USA Basketball Chairman Calls Davis a “Long Shot”

Anthony Davis is not pleased. Why? Well, Jerry Coangelo, the USA Basketball Chairman, said in a telephone interview that Davis’ inexperience makes him a long shot for Team USA. 

Coangelo seems to believe that Davis’ youth will stop him from being able to immediately compete with grown men, and compared him to Kevin Durant, who was invited to try out for Team USA right after his legendary freshman year and came very close to making the team. However, Coangelo called Davis’ tryout a win-win situation, because Davis gets exposed to Team USA and his future competition, and the team gets a closer look to decide if Davis should make the roster cut.

Coangelo does know Davis’ strong points- a team-first player who doesn’t need to score to be a game-changer- and has spoken with UK Coach John Calipari about Davis’ character and potential to improve at a drastic rate. While no ones ruling Davis out yet, he’ll have to work to prove himself among the already-established NBA stars. In Lexington, it’s easy to get caught up in the “Anthony Davis is a MAN!” hype and forget that he was playing against college kids his age. Working out with Team USA will be our first glimpse of how he’ll adjust to the NBA.

Team USA’s roster will be finalized later this month, with training and exhibition games starting in Las Vegas July 6.

I ain’t a playa but I tweet a lot. @KristenGeilKSR

Source: ksrcollege.com

ESPN Writers Address Non-conference Scheduling

With non-conference scheduling being finalized this week, ESPN writers Myron Medcalf and Andy Katz each addressed the different strategies behind non-conference scheduling for programs. And apparently they decided to take a liberal arts college perspective on it, seeing as how their posts are titled “The Philosophy for Nonconference Scheduling is Complicated” and “The Art of Nonconference Scheduling,” respectively. I didn’t realize college basketball beat writing could be pretentious, but there you have it.

Anyway, Medcalf points out how coaches often contradict themselves by saying that they want to please the fans, and yet they are increasingly turning to neutral court match ups in large, exotic venues instead of games on campus that invigorate and reward fan bases. Kentucky’s 2013 matchup with Baylor is cited as an example of college basketball turning to a “bigger is better” mindset. The college game seems to be moving towards a more professional mindset and away from the passion of smaller campus venues.

We’ll play on any stage.

As always, Calipari and Kentucky are the leaders of this latest revolution. While I agree that a home-and-home series with a traditional rival should be preserved for the fans and for the integrity of college basketball, I don’t think Kentucky’s players and fans will suffer from playing games far from Lexington and in bigger arenas. Why? It’s simple- we’re Kentucky. Our fans WILL travel that far in the future, and HAVE traveled that far in the past. No matter where we go, Big Blue Nation will make the game feel like it’s a high-stakes matchup at Rupp Arena. Calipari could schedule a game in France and get our fans to learn how to say “three goggles” in French (trois lunettes, FYI). Kentucky is lucky enough to have fans who can create a big game atmosphere no matter how big the arena, dome, or stadium. Other programs, not so much, and they’re the ones who will be hurt by playing neutral site games instead of home-and-home.

Katz seemingly agrees, stating in his post that “Kentucky is Kentucky and can dictate its scheduling needs.” His post focuses more on how athletic departments mix and match scheduling needs, balancing pre-season tournaments with conference challenges, home-and-home series with neutral venues, etc. Non-conference schedules are so important in NCAA selection and seeding, and teams must consider their schedule as a whole when choosing which non-conference games to participate in. Kentucky has it pretty easy because we can afford (financially and competitively) to travel for non-conference games and meet teams that WANT to play us for that chance at a significant upset. We can schedule strategically to put ourselves in a better position to win a national championship. Other teams don’t have that luxury or flexibility with their scheduling.

With non-conference scheduling hopefully coming out this week, both articles are worth a read, once you get past the yuppie titles. I can’t wait to see how the talking heads react to Calipari’s idea of a triple header. 

@KristenGeilKSR

Source: ksrcollege.com

McCarthy Named to SEC All-Tournament Team

Let’s take a break from the collective shock and ensuing complaints about UK’s nuts and bolts (we got screwed) treatment at the hands of the NCAA and see the silver lining: Thomas McCarthy, Kentucky senior third baseman, was named to the SEC All-Tournament team. During UK’s three tournament games, McCarthy hit .462 and tied an SEC Tournament record with three doubles in a four hit game in UK’s 5-1 against Mississippi State on Thursday. He’s the first UK player to make the All-Tournament Team since 2006, when Sawyer Carroll and Chris McClendon both made it. His place on the All-Tournament Team adds another accomplishment to an already impressive senior season, and hopefully McCarthy can continue his momentum into the Cats’ NCAA tournament game against Kent State on Friday.

Here’s a look at the rest of the 2012 SEC All-Tournament Team:

P-Brian Johnson, Florida
P-Jonathan Holder, Mississippi State
C-Spencer Navin, Vanderbilt
1B-Matt Snyder, Ole Miss
2B-Casey Turgeon, Florida
3B-Thomas McCarthy, Kentucky
SS-Adam Frazier, Mississippi State
OF-Connor Harrell, Vanderbilt; Mike Yastrzemski, Vanderbilt
OF-Mason Katz, LSU; Justin Shafer, Florida
OF-Demarcus Henderson, Mississippi State
DH-Brian Johnson, Florida

Now, back to kvetching.

@KristenGeilKSR


Source: ksrcollege.com

It’s a KSR Wedding Day!

Happy wedding day to Ms. Tyler Thompson, who will shortly become Mrs. Tyler Thompson. Here’s hoping her wedding day is full of three goggles, a C-A-T-S chant as she walks down the aisle, and multiple toasts to #8, and also that she had the foresight to hire the WBA to be her reception entertainment. I wish we had gotten a live blog together for the wedding, but such is life. Since I couldn’t find a picture of a UK wedding dress, here’s the next best thing- a UK lace garter found on Etsy. You’re welcome!

UPDATE: First official bride and groom photo is up. So proud.

Source: ksrcollege.com

Planning Ahead, Staying Put

While all this recent talk about scheduling is exciting enough- I’m totally game for a road trip to Texas in 2013- there’s another upside to Calipari’s long term scheduling talks: it definitively proves he’s not going anywhere, least of all the NBA.

With rumors refusing to die about Calipari getting courted by the Heat, his scheduling announcement and insta-soundbyte of “I want to create experiences, not games” comes at a perfectly reassuring time for UK fans. The Dallas Cowboys Stadium game in 2013 gives us at least two years of buffers against departure speculations, and it also sends a message to recruits (hello, Harrison twins!) that Cal’s in a long-term relationship with UK.

There’s also yet another aspect to Calipari’s scheduling method/madness. To paraphrase Stone Cold Willow, Calipari is setting his successor up for success. His multi-year deals with UNC and Duke guarantee that UK basketball will be perceived as a premiere team for the next several years, and the precedent he’s setting with playing in a football dome every year ensures that UK teams and fans will EXPECT to be playing in the Final Four every year. When Cal’s contract expires in 2018-2019, there will be no reason to immediately panic about the state of the basketball program because it’ll be a finely tuned machine by then. While the coach will obviously still be important to the success of the team, he or she will have an easier time stepping into a role in a healthy program (as compared to how much house-cleaning Cal had to do after Billy left us in shambles).

So even though his affinity for one-and-dones may suggest that Calipari embraces immediacy and the short-term, his scheduling practices prove that he’s planning ahead for UK basketball as well. Once again, Calipari has the program’s best interests at heart, and I thank Bill Keightley every day that we found such a perfect fit for our coaching position.

@KristenGeilKSR

Source: ksrcollege.com

Scout.com Analyzes UK’s Number One Class

In his infinite wisdom, Evan Daniels of Scout.com named Kentucky his number one recruiting class of 2012, despite a late push from UCLA. His article says that Nerlens Noel will be the defensive anchor, with Archie Goodwin and Alex Poythress as the leaders on offense. While Daniels believes that the new Cats are ripe with potential and will succeed in the dribble-drive offense, he also notes that expectations are high (duh, it’s Kentucky coming off a national championship season) and we lost basically all of our scoring.

My take? I’m not even nervous. Calipari is a seasoned vet when it comes to turning individuals with lots of raw potential into team-oriented players with the ability to crush souls. With the addition of 16 one hour practices over the summer, we have plenty of time to become the lean, mean, national championship winning machine that we know and love. It’ll be a fun ride.

Side note, congratulations to my little sister from graduating from high school yesterday. I’m more proud of this picture than I am of your diploma. 

Source: ksrcollege.com

London 2012 Basketball Schedule Announced

In exciting off-season/ “What Might Anthony Davis Do This Summer?” news, the basketball schedule for the London Olympics was released today. The men’s tournament will begin on Sunday, July 29, with defending champions of freedom USA taking on France.

The format is this: two groups of six, each team plays the other teams in its group, and the top four from each group move on to the quarter-finals. Translation: lots of entertaining games to watch, lots of obnoxiously American apparel to wear (not to be confused with American Apparel the store; I shudder every time I walk by that place), and lots of opportunities for Anthony Davis to send a Joakim Noah shot smashing into the ground. Assuming he makes the team, which we are, of course.

Besides France, Argentina and Tunisia are in the USA’s group, with two spots left still for qualifiers. The remaining spots will be decided at a qualifying tournament in Venezuela in July. For the full schedule, click here. In the meantime, let’s visualize Anthony Davis wrapped in an American flag on the gold medal podium, while Joakim Noah weeps silently in the background (“mais non! It cannot be! My untamed mane is far superior to one measly eyebrow!”)

Back in Lex for Memorial Day weekend. Thursday Night Live? @KristenGeilKSR

Source: ksrcollege.com

Bat Cats Rest, Will Face LSU/MSU Winner

Here, it’s a bat cat resting. Literally.

Although the Bat Cats have a day off, UK fans wanting a preview of Thursday’s game should tune in to the Louisiana State-Mississippi State game (time TBD; 30 minutes after the completion of Ole Miss vs. Arkansas’s 9:30am game).The Cats will play the winner of this game. LSU (42-14) has entered the tournament as the top seed, and No. 7 MSU (35-21) will be coming off their first conference tournament win since 2005. In their previous series, LSU took two games out of three from MSU. In the two MSU lost, they only lost by one run and they played the entire series without an error, so this game should be a fun one to watch.

So who would the Cats rather face? Although Mississippi State is seeded lower, they just completed a series sweep of the Bat Cats last week and are the textbook definition of “team with momentum entering the postseason.” However, Thursday would be their third game in three days. The Bat Cats took the series against LSU earlier this year, and Jerad Grundy’s success in that series bodes well for his anticipated Thursday start. LSU might be the better matchup for the Cats, but UK fans should just hope for the game to go as long as possible. Is 18 innings too much to ask?

Keep an eye on this one, folks- this game is crucial in the Bat Cats’ quest for the national championship. In the mean time, here’s a picture of Cow at the Cliff participating in the live blog of the Cats’ game yesterday.

@KristenGeilKSR


Source: ksrcollege.com

You Know It’s Been A Slow News Day When…

This is the most interesting tweet you’ve seen all day.

As a Harry Potter purist (books > movies, but the movies were still good), I’m saddened to see this. I know Ally Tucker is probably thrilled to have Darius on #TeamNoHarryPotter (some people just don’t get it). Regardless, I applaud Darius’s boldness at making such a controversial statement and his ingenuity at using a Little Rascals quote to express his disgust. 

@KristenGeilKSR


Source: ksrcollege.com

UK’s Cousino Named SEbaseball.com’s SEC Freshman of the Year

SEbaseball.com, the same website that named Gary Henderson SEC Coach of the Year, has awarded Kentucky center fielder Austin Cousino with SEC Freshman of the Year. 

Despite only being a freshman, Cousino has emerged as a team leader and has proven key in the Bat Cats’ success this season. Cousino has been an offensive juggernaut for the Wildcats,hitting .330 with 19 doubles, one triple, nine homers, and 38 RBIS. He also places in almost every offensive category of SEC statistics: ninth in slugging percentage (.542), second in runs (56), seventh in hits (75), second in doubles, eighth in homes, and third in total bases (123).

Official SEC conference awards will be released at the end of the SEC tournament, and Henderson and Cousino will look to repeat their honors. The Cats open SEC tournament play as the No. 4 seed, facing No. 9 seed Ole Miss on Tuesday at 10:30am. 

@KristenGeilKSR


Source: ksrcollege.com