Who is Zeke Pike?

Last night I got the chance to see the biggest quarterback prospect in the state of Kentucky while watching Dixie Heights' Zeke Pike play against Class A power, Beechwood, in a Northern Kentucky battle for Dixie Highway bragging rights. Pike has gone from relatively unknown to one of the hottest recruits in the country. Based on the schools that are already recruiting Pike as a junior, he might be the biggest prospect out of the state since Brian Brohm graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. Until this year, he played Tight End and Defensive End and never took a varsity snap at Quarterback. Because the position is new to him and he has so much potential to improve, he's already drawing offers from Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, Cincinnati, Florida, Iowa, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and yes- of course, Louisville and Kentucky. Also, Notre Dame sent scouts to watch him play his first varsity game at quarterback last week. Clemson, Michigan State, South Carolina, UCLA, and USC are also taking a strong look at Pike, the son of former Buffalo Bill, Mark Pike.


Just by looking at the kid, there's no question he's got the physical ability to play major college football, although he is still learning the position of quarterback. He ran the ball over and over again, and Beechwood had no answer. He's quite simply a football player. Think of Tim Tebow. He didn't even get great protection from the Dixie Heights' offensive line as Beechwood pressured him all game and he was able to stay on his feet all but just a couple of times. He got roughed up and limped off the field after he was sacked once by the Tigers as they were threatening to come back into the game, but he re-entered the game and finished Beechwood off with a 35-21 win. If he can develop an arm to go along with his size and running ability, he will be a great college quarterback. If he doesn't end up playing quarterback in college, he'll find a way to get on the field at any school that he chooses with his size and speed.
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I'm not sure what UK's chances are of luring Pike to stay in-state and play for the Cats, but Joker's recruiting philosophy is to not back away from any recruit, no matter how many big time schools are going after the guy. He will not back down to Florida, Alabama, Notre Dame, or USC- especially with an in-state kid. Joker's goal is to either sign every kid, or get a definite "no" answer from each recruit. We can trust that he'll do everything he can to get him here until one of those two things happen. If Pike does or does not sign with the Cats in the 2012 class, it's good to know that ESPN still has Kentucky's 2011 class ranked in the top 25 in the nation. From what I am seeing and hearing up here in Northern Kentucky, the high school talent looks to be about as good as it's ever been- another positive sign if the Cats turn some of their focus to this area as they have in Louisville and the rest of the state. Highlands (like always) is one of the best teams in the state this year at any level, Ryle competed with Highlands last night and will compete for a 6A state championship, and Newport Catholic (who beat Pike's Dixie team in week 1) seems to be very talented as well.

Hartline Named Starting QB

"We feel like we have three quarterbacks we can win with in this league, we really do," Phillips said. "We told them that. That's a good problem to have but right now we feel like Mike Hartline gives us the best chance to win. He's been more efficient. He's playing faster than the other two and at this point he gives us the best chance to win. He was slightly ahead at all times, no question about that but not far ahead enough that we felt like we had to make a decision. It was very difficult, it really was. He gives us the best chance at this point in time, he might not in a couple of weeks, but he does now." - Joker Phillips

So, there you have it. Hartline is once again the starting Quarterback in his Senior campaign. Although Coach Phillips indicated that there will NOT be a rotation of Quarterbacks like we sometimes saw last season, he left open the possibility of another Quarterback taking over the position in "a couple of weeks". I tend to agree that Hartline gives us the best opportunity to win "right now". He's 2-0 against Louisville in his career including a win on the road, while the other two quarterbacks have not played against Louisville.

Hartline has proved that he is able to consistently beat all the teams that he is supposed to beat, and UK should beat the first three teams on their schedule. Kentucky fans also must not forget that Hartline threw for 139 yards and a touchdown in just one half against South Carolina before his season ending injury last year. He had the Cats going into the locker room with a lead and the Cats couldn't get it into the endzone without him in the second half, eventually falling 28-26 to the Gamecocks.

Once the Cats get into SEC play, on the other hand, I'm not sure Hartline gives us the best opportunity to win big in the SEC. He will get us to a fifth straight bowl game, but Joker obviously has higher goals and aspirations moving forward for this program. Morgan Newton won 2 SEC road games last season at Auburn and at Georgia. I'd expect Newton to get some quality second half PT against Western Kentucky and Akron. That will be his opportunity to prove that he could be the man going into SEC play, if things aren't clicking with Hartline. Talented Redshirt Sophomore Ryan Mossakowski appears to still be third on the depth chart.

2010 Wildcat Wrap Football Tour

Ladies and Gentleman,

It's my pleasure to announce the first annual Wildcat Wrap Football Tour! While we wait for basketball season in the Bluegrass, we'll be giving you top notch football coverage all season and we'll also cover the Cincinnati Reds during their playoff push (and hopefully throughout October).

Mike Brown will be joining us again this season and he'll break down the biggest college football matchups all around the country each week. Mike is a Clemson Graduate Student and we'll pay him a visit in Clemson on October 2nd when the Tigers host the Miami Hurricanes. Of course I will be at every UK home game, but I'll also be covering High School football in Northern Kentucky this season as well.

The entire tour highlights include the ACC, the Big 12, the Big East, and of course the SEC. We home to end the season with a triumphant victory in Knoxville for the first time in nearly a quarter century and then head somewhere very warm, preferably near a beach, for a UK Bowl Game around Jan. 1st.

P.S.- Joker still hasn't named a Quarterback. But we'll let you know when he does. Here's the very unofficial but hopeful schedule I'll attempt to follow this football season:

• August 27th-29th: Fort Mitchell, KY/Cincinnati, OH for High School Football and Reds vs. Cubs (Dixie Heights and UK target Zeke Pike vs. Beechwood on Friday Night)
• September 4th-5th: Louisville, KY/St. Louis, MO(To be determined: either UK/UL, Reds/Cards, or maybe both?)
• September 11th: Lexington, KY for UK vs. WKU
• September 17th-18th: Fort Mitchell and Lexington, KY for Beechwood vs. CovCath and UK vs Akron
• September 25th: Cincinnati, OH for Oklahoma vs. Cincinnati at Paul Brown Stadium (Kentucky plays at Florida)
• October 2nd: Clemson, SC for Clemson vs. Miami (Kentucky plays at Ole Miss)
• October 9th: Lexington, KY for UK vs. Auburn
• October 15th-16th: Lexington, KY for Big Blue Madness and UK vs. South Carolina
• October 23rd: Lexington, KY for UK vs. Georgia
• October 30th: Richmond, KY for EKU Homecoming (Kentucky plays at Miss. State)
• November 6th: Lexington, KY for UK vs. Charleston Southern
• November 13th: Lexington, KY for UK vs. Vanderbilt
• November 19th-21st: Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati, OH for High School Playoffs, Cincinnati vs. Rutgers, and Bengals vs. Bills (Bye Week for Kentucky)
• November 27th: Knoxville, TN for UK vs. Tennessee

Canada Trip Concludes with Most Consistent and Complete Effort Yet

(Darius Miller pictured above, Courtesy of the Cats Pause)

On Tuesday morning, all 8 of the undermanned Wildcats scored. All 3 nights of the trip, Darius Miller and Brandon Knight performed exceptionally well. Doron Lamb had a sluggish outing in his opener, but followed that up with 2 straight 20 point performances. Miller, Knight, and Lamb combined for 74 points on Tuesday. Hood, Liggins, and Harrelson delivered with strikingly consistent numbers all 3 nights. But Tuesday was the most complete effort of the trip, as the Cats led big the entire duration of the game. They went into halftime with a 22 point lead and never gave in on route to a 104-75 victory over Windsor.

The most impressive statistic of the 3 day trip, especially after only having 10 practices previously, was that Kentucky only turned over the ball 14 times each game. It shows an incredible consistency and focus, especially given the fast paced offense that they run. The same consistency and focus wasn't always present last season in early November games. This is a different team than we will see at Big Blue Madness on October 15th, but the additions of Enes Kanter, Terrence Jones, and Eloy Vargas will only make the Cats' a more complete and balanced team from an already pretty good team that we saw in these 3 days.

Here's a recap of everyone's numbers:

Darius Miller 24 pts, 3 reb, 3 assts
Stacey Poole 2 pts, 1 steal
Jon Hood 8 pts, 8 rebs, 4 assts
Brandon Knight 27 pts, 5 rbs, 9 assts
Doron Lamb 23 pts, 3 rbs
Jarrod Polson 2 pts
Deandre Liggins 10 pts, 2 rbs, 6 assts
Josh Harrellson 8 pts, 19 rbs, 4 steals

And yes, that is correct...Josh Harrelson really had 19 rebounds.

Day 2 in Canada: Lamb Steps Up, Others Continue Consistent Play.

(Brandon Knight Pictured Above, Courtesy of the Cats Pause)

Brandon Knight and Darius Miller each followed up their impressive opening night performances on Monday night against Western Ontario. This time Knight only scored 17 points, but was more of a distributor with 12 assists. Meanwhile, Miller improved on his 18 point performance with 20 points tonight and also had 8 steals and 5 blocks. Miller has shown a post presence in Canada that was unfamiliar for him last season.

Miller and Josh Harrelson have both helped fill the void of UK's absent big men Enes Kanter, Eloy Vargas, and now Terrence Jones- who made the trip to Canada but was sidelined after an injury from last night's game. Harrelson scored 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. DeAndre Liggins has also been consistent in shooting 9 of 11 from the field in both games combined, scoring 10 points Sunday night and 11 tonight. Jon Hood was also very consistent with 9 points Sunday and 8 points on Monday.

Although it's only been 2 games- 2 games in August against questionable competition, we still have not seen the complete product and what we have seen has been strikingly consistent performances each night by nearly ever contributor. It's this kind of consistency that they'll need each night to even attempt to match the 35-3 season that transpired in Lexington a year ago. The one player who hasn't been consistent is Doron Lamb. Lamb only put up 6 points on Sunday night but put up 24 in tonight's 96-68 win. Hopefully Lamb can follow up his second performance with another good one tomorrow morning when the Cats conclude their Summer exhibition tour, facing Windsor again at 11am.

A Good Knight in Windsor

Kentucky's opener of their Canadian exhibition tour started out shaky. The young Cats' were still trying to find their groove as they struggled to pull away from Windsor in the early going and went into the locker rooms with only an eight point lead. Freshman phenom Terrence Jones exited the game early with shoulder problems while Enes Kanter and Eloy Vargas didn't even make the trip. This allowed Senior Josh Harrelson and Sophomore Jon Hood to break into the starting lineup and both players showed a marked improvement with 9 points a piece. Hood even broke away for three fast break dunks and picked away four steals from the Lancers.

In addition, Harrelson added 11 rebounds and five blocks. He was only a point away from a double-double in the absence of Kanter and Jones down low. Leading the way for the returning players was Darius Miller with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Darius knocked down 4 out of 5 three point shots and also had a presence down low that was not seen a year ago on a team with an abundance of superior post players. DeAndre Liggins also has seemed to find a new level of confidence in his game this season as he scored 10 points and shot 5 of 6 from the field.

Returnees Harrelson, Hood, and Liggins pleasantly surprised us tonight and Darius Miller came out and performed like many had expected. The majority of the Freshman that made the trip didn't perform as well, except Brandon Knight, who was phenomenal. Knight was the prime time player tonight and his 31 points was the biggest difference in the 95-62 win for the Cats. Calipari has asked people not to compare him with John Wall, but such comparisons are inevitable and will surely come up throughout the season. Both are very, very special talents. Wall may be a half step quicker, but that doesn't necessarily mean Brandon Knight still isn't the fastest player in college basketball this season. On top of that, his jump shot is unquestionably better than Wall's and he was automatic from the free throw line tonight, going 8 for 8 from the line.

Another freshman that impressed was walk-on Jarrod Polson from Jessamine County who scored a couple of nice buckets, including a break away layup against two defenders (goaltending was called, but the ball would have gone in). Calipari has said that Polson could be the best walk-on he's ever coached and he will surely be a fan favorite in Rupp for the next four years. When this kid is a senior, look for him to be a contributor, especially if Cal's team's remain young on a consistent basis.

Basketball season is upon us in the Bluegrass, even if it will only be for 3 days. We knew we had talent coming in, but it's so much more refreshing to see it produce on the court. There were times that were hard to watch in the first 15 minutes of the game, but after that, the Cats rolled and played very comfortably together as if it were in the middle of conference play. They in fact looked better than last year's team did in early games against Miami (OH) and Sam Houston State. It's only August and the competition wasn't great, but the Cats exceeded my overall expectations, especially Knight and the returning players. It will be another fun season!

The Cats will be right back at it tomorrow night at 7 against Western Ontario University and then again at 11am Tuesday morning against Windsor once again.

Basketball in August: Cats invade Canada.

Never has August been more fun around these parts. The Cincinnati Reds are tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for 1st place in a very wild and incredibly tight NL Central race, Terrell Owens has joined fellow endzone diva Chad Ochocinco with the Bengals, and Sports Illustrated has picked Joker's first UK football team to finish 2nd place in the SEC East, tied with Georgia and just behind Florida.

If all of that wasn't enough to excite local sports fans, John Calipari has brought his Kentucky basketball squad to Canada for Big Blue basketball...in August! In the middle of all of this madness of football season approaching and the Reds fighting for their first playoff birth in 15 years, we will get to see a very early summer's glimpse of the Cats' upcoming basketball team for 3 straight days this Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. The games can be seen on FSN South and FSN Ohio in 14 states, or online anywhere in the world at http://www.ukathletics.com/. They can also be heard on the radio on any of the flagship stations of the Big Blue Network. Basketball in August. This is fun, isn't it?

Unfortunately, freshman Center Enes Kanter will not make the trip as UK is still waiting for a word back from the NCAA regarding his amateur eligibility status after his participation with "Club teams" in his home-nation of Turkey. But fans will get to see a good look at returning players Josh Harrelson and DeAndre Liggins. Harrelson and Liggins have shown a marked improvement according to Calipari and he looks for the two to step up in starting roles, along with fellow returnee Darius Miller. Besides Kanter, the other freshman who will play big roles this year that WILL be making the trip to Canada are Brandon Knight, Doron Lamb, and Terrence Jones.

I appologize for a slow summer here on the site, but I'm ready for football season to begin and I'm equally excited for these summer basketball games in Canada. The site will pick things up right where we left off last March and will grow to be even bigger with more features than ever before.

Tomorrow will be a fun day. The Reds look to sweep the Marlins tomorrow afternoon and the Bengals will be playing their home preseason opener. But, of course, I won't be watching the Bengals because at 7:00 the Cats will tip it off vs. Windsor University and we'll wrap up all the action right here at Wildcat Wrap!