UK to have limit of players

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/197170-university-of-kentucky-wildcats-basketball-down-to-scholarship-limit

News hit this morning that the University Of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball program finally brought the scholarship amount down to the limit set by the NCAA.

Unfortunately, a few of my fave players will not be returning, along with some of my not so fave players. The following players will be on the team, and using the aforementioned scholarships;

Jodie Meeks, Patrick Patterson, Perry Stevenson, Ramon Harris, Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins, Josh Harrellson, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, Darnell Dodson, Jon Hood, Eric Bledsoe.

If, Jodie Meeks withdraws from the draft. That means, Kevin Galloway, and Matt Pilgrim will not be returning, sources say.

I am a HUGE UK fan, but not one that i see on blogs and message boards everywhere saying we're gonna be nat'l champs next year. I simply do not believe we can grasp that offense in one season.

Maybe, but i say give us at least two seasons before everybody starts saying we'll be champs again.

Bad Kentucky Players Leaving - the mess is still far from over

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090526/SPORTS03/905260411/1002/sports/Trio+leaving+UK+basketball+team

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Jared Carter, A.J. Stewart and Donald Williams will not return to the University of Kentucky men's basketball team, UK announced Tuesday.

Carter, a 7-2 senior, will not seek a fifth year, after sitting out the majority of the 2006-07 season due to a shoulder injury. The Georgetown, Ky., native finished his career with the Wildcats averaging 1.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in 42 games.

"I've enjoyed my experience at UK and will remember all the people and players I've met along the way, especially Mr. Keightley," Carter said in a release, referring to Mr. Wildcat Bill Keightley. "I'm looking forward to moving on with my life and am excited to see what professional opportunities await me."

Stewart and Donald Williams are both seeking to transfer.

Stewart, a 6-7 sophomore, averaged 2.0 points and 1.5 rebounds this season. He shot 82 percent from the free throw line, while averaging 5.7 minutes per game.

"I appreciate Coach Calipari and the staff being truthful with me," Stewart said in a release. "I want to further my career both academically and athletically at a school where more playing time is available. I know that coach will do anything possible to find a great situation for me."

Williams, a 6-3 freshman, did not see any action in 2009.

"My time at Kentucky was a great experience," Williams said in a release. "I developed great friendships with my teammates; the environment was great; the fans showed us a lot of love; my teachers were great. It was just a good experience for me and a wonderful opportunity to improve myself, being around different guys from different areas. Even though I had to sit out this year, I would have liked to have played and helped, but with coach leaving, sometimes it just happens that way."

UK - all time in wins and winning pct

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_teams_with_the_most_victories_in_NCAA_Division_I_men's_college_basketball

W L PCT

1 Kentucky 1988 635 .758
2 North Carolina 1984 703 .738
3 Kansas 1970 793 .713
4 Duke 1876 815 .697
5 Syracuse 1753 806 .685
6 Temple 1711 960 .641
7 St. John's 1686 868 .660
8 UCLA 1672 726 .697
9 Pennsylvania 1657 949 .636
10 Notre Dame 1651 908 .645
11 Indiana 1641 909 .644
12 Utah 1637 858 .656
13 Illinois 1609 853 .654
14 Western Kentucky 1602 780 .673
15 Oregon State 1594 1180 .575
16 Louisville 1587 831 .656
17 Texas 1586 945 .627
18 Brigham Young 1578 994 .614
19 Washington 1574 1056 .599
20 Arizona 1568 858 .646
21 Purdue 1565 927 .628
22 Cincinnati 1553 915 .629
23 Princeton 1552 986 .612
24 West Virginia 1550 972 .615
25 Bradley 1537 1006 .604

Bio - Jamal Mashburn

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamal_Mashburn

Jamal Mashburn (born November 29, 1972 in New York City) is a retired American professional basketball player. A small forward, Mashburn was a prolific scorer in his 12 seasons in the league, with a career scoring average of 19.1 points per game. He is nicknamed "The Monster Mash"[citation needed] and "Masher".

Mashburn had a very successful basketball career in college, playing for the University of Kentucky. He was the fourth-leading career scorer for the Wildcats and a consensus First Team All-American by his junior year, prompting him to declare himself eligible for the 1993 NBA Draft. Selected 4th overall by the Dallas Mavericks, he was very successful as a rookie, leading all rookies with 19.2 points per game and breaking seven separate Mavericks rookie records along the way to an All-Rookie Team selection.

In his second year, along with third-year pro Jim Jackson and rookie Jason Kidd (collectively known as 'Triple J'), Mashburn led the Dallas Mavericks to the biggest turnaround in the NBA that year. He is the third-youngest player to score 50 points in an NBA game (LeBron James is the youngest). He also broke many franchise records and blossomed into one of the best scoring forwards in the league.

However, injuries reduced Mashburn's value and he was traded to the Miami Heat in the middle of the 1996-97 season. He played a reduced role in the Heat's offense, so his offensive production dipped. In 2000, he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets where, as leader of a young squad of players, he took on more of the scoring load and in 2003 was selected to the All-Star Game in Atlanta, playing for the East. In his first All-Star appearance, he scored 10 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 14 minutes of play in a 155-145 double-overtime loss to the West.

Mashburn continued his stellar play in the 2003-04 season, but injuries plagued him for most of the year and he managed to play in only 19 games. Bothered by problems with his right knee (patella femoral irritation), he decided to sit out the 2004-05 season in hopes that his knee would recover. He had microfracture surgery performed on his knee, a risky surgery that not all players have been able to recover from.

Despite his decision to sit out the year due to his knee, the Hornets still traded Mashburn, along with Rodney Rogers, to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for forward Glenn Robinson on February 24, 2005. Mashburn was never able to recover from his chronic knee problems and never saw court time for Philadelphia. He was on the injured list for all of the 2004-05 season and the inactive list for 2005-06. On March 24, 2006, the 76ers waived Mashburn, who subsequently announced his retirement from the NBA. He had career averages of 19.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

Mashburn lives in Miami, Florida with his wife Michelle, his daughter Taylor, his son Jamal also known as "J" and his golden retriever Scooby. He currently works for ESPN and appears on NBA Fastbreak.

Will Jodie Meeks return? Andy Katz seems to think so

http://www.straitpinkie.com/sports/cats/andy-katz-anticipates-jodie-meeks-will-return-to-uk/

I posted a full update on Jodie Meeks and the NBA Draft last night so make sure you check that out, but there is some new information Jodie from Andy Katz’s blog this morning:

Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks has even more reason to return to play for John Calipari now that John Wall has committed to play the point. Having Wall alongside him would take more pressure off Meeks. NBA sources expect Calipari to convince Meeks to return just like Patrick Patterson did last week.

Could this turn out to be the best off season in the history of college sports? The roster is obviously not finalized yet, but it’s already safe to call the work that Calipari has done “Extreme Makeover: Big Blue Edition”, and his handiwork will become even more of a masterpiece if Jodie Meeks elects to return.

UK recruits ranked number one by most experts

The University of Kentucky has landed the best college basketball recruiting class of 2009. This is undisputed. The only question that remains: Is this the best recruiting class of all time?

There are many Web sites that offer opinions on high school sports prospects, but no site covers this better than www.Rivals.com (now part of Yahoo! Sports). According to Rivals rankings, Kentucky has commitments from the four five-star prospects, including the top two overall players.

Here is the list of Kentucky’s 2009 recruiting class:

1. John Wall, point guard, No. 1 overall prospect
2. DeMarcus Cousins, power forward, No. 2 overall prospect
3. Daniel Orton, center, No. 22 overall prospect
4. Eric Bledsoe, point guard, No. 23 overall prospect
5. Jon Hood, shooting guard, No. 40 overall, “Mr. Basketball” from Kentucky
6. Darnell Dodson, small forward, transfer from Miami Dade Community College

On paper, this is a very impressive class. But there are several problems with comparing recruiting class. One major issue with judging classes is that the fourth-best player one year could be much better than the fourth-best player the next year. Also, one outstanding player can be worth two or even three very good players. A third problem is that, in this day and age, so many great players turn pro after one year.

We will not be able to judge this Kentucky class for several seasons. But we can take a look back at some of the best recruiting classes in recent memory. Here is a look at three of the best.

Duke, 1997
At the time, this class was viewed as one of the best ever. Coach Mike Krzyzewski brought in three top 10 players in Elton Brand, Shane Battier and Chris Burgess. They also signed point guard William Avery. This class was terrific on paper and also performed well on the court. While Chris Burgess, dubbed by one scout as “a cross between Larry Bird and Bill Walton,” did not pan out, Brand, Battier and Avery all went on to great success at Duke.

In their sophomore seasons, this class lost to UConn in the 1999 championship game. Then Brand and Avery left for the NBA. After they left, Battier stepped up during his junior and senior seasons. This class was good because it had both immediate star power (Brand) and good sustained play (Battier).

Ohio State, 2006
Coach Thad Matta landed five good players, none bigger than the top overall prospect Greg Oden. Dubbed the “Thad Five”, the group also consisted of shooting guard Daequen Cook, small forward David Lighty, point guard Mike Conley, Jr. and junior college transfer Othello Hunter. (Conley was actually the fourth-rated player in this class.)

This is where we have to decide how we are going to judge this new wave of recruiting classes. With so many players only staying in college for one season, it is difficult to rank current recruiting class on an all-time list. I mean, who is more valuable, a one-year, Kevin Durant rental or four years of solid play from Shane Battier? Durant posted much better numbers, but he did not win a single NCAA Tournament game.

When all is said and done, this class will go down as one of the most talented of all time. However, I cannot rank them as one of the best of all time. Oden, Cook and Conley each played only one season before jetting to the NBA, while Lighty was the Buckeyes’ best all-around player last season.

In their one season together, this team made it all the way to the NCAA championship game, before losing to Florida. Had the big three stayed one more season and won a championship, they may very well have gone down as the best recruiting class of all time. But one season is too small a window to even rank them on an all-time list.

Michigan, 1991
Nicknamed the “Fab Five,” this is the gold standard by which all recruiting classes are judged. The class consisted of Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. Five is misleading, as this class really had four stars. Webber, Howard, Rose and King were all selected to the 1991 McDonald’s All-American team (there were 20 players on this team).

This class was the definition of top-heavy. I have heard more than one scout say that Webber was the most dominating high school player they have ever seen. (Presumably, these people have never seen LeBron James.) Bringing four star players to one college in the same year is impressive. Their hype as well as their play put this class over the top.

What was great about this team was that the youngsters led the way right from the start. During their freshman season, they lost in the national championship game, behind four freshman starters. The next season, Michigan again made the title game, losing to North Carolina. This was the “Webber timeout” game.

After this game, Webber left for the NBA. Rose and Howard stayed for one more season, where the Wolverines lost in the Elite Eight to eventual champs Arkansas.

While this team never won it all, it has to go down as the best recruiting class of my lifetime. I remember watching Webber, Howard and Rose. It was amazing to see a group of freshman change the game the way these kids did.

Kentucky, 2009
As I said, we will have to wait a few years to judge this class. All I know right now is that Kentucky’s team looks terrific on paper. In addition to their six new players, the team also had two first-team All-SEC players last season, shooting guard Jodie Meeks and power forward Patrick Patterson. Patterson is returning next season, while Meeks is deciding whether or not to enter the NBA draft. If Meeks returns, we could be looking at one of the deepest teams of all time.

When John Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky, he said he planned on restoring the tradition of excellence that is synonymous with Kentucky basketball. It now looks like he could do that in year one. Granted, he’s doing it at Memphis’ expense by taking his best recruits with him to Kentucky, but it would still be impressive.

As for this incoming Kentucky class, they are probably only going to have one year together. Similar to Ohio State’s 2006 recruits, it is difficult to rank a class on an all-time list if they only spend one season together. But perhaps this class will be different. Calipari is bringing in a lot of talented players, so this class may be able to survive if a few go pro. Then again, does anyone remember the one year Jimmy King and Ray Jackson spent at Michigan without the big three? I know I don’t.

Patterson to return for 09-10 Season!

http://www.kentucky.com/978/story/789424.html

Citing the chance to play for a national championship-caliber team next season and graduate next spring, big man Patrick Patterson has decided to withdraw his name from the 2009 NBA Draft.

The University of Kentucky made Patterson's intentions known Friday afternoon, leaving teammate Jodie Meeks as the only Wildcats player in the NBA Draft.

Meeks' father acknowledged his surprise that Patterson withdrew from the draft.

"If it's the right thing for him and his family, I'm happy for him," Orestes Meeks said. "My deal is more surprise than anything else. He couldn't have done any workouts (for NBA teams) because the workouts haven't started yet."

His son won't begin workouts for NBA teams for more than a week, the elder Meeks said. Meeks' decision to stay in the draft or return to Kentucky would come after the workouts.

"He's just starting the process," Orestes Meeks said. "There's no update because nothing has happened yet."

Meeks, who led UK and the Southeastern Conference in scoring last season, is one of about 50 players to be invited to the NBA's Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago later this month.

When asked to put that invitation in perspective, NBA consultant Chris Ekstrand said, "The draft has 60 picks. Draw your own conclusions."

The elder Meeks noted that Patterson's return enhances UK's attraction for Jodie Meeks.

"I think it'll be a very big tug," Orestes Meeks said. "He knows how good they'll be. They'll be extremely good."

Patterson, a 6-foot-9 forward, led the SEC and ranked 11th in the country in field goal percentage (60.3 percent) last season. He was one of the league's most productive players.

"I have the chance to graduate in three years, which is important to me and my family," Patterson said in a statement released by UK. "I want to help Kentucky compete for a national title, and even more than that win its eighth national championship. I'm also really excited about playing for Coach Cal and developing my game in the dribble-drive offense."

UK's first-year coach, John Calipari, expressed happiness with getting to coach Patterson next season.

"In the month that I've been at Kentucky, I've been blown away by Patrick Patterson," Calipari said in a UK news release. "He is one of the nicest individuals I've met and one of the fiercest competitors that I've been around. I'm thrilled I get to coach him next year."

As for the curious timing of Patterson's withdrawal before working out for teams, Ekstrand speculated that Patterson could have learned already where he projected in the draft. The NBA's Undergraduate Advisory Committee could have given Patterson an estimate by now on where he might be drafted, Ekstrand said.

Earlier this spring, Calipari spoke of Patterson being able to make himself a lottery pick in the 2010 NBA Draft if he returned to Kentucky next season. That supported the general view of Patterson being taken in the second half of the first round at the earliest.

UK plans to make Patterson and Calipari available to answer media questions on Monday.

Patterson was the only player in the SEC to rank in the top five in scoring (17.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg). Patterson also led the league in double-doubles with 15, the eighth most in a single season in UK history.

Dick Vitale, ESPN's Hall of Fame commentator on college basketball, saw Patterson's return as making Kentucky a "legit top-10, top-15 team" next season.

Vitale noted that UK remains in contention for point guard John Wall, generally considered the nation's top high school prospect. Plus, Meeks could return.

"If they get John Wall and Jodie Meeks comes back, they'll be ready to take on the Atlanta Hawks," Vitale said. "Never mind the NCAA title. They'll be going for the NBA title."

Billy Gillispie fired!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4021232

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Billy Gillispie thought winning at Kentucky would be enough, that adding a Final Four banner to the rafters at Rupp Arena would endear him to one of college basketball's most ardent fan bases more than any handshake, autograph or toothy grin ever could.

He won, but not enough. He shook hands, but not enough.

After just two years, Kentucky had had enough.


The school fired Gillispie on Friday, citing philosophical differences between the hard-scrabble coach and an administration that views its head coaching position as more than just another job.

"There is a clear gap in how the rules and responsibilities overseeing the program are viewed," said athletic director Mitch Barnhart. "It is a gap I do not believe can be solved by just winning games."

Losing too many games during Gillispie's brief two-year tenure certainly didn't help.

The Wildcats went 40-27 under Gillispie, including a 22-14 mark this year that tied for the second-most in the program's 106-year history and forced them to miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1991.

After enduring a rocky 18-13 season in 2007-08, the Wildcats appeared to have turned a corner two months ago.

Kentucky roared to a 5-0 start in the Southeastern Conference behind the play of star Jodie Meeks, who poured in a school-record 54 points in a victory over Tennessee in January.

Things started to unravel shortly thereafter. Kentucky dropped eight of its final 11 regular season games, including a deflating home loss to woeful Georgia on Senior Night. The Wildcats couldn't make it out of the SEC tournament quarterfinals, relegating them to the National Invitation Tournament for the first time in 30 years.

The Wildcats fought valiantly in the NIT, edging UNLV at Memorial Coliseum, the same place where a pep rally was held on the day of Gillispie's hiring two years ago. A victory at Creighton followed, and Kentucky hung tough with Notre Dame until the final moments.