 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
This wasn’t how Trevard Lindley’s senior season was supposed to go.
Lindley bypassed the NFL Draft, where he was projected to be a second-round pick, to return to Kentucky in 2009. He received pre-season accolades as an All-Southeastern Conference and All-America candidate.
1. Kentucky’s defensive line wants to redeem itself for a shoddy performance against Mississippi State last weekend. No offense, but I don’t think beating Eastern Kentucky will do the trick.
2. An EKU receiver will have extra motivation going against the Cats.
That’s it for football…
3. In basketball news, John Calipari is challenging his Wildcats to improve.
4. “I got on Patrick (Patterson). You took seven shots. You kidding me?”
5. Former walk-on Mark Krebs is drawing praise for driving to the basket aggressively.
6. DeMarcus Cousins says Calipari is through playing games. “Intense and focused. It’s a whole new Cal. He’s not the laid-back, chill Cal anymore. You’ve got to get with the program.”
7. John Wall will make his Kentucky debut in tonight’s exhibition against Clarion, but Eric Bledsoe may be out with a sprained ankle.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 1. Morgan Newton’s first three games have yielded the up-and-down moments that one would expect of a true freshman quarterback.
2. Cornerback Trevard Lindley will finally return from a high ankle sprain this week, but tailback Derrick Locke will be out.
3. Receiver La’Rod King is catching the attention of the UK coaching staff.
4. In basketball news, the Wildcats will face John Calipari’s tiny alma mater tomorrow night.
5. A pair of ESPN analysts are interested to see how successful Patrick Patterson will be in Calipari’s new offense.
6. Those same analysts believe regular season losses will strengthen UK in time for postseason play.
7. The Kentucky-Louisville rivalry should only get hotter with Rick Pitino now having to go against John Calipari.
8. Calipari says that in his offense, “you’ve got to be aggressive, confident and skilled. We just had a lot of guys that were a little bit tentative (in their exhibition opener), which surprised me.”
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts Notes from Rich Brooks’ teleconference:
* UK is “coming off a tough loss to Mississippi State.” Derrick Locke hasn’t practiced this week and is doubtful for this weekend. Seven guys were out with the flu yesterday — not the swine flu — but three were back today.
* Kentucky has never won 18 consecutive non-conference games before… and they can do that on Saturday against Eastern Kentucky. UK has the second longest non-conference winning streak in the country behind LSU.
* Asked about MSU, Brooks said they are a more productive offensive team than they have been in recent years. He was impressed by State’s offensive line play.
* Asked about Chris Todd and stopping Auburn’s offense, Brooks said his defense played “sounder” than it has all year. Last week, against State, they gave up a lot of yards on some of the same plays that they stuffed against Auburn. UK didn’t allow Todd to complete any deep balls. The weather also helped defend the passing game on that night as well.
* That’s it. Very few questions for Brooks.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 1. Kentucky’s football team is the latest SEC team to have to deal with a flu outbreak. Seven Wildcats were sent home from practice yesterday.
2. “Injuries are one thing, but the sickness bug has really hit us good right now,” Rich Brooks said. “That usually means there’s going to be a lot more to follow.”
3. John Clay of The Lexington Herald-Leader believes UK fans need “a reality pill” when it comes to dealing with their football and basketball teams.
4. Speaking of basketball, John Calipari’s new dribble-drive offense requires players to actually drive to the hoop… something they were reluctant to do in their exhibition opener.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 1. Rich Brooks wants his team focused on Eastern Kentucky, but his assignment is to salvage the season.
Hope that’s all the football coverage you wanted from the Bluegrass State, ’cause it’s on to basketball…
2. More than 21,000 fans showed up for UK’s 74-38 exhibition win over Campbellsville last night.
3. This writer has some first-game observations from last night’s opener… including the fact that “Kentucky is looo-ooooooo-nnnng.”
4. Another observation: the Cats’ offense was sloppy and showed some confusion.
5. Freshman John Wall will be eligible to play against Clarion on Friday. I didn’t realize hotel chains had basketball teams.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 1. Rich Brooks is worried about his team’s “mental frame of mind and focus.”
2. The loss to Mississippi State at home was a big one.
3. Tailback Derrick Locke is questionable/doubtful for Saturday’s game against Eastern Kentucky due to torn scar tissue from a previous knee injury.
4. In basketball news, John Calipari isn’t saying who chose the two games John Wall will have to sit out as part of an NCAA punishment.
5. Calipari is taking the time to teach “everything” to his young team.
6. The Cats open their season tonight with an exhibition against Campbellsville tonight… sans Wall.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 
Former Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie pleaded guilty today to driving under the influence of alcohol in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.
Gillispie was given the maximum penalty for a first-time offense in Anderson County — a fine of a little more than $1,000, a 30-day suspension of his license and order to complete an Alcohol Drivers Education Program.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 1. Cornerback Randall Burden is finding his “LaGrange swagger.”
2. Linebacker Micah Johnson will play against Mississippi State tomorrow, but he won’t start.
3. State safety Jonathan Banks has become one of the SEC’s best freshmen.
4. In basketball news, UK spent about $185,000 more on their Big Blue Madness celebration this year than they spent last year.
Also, though no reason has been given yet, Kentucky has canceled a planned open practice at Louisville’s Freedom Hall scheduled for Sunday.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 1. If the Wildcats are going to improve, they’re going to have to start throwing the ball. (Mike Hartline doesn’t seem so bad now, I bet.)
2. To win on Saturday, UK will have to find a way to stop Mississippi State’s ground game.
3. Scouts from the Chick-fil-A Bowl will be on hand Saturday.
4. In basketball news, the Wildcats held a scrimmage last night in front of 14,000 fans. Read that again. Scrimmage = 14,000 fans. According to John Clay of The Lexington Herald-Leader one thing was obvious from watching the intrasquad game — everyone on the UK team is athletic.
5. Here are 10 more observations from the scrimmage.
6. John Calipari says John Wall will have no trouble gaining his eligibility.
7. Wall and Patrick Patterson were the top scorers in the last night’s scrimmage.
8. Interestingly, on the same day that UK’s president said he didn’t want Wall to have face questions about his status in public, Kentucky’s media information department made him available to USA Today.
9. Get used to this nickname — “The Great Wall of Kentucky.”
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 1. Mississippi State has the nation’s 18th best running game. Kentucky is dead last in the SEC in stopping the run. Uh-oh.
2. This writer believes Saturday’s game is a “must win” for the Wildcats.
3. In basketball news, UK president Lee Todd admitted yesterday that one of the Cats’ basketball players faces questions about his amateur status. Todd wouldn’t admit that the player is John Wall nor did he sound too happy that Mike Slive outed Wall last week. “I think the commissioner made his statement, which I’m not sure he intended to make, but he made it.”
4. Todd said the press would get an answer when UK gets an answer. “It may come out that there’s nothing there, so why drag some child and the mother through all that because people want to sell newspapers?”
Maybe he can send Slive a reprimand.
5. Also, score a win for Big Coal. A proposal to build a new basketball dorm to be called the “Wildcat Coal Lodge” has been approved.
6. John Clay of The Lexington Herald-Leader writes that the name change is about the color of money, not the power of coal.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts Notes from Rich Brooks’ teleconference:
* UK got off to a good start against ULM, but the didn’t play well in the second half.
* Micah Johnson might play on Saturday, but he won’t be 100% due to an MCL strain. Trevard Lindley will miss yet another game this weekend.
* This is “a critical game for both teams.” If State wants to reach a bowl, they need to win. If UK wants to make an impact in the SEC, they need to win.
* “Anthony Dixon is one of the best running backs in the league” and it would help to have Johnson in the middle of UK’s defensive line.
* The quarterback rotation is “not going as well as I’d like or we’d be throwing the ball better.” With the Wildcat package and Randall Cobb mixed in, UK has been “able to generate just enough offense to get it done and hopefully that will continue.”
* MSU does a lot of different things on defense — zone pressures, man pressures, 4-man fronts, 3-man fronts, etc.
* For a defensive player to win the Heisman, the top offensive players have to have “mediocre” years and a defensive player needs to be on a great team with great individual numbers. (Why do people care about this issue?)
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 1. Rich Brooks knows that to climb from the “lower half of the league,” teams like Kentucky and Mississippi State must first beat the other cellar dwellers.
2. Don’t expect to see black uniforms for UK’s blackout game this weekend. “We’re wearing our regular uniforms,” said Brooks.
3. Even though Cat players want to don black duds.
4. Kentucky hasn’t had a lot of success inside the SEC overall, but they are 7-4 in games versus West Division opponents since 2006.
5. Could Kentucky’s “Wildcat Lodge” really become the “Wildcat Coal Lodge?”
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts Louisiana-Monroe isn’t your average, everyday hyphenated school.
1. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that freshman guard John Wall could miss at least three games with eligibility issues.
2. Some UK fans are wondering if Duke freshman Ryan Kelly is also facing eligibility concerns… after all, he played for the same AAU coach/certified agent who Wall played for. (It’s a conspiracy, I tells ya!)
3. Everyone in the SEC seems to have accepted the fact that Kentucky is the league’s preseason favorite.
4. Patrick Patterson is ready to be a leader on this year’s Wildcat team.
5. Usually experience is the key in SEC basketball, but it’s UK’s newcomers who have folks buzzing this year.
6. The coach does have experience. And John Calipari says he’s ready for the pressure of being Kentucky’s coach.
7. In football news — what, UK has a football game tomorrow? — a check of the midseason report card shows there’s plenty of room for improvement.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts Mississippi State’s Renardo Sidney isn’t the only incoming SEC freshman facing eligibility issues.
Mike Slive said today that both Sidney AND Kentucky superfrosh John Wall are still ineligible.
A source told ESPN.com that Kentucky has been investigating Wall’s eligibility for months because his former AAU coach was a certified agent.
Nice. Is there anything sleazier than AAU basketball and college basketball recruiting? A coach who is also an agent? Geez.
Any case involving pre-enrollment amateurism issues are investigated by the NCAA’s eligibility center. Wall and Sidney are not eligible to compete until their amateur status is confirmed.
“Those are amateur issues that arose prior to their coming to our schools,” Slive said. “Those are strictly amateurism issues. As we told our people, somebody needs to determine if they are eligible. It’s not relative to you, it’s relative to them.”
In other words, “We’re still clean, even if the kids aren’t.”
That said, a source told ESPN.com that the Kentucky compliance department has been working feverishly to clarify Wall’s eligibility. They have been tracking records as far back as 2007 to see how much money he may owe… based on the fact that Wall’s AAU coach was an agent.
UK media relations director DeWayne Peevey said, “My understanding is that all 13 players on our roster are eligible at this point.”
Apparently not. At least not officially.
Everyone knows of the on-going battle between Sidney, his agent, and NCAA investigators who are looking for proof that his family could afford a million dollar home that they lived in during Sidney’s high school career.
But no on knew — or at least wouldn’t publicly state — that Wall’s status was in question.
Wall is a major reason for Kentucky being picked to win the SEC and compete for a Final Four berth this season.
CBSSports.com’s Gary Parrish has all but called Wall the next “Greatest Player Who Ever Lived.”
UK fans had to have spilled a few bottles of “Kentucky Gentleman” when they heard this one.
Now, I’ll guess that Wall will indeed be deemed eligible in the end. His case sounds more in line with the case of Tennessee football player Bryce Brown (issues with a coach/advisor during high school) than it does with the Sidney situation (”Somebody gave your family cash!”).
Brown was cleared to play football after a couple of days of hand-wringing.
But then again, as Alabama fans well know, there’s no guessing what the NCAA is going to do on a case-by-case basis.
There’s one thing that isn’t surprising about this development: Wherever John Calipari goes, there are always a lot of grey areas, a lot of smoke and a lot of loopholes.
The man has never been caught doing anything dirty, but his recruits and players have an uncanny knack for popping up in NCAA reports and inquiries.
John Wall now falls into the inquiry category.
UPDATE — John Clay of The Lexington Herald-Leader points out that the issues facing Wall would still be on the table even if Billy Gillispie were still the coach at Kentucky.
Wall’s attendance at two UK events while still a high schooler are part of the investigation into his amateur status. And both of those events came while Gillispie was still the Wildcats’ coach.
However, if for no other reason than just dumb luck, Calipari is once again having to deal with questions about the eligibility of one of his players, which always seems to be the case.
Perhaps he’s just a jinxed guy, but for one reason or another, where Calipari goes… trouble seems to follow.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts John Calipari said today that he could open the 2009-2010 season with three freshman starters.
But when one of them is John Wall — possibly the most-hyped young basketball player since LeBron James — so what?
Calipari said at SEC Media Day that Wall is ahead of Tyreke Evans and Derrick Rose at this stage of his career.
I think that means he’ll be pretty good, don’t you?
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts Coach John Calipari on his team’s outlook:
“We are very big, athletic and fast. On our first day of practice, it seemed like we missed 70 layups and we do not shoot as well as I would prefer. We have got a lot of room to grow. I really thrive on coaching defense, which means teaching discipline and fundamentals.”
Forward Patrick Patterson on expectations:
“This year feels a lot different. Everyone expects us to have a great year this season, not only us, but our fans and people close to us expect us to have a true ‘Kentucky’ season. They expect a national championship, a run in the SEC Tournament and an SEC championship. They expect our team to be successful and have one of the best years in a while. We embrace expectations and do not see them as pressure. Everyone wants to be great and this year we think we can get it done.”
More quotes can be found here.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 1. Running back Derrick Locke is listed as probable for Saturday’s game with Louisiana-Monroe.
2. Danny Trevathan is the fastest linebacker Rich Brooks has had at Kentucky.
3. Still, Brooks can’t correctly pronounce his new star’s last name. Linebacker Sam Maxwell says Brooks’ pronunciation makes Trevathan’s name sound “like something off of ‘Star Trek.’”
4. ULM’s new quarterback will have to face an SEC defense in his first start.
5. Finally, the Cats’ November 7th game against Eastern Kentucky will be a 1:00pm kickoff.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts Notes from Rich Brooks’ just complete media session:
* “We had a much needed win on the road last week.”
* Louisiana-Monroe has lost their quarterback — like UK — and Brooks isn’t sure what they’ll get from ULM offensively.
* Derrick Locke hasn’t practiced this week due to a strained MCL.
* A few Wildcat players are also starting to deal with flu-like symptoms.
* Freshman quarterback Morgan Newton “needs to grow up fast.”
* To slow down Auburn, Brooks said his D-line did a good job of gap control and his team didn’t bite on the misdirection of Gus Malzahn’s offense, either. Also, UK covered well and benefited from the fact that it was a bad night weather-wise for passing.
* The win over Auburn ranks in the “significant wins” category, according to Brooks. The significance will only matter if the team builds on the win, he said.
* Brooks was asked about Paul Johnson’s triple-option at Georgia Tech. He said fans aren’t big on schemes that don’t pass much, so that’s hurt the triple-option. “Fans became a little disenchanted with that style of football. It’s always been a difficult offense to stop.”
* Randall Cobb is “the ultimate playmaker and leader. He’s about the most exciting football player that I’ve ever been around.” “He’s just the ultimate football player to me.”
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 1. Backup quarterback Will Fidler has earned some respect for the way he’s dealt with Morgan Newton getting the starting nod. “I couldn’t be prouder of Will Fidler if he was my own son,” said Rich Brooks.
2. Fidler was one of the first people to call Newton and congratulate him on winning their midseason quarterback battle.
3. This notes/thoughts column reveals that Brooks seemed to feel bad that he had to mislead the media last week with regards to UK’s quarterback situation.
4. In flu news, UK safety Taiedo Smith has been tested for the H1N1 virus.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 1. Rich Brooks challenged the Lexington media yesterday to come up with the best words to describe Randall Cobb and his impact on the UK football program.
2. Kentucky is 3-3 heading into a homestand that includes Louisiana-Monroe, Mississippi State and Eastern Kentucky. Then comes a road game at Vandy. Could the Cats be 7-3 by mid-November?
3. True freshman Morgan Newton will likely start on Saturday.
4. The last time La-Monroe visited Kentucky, the Wildcats barely survived a 42-40 shootout.
5. On the basketball front, UK has been picked to win the SEC by a panel of media members.
6. Gary Parish of CBSSports.com believes the media was dumb to put freshman John Wall on the All-SEC second team… rather than on the first unit.
7. Of all the Midnight Madness events around the country, Andy Katz of ESPN.com writes that UK’s “was unprecedented.”
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 1. In typical coach fashion, Rich Brooks is proud of his team’s win over Auburn, but he also sees room for improvement.
2. John Clay of The Lexington Herald-Leader writes that Kentucky’s offensive line saved the team’s season on Saturday.
3. Brett Dawson of The Louisville Courier-Journal also believes there’s now new life in the Wildcats’ season.
4. There were plenty of positive stats that came out of this weekend’s win.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts AUBURN, Ala. — Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks played coy all week about how he’d replace injured quarterback Mike Hartline, not announcing who his starter would be leading up to Saturday night’s game at Auburn.
As we wind down this week, I wanted to bring a story to your attention.
It’s about Kentucky basketballer Patrick Patterson. The same Patrick Patterson who turned down a chance at millions in the NBA to return to UK for one more year of college basketball.
We cover our fair share of suspensions and arrests and dismissals here at MrSEC.com. So it’s nice to tell you about someone who understands the difference he can make in other people’s lives… simply because he’s a college athlete.
Tim Tebow would be proud. Good story.
(And thanks to the Wildcat fan who tipped me off to it.)
Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts 
Loading ...