GJ Getting Better

I have found out that GJ Vilarino is getting a whole lot better after having a huge slump after he committed to Kentucky. People have wondered if he is good enough to go to Kentucky and play. I am really confident to see him as a GREAT Kentucky player. Here is what he had to say about his game.

“When I first committed, I don’t think I fully understood the magnitude of it,” he said. “Now I understand it better. People are going to come after me because I am going to play for the best program in the country, so basically it is just me trying to get better every day.

“I love the fans and how they love basketball down there. I think it’s a perfect fit for me when I get there.”

The ESPY's

Well I have to say the ESPY's was the best ESPY's I watched in a long time. The show was great, Justin was great the light were great, I give the show a A+. Here are some of the clips that were funny and inspiring.

Galloway and Liggins back on track

I don't know if this is true or not but I hope it is. This morning I heard that Deandre Liggins and Galloway will probably be eligible.

….for all intents and purposes right now, they are eligible. Everyone is much less worried as the biggest concern has been taken care of and everyone is operating under the assumption that both will play. Like everything, this could change, but no one expects any result but both playing next year. The final official word is likely to come early next week.

If this is true then Kentucky Will be really great next year.

Qua Huzzie a Wildcat

Kentucky Got another Great Commitment the other day as they got Qua Huzzie. He is ranked as Rivals’ 39th best linebacker (30th on Scout.com). Huzzie, 5′11″ 205, is a three-star player in the mold of former LaGrange linebacker Wesley Woodyard and is the Cats’ 13th commitment for the class of 2009. Some scouts are concerned with his size, but like his ability to stop the run and the way he uses his leverage to get through the line and make a stop. ESPN says that he can be very effective in a system that uses him as a blitzer and he will be a “future special teams stud”. Last year at LaGrange, Huzzie recorded 102 tackles and had two INTs (one for a TD) for the Grangers who finished 8-3. Huzzie runs a 4.59 40 and picked the Cats over Ole Miss, South Carolina, Oklahoma State and Duke.

Huzzie is the latest in a long list of players from LaGrange. Woodyard got the ball rolling and now the Cats have three other former Grangers on the roster in DB Randall Burden, WR Demoreo Ford and LB Braxton Kelley. The Cats might not yet be done with LaGrange either as Huzzie’s fellow linebackers Demetri Merritt and Kobina Essandoh, as well as DE Tristan Johnson, list the Cats as possible destinations.

Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team Released

The Cats get five guys on the preseason lists this year…..Garry Williams is 2nd team on offense…..Trevard Lindley and Jeremy Jarmon are 2nd Team on Defense…..Braxton Kelly and Micah Johnson are 3rd team on Defense. Here is this list:

2008 SEC COACHES PRE-SEASON ALL-SEC FOOTBALL TEAM

(#-Ties / *-Unanimous Selection) (Coaches could not vote for themselves or their own players)

Pos. Name School Ht. Wt. Class Hometown

FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC — OFFENSE
TE Cornelius Ingram Florida 6-4 223 Sr. Hawthorne, Fla.

OL *Andre Smith Alabama 6-5 340 Jr. Birmingham, Ala.

OL *Michael Oher Ole Miss 6-5 318 Sr. Memphis, Tenn.

OL *Anthony Parker Tennessee 6-3 305 Sr. Jonesboro, Ga.

OL Herman Johnson LSU 6-7 351 Sr. Olla, La.

C *Jonathan Luigs Arkansas 6-4 314 Sr. Little Rock, Ark.

WR Percy Harvin Florida 5-11 178 Jr. Virginia Beach, Va.

WR Kenny McKinley South Carolina 6-0 182 Sr. Mableton, Ga.

QB Tim Tebow Florida 6-3 232 Jr. Jacksonville, Fla.

RB *Knowshon Moreno Georgia 5-11 207 So. Belford, N.J.

RB Arian Foster Tennessee 6-1 215 Sr. San Diego, Calif.

SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC — OFFENSE
TE Richard Dickson LSU 6-3 237 Jr. Ocean Springs, Miss.

OL Ciron Black LSU 6-5 314 Jr. Tyler, Texas

OL Tyronne Green Auburn 6-2 307 Sr. Pensacola, Fla.

OL #Ramon Foster Tennessee 6-6 325 Sr. Henning, Tenn.

OL #Lee Ziemba Auburn 6-8 288 So. Rogers, Ark.

OL #Mitch Petrus Arkansas 6-4 305 Sr. Carlisle, Ark.

OL #Garry Williams Kentucky 6-3 300 Sr. Louisville, Ky.

C #Antoine Caldwell Alabama 6-3 292 Sr. Montgomery, Ala.

C #Brett Helms LSU 6-2 283 Sr. Stuttgart, Ark.

WR Demetrius Byrd LSU 6-2 195 Sr. Miami, Fla.

WR Mohamed Massaquoi Georgia 6-2 198 Sr. Charlotte, N.C.

QB Matthew Stafford Georgia 6-3 237 Jr. Dallas, Texas

RB Anthony Dixon Mississippi State 6-1 240 Jr. Jackson, Miss.

RB Ben Tate Auburn 5-11 215 Jr. Newark, Md.

THIRD-TEAM ALL-SEC — OFFENSE
TE Jared Cook South Carolina 6-5 242 Jr. Suwanee, Ga.

OL Phil Trautwein Florida 6-6 301 Sr. Voorhees, N.J.

OL Jim Tartt Florida 6-3 300 Sr. Sochoppy, Fla.

OL John Jerry Ole Miss 6-5 350 Jr. Batesville, Miss.

OL Anthony Strauder Mississippi State 6-3 290 Sr. Natchez, Miss.

C Josh McNeil Tennessee 6-4 280 Jr. Collins, Miss.

WR Lucas Taylor Tennessee 6-0 185 Sr. Carencro, La.

WR Brandon LaFell LSU 6-3 194 Jr. Houston, Texas

QB John Parker Wilson Alabama 6-2 213 Sr. Hoover, Ala.

RB Keiland Williams LSU 5-11 223 Jr. Lafayette, La.

RB Terry Grant Alabama 5-10 188 So. Lumberton, Miss.

FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC — DEFENSE
DL *Greg Hardy Ole Miss 6-4 265 Jr. Millington, Tenn.

DL Sen’Derrick Marks Auburn 6-1 288 Jr. Mobile, Ala.

DL Tyson Jackson LSU 6-5 292 Sr. Edgard, La.

LB *Brandon Spikes Florida 6-3 245 Jr. Shelby, N.C.

LB Rico McCoy Tennessee 6-1 215 Jr. Washington, D.C.

LB Darry Beckwith LSU 6-1 232 Sr. Baton Rouge, La.

LB Dannell Ellerbe Georgia 6-1 232 Sr. Hamlet, N.C.

DB Eric Berry Tennessee 5-11 195 So. Fairburn, Ga.

DB Derek Pegues Mississippi State 5-10 196 Sr. Batesville, Miss.

DB #Rashad Johnson Alabama 6-0 187 Sr. Sulligent, Ala.

DB #Captain Munnerlyn South Carolina 5-9 185 Jr. Mobile, Ala.

DB #D.J. Moore Vanderbilt 5-10 182 Jr. Spartanburg, S.C.

SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC — DEFENSE

DL Ricky Jean-Francois LSU 6-3 281 Jr. Miami, Fla.

DL Geno Atkins Georgia 6-1 290 Jr. Pembroke Pines, Fla.

DL #Jeremy Jarmon Kentucky 6-3 277 Jr. Collierville, Tenn.

DL #Peria Jerry Ole Miss 6-2 290 Sr. Batesville, Miss.

LB Jasper Brinkley South Carolina 6-2 275 Sr. Thomson, Ga.

LB Rolando McClain Alabama 6-4 255 So. Decatur, Ala.

LB Eric Norwood South Carolina 6-1 270 Jr. Acworth, Ga.

LB #Tray Blackmon Auburn 6-2 220 Jr. LaGrange, Ga.

LB #Jamar Chaney Mississippi State 6-1 236 Sr. Fort Pierce, Fla.

DB Emanuel Cook South Carolina 5-10 214 Jr. Riviera Beach, Fla.

DB Asher Allen Georgia 5-10 198 Jr. Tucker, Ga.

DB Trevard Lindley Kentucky 6-0 175 Jr. Hiram, Ga.

DB Jerraud Powers Auburn 5-9 188 Jr. Decatur, Ala.

THIRD-TEAM ALL-SEC — DEFENSE
DL Antonio Coleman Auburn 6-2 250 Jr. Mobile, Ala.

DL #Antwain Robinson Arkansas 6-2 258 Sr. Little Rock, Ark.

DL #Kirston Pittman LSU 6-4 254 Sr. Garyville, La.

DL #Jeff Owens Georgia 6-3 298 Sr. Sunrise, Fla.

LB Rennie Curran Georgia 5-11 220 So. Snellville, Ga.

LB Micah Johnson Kentucky 6-2 250 Jr. Ft. Campbell, Ky.

LB Braxton Kelley Kentucky 6-0 230 Sr. LaGrange, Ga.

DB #Reshard Langford Vanderbilt 6-2 208 Sr. Tanner, Ala.

DB #Chad Jones LSU 6-3 222 So. Baton Rouge, La.

DB #Major Wright Florida 6-0 194 So. Miramar, Fla.

DB #Joe Haden Florida 5-11 180 So. Ft. Washington, Md.

DB #Wondy Pierre-Louis Florida 6-0 182 Jr. Naples, Fla.

FIRST-TEAM ALL-SEC — SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Colt David LSU 5-9 175 Sr. Grapevine, Texas

P Ryan Shoemaker Auburn 6-0 192 So. Birmingham, Ala.

RS Brandon James Florida 5-6 179 Jr. St. Augustine, Fla.

SECOND-TEAM ALL-SEC — SPECIAL TEAMS

PK Ryan Succop South Carolina 6-3 224 Sr. Hickory, N.C.

P Ryan Succop South Carolina 6-3 224 Sr. Hickory, N.C.

RS Javier Arenas Alabama 5-9 193 Jr. Tampa, Fla.

THIRD-TEAM ALL-SEC — SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Leigh Tiffin Alabama 6-1 198 Jr. Muscle Shoals, Ala.

P Brian Mimbs Georgia 5-11 205 Sr. Dublin, Ga.

RS Trindon Holliday LSU 5-5 159 Jr. Zachary, La.

Lindley Looks Like he is getting National Attention

Lindley is getting national attention from everywhere this year. This is really good news as this is probably going to be the only good news for the Kentucky Football team this year during the season.

Reese a Wildcat?

The buzz on Sunday night was the speculation on another site that Kentucky may have another 2008 commitment, potentially as early as this week. If this news is true (and I have no reason to believe it isnt), then it is Brad Reese, the young man from the Florida Community College that we spoke about a couple of weeks here and who a couple of people have told me may have already committed to UK privately. Reese is a wing player who can put the ball in the basket and is said to have a great deal of skill. Very little (if anything) is known about the kid beyond that and my assumption is that almost no one outside of the coaching staff has ever seen him play. If he indeed is announced as a new UK player soon (and gets deemed eligible), fans must trust that he truly is a “diamond in the rough” of the highest degree. My only worry….that having a guy named Reese, leads to far too many “Reese’s pieces” jokes by Herald Leader headline writers in the near future.

Azubuike has new contract

Looks like Azubuike has a new team to go to and that team would be the LA Clippers for 3 years, 9 million dollars. Not bad. Congrats to Azubuike and his new contract.

Here is a Funny Clip of Azubuike at the University of Kentucky.

Billy Gillispie press guotes

“It’s been a good summer so far. I’m excited about what’s going to happen in the fall and I hope our guys are going to do well. I’m really excited about their enthusiasm and their work. I’m excited about the upcoming year.”

How different is this summer than last summer?

“The players have a greater sense of comfort because there is not as much that is unknown.They’ve developed relationships with other players and I think they know more of what to expect.”
You said that Patrick (Patterson) is farther along than you expected. Can you tell us some of the things that he has been doing?
“He’s working hard. He had surgery and he was going to be in a cast for six weeks and a boot for six weeks. They took x-rays after they took off the cast and they said the healing was farther along than expected. So, they put him in the boot and he is going in for another x-ray tomorrow. He’s been doing a lot rehab in the pool on campus in the underwater treadmill. It’s a great rehabilitation device. It’s probably helped him with conditioning and I think it may help him return a little quicker.
He’s been doing his rehab on the treadmill, but he hasn’t been able to return to the court yet. I think that the treadmill will help him return to the court in about three or four weeks. It looks like things are way ahead of schedule as far as recovery.”
Who do you think is going to be your on-court leader next year?
“Our on-court leader is probably going to be Patrick Patterson. He’s not going to initiate the offense unless he had a recovery that would allow him to be a lead guard; and that would be okay. He’s been our off court leader. His attitude is fantastic. So far I have not been a part of a group, as a whole, that is as determined and eager. I’m not making any predictions for the NCAA tournament, but I really do like what’s going on. As far as who is going to play the point guard position for us, that is yet to be determined. I believe that we have many options, but as far as saying, ‘this is going to be our point guard’, is undetermined. We have a lot of inexperience right now.”
Any thought at playing Meeks at point guard?
“As he progresses in his rehab, he’s done well. They say the soreness is subsiding and getting better on a daily basis. I think that he does have some of those leadership qualities. He’s a fairly experienced guy just not at that particular position, but if that’s what we need to do, I think he’s a candidate to do that.”
You mentioned Patrick’s off-court recovery. How central is he to what you plan on doing in the upcoming season?
“He’s very important and we’re going to throw it in their a lot. We’re going to play off him a lot. I think that the post is an area where our team is going to be vastly improved. I think that we’re going to be able to feed the post a lot better a lot earlier in the year. We obviously know that that’s where our bread is going to be buttered. He’ll get a lot of touches a game. Last year, the least amount of times that the post players ever touched the ball in a game was 84 times. The most they ever touched it was 125. In Patrick’s last five games, he touched the ball an average of 68 times. I would assume those numbers will be fairly consistent next year.”
I know you had an All-American player at Texas A & M. Are you going to find that kind of leadership out of Patterson not just on the court, but off the court as well?
“He’s a very special person. He’s a very determined basketball player. He’s determined ineverything he does. His reaction, response, and the way he is going about his rehab is great. Hemight have actually lost weight during his rehab. That’s one of the things a player has to concern themselves with is inactivity and gaining weight from it. His conditioning for not being able to do anything for a long period of time is fantastic. He’s working and his body looks great. He’s a very determined guy. Everyone knows it and everyone can see it. He’s been talking a lot with his teammates, he’s played a great recruiter, and he is a great ambassador for the university, but to answer your question, he’s responded to such a great responsibility so early in his career. He’s never let us down on anything.”
There was some talk last year about Patrick possibly playing forward, but right now itsounds like you would rather continue to feed him in the low post.
“In those last five games, he got as many touches in the high post as he did in the low post. I think that this year we will probably be able to utilize him more in the high post because I think Perry Stevenson has really emerged. I thought that he had a really good season last year and I think that he has taken another step forward this spring and summer. He feels more confident and comfortable that he can be a really good player at this level and then have a great future after he gets done here. I think A.J. (Stewart) has really improved and he’s maturing quite a bit. Jared (Carter) has had a good summer so far and a good trip over to Africa. I’m really excited about (Josh) Harrelson and what he’s going to do. So, I think we’re going to have an infinitely higher amount of options and flexibility than we’ve had in the past; but we’re not going to say that Patrick is a prototype power forward and let him play on the perimeter. That’s just not going to happen, but he is going to be a versatile player. You’ll see him probably have a great deal more of success in the high post area as far as scoring.”
Is Mark Coury coming back to play?
“At the end of the year, he asked if he could — he wasn’t on scholarship — and he asked if I would mind if he got a release to five or six different schools so that he could seek a scholarship and I said, ‘Absolutely.’ The way I look at it, I want Mark back, and he hasn’t decided if he’s going to come back. He was an important part of our team last year, but if I can’t give him a scholarship, or if I choose not to give him a scholarship, and he can get a scholarship somewhere else to pay for his school, I understand that totally. He’s in the midst of talking to some people.”

Been Gone again

sorry if I have not posted anything lately as I had computer Difficulties. These next posts is what has happened these past few days.

Morris Likes Cats

From Jody Demling’s blog comes an update on 2009 point guard Darius Morris. Check it out as Morris has some good things to say about UK and assistant coach Tracey Webster as well.

Morris looking hard at UK (Demling’s Blog)

Joe Crawford doing Great

Joe Crawford had 16 points on 6-13 shooting, including a robust and perfect 1-1 from three point range. Crawford added 3 boards, an assist and a steal for LA, bringing his summer league averages to 11.3 ppg, 2 rpg, 1 apg and 1 spg.

Congrats to Joe and his fabulous start in the summer league.

This reminds me of the great times.

Ryan M has cats top 4

Ryan Mossokawski, one of the highest ranked quarterbacks in America has narrowed his list to four schools….Kentucky, Texas A&M, Auburn and Alabama. Mossokawski would be one of the biggest out-of-state gets for Kentucky in its recent recruiting history and the news is big for the program. Ryan visited UK last week and Jeff has interviewed him and he had a great time on the trip.

Congrats to Kentucky's football staff.

Brad Reese going to big time program?

Brad Reese, a Juco/Community College player from Florida who the Cats are now considering for the 2008 class. Reese is a strong scorer, 6′6″ who had a good season playing on a team that includes Gabriel Charlie (the high school teammate of AJ Stewart. Having never seen Reese play, I have no info on whether he is any good or not and the question as to whether he may be eligible next season is still very much an open one. However UK is looking at Reese, and some other 2008 options, showing that they are not content to sit back and wait for 2009. I hope that Billy Gillispie makes the right decision to bring on to the team this time.

Dominique Fergusin is Lucky

It looks like Dominique ferguson is happy to be a Wildcat this year. I can't help but say how lucky he is to have those two ladies.

Daniel Orton having cats in first

I have some good news of Daniel Orton and his recuitment and he told HoopsReport.com that UK was still the leader for his services and he has no other “favorites” at the moment. He did list UCLA, Kansas, Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma and UConn as other schools he was considering. This is really good news to Kentucky couse there might be no other big man that will be really consider Kentucky at this point. I hope Billy Gillispie lands this guy on his roster.

News on Wall and Miller

From SI.com….note that this guy likes KC Ross-Miller (which makes me happy) and that John Wall when asked about schools, once again lists different ones in each interview:

“Two of the nation’s top point guard prospects in the class of 2010 spent Saturday morning canceling out one another, but one managed to shake the other long enough to shoot his team to a win. Team Texas guard KC Ross Miller, a Kentucky commitment, nearly dueled to a draw with Boo Williams guard Kendall Marshall, a North Carolina commitment, but Miller’s six-point, four-assist stat line included a late jumper that lifted his team to a 66-63 win. Marshall finished with nine points and five assists in the first tournament matchup of two players who likely will see a lot of one another in the next few years.”

“By my lights, the best player at the event was John Wall, the 6-4 point guard from Raleigh, N.C., whom Rivals.com ranks as the No. 1 player in the Class of 2009. As my colleague Kevin Armstrong detailed last week, Wall was a relative unknown this time last year, so this was my first chance to see him play. I was skeptical that he would be reminiscent of Derrick Rose as I was told, but that turns out to be an apt comparison. Like Rose, Wall is a suspect shooter (he probably makes a higher percentage than Rose did at this stage, but Wall shoots more of a slowly-delivered set shot). But my goodness, does Wall find people! With his size, quickness and ridiculous jumping ability, Wall went wherever he wanted with the ball and he finished strongly in traffic. Wall has participated in basketball camps at Baylor and Oklahoma State, and those two coaches, Scott Drew and the newly-hired Travis Ford, were at every one of Wall’s games. But when I asked Wall for his list on Tuesday night, the first three schools he rattled off were Memphis, Kentucky and Kansas. Those are going to be some tough schools to beat.”

Here is a video of John Wall showing his skills.

Tayshaun prince and the Olympics

Tayshaun Prince in some lately interviews is really excited for the olympics and siad he never thought he would ever go to the omympics here is More on Tayshuan Prince and the USA Basketball team.

Hunter McClintock Update

Here s an update of Hunter McClintock. At this point Hunter is planning on attending Patterson Prep in North Carolina for next season….but that could change. The Wildcats are pursuing him at this point….but it is the Arizona Wildcats. Since Jennings decided to head to Europe, Arizona has been actively recruiting McClintock and saying they are interested in him for next year. Hunter’s father said that Arizona is one of the “few types of schools” that Hunter would go to instead of prep school. He has offers from other schools, but he wants to play at a top-tier program.

As for Kentucky, no contact since the Elite Camp. Speaking of the Elite camp here is a video of him of the Elite Camp.

Joe Crawford has a good debut

Not a bad showing for former Cat Joe Crawford in his first summer league showing against the Pistons last night. Joe went for 9 points and 2 rebounds in 21 minutes in a loss to the Pistons.

The next chance to catch Joe and the Lakers is Sunday night againts the Grizzlies. The games is at 8 pm again and on NBA TV. Interesting side note: A “M. Southall” had a DNP-Coaches decision for the Lakers last night. And, yes, it’s that Michael Southall.

Liggins and Galloway may not play

Kevin Galloway

Deandre Liggins

Deandre Liggins and Kevin Galloway may not play Blue Grass Ball this next year couse they are not qualified (so far). The reason for that is is that they are not getting a good GPA average. Not any Disrespect to them both, they are good players, excuse me they are great players but is it that hard to ask to keep up with there grades. If you can't keep up with your grades then how are you going to keep up with their collage grades. No disrespect out there to all them Ballaz, but school is actually more important than playing basketball and soon make the big Bucks. That's what I think, and thats a little harsh but I can't stand it anymore that tons of kids throw there life away and cant go to college and they flip burgers at McDonalds in the next four years. These guys are the two main players coming into this team next year and I hope the team will not suck because they did not make their team couse of grades. Not only will they get blamed, it will also be Gillispie's fault to to some of the UK fans.

Terrence Boyd shockingly has cats first on his list

Terrence Boyd has the Kentucky Wildcats first on his list. Like Lance stevenson it is a shock that he has the cats first on his list. Nobody knew that Billy Gillispie was recruiting this guy. If cats land this guy they might be the best team in the nation no doubt.

Joe crawford interview

We’re almost 24 hours away from the NBA debut of former Cat Joe Crawford, and the Lakers website posted this interview about what he’s expecting of himself now that he’s a Laker.

Outside of turning Kobe into trade-bait of course.

Joe and the Lakers will take on Detroit at 8:00 pm Friday night. The game can be seen on NBATV.

Shocking News

I have found this clip on ESPN and I was shocked that I did not hear this as it came out a year ago. This is not only a interesting story but very sad to.

John Jenkins moved Up on Rankings

John Jenkins has moved up on Rivals.com from the top 50's to 32nd in the nation. Why am I making a post about him? Because this guy goes to my school and a good friend of mine. Jenkins commited earlier in the school year to Vandy. I have never asked him why not Kentucky but there is probably a good reason. I Joke with him at shootarounds some times of him going to vandy than kentucky. I push it sooo far that I where Kentucky stuff to school just to mess with him a bit. This guy for what I heard is kind of a kentucky FAN so I am wondering what Billy Gillispie was doing when he was recruiting John. All I know is this guy is special and Gillispie missed out on a great player and a great guy. Anyways this guy can fill it up. He was averaging almost 35 points a game this year in high school and he is a star on his AAU team and he is only a Junior. Not only that he won state Mr. Basketball in Tennessee. He is a great guy with a good attitude. If this guy keeps on moving up, there is a Mcdonalds all-american game for him in the future. Congrats John!!!!!!!

Here is a clip for what i am talking about.
Enjoy!!!!

NBA Summer Camp Beginning in Orlando

The NBA is going to start their first summer camp beginning today in Orlando. The summer leagues have been a showcase for UK players in year’s past as guys like Erik Daniels, Chuck Hayes, Kelenna Azubuike, Gerald Fitch, Randolph Morris and even Rajon Rondo have played well in their first games as professionals.

There won’t be much excitement for former Cats this year as Joe Crawford appears to be the only former UK player taking part in any of the leagues (he and the Lakers begin play Friday). The Celtics, who are one of the teams not participating in any of the leagues, have Randolph Morris in their camp as he takes on the daunting task of trying to fill the role vacated when Scot Pollard’s contract expired. I can't wait to see what happens.

Here is a roster from different leagues.

Orlando League July 7-11
- Earl Calloway (Indiana Pacers)
- Marco Killingsworth (Miami Heat)
- David Padgett (Miami Heat)
- Josh Duncan (Miami Heat)
- Ronald Dupree (Oklahoma City)
- D.J. White (Detroit Pistons)
- Courtney Lee (Orlando Magic)
- Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls)

Vegas League July 11-20
- Shan Foster (Dallas Mavericks)
- Chris Lofton (Denver Nuggets)
- Sonny Weems (Denver Nuggets)
- Taurean Green (Denver Nuggets)
- Tamar Slay (Golden State)
- C.J. Watson (Golden State)
- JOE CRAWFORD (LAKERS)
- Juan Palacios (Sacramento Kings)
- Matt Walsh (Sacramento Kings)
- Chris Richard (Minnesota Timberwolves)
- Corey Brewer (Minnesota Timberwolves)
- Filip Videnov (New Orleans Hornets)
- Derrick Byars (New Orleans Hornets)
- Jamont Gordon (Philadelphia 76ers)
- Mareese Speights (Philadelphia 76ers)
- Steven Hill (Portland Trail Blazers)
- A.J. Guyton (Washington Wizards)

New Scout.com Rankings Released

Nothing of note is really going on and the only news worth following is that the new Scout.com rankings were released for the AAU halfway point. Jon Hood was the big riser in the recent rankings, moving up from the 60s to #36. This means that Hood’s ranking is now closer to his Rivals placement (which was slightly high in my view) and puts him in contention for the McDonalds game if he has a good high school season. Hood is a player UK fans will love and the attention he is getting from the national services is great to see. In other news, John Wall came in at #3 and Daniel Orton at #10….high rankings for two guys UK is still hotly pursuing.

Wildcat and Card poem

I just found a poem online of the Kentucky Wildcats. I think it's Hillarious.

Enjoy.

Twas the night before game day,And all through the Ville,Willie Williams’ brain sputtered,“should I assault, kill, or steal?”;

The jerseys were hung by the Cards lockers with care,Coaches praying that come morning, bail bonds would be fair;The players were nestled, all snug in their beds,While visions of Woodyard pounded their heads;

My cooler filled with beer, my flask filled with Beam,My heart filled with hatred for the red and black teamTheir bandwagon fans, shouted out in a chorus,“Come on! You respect us! We drive a Ford Taurus!”

To the top ten in the nation, they arose like a flash,Hoping that no one would notice, their defense was trash.Just like all of their transfers, they don’t make a big fuss,Whether its IQs or points allowed, they accept forty plus.

They traveled to Lex town, from their hot ghetto mess,With B. Brohm, their leader, pounding his chest,His leadership in question, can he run the show?Will the team take his orders, from someone not their P.O.?

Kragthorpe and coaches and their fifteen minutes of fame,Whistled and shouted, and called plays out by name;”Now, Willie! Get the ball- it’s that thing that is brown!If they block you, just resist em’, like when the police take you down!”

Pursuit give em’ chase, don’t quit til they fall!Why does Willie keep screamin’, from the window to the wall!D-Backs go to man, Willie, watch the snap!,Does the director from Life Goes On have to deal with this crap!?!”

So to Commonwealth they came, fair-weather fans all in tow,With degrees they obtained, from driving by campus real slow.With Red on their sweaters, and shame underneath,They all missed their exits, for shame, they can’t read.

Brohm’s uni was all tattered, with mud, chalk, and turf;His face slightly less bloody, than when he came out at birthHis Heisman forgotten, his body in pain,At the end of his performance, Britney Spears felt ashamed.

When the final horn sounds, look for the Cats with a win,The Nation erupting, and Coach Brooks with a grin,He’ll have three TDs passing and Woodson runs for another,DLJ puts up two, and once with somebody’s mother.

Cardinals beware, you’re now in our sights,And ya better tighten up those chin straps, its gonna be a long night.

Rich Brooks having Boat Trouble

Rich Brooks was one of three people on a boat that capsized this morning on the McKenzie River in Oregon. Luckily, no one was hurt. No word yet on whether or not this daredevil stunt was a very sly way of landing yet another 2009 recruit.

Rivals changed rankings again

Rivals updated their top 150 players again today and a couple of UK recruits and commits saw their stock move a bit. Jon Hood moved down from the 19 to 24 in the overall rankings, but remained a 5-star player. The biggest dip, was from Shawn Kemp, Jr. who fell from a 5-star, 25th-ranked player in the last rankings to a 4-star and the 83rd player overall. I think this new ranking is much more indicative of the type of player that Kemp is at the moment, but he certainly has the potential to be a 5-star again. Right now, he just hasn’t played enough basketball up to this point to develop past a very raw stage. Point guard G.J. Vilarino remained unranked with three stars.

Here is what the list looked like back on May 14 when they were last updated. The following players are the guys showing interest in UK at that time. All players were 4-stars except those with asterisks, which were 5-stars.

*1. John Wall PG

*3. Derrick Favors PF

*8. Daniel Orton C

*17. Avery Bradley SG

*19. Jon Hood SG

*20. Peyton Siva PG

*25. Shawn Kemp, Jr. C

39. Mfon Udofia PG

47. Christian Watford F

51. Shawn Williams F

52. Ferrakohn Hall F

59. Ari Stewart F

60. Jeronne Maymon F

64. Darius Morris PG

70. Noel Johnson F

73. Richard Howell F

79. Mike Moser F

87. Reginald Buckner F

Here are the top 100 players interested in UK right now, according to the updated list:

*1. John Wall PG

*3. Derrick Favors PF

*10. Daniel Orton C

*24. Jon Hood SG

30. Mfon Udofia PG

36. Noel Johnson F

40. Christian Watford

59. Richard Howell F

60. Jamil Wilson F

67. Anthony Marshall PG

70. Darius Morris PG

78. Ferrakohn Hall F

83. Shawn Kemp Jr. C

85. Mike Moser F

91. Reginald Buckner F

So, what does this all mean to you? Well, probably not much, but it is a good indicator of what is happening on the summer circuit so far. Most importantly, it gives us an updated list to move through on our recruiting profiles. Please try to contain your excitment.

UK Basketball Musuem Shuts Down

In a story that has now been picked up by ESPN, today marks the end of the UK Basketball Museum in the Lexington Center as it was shut down for financial reasons. Ultimately the museum suffered from a lack of visitors and was unable to sustain itself financially. The University, which donates approximately $100,000 a year to the facility, will now use that money to pay off the debt for the museum and move the memorabilia to the Craft Center on campus. The University has said that it will not have a museum on campus, but will have displays of some memorabilia in public areas.

In the end, it is somewhat of a sad scenario as the UK basketball museum was an impressive creation and has been wonderful for all things, including recruiting. However ultimately it fell to the laws of the free market as not enough people wanted to visit to justify the cost that was required to maintain it in its current structure. The museum was a truly unique part of Kentucky basketball and its history, and it will be missed.

UK and UNC will Kick it off

I found out that UK-UNC may be the opening game of the season this year and will kick off ESPN’s basketball coverage for the season. #1 team on their home floor with a national audience. Welcome to college Darius, DeAndre, Kevin and Josh! Can't waut!!!! I hope this video will come true against them this year.

Jules Camara arrested

I have found out over my time in Florida that Jules Camara was arrested last night in Lexington. He was charged with Reckless Driving, Driving on a Suspended License, no registration and no insurance….quite a grouping indeed. Tough news for a guy who was a former Kentucky Wildcat.

Kentucky Football Program coms up Big

The Kentucky Football Program is getting every team out there something to worry about because Kentucky is stealing Great Players from different states. I think that WR Anthony Kendrick is the best player so far coming to UK.

Here is a quick recap of the recruits UK now has committed from the football class of 2009.

Trae Golden having second thoughts

I am still not spending much time at the computer, but a piece of news did show up on my radar. Georgia guard Trae Golden, a top ranked player from the class of 2010 has decommitted from Ohio State. You may remember Golden as one of the first players to put Kentucky as his leader early in the Gillispie era. Golden is now back on the market and you have to think that Kentucky will be one of his top choices. This story shows (a) how fickle early commitments like this are and (b) how a true STUD in the Class of 2010 (which could shape up to be some kind of class) is now back on the Cats’ radar.

Been Gone

Sorry I have not posted anything since June 25th. I have been on Vacation in Anna Maria, Florida. And One bad thing about getting to Anna Maria is you have to go through Gainsville, Florida and that is a large dump on land. Ill post a couple more tonight as I am in Atlanta in a Hotel room.