Weekend Wrap-up!

The Cats narrowly escaped the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday and are now one of only two undefeated teams in college basketball. It was a great week for the SEC as Georgia beat #17 Georgia Tech and a depleted Tennessee team shocked #1 Kansas. Purdue was also defeated which should give the Cats a #2 ranking this week behind the nation's only other undefeated team, Texas.

The UK women's hoops team is also rolling. After losing by one point in overtime, on the road against #8 Georgia, the Cats knocked off #16 Vanderbilt this weekend to improve to 15-2. Can somebody explain to me how this team is still not ranked? They ought to definately be ranked tomorrow!

And in football news, Joker Phillips is already making a big splash in his first week on the job as Head Coach. He has aleady made a few key staff changes and already has made a big impact on recruiting. He is saying all the right things, bringing new life and excitement to the program, and is gathering this fan base in a similar way that John Calipari did last summer. Say what you want about his play-calling the last few years with a young and inexperienced offense, but Joker has all the qualities of being a terrific Head Coach and is already impressing me on his first week at the job. I'll write more later this week on all the new changes, new staff, and incoming transfers and potential recruits that Joker is already bringing in, in just the first week on the job.


This weekend I was fortunate enough to see UK recruit C.J. Leslie and North Carolina's Word of God Academy (John Wall's old school) face Cincinnati Roger Bacon at Lexington Catholic on Saturday night. Roger Bacon pulled off the huge upset in a thriller which featured four or five lead changes in the last few minutes of the game but Leslie still impressed the Big Blue crowd, UK players, and Coach John Calipari whom were all in attendance. Leslie was the tallest guy on the floor for either team, but he didn't play like a big man at all. He is quick, explosive, a great shot blocker, and a great passer as well. He can play like a guard when asked to and should fit in very well in Calipari's Dribble Drive Offense. If he can improve his outside shot, he could be another Patrick Patterson next season. His game also reminds me some of Kevin Garnett. When asked about the likelihood of playing with his former high school teammate next season, John Wall, Leslie smiled and said that we would have to just wait and see and that Wall has been talking a lot to him about UK and luring him to come here.

You would think there would be no chance of Wall returning next season, but, who knows? With Leslie likely committing with the Cats, I wouldn't say that there isn't any chance at all of it being a possibility, even if it's a small chance.

I also got my first glimpse of the Bluegrass Stallions this afternoon. The Stallions feature a roster comprised of UK products Wayne Turner, Bobby Perry, Ravi Moss, Lukasz Obrzut, and Head Coach Kyle Macy, as well as EKU's Darnell Dials and Jason McLeish and also Justin Taylor of Georgetown College. Unfortunately, today was the last game for the ABA franchise at the Kentucky Horse Park Arena built for the upcoming World Equestrian Games. The facility is world class, but has become too expensive of a venue for the Stallions to rent out. I hope that this arena is still used for basketball in the future. It would be a great facility to host a high profile high school tournament, such as the one played this weekend at Lex Cath.

The Stallions will be playing the remainder of their home games in Lexington high school gyms and likely touring the Bluegrass region with games in the new civic centers in Corbin and Frankfort until they find a permanant home for hopefully a second season of basketball next year. The Stallions won today over a team from Louisville, by a score of 129-60. They play a very entertaining brand of basketball and it was great to see well known and adored ex-cats and other local players have the chance to stay around Lexington and play professionally. I hope they find a way to stay in town.

(Photos courtesy of highschoolhoop.com and the Bluegrass Stallions)