John Clay's Sidelines

(H-L photo/Joseph Rey Au)

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

• Dedication and technique have lifted Luke McDermott into starting spot, writes Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader.
• McDermott is new to Kentucky’s spotlight, writes Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal.
• My column saying that Joker Phillips is demanding physical football from his Cats.
• Victoria Dunlap is soaking up a summer of sweat, reports Jennifer Smith of the Herald-Leader.
• Erin Andrews will be featured at the UK Basketball Women’s Clinic, blogs Jerry Tipton of the H-L.
• Louisville quarterback Adam Froman has plenty of options, writes Mark Maloney of the Herald-Leader.
• Jody Demling of the Courier-Journal writes that the Louisville recruiting war has been shaded blue of late.
• Predicting Governor’s Cup winner is no easy task, writes Eric Crawford of the Courier-Journal.
• Other recruits were part of the right fit for UK basketball commit Kyle Wiltjer, writes Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger.
• The 2011 recruiting class may be best ever for Calipari, blogs Eamonn Brennan of espn.com.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Links, links and more links for UK-U of L’

UK football coach Joker Phillips at women's clinic. (H-L photo/David Perry)

Big Blue Links for Monday:

Agency’s tie may limit William Wesley’s influence, writes Pete Thamel of the New York Times.

Now that he has more formal ties to C.A.A. coaching clients like Kentucky’s John Calipari, Auburn’s Tony Barbee and Rutgers’s Mike Rice, many are wondering if Wesley’s ability to engage with top recruits will become more limited.

During a summer when agent issues have provided the dominant story line in college football, Wesley’s new role has generated some buzz on the summer basketball circuit.

“I really don’t know if there’s an issue yet,” Georgia Coach Mark Fox said of Wesley’s role with C.A.A. “But you can see the potential for one.”

Herald-Leader report on Darnell Dodson not playing for the Cats this season.

Dodson, a transfer from Miami Dade Community College who had earned a reputation as a good outside shooter, averaged 6.0 points in 14.5 minutes per game during an inconsistent first season at UK. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound guard shot 50-for-144 (34.7 percent) from three-point range.

Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger on Dodson’s summer saga.

On July 19, Kentucky assistant basketball coach John Robic emphasized that Dodson would be playing for the Wildcats next season at the UK Ohio Convention in Middletown, Ohio. “Dodson is eligible. Don’t believe everything you hear,” Robic said then even though rumors had swirled that Dodson would not be back.

Kentucky is after can’t-miss prospect Perry Ellis, writes Candace Buckner of the Kansas City Star.

Even before he enters his junior year of high school, Ellis can have his pick of eight Division I colleges. Kansas offered first, Kansas State came sixth. Oklahoma, Memphis and Kentucky are also suitors. Ellis says he wants to play one year and then enter the NBA draft. There hasn’t been a Kansas high schooler with such options since Wichita East’s Korleone Young – who burned out after one NBA season and is now known as a cautionary tale.

Continue reading ‘BBL: New role could limit World Wide Wes’ influence’

World Wide Wes sat in front row of end zone in front of Kentucky cheering section. (Photo by John Clay)

Big Blue Links for Tuesday:

Mark Story of the Herald-Leader writes that John Calipari and rumors are a package deal: “Yet on Monday, UK fans awoke to find that both The Chicago Tribune and New York’s Newsday were reporting that the ubiquitous basketball power broker William Wesley – Worldwide Wes – was working back channels to facilitate a LeBron James/Calipari package deal to NBA franchises in financial position to bid on the Cleveland Cavaliers star.”

Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal reports that Arizona’s Book Richardson is one of three candidates for UK’s assistant coach opening.

Coach tells Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger Darnell Dodson will return to UK: “Darnell Dodson will be back at Kentucky for his junior season. Matt Eisele, the head coach at Miami Dade College, says his former player “will be back” with the Wildcats next season even though UK coach John Calipari proclaimed several times in the last month that UK would have only four players back off this year’s team.”

Scott Powers of ESPN Chicago thinks Jerrance Howard will remain at Illinois: “Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber would rather Kentucky hadn’t recently tried to sway away Illini assistant Jerrance Howard, but Weber does realize there was significance to it. ‘In a way, it’s a compliment to our program and him,’ Weber said on Monday night. ‘If we’re struggling and not doing a good job recruiting, they wouldn’t contact him. He’s very loyal to the Illini and appreciates everything. At the same time, you always listen to things and see what’s out there.’” (Hat tip to Aaron’s UK Basketball Blog.)

Charles Pierce writes for Slate on Rajon Rondo: “Under Rivers’ guidance, Rondo has become the most unstoppable point guard in the NBA and, in the postseason, very likely the best one. The only one still with an argument is Steve Nash in Phoenix, and Nash has proved himself completely incapable of guarding Rondo at all. There will be people who will argue for New Orleans’ Chris Paul, who shoots better, and Utah’s Deron Williams, who is bigger and stronger, but neither of them have done what Rondo has done when games truly begin to count.”

Continue reading ‘BBL: Book Richardson newest name on UK assistant list’

William Wesley, right, with Ron Artest.

Update from Rick Bozich’s blog has Wesley saying, “What’s going to happen is going to be monumental for college basketball. It’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be great.”

With John Calipari’s name atop the UK buzz list, with most believing he is mulling an offer from Kentucky, you may have heard talk about William Wesley, the confidant/powerbroker type who has been connected with Calipari.

Here is a New York Times profile that ran last year on Wesley.

An excerpt:

Wesley has close ties to the Memphis Tigers, one of the four teams here this weekend. Wesley has been friends with Memphis Coach John Calipari since the mid-1980s, when Calipari was recruiting in New Jersey, where Wesley grew up, for Kansas.

In February, a day before No. 1 Memphis played No. 2 Tennessee in the regular season, Wesley grabbed rebounds for one of the Tiger players shooting free throws. On game day, he mingled on the floor with the team, sat directly behind the bench, walked off the floor with the players at halftime and joined them in the postgame handshake line.

At the Nike-sponsored LeBron James Skills Academy last summer in Akron, Ohio, Wesley worked his connections.

Michael Gilchrist, a 6-foot-6 high school freshman who has already said he will play at Memphis, did not play in the camp. But he hung around there, mostly with Wesley and the Memphis star Chris Douglas-Roberts.

At one point, James told Wesley, “Hey, I’m going to grab some lunch.” Wesley responded, “Why don’t you bring Little Mike with you?”

It is vintage Wesley, using one relationship to build another.