Stories Since the Lockout: Calipari Welcomes Kentucky Alumni Back

John Calipari is one of the smartest coaches and recruiters in all sports. With the lockout in place, Calipari has welcomed all former Kentucky players to use the Lexington facilities during the lockout. Some of these players have even decided to take some classes to get closer to their degree. These players include John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, and Rajon Rondo. Now just think about recruits coming in to visit Kentucky. Calipari gives them a tour of the school and ends it at teh practice facility and says, "have you met John Wall or Rajon Rodon? They'll be here as long as the lock out lasts, and if it lasts over a season, they could be practicing against you." Talk about being star struck on a recruiting visit.

Just this year alone players like Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb, Michael Gilchrist, and Anthony DAvis will be practicing against NBA first round picks and All Stars if the lockout continues. The guys they'll be practicing against will be better than the guys the play in games. That's how you improve a team.

He also had an alumni game at Rupp Arena against the National Dominican Republic team that he is coaching. Players included young gunners John Wall and Demarcus Cousins, former NBA All Stars Rajon Rondo and Tayshaun Prince, and NBA role players such as Ketih Bogans and Nazr Mohammed. All past Wildcats loved playing in the game and hope they can do it again sometime soon.

The Commish's NCAA Hoop Extremely Early Team Rankings

Kentucky brings in the #1 Recruit Class

Here's my rankings for the top 10 in college basketball next year:

1. Kentucky- Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb is what puts this class at number one. In the incoming freshmen class they have is absolutely monstrous and I'll go as far as saying there's a good chance it's better than the John Wall class. Anthony Davis is the best big man coming in, and one can argue the top overall recruit. He can literally do everything on the court. Michael Gilchrist has the best motor I've seen from a high school kid. He is tenacious on the boards and on defense. They bring in top point guard prospect Marquis Teague who is extremely explosive and will be great in the dribble drive. They also bring in another big man, McDonald's All American Kyle Wiltjer. I think this will be the best defensive team in the nation, and an elite team on offense. It may take a couple games to figure some things out, but they will be unbelievable.

2. North Carolina- The decisions of Harrison Barnes, John Henson, and Tyler Zeller changed UNC from a transition year to a title favorite. Barnes is All American talent with Player of the Year capabilities, while Henson and Zeller will make the most experienced back court in the nation. they are also bringing in top flight big man James McAdoo who will do great things around the rim.


3.Ohio State- With Jared Sullinger returning, I just don't see him accepting anything other than a Final Four appearance and chance for the championship. Sullinger dominated the paint as a freshmen and will only improve this year. With Aaron Craft and William Buford back also this team has plenty of veteran leadership. for young blood they are bringing in a solid five man class class that includes 4 guys in the top 80.

4. Duke- My Dukies lost Kyrie Irving, Kyle Singler, and Nolan Smith, but bring in the top prospect Austin Rivers. Accompanying him is Singler clone in Alex Murphy. They bring in swing man Michael Genjie, Oak Hill Point Guard Quinn Cook, and the third Plumlee brother 7 footer Marshall. Duke still has two returing Plumlee's Miles and Mason, role player Ryan Kelley, and skill guys Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins. duke will have the best front court in the nation.

5. UConn- the defending champs lose Kemba Walker, but bring in the number nine Point Guard Ryan Boartright, and got the commitment of the most dragged out recruitment in DeAndre Daniels. with Jeremy Lamb, Alex Oriakhi, and Shabazz Napier returning UConn will be an elite team once again.

6. Syracuse-Hopefully 7 footer Fab Melo can become strong down low. Last year he lacked conditioning and minutes which is sad for the former hyped big man. They add sharp shooter
Michael Carter Williams and big man Rakeem Christmas, who will both be instant impact players. they also return Kris Joseph and my favorite Big East player Scoop Jardine. Both are strong players that will carry this Syrause team.

7. Louisville- This team will be loaded with veteran experience, which is one of the most underrated things in college basketball. All they lose is Preston Knowles from this team, and as long as their players improve under talented coach Rick Pitino, they will be a monstrous team.

8. Vanderbilt- This team has always choked in the tourney but should be a great team next year. With Jeffrey Taylor and John Jenkins back, they should have some of the best wings in the nation. Add Festus Ezeli progressing the way he should, and this team will be in the top tier of the SEC.

9. Florida- The Gators lose Chandler Parsons and Alex Tyus, but have the most explosive back court in the natino returning. With fiery Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker returning the quick 3 point shooters will keep the Gators afloat. Plus the addition of possibly the best scoring freshmen, Brad Beal will be an instant  success in Bill Donovan's offense. This year I expect Patrick Young to come out of his shell and be a strong contributor from down low. This team is going to be fun to watch.

10. Memphis- I love Memphis coach Josh Pastner. He's a great guy overall and can recruit with the best for them. They already have play makers Will Barton and Wesley Witherspoon and Joe Jackson should go from contributor to All Conference caliber. The addition of high flying freshmen Adonis Thomas will push this team into the top ten. Memphis should be extremely athletic and well coached.

I Don't Understand the Hype of Ryan Harrow Transferring to Kentucky

Yahoo Sports is making this big deal about former North Carolina St. Point Guard Ryan Harrow transferring to Kentucky. Harrow mentions that he contacted Derrick Rose and John Wall and this is what he said about it: “Their games are kind of like mine,” There's only one difference Ryan. They were each the best point guard in their class, and you were not even in the top five for your position.

Harrow started most of the year for the Wolfpack but didn't even average ten points a game. He said, "Calipari let me know he wanted me to be here, but he said I’ll have to work hard for everything I receive. Things aren’t just going to be handed to me. He didn’t promise me anything, but he said as long as I work hard and do what I’m capable of doing then I’ll be fine here.”

This is how I see it. there's a reason he didn't promise you anything. In the past four years, he's brought in the best point guard twice and the number two twice. I find it hard to believe that Cal doesn't bring in the best point guard for the 2013 season (Harrow has to sit out a year for transferring. So they way I see it, Harrow is giving up his starting job on a team on the rise to sit out a year and then be a back up to a top 5 at worst ten pick in that year's NBA Draft. I would love to be in this guy's head right now.

Terrence Jones Shocks the World!

I blogged earlier about Kentucky losing three to the draft, and I ended up being wrong. Brandon Knight announced he was staying in the draft a couple days ago, but last night Terrence Jones Tweeted that he was staying for another year. In my opinion this is more shocking than Harrison Barnes returning. Barnes will be a sure fire top ten most likely top five pick whenever he turns pro. Jones on the other side was a surefire top 15 most likely top ten with a slim top five chance this year. That was due to the reason that this year is possibly the worst draft class ever. With him staying another year, there is a lot more talent in the class especially with bigger men (Sullinger and Perry Jones could leave along with numerous incoming freshmen). The biggest surprise is that Calipari's one and done mantra is not occurring like normal. Doron Lamb and Jones, who were both highly touted recruits, are both returning. Kentucky is gonna beast next year!

Kentucky Loses Three But is Reloading

This morning Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, and DeAndre Liggins announced they were entering the draft. They said they were not signing with agents so they could come back, but the only player I could see doing that of the three is Liggins. Jones and Knight should be lottery picks or at worst mid first round picks. Some people may think this is a blow to Kentucky since Josh Harrellson is graduating also, but truthfully they should be better next year. With Doron Lamb staying and the arrivals of Anthony Davis, Michael Gilchrist, and Marquis Teague along with Kyle Wiltjer, another Rivals five star. As I said about North Carolina yesterday, Kentucky should be a top team right up there with them.

Bobby Knight the Legend "I Did It My Way"

The Dagger has a great video from a speech by Bobby Knight. Knight talks about different things from the "One and Done" players, Calipari, high school players should be able to go pro, and how he coached basketball. Before going into detail I just have to say I love Bobby Knight. The guy says whatever is on his mind and doesn't care what anyone else thinks (see Sports Center video below). I think Knight is an unbelievable college game analyst with ESPN, him and Jay Bilas are the two best in my opinion. I love how Knight refuses to rock the suit jacket. This must have been his first conversation with Myles Brand.

Brand: Bobby are you going to start wearing suit jackets?

Knight: Myles are going to start sitting on your thumb? ... I didn't think so.

His argument about high school players couldn't be more dead on. Let the players play. You wanna go pro go pro, but if you go to school you should have to stay for at least three years to be eligible for the draft. I think this "One and Done" is ridiculous. Sure Kentucky with John Wall stole college basketball's attention, but imagine if these high profile players were there for three years. Obviously John Wall would have gone straight to the NBA if he had the option, but I think viewing would go up if there was more team continuity. It's tougher to root for a team that has three to four brand new starters every single year compared to watching guys grow from freshmen to seniors like recent players Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, Tyler Hansbrough, Sherron Collins, or an older guy like Tim Duncan.

There is nothing better than the end of the first video when Knight talks about coaching his way and says, "Not because it was the best way, but I just thought I knew about it more than anybody else." Typical Knight. You think you have a better coaching style, sweet bro I coach my way. I'll beat you by 30 next week. 

2011-2012 Impact Freshmen: #2 Anthony Davis

Today's impact upcoming freshmen is the third Kentucky signee on the list.  Anthony Davis is enjoying his seven inch growth spurt in the past year and has really taken advantage of it. Being a former guard DAvis his incredible handles for 6'10. He runs the court well and is a put back machine. He can play multiple positions on offense and can basically defend anyone on the court. His shot blocking is great, and the only other player to have a chance in competing in this category would in this class would be Khem Birch. Davis is number 2 for ESPN and 6 on Rivals. When Rivals regrades I guarantee he will be higher as analyst Jerry Meyer after the McDonald's All American Game said, "Anthony Davis is by a significant margin the top prospect in 2011." The only concern for Davis is since his growth spurt, he's a slim jim. He must gain some weight to be able to move guys down low, and his frame can easily fit another 15-20 pounds.

P.S. checkout the posterize at the 14 second mark.

2011-2012 Impact Freshmen: #3 Michael Gilchrist

Todays impact freshmen is the second Kentucky signee on the list. He played high school at St. Patrick's as a teammate of Kyrie Irving last year. Michael Gilchrist was a Co Player of the Game for the McDonald's All American game. The 6'7 swingman can play multiple positions on the court and could be the most balanced player in the class. On offense Gilchrist is a slasher with a great mid range game. What he truly prides himself on is defense and rebounding. Rivals put Gilchrist at number 3 and ESPN has Gilchrist at 3 also. His incredible athleticism will be a great fit for Calipari's dribble drive. I expect Gilchrist as the Superman version of Chris Douglas Roberts. He has been compared to Andre Iguadala of the 76ers. Coach Cal always has a way of bringing in the cream of the crop.

2011-2012 Impact Freshmen: #7 Marquis Teague

Number 7 for Impact Freshmen is the first of three Kentucky commits on the list. Marquis Teague is the most physically gifted Point Guard in this class. Rivals has Teague as the number 2 player while ESPN has him at number 8. The big question with Teague is his motivation and leadership in his play which is vital for running the point. Without a doubt Teague is the top Point Guard, but I think his rank will slide on Rivals. Even though Brandon Knight has done a great job at Kentucky, he is more of a shoot first Point Guard. Teague on the other hand, has exceptional ball handling and acceleration will make him a menace in Calipari's dribble drive.

2011-2012 Impact Freshmen: Deandre Daniels

The first Honorable Mention for impact freshmen next year is IMG Academy's Deandre Daniels. Rumor was Daniels had some problems with eligibility so he attended IMG. Because of this ESPN didn't give him an overall rank but gave him a 95 out of 100. Rivals ranked him ninth in this years class. Deandre is a 6'8 sharp shooter that runs the floor well and can handle the ball exceptionally for his size. He's been compared to Kyle Singler, which I agree with but I think Deandre is more versatile on offense and runs the court better. He is the highest ranked player without a commitment on Rivals, and is looked at as a slight Duke lean while still considering Kansas and Kentucky.

College Hoops Blog Reseeds Sweet 16

The Dagger , a college hoops blog run by Yahoo Sports, has reseeded all the teams that remain in the NCAA Tourney. It's interesting at the least, but I can't believe he has my Dukies so low. I understand having Ohio State and Kansas higher than them and maybe even VCU because they've been so hott, but when North Carolina, Kentucky, and UCONN get the nod before Duke I have to dissagree. If I had to decide what team was the hottest, I'd have to say Kansas. After watching them dismantle Illinois, they look to be on a mission. The Morris Twins are animals on the court, and the have Josh Selby (Rival's number one recruit last year) and Mario Little (national JUCO player of the year in 2008) both on their bench. Nonetheless, it's just something interesting to look at.