Could the script be any better?

Over the course of the past five months, it has been a topsy turvy season for Big Blue Nation. There's been ups, such as UK's fifteen point win at Louisville. There have also certainly been downs, like going 2-6 on the road in SEC play. I regret that I have not been here to document the season, because it has been more than what I think anyone imagined that this season could be. The script couldn't have been written any better. I cried on Sunday when Kentucky returned to the Final Four for the first time in thirteen seasons, the longest drought in school history.

Flashing back to a year ago, I would not have been emotional if Kentucky beat West Virginia and made the Final Four last year, because that team was expected to do so. I also would not have been emotional if the Cats made the Final Four in 2003 or 2005, when top seeded UK teams lost in the Elite Eight, a major road block for the Cats since the Championship season of 1998. The fact that last year's team DID NOT make it with five first round NBA draft picks, and this team DID reach the Final Four despite 8 regular season losses, no Enes Kanter, and an incredibly tough region to get here (defeating WVU, OSU, and UNC), all adds to the beautiful script of this amazing run.

Josh Harrelson, who averaged a couple of minutes per game a year ago sitting behind big men DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, and Daniel Orton, and expected to sit behind Enes Kanter this year, is the best 'feel good' story in all of college basketball this season. DeAndre Liggins also has a pretty good story himself, and the other veteran, Darius Miller, had dreamt of this experience his entire life growing up in Maysville, KY. John Calipari, who has been known as a fantastic recruiter and an average coach, has proven that he is in fact one of the best X's and O's coaches in the game this season, beating every team that has defeated him in a rematch games this season. The only "V word" describing this Final Four appearance for Calipari is vindication. He's proven that he can win with less, like he has already proven at UMass (but others seem to forget), and that he can also do it without even a hint of trouble with the NCAA with this current roster.

Of the Wildcats' eight losses, six of them have been avenged, earning them the potential nickname of the "Payback Cats". Five of the six SEC losses on the road were avenged with wins at Rupp Arena or in the SEC Tournament, including two wins against Florida after losing in the final seconds in Gainesville. The Cats also lost to North Carolina in the regular season after defeating them in the East Regional to advance to the Final Four. They lost to UConn in the Maui Invitational Championship in November, and they also hope to avenge that loss on Saturday in the Final Four. If they do, 7 of their 8 losses will be avenged. Arkansas, who they only faced once, would be the only team on the schedule that the Cats did not defeat. You'd expect Harrelson and Brandon Knight, who had 0 and 6 points respectively in November against the Huskies, to have much more of an impact this time around.

There couldn't have been a better script for this team to make it to the Final Four, and perhaps, a National Championship. Regardless of how the team fares in Houston, they have accomplished the very rare feat of exceeding the always high exepctations at the University of Kentucky. With Enes, this team was thought to have a chance to still be playing right now. Without him, they weren't given much of a shot at all. It's been a blessing in disguise for Josh Harrelson, who has emerged as a fan favorite and has played himself into a chance of playing at the next level. On paper, the Cats look to be even better next season, perhaps a pre-season #1 ranking, but that team has a tall task infront of them to accomplish what this team already has and hopes to do Saturday and Monday night: bringing home the 8th National Championship to its rightful place in Lexington, KY.

The Truth about Kanter, Calipari, and Marcus Camby

According to Calipari, we'll know in a few weeks on the status of Enes Kanter. Pete Thamel's second attempt to bring down the Cats taught us nothing new that we already didn't know. We've known for months that Kanter played on a semi-professional team since he was fourteen and received money. This is old news. We've known about this for months and we've known that Calipari and the University have been honest and upfront about the situation with the NCAA.

Kentucky didn't even play Kanter on the Canadian exhibition trip because they were waiting for the NCAA to make a decision on his eligibility. Media outlets across the country have made misleading headlines on this story leading people to believe the situation was a lot worse and insinuating that Calipari and Kentucky are involved in a scandal. That couldn't be any further from the truth as they have been working with the NCAA for months on this issue. In fact, the NCAA is even considering new rules that would make it easier for European players who have received similar benefits at a young age the chance to play college basketball in America.

It's also important to note that the Turkish team making these claims has an incentive for Kanter to not be elibile at UK. If Kanter is ruled ineligible, Kanter would have to either return to Turkey or be signed by another European or NBA team. If another professional team signs him, the Turkish team will receive loyalties for his services. They receive nothing if he plays for UK. Another note of importance is that Kanter never signed any professional contract and the team did not disclose any "financial statements" to Pete Thamel when he asked them to as he actually had the audacity to travel to Turkey to report this "story". Thamel has also been accused of misrepresenting quotes in the article.

Perhaps, Kanter could miss a number of games this year but could be eligible by the end of the season. Last season, John Wall missed just one regular season game as he paid back money he received from an AAU coach to help him pay for college visits. Regardless to the ruling, UK has done the right thing every step of the way to ensure that Kanter is eligible before even allowing him to play in summer exhibition games. The Cats also played very well without him in Canada and look to have an entertaining team with or without Kanter. Enes' future is also not on the line, as NBA Draft experts project him as a top pick even if he goes back and plays in Europe for a year.

Meanwhile, Marcus Camby is being honored in Amhurst this weekend on his first visit back to UMass. Camby has paid back the revenue the University lost from the 1996 NCAA Vacated Final Four and he is being inducted into the UMass Hall of Fame. He's taken full responsibility for his mistakes. In an exerpt from an article in the Hampshire Daily Gazette, Camby says, "The poor decision I made, it was definitely disappointing, not just for me but for the entire university. When I went through that, I couldn't blame anybody but myself. When that stuff was going on, no one knew about it, no one at the university, none of my coaches ...or teammates. I thought the only right thing for me to do was own up to my mistakes."

Unfortunately, people don't want to know what really happened; they just want to think what they would like to think as true, or whatever is most convenient for them to believe. This is true in politics, business, and sports...especially when John Calipari and Kentucky are involved. John Calipari has a clean record, Sandy Bell is the best complaince director in the nation, the rest of the world is against UK, but clearly, the unbiased and rational people out there know that Kentucky has nothing to worry about.

Wall and Cousins' Impact will Remain With Program

Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty, Rodrick Rhodes, and Mark Pope. Talk about a blast from the past. When was the last time we heard or seen any of these guys around Rupp or Lexington? Their own senior day games?

Nothing against those guys, they all wore the Blue and White for at least three years before moving on to the NBA and they all had good careers at Kentucky. The question I have for you today is this: would you rather have a good player stay at Kentucky and contribute for three or four years and then never hear or see from him ever again, or would you take John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins for one year on the court with their continued support of the program for the rest of their young lives?

I'd take Cousins and Wall as lifelong supporters, even if they were only on the court for one season. After Wall was named MVP of the NBA Summer League and Cousins was named the Top Rookie Performer, the sensational duo (as well as Patrick Patterson and Eric Bledsoe)returned to Lexington this week for John Calipari's Pro Camp. They all spoke of how great their time was at Kentucky and how much they miss it and how much they look forward to returning here as often as they can.

I know it's only a few months from last May when these four young men finished up classes and left Lexington, but I genuinely believe it when DeMarcus Cousins calls Kentucky his home and I truly believe that John Wall is sincere when he says he dreams of the day that he'll be chosen to do the "Y" at Rupp Arena. Wall and Cousins will remain great representatives for this program. They will come back and scrimmage and help out
with our current players in the summer (by the way, I hear Brandon Knight held his own against John Wall...and Enes too against Cousins!). But most importantly, they'll be tremendous recruiting assets for years to come.

As two of the biggest rising stars in the NBA, these two phenoms will impact Kentucky basketball for much longer than just one season and likely longer than just 4 years. Coach Cal will no longer need Lebron James to sell the program to recruits. Now he'll be able to use his own UK guys. Their impact in Lexington will remain. I'd take these guys over almost any 4 year player, because when Wall and Cousins left Lexington, they never really left. Their heart remains here and they'll continue to support the Big Blue.

(Photo courtesy of Kentucky.com)

Since I last posted...

UK has made history with 5 NBA First Round Draft Picks in the same year. By now, I'm sure you know the teams, the players, and all the headlines that were made. I don't think it was the "greatest day in the history of Kentucky basketball" as evidenced by taking me so long to post anything about it, however, it is special. I understand what Calipari meant by that statement, even if he was a little caught up in the moment. This is a players first program, and it is players that will win Championships for us at Kentucky in due time.

However, giving hope to families and making kids dreams/careers come true might be more important in the grand scheme of things than winning a title. Championships are an easy choice between the two for fans, the state, and the University...but lets be honest with ourselves, would Eric Bledsoe rather have won a championship and then not get drafted and live on the streets the rest of his life? Look, these kids wanted a Championship really bad and they came short. They were all devastated after the WV loss, but in the long run things went right for these kids and it's a reason to celebrate. Congrats to all five of them!

In other news...

• Daniel Orton applogizes to UK fans via twitter.

• Josh Harrelson also tweets that he "has never played against anyone as good" as Enes Kanter.

That's a pretty bold statement considering a year ago he was playing pick up games matched up against Cousins, Patterson, and Orton (3 first round draft picks).

And the saddest news surrounding the program in quite some time comes tonight. Terri Krebs, the mother of UK's Mark Krebs, has passed away. My thoughts and prayers (as well as all of Big Blue Nation, I am sure) are with Mark and his family. Krebs was an absolute class act and a great representative of the program. He walked on for 4 years, played for 3 different coaches (which is very difficult for a walk-on to do), was an Academic All-American, and had a love for UK Basketball as much as anyone you will ever meet. I wish Mark the very best and pray that he gets through this difficult time.

Calipari: Not the only UK coach doing a tremendous job recruiting.

Matthew Mitchell's performance as UK Women's Basketball coach so far has been possibly more impressive than the job that Calipari has done at UK. Both have done remarkable jobs, but Mitchell has done it without the spotlight and publicity that Cal gets with the Men's team. Both hoops' teams made it to last year's Elite 8 and both have very high ranked recruiting classes coming in.

Calipari's is #1, and Mitchell's incoming class is ranked #13 by ESPN (unheard of and unparallelled for the UK Women's program), one spot ahead Pat Summit's Lady Vols!

Joker Phillips is also recruiting at a level that has never been done with the UK football program. Although it's early and a lot can change, his 2011 class is ranked Top 20 in the country, which is also simply unheard of for Kentucky football. UK has been competing with the best of the SEC for four years now with less talent on the field. Now that they are recruiting at a "middle of the pack" level in the nation's best conference, they will get closer to FINISHING at the middle or even top of the conference sooner than you may think. "Operation Win" is not about competing and being relevent anymore, it's about winning and being at a top level in the SEC in all aspects.

Expect Mitchell and Phillips both to continue to build on their respective programs for years to come in Lexington.

2010 ESPN Women's BBall Recruiting Rankings

2011 ESPN Football Recruiting Rankings

P.S.- Check out Kentucky Sports Radio TONIGHT for the start of the blogger contest entries, and possibly my entry on Brandon Knight.

The Facts About Eric Bledsoe

• Neither UK under Gillispie, Florida under Donovan, or Memphis under Calipari recruited Bledsoe until after all the events mentioned in the NY Times story
• Bledsoe's H.S. Coach who may have paid a few months of $400 rent for Eric and his mother, publicly stated that he was disappointed in Eric's decision to attend Kentucky and play for Calipari. He felt that it wasn't the right fit for Eric with John Wall already being there.
• According to the landlord, the Bledsoe family still owes over $3,000 in rent to this day.

There are a lot of other facts regarding this issue, but I personally don't think this is even big enough of a deal to spend much time on. I won't even touch on the grades issue because the NY Times found absolutely no evidence to suggest that Bledsoe's grades weren't legit. They simply stated that it was "improbable" that he would have been able to improve his grades at the rate that he did as a Junior and a Senior. Without any evidence or even a hint of any academic fraud, it's simply ridiculous to assume that the kid didn't just work harder to receive the better grades in his last two years in high school.

With the three facts stated above, one can conclude with some common sense that at least Gillispie, Calipari, and Donovan were not involved in providing any money for Bledsoe's rent because they had not started to recruit him. He was, however, committed with UAB during the course of these events. One can also conclude that it is especially unlikely that the money came from Calipari or UK if Bledsoe's coach publicly stated that he was dissapointed on numerous occasions of Eric's decision to play at UK. Why would the coach speak out against a program if that program was paying him? And the last fact makes it incredibly unlikely that ANY school was involved in providing money for Bledsoe's rent. If any major college basketball program were to pay for Bledsoe's rent, I think they would have at least paid the full amount.

It looks as if the high school coach did not pay a monthly rent, but paid the landlord just enough of it (up to 3 months) so that Bledsoe and his mother would not be kicked out and put onto the streets, which is a totally separate issue that I will tackle another time- should the NCAA punish a poor kid for receiving "benefits" such as food and shelter when they would otherwise be put onto the streets? Is this whole issue something that the NCAA needs to take a second look at how they should handle such situations of an incredibly poor family? Also, how embarrassing must this whole situation be for the Bledsoe family? In more ways than one, their right to privacy was breached, especially when the NY Times illegally obtained a copy of Eric's high school transcripts.

Consider this the first of many unsuccessful attempts to bring down Calipari and Kentucky.

Comparing the '09 and '10 Classes, and looking forward to 2011.

2009 Class (Rivals.com National rank and # of stars)

PG John Wall (1)*****
PF DeMarcus Cousins (2)*****
C Daniel Orton (22)*****
PG Eric Bledsoe (23)*****
SG Jon Hood (40)****
SF Darnell Dodson (JUCO)****

2010 Class:

Overall rankings

2009: Wall (1), Cousins (2), Orton (22), Bledsoe (23), Jon Hood (40), and a top JUCO transfer in Dodson

2009 AVERAGE RANK PER PLAYER: 17.6

2010: Kanter (3), Knight (6), Jones (13), Lamb (21), Poole (33), and a top JUCO transfer in Vargas (and possibly one more addition).

2010 AVERAGE RANK PER PLAYER: 15.2

The 2009 class may have had the 2 best players with the most NBA superstar potential, but the 2010 class looks to be more deep and a better overall class, and Cal might not even be finished yet! This class features three top 15 recruits as opposed to two last season, and depending on who you ask, Knight is ranked as high as #1 by some experts and Jones is thought to be in the top 10 by many as well. Hood and Dodson return from last year's class and Poole and Vargas are expected to return as well for the 2011/2012 season. All four of these guys should join would-be Seniors Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins in 2012, while Josh Harrelson stands alone as the only Senior in 2010/2011.

With it being a relatively weak overall class nationwide (there's at least no superstars of the calibur of Wall or Cousins this year), there isn't really a definitive "one and done" player in this class, either. Kanter, Knight, and Jones are likely "one and done", but are not currently guarenteed lottery picks as Wall and Cousins were. Doron Lamb finds him in the same situation as Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton a year ago. He is not expected to be ready after a year and does not expect to leave, but we'll just have to wait and see how he progresses under Cal. I believe that Stacey Poole and Eloy Vargas are ultimately what will make this class better than last year's. I see both of these players contributing much more than Jon Hood did, and maybe more than Dodson did as well as a Freshman, and they'll be very important returnees along with Liggins, Miller, Dodson, and Hood on the 2012 team.

Not only will the 2012 team feature veterans Liggins, Miller, Dodson, and Hood, along with Sophomores Poole, Vargas, and maybe more...but Cal will be bringing in an EVEN Better recruiting class than his first two classes at UK.

Here's how the 2011 Class is stacking up:

Rivals.com National Rank and # of stars

F Mike Gilchrist (1) ***** (committed)

G Marquis Teague (2) *****(committed)

F Lebryan Nash (4) *****(considering KY)

F Quincy Miller (8)*****(KY at top of his list)

That's potentially FOUR top 10 recruits, with 3 of the top 4 overall. Also, keep in mind that Teague will be complemented by senior guards Miller and Liggins. They should also have enough experienced returning players for Calipari to not have to go after an additional two or three guys. Depending on how Lamb develops as a Freshman, Calipari might actually already be done with this class. I certainly think that UK is a viable National Championship contender in 2011, but in 2012 it's hard to imagine them not being the unanimous pre-season favorite.

Cal does it again!

A week after making a definitive statement that he will be returning to Kentucky next season and "finishing what he started", and ending all reasonable speculation that he would take a job in the NBA and possibly coach Lebron James next season, Calipari has added another 5-star recruit in Terrence Jones and possibly has surpassed the massive recruiting class that he brought in a year ago in his first few months on the job. Last year's class was looked at as a "once in a generation" recruiting class, and perhaps even "the best ever". In just his 2nd year at Kentucky, Calipari might have done the unthinkable of actually surpassing the recruiting class that included John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, and Daniel Orton- whom all are expected to be drafted in the 1st round of the upcoming NBA Draft. The really scary part of all of this (for the rest of college basketball) is that next year's class looks to be even better. In the coming days, I'll take a look at the incoming 2010 class as well as the 2011 class and compare them both to last year's class that revitalized the Commonwealth to a 35-3 season in the extraordinary start to the John Calipari era.

Also, I've got to give much deserved "shout outs" to John Wall for his 3.5 Spring GPA and for learning his fate as a Washington Wizard, Rajon Rondo for continuing to lead his Boston Celtics as the MVP of this year's NBA playoffs so far, and the UK baseball team for SWEEPING defending National Champion LSU last weekend in what might have been enough to clinch a spot in the SEC Tournament!

(Photo courtesy of mostlyuclahoops.blogspot.com)

Is Calipari Good for Kentucky?

A lot has been going on around Big Blue Nation the last couple of weeks. UK fans experienced disappointment over recruiting commitments for the first time in the Calipari era when CJ Leslie, Terrence Jones (supposedly), and Marcus Thornton have all decided to play their college basketball somewhere else. Calipari has offered a walk-on spot for West Jessamine star point guard, Jarrod Polson, and is currently trying to put the finishing touches on another great recruiting class at UK. Calipari also discussed with the press last week about the possibility of starting up a JV team at UK to allow more Kentucky kids the opportunity to suit up for the Blue and White.

In addition to the disappointing recruiting commitments more bad news came out last week when an article was written in the Lexington Herald Leader announcing that the UK men's basketball team compiled a team GPA of only 2.0, the worst since 2002 and currently the lowest of any sports program at UK. Then, the very next day, Yahoo reported that Calipari was interested in the opening head coaching job with the Chicago Bulls and not soon after that it was announced of UK's intention to restructure Calipari's contract to try to keep the coach in Lexington until he retires. In the last couple of days, more disappointing (but not surprising) news came out that Daniel Orton has hired an agent and Eric Bledsoe definitely intends to stay in the draft barring any major injury during NBA workouts. Unless Cal signs another big man, a lot more will be asked of Josh Harrelson next year as he and incoming blue chip Center, Enes Kanter, will be the only two post players on the roster.

Still, through all of the mostly negative news that has surrounded the program in the last couple of weeks, the Cats are still bringing in a top 5 recruiting class next year and have an even better class coming into the program in 2012. The team's GPA should certainly improve next season with the additions of Brandon Knight and Enes Kanter, whom are both very well known to be exceptional students. And Calipari, for now, is still in Lexington and he says he's happy here and doesn't even want a raise. I wouldn't be suprised to see Coach Cal make the move to the NBA down the road if the PERFECT situation presents itself with a playoff calibur team with Lebron James on the roster, and perhaps one of his former players such as Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall, or DeMarcus Cousins as well. I do think Cal is still intigued by having success in the NBA, but I also believe he has a desire to get to another Final Four and ultimately win a National Championship at Kentucky before he gives the NBA a second shot. If he is able to do that, I don't think anyone would be dissapointed in Coach Cal, just as long as he doesn't end up on Louisville's sidelines any time soon.

Just as Coach Cal explained on his Twitter last week, there will never be any more rumors about him going to another school because he now has the best college job, but his name will always be linked to NBA job openings, whether he is actually interested or not, and that is a good problem for Kentucky to have. It's a problem that nobody had to worry about when Billy Gillispie was on the sidelines for 2 short and miserable seasons and it's only a problem that elite programs and coaches have to deal with. Kentucky is clearly once again at an elite level, but some critics will beg the question if it is really worth it in spite of all the "one and dones", occasional academic shortcomings (yes- occassional; just look at his career graduation rates at Memphis and UMass), and the mention of Calipari's name for virtually every NBA job opening.

ESPN's SportsNation poll this week asked if John Calipari was good for the University of Kentucky. Cal's critics can be very loud, often biased (see Pat Forde), and almost always obnoxious (Louisville fans). On a national level, however, the SportsNation poll revealed that nearly 70% of sports fans accross the nation believe that Calipari is good for Kentucky and only two states- Kansas and North Carolina (not surprisingly), thought otherwise. Despite what your annoying co-worker from Louisville may tell you on a consistant basis, most other fans would love Coach Calipari coaching their team.

Just about every fan base in America would openly welcome superstars like John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, even if only for a year. They also wouldn't mind NBA rumors surrounding their head coach if it meant they were competing for National Championships every year, and most fans certainly wouldn't mind if their team went through a semester or two with a "C" average. The critics of Calipari can be very loud and annoying to deal with, but most of them would love to have Cal and all the "problems" associated with being an elite program with elite players. We're very lucky and proud to have Coach Calipari and it's just amazing to sit back and think about everything that has transpired with this program in the past year.

Yes, John Calipari is good for the University of Kentucky and we are extremely lucky to have him. He not only is a winner on the court, but he also connects with the fans off of it and understands everything that is expected of him as the head basketball coach at UK.

He's the perfect man for the job, and to quote Billy Gillsipie- "That's just not a very good question".

Lamb signs with Cats, who's next?

Doron Lamb is the newest Wildcat, joining Stacey Poole, Enes Kanter, and Brandon Knight in John Calipari's 2010 recruiting class. Lamb made his decision during a timeout of the Jordan Brand All-Star game Saturday night in Madison Square Garden. Lamb, a shooting guard, joins Brandon Knight in a backcourt that will try to live up to the show that John Wall and Eric Bledsoe put on this past year.

I actually believe that Knight and Lamb could possibly be a better combination that Wall and Bledose were. Instead of two point guards playing with each other next year, the Cats will have Knight running the point, and they will have a traditional spot-up, "catch and shoot" Shooting Guard in Doron Lamb, something that had been missing since the loss of Jodie Meeks. Lamb, a good outside shooter with a fantastic mid range shot, can also put the ball on the floor and is a tremendous defender. He seems to fit every quality of a player that excels in Calipari's system.

Knight is also a much better outside shooter than Wall, and displayed his clutch ability a few weeks ago when he nailed down the winning shot in the McDonald's All American game. Neither player may be quite as flashy as Wall or Bledsoe, and neither may be a "one and done" player, either. It's actually probable that one of them, along with Stacey Poole and Enes Kanter, will return for another year. These are very good college players, but not freakishly as good as what we had last season.

However, this class looks to actually be better in some aspects than last season's class, which was probably the best recruiting class in the history of college basketball. They probably won't guide this team to a 35-3 record, but they may bring some strengths to the table that could make this team more suitable to reach the Final Four. Two of three losses last season were because of horrendous three point shooting. Those kinds of shooting performances will likely not occur from this bunch next season. The likelihood that every one of them will most probably not be leaving after a year is what could ultimately make this year's class more successful.

If just a few of them come back for their sophomore seasons (which is expected to happen), this class could certainly be more productive if they join would-be Seniors' Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins in 2012, as well as top 2011 recruit Michael Gilchrist and possibly Marquis Teague. Teague is choosing between UK and UofL and will make that choice on Wednesday. If Teague picks the Cats, it would almost certainly make Kentucky the pre-season favorite to win the 2012 National Championship and would be a MAJOR letdown for Rick Pitino and the Cardinals.

After Teague makes a decision on Wednesday, the next two players to look at in the next few weeks are Terrence Jones and C.J. Leslie, both of this year's class. Leslie looks to be choosing between N.C. State and Kentucky, but Terrence Jones seems to be a lean towards the Cats. He recently spoke very highly on the fans and excitement around the UK program, his chance of winning a National Championship here in Lexington, and the ability of John Calipari to develop NBA talent. If all the domino's fall, Calipari will bring in another #1 recruiting class to Lexington. Stay tuned.

And also don't forget about Spring Football. Mike Hartline seems to be leading the way this spring and we'll let you know how all three quarterbacks look in the inaugural Blue/White Scrimmage of the Joker Phillips' era this Saturday.

Official Press Release on 5 UK Players Entering the NBA Draft

(Photo courtesy of UKathletics.com)

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky freshmen Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton and John Wall and junior Patrick Patterson will enter their names in this year’s NBA Draft. All five players are projected as first-round picks.

It marks the second straight season a UK player has declared early for the draft. All-American Jodie Meeks decided to forego his senior season last year to turn pro.

Bledsoe averaged 11.3 ppg while hitting 49 three-pointers and shooting 38 percent from behind the line in his freshman campaign. Bledsoe finished sixth on UK’s all-time freshman scoring list (419), second on the three-point field goals made list (49) and fourth on the freshman assist list (107).

“I never thought I’d be in this position after one year,” Bledsoe said. “Coach Cal pushed us all to be the best we could be and he believes I’m prepared to take my game to the next level. I want to thank the fans for all their support this year.”

Cousins was second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.1 ppg while posting a team-best 9.8 rpg average, all in only 23.5 minutes per game. He destroyed the UK freshman rebounding record by nearly 100 rebounds and scored the second-most points by a UK freshman, behind teammate John Wall.

The Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year also led the Wildcats in double-doubles this season with 20, the most by a UK player since 1973 and the fourth most in a season in Kentucky basketball history.

“Coach challenged me to grow on and off the court this season,” Cousins said. “I believe my game expanded along with my maturity. This year was the most fun I’ve ever had playing basketball and a lot of it had to do with the support I got from our fans.”

Orton served as the Wildcats’ sixth man this season and finished averaging 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds. He was second on the team in blocked shots with 53 and ranked eighth in the SEC in blocks per game (1.4).

“Being at Kentucky allowed me to play with some of the most talented players in the country,” Orton said. “Battling with DeMarcus (Cousins) and Patrick (Patterson) every day helped improve my game. I want to thank the coaching staff for helping put me in a position to be drafted this year.”

Patterson ranked second in the SEC and 12th nationally in field goal percentage (.575). He recorded nine double-doubles this season, fourth most in the SEC, and 11 double-digit rebounding performances. He finished his junior season ranked 13th on Kentucky’s all-time scoring list (1,564) and sixth on Kentucky’s career double-double list with 30.

“I want to thank the fans who have supported me all three years,” Patterson said. “I also want to thank the coaches for putting me in a position to showcase other parts of my game as well as my versatility. Lexington and UK will always be a special place to me.”

Wall led the Wildcats in scoring (16.6), assists (6.5) and steals (1.8) while setting the school single-season assist record with 241. The Adolph Rupp National Player of the Year recorded five double-doubles on the season, three in points and assists, and two in points and rebounds, making him the first player in UK history to record double-doubles in points and rebounds and points and assists.

“I’m not the same player as when I arrived at UK,” Wall said. “I believe I’m ready for the next challenge as Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans were the last two years under Coach Cal. I want to thank my teammates and the fans for all their support this year. I love them.”

“I’ve spoken with all five guys concerning the NBA and have encouraged them to put their names in the draft,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “They’ve all met individually with our compliance office to make sure they have a full understanding of eligibility rules and academic responsibilities. I’m so proud of these five young men, with everything they did for us on the court and the way they represented us off of it.

“It’s extremely unusual for four freshmen from the same team to have this opportunity, but it’s my job as a coach to prepare these young men for such opportunities.”

Reflection on a Great Season

First of all, I need to recognize the Women's team on their upset of #1 SEED Nebraska! Matthew Mitchell's 4th seeded UK Hoops' team now will face 5th seeded Oklahoma for a trip to the Final Four in San Antonio! Pretty good for a team that was picked to finish 11th in the SEC!

It looks like the Cats could be facing nearby Xavier in the Final Four before the inevitable dreaded Championship matchup with the UConn Huskies, who are currently riding the longest winning streak in the history of Women's College Basketball.

If these ladies can make it to the Championship game and even give UConn a run for their money, it will help ease the pain (at least a little bit) of Saturday's painful loss to West Virginia.

The Elite 8 matchup with the Lady Sooners will be on ESPN Tuesday Night at 9:00. Until then, enjoy this video to commemorate an unbelievable season that...

• brought us above 2,000 wins
• the "John Wall Dance"
• state supremacy
• wins over rivals Indiana, North Carolina, and Louisville
• millions of dollars raised by our team for Haitian earthquake victims in 24 hours
• a #1 national ranking and phone call from the President of the United States
• the first ever sold out ESPN College Gameday Show
• an unbelievable SEC Championship victory
• three very impressive NCAA tournament wins
• and an amazing display of future NBA superstars

But most importantly, this season has united a fan base that has been divided since the end of the Tubby Smith era. It started with book signings and rally's throughout the summer, from Pikeville to Paducah, and everywhere in between. The Commonwealth's anticipation for this season was higher than ever before, as thousands of fans camped out for tickets to Big Blue Madness, the official start of practice for what all had hoped to be an amazing season and a return to glory for Kentucky basketball.

The campout was a beautiful scene, as the nation's most passionate fanbase finally got what they wanted and deserved- a coach that understood Kentucky basketball and embraced the program as much as all of its fans. When Coach Calipari, his son Brad, the staff, and the players camped out themselves, played cornhole, and delivered food to all those faithful fans...we knew we finally had the perfect fit. A few weeks later, Coach Calipari delivered a moving and passionate speech to the fans at Big Blue Madness and John Wall made the crowd eRUPPt with dance moves that would soon become a national phenomenon known as the "John Wall Dance". Ah, what a year it has been.

Enjoy the video!

P.S. Brandon Knight is making his college decision on April 14th! Stay tunned for all the coverage!

Dream Season Ends

If you took my advice and set your DVR for yesterday's game, I'm sorry. You can go ahead and delete it and save some space because it was a game that you will never want to watch ever again.

Of all the Elite 8 losses the Cats have suffered over the years, this one was the worst and hardest to watch. Even the infamous Duke game in 1992 was one of the greatest college basketball games ever played, and there's no shame in losing a game like that. In 2003 it felt awful at the time losing to Marquette, but Dwayne Wade has since established himself as one of the best point guards in the NBA. The Michigan State loss in 2005 was also a tough one, but it at least gave us one of the most memorable and exciting moments in UK history when Sparks made the shot to bring it into overtime.

There was hardily any positive moment in an ugly and freezing cold shooting night for the Cats last night. Everything that had happened all season long, did not happen last night. It was almost an entirely different team out there. They were stunned, frustrated, and lost more and more confidence with each wide open missed shot behind the arc. The 1-3-1 zone prevented them from doing what they did best, but for whatever reason, the Cats couldn't knock down routine shots that they had made throughout most of the season. Two days earlier, the Cats shut down Cornell, the best 3 point shooting team in the nation. Against West Virginia, the focus was no longer defending the three. In fact, the Cats did just what the scouting report told them to do in the first half. They didn't allow the Mountaineers to make a single 2 point field goal in 20 minutes and they crushed the offensive boards the entire game, grabbing almost 30 more than West Virginia

West Virginia, a very poor three point shooting team, made 8 three's in the first half from even the most unlikely shooters, one of whom made his first of the entire season. Three point shooting ended up giving the Mountaineers about a thirty point advantage. Rebounding and talent kept the Cats in it even in the worse performance of the year, but it just was not the Cats day. It just wasn't meant to be on that given day. After dominating performances in the first three rounds where shots went in with ease, the Cats were facing their first deficit of the NCAA Tournament. Perhaps, youth and inexperience caught up to them and they didn't know how to respond. They did not quit. They played hard and made it interesting, but in the end, poor three point shooting and free throw shooting doomed the Cats. When DeAndre Liggins made the Cats first three of the game it sparked some life and confidence into them-but it was just too little, too late.

Big Blue Nation, however, shall never forget the 2010 Cats. They brought our program back to the national level that it should always be at. They brought excitement and swagger back to Lexington that will never be forgotten. The incredible turnaround of the 2010 season was one of the most fun Kentucky basketball teams in history and they will be remembered someday when the Cats do bring home #8. We needed this coach (no one else- we got the perfect fit) and these incredible players in order to move forward and generate enough excitement after just one season to be among the top programs, once again, on the lists of every top recruit in the nation. Despite not winning it all, this group exceeded most everyone's expectations (which were pretty high of a freshman led team). The season ended in disappointment, but when you look at where we were a year ago and even early in the season, it's really remarkable that this young team was even in a position to reach the Final Four and make a run at the National Championship.

As bad as yesterday's game was, it could have been worse (just ask Kansas, Syracuse, and Georgetown), and the Cats will be back and better than expected next season. Sure, Wall and Cousins are likely gone. Patterson's post game comments, however, seemed to indicate that he was not happy with this ending and that there's more unfinished business for him to accomplish here in a return next season. If Patterson, Bledsoe, and Orton come back for another year to join juniors Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins with potentially another top 5 recruiting class- a more experienced team that has now been deep into the NCAA Tournament may have a better chance at cutting down some nets in 2011. Stay tuned, as Wildcat Wrap will keep you updated on who will join Enes Canter and Stacy Poole in the 2010 recruiting class and which current Wildcats will join them in the next quest to #8.

The Elite 8 is set.

Two SEC teams remain and one Big East team is left. The Cats have their chance to take down that final team from the nation's most overrated conference. It's Calipari vs. Huggins. It's Patrick Patterson against his home state team. It's the chance for the nation's winningest team to get back to the Final Four for the first time in 12 years, which is nearly an eternity in Big Blue Nation. It's a chance for a potential matchup with Duke. This game, simply put, means everything.

The double digit wins are likely over, but these last three games are the type of games that you will want to be sure to record on your DVR. Each one of them are games that you will want to watch again, and again, and again...for the next twenty or thirty years (that is, if the Cats end up as the last team standing).

Just think of the potential matchups in these last three games:

• West Virginia: arguably the best team remaining in the Cats' hunt for #8. They're the last team from the Big East remaining, the same conference that Kentucky fans have to listen about all year from Louisville fans. With this win, the SEC could have two teams in the Final Four with every Big East team sitting at home. This would be bitter sweet for UK fans.

• Duke: Do I even have to say anything? When these two teams play in the tournament, it's ALWAYS a classic. The Blue Devils will have a tough game with Baylor to win before this is a possibility.

• Tennessee: Could you imagine how great it would be for an All-SEC National Championship? This would really make a lot of Louisville fans (and sportswriters from the Northeast) have to eat their words! But even more sweet would be a chance to beat Bruce Pearl in his orange jacket for the third time this year to bring home the 8th National Championship to Lexington!

That, my friends, would be the ultimate best case scenario for the most fun ride Kentucky fans have maybe ever ridden towards a National Title. It would be a string of games that would rival the 1998 team's comeback wins over Duke, Stanford, and Utah to bring home our seventh title. To this point, for sure, I think it can be said that the remarkable turnaround under Calipari has been the most fun season ever had in Lexington.

But for now, let's just land the plane. Survive, and advance.

SEC Coach of the Year is...who? Say that again?

As expected, John Wall won SEC Player of the Year yesterday and Demarcus Cousins won SEC Freshman of the Year. Patrick Patterson made the All-SEC 1ST Team, while Eric Bledsoe made the All-Freshman team.

But the SEC Coach of the Year selection is just simply, laughable. Yahoo's Jeff Eisenburg ponders the question: "How did this man not win SEC Coach of the Year?"

Eisenburg was right on. There's no logical explaination other than the SEC Coaches simply did not want Calipari to win. It's hard to imagine that a group of college basketball head coaches could be this silly and immature. Hatred, envy, and jealousy have never been more obvious. But considering that Billy Gillipsie won this award in his first year at Kentucky, it just goes to show how insignificant this really is.

And if the SEC Coaches think they're sticking it to Kentucky and Calipari- they couldn't be more wrong. UK fans LOVE IT when things like this happen because it makes it so obviously transparent that we are hated. When we're hated, things are going very well in Big Blue Nation.

Here's Boogie's thoughts:

Has UK Athletics Ever Seen Better Days?

On Thursday, Kentucky basketball fans have the privilege of watching four straight hours of UK basketball. Of course, ESPN will have the Cats' re-match at Rupp with Devan Downey and South Carolina at 9:00. But that isn't the only big game for the Blue and White which will be televised that night. At 7:00 on Fox Sports Net, Matthew Mitchell's 16th ranked UK Women's Hoops team brings their 23-4 record into Knoxville to face Pat Summit and the 5th ranked Lady Vols. The UK Women are firmly in 2nd place in the SEC Standings, behind only Tennessee. They were projected as a 4th seed in this weeks' ESPN Bracketology. With a win over the Lady Vols, they could break into the Top 10 and be in a pretty good position to earn a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

It's unfortunate that the Women's team has risen in a year like 2010, when the success of Coach Cal's Cats grab all the attention in Lexington. Could you imagine the attention the Women's team could have had LAST SEASON if they were playing this well while the Men's team fell apart and missed the NCAA Tournament? It's also unfortunate because if they were this good about a decade ago, they might have a legitimate shot at a National Title. However, UConn's current Women's team is proving to be one of the greatest dynasties in the history of college sports and they show no signs of losing a single game anytime soon. Perhaps, the UK Women can luckily find themselves in the opposite side of the bracket as the Lady Huskies and be the 2nd straight team from the Commonwealth to lose to them in the National Championship game (The Louisville Lady Cards were the runner-ups a year ago).

When you think about Thursday's double header of two nationally ranked UK basketball programs, as well as the current nationally ranked and undefeated UK baseball team (with three wins in three games thus far over Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and #12 Coastal Carolina), and of course the unprecedented fourth straight Bowl appearance last December in Nashville for the football program, it makes me ponder whether or not the University of Kentucky Athletics' program is currently at an all-time high. The man responsible in leading this Athletic Department, Mitch Barnhart, found himself in jeopardy of losing his job at this time just a year ago despite the progress in virtually every sport at UK except one.

The one sport that was not making progress was Men's basketball, and every Athletics Director that has been here knows that the success of any A.D. in Lexington lingers directly on the state of Kentucky basketball, undoubtedly the premiere team of the school and of the entire Commonwealth. Mitch Barnhart knew that despite the success his teams have had across the board, that in order to keep his job, he couldn't afford to hire another Billy Gillispie. Last spring, he was able to preserve the Kentucky basketball program at a time that if it had continued under the same path it was taking, had the potential to lose it's elite status for a significant period of time if he did not make the necessary changes and hire the absolute right man for the job. Remember, it was not a popular decision at the time amongst the national media who blasted Barnhart and Kentucky for getting rid of an "up and coming" coach after just two seasons and they doubted his ability to bring in anyone else that would make UK basketball a Final Four contender anytime in the near future. Obviously, the media critics could not have been more wrong. Barnhart needed a slam dunk hire, and he hired the absolute right man for the job in John Calipari.

Yes, Barnhart made a terrific hire to restore the legacy of Kentucky's Men's basketball program. But let's not forget that he also stood by Rich Brooks through the two and three win seasons to eventually go to a school record four straight Bowl Games, and winning three of them. Let's not forget either that Matthew Mitchell was a slam dunk hire as well for the Women's program, that he appointed Joker Phillips as a "head coach in waiting" back in 2007 and the football program is now more stable than it has ever been since the Bear Bryant days in the 1950's. Do not look past the fact that the baseball program won the SEC Championship in 2006 and has been a contender ever since in college baseball's best conference. And what about the programs you might not even know about? Did you know Kentucky's Volleyball team won 29 games last year and was ranked as high as 7th in the nation? The Men's Soccer Team was nationally ranked as well. For years, UK has been known as a school that has won in absolutely nothing except in Men's basketball.

Currently, the Men's basketball team is enjoying one of their best seasons in its storied history while all of the other programs are enjoying very rare success as well. Big Blue Nation should be proud of Coach Calipari and his Cats, but they also should applaud Mitch Barnhart and the tremendous job he has done with every one of his programs at Kentucky. Thursday night should be a night in which the Cats take care of business in Rupp Arena against the South Carolina team that upset them in Columbia earlier this season, but hopefully the Women's team will come out of Knoxville with even a bigger win; a program changing win which would match the significance of the football team's win over #1 LSU in the 2007 season. I encourage all of Big Blue Nation to stand behind both Blue and White basketball teams this Thursday, starting at 7:00. Go Cats!

(Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com)

Gameday a Success! Rupp puts on a show like no other.

When the University began to publicize their goal of getting 24,000 people to fill up Rupp for a TV show on a Saturday morning, many were a bit skeptic and thought it had the chance to be an embarrassing epic fail on national television. I too, had my doubts, but I tried to rally the troops as much as I could, buying 8 tickets myself and spreading the word to every Cat fan I knew. The entire Big Blue Nation rallied together and proved once again, that nobody does it quite like us. Some may call us cocky or obnoxious, but days like Saturday give us the right to be. We don't just have a really good basketball team, but we rally behind them and show unbelievable support, even in seasons like last year, that is unparallelled to anywhere else.

When you have that much pride, passion, and support that we all displayed on Saturday, with a total of probably about 40,000 different people (as Coach Cal pointed out...most of us there Saturday morning did not have tickets to the game that night) throughout the course of that day walking into Rupp and making noise, we have the right to be very proud! We have the right to pump our chests out because we're not like your stereotypical fair weather UNC or Duke fan that likes a team for no other reason than the fact that they're really good. At Kentucky, it's just so much more than the team itself. It's being a part of the Big Blue Nation and the passion that comes along with it that is simply absent at other schools. It's about feeling connected with our program, something that Coach Cal understands and has done a brilliant job of doing this season!

Whenever The Nation has an opportunity to show everyone else just how big we are, we come out in full force. Whether it be for Midnight Madness, Gameday, preseason tournaments in Mexico, or the SEC Tournament, the Nation is everywhere and it always steps up when called upon. Perhaps, the next Big Blue record setting attendance event could be in Commonwealth Stadium? Cal talked about having Madness there this year, and it could be a possibility again next year. Hopefully they'll also be having a pretty big event in early April when the team comes back from winning #8 in Indianapolis.

UK promoted the opportunity to sell Gameday out and actually distribute tickets (which hasn't even been done before for the show) and of course, the fans responded. The team responded as well, as they have all year long in hyped up crowds at Rupp, with a double digit win over the 12th ranked Volunteers. The Bob Knight-less Gameday crew did a great job interviewing Calipari and putting together a piece on the "John Wall Dance". The event also included a game of HORSE afterwords with Wildcat Legends Chuck Hayes, Jodie Meeks (in town for the Tennessee game- how fitting), Kyle Macy, Richie Farmer, Goose Givens, Wayne Turner, Tony Delk, Scott Padgett, Cameron Mills, and Kenny Sky Walker, among others. Capping off the night with a win, it was a great day in Lexington!

Below are a few pics I was able to take from my upper level seats. Enjoy.

Before I go to bed...

I just have to show some love and much deserved credit to a few more guys on the team and also make a few comments to end the day on. We've talked all about Patterson, Cousins, and Wall....but how about DeAndre Liggins?

When everybody talks about the tremendous job John Calipari has done this season, everyone brings up how well he has handled this superstar freshman class and has kept everyone happy and playing well together. It is very under appreciated how good of a job he has done with the returning players that were already on the team under Billy Gillispie and the amazing improvements they've made under their new coach.

As I have stated before, Patrick Patterson's numbers aren't as high, but he is an overall better and more versatile player under Calipari and has discovered an outside shot. Darius Miller was not much of a factor at all last season and has been a contributor and starter for much of this season. Ramon Harris no longer hurts us, but helps us with his rebounding when he comes into games this year and has also improved his outside shot, and I can even bet you that Josh Harrelson and Perry Stevenson are better players than they were a year ago, but they just happen to play on a much better team and don't get the same minutes and opportunities. However, the most pleasant surprise has definitely been DeAndre Liggins.

Liggins' success this season did not come easily. In fact, he did not even appear in a single minute this season until the Indiana game likely because of disciplinary reasons. However, he and Daniel Orton are now the first two guys off of the bench, almost every game. In the last four games, DeAndre has scored 9, 5, 7, and 8 points respectively in each game coming off of the bench. He also has the team's highest three point shooting-percentage at 10 of 17 on the season. Last year, Liggins' biggest problems were his shooting and attitude- now, they're two of his biggest assets and I guarantee you the difference is the way that John Calipari has positively handled him as opposed to the tactics of his old coach. Under Calipari, practices are all about skills. Under Gillispie, it was all about "toughness". Being tough was more important than developing skilled players under the old regime.

Liggins has not only improved his shot, but he's accepted his new role as a scrappy player off the bench. He gives the Cats a burst of energy every time he comes into the game. He dives for loose ball's and retrieves almost all of them. He doesn't resemble the selfish player he was a year ago in any way, shape, or form and his hard work will pay off next year when he will have a much bigger role on the team. Liggins, perhaps, is the most clear example of why John Calipari is the no-brainer choice for National Coach of the Year. He not only brought quite possibly the best recruiting class in the history of the game to Lexington in his first season, but he has coached them up very well, both the freshman and the returning players.

P.S.- It's absolutely incredible that Pat Forde did not pick Calipari as one of his Top 4 choices for National Coach of the Year, but should we really be surprised? His opinion is worthless. Be sure to check back tomorrow as I will preview the ESPN College Gameday appearance at Rupp!

Battle for First Place in the SEC: UK vs Vandy

I know what most UK fans are probably thinking about tomorrow's game- Vandy's pretty good, but, there's no way UK will lose 2 games in a row. Well, just ask the Texas Longhorns what happened to them in back to back games after being ranked #1. Vandy's more than pretty good. They are VERY good. The Commodores have won 11 in a row and are coming off a win over Tennessee. They're undefeated in the SEC, and the winner of this game tomorrow takes claim to 1st place in the conference with a head-to-head tiebreaker. They are probably the most underrated team in the country. Calipari has commented that he thinks Vandy will be the best team his team has faced so far this year and that they should be ranked in the top 10. It will be interesting to see how the Cats respond to Tuesday's loss in Columbia. Tomorrow's game is HUGE and a very big test for the Cats! Luckily it is at home in Rupp, where I don't think the Cats will lose this year.

Downey vs. Wall

As we celebrate the Cats #1 ranking today, take a minute to watch this week's segment of "This is Kentucky Basketball" featuring the Hoops for Haiti telethon.



As awesome as being ranked #1 is, the effort that this team gave to raise all that money is even more awesome. The more I watch this video, the more I love this team.

I am also pleased to announce that I was able to get 8 tickets to the ESPN College Gameday show. I logged on and tried to get tickets right at 10am, and of course, the server was down. At 10:12, I was able to get my tickets and the lower arena was ALREADY sold out. Big Blue Nation never ceases to amaze me. I wasn't sure if Rupp would be able to completely fill up or not, and there ARE still tickets left, but the fact that the whole lower arena was gone in 12 minutes tells me that it should be a packed house by the 13th. One thing is definitely certain: whatever the previous attendance of the show was, it's probably going to be about tripled at Rupp. I hope ESPN is prepared for this!

Note to Bobby Knight: I recommend you don't even show up. Knight wasn't in Clemson this weekend. Maybe I'm just a conspiracy theorist, or maybe if he didn't show up to a couple of Gameday shows it wouldn't make him look like a coward when the only one he missed was in Rupp...

News and Notes

• Another Cat won SEC Freshman of the Week (I know- shocker, right?). This week it was Demarcus Cousins. UK has already set an all-time season record for 10 SEC weekly awards this season- and there's still 12 conference games left.
• Calipari became the first coach in history to coach three different schools to a #1 ranking.
• The Downey vs. Wall/Bledsoe matchup tomorrow night is one that we have waited for since the start of the season. This game features, in my opinion, the three best point guards in the nation...all on the court at the same time. It should be a very entertaining game and very tough atmosphere for the Cats on the road.
• Downey is averaging 35 ppg in SEC play and the Gamecocks are coming off a heartbreaking loss at Florida, but big man Dominique Archie will be sidelined. The Cats will need to push it down low. Downey could be good enough to contain UK's guards, but Patterson, Cousins, and Orton will need to have big games if the Cats want to improve to 20-0.
• Seth Davis picked the Cats to lose this game a month ago to be our first loss. Hopefully the Cats prove him wrong, again.