Posts Tagged “john calipari”
John Calipari Responds to Bob Knight
By: Guy | December 18th, 2009 | Category: Cats
In his session with the media today ahead of tomorrow’s game against Austin Peay, John Calipari addressed the quote from Bobby Knight that has been swirling around the collective sports consciousness since last night.
No surprise here, but Calipari addressed the remarks quickly without trying to pick a fight, then requested that the subject of conversation return to basketball:
“I’m a big fan, I respect (Bob Knight) as a basketball coach, always have … don’t agree with what he said but it doesn’t change how I feel about him.”
Calipari also commented that he had visited Lubbock, Texas to watch Knight practice with his team while he was still active, and Knight even helped him improve the Dribble-Drive.
I can’t imagine that this will be the last time Cal is about Bobby Knight’s comment, but I also can’t imagine that he’s going to say much more than this, so I consider this closed.
Bobby Knight Takes Potshot at Calipari
By: Guy | December 18th, 2009 | Category: Cats
When I originally saw this yesterday evening, I had no intention of giving it the time of day here on the Pinkie, but, lo and behold, it’s been spreading like wildfire, even making the front page of ESPN, so I figure it at least merits a mention.
Bobby Knight, at a fundraiser for the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, made a 90 minute speech in which he “recounted tales from his coaching days, stories from the recruiting trail, lessons he passed along to players and a critique of the NCAA”…sounds like rambling to me. Anyway, he snuck in a little dig at UK’s John Calipari:
“We’ve gotten into this situation where integrity is really lacking, and that’s why I’m glad I’m not coaching,” he said. “You see we’ve got a coach at Kentucky who put two schools on probation, and he’s still coaching. I really don’t understand that.”
We’ve all heard the critique, and we will surely hear it again, but the source in this case is a bit ironic. Maybe Knight didn’t flirt with recruiting rules, but he wouldn’t be my first choice as a pillar of integrity. I really refuse to devote too much space to the bitter rants of a nearly 70 year old coach who spent his career antagonizing and railing against the media…before joining them in his twilight years.
Although, if you do want to read some more on the topic, I encourage you to check out Larry Vaught’s thoughts.
A Few Thoughts On the John Wall Experience
By: Guy | December 17th, 2009 | Category: Cats
My off the wall theory about John Calipari taking over the John Wall/LeBron James-led New Jersey Nets has gotten a fair amount of attention in the last day. It was talked about all day on the Cats Pause and a few other message boards, including the Memphis Roar, where it was met with hysterical laughter by Tiger fans.
Let me talk about it a bit more before I get into what I really set out to discuss. First of all, here’s the way I thought of it in the first place. I was thinking about what the ideal NBA destination for John Wall next year and the possibility of LeBron and Wall playing together crossed my mind. I was intrigued to say the least.
I then tried to conceive of every possible way the two could end up playing together. The two most likely ways I could come up with were for the Clippers and for the Nets. Both teams could easily come up with the cap room to sign LeBron and both figure to be in the lottery.
However, the Clippers are such a shoddily ran organization that I decided that there is no way they could pull of such a thing, so I crossed the Clips off the list. I focused on the Nets. Eventually, drooling over the possibility, I thought about Calipari’s relationship with LeBron, and my inkling that Cal could be thinking about coaching LeBron down the road returned. Then, my ridiculous scenario came together.
Also, I constantly remind myself of how unlikely such a scenario really is. Coaching LeBron and Wall is really the only way I can see Cal leaving UK so abruptly, so I think the Nets thing has to happen for Cal to even think about it. If the Nets finish with worst record in the NBA, they will still only have a one in four shot of winning the lottery. Then the hard part of luring Calipari and LeBron simultaneously begins. It’s tough to put a number on that, but it’s no small task.
In other words, that scenario, no matter how worrisome, is a big time long shot, so let’s get to my thoughts on the obsession of UK fans (with me at the forefront) with John Wall.
-First up, let’s talk about the John Wall dance and how absurd and hilarious it is that it’s become so big. It started as some little move that John Wall probably put about five minutes of thought into before he was introduced at Big Blue Madness. We as UK fans are so fascinated by Wall that we have given the dance a life of its own. I find this amazing.
Also, doesn’t Dorrough’s “Ice Cream Paint Job” have to shattering hip hop record sales records in the state of Kentucky among middle aged people?
-I’d like to introduce an ailment that I am currently suffering from, and I think it probably applies to a lot of you. It’s called John Wall Tourette’s.
I have to give credit where credit is due on this one, a coworker who is a big sports fan, but not a big UK or UofL fan, has suffered over the past few months because all I ever want to talk about is John Wall. It’s gotten to the point where I really can’t help it. It’s gotten to the point where I would almost call it a tic. There are times where I stop a conversation or an email thread dead in its tracks and just say “JOHN WALL”. It’s involuntary. I think I need help.
-Last, is it just me, or does it feel like this season has turned into a ten game long feeling of deja vu? Mind you, it’s the best feeling of deja vu I’ve ever had.
I’ll explain. Games go one of two ways: (1) John Wall dominates, controls the action throughout, and the ‘Cats win big (2) the game comes down to the stretch, but John Wall swoops in and wins the game for the ‘Cats. Then, UK fans post YouTube videos of John Wall highlights within 12 hours of the buzzer.
Also, Patrick Patterson does his thing in the same way every game, hitting high percentage looks in the post and off of offensive rebounds, mixing in a long distance shot every once in a while.
Outside of the games, we hear the exact same speech from John Calipari no matter what question he is asked, in which he says some variation of the following things: “We should be 5-5″, “This team has a will to win”, “We do dumb things”, “I love my team”. Cal really could be a politician with how he knows his talking points and hits every single one during his stump speeches.
Kentucky Basketball: An Eye on the NBA, Part One
By: Guy | December 16th, 2009 | Category: CatsIt’s only been four days since the last UK game, and I’m already slipping into minor withdrawal. That’s great that the student-athletes get time off for finals and everything, but there are collateral consequences for us obsessed fans. Anyway, since there’s no writing to be done about actual game action, I had to find something to write about, so here we go.
As UK fans, we are going to have to get accustomed to dealing with players making decisions about entering the NBA Draft early, there’s just no choice in the matter. We had a sampling of it this spring with Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson, but since the mid-90’s, that’s been a bit of a rarity compared with some of the other high profile college programs.
I think we’ve always been a bit reluctant about going after kids that won’t be on campus for longer than two years, but John Calipari and John Wall are showing us together that we had no reason to be. We’ll still have the Patrick Patterson’s and Darius Miller’s and their three and four year careers sprinkled in, but UK’s big time players are going to be more along the lines of DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall (OK, not John Wall, he doesn’t come along every year).
John Calipari embraces the fact that the guys he recruits have the ultimate goal of playing at the highest level in the NBA as quickly as possible. In fact, he recruits based on that fact. His track record is one of getting guys into the League successfully.
With that in mind, I thought I would take a look at the NBA prospects of each player on the Kentucky roster (with one surprise mixed in), what their ceilings and floors are with respect to position in the NBA Draft, and when they could make the jump. It may not be that much fun to think about, but it’s better to embrace it sooner rather than later. I am making this evaluations based on the assumption that nothing absolutely crazy (good or bad) happens like Josh Harrelson suddenly growing a couple inches and being inhabited by the ghost of George Mikan.
JOHN WALL
At this point, I’m not sure there’s any reasonable UK fan left who has deceived themselves into thinking he will wear the UK uniform past April 2010. The kid is unlike anything we have ever seen in a Kentucky uniform and has wowed basically anyone who watches him for longer than two minutes.
I consider myself lucky to be a fan of the school that got him, not only because I get to watch him dominate for a season at UK, but also because I’m going to get to watch him in the NBA for the next 15 years. I’m going to go ahead and declare it right now: whatever team drafts him will immediately become my favorite team in the Association. I’m just hoping he lands in one of those Tim Duncan situations where you know he’s going to win multiple titles, a situation not unlike the one I’m about to postulate…
Draft Ceiling: #1 overall
Draft Floor: #2 overall
Earliest he could leave: 2010
Latest he could leave: 2010
Prediction: #1 overall in 2010
JOHN CALIPARI
Here’s the surprise I’m talking about, and yes, I know he’s not a player.
Calipari has previously said he would not rule out a return to the NBA, but has said there are only a few situations that could entice him away from the NBA. Conventional thought would say that he’s talking about one of those historically successful, big market teams like the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, or Bulls.
However, I think that John Calipari’s previously failed foray into the NBA from a few years back has taught him that your chance at success in the NBA is more determined by whether you have a true superstar in the realm of a Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, or Duncan. Sam Cassell, Kerry Kittles, and Jayson Williams, some of the high profile Nets of his tenure, do not fit the bill.
Did he really have a chance with that Mr. Rogers tie?
LeBron James does.
Today, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo confirmed for me something I had wondered about ever since I heard about Cal and LeBron’s “budding relationship”, as he calls it: that Cal may just be positioning himself to coach LeBron James down the road.
Wojnarowski mentions two or three years as a possible timeframe for a potential LeBron-Cal marriage. Yikes, that’s an awful short tenure for Cal at UK. I don’t think Cal has any intention of staying at UK for that short of a time.
However, is there a situation that could pull him away that quickly, maybe even sooner? Unfortunately, I would say yes.
Picture this. Leading up the 2010 NBA Draft Lottery, the New Jersey Nets have the best chance of winning the John Wall sweepstakes. They are still without a coach. The Nets win the lottery and the Nets do the obvious and take John Wall. They are still without a coach.
Realizing that they have some cap space and a franchise cornerstone, they trade Devin Harris, whose value is very high, getting value in return and dumping more salary. Then, one of two things happens:
1) Realizing that they have that cap space, they Nets decide to go all in for LeBron James, arguably the most valuable free agent in the history of the sport. Recognizing the intertwined relationship between LeBron, Worldwide Wes, and Cal, they make a play for John Calipari in an effort to woo LeBron. Cal signs, LeBron signs, and the Nets win at least five titles in the next ten years.
2) Still without a coach, the Nets make a power play for LeBron. LeBron, in his negotiations, makes a power play and has Cal installed as coach. LeBron signs, Cal signs, and the Nets win at least five titles in the next ten years.
Picture either of the above two situations playing out or something comparable…as difficult as this may be to admit as a UK fan, could you really blame John Calipari for leaving to coach that team? It would be an absolute dream of a situation for any coach with professional aspirations.
Cornerstone franchise player…check and double check.
A motivated owner that wants to win…check.
Proximity to a big market…check (plus the rumors of a move to Brooklyn)
John Calipari is a guy who LOVES the big stage. He’s embraced the biggest college basketball stage out there and capitalized on it. The Nets with LeBron and John Wall would be the biggest story in the Association, instantly leaping to the forefront past the Lakers and Celtics. I thought that the seven month turnaround that Cal has pulled off at UK was one of a kind, but the sudden shift in the Nets’ future might just one up it.
The one saving grace is that Cal already failed once in the NBA, once with the Nets as a matter of fact. It’s hard to imagine a team rehiring a fired coach, but if LeBron wills it, do think anyone would stand in the way?
I just had to take a quick break just to decide if I actually want to publish this. Let me say that this little theory of mine is just that, based on nothing more than a tiny bit of fact, some intuition, my natural pessimism, and disbelief that this whole Calipari dream is real. I think the ‘Cats would end up being alright. I think they would hire another good coach (as long as they don’t rehire a fired Billy G), but I don’t think he’ll be the perfect fit that Cal is.
The crazy thing is that I really don’t think I would be mad at Coach Cal. I would be too excited about watching the Nets to blame him.
CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR PART 2
A Guide to the UK Regular Season
By: Guy | November 10th, 2009 | Category: Cats
Basketball season is upon us.
We are in the middle of our Big East and SEC previews. The SEC West was up first, the first half of the Big East will come on Wednesday, the SEC East will be on Thursday, and the second half of the Big East on Friday. However, I’m not slated to write any of those previews.
If you are a regular Pinkie reader, you’ll know that I can’t stay quiet for that long, especially with UK’s first game on Friday. Then, I realized that we haven’t yet taken a detailed look at UK’s 2009-2010 schedule, so that’s exactly what we’re going to do.
I looked at UK’s schedule and it jumped out at me that the schedule breaks down nicely into different sections of games, so that’s the way we’re going to look at it.
The Warmup
Morehead State – H
Miami (OH) – H
Sam Houston State – H
Rider – H
Cleveland State – N (Cancun, Mexico)
Stanford/Virginia – N (Cancun, Mexico)
UNC-Asheville – N (Louisville, Kentucky)
Projected Record: 6-1
I realize I’m going to cause some disagreement and concern by predicting a loss in this set of 7 games, but we all know that it’s going to take a while before UK becomes the team we all know it can become.
Kentucky may not be playing the cream in the crop in this stretch of games, but Morehead State and Cleveland State are both teams that played competitively in the NCAA Tournament last year. Plus, Virginia and Stanford are major conference opponents who have talent. If UK puts up a performance like they did against Clarion, they are in for a fight against any of these four squads.
The Early December Tests
North Carolina – H
Connecticut – N (New York City)
Indiana – A
Projected Record: 2-1 (8-2 overall)
North Carolina and Connecticut are teams that are very similar to UK. They have serious young talent to integrate with some experienced players. They were two of the top teams in the nation last year, but lost veterans to the NBA.
However, they don’t have John Wall.
Even so, UK will play close games against both, and I’m just not sure that UK will be ready for the big stage quite yet.
Christmas Break and UofL
Austin Peay – H
Drexel – H
Long Beach State – H
Hartford – H
Louisville – H
Projected Record: 5-0 (13-2 overall)
This will be the time when the ‘Cats really start to put things together. John Calipari will position his team for an in-season peak against Rick Pitino, and UofL, and I don’t think the Cards, or anyone else UK plays during this set of games, will be able to handle them.
Business time for Coach Cal, UK
By: Guy | November 5th, 2009 | Category: Cats - UncategorizedA bit of a Flight of the Conchords feel on the Pinkie the past couple days, huh?
All joking aside though, since the Campbellsville game, I think everybody around the Kentucky program, from Coach Cal all the way down to the guys who still call into radio shows, has realized that the omnipresent buzz around the UK program is nothing but unfulfilled hype. The hype is based on some tremendous talent, but nothing has yet been accomplished, and nothing will be accomplished without some serious work.
John Calipari has been doing this too well for too long to think that Patterson, Wall, and company were going to jump right in, grasp the dribble drive, and dominate college basketball right way. However, a lackluster performance in a sloppy win over an overmatched opponent has given Calipari the ability to lay down the law and have his players understand why.
Two a day practices, in. Pre-6 am wake up calls, yup. Team curfew, yes, indeed.
During the first week of practice with a bunch of freshman that think they “poop ice cream”, that’s tough to pull off. Now, he’s got a team that is fully aware of its talent, but also fully aware that they just aren’t there yet. They have been completely willing listeners to this point. Patterson and Wall have established themselves as leaders. They are ready to make Coach Cal’s vision a reality.
This should be a reminder for us as fans that we are observing a work in progress. However, I think the final product will be well worth the wait. Besides, after 2 years of Billy Gillispie, I think we can wait a couple months for our ‘Cats to get their feet under them.
-The other piece of news today from Calipari’s session with media was that Eric Bledsoe could miss tomorrow’s exhibition against Clarion with the sprained ankle he sustained on Monday against Campbellsville. Calipari did not rule him out, but my guess is that they will play it cautiously in this case.
Sitting out tomorrow will give Bledsoe a full week and a half between the injury and UK’s first regular season game against Morehead State.
-Finally, a quick reminder to check out the running Tobias Harris recruiting journal on AllKYHoops.com. It’s a really cool inside access feature on one of the best prospects in the country who is preparing to make his college decision in the next 2 weeks. Anthony Wireman runs AllKYHoops.com and contributes to Strait Pinkie weekly with a recruiting article on Saturday’s, so we’re very happy for Anthony.
‘Cats take the floor for Blue-White Scrimmage
By: Guy | October 28th, 2009 | Category: CatsNick was in Rupp Wednesday night for the Blue-White Scrimmage, but I have a few things to say about the action. We’ll do this in note form since I am having some internet troubles.
-The teams tonight were not very fair, but that was not the idea. The game opened with the projected starters (Wall, Bledsoe, Miller, Patterson, and Cousins) matched up against reserves. I’m not sure about the first half score, but it was not close. Anytime you put the first, second, and third string point guards on one team in a scrimmage, it’s going to be trouble.
-You can’t really put any stock into stats gathered during an intra-squad scrimmage, but one judgment I can make based on what I watched tonight is that this team has a chance to be excellent defensively.
In fact, defense is the way that this UK team could be great. The shooting is going to come and go (and likely go most of the time), but the size, quickness, and hand speed of the ‘Cats are not going anywhere.
Both the Blue and the White team pressed most of the game, creating PLENTY of turnovers both ways. A lot of the play was sloppy, but against the pressure applied by Cal’s ‘Cats, I believe that most teams will look sloppy.
-In attendance for today’s game were top 2010 UK targets Terrence Jones and CJ Leslie and over 14,000 Kentucky fans, a record for a Blue-White Scrimmage. Jones had been long scheduled to attend, but Leslie’s visit came together very late. We should hear more about the official visits once they leave campus, but it’s a very good sign that Leslie came to visit after canceling earlier visits on multiple occasions.
-John Wall is unbelievable. Wall put up 25 points 11 assists and 7 rebounds and is really in a different class athletically. However, due to the lack of HD coverage in Louisville and the practice uniforms, it was really pretty difficult to tell the difference between Wall and Eric Bledsoe.
The fact that Eric Bledsoe is as good as he is makes it even more difficult to tell the two apart. Bledsoe had 14 points 9 assists and 4 rebounds and showed in the second half that the Wall-Bledsoe matchup is very possibly the toughest that either will face most of the year.
-Shooting is a major question mark for this team, and that remains so, but we are beginning get a better idea of who could step up on a game to game basis. Darnell Dodson was the leading scorer with 26 points and showed a nice stroke, plus, he gets it off very quickly.
Josh Harrellson also continued to show why Coach Cal wanted him on this team. He can hit an open shot and he can also hold his own on the boards (15 rebounds). Daniel Orton and Patrick Patterson also can be threats from the outside.
-DeMarcus Cousins and Darius Miller had peaks and valleys today. At times, they looked like the best players on the floor and the best fits for the dribble drive, at other times they completely disappeared.
Miller was non-existent during the first half, but I’m guessing he got a talking to during halftime, because he looked very good in the second half.
-These ‘Cats are going to make a lot of their offensive money on the boards. Wall, Bledsoe, and Miller can get to the rack anytime they want, and Patterson, Cousins, and Orton are going to attack all day long. The three big guys had a combined 54 points and 25 boards.
All in all, the action Wednesday night went down about as you would expect it to. There is no cause for any adjustment of expectations to the positive or negative. It was good to see John Wall play some basketball with issues swirling around. Hopefully we can get some resolution quickly.
Also, one more quick recruiting note: Adreian Payne is set to announce his college choice with UK, West Virginia, and Michigan State as finalists. Most think that West Virginia is the likely choice, but nothing would surprise me.
***Notes from Post-Game Press Conference***
Alright, I’m back from Lexington and have some updates from Calipari’s press conference and also have some quotes from Patterson and Wall.
After Alan Cutler asked Calipari twelve questions about Wall’s eligibility, while chugging some popcorn, we finally got to some talk about basketball.
Calipari started with some negatives, they hold on the ball too much, some guys are way too hard on themselves and that they have a long way to go defensively.
In regards to their defense being behind the offense, he said that his first priority is to always get the offense going right and then go to defense. If you go defense first, sometimes your offense can get demoralized because of their inability to score. They didn’t work on defense the entire month of September.
They are not conditioned well enough yet. They struggled getting up and down the court and couldn’t press longer than three minutes straight.
He laughed and said, “Thank goodness it’s still October. It’s still October, right?”
Yes, Coach Calipari it is still October.
He talked about Patterson and first said he needed to be more vocal. He talked about how he played away from the basket in the dribble drive but still got around the rim.
When asked about his thoughts on the biggest crowd (14,060) in Blue/White history, he mentioned how he is excited that the fans are excited. Now they just need to perform on the court. He said his players want to be coached and that they are very coachable.
One of the most interesting things was to see Wall and Bledsoe start together in the first half and then see them playing against each other in the second. Calipari said expect them to play together, but they also have to be ready to play without the other on the court. When Wall and Bledsoe played together, Bledsoe had six assists and zero turnovers.
Wall on his ability to play with Bledsoe
“Coach Cal just wants us to be competitive, you know Eric, he is a great player like me, most the time we are going against each other to make each other better and get us prepared for the season. Lately we have been on the same team in scrimmages.”
Wall on who is the point guard when he plays with Bledsoe
“Coach just said whoever has the ball, or whoever is closest to the ball is the point guard, the other one is running the lane. If you have one of us pushing and they (the defender) helps in and I kick it out to him. Then what are you going to do with him coming at you full speed.”
Wall on the original thought that he would start and Bledsoe would come off the bench
“Everybody thought I was going to come in and start and he was going to be the backup. I really didn’t know too much about him, but he is a better player than everybody said he was. Once I saw the way he plays, I was like what is the point of him being a backup when we can be on the court at the same time.”
Wall on the Dribble Drive
“There are so many different ways you can score from it. We are all moving, you can’t stop, we all have to keep moving. You can score so many different ways out of it.”
Wall on trying to get Mark Krebs to dunk at the end of the game
“We always try to get Mark to dunk, a lot of people think he can’t, but he can. But, he didn’t know that the crowd would like that, so he just passed the ball.”
Patterson on Krebs not dunking at the end of the game
“I was so dissapointed. I stood up and I was screaming, Mark dunk it. Dunk the ball, show these people that you can dunk. But, he just threw the ball back to John to get the assist. He said after the game that his legs were hurting and I was like alright, alright.”
Patterson on embracing the leadership role
“Everyday I’m trying to set the right example, doing whatever my teammates need me to do. I want to help them out in any way possible, especially out on the court where I try to keep them in the right situations. I just want to be the leader that coach wants me to be.”
Patterson on stepping out on the floor and shooting from perimeter
“It’s great, I’m going to shoot it as much as coach wants me to. If I’m open, I’m going to shoot it. Luckily I went 2-for-4 tonight (from 3-pt range) and my teammates kept encouraging me to shoot the ball.”
Patterson on why he looks comfortable away from the basket
“Just from being out there and practicing on the perimeter. Coach Cal wants me to play on the perimeter, he wants me to play like a guard. He wants me to drive and he wants me to shoot.”
Patterson on what was more satisfying, driving to the hole or knocking down threes?
“Threes, threes, definitely the threes. Dunking is dunking, but to be able to hit a three, something I haven’t done at Rupp Arena, you know I’ll take that anytime.”
Special thanks to DeWayne Peevy and the UK Media Relations Department for giving us the opportunity to attend the scrimmage and get some quality, quality quotes.
John Wall comments on eligibility issue
By: Guy | October 28th, 2009 | Category: Cats
Marlen Garcia of USA Today spoke with John Wall, and for the first time, he commented directly on the questions and investigation surrounding his college eligibility:
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky freshman point guard John Wall said Tuesday that he has been waiting for five months for the NCAA to decide whether he is eligible to play basketball for the Wildcats. He committed to Kentucky in May.
“I’ve just been waiting,” said Wall, who has been practicing with the team. “It’s a process you have to go through. I’m sitting back and relaxing.”
Wall said he couldn’t comment on specifics of his case. ESPN.com reported last week that Wall’s AAU coach, Brian Clifton, was a certified agent from 2007 to 2008. His association with Wall seems to be jeopardizing part or all of Wall’s eligibility this season.
Kentucky spokesman DeWayne Peevy said the school does not comment on athletes’ eligibility. NCAA spokesman Chuck Wynne said he could not comment on an ongoing case.
The ESPN.com report said the school had known about Wall’s situation for some time, but UK President Lee Todd told the Associated Press on Tuesday that he had no problem with the school’s handling of the case, saying it wanted to protect Wall and his family from news media scrutiny.
Wall said he’s not worried. “I try not to think about it too much,” he said. “I try to focus on being a student-athlete right now.”
Wall, the nation’s top high school senior for the Class of 2009, is expected to start and be a high-level player for the Wildcats under new coach John Calipari if he is eligible. Analysts for NBAdraft.net and DraftExpress.com expect Wall to be the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA draft if he leaves school early.
Lee Todd acknowledges John Wall’s eligibility issues
By: Guy | October 27th, 2009 | Category: CatsAs we come upon the Blue-White Game tomorrow, the black cloud of the John Wall eligibility investigation still hangs over all of our heads. For the first time, a Kentucky official is acknowledging the issue, albeit indirectly, to everybody’s favorite UK writer Jerry Tipton.
I still don’t believe there is any reason to fear for Wall’s long term future, but I’d be lying if I said that I’m not uneasy about all of this.
Without ever saying John Wall’s name, University of Kentucky president Lee Todd acknowledged on Tuesday that one of the school’s basketball players faces questions about his amateurism that could affect his eligibility.
Last week, Southeastern Conference Mike Slive told ESPN.com that the UK player was heralded freshman John Wall.
“I think the commissioner made his statement which I’m not sure he intended to make, but he made it,” Todd said after a meeting of UK’s Board of Trustees.
Todd said he felt “very comfortable” with no UK official admitting a question existed on a player’s eligibility until Tuesday because “there’s no reason to expose him to a whole lot of newspaper articles when it’s not necessary till we get a final decision.”
Todd declined to comment about his confidence that Wall will ultimately gain his eligibility or how long it will take the NCAA to render a decision or if Wall can play in Wednesday night’s Blue-White Game.
A NCAA spokesperson said last week that players who have not gained academic or amateurism eligibility can practice but not play in competitions. The spokesperson did not respond to a follow-up question about whether an intra-squad scrimmage qualified as a competition. Or whether the competition had to be against an outside opponent.
When asked if Wall faced a serious threat to his eligibility, Todd said, “No comment. If we chose to talk about it, we would have talked about it a long time ago. You’ll know about it (the decision) when we know about it.”
Todd defended the UK decision not to comment.
“It may come out that there’s nothing there,” the UK president said, “so why drag some child and the mother through all that because people want to sell newspapers.”
Todd said he felt no obligation to simply inform UK fans that a question existed about Wall’s eligibility.
“I think the fans would like to know what the outcome is,” he said. “But I don’t think they need to know all the ins and outs because it’s a child’s life we’re trying to protect. And there are privacy rules that we abide by and I feel very comfortable abiding by those privacy rules.”
Another SEC school, Mississippi State, has admitted for weeks, if not months, that amateurism questions must be answered so one of its heralded freshman, Renardo Sidney, can gain his full eligibility.
Obviously, MSU does not share Todd’s allegiance to privacy rules.
“I’m not making decisions for anybody else,” Todd said.
NBA executive talks to Jeff Goodman about John Wall, Daniel Orton
By: Guy | October 27th, 2009 | Category: Cats
This is from Jeff Goodman’s blog on Foxports.com. Some really interesting stuff about a couple of UK’s heralded freshmen:
I just found out the Preseason AP Poll will be released on Thursday. Kansas will be the clear-cut No. 1 team in the land, but it’ll be interesting to see who gets the nod at No. 2.
Personally, I like Kentucky – especially with the rave reviews coming out of Lexington about freshman point guard John Wall.
One NBA executive who was at practice recently raved about Wall’s leadership.
“I’ve never seen anything like it from a freshman,” the NBA executive told FOXSports.com. “You can tell he’s all about winning.”
Supposedly, Wall stood at midcourt and every single player on his team came over and slapped his hand.
The NBA guy also said that freshman big man Daniel Orton had his way on that afternoon with fellow frosh DeMarcus Cousins.
“He tore his #$% up,” is what he told me.
I know this will be viewed as Patrick Patterson’s team, but John Wall is clearly going to be a key leader. Also, John Calipari has been looking for Daniel Orton to come out of his shell post-knee surgery, and this is the most positive news I have heard on this front. If Orton can push Cousins this way as the season goes on, it will force Cousins to improve his inconsistent effort.
Hat tip to AllKYHoops.com for the find.
