With Clemson’s basketball season being over it’s time to evaluate how the team performed. I’ll look at the high points and low points, individual player performances, whether or not the team met expectations, and what expectations should be for next season. We'd like to hear your thoughts on the season.
I did not expect too much out of this team at the beginning of the season. We lost our best player (Trevor Booker) to the NBA and were breaking in a new head coach. The roster didn’t appear to be stocked full of talent either. The heralded 2009 recruiting class did nothing during their freshman campaigns to instill confidence in the fanbase. After watching the rest of the ACC lay eggs in their early out of conference contests, I held out hope of a top 6 finish in the ACC. We lost Donte Hill before the season began. Then Noel Johnson (and his father) decided that Clemson’s offense didn’t fit Johnson’s talents just a few games into the season. Playing shorthanded and learning a new style of basketball, Clemson lost to ODU, Michigan, and Sakerlina. Most folks gave up on any Tourney appearance. Some thought we made a bad hire. Even so, I felt we were better than a handful of ACC teams and were only going to get better as the team adjusted to Coach Brownell’s new style. You could see the improvement in fundamentals.
After a close loss at FSU in which Clemson let the game slip away down the stretch, Clemson was able to pick up their best out of conference win of the season at College of Charleston After watching the FSU and CofC games, I was no longer hopeful that we could finish in the top 6. I expected it.
ACC play had its ups and downs. Clemson was 2-3 after dropping a close road contest at Maryland. In the following game against NC State, Clemson came out flat and looked as if they were going to be blown out of the gym. All the sudden something clicked. Clemson turned it on and over the next 3 halves (2nd half of NC State and the entire FSU game) and we completely dominated our opponents. Excitement and expectations were on the rise, so naturally Clemson followed with a stinker at UVA Things went as expected after that, with the possible exception of the loss at NC State, and we were faced with a must-win matchup against Virginia Tech. Clemson played well enough to halt a determined VT squad and placed themselves on the right side of the bubble.
After blowing out BC in the 1st round of the ACC tournament, Clemson lost a heartbreaker in the 2nd round against UNC. Clemson had this game firmly in their grasp and coughed it up. Should Brownell have called the timeout on the final play? Still, with UNC being a top 10 team, morale stayed high after proving we could play with one of the best teams in the country on a "neutral" court.
After receiving the shaft by the NCAA selection committee, Clemson headed to Dayton for a "play-in" game. Clemson started extremely hot and blew the doors off of the UAB Blazers. UAB was able to get as close as 8 at one point, but the lead was quickly extended and they never posed much of a threat. There was no time for celebrating Clemson’s first NCAA tournament victory since 1997 because of some God-awful scheduling by the NCAA. Instead, Clemson took an overnight flight to Tampa, got a little sleep, participated in media sessions, had a short walkthrough to actually prep for WVU, and then headed to bed in order to be ready for the 1st game of the day on Thursday. All the while, WVU was able to travel to Tampa on their own terms, conduct normal practices and film sessions, prepare for the winner of Clemson/UAB, and get a good night’s sleep. If that doesn’t sound fair it’s because it isn’t. Sometimes you have to play the cards you are dealt, but I’d be shocked if the NCAA doesn’t change their scheduling next year.
Here is DrB’s recap for that game. Clemson started out fast and looked to be in control. But a terrible stretch to close out the 1st half set the tone, and, unfortunately it carried over to the 2nd half, where Clemson wasn’t able to fully recover. Clemson cut the lead down to 3 with just over a minute left, but a blown call by the official gave WVU two points at the free throw line. Down 5, Clemson was baffled by WVU’s 1-3-1 defense and committed nearly identical turnovers on 3 straight possessions. That was the nail in the coffin.
It was a disappointing way to end the season. But if someone told me at the beginning of the season that Clemson would pick up an NCAA tournament victory I’d have told them they were crazy. I was impressed with Coach Brownell’s ability to get the most out of the talent he was given. Now I’m looking for him to improve the talent level. In order to compete at the highest level you need to recruit top tier talent. If he can do that, while continuing to develop his players and getting guys to play for each other rather than for themselves, than he can really do some good things here at Clemson.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Your 2010-2011 Louisville Basketball Awards Ceremony
Moving on or "letting the past be the past" isn't really my thing. I tend not to appreciate something until it's taken away or has grown so tired of my (accurately) perceived indifference and steady stream of sarcasm that it decides a Burger King parking lot is as good a place as any to pull the plug. It's only when I no longer have these things at my disposal that I can't stop thinking about them.
This season, as many have acknowledged, has been especially difficult to part with, due mostly to the combination of love for the team and the horrifically unsatisfying way it ended. Still, here we are, painfully but undeniably stuck in the dead period. The good news is that the worst days of basketball withdrawal (think Trainspotting) are completely or nearly behind us, and the transition to our summer selves (read: normal human beings) has at least started.
For those who still haven't acknowledged that the grass is again green and your shoulders (or at least mine) are again severely, severely burnt, I think it's important that you achieve closure immediately. And I think it's equally important that you do so in the form of a fake awards show.
This season, as many have acknowledged, has been especially difficult to part with, due mostly to the combination of love for the team and the horrifically unsatisfying way it ended. Still, here we are, painfully but undeniably stuck in the dead period. The good news is that the worst days of basketball withdrawal (think Trainspotting) are completely or nearly behind us, and the transition to our summer selves (read: normal human beings) has at least started.
For those who still haven't acknowledged that the grass is again green and your shoulders (or at least mine) are again severely, severely burnt, I think it's important that you achieve closure immediately. And I think it's equally important that you do so in the form of a fake awards show.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Cody Zeller wins Mr. Basketball
David Snodgress | Herald-Times
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Washington’s Cody Zeller is the Indianapolis Star’s Mr. Basketball for 2011.
The Indiana signee gathered 198 of the 283 votes cast by coaches and media. Warsaw’s Nic Moore was second with 21 votes, followed by Pike’s Marquis Teague and Bloomington South’s Dee Davis with 16.
Zeller, who averaged 24.1 points and 13.4 rebounds this season, is the third member of his family to win the award, joining brothers Luke (2005) and Tyler (2008). Cody won three state championships, one with Tyler in 2008 as a reserve and the last two seasons as the centerpiece player.
Zeller, a 6-foot-11 center, had 20 points and 18 rebounds to lead Washington past Culver Academies 61-46 in the this year’s Class 3A final.
“He’s the total package,” Washington coach Gene Miiller said. “He does everything well. If you were trying to pick a guy to coach, he would be the example.”
Most nights, Zeller was double- and triple-teamed, roughed up and pounded on.
That was nothing compared to the recruiting process. Cody was also considering Butler and North Carolina. Because Luke had gone to Notre Dame and Tyler to North Carolina, there was outside pressure in Hoosier-crazy Southern Indiana to pick Indiana. Cody heard it on a daily basis.
“Of the three boys, it was by far the toughest choice,” said his father, Steve.
Zeller said — and those close to him agreed – that he never felt any pressure to please anyone outside his tight inner circle.
Some Indiana fans expect him to come in and be the piece to rejuvenate a program that has won just eight Big Ten games the last three seasons.
Zeller realizes he alone can’t return the Hoosiers to national prominence.
“I don’t plan on coming in and turning the program around on my own,” he said. “I don’t really feel any pressure to do that. I have a good support system with my family and friends. Those are the people I listen to and they aren’t putting any extra pressure on me.”
Indiana coach Tom Crean agrees.
“Like most great competitors, Cody has enough internal pressure on himself to get better,” Crean said. “The coaching staff certainly isn’t going to put any extra pressure on him. Now, we are going to have to challenge ourselves to raise the level and make him a better player. He has such good footwork and fundamentals already. We’re going to have to be ready to challenge him.”
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Washington’s Cody Zeller is the Indianapolis Star’s Mr. Basketball for 2011.
The Indiana signee gathered 198 of the 283 votes cast by coaches and media. Warsaw’s Nic Moore was second with 21 votes, followed by Pike’s Marquis Teague and Bloomington South’s Dee Davis with 16.
Zeller, who averaged 24.1 points and 13.4 rebounds this season, is the third member of his family to win the award, joining brothers Luke (2005) and Tyler (2008). Cody won three state championships, one with Tyler in 2008 as a reserve and the last two seasons as the centerpiece player.
Zeller, a 6-foot-11 center, had 20 points and 18 rebounds to lead Washington past Culver Academies 61-46 in the this year’s Class 3A final.
“He’s the total package,” Washington coach Gene Miiller said. “He does everything well. If you were trying to pick a guy to coach, he would be the example.”
Most nights, Zeller was double- and triple-teamed, roughed up and pounded on.
That was nothing compared to the recruiting process. Cody was also considering Butler and North Carolina. Because Luke had gone to Notre Dame and Tyler to North Carolina, there was outside pressure in Hoosier-crazy Southern Indiana to pick Indiana. Cody heard it on a daily basis.
“Of the three boys, it was by far the toughest choice,” said his father, Steve.
Zeller said — and those close to him agreed – that he never felt any pressure to please anyone outside his tight inner circle.
Some Indiana fans expect him to come in and be the piece to rejuvenate a program that has won just eight Big Ten games the last three seasons.
Zeller realizes he alone can’t return the Hoosiers to national prominence.
“I don’t plan on coming in and turning the program around on my own,” he said. “I don’t really feel any pressure to do that. I have a good support system with my family and friends. Those are the people I listen to and they aren’t putting any extra pressure on me.”
Indiana coach Tom Crean agrees.
“Like most great competitors, Cody has enough internal pressure on himself to get better,” Crean said. “The coaching staff certainly isn’t going to put any extra pressure on him. Now, we are going to have to challenge ourselves to raise the level and make him a better player. He has such good footwork and fundamentals already. We’re going to have to be ready to challenge him.”
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Tryin' To Reason With The End Of The Season
One of the most poignant and penetrating observations that John Calipari has ever made came almost unnoticed in his post-game interview following the Kentucky Wildcats loss to the Connecticut Huskies in the National Semifinals:
It just ends. It's done.
Don't you hate things that "just end?" I know I do. You spend six months building up to something, and just like that, it's over and there is nothing more to do but get back to life. There is something about the jarring abruptness, the irrevocable finality, that is a shock to the system. Even now, three days removed from the event, many Kentucky fans are still in a kind of mourning for the season that "just end[ed]." It sometimes feels like we are sorting through the wreckage of a violent collision or natural disaster, trying to make sense of it all.
None of this is to say that the season was a disappointment -- it wasn't. Yes, it was disappointing to fall short of the goal of a national championship, but this is the closest Kentucky has been in a long while, and that in and of itself is quite satisfying. It is also quite satisfying to have defeated one of our major rivals along the way, and see so many of the others fall far short of their expectations. Schadenfreude still lives here, at least once in a while.
It seems that many of us just aren't quite ready to move on yet, and it seems reasonable to linger awhile in the season that was. Right now that's particularly easy to do while the team takes stock of itself and begins work on deciding who will return and who will move on to the next level -- except, of course, Josh Harrellson who is a senior and must move on, as well as the NCAA-ineligible Enes Kanter.
In a way, this highlights both the beauty and the curse of college basketball, one of the things that makes it so interesting. In The Sillamarillion, J.R.R. Tolkein's anthropological prelude to his Lord of the Rings fantasy world, it is written that Eru Ilúvatar (God or the Creator of the Universe) gave man the "gift of mortality," where the Elves were immortal. College basketball is like that. The teams are "mortal" in the sense that their lives are very short, much shorter now in the era of "one and done" than in the decades before where players hung around for three or more years, and unlike NBA teams who can have very long lives built around superstar players.
It gift of mortality of a college team's life and it's annual renewal with new members that add a great deal of spice to the college game. True, it would probably be still better if we could extend those lives back out to three years or so, but I don't hold out too much hope for that happening, although it could eventually. There has never been much love for the "one and done" rule anywhere but in the NBA Players Association, and until they agree to change it, it will remain as it is.
The threat of an NBA lockout will affect how many coaches advise their players on their next move, just as UCLA's Ben Howland suggests. No doubt it will affect Calipari's advice to his charges in some form or other, although that does not mean that they will not leap ahead and do it anyway. Still, there are other motivations. Brandon Knight could quite possibly go to summer school, come back next year and graduate in the spring or summer, completing a four-year college degree in just two years. Doron Lamb is not currently found on either the Draft Express or NBADraft.net mock drafts, and neither is DeAndre Liggins or Darius Miller, although Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and Enes Kanter all figure prominently in or near the draft lottery.
In addition, there will be recruiting. Calipari is not likely quite finished with the 2011 class, as good as it is, if anyone other than Harrellson and Kanter are leaving the team. Even if they are, I'd be surprised if he doesn't try to add at least one more player, and several names have surfaced as well as others who have been recruited by Kentucky but have not yet pledged to a school.
So we do have things to look forward to, as well as the new players arriving in the summer and beginning informal workouts, from which there will no doubt be much news and plenty of time for discussion. But right now, at this moment, many of us are still gathering our thoughts from the sudden demise of the 2011 season. The impact with reality still stings, still shocks the system, and like getting back from a long vacation, it takes a while before you get back to full speed.
But we'll get there.
Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Tryin 'To Reason Mit dem Ende des The Season
Eines der ergreifendsten und durchdringend Beobachtungen, dass John Calipari je gemacht hat kam fast unbemerkt in seinem Post-Spiel Interview nach dem Kentucky Wildcats Verlust für die Connecticut Huskies in der National Halbfinale:
Es ist einfach endet. Es ist vollbracht.
Nicht hassen Sie Dinge, die "nur enden?" Ich weiß, ich weiß. Sie verbringen sechs Monate Gebäude bis zu etwas, und einfach so, es ist vorbei und es gibt nichts mehr zu tun, sondern wieder zum Leben. Es ist etwas über die Erschütterungen Plötzlichkeit, die unwiderrufliche Endgültigkeit, das ist ein Schock für das System. Selbst jetzt, drei Tage nach der Veranstaltung entfernt, sind viele Fans noch Kentucky in einer Art der Trauer für die Saison, dass "nur am Ende [Hrsg.]." Es fühlt sich manchmal wie wir durch die Trümmer eines heftigen Zusammenstoßes oder Naturkatastrophe Sortierung und versuchte, Sinn des Ganzen zu machen.
All dies ist zu sagen, dass die Saison eine Enttäuschung war - war es nicht. Ja, es war enttäuschend, verfehlen das Ziel einer nationalen Meisterschaft, aber dieses ist das nächstgelegene Kentucky in eine lange Zeit gewesen ist, und dass an und für sich ist recht befriedigend. Es ist auch sehr befriedigend, besiegte eines unserer größten Rivalen auf dem Weg, und so viele von den anderen weit hinter ihren Erwartungen. Schadenfreude immer noch hier lebt, mindestens einmal in eine Weile.
Es scheint, dass viele von uns sind einfach nicht bereit, auf noch bewegen, und es scheint angemessen zum Verweilen in der Saison das war. Gerade jetzt, das ist besonders leicht zu machen, während das Team zieht Bilanz über sich selbst und beginnt die Arbeit an die Entscheidung, wer wird zurückkehren und wer gehen Sie zum nächsten Level - außer natürlich, Josh Harrellson, die ein Senior ist und müssen noch weiter kommen, als sowie die NCAA-förderfähig Enes Kanter.
In gewisser Weise unterstreicht dies sowohl die Schönheit und der Fluch des College-Basketball, eines der Dinge, dass es so interessant macht. In The Sillamarillion, J.R.R. Tolkiens anthropologischen Auftakt zu seiner Herr der Ringe Fantasy-Welt, steht geschrieben, dass Eru Ilúvatar (Gott oder der Schöpfer des Universums) Mann gab das "Geschenk der Sterblichkeit", wo die Elben unsterblich waren. College Basketball ist so. Die Teams sind "sterblich" in dem Sinne, dass ihr Leben sehr kurz, viel kürzer jetzt in der Ära des "one and done" als in den Jahrzehnten vor dem Spieler hingen herum für drei oder mehr Jahre alt sind, und im Gegensatz zu NBA-Teams, die können sehr lange lebt rund um Superstar Spieler gebaut.
Es Geschenk der Sterblichkeit von einem College-Team das Leben und es ist die jährliche Erneuerung mit neuen Mitgliedern, die viel hinzuzufügen Gewürz zum College-Spiel. Es stimmt, wäre es wahrscheinlich noch besser, wenn wir könnten diese Leben wieder heraus zu drei Jahren oder so zu erweitern, aber ich weiß nicht durchhalten zu viel Hoffnung, dass geschieht, obwohl es könnte schließlich. Es hat nie viel Liebe zum worden "one and done" Regel überall, aber in der NBA Players Association, und bis sie es ändern zustimmen, es bleibt wie es ist.
Die Gefahr einer NBA Aussperrung beeinflusst, wie viele Trainer beraten ihre Spieler auf ihren nächsten Schritt, so wie der UCLA Ben Howland suggeriert. Kein Zweifel, es wird Calipari Rat an seine Schützlinge in irgendeiner Form beeinflussen, obwohl das bedeutet nicht, dass sie nicht vor Sprung und tun es trotzdem. Doch es gibt auch andere Motivationen. Brandon Knight könnte womöglich den Sommer Schule gehen, kommen nächstes Jahr wieder und Absolventen im Frühjahr oder Sommer, Abschluss einer vierjährigen College-Abschluss in nur zwei Jahren. Doron Lamb ist derzeit nicht auf den Entwurf entweder Express oder NBADraft.net Mock Entwürfe gefunden, und weder DeAndre Liggins oder Darius Miller, obwohl Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones und Enes Kanter alle an prominenter Stelle in oder nahe der Draft Lottery.
Darüber hinaus wird es Rekrutierung werden. Calipari wahrscheinlich nicht ganz mit der 2011-Klasse, so gut wie es ist, fertig, wenn jemand anderes als Harrellson und Kanter sind das Team verlassen. Auch wenn sie, würde ich überrascht, wenn er nicht versuchen, mindestens einen weiteren Spieler hinzu, und mehrere Namen haben wie andere, die von Kentucky eingestellt wurden, aber noch nicht zu einer Schule zugesagt aufgetaucht.
Also wir haben Dinge zu freuen, als auch die neuen Spieler der Ankunft im Sommer und Anfang informellen Workouts, aus denen es keinen Zweifel geben viel Neues und viel Zeit für Diskussion. Aber gerade jetzt, in diesem Moment, sind viele von uns noch sammeln unsere Gedanken von dem plötzlichen Ableben von der Saison 2011. Die Auswirkungen der Realität noch sticht, noch Erschütterungen des Systems, und wie immer wieder von einem langen Urlaub, dauert es eine Weile, bevor Sie wieder in vollem Umfang erhalten.
Aber wir werden es bekommen.
Kentucky Wildcats Basket: Tryin 'di ragionare con la fine della stagione
Una delle osservazioni più toccante e penetrante che John Calipari ha mai fatto è venuto quasi inosservato nella sua intervista post-partita in seguito alla perdita Kentucky Wildcats al Connecticut Huskies nelle semifinali nazionali:
Finisce solo. E 'fatto.
Non ti odio le cose che "solo fine?" So di fare. È passare sei mesi a costruire qualcosa, e proprio così, è finita e non c'è più niente da fare se non tornare alla vita. C'è qualcosa circa la repentinità stridente, la finalità irrevocabile, che è uno shock al sistema. Anche adesso, a tre giorni rimosso dalla manifestazione, molti appassionati di Kentucky sono ancora in una sorta di lutto per la stagione che "solo fine [ndr]." Ci si sente a volte come siamo cernita tra i rottami di un urto violento o calamità naturali, cercando di dare un senso a tutto.
Niente di tutto questo è per dire che la stagione è stata una delusione - non è stato. Sì, è stato deludente non raggiungono l'obiettivo di un campionato nazionale, ma questo è il più vicino Kentucky è stato da molto tempo, e che in sé e per sé è abbastanza soddisfacente. E 'anche abbastanza soddisfacente aver sconfitto uno dei nostri principali rivali, lungo la strada, e vedere così tanti altri sono del tutto insufficienti le loro aspettative. Schadenfreude vive ancora qui, almeno una volta ogni tanto.
Sembra che molti di noi non sono ancora pronti ad andare avanti ancora, e sembra ragionevole ad attardarsi nella stagione che fu. Proprio ora che è particolarmente facile da fare, mentre il team fa il bilancio della stessa e inizia a lavorare per decidere chi tornerà e chi dovrà passare al livello successivo - tranne, naturalmente, Josh Harrellson che è un senior e deve andare avanti, come nonché la NCAA-inammissibili Enes Kanter.
In un certo senso, questo mette in evidenza sia la bellezza e la maledizione di college basket, una delle cose che lo rende così interessante. In The Sillamarillion, J.R.R. preludio antropologico Tolkien per il suo Signore degli Anelli mondo fantasy, è scritto che Eru Ilúvatar (Dio o il Creatore dell'Universo) ha dato all'uomo il "dono della mortalità", dove gli Elfi erano immortali. college basket è così. Le squadre sono "mortali", nel senso che la loro vita è molto breve, molto più breve ora in epoca di "uno e fatto" che nei decenni precedenti in cui i giocatori appesi in giro per tre o più anni, a differenza di squadre NBA che possono avere vive molto a lungo attorno giocatori superstar.
E 'dono di mortalità della vita di una squadra di college ed è il rinnovo annuale con i nuovi soci che aggiungono una grande quantità di spezie per il gioco college. Vero, probabilmente sarebbe ancora meglio se si potesse estendere quelle vite indietro a tre anni o giù di lì, ma io non resistere troppo sperare che ciò accada, anche se potrebbe alla fine. Non c'è mai stato grande amore per "l'unico e fatto" regola ovunque, ma nella NBA Players Association, e finché non decidono di cambiare, rimarrà così com'è.
La minaccia di un blocco NBA interesserà quanti allenatori consigliano i loro giocatori sulla loro prossima mossa, proprio come UCLA Ben Howland suggerisce. Senza dubbio influenzerà consiglio di Calipari per le sue accuse in un modo o nell'altro, anche se ciò non significa che non saranno balzo in avanti e farlo lo stesso. Eppure, ci sono altre motivazioni. Brandon Knight potrebbe molto probabilmente andare a scuola d'estate, torna l'anno prossimo e laureato in primavera o in estate, il completamento di un diploma di laurea quadriennale in soli due anni. Doron Lamb non è al momento a entrambi il progetto Express o bozze NBADraft.net finta, e nessuno dei due è DeAndre Liggins o Darius Miller, anche se Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones e Enes Kanter, figurano tutti in o vicino alla draft lottery.
Inoltre, ci sarà di reclutamento. Calipari non è probabilmente ancora finito con la classe 2011, buono come lo è, se qualcuno diverso Harrellson e Kanter stanno lasciando la squadra. Anche se sono, sarei sorpreso se non si tenta di aggiungere almeno un altro giocatore, e diversi nomi sono emerse così come altri che sono stati reclutati da Kentucky ma non sono ancora impegnati a una scuola.
Quindi noi abbiamo cose da guardare avanti a, così come i giocatori nuovi che arrivano in estate e inizio gli allenamenti informali, da cui non sarà senza dubbio molte notizie e tanto tempo per la discussione. Ma adesso, in questo momento, molti di noi sono ancora in grado di raccogliere i nostri pensieri dalla morte improvvisa della stagione 2011. L'impatto con la realtà punge ancora, ancora shock al sistema, e come tornare da una vacanza lunga, ci vuole un po 'prima di tornare a piena velocità.
Ma ci arriveremo.
It just ends. It's done.
Don't you hate things that "just end?" I know I do. You spend six months building up to something, and just like that, it's over and there is nothing more to do but get back to life. There is something about the jarring abruptness, the irrevocable finality, that is a shock to the system. Even now, three days removed from the event, many Kentucky fans are still in a kind of mourning for the season that "just end[ed]." It sometimes feels like we are sorting through the wreckage of a violent collision or natural disaster, trying to make sense of it all.
None of this is to say that the season was a disappointment -- it wasn't. Yes, it was disappointing to fall short of the goal of a national championship, but this is the closest Kentucky has been in a long while, and that in and of itself is quite satisfying. It is also quite satisfying to have defeated one of our major rivals along the way, and see so many of the others fall far short of their expectations. Schadenfreude still lives here, at least once in a while.
It seems that many of us just aren't quite ready to move on yet, and it seems reasonable to linger awhile in the season that was. Right now that's particularly easy to do while the team takes stock of itself and begins work on deciding who will return and who will move on to the next level -- except, of course, Josh Harrellson who is a senior and must move on, as well as the NCAA-ineligible Enes Kanter.
In a way, this highlights both the beauty and the curse of college basketball, one of the things that makes it so interesting. In The Sillamarillion, J.R.R. Tolkein's anthropological prelude to his Lord of the Rings fantasy world, it is written that Eru Ilúvatar (God or the Creator of the Universe) gave man the "gift of mortality," where the Elves were immortal. College basketball is like that. The teams are "mortal" in the sense that their lives are very short, much shorter now in the era of "one and done" than in the decades before where players hung around for three or more years, and unlike NBA teams who can have very long lives built around superstar players.
It gift of mortality of a college team's life and it's annual renewal with new members that add a great deal of spice to the college game. True, it would probably be still better if we could extend those lives back out to three years or so, but I don't hold out too much hope for that happening, although it could eventually. There has never been much love for the "one and done" rule anywhere but in the NBA Players Association, and until they agree to change it, it will remain as it is.
The threat of an NBA lockout will affect how many coaches advise their players on their next move, just as UCLA's Ben Howland suggests. No doubt it will affect Calipari's advice to his charges in some form or other, although that does not mean that they will not leap ahead and do it anyway. Still, there are other motivations. Brandon Knight could quite possibly go to summer school, come back next year and graduate in the spring or summer, completing a four-year college degree in just two years. Doron Lamb is not currently found on either the Draft Express or NBADraft.net mock drafts, and neither is DeAndre Liggins or Darius Miller, although Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and Enes Kanter all figure prominently in or near the draft lottery.
In addition, there will be recruiting. Calipari is not likely quite finished with the 2011 class, as good as it is, if anyone other than Harrellson and Kanter are leaving the team. Even if they are, I'd be surprised if he doesn't try to add at least one more player, and several names have surfaced as well as others who have been recruited by Kentucky but have not yet pledged to a school.
So we do have things to look forward to, as well as the new players arriving in the summer and beginning informal workouts, from which there will no doubt be much news and plenty of time for discussion. But right now, at this moment, many of us are still gathering our thoughts from the sudden demise of the 2011 season. The impact with reality still stings, still shocks the system, and like getting back from a long vacation, it takes a while before you get back to full speed.
But we'll get there.
Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Tryin 'To Reason Mit dem Ende des The Season
Eines der ergreifendsten und durchdringend Beobachtungen, dass John Calipari je gemacht hat kam fast unbemerkt in seinem Post-Spiel Interview nach dem Kentucky Wildcats Verlust für die Connecticut Huskies in der National Halbfinale:
Es ist einfach endet. Es ist vollbracht.
Nicht hassen Sie Dinge, die "nur enden?" Ich weiß, ich weiß. Sie verbringen sechs Monate Gebäude bis zu etwas, und einfach so, es ist vorbei und es gibt nichts mehr zu tun, sondern wieder zum Leben. Es ist etwas über die Erschütterungen Plötzlichkeit, die unwiderrufliche Endgültigkeit, das ist ein Schock für das System. Selbst jetzt, drei Tage nach der Veranstaltung entfernt, sind viele Fans noch Kentucky in einer Art der Trauer für die Saison, dass "nur am Ende [Hrsg.]." Es fühlt sich manchmal wie wir durch die Trümmer eines heftigen Zusammenstoßes oder Naturkatastrophe Sortierung und versuchte, Sinn des Ganzen zu machen.
All dies ist zu sagen, dass die Saison eine Enttäuschung war - war es nicht. Ja, es war enttäuschend, verfehlen das Ziel einer nationalen Meisterschaft, aber dieses ist das nächstgelegene Kentucky in eine lange Zeit gewesen ist, und dass an und für sich ist recht befriedigend. Es ist auch sehr befriedigend, besiegte eines unserer größten Rivalen auf dem Weg, und so viele von den anderen weit hinter ihren Erwartungen. Schadenfreude immer noch hier lebt, mindestens einmal in eine Weile.
Es scheint, dass viele von uns sind einfach nicht bereit, auf noch bewegen, und es scheint angemessen zum Verweilen in der Saison das war. Gerade jetzt, das ist besonders leicht zu machen, während das Team zieht Bilanz über sich selbst und beginnt die Arbeit an die Entscheidung, wer wird zurückkehren und wer gehen Sie zum nächsten Level - außer natürlich, Josh Harrellson, die ein Senior ist und müssen noch weiter kommen, als sowie die NCAA-förderfähig Enes Kanter.
In gewisser Weise unterstreicht dies sowohl die Schönheit und der Fluch des College-Basketball, eines der Dinge, dass es so interessant macht. In The Sillamarillion, J.R.R. Tolkiens anthropologischen Auftakt zu seiner Herr der Ringe Fantasy-Welt, steht geschrieben, dass Eru Ilúvatar (Gott oder der Schöpfer des Universums) Mann gab das "Geschenk der Sterblichkeit", wo die Elben unsterblich waren. College Basketball ist so. Die Teams sind "sterblich" in dem Sinne, dass ihr Leben sehr kurz, viel kürzer jetzt in der Ära des "one and done" als in den Jahrzehnten vor dem Spieler hingen herum für drei oder mehr Jahre alt sind, und im Gegensatz zu NBA-Teams, die können sehr lange lebt rund um Superstar Spieler gebaut.
Es Geschenk der Sterblichkeit von einem College-Team das Leben und es ist die jährliche Erneuerung mit neuen Mitgliedern, die viel hinzuzufügen Gewürz zum College-Spiel. Es stimmt, wäre es wahrscheinlich noch besser, wenn wir könnten diese Leben wieder heraus zu drei Jahren oder so zu erweitern, aber ich weiß nicht durchhalten zu viel Hoffnung, dass geschieht, obwohl es könnte schließlich. Es hat nie viel Liebe zum worden "one and done" Regel überall, aber in der NBA Players Association, und bis sie es ändern zustimmen, es bleibt wie es ist.
Die Gefahr einer NBA Aussperrung beeinflusst, wie viele Trainer beraten ihre Spieler auf ihren nächsten Schritt, so wie der UCLA Ben Howland suggeriert. Kein Zweifel, es wird Calipari Rat an seine Schützlinge in irgendeiner Form beeinflussen, obwohl das bedeutet nicht, dass sie nicht vor Sprung und tun es trotzdem. Doch es gibt auch andere Motivationen. Brandon Knight könnte womöglich den Sommer Schule gehen, kommen nächstes Jahr wieder und Absolventen im Frühjahr oder Sommer, Abschluss einer vierjährigen College-Abschluss in nur zwei Jahren. Doron Lamb ist derzeit nicht auf den Entwurf entweder Express oder NBADraft.net Mock Entwürfe gefunden, und weder DeAndre Liggins oder Darius Miller, obwohl Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones und Enes Kanter alle an prominenter Stelle in oder nahe der Draft Lottery.
Darüber hinaus wird es Rekrutierung werden. Calipari wahrscheinlich nicht ganz mit der 2011-Klasse, so gut wie es ist, fertig, wenn jemand anderes als Harrellson und Kanter sind das Team verlassen. Auch wenn sie, würde ich überrascht, wenn er nicht versuchen, mindestens einen weiteren Spieler hinzu, und mehrere Namen haben wie andere, die von Kentucky eingestellt wurden, aber noch nicht zu einer Schule zugesagt aufgetaucht.
Also wir haben Dinge zu freuen, als auch die neuen Spieler der Ankunft im Sommer und Anfang informellen Workouts, aus denen es keinen Zweifel geben viel Neues und viel Zeit für Diskussion. Aber gerade jetzt, in diesem Moment, sind viele von uns noch sammeln unsere Gedanken von dem plötzlichen Ableben von der Saison 2011. Die Auswirkungen der Realität noch sticht, noch Erschütterungen des Systems, und wie immer wieder von einem langen Urlaub, dauert es eine Weile, bevor Sie wieder in vollem Umfang erhalten.
Aber wir werden es bekommen.
Kentucky Wildcats Basket: Tryin 'di ragionare con la fine della stagione
Una delle osservazioni più toccante e penetrante che John Calipari ha mai fatto è venuto quasi inosservato nella sua intervista post-partita in seguito alla perdita Kentucky Wildcats al Connecticut Huskies nelle semifinali nazionali:
Finisce solo. E 'fatto.
Non ti odio le cose che "solo fine?" So di fare. È passare sei mesi a costruire qualcosa, e proprio così, è finita e non c'è più niente da fare se non tornare alla vita. C'è qualcosa circa la repentinità stridente, la finalità irrevocabile, che è uno shock al sistema. Anche adesso, a tre giorni rimosso dalla manifestazione, molti appassionati di Kentucky sono ancora in una sorta di lutto per la stagione che "solo fine [ndr]." Ci si sente a volte come siamo cernita tra i rottami di un urto violento o calamità naturali, cercando di dare un senso a tutto.
Niente di tutto questo è per dire che la stagione è stata una delusione - non è stato. Sì, è stato deludente non raggiungono l'obiettivo di un campionato nazionale, ma questo è il più vicino Kentucky è stato da molto tempo, e che in sé e per sé è abbastanza soddisfacente. E 'anche abbastanza soddisfacente aver sconfitto uno dei nostri principali rivali, lungo la strada, e vedere così tanti altri sono del tutto insufficienti le loro aspettative. Schadenfreude vive ancora qui, almeno una volta ogni tanto.
Sembra che molti di noi non sono ancora pronti ad andare avanti ancora, e sembra ragionevole ad attardarsi nella stagione che fu. Proprio ora che è particolarmente facile da fare, mentre il team fa il bilancio della stessa e inizia a lavorare per decidere chi tornerà e chi dovrà passare al livello successivo - tranne, naturalmente, Josh Harrellson che è un senior e deve andare avanti, come nonché la NCAA-inammissibili Enes Kanter.
In un certo senso, questo mette in evidenza sia la bellezza e la maledizione di college basket, una delle cose che lo rende così interessante. In The Sillamarillion, J.R.R. preludio antropologico Tolkien per il suo Signore degli Anelli mondo fantasy, è scritto che Eru Ilúvatar (Dio o il Creatore dell'Universo) ha dato all'uomo il "dono della mortalità", dove gli Elfi erano immortali. college basket è così. Le squadre sono "mortali", nel senso che la loro vita è molto breve, molto più breve ora in epoca di "uno e fatto" che nei decenni precedenti in cui i giocatori appesi in giro per tre o più anni, a differenza di squadre NBA che possono avere vive molto a lungo attorno giocatori superstar.
E 'dono di mortalità della vita di una squadra di college ed è il rinnovo annuale con i nuovi soci che aggiungono una grande quantità di spezie per il gioco college. Vero, probabilmente sarebbe ancora meglio se si potesse estendere quelle vite indietro a tre anni o giù di lì, ma io non resistere troppo sperare che ciò accada, anche se potrebbe alla fine. Non c'è mai stato grande amore per "l'unico e fatto" regola ovunque, ma nella NBA Players Association, e finché non decidono di cambiare, rimarrà così com'è.
La minaccia di un blocco NBA interesserà quanti allenatori consigliano i loro giocatori sulla loro prossima mossa, proprio come UCLA Ben Howland suggerisce. Senza dubbio influenzerà consiglio di Calipari per le sue accuse in un modo o nell'altro, anche se ciò non significa che non saranno balzo in avanti e farlo lo stesso. Eppure, ci sono altre motivazioni. Brandon Knight potrebbe molto probabilmente andare a scuola d'estate, torna l'anno prossimo e laureato in primavera o in estate, il completamento di un diploma di laurea quadriennale in soli due anni. Doron Lamb non è al momento a entrambi il progetto Express o bozze NBADraft.net finta, e nessuno dei due è DeAndre Liggins o Darius Miller, anche se Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones e Enes Kanter, figurano tutti in o vicino alla draft lottery.
Inoltre, ci sarà di reclutamento. Calipari non è probabilmente ancora finito con la classe 2011, buono come lo è, se qualcuno diverso Harrellson e Kanter stanno lasciando la squadra. Anche se sono, sarei sorpreso se non si tenta di aggiungere almeno un altro giocatore, e diversi nomi sono emerse così come altri che sono stati reclutati da Kentucky ma non sono ancora impegnati a una scuola.
Quindi noi abbiamo cose da guardare avanti a, così come i giocatori nuovi che arrivano in estate e inizio gli allenamenti informali, da cui non sarà senza dubbio molte notizie e tanto tempo per la discussione. Ma adesso, in questo momento, molti di noi sono ancora in grado di raccogliere i nostri pensieri dalla morte improvvisa della stagione 2011. L'impatto con la realtà punge ancora, ancora shock al sistema, e come tornare da una vacanza lunga, ci vuole un po 'prima di tornare a piena velocità.
Ma ci arriveremo.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Evelyn Lozada Doubles Salary on ‘Basketball Wives
Sources close to the production tell TMZ, Evelyn didn't get the $20k per episode she demanded ... but we're told she's "very happy" with the counter-offer.
But Evelyn didn't just get a pay bump -- we're told Producers also APOLOGIZED to Lozada for the way she was portrayed in the Season 2 finale ... a huge reason why Evelyn was hesitant to re-sign with the network.
We're told Lozada -- who threatened to leave the show after she felt the producers backstabbed her -- is happy with the new deal ... and shooting is already underway.
Evelyn Lozada Dobler Lønn på 'Basketball Wives
Kilder nær produksjonen forteller TMZ, fikk Evelyn ikke får $ 20k per episode hun krevde ... men vi blir fortalt at hun er "svært fornøyd" med counter-tilbudet.
Men Evelyn ikke bare få en betal brak - vi blir fortalt Produsenter også om unnskyldning til Lozada for måten hun ble fremstilt i Sesong 2 finalen ... en stor grunn til at Evelyn nølte med å re-signere med nettverket.
Vi blir fortalt Lozada - som truet med å forlate serien etter at hun følte at produsentene backstabbed henne - er fornøyd med den nye avtalen ... og skyting er allerede i gang.
Evelyn Lozada dobles sueldos de Esposas de Baloncesto
Fuentes cercanas a la producción dicen TMZ, Evelyn no recibió los $ 20 mil por episodio exigió ... pero se nos dice que está "muy feliz" con la contra-oferta.
Pero Evelyn no acaba de conseguir un golpe pagar - se nos dice productores también pidió disculpas a Lozada por la forma en que fue retratado en la final de la temporada 2 ... una gran razón por Evelyn dudó en volver a firmar con la red.
Se nos dice Lozada - que amenazó con abandonar el programa después de sentir los productores Backstabbed ella - está contento con el nuevo acuerdo ... y los disparos ya está en marcha.
But Evelyn didn't just get a pay bump -- we're told Producers also APOLOGIZED to Lozada for the way she was portrayed in the Season 2 finale ... a huge reason why Evelyn was hesitant to re-sign with the network.
We're told Lozada -- who threatened to leave the show after she felt the producers backstabbed her -- is happy with the new deal ... and shooting is already underway.
Evelyn Lozada Dobler Lønn på 'Basketball Wives
Kilder nær produksjonen forteller TMZ, fikk Evelyn ikke får $ 20k per episode hun krevde ... men vi blir fortalt at hun er "svært fornøyd" med counter-tilbudet.
Men Evelyn ikke bare få en betal brak - vi blir fortalt Produsenter også om unnskyldning til Lozada for måten hun ble fremstilt i Sesong 2 finalen ... en stor grunn til at Evelyn nølte med å re-signere med nettverket.
Vi blir fortalt Lozada - som truet med å forlate serien etter at hun følte at produsentene backstabbed henne - er fornøyd med den nye avtalen ... og skyting er allerede i gang.
Evelyn Lozada dobles sueldos de Esposas de Baloncesto
Fuentes cercanas a la producción dicen TMZ, Evelyn no recibió los $ 20 mil por episodio exigió ... pero se nos dice que está "muy feliz" con la contra-oferta.
Pero Evelyn no acaba de conseguir un golpe pagar - se nos dice productores también pidió disculpas a Lozada por la forma en que fue retratado en la final de la temporada 2 ... una gran razón por Evelyn dudó en volver a firmar con la red.
Se nos dice Lozada - que amenazó con abandonar el programa después de sentir los productores Backstabbed ella - está contento con el nuevo acuerdo ... y los disparos ya está en marcha.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Kentucky Basketball: A Season's Worth of Obversations From the Peanut Gallery
tRUE hERO SpORTS
IT is always difficult to say goodbye to a Kentucky basketball season, especially when the goodbye is said on Saturday night of the Final Four. That, though, is what we are left with. So it's now time to reflect on the season as a whole, remembering how far this team traveled, from the summer trip to Canada -- where we first saw glimpses of what was to come -- to the almost unbelievable in-season turnaround this team executed, putting themselves in a position to bring Kentucky its first Final Four in what seems like decades. The thirst was quenched, and quenched quite nicely.
So follow me after the jump for some stream-of-consciousness thoughts on the 2010-2011 season that was:
Josh Harrellson and DeAndre Liggins -- Simply put, both players became unrecognizable. The transformation both players committed to is a testament to their collective ability to recognize they weren't giving their all (something most folks have a hard time admitting). With their renewal -- Harrellson because of his never-ending glass cleaning and vastly improved offensive game, and Ligs because of his defense, his newly found ability to consistently make shots, and dedication to giving himself floor burns -- they both gave themselves a chance to make some serious dinero at the next level, whether that be in Europe or the NBA, while at the same time delighting Kentucky basketball fans with their heart and hustle; two tenets Big Blue backers rightfully demand of each player wearing "Kentucky" across their chest. So sirs, I salute you both! You've made Kentucky fans proud, your coach proud, and you've represented your families with class and dignity. (I know Ligs is contemplating testing the NBA Draft waters, but let me begin the chant here: One more year Ligs, one more year!).
Doron Lamb -- Not much to say about Lamb, except, WHAT A SUPER SWEET SHOOTING STROKE that young man has. More, give me more!
Beating Louisville -- That never gets old, no matter how many times Kentucky does it. The 'Cats have now bested the 'Cards in two straight (by a cumulative score of 149-125), five of seven, and since the rivalry became a yearly (torrid) affair, UK holds a sizable 19-11 advantage. And with next season's contest in Lex, I like UK's odds of widening the series gap. On a related note (to Card fans): If Louisville is going to keep up with the pacesetter (you know who that is, right?) it's gonna take more than Chane Behanan and Wayne Blackshear -- both good players, no doubt, but not good enough to elevate the vile Cards to the summit currently occupied by the Big Blue party bus.
Sweeping the Vols -- Beating UT always brings about a special kind of satisfaction. Maybe it's because of the Vols' domination of the football series with Kentucky, or maybe it's because I was born infused with an anti-Vol chromosome ... whatever the reason, I do love it when the round-ball 'Cats put Tennessee in their place (which is somewhere, way, way below UK in the college basketball pecking order). Even sweeter, the Wildcats have won six of seven from Tennessee ,and since 2000, UK holds a 17-4 advantage -- That's gotta hurt Vol fan, especially considering UT just ended the best six-year stretch in school history -- Perhaps UT needs to change their persuasion of orange to the burnt variety. Oh, I almost forgot -- see ya, wouldn't want to be ya Ms. Pearl, and good luck to Cuonzo Martin, maybe he will bring a modicum of respectability to the UT athletic department. A possibility which begs the question: Can the head basketball coach fire the athletic director?
Terrence Jones -- The only 'Cat to slightly regress (at least in the scoring column) during the course of the season, Jones is as gifted as any UK small forward in recent memory. Although I feel the chances are very good Jones will be paid to play next season, if the NCAA Tournament told him anything, it's that he's not ready for the NBA. Of course that won't matter, though, the Association drafts on potential, and Jones' ceiling is clearly Himalayan high.
Beating Florida, twice -- Even though the Gators won the SEC regular season title this year, Kentucky beat Billy Donovan's club twice, the final win being for the SEC Tournament championship (which in my mind makes up for coming in behind the Gators in the final standings). Suffice it to say, there is no end to the amount of joy UK beating the Gators brings me. Since the consecutive national titles Donovan caught in a bottle, the 'Cats have continued the great and long-standing tradition of beating-down their SEC brethren, winning six of the last eight contests. Bringing even greater elation is the fact that defensive guru (and Florida assistant) Larry Shyatt has left UF to take over as head Cowboy at the University of Wyoming. I guess it's back to 24-25 win seasons, and first weekend NCAA tournament exits for the Gators. But hey, nobody in the Sunshine State seems to notice, which is exactly how Billy D. likes it.
Brandon Knight -- Although the Kentucky point guard had a less-than-stellar performance against UConn in the Final Four, overall his season was phenomenal. Point guard is the hardest position to learn and master, but by mid-season Knight was making strong decisions, getting his teammates involved, and scoring when scoring was needed. The poise he developed so quickly is indeed impressive, for it's not often a freshman grabs the game by the horns and says, "I'm winning this game, right now," but that is precisely what Knight did on more than one occasion this season. If he stays with the 'Cats for another go-round, great, if not, I wish him all the best in the NBA; I'm sure he will thrive. One last thing, Knight is to be admired and appreciated for the way he handled himself, both on and off the court. He's a class act for certain. One more last thing, as most know Knight is a serious student and is on target to be a junior scholastically by the end of this semester. That's right, a junior! Amazing, simply amazing.
Darius Miller -- The once over-deferential 'Cat became the take-charge 'Cat about 25-games into the season, and like his teammates, Harrellson and Liggins, the transformation was well-timed and a sight to behold. One of only three upperclassmen on the team, Miller saw the need for leadership and helped fill the vacuum, to his great credit. Although his NCAA Tournament wasn't filled with high-scoring games, he continued to defend with a passion (Miller's defense has come light-years from his freshman year), rebound, and get the ball to his mates in a position to score, helping the team in ways not illustrated in the box score.
Beating Ohio State -- There is absolutely nothing better than the 'Cats beating a team they weren't expected to beat, and for me, outside of beating Louisville and Tennessee, beating Ohio State was the high point of a season full of mountain tops and valleys. In fact, the OSU win might be my favorite UK "moment" of the last few years. The experience was simply unadulterated elation and joy! What more can anyone ask of a basketball team but to provide their fans with a reason to be proud ... something Kentucky's win over the Buckeyes provided in spades.
Losing to UConn -- Does it shock me UK lost to the Huskies? No, but the manner in which they lost does surprise, at least me. Shooting 33% across the board -- from the field, long-range, and most shocking, the free throw line -- the 'Cats went a long way in sealing their own fate. It seemed to me the enormity of the stage had something to do with UK's sub-par effort, plus, the team seemed amped-up in a major way at the beginning of the game, using up whatever reserve they had, leaving their tank near empty the last five or six minutes. Missed shots, forced shots in the lane (when a kick-out was called for), and missed free throws, all point to a team that allowed the bright lights to get inside their heads a bit. With their tremendous defense in the second stanza, though, they gave themselves a chance to win, and for that they deserve kudos.
John Calipari -- Perhaps pulling off his most outstanding coaching job, Calipari tore down the building erected on sand, and remade the structure with a strong foundation, able to do battle with all that would tear it down. From a team that couldn't close the deal, to a team that thrived in close game situations (save the last one), Cal meshed and managed his 'Cats to 29 victories, an SEC Tournament championship, and a Final Four appearance. Along the way avoiding the pitfalls associated with a short bench and even shorter experience. Now, more than ever, I feel Cal is the right man for the job (Cal's record at UK is 64-12 .824). He "gets" the Big Blue Nation, he gets the talent, and he'll eventually get Kentucky its eighth national title (and maybe more).
IT is always difficult to say goodbye to a Kentucky basketball season, especially when the goodbye is said on Saturday night of the Final Four. That, though, is what we are left with. So it's now time to reflect on the season as a whole, remembering how far this team traveled, from the summer trip to Canada -- where we first saw glimpses of what was to come -- to the almost unbelievable in-season turnaround this team executed, putting themselves in a position to bring Kentucky its first Final Four in what seems like decades. The thirst was quenched, and quenched quite nicely.
So follow me after the jump for some stream-of-consciousness thoughts on the 2010-2011 season that was:
Josh Harrellson and DeAndre Liggins -- Simply put, both players became unrecognizable. The transformation both players committed to is a testament to their collective ability to recognize they weren't giving their all (something most folks have a hard time admitting). With their renewal -- Harrellson because of his never-ending glass cleaning and vastly improved offensive game, and Ligs because of his defense, his newly found ability to consistently make shots, and dedication to giving himself floor burns -- they both gave themselves a chance to make some serious dinero at the next level, whether that be in Europe or the NBA, while at the same time delighting Kentucky basketball fans with their heart and hustle; two tenets Big Blue backers rightfully demand of each player wearing "Kentucky" across their chest. So sirs, I salute you both! You've made Kentucky fans proud, your coach proud, and you've represented your families with class and dignity. (I know Ligs is contemplating testing the NBA Draft waters, but let me begin the chant here: One more year Ligs, one more year!).
Doron Lamb -- Not much to say about Lamb, except, WHAT A SUPER SWEET SHOOTING STROKE that young man has. More, give me more!
Beating Louisville -- That never gets old, no matter how many times Kentucky does it. The 'Cats have now bested the 'Cards in two straight (by a cumulative score of 149-125), five of seven, and since the rivalry became a yearly (torrid) affair, UK holds a sizable 19-11 advantage. And with next season's contest in Lex, I like UK's odds of widening the series gap. On a related note (to Card fans): If Louisville is going to keep up with the pacesetter (you know who that is, right?) it's gonna take more than Chane Behanan and Wayne Blackshear -- both good players, no doubt, but not good enough to elevate the vile Cards to the summit currently occupied by the Big Blue party bus.
Sweeping the Vols -- Beating UT always brings about a special kind of satisfaction. Maybe it's because of the Vols' domination of the football series with Kentucky, or maybe it's because I was born infused with an anti-Vol chromosome ... whatever the reason, I do love it when the round-ball 'Cats put Tennessee in their place (which is somewhere, way, way below UK in the college basketball pecking order). Even sweeter, the Wildcats have won six of seven from Tennessee ,and since 2000, UK holds a 17-4 advantage -- That's gotta hurt Vol fan, especially considering UT just ended the best six-year stretch in school history -- Perhaps UT needs to change their persuasion of orange to the burnt variety. Oh, I almost forgot -- see ya, wouldn't want to be ya Ms. Pearl, and good luck to Cuonzo Martin, maybe he will bring a modicum of respectability to the UT athletic department. A possibility which begs the question: Can the head basketball coach fire the athletic director?
Terrence Jones -- The only 'Cat to slightly regress (at least in the scoring column) during the course of the season, Jones is as gifted as any UK small forward in recent memory. Although I feel the chances are very good Jones will be paid to play next season, if the NCAA Tournament told him anything, it's that he's not ready for the NBA. Of course that won't matter, though, the Association drafts on potential, and Jones' ceiling is clearly Himalayan high.
Beating Florida, twice -- Even though the Gators won the SEC regular season title this year, Kentucky beat Billy Donovan's club twice, the final win being for the SEC Tournament championship (which in my mind makes up for coming in behind the Gators in the final standings). Suffice it to say, there is no end to the amount of joy UK beating the Gators brings me. Since the consecutive national titles Donovan caught in a bottle, the 'Cats have continued the great and long-standing tradition of beating-down their SEC brethren, winning six of the last eight contests. Bringing even greater elation is the fact that defensive guru (and Florida assistant) Larry Shyatt has left UF to take over as head Cowboy at the University of Wyoming. I guess it's back to 24-25 win seasons, and first weekend NCAA tournament exits for the Gators. But hey, nobody in the Sunshine State seems to notice, which is exactly how Billy D. likes it.
Brandon Knight -- Although the Kentucky point guard had a less-than-stellar performance against UConn in the Final Four, overall his season was phenomenal. Point guard is the hardest position to learn and master, but by mid-season Knight was making strong decisions, getting his teammates involved, and scoring when scoring was needed. The poise he developed so quickly is indeed impressive, for it's not often a freshman grabs the game by the horns and says, "I'm winning this game, right now," but that is precisely what Knight did on more than one occasion this season. If he stays with the 'Cats for another go-round, great, if not, I wish him all the best in the NBA; I'm sure he will thrive. One last thing, Knight is to be admired and appreciated for the way he handled himself, both on and off the court. He's a class act for certain. One more last thing, as most know Knight is a serious student and is on target to be a junior scholastically by the end of this semester. That's right, a junior! Amazing, simply amazing.
Darius Miller -- The once over-deferential 'Cat became the take-charge 'Cat about 25-games into the season, and like his teammates, Harrellson and Liggins, the transformation was well-timed and a sight to behold. One of only three upperclassmen on the team, Miller saw the need for leadership and helped fill the vacuum, to his great credit. Although his NCAA Tournament wasn't filled with high-scoring games, he continued to defend with a passion (Miller's defense has come light-years from his freshman year), rebound, and get the ball to his mates in a position to score, helping the team in ways not illustrated in the box score.
Beating Ohio State -- There is absolutely nothing better than the 'Cats beating a team they weren't expected to beat, and for me, outside of beating Louisville and Tennessee, beating Ohio State was the high point of a season full of mountain tops and valleys. In fact, the OSU win might be my favorite UK "moment" of the last few years. The experience was simply unadulterated elation and joy! What more can anyone ask of a basketball team but to provide their fans with a reason to be proud ... something Kentucky's win over the Buckeyes provided in spades.
Losing to UConn -- Does it shock me UK lost to the Huskies? No, but the manner in which they lost does surprise, at least me. Shooting 33% across the board -- from the field, long-range, and most shocking, the free throw line -- the 'Cats went a long way in sealing their own fate. It seemed to me the enormity of the stage had something to do with UK's sub-par effort, plus, the team seemed amped-up in a major way at the beginning of the game, using up whatever reserve they had, leaving their tank near empty the last five or six minutes. Missed shots, forced shots in the lane (when a kick-out was called for), and missed free throws, all point to a team that allowed the bright lights to get inside their heads a bit. With their tremendous defense in the second stanza, though, they gave themselves a chance to win, and for that they deserve kudos.
John Calipari -- Perhaps pulling off his most outstanding coaching job, Calipari tore down the building erected on sand, and remade the structure with a strong foundation, able to do battle with all that would tear it down. From a team that couldn't close the deal, to a team that thrived in close game situations (save the last one), Cal meshed and managed his 'Cats to 29 victories, an SEC Tournament championship, and a Final Four appearance. Along the way avoiding the pitfalls associated with a short bench and even shorter experience. Now, more than ever, I feel Cal is the right man for the job (Cal's record at UK is 64-12 .824). He "gets" the Big Blue Nation, he gets the talent, and he'll eventually get Kentucky its eighth national title (and maybe more).
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