SB Nation User Blog: Wild Weasel

Collinsworth To Irish

Wild Weasel — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:27:33 -0000

Collinsworth To Irish

Austin Collinsworth has become Brian Kelly's first commit. Not sure UK ever had a chance.

Royce White Leaves Tubby And Minnesota (Video)

Wild Weasel — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:11:38 -0000

Royce White was the jewel of Coach Smith's highly ranked recruiting class but as many best laid plans do this one didn't follow the path. There were several problems including the final one which saw White charged with an on-campus burglary and be indefinitely suspended. Today in a YouTube video — high quality and high skill — White announced his intention to transfer, all the while declaring his innocence, his love of The U, and with great compliments for his coach. All in all a bit strange but is there anything surprising in this day of unlimited social networking. If indeed Royce White produced this video he would appear to have a career other than hoops.

Josh Pastner: Young Veteran

Wild Weasel — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:28:01 -0000

Josh Pastner was compiling scouting reports on high school basketball players when he was 13, recruiting blue chippers for his father’s Houston summer league team when he was 14 and coaching them when he was 16. And he nearly ended up in Lexington at age 30 but fate had other plans.

For Pastner, his shot came unexpectedly. He was an assistant to John Calipari last season, before Calipari left for Kentucky, taking his prize recruiting class with him, and Pastner was leaving to rejoin Calipari. Pastner had just finished packing the car for Lexington when he met with Athletic Director R. C. Johnson on April 6, sitting in Johnson’s living room in a ragged T-shirt and dripping with sweat.

Johnson offered Pastner a job and Pastner immediately declined, thinking it was an assistant coaching job to salvage the recruiting class. Johnson meant the top job, and the young coach was stunned.

Who knows in a few (several) years he may get another shot at Lexington.

Woodyard Continues To Play Santa

Wild Weasel — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:53:13 -0000

Woodyard Continues To Play Santa

What began last Christmas has continued for a full year and a Denver boy's life has changed.

CBS 64-Team FB Playoff

Wild Weasel — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:54:41 -0000

CBS 64-Team FB Playoff

A fantasy of course but UK is a 14 seed playing Nittany Lions in first round.

Remember The USC 8th Grade Commit?

Wild Weasel — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:20:33 -0000

Remember The USC 8th Grade Commit?

Bryan Boatright, well now UK may be his favorite.

Memphis Refuses To Buckle

Wild Weasel — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:34:24 -0000

Memphis Refuses To Buckle

Tigers hit back in NCAA rebuttal.

Basketball Dreams

Wild Weasel — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:19:33 -0000

“When I call a college coach and say, ‘I’ve got this great 5-foot-9-inch white kid you should take a look at,’ the guard goes up,” said Greg Kristof, a director of Hoop Mountain Basketball, which stages recruiting tournaments. “There’s kind of a reverse discrimination in basketball where, as a short white kid, you’d better be twice as good as anyone else in your position.”

Either we've been one or we've heard of one, the youngster growing up in The Commonwealth with the hoop hung on the garage, the barn or a driveway pole, and spending hour upon hour practicing, always the desire and dream of wearing the Blue and performing at Rupp, or perhaps the Red in Freedom Hall, or playing in Bowling Green, Richmond, Murray or Morehead. Making the winning goal in the Sweet Sixteen, qualifying for a scholarship, celebrating Selection Sunday.

Well as reported in the New York Times those same dreams reside elsewhere including Poly Prep High School, Brooklyn — the alma mater of Joakim Noah. It's the story of Len Chenfeld and his sacrifice-everything attempt to play Division I basketball and eventually professionally, if not the NBA then in Europe, Asia, anywhere. His first big challenge and opportunity is versus Kyrie Irving who is a top 5 2010 PG and bound for Duke. Read the story and find the outcome.

Vols' Staff Losing Members

Wild Weasel — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:48:25 -0000

Vols' Staff Losing Members

LSU and FSU hire Kiffin assistants.

Woodyards: Brotherly Love

Wild Weasel — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:46:55 -0000

Woodyards: Brotherly Love

Wesley is in Denver, Jazmon is in Iraq, but they're still close.