What we missed from the first week of November

SFBE.NF — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:15:26 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

Things we missed this week while acting wacky to the magic of Girl Talk...

The D-League held their annual draft this week. Some notable names that caught our eye:

CJ Anderson (Fort Wayne Mad Ants via Xavier) - Surprised to see this name pop up. Anderson had a nice career at Manhattan and then for the Muskies, but he doesn't really have any pro qualities.

Deron Washington (Los Angeles D-Fenders via Virginia Tech) - Washington is a high flyer who comes back to the states after a playing a season in Israel.

Nate Miles (Sioux Falls Skyforce via Southern Idaho JC) - Miles of course was a big time recruit for UCONN, then expelled for a number of reasons after the program's recruiting tactics were brought into question by Yahoo! Sports.

J'Nathan Bullock (Albuquerque Thunderbirds via Cleveland State) - Bullock initially tried out with the New York Jets earlier this year, despite not playing college football.

Paul Harris (Maine Red Claws via Syracuse) - Knowing that Harris will begin his inauspicious pro career in the place that we grew up makes us giddy.

USA Today reported that the rights for the NCAA Tournament may soon be up for grabs. CBS currently holds the rights through 2013 as part of an 11-year deal, but the NCAA can opt out after this season. Yes ESPN is probably interested, offering the prospects of Dick frieken Vitale announcing games in late March.
Arguably the most intriguing college freshman this season, John Wall, poured in a cool 27 points in his collegiate debut against D-II Clarion. He's going to be a nice little player.
Another notable debut didn't go over so well, however. Isiah Thomas and his Florida International Golden Panthers lost to NAIA Northwood. Best part of this story... Northwood is coached by Rollie Massimino who of course orchestrated one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history back in 1985.
Olek Czyz needs to dust off his Nikes because Nolan Smith has been suspended by Duke for the first two games of the regular season. Smith played in an unsanctioned game over the summer and will be out against UNC-Greensboro and Coastal Carolina. The NCAA can be such a buzzkill.
Lance Stephenson won't miss anytime for the Bearcats. The super frosh was featured in a web-documentary during high school, and the NCAA (again, buzzkill) questioned how that all went down. But he's clean and cleared to play.

The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Welcome to My Poster Edition

Truzenzuzex — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:13:12 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

Teabag? What teabag? Oh, wait ...

Browse more photos »

Much has been made of John Wall's recent, "Welcome to my poster," throw down over former Tar Heel Jerry Stackhouse, and of course, it is certainly newsworthy and schadenfreude-worthy. But that pales completely in comparison with a recent effort by Virginia Tech, putting up a permanent memorial to Deron Washington's "teabag" of Greg Paulus.

Now, for the news:

UK Basketball News

Josh Selby to visit UConn on Wednesday John Clay’s Sidelines
Big Blue Links for Monday.
Can John Wall's first assist at UK be C.J Leslie?
Interesting question. Maybe. I expect CJ Leslie to be a Wildcat, but it's not a lead-pipe cinch.
Preparing Calipari for Rupp: UK Pep Band Surrounds Court
Heh.
This Week in Review...10 Years Ago
I always love these kind of things.
Some Marquis Teague stuff….
Very interesting reading about a big-time recruit that apparently likes the cut of UK's jib.
UK picks IMG to continue plans for arena
Offered without comment.
Team of the 2000s: #10 – Maryland
Great analysis as always by Rush the Court. Enjoy.
Calipari Recruiting New Territory: China
Interesting post by Adam Zagoria. Read the whole thing.
Bluegrass State Basketball: Cats Should Count Their Blessings on Dominique Ferguson
I don't think I agree that there is something wrong here. I am willing to chalk it up to Thomas' good recruiting, he has landed a couple of other good players already. The age of the little guys not being able to land players is long since over. We should all know this by now.

UK Football News

Wildcats want to become a major player in the SEC
Heh. Yeah. And I want to become a full-time, highly paid blogger. Want in one hand and poop in the other and see which fills up first.

Both the Wildcats and I have some work to do.
Ineligible last season, UK's Paul Warford returns
Warford will be a big help in the UK defensive backfield. I think we are looking good in that area of the defense. If we can only get some pressure on quarterbacks ...
Football season upon us
Yes, Chris, thank heavens. In answer to his question about Cobb, he had better be huge. But Hartline is the #1 question.
The Toughest Schedules in the SEC
Gators First has a very good look at the toughest overall schedules in the SEC. UK is in the middle of the pack, where I would expect. Of course, given all the commentary around here lately, you might expect them to be dead last and the butt of jokes. Not so.
Monday Morning Required Reading - Roll 'Bama Roll
~~Kelph~~ Kleph at RBR remembers Bob Hallum, who played for Coach Bear Bryant when he was at UK. Thanks to Kleph.
Longest Tenured Coaches without a BCS Bowl
Heh. Well, Brooks is tied for 7th, but I truly do not expect him to ever darken the door of a BCS bowl. He will retire before that happens, I suspect.
Wildcats Are Stronger, Faster, but Still Underdogs Beyond the Bluegrass -- NCAA Football FanHouse
Really nice, honest look at UK football by Jim Henry of Fanhouse. This is a very fair piece, both to Kentucky and to everyone else. Recommended.
Fields has learned what it takes to play
I'm looking forward to seeing him this year. He was a stud in high school.
UK has high hopes for juco teammates
More on Chris Matthews and DeQuin Evans. It is a little bit unusual for UK to be successfully recruiting out west. It's good to have them both here.

Other UK Sports News

NCAA Sports News

Could we see Jasper in town again?
No, not in Lexington, but in his home town.
SEC 'Lightbulb' Jokes
Very, very funny. I love these things. C'mon, laugh at yourself!
FIU basketball snares coveted recruit Dominique Ferguson
I know I linked a similar article before, but I use this as an opportunity to ask a question: When will we be hearing about how Thomas is violating NCAA rules? How could he otherwise recruit such talent to a school like FIU? Just askin' ... (note tongue firmly in cheek)
Frustrated by title game loss, Sooners start anew
The Sooners have won an unprecedented three straight Big 12 titles and have three straight BCS bowl defeats to show for it, with back-to-back Fiesta Bowl losses to Boise State and West Virginia preceding the Gators' triumph in Miami.

Heh. Kind of the reverse of UK, but on a much grander scale.
Breaking down the Coaches Poll | Mr. College Football
SEC (5): Florida (1), Alabama (5), LSU (9), Ole Miss (10), Georgia (13). It’s not surprising to have five SEC teams ranked. It’s not totally surprising to have four in the Top 10, because Ole Miss is getting a lot of love from a lot of people. What is surprising is for the SEC not to have a team ranked in positions 14-25. Auburn, Kentucky, Arkansas, South Carolina, and Tennessee all received votes. Vanderbilt and Mississippi State were the only SEC teams which did not receive votes. Interesting.

Other News of Interest

Macy's still got game, on a different court
Did you know Macy was a tennis pro? I confess to some surprise ... not that he's a tennis player, but that he is the head pro at Idle Hour. Well. There you go.
Lost Lettermen • View topic - Jeff Sheppard: Inside My Clothing Line
Very cool comments from Jeff. I kind of agree with him about the current state of UK's apparel, but I suspect that is more Nike-driven than anything else.

The Daily Schadenfreude

Kentucky is ridiculous...
I just have to laugh. Embrace. The. Hate.
Wright headed to Pitt
Indiana loses one to the Panthers, but his list of suitors isn't exactly a "who's who" of college basketball. Solid schools, but none of the really elite.

SB Nation - Deron Washington