SB Nation User Blog: Laird

Meeks is going to the NBA

Laird — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:26:54 -0000

I just read that Jodie Meeks will be staying in the NBA draft. I wish him the best, he will be missed. I think we have enought talent to replace him, but I don't expect UK to be playing to its full ability untill after the New Year, as this team will take time to gel. I am still very excited about this coming year, and this will also help temper the expectations some, which may be nice. Let KU be the presean favorite and have all the expectations, then UK can come in and win, when it counts, in March/April.

Here is my guess on the starting line-up:

PG: John Wall

SG: Dodson

SF: Miller

PF: Patterson

C: Cousins

Still have a lot of talent, plus great depth too.

Lane

Henry's Visit is Back on

Laird — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:34:49 -0000

Kentucky.com and John Clay are reporting that Xavier Henry and his brother ARE going to visit UK this weekend. Not sure what this means, but it can not be bad. I am not sure what it will mean if he commits, regarding Meeks and the number of scholarships we will have, but I understand that Calipari must recruit as if Meeks and Patterson are not coming back, as we can not end up with open scholarships, we need to fill the roster. All I know is that UK will be a good (maybe great) team next year.

Lane

Orton and Cousins

Laird — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:00:31 -0000

This was a question posted to Jerry Meyer from rivals.com

Two's a crowd?

IQuestion: f DeMarcus Cousins comes to UK and Daniel Orton honors his LOI, would they simply share playing time or could they be used effectively playing at the same time? -- Gary from Flatwoods -----

Answer: Cousins is coming to Kentucky. Now the question is whether Orton is coming to Kentucky. Regardless of how this plays out, I just can't see Cousins and Orton on the court at the same time for any significant amount of time under Calipari. For one, it would be extremely difficult to play man-to-man defense and impossible to play pressure man-to-man. On top of that, neither has the foot speed nor motor to play significant minutes on the perimeter as a "4" man in the dribble-drive offense. Now if the system is a high/low attack or a typical high ball screen attack, then they could play together on the offensive end. Neither of these offensive attacks, though, are what Calipari is going to employ. As I've been saying. The game is getting quicker and stronger and not taller. Calipari fully understands this, and that is why a potential departure by Orton is not a cause for panic for the Kentucky staff. Don't get me wrong, the Kentucky staff would love to have Orton on the roster next year, and he would be a major contributor. It just would be difficult for he and Cousins to be on the court together.

Recruiting Update from Kentucky Sports.com

Laird — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:09:27 -0000

UK recruiting landscape shifting quickly

Euton, Vilarino, Avery looking elsewhere

By Jerry Tipton / jtipton@herald-leader.com More Images Michael Avery

Daniel Orton appears likely to remain Kentucky-bound. Dominique Ferguson is "strongly" considering re-opening his recruitment. New UK coach John Calipari welcomed Jon Hood to the fold.

Elsewhere in Calipari's busy first 48 hours on the job, several younger prospects used by former UK coach Billy Gillispie to create a recruiting buzz decided to change direction after Kentucky changed coaches. Those players include forward Dakotah Euton, guard G.J. Vilarino and the youngest of all, Michael Avery.

Here's a rundown:

Ferguson: Widely viewed as one of the two best prospects added to UK's fold by Gillispie, he said Thursday that he was "strongly" considering reopening his recruiting process.

"I like Kentucky's style," Ferguson said of the way Calipari approaches basketball. Then Ferguson added, "I'm still strongly thinking of de-committing."

Ferguson, a top-10 national prospect from Indianapolis, noted how he and Calipari are strangers. Calipari spoke to the prospect Wednesday.

"I just think I need to start things over," Ferguson said. "I don't know anything about him (Calipari). He didn't recruit me when he was at the other school (Memphis)."

Ferguson said his father advised him to consider how many players Calipari has helped get to the NBA. But Ferguson sounded uneasy about not knowing Calipari.

Ferguson said he hoped to decide by the weekend whether to remain committed to Kentucky or reopen the recruiting process.

Orton: After formally taking the UK job and then bidding farewell to Memphis, Calipari went to Oklahoma City later Wednesday to try to re-recruit this heralded big-man prospect.

Orton's father, Larry, said that his son would probably stick with his commitment to the Cats. But with so many reversals in his life recently, it was difficult to be 100 percent certain of anything.

"To be honest, I'd be surprised if he went anywhere else," Larry Orton said of his son. "But it could happen."

In a difficult year, Daniel injured a knee that required surgery. That sidelined him for almost all of his senior season.

Then the player's mother died. Then UK fired Gillispie, the coach who successfully recruited Orton.

"That's hard for an 18-year-old," Larry Orton said. "You say to yourself, what else is there that can happen?"

Calipari visited the Orton home for about an hour, the player's father said.

Larry Orton said that the UK coach's objective seemed to be to reassure Daniel of how well he would fit into Kentucky basketball.

When asked how Calipari said Orton would fit, the player's father said, "All over, I guess. Whatever your talent is, that is what (determines the role).

Orton does not plan to decide about his basketball future before the weekend, the player's father said.

"The sooner the better to me," Larry Orton said. "We've got to do more talking."

Larry Orton said he expected to speak with Calipari on the phone. "About just basic things," he said. "How he still feels about Daniel. Then see how Daniel feels about him."

Vilarino: Calipari let signee Vilarino down gently during a Wednesday telephone conversation. That led Vilarino, the first prospect to commit to Gillispie, to decide it would be best to look for a new college program.

"He was a gentleman all the way," the player's father, Gerry Vilarino, said of Calipari.

As the elder Vilarino recalled the conversation, Calipari said, "Look, I think your son is a very good player. He can play. ... I'd prefer the bigger guards, 6-foot-5.

"I don't want him to come here not having that understanding. He might be disappointed in how it turns out."

When asked what message he heard, Gerry Vilarino said, "That tells me it's probably not going to be a good fit.

"I have no ill feeling. The Kentucky experience for G.J. has been tough at times, exhilarating at times and now it's disappointing."

Vilarino has asked for his release. Through what his father called "back channels," the player has heard about interest from schools in the Big 12, Big Ten and ACC.

"You have to feel you're wanted," Gerry Vilarino said.

Although signed by Gillispie, Vilarino still hoped to play for Kentucky even after the school changed coaches.

"Pretty tough to deal with," his father said. "He's only 17 years old. It's probably the biggest disappointment in his life. I told him, in everyone's life, there's going to be rain." Avery: He made headlines when he committed to Kentucky as an eighth-grader. Now, as a ninth-grader, he has reopened his recruitment. His father said the decision benefits Avery and Calipari.

Of Calipari, Howard Avery said, "He has the freedom to go in any direction he wants to without feeling obligated or compelled."

Michael Avery will have plenty of time to readjust and explore college options.

"If he was in the Class of 2009, I'd be very, very upset," Howard Avery said. "Unfortunately, this is big-league basketball. There is a business aspect."

Euton: One of the first prospects to commit to Kentucky when Gillispie became coach, he has decided to look elsewhere now at the end of his junior year.

His father said the decision came after the family did not hear from Calipari.

"We sat down as a family and prayed about it," Clay Euton said. "Dakotah feels it's what's best."

Euton, a 6-foot-8 forward, will be a senior for Scott County next season.

"Dakotah just wants to play basketball somewhere and get a college education and get a college degree out of it," his father said. "That's his goal."

Update on Calipari from ESPN

Laird — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:46:26 -0000

Coach John Calipari is spending Monday meeting with Memphis officials and contemplating what is expected to be a multiyear, multimillion offer to coach Kentucky, a source close to the situation said.

Calipari met with Kentucky officials on Sunday at an undisclosed location, at which time he was given an outline of length of deal and contract dollars, the source said.

But more than the money, Calipari has to decide if he wants to leave a program in Memphis that he has transformed into a national championship contender for one of the most tradition-rich programs in the sport that has recently fallen upon hard times.

Calipari's top recruit, DeMarcus Cousins, has made an oral commitment to Memphis, but because national letters of intent do not have to signed until next month, Cousins could easily follow Calipari to Kentucky if he were to become the Wildcats' coach.

Calipari has a longstanding rivalry with Louisville coach Rick Pitino, who coached Kentucky to a national championship in the 1990s, and would have the opportunity to go head to head with him within the borders of a state that has perhaps the most passionate fans of the sport.

Andy Katz is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

NIT

Laird — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:31:54 -0000

Read an article on ESPN.com that reported that UK has said it will participate in the N.I.T tournament if they are not selected for the NCAA tournament. The report indicated that UK thought hard before accepting the offer, as they did not want to be arrogant, but at the same time, it was said that UK has higher expectations, but decided that participating in the NIT would be best. It did say that UK's goal is to make it to the NCAA tournament. So, given all the debate over this topic, just thought I would pass this along.

Lane