poll Knoxville radio talk show host Jimmy Hyams conducted at the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin last week.
• Joker Phillips sees the perception of Kentucky football changing, reports ESPN’s Edward Aschoff.
• My H-L column says Kentucky fans have been no doubt amused by the mess on Rocky Top, which brought Mike Hamilton’s resignation on Tuesday.

Continue reading ‘BBL: UK to play Samford in basketball next 3 seasons’

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’

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader writes on ex-UK quarterback Curtis Pulley, who is in more trouble.
• Cosby reports that UK tight end T.C. Drake has undergone sports hernia surgery.
• David Trimble of the Georgetown News-Graphic blasts Herald-Leader over Calipari’s contract.
• A Sea of Blue adds a few more points to Trimble’s argument.
• Bluegrass State Basketball on those unfounded rumors last night of Patrick Patterson pulling his name out of the draft.
• State of the Program on Patterson.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Debate over John Calipari’s contract’