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Posts from Tuesday, July 7
More roster notes
No. 3 Darnell Dodson – Rex Chapman, Ramel Bradley No. 4 Jon Hood – Kyle Macy, Gerald Fitch, Rajon Rondo No. 11 John Wall – Herky Rupp, Sean Woods, Saul Smith No. 15 DeMarcus Cousins - Alex Groza, Jeff Sheppard No. 24 Eric Bledsoe – Johnny Cox, Jamal Mashburn, Antoine Walker, Kelenna Azubuike No. 33 Daniel Orton – Randolph Morris
Gary Henderson, Alex Meyer to join live chat Wednesday
Posted at 1:10 p.m. EDT - Brent Ingram, UK Media Relations
Kentucky baseball head coach Gary Henderson and standout right-handed pitcher Alex Meyer will be participating in a live chat on Cat Scratches, the official blog of UK Athletics, Wednesday from 11:45-12:30 p.m. ED T.
Cat Scratches will host the live chat on UKathletics.com Wednesday, part of the weekly "Wildcat Wednesdays" interactive chat that allows fans to communicate directly with Kentucky student-athletes and coaches. Meyer is coming off a successful freshman season that saw the 6-foot-8 right-hander rank 11th in the Southeastern Conference in strikeouts, fanning 80 in just 59.2 innings. The Greensburg, Ind., native, and 2008 Aflac High School All-American came to UK as part of the best recruiting class in school annals, ranking fourth in the NCAA. Meyer made 13 appearances and 11 starts during his freshman season, securing a spot in the dangerous UK weekend rotation in 2009 that set a new school strikeout record. Meyer tallied a 5.73 ERA and a save, allowing only 53 hits and a .239 opponent batting average. Meyer ranked eighth in the SEC in opposing batting average (.239) and eighth in pickoffs (three). Rated as the second-best freshman in college baseball entering the 2009 season by Baseball America, Meyer led the SEC with the fewest hits allowed (53), the fewest doubles allowed (three) and the fewest triples allowed (zero), among qualifying conference pitchers (1 IP per team game). Henderson completed his first season at the helm of the program, after helping direct UK to two NCAA regional appearances and its first SEC Championship in school history as the recruiting coordinator and pitching coach. Henderson's first recruiting class as head coach included Meyer and fellow highly-touted freshmen standouts Andy Burns, Chad Wright, Braden Kapteyn, Cory Farris, Michael Williams and Sean Bouthilette. In 2008, Henderson's pitching staff led the SEC with a 3.71 ERA, the only sub 4.00 team ERA in the conference.
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Darius Miller will likely steal a starting spot at either the two or the three. |
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Meeks' departure makes the No. 2 spot the biggest question mark on UK's roster next season. With Meeks gone, UK lost 117 of its 203 3-pointers from last season. The Cats must replace a good chunk of that next season, whether that is by one player or by committee. Without a legitimate 3-point threat to keep teams honest, opposing coaches might try to pack it down low against UK. Former Pittsburgh player Darnell Dodson could make a strong push for playing time at the No. 2 spot. While he's been the most unheralded of the six incoming recruits, he could steal some major playing time without Meeks in the equation. The coaches are calling him the most underrated player in the class and believe he's a great shooter. I'm not putting it in ink because there are simply too many other questions and possibilities (Miller could slide to the two; two-guard lineup of Bledsoe and Wall), but the starter at the two will likely be between Dodson and Miller, although Dodson is probably the better shooter of the two. Both will trade between the two and three and could back each other up at either position. Behind them is Kentucky's Mr. Basketball, Jon Hood, a prolific shooter by his own merit. Hood shot 50 percent from the field during his senior season at Madisonville, including 30 percent from behind the arc. Hood could help himself to gain a few pounds of muscle, but look for 10-15 minutes from Hood.
Depth chart
Darnell Dodson/Darius Miller
Jon Hood
No. 3
Another position that could see a lot of flux based on what type of lineup John Calipari is throwing out there. Dodson is tall enough to play the three, and UK's big men are skilled enough to throw out a lineup of three bigs. Ideally, though, Darius Miller wins this position hands down. That's not saying he won't play some shooting guard as well, but to me he's a lock for one of the starting positions. People were quick to forget about Miller when Calipari hauled in the nation's best recruiting class, but remember that Miller was by all accounts the most impressive player during spring drills. With his ability to drive to the basket, he's expected to flourish in Cal's offense. He could certainly improve his shooting percentage, but I believe when next season is all said and done, we'll be talking about Miller as one of the top three players on the team. Behind him and Dodson is a reliable, savvy veteran in Ramon Harris. While Harris' minutes will likely go down this season, he provides proven veteran leadership and reliable defense. His offensive game won't be necessarily needed, but expect him to still see a decent amount of time.
Depth chart
Darius Miller/Darnell Dodson
Ramon Harris
No matter where Patrick Patterson plays, he'll be the unquestioned leader of the 2009-10 team. |
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No. 4
Kentucky's heart and soul now lies with junior Patrick Patterson. Talent surrounds Patterson at every position, but UK's success will start and stop with Patterson. As skilled as any big man in the country, look for Patterson to take on a much more diverse role this year. As Calipari said upon his hire, if the game is on the line, Pat's butt is going to be on the block, but we'll see him get a lot more face-up looks to the basket this season now that he's no longer relegated to the five position. The coaches have been amazed at the types of things Patterson has been able to do in just a few short months. He has above average handles for a big man and is developing a mid-range game that will certainly get him to the next level. Behind him is a wealth of depth. Josh Harrellson, once predicted to be one of the players gone, has thoroughly impressed the coaching staff. His ability to shoot the ball from the outside bodes well for Cal's offense, and so far he's done everything the coaching staff has asked him. Perry Stevenson adds a lengthy shot-blocking presence underneath, not to mention he's a reliable scorer and leader. Daniel Orton and DeMarcus Cousins can easily slide over to the four and will likely see a good chunk of minutes at the four as well. Likewise, Patterson and Stevenson could always see time at the five. The depth and diversity down low is unmatched by any team in college basketball right now.
Depth chart
Patrick Patterson
Josh Harrellson
Perry Stevenson
No. 5
You'd be hard-pressed to find two more skilled athletes than DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton. Based primarily off rankings alone, I'll give the nod at this point to Cousins at the five spot. He came to UK as a power forward, but I fully expect him to see the majority of his time at the five to open up the four spot for Patterson. That doesn't mean he won't play power forward from time to time, but I really like the tandem of Patterson and Cousins in the paint. Plus, don't let the "five" tag fool you. Cousins is an extremely skilled big man. At 6-foot-11, 260 pounds, he can face up and shoot the ball, and word is he can even knock down the occasional trey. Orton has somehow fallen off the radar just a bit, but he's every bit as big and as talented as Cousins. Out of two incoming bigs, Orton is more of a bruiser than Cousins. I'll give the slight nod to Cousins right now, but I think the time is split pretty close to 50-50 to start the season and both could very likely see the floor at the same time.
Depth chart
DeMarcus Cousins
Daniel Orton
Add it all up and you've got one of the most talented teams in the nation. All but one player on the 12-player scholarship roster was a top-100 player coming out of his school and several were top 25 depending on the recruiting service you use.
It should be an interesting mix to see who ultimately plays where and for how long, but Cal certainly has a good problem on his hands for next season. No matter what combination he decides to go with, it doesn't look like he can go very wrong.
Speaking of combinations, what will be the starting five? Your guess is as good as mine. You can surmise one from the depth chart I listed above, but as I mentioned before, you can't look too much into this depth chart because so many of these players can play different positions and create different combos. It's one of the biggest strengths heading into next year that nobody is talking about. If I had to guess, here are the three most likely starting lineups for next season, in order of most likely.
Lineup No. 1
John Wall
Darnell Dodson
Darius Miller
Patrick Patterson
DeMarcus Cousins
Lineup No. 2
John Wall
Eric Bledsoe
Darius Miller
Patrick Patterson
DeMarcus Cousins
Lineup No. 3
John Wall
Darius Miller
Patrick Patterson
DeMarcus Cousins
Daniel Orton
Pillow getting comfortable: One-on-one with UK's newest assistant head coach
Shalon Pillow is UK's newest assistant coach. |
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Posted at 11:06 a.m. EDT - Eric Lindsey, UK Media Relations
Kentucky's newest assistant coach, Shalon Pillow, has barely had time to fly to Lexington and set up her office much less find a place to live since being hired last week. Fortunately for us, Pillow found time out of her hectic first week to sit down with Cat Scratches on Tuesday to talk about coming to Kentucky and how she's adjusted to her new home in the Commonwealth.
CS: About a week ago, UK announced you as the newest assistant coach in the women's basketball program. Now that you've had a week to let it sink in, can you talk about your feelings and thoughts of coming to UK?
SP: "So far it's been great. Everybody has been very welcoming and been helping me get around. The team and the girls on the team are just an awesome group of girls. I'm just really looking forward to working with all of them."
CS: You played against Kentucky a lot when you were a player at Tennessee. How far has UK come since your playing days?
SP: "Kentucky has just grown so much. I've said before that Kentucky just has a whole new reputation than they had when I was coming up at Tennessee. They compete and there's not an easy win anymore. It's great to be here at this time when we're entering our prime."
CS: Why did you come to UK? Was the program's improvement and potential a big reason why you joined the staff?
SP: "Of course. It's great to be back in the conference and the SEC. Kentucky has so much potential and we have such a great group of girls. I agree with Coach (Matthew) Mitchell and his vision and his whole way of doing things. I really enjoy being around Coach Mitchell. I just know that we're going to do great things and this a great time to be at Kentucky."
CS: You played at Tennessee and made it to two Final Fours. Talk about your experience at arguably the nation's premiere program and the experience you had under Pat Summitt.
SP: "It was a great experience at Tennessee. I learned so many things there that are going to stick with me through my coaching career and life in general. Just to be able to say I played at Tennessee and play for one of the best coaches in the whole sport, men's or women's, is just an honor for me to say I was a part of that."
CS: I don't know if you knew then that you wanted to be a coach when you were playing, but what did you learn under Summitt in terms of coaching?
SP: "I learned many things. When I was there, coaching was probably one of the furthest things away from my mind while I was playing. I learned that you can't coach everybody the same way. Everybody has to be handled differently, but you can definitely treat everybody fairly. The majority of post teachings and workouts come from Tennessee. Things I learned at Tennessee have helped me both on and off the court."
CS: You played under Matthew Mitchell while you were at Tennessee. What was Matthew like then? We kind of kid around here that he's a goof ball because of his colorful personality. Was he like that then?
SP: "He was a graduate assistant while I was at Tennessee. ... Matthew hasn't changed at all. You have to have different personality traits and different qualities when you become a head coach, but for the majority, Matthew is the same as he was at Tennessee."
CS: One of your primary coaching duties will be to coach the post players. What other duties will your job entail?
SP: "Besides coaching the post, I'll be in charge of our academics, making sure all of our girls stay on top of their academics, along with being the academic adviser. I'll also be very involved in the recruiting process, which is something I'm really passionate about is getting to know players and getting players to come to Kentucky."
CS: You talked a little bit about the potential of this team and how far they've come since your playing days. What are this team's biggest strengths?
SP: "I haven't gotten to see all of them in action yet. I've been watching some game film and some individual workouts to try to get a better grasp on everyone's individual strengths. But as a team, I just think the bond that the team has off the court is going to carry on to the court, and that's something you can't teach or coach is getting the right group of girls together. All of them seem to have the same common goal and they're about business. They know what it takes for us to get to our goals and to compete in the SEC and compete for an SEC championship."
CS: When did you arrive on campus?
SP: "Yesterday was my very first day of work. I flew in Thursday night and hit the ground running, trying to look for places to stay and trying to get settled as quickly as possible."
CS: How has the adjustment been so far? Have you found a place to stay?
SP: "I'm still trying to settle down. I put my application in a few places, so hopefully by week's end I should have a place to stay. Kentucky is taking care of me getting around and meeting everyone and just getting established."
CS: One of the first things a lot of coaches talk about when they get here are the basketball facilities. What do you think about the facilities?
SP: "It is a great facility. It is going to be very easy to sell to potential Kentucky Wildcats. That's just another thing that's grown so much. None of this was here when I was being recruited by (former) Coach (Bernadette) Mattox or when I was playing against Kentucky while I was at Tennessee. It's great. We can have the best facilities in the world, but it's what the girls put into it while they're in the facilities, their work ethic and what they do on the court and in the classroom."
Morning coffee
Posted at 9:11 a.m. EDT - Eric Lindsey, UK Media Relations
Busy day ahead for me both on and off the blog, but stay tuned for updates all day long. I'll have a special feature later on in the day related to the men's basketball roster, so be sure to click back later. On to the links. (Sausage links not included with your morning coffee.)
UK highlight of the day: One thing I want to do with this morning look-around is to highlight and feature some sports that don't get the coverage and spotlight they deserve all the time. Although it seems like basketball and football are all that matters sometimes, they're not (I shoulder some of the blame for that as well),
There are 22 varsity teams at UK, and just because they don't get the headlines in the newspapers and over the airwaves like they deserve doesn't mean we should overlook them on this blog. Every athlete works just as hard as the other one to make UK the best athletics program it can possibly be, so even if we have to link back to our own Web site, we'll do it if the story warrants it.
One of those stories happens to lie with the swimming and diving team. Unfortunately I overlooked a crowning achievement that happened Sunday night and wanted to redirect everyone to Eric McGinnis. The senior swimmer helped the U.S. capture first place overall and set a new championship record in the 4x100 freestyle relay Sunday night at the 25th Universidad.
McGinnis was the third leg in the relay and helped the U.S. edge Italy by 1.33 seconds. McGinnis is slated to compete in three more events during the week, including the 50-freestyle, an event he's seeded seventh.
Also, five UK swimmers will compete at the World Championship Trials, which start Tuesday in Indianapolis, Ind. Seniors Kyle Greene and Megan Pulskamp, and juniors Chatham Penrod, Colin Faris and Tyler Reed will all compete for a spot on the U.S. team at the World Championships set for later this summer.
Bonus UK highlight: If you didn't get the tweet Monday, I want to make sure you get this link to an ESPN story by Graham Watson that examines the impact of online social networks on college athletics.
I'm putting this link on there for two reasons.
One, UK is huge part of the story because UK and head coach John Calipari have been on the forefront of Twitter and other social media (Calipari has more than 350,000 followers, more than any other college coach in the country).
Secondly, the story talks about connecting with fans, which has become a huge priority at UK Athletics. We're always trying to reach out to fans and give them a firsthand look and feel at UK, and we want to make sure we're the best there is at doing it whether that is through this blog, Twitter or some other social media engine. If you ever have any suggestions of how to reach you, the fans, better, please e-mail us at catscratches@email.uky.edu.
Darius Miller update: The United States remained perfect at the FIBA U-19 World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, with an 82-61 win over Puerto Rico. UK guard Darius Miller scored four points (2-of-3) in 17 minutes of action, including three rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot. Next up for the U.S. is Lithuania on Wednesday.
SEC highlight of the day: No factual evidence behind this Southeastern Conference story, but it was just too darn interesting not to link.
Paul Finebaum of the Mobile Press-Register believes Florida head coach Urban Meyer will leave Florida after this football season. Meyer has denied the story, but Finebaum writes that Meyer will likely end up at Notre Dame after this season. Bold statement, but it's not the first time that's been speculated.
Could it happen? Sure. I don't put anything past coaches these days in collegiate athletics. Jobs have become nothing more than a revolving door for many, and whether it's the right fit or not, few stay more than six or seven years.
Meyer could follow that path, but I'm not sure why he would. He is the guy at Florida and the guy in college football. In Gainesville, Fla., he's just behind God himself and Superman (Tim Tebow) on the totem pole. It doesn't get much better than what he has right now.
Notre Dame used to be viewed as the premiere job in college football, but I'm not sure how it's any more high profile or glamorous than Florida, Southern California, Oklahoma or Ohio State. The program isn't what it used to be, so moving to South Bend, Ind., wouldn't be much of a promotion.
What Meyer would step into is one of the most highly scrutinized positions in all of sports, just behind the New York Yankee managerial job and the head coaching position here at UK. If he's looking for a new challenge I can maybe understand it, but don't let the power of Notre Dame go to your head, Mr. Meyer. You've got a sweet gig in Florida, and remember, Charlie Weis is still the head of the Fighting Irish, even if he's already being pushed halfway out the door.
National highlight of the day: I continue to be amazed and saddened with the latest details surrounding the death of former NFL star Steve McNair.
Just days after McNair was found shot to death alongside his apparent girlfriend, police are leaning toward calling the death a possible murder suicide. The latest bit of news came Monday when police announced that 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi bought a semiautomatic handgun Thursday evening.
The Tennessean reported that McNair was shot four times, once in his temple from close proximity. Kazemi's gunshot wound was a contact shot, meaning the gun was touching her head when it was fired, according to the story.
Another Tennessean story reported that Kazemi had hoped to wed McNair after she had become smitten with McNair and the affair.
Admittedly, the details of this story make me sick to my stomach. I grew up watching this guy play football and beat my favorite team (the Cincinnati Bengals) to a pulp on an annual basis. The guy wasn't superbly talented or an NFL superstar by any means. McNair was simply a winner.
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