Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Select your timezone:
As Oklahoma State prepares to celebrate the opening of a highly anticipated season Friday night, the reigning Big 12 player of the year and the league's preseason player of the year finds himself overshadowed in his own conference by the hype surrounding an 18-year-old yet to play a college game.
Marcus Smart, who postponed an NBA career for a year to return for his sophomore season with the Cowboys, says he is very much motivated by – and not the least bit envious of – all of the attention garnered by Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins, the most heralded gem in a distinguished class of freshmen sprinkled throughout the country this season.
Smart has heard all about Wiggins being called the best high school prospect since LeBron James, and the best freshman to enter the sport --- former high school phenoms James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett skipped college --- in a generation.
"They are saying he is the best college player there is and he has not even played a game yet," Smart told USA TODAY Sports. "Of course that hypes me up. It is all talk. He still has to put his shorts on one leg at a time like I do. It is all potential. I am not saying he can't do it. But he has not done it yet."
The regular season matchups between Kansas and Oklahoma State – Jan. 18 in Lawrence, March 1 in Stillwater – will carry significant Big 12 title and NCAA seeding ramifications. But Smart says that stretches of the two games, depending upon lineups and other factors, should feature the undisputed marquee one-on-one matchup of the college basketball season – one matchup, Smart says, that all fans nationwide are eager awaiting.
At 6-foot-4, Smart wants nothing more than an opportunity to guard the sinewy 6-8 Wiggins.
"Definitely," Smart says. "I am not going to back down from any challenge. Like I said, you are going to have to prove to me. I am a fighter; I will keep fighting and will never give up."
In Smart and Wiggins, the Big 12 possesses two of the top five college players in the nation, two players who could have been lottery picks in the NBA draft this past June – Smart had he declared, Wiggins had he been eligible for the draft pool. Neither one says he wants or needs the spotlight.
Wiggins, in fact, says he admires pros like Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose specifically because they let their games speak louder than their words. And at times at Huntington Prep (W.Va.), Wiggins appeared uncomfortable with all the attention.
But the media has not manufactured the Wiggins hype. It began to escalate in July 2012 when Wiggins outplayed current Kentucky freshmen Julius Randle in a head-to-head matchup at Nike's Peach Jam event in front of hundreds of college coaches. Coaches gushed about Wiggins' athleticism and potential. Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford this week called him the best high school prospect he can ever recall watching.
The 19-year-old Smart, meantime, is one of the sport's most respected players because of his leadership ability, winning attitude and blue-collar approach to practice and games. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim says he was as valuable to his respective team as anyone player in the nation last year.
"Wherever he goes [in the NBA], he will go down as one of the all-time great players and people to ever play in that organization," Ford says. "Guarantee it, write it down. They are going to say he's the greatest guy to ever come to this organization. I get to be around him for two years, and I feel very lucky. Some coach will get to be around him for seven, eight, nine, and they are going to be really fortunate."
When Smart was asked who, aside from himself, is the best college player this season, he said he did not know because the freshmen had not played a game yet and college is "definitely a different game." When asked to name the best returning player aside from himself, Smart said Creighton's Doug McDermott, who Smart believes is underrated.
Smart says he respects Wiggins' talents, calling him a "great player." But Smart questions the purpose and the amount of the hype that Wiggins has been awash in for more than a year, and wants no part of it.
"I wouldn't say he is overrated," Smart says. "I would just say there is a lot of pressure on him right now. He is under a microscope from the world that is bigger than anybody would think, bigger than he knows. Whatever he does will be magnified times a million, just because of the hype. Whatever he says, does, however he acts."
Smart, who visibly has added upper body muscle since last season, is one of the most prominent faces of the sport this season and was one of only two non-NBA players – McDermott the other – to participate in the USA Men's National Team mini-camp in Las Vegas in July. But he still exhibits the work ethic and attitude of someone fighting for a starting spot.
Smart still recalls that some people in basketball circles did not think he could play point guard. And he says there have been a considerable number of critics, particularly on social media, who thought he was unwise to return for his sophomore season, that he would undoubtedly fall in a 2014 draft that is expected to be historically strong in large part because of the presence of Wiggins and other freshmen.
Smart relishes being counted out or even marginalized and prefers the underdog role, even as a likely first-team preseason All-American.
"I want to earn it, I don't want anything given to me," Smart says. "It has not been [given] at all. I want to work for what I have. If feel if you work for what you have instead of it being just given to you, people respect you a lot more because you understand what it takes, you've been there and done it. No one can just say it was easy because you took it. You didn't just get it. You took it. So all the power and credit to him [Wiggins]. Congratulations for the Sports Illustrated, all the hype, congratulations to him. But that's definitely a lot of pressure on him."
Sm
Marcus Smart, who postponed an NBA career for a year to return for his sophomore season with the Cowboys, says he is very much motivated by – and not the least bit envious of – all of the attention garnered by Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins, the most heralded gem in a distinguished class of freshmen sprinkled throughout the country this season.
Smart has heard all about Wiggins being called the best high school prospect since LeBron James, and the best freshman to enter the sport --- former high school phenoms James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett skipped college --- in a generation.
"They are saying he is the best college player there is and he has not even played a game yet," Smart told USA TODAY Sports. "Of course that hypes me up. It is all talk. He still has to put his shorts on one leg at a time like I do. It is all potential. I am not saying he can't do it. But he has not done it yet."
The regular season matchups between Kansas and Oklahoma State – Jan. 18 in Lawrence, March 1 in Stillwater – will carry significant Big 12 title and NCAA seeding ramifications. But Smart says that stretches of the two games, depending upon lineups and other factors, should feature the undisputed marquee one-on-one matchup of the college basketball season – one matchup, Smart says, that all fans nationwide are eager awaiting.
At 6-foot-4, Smart wants nothing more than an opportunity to guard the sinewy 6-8 Wiggins.
"Definitely," Smart says. "I am not going to back down from any challenge. Like I said, you are going to have to prove to me. I am a fighter; I will keep fighting and will never give up."
In Smart and Wiggins, the Big 12 possesses two of the top five college players in the nation, two players who could have been lottery picks in the NBA draft this past June – Smart had he declared, Wiggins had he been eligible for the draft pool. Neither one says he wants or needs the spotlight.
Wiggins, in fact, says he admires pros like Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose specifically because they let their games speak louder than their words. And at times at Huntington Prep (W.Va.), Wiggins appeared uncomfortable with all the attention.
But the media has not manufactured the Wiggins hype. It began to escalate in July 2012 when Wiggins outplayed current Kentucky freshmen Julius Randle in a head-to-head matchup at Nike's Peach Jam event in front of hundreds of college coaches. Coaches gushed about Wiggins' athleticism and potential. Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford this week called him the best high school prospect he can ever recall watching.
The 19-year-old Smart, meantime, is one of the sport's most respected players because of his leadership ability, winning attitude and blue-collar approach to practice and games. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim says he was as valuable to his respective team as anyone player in the nation last year.
"Wherever he goes [in the NBA], he will go down as one of the all-time great players and people to ever play in that organization," Ford says. "Guarantee it, write it down. They are going to say he's the greatest guy to ever come to this organization. I get to be around him for two years, and I feel very lucky. Some coach will get to be around him for seven, eight, nine, and they are going to be really fortunate."
When Smart was asked who, aside from himself, is the best college player this season, he said he did not know because the freshmen had not played a game yet and college is "definitely a different game." When asked to name the best returning player aside from himself, Smart said Creighton's Doug McDermott, who Smart believes is underrated.
Smart says he respects Wiggins' talents, calling him a "great player." But Smart questions the purpose and the amount of the hype that Wiggins has been awash in for more than a year, and wants no part of it.
"I wouldn't say he is overrated," Smart says. "I would just say there is a lot of pressure on him right now. He is under a microscope from the world that is bigger than anybody would think, bigger than he knows. Whatever he does will be magnified times a million, just because of the hype. Whatever he says, does, however he acts."
Smart, who visibly has added upper body muscle since last season, is one of the most prominent faces of the sport this season and was one of only two non-NBA players – McDermott the other – to participate in the USA Men's National Team mini-camp in Las Vegas in July. But he still exhibits the work ethic and attitude of someone fighting for a starting spot.
Smart still recalls that some people in basketball circles did not think he could play point guard. And he says there have been a considerable number of critics, particularly on social media, who thought he was unwise to return for his sophomore season, that he would undoubtedly fall in a 2014 draft that is expected to be historically strong in large part because of the presence of Wiggins and other freshmen.
Smart relishes being counted out or even marginalized and prefers the underdog role, even as a likely first-team preseason All-American.
"I want to earn it, I don't want anything given to me," Smart says. "It has not been [given] at all. I want to work for what I have. If feel if you work for what you have instead of it being just given to you, people respect you a lot more because you understand what it takes, you've been there and done it. No one can just say it was easy because you took it. You didn't just get it. You took it. So all the power and credit to him [Wiggins]. Congratulations for the Sports Illustrated, all the hype, congratulations to him. But that's definitely a lot of pressure on him."
Sm
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
All suspensions are not created equal. All coaches do not avert their eyes from bad behavior if it might cost them in big games. All those who assume Rick Pitino will reinstate Chane Behanan before the Dec. 28 Louisville-Kentucky game are likely too optimistic or, perhaps, overly cynical.
The prodigal forward has not had his wrist slapped. Behanan has been suspended from the basketball team and evicted from his residence hall. Of the 12 specified sanctions that can be imposed for violations of the University of Louisville's Code of Student Conduct, Behanan has been hit with at least two. And these are body blows, not love taps.
Pitino has suspended players before, but the residence hall suspension is so rare that Louisville spokesman Kenny Klein said he could not recall a previous basketball player being so penalized.
Though it would be naive to underestimate the influence of a Hall of Fame coach and his resourceful boss, it is not entirely clear who has jurisdiction here.
Privacy issues prevent the university from treating student disciplinary cases with transparency. Thus we still don't know exactly what Behanan did to earn his punishment or precisely how that punishment was determined. Mark Hebert, Louisville's director of media relations, said Sunday privacy policies prevent him from confirming whether Behanan's discipline had been imposed as an internal matter of the athletic department or on the authority of Dr. Thomas Jackson Jr., the university's vice president for student affairs.
The university recognizes Jackson or his designee as "the final authority in defining and interpreting the Code of Student Conduct and conduct procedures." Because Behanan's penalty includes the residence hall suspension — item G on the list of Code of Conduct sanctions — numerous campus heavyweights may have weighed in.
Coaches generally prefer to keep a close eye on players they are punishing. You wouldn't normally kick a player out of the athletic dorm if your goal was to get him back in time for a specific game. You would do so to be consistent with how Louisville handles similar cases.
Maybe Chane Behanan is reinstated in time for the Kentucky game. And maybe the better question is not when, but if.
Chane Behanan's Louisville absence could be long
The prodigal forward has not had his wrist slapped. Behanan has been suspended from the basketball team and evicted from his residence hall. Of the 12 specified sanctions that can be imposed for violations of the University of Louisville's Code of Student Conduct, Behanan has been hit with at least two. And these are body blows, not love taps.
Pitino has suspended players before, but the residence hall suspension is so rare that Louisville spokesman Kenny Klein said he could not recall a previous basketball player being so penalized.
Though it would be naive to underestimate the influence of a Hall of Fame coach and his resourceful boss, it is not entirely clear who has jurisdiction here.
Privacy issues prevent the university from treating student disciplinary cases with transparency. Thus we still don't know exactly what Behanan did to earn his punishment or precisely how that punishment was determined. Mark Hebert, Louisville's director of media relations, said Sunday privacy policies prevent him from confirming whether Behanan's discipline had been imposed as an internal matter of the athletic department or on the authority of Dr. Thomas Jackson Jr., the university's vice president for student affairs.
The university recognizes Jackson or his designee as "the final authority in defining and interpreting the Code of Student Conduct and conduct procedures." Because Behanan's penalty includes the residence hall suspension — item G on the list of Code of Conduct sanctions — numerous campus heavyweights may have weighed in.
Coaches generally prefer to keep a close eye on players they are punishing. You wouldn't normally kick a player out of the athletic dorm if your goal was to get him back in time for a specific game. You would do so to be consistent with how Louisville handles similar cases.
Maybe Chane Behanan is reinstated in time for the Kentucky game. And maybe the better question is not when, but if.
Chane Behanan's Louisville absence could be long
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Former Miami men's basketball coach Frank Haith, now the head coach at Missouri, will serve a five-game suspension for failing to monitor the activities of his assistant coaches and attempting to "cover up the booster's threats to disclose incriminating information," according to a Tuesday NCAA press release.
The NCAA announced the findings of its investigation into disgraced Miami booster and convicted felon Nevin Shapiro's relationship with Miami athletics on Tuesday.
It found that then-Miami coach Haith and an assistant coach provided Shapiro $10,000 after he threatened to expose previous improper contact with high school recruits and amateur coaches. Shapiro initially demanded Haith return a $50,000 donation, but the coach refused. The unidentified assistant then loaned Shapiro $7,000, which he later repaid. The NCAA also found that Haith helped his assistant pay off Shapiro's mother.
Haith issued a statement Tuesday afternoon:
"While I strongly disagree with today's report, and the inference on how the program was run at the University of Miami, as head basketball coach during that period, I accept responsibility for all actions in and around that program. This has been an excruciating ordeal for my family. An appeal, which would likely drag further into the season, would only prolong what has already been a lengthy and trying period of time for our student-athletes, the University of Missouri and our fans, and it's time for closure.
"I'm pleased with the positive working relationship we have with our compliance staff at Mizzou and we will continue our focus in that area as we move forward. I am very humbled and grateful for the support that I have received from the University of Missouri, its leadership, and our tremendous fans."
Haith had the support of school officials at Missouri, including athletic director Mike Alden:
"We certainly recognize the serious nature of the allegations included in today's report. At Missouri, we take great pride in our conduct with regard to NCAA rules and regulations. During his time here, Coach Haith has been forthright with me and our compliance staff throughout this long process. After all this time, Coach Haith, his family, the University of Missouri, our student-athletes, and our fans, deserve closure. We are extremely excited about the direction of our program and look forward to his continued leadership for our young men. I'm proud to have Frank Haith as our men's basketball coach."
Haith spoke to the enforcement staff on Sept. 5 of his time at Miami, and noted that it's a larger issue at hand.
"Did we win enough games for the Miami supporters? You read the papers, I don't think they felt that great about what we did there," he said. "I didn't recruit, I didn't get the five-star guys. And let's, like I said, let's don't be naïve about the level. Our business is corrupt and how we got to deal with these guys at the high level kid."
Frank Haith disagrees but won't appeal NCAA's 5-game suspension
The NCAA announced the findings of its investigation into disgraced Miami booster and convicted felon Nevin Shapiro's relationship with Miami athletics on Tuesday.
It found that then-Miami coach Haith and an assistant coach provided Shapiro $10,000 after he threatened to expose previous improper contact with high school recruits and amateur coaches. Shapiro initially demanded Haith return a $50,000 donation, but the coach refused. The unidentified assistant then loaned Shapiro $7,000, which he later repaid. The NCAA also found that Haith helped his assistant pay off Shapiro's mother.
Haith issued a statement Tuesday afternoon:
"While I strongly disagree with today's report, and the inference on how the program was run at the University of Miami, as head basketball coach during that period, I accept responsibility for all actions in and around that program. This has been an excruciating ordeal for my family. An appeal, which would likely drag further into the season, would only prolong what has already been a lengthy and trying period of time for our student-athletes, the University of Missouri and our fans, and it's time for closure.
"I'm pleased with the positive working relationship we have with our compliance staff at Mizzou and we will continue our focus in that area as we move forward. I am very humbled and grateful for the support that I have received from the University of Missouri, its leadership, and our tremendous fans."
Haith had the support of school officials at Missouri, including athletic director Mike Alden:
"We certainly recognize the serious nature of the allegations included in today's report. At Missouri, we take great pride in our conduct with regard to NCAA rules and regulations. During his time here, Coach Haith has been forthright with me and our compliance staff throughout this long process. After all this time, Coach Haith, his family, the University of Missouri, our student-athletes, and our fans, deserve closure. We are extremely excited about the direction of our program and look forward to his continued leadership for our young men. I'm proud to have Frank Haith as our men's basketball coach."
Haith spoke to the enforcement staff on Sept. 5 of his time at Miami, and noted that it's a larger issue at hand.
"Did we win enough games for the Miami supporters? You read the papers, I don't think they felt that great about what we did there," he said. "I didn't recruit, I didn't get the five-star guys. And let's, like I said, let's don't be naïve about the level. Our business is corrupt and how we got to deal with these guys at the high level kid."
Frank Haith disagrees but won't appeal NCAA's 5-game suspension
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
The narrative building around this Kentucky basketball team can be traced back to April 2, 2012. To the New Orleans Superdome. To the national championship game. It was there, with the confetti falling and the music playing and the Wildcats celebrating their title, that coach John Calipari raised the bar.
"I want to coach a team that goes 40-0," he said. "Before I'm out of here. Before I'm done. And the reason is, they say it can't be done. So let's go try and do it. Let's try to win them all."
And there it was, hubris mixed with hope. It was Calipari being Calipari. Much of the nation sighed; Wildcats fans salivated.
Yes, perfection is a recurring objective in sports. But Calipari's brash remark gained traction because of the manner in which he delivered it, the moment he chose.
Although last year's UK team had flaws, the spotlight has long been pointed toward this season, toward a recruiting class billed as the greatest ever. And when center Willie Cauley-Stein and forward Alex Poythress decided to return for their sophomore seasons, the perfect storm gained momentum. Suddenly, talk of 40-0 did not sound absurd.
To be fair, Calipari did not spend the summer boasting about an impending perfect season. When he was asked about the seemingly unachievable mark last week, he even stepped back — and we all know Calipari hardly ever steps back — and said his goal is not new.
"I've said it for eight to ten years," Calipari said, throwing sand on the fire he'd started. "Before I retire, I would like to coach a team that goes 40-0. Will that happen? I don't know…We don't talk about it as a team. I mean, I don't — it's not like, 'Oh, we're going 40-0.' We don't."
At this point, this storyline is spreading because the media has latched onto it, because we love storylines. And the fact that this article is appearing in this space means I am, in some ways, part of the herd.
But I'm actually here to encourage everyone to tap the brakes. I'm here to tell you that while we might see a perfect season someday, it will not be this season. It will not be now. Going through an entire year without a blemish requires a nearly unattainable combination of talent, chemistry, luck and good health. Not to mention steering clear of foul trouble — and Montrezl Harrell.
These Wildcats have immense talent. But we are, for the most part, basing projections on a collection of high school all-star games. We don't know how well they'll play together; we do know they haven't played together very much.
They've yet enter a hostile road environment. They've yet to be down by two with five seconds left.
Former Wildcats star Anthony Davis, who was the closest thing you'll find to a perfect player on a perfect team, attended Big Blue Madness last weekend. He said the freshmen seemed nervous just waving to the crowd. He said to expect perfection from them would be unfair.
"You don't want to put that pressure on them," Davis said.
Former Wildcats star John Wall, a member of this era's first greatest-recruiting-class-ever, has seen these Wildcats practice, and he's been impressed. But can they be perfect, John? Can they win them all?
"I don't know," Wall said, wincing a bit. 'That's what they said about us, and we lost three, so you never know until it happens."
Look, this team is loaded with future first-round NBA draft picks. It is the most talented team in the nation. It could win a national championship. But it will not win every game.
It will not defeat Michigan State and North Carolina and Louisville and Baylor, and then go unbeaten in the SEC, and then win the SEC tournament, and then win six consecutive games in the NCAA tournament. This is not a video game and it is not a movie.
With each win the Wildcats collect to start this year, chasing perfection will inevitably become the story that follows them. And that, in itself, would become a burden. It would add one more layer of unfair expectations, making 40-0 even more implausible.
Column: 40-0 season too much to expect from Kentucky
"I want to coach a team that goes 40-0," he said. "Before I'm out of here. Before I'm done. And the reason is, they say it can't be done. So let's go try and do it. Let's try to win them all."
And there it was, hubris mixed with hope. It was Calipari being Calipari. Much of the nation sighed; Wildcats fans salivated.
Yes, perfection is a recurring objective in sports. But Calipari's brash remark gained traction because of the manner in which he delivered it, the moment he chose.
Although last year's UK team had flaws, the spotlight has long been pointed toward this season, toward a recruiting class billed as the greatest ever. And when center Willie Cauley-Stein and forward Alex Poythress decided to return for their sophomore seasons, the perfect storm gained momentum. Suddenly, talk of 40-0 did not sound absurd.
To be fair, Calipari did not spend the summer boasting about an impending perfect season. When he was asked about the seemingly unachievable mark last week, he even stepped back — and we all know Calipari hardly ever steps back — and said his goal is not new.
"I've said it for eight to ten years," Calipari said, throwing sand on the fire he'd started. "Before I retire, I would like to coach a team that goes 40-0. Will that happen? I don't know…We don't talk about it as a team. I mean, I don't — it's not like, 'Oh, we're going 40-0.' We don't."
At this point, this storyline is spreading because the media has latched onto it, because we love storylines. And the fact that this article is appearing in this space means I am, in some ways, part of the herd.
But I'm actually here to encourage everyone to tap the brakes. I'm here to tell you that while we might see a perfect season someday, it will not be this season. It will not be now. Going through an entire year without a blemish requires a nearly unattainable combination of talent, chemistry, luck and good health. Not to mention steering clear of foul trouble — and Montrezl Harrell.
These Wildcats have immense talent. But we are, for the most part, basing projections on a collection of high school all-star games. We don't know how well they'll play together; we do know they haven't played together very much.
They've yet enter a hostile road environment. They've yet to be down by two with five seconds left.
Former Wildcats star Anthony Davis, who was the closest thing you'll find to a perfect player on a perfect team, attended Big Blue Madness last weekend. He said the freshmen seemed nervous just waving to the crowd. He said to expect perfection from them would be unfair.
"You don't want to put that pressure on them," Davis said.
Former Wildcats star John Wall, a member of this era's first greatest-recruiting-class-ever, has seen these Wildcats practice, and he's been impressed. But can they be perfect, John? Can they win them all?
"I don't know," Wall said, wincing a bit. 'That's what they said about us, and we lost three, so you never know until it happens."
Look, this team is loaded with future first-round NBA draft picks. It is the most talented team in the nation. It could win a national championship. But it will not win every game.
It will not defeat Michigan State and North Carolina and Louisville and Baylor, and then go unbeaten in the SEC, and then win the SEC tournament, and then win six consecutive games in the NCAA tournament. This is not a video game and it is not a movie.
With each win the Wildcats collect to start this year, chasing perfection will inevitably become the story that follows them. And that, in itself, would become a burden. It would add one more layer of unfair expectations, making 40-0 even more implausible.
Column: 40-0 season too much to expect from Kentucky
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
In Billy Donovan's 17 years as the head coach at Florida, he's never invested as heavily in a freshman as he could be this season.
There have been several who played key roles on Final Four teams. But none was handed the keys to the car and told to drive the program to greatness — that is, the starting point guard. This year could be the exception with McDonald's All-American Kasey Hill arriving to possibly save the day. Frustrated with senior Scottie Wilbekin, who was suspended at the start of last season with a yet to be official suspension to start this one also expected, Hill will likely start the schedule as the starter.
And while Hill is still adjusting to the college game, he already sounds like a senior when it comes to being tactful.
"He was the starting point guard the last couple of years,'' Hill said of Wilbekin. "He knows a lot more than me, he's way more advanced than me so I look up to him. we have a great relationship. He's a great kid, he's one of the leaders on the team.''
Donovan, whose Gators (29-8 last season) open the year as the No. 8 team in the first USA TODAY Sports coaches poll on Nov. 1 with an exhibition against Florida Southern before starting the regular season a week later vs. North Florida, only recently allowed Wilbekin to rejoin the team for workouts after his most recent violation of team rules in June. A member of three Elite Eight teams, Wilbekin was second in the SEC in assists (5.0) a year ago and was a second-team preseason All-SEC selection at the league's media event.
But Hill has the potential to be a great guard as well if he can make the transition from being a star prep recruit to the college game. And he's the one thing Florida could have been missing the last three years — a take charge guard in the closing moments of a must-win contest.
Florida exploded onto the national scene in 1999 as a surprising Sweet 16 team when another great clutch player arrived on campus named Mike Miller. It was Miller who made the buzzer beating layup in the opening round of the NCAA tourney one year later as the Gators went on to the national championship game for the first time in school history in Miller's second and final season.
Donovan, however, concedes it won't come easy for Hill. Miller was a forward. The newest elite freshman has to grow into perhaps the most important role in college hoops.
"The two hardest things for guys to come into (in college) is the point guard position coming out of high school and when someone goes right to the frontcourt as, say, a true center out of high school,'' Donovan said. "The first time for guys at either one of those positions is totally different than high school. Kasey has played for a great high school program and a great high school coach. He's as prepared coming into this season as he possibly could be as a high school senior. He has to learn a whole new system, he has to learn a lot of different things. The foundation and the base he has from high school in terms of work ethic, pushing himself, being challenged in practice, I think he'll be fine with those things, it's just that the game is going to move a lot faster, he's playing with a lot more talented players around him, it's going to be different.
"I think the biggest thing I've talked to him about that's going to be different is the length of the season. It's a long season. I'm hopeful. If a guy like Scottie can continue on the pace that he's on, that at some point Scottie can be a great, great helper to Kasey's evolvement and growth.''
Donovan doesn't expect the talented Hill to be perfect right away.
"Our team and myself are going to have to be patient with Kasey. What you can do as a coach when you have an unknown _ you've never coached a guy, you've never been in a game with a guy, never been in a huddle with a guy _ I don't know how he's going to respond to certain situations,'' Donovan said. "He's going to really have to be able to understand there is really going to be a lot on him but I don't need to overwhelm him. I need to help him. Kasey and I really need to be connected the next month and a half as we get ready to play games.''
Hill, already named to the Cousy Award watch list that goes to the nation's top point guard, is already invested in the program. He showed that by coming in right away and working on developing relationships.
"I'm an unselfish, humble dude,'' Hill said. "I'm caring. I think all three of those things are things my teammates an feed off of. That was the main thing I wanted to do. I try to act as normal as possible. I don't think I'm better than anyone else.''
Actually, he is awfully good.
In fact, one of the names Donovan threw out to Hill when he talked about his transition to college was Bradley Beal. Beal lasted one year in college basketball before going as a high lottery pick in the NBA Draft to Washington following the second of the three Elite Eight trips.
"(Donovan) talked about Brad Beal a lot,'' Hill said. "(Beal) came in and had a great attitude. He worked hard and got along with the team well. That's exactly what I want to do.''
Sounds like mission accomplished.
"The biggest thing that is going to help Kasey Hill, in my opinion, is he has done a good job as a McDonald's All-American, highly decorated player of coming in here and endearing himself to his teammates,'' Donovan said. "He's earned their trust, I think he's earned their respect, he's worked really hard. He's worked hard off the court with those guys. The guys on our team really, really like him. That's the best thing. When you're a point guard and you can have a support group around you as a freshman of guys that want to see you succeed and do well, that helps.''
Why Hill's decision to be a Gator?
"It was more Coach Donovan, I trusted him a lot. He played point guard in the NBA,'' Hill said. "I thought I could learn a lot more from him. He was very honest with me. During the recruiting pr
There have been several who played key roles on Final Four teams. But none was handed the keys to the car and told to drive the program to greatness — that is, the starting point guard. This year could be the exception with McDonald's All-American Kasey Hill arriving to possibly save the day. Frustrated with senior Scottie Wilbekin, who was suspended at the start of last season with a yet to be official suspension to start this one also expected, Hill will likely start the schedule as the starter.
And while Hill is still adjusting to the college game, he already sounds like a senior when it comes to being tactful.
"He was the starting point guard the last couple of years,'' Hill said of Wilbekin. "He knows a lot more than me, he's way more advanced than me so I look up to him. we have a great relationship. He's a great kid, he's one of the leaders on the team.''
Donovan, whose Gators (29-8 last season) open the year as the No. 8 team in the first USA TODAY Sports coaches poll on Nov. 1 with an exhibition against Florida Southern before starting the regular season a week later vs. North Florida, only recently allowed Wilbekin to rejoin the team for workouts after his most recent violation of team rules in June. A member of three Elite Eight teams, Wilbekin was second in the SEC in assists (5.0) a year ago and was a second-team preseason All-SEC selection at the league's media event.
But Hill has the potential to be a great guard as well if he can make the transition from being a star prep recruit to the college game. And he's the one thing Florida could have been missing the last three years — a take charge guard in the closing moments of a must-win contest.
Florida exploded onto the national scene in 1999 as a surprising Sweet 16 team when another great clutch player arrived on campus named Mike Miller. It was Miller who made the buzzer beating layup in the opening round of the NCAA tourney one year later as the Gators went on to the national championship game for the first time in school history in Miller's second and final season.
Donovan, however, concedes it won't come easy for Hill. Miller was a forward. The newest elite freshman has to grow into perhaps the most important role in college hoops.
"The two hardest things for guys to come into (in college) is the point guard position coming out of high school and when someone goes right to the frontcourt as, say, a true center out of high school,'' Donovan said. "The first time for guys at either one of those positions is totally different than high school. Kasey has played for a great high school program and a great high school coach. He's as prepared coming into this season as he possibly could be as a high school senior. He has to learn a whole new system, he has to learn a lot of different things. The foundation and the base he has from high school in terms of work ethic, pushing himself, being challenged in practice, I think he'll be fine with those things, it's just that the game is going to move a lot faster, he's playing with a lot more talented players around him, it's going to be different.
"I think the biggest thing I've talked to him about that's going to be different is the length of the season. It's a long season. I'm hopeful. If a guy like Scottie can continue on the pace that he's on, that at some point Scottie can be a great, great helper to Kasey's evolvement and growth.''
Donovan doesn't expect the talented Hill to be perfect right away.
"Our team and myself are going to have to be patient with Kasey. What you can do as a coach when you have an unknown _ you've never coached a guy, you've never been in a game with a guy, never been in a huddle with a guy _ I don't know how he's going to respond to certain situations,'' Donovan said. "He's going to really have to be able to understand there is really going to be a lot on him but I don't need to overwhelm him. I need to help him. Kasey and I really need to be connected the next month and a half as we get ready to play games.''
Hill, already named to the Cousy Award watch list that goes to the nation's top point guard, is already invested in the program. He showed that by coming in right away and working on developing relationships.
"I'm an unselfish, humble dude,'' Hill said. "I'm caring. I think all three of those things are things my teammates an feed off of. That was the main thing I wanted to do. I try to act as normal as possible. I don't think I'm better than anyone else.''
Actually, he is awfully good.
In fact, one of the names Donovan threw out to Hill when he talked about his transition to college was Bradley Beal. Beal lasted one year in college basketball before going as a high lottery pick in the NBA Draft to Washington following the second of the three Elite Eight trips.
"(Donovan) talked about Brad Beal a lot,'' Hill said. "(Beal) came in and had a great attitude. He worked hard and got along with the team well. That's exactly what I want to do.''
Sounds like mission accomplished.
"The biggest thing that is going to help Kasey Hill, in my opinion, is he has done a good job as a McDonald's All-American, highly decorated player of coming in here and endearing himself to his teammates,'' Donovan said. "He's earned their trust, I think he's earned their respect, he's worked really hard. He's worked hard off the court with those guys. The guys on our team really, really like him. That's the best thing. When you're a point guard and you can have a support group around you as a freshman of guys that want to see you succeed and do well, that helps.''
Why Hill's decision to be a Gator?
"It was more Coach Donovan, I trusted him a lot. He played point guard in the NBA,'' Hill said. "I thought I could learn a lot more from him. He was very honest with me. During the recruiting pr
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
It didn't take long for Michigan's basketball players to learn the difference between life in the shadows and life in the spotlight.
For Mitch McGary, it got a little weird when a kid on campus asked him to sign his forehead. Then a few girls asked for kisses. (He politely declined both.)
While Spike Albrecht was recognized a little bit more walking around, he insists he's still like anyone else — presumably unathletic at first glance.
But the most difficult challenge for the Wolverines won't be fending off advances of fans. It'll be living up to expectations — reaching the national title game last season sets an impossibly high bar — without some of the key pieces that got them there.
Spending last season as one of the nation's 10 youngest teams, Michigan accomplished the improbable behind national player of the year Trey Burke and fellow NBA first-round pick Tim Hardaway.
"We're even younger this year," McGary said Thursday at Crisler Center, of the roster that has one fifth-year senior, one fourth-year senior and the rest sophomores and freshmen. "This year, we're not more of an underdog, we have a target on our back, but being a younger team we know we have to come out with a hot start, just like last year and not settle."
Michigan likely is without McGary early in the season due to a lower-back condition — he's still not practicing after being out since early September.
For years, coach John Beilein has slowly increased the expectations.
Early, the Wolverines broke the huddle with "NCAA," when a tournament berth hardly was certain — the one in 2009 ending a decade drought. Then it became "Big Ten champs" when that became their goal.
After reaching U-M's first Final Four in two decades, it logically should keep progressing. But Beilein is sticking with his 35 years of experience.
"What we're going to say when we go on the floor is champions," he said. "We have opportunities to be champions: in the Puerto Rico tournament, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the championship for our league — the Big Ten regular season, the Big Ten conference and obviously the NCAA if we make it."
Not Final Four?
"I don't because we didn't last year," he said. "You get to that point if you make the NCAA tournament. Now you're talking about winning a championship. … You can't be talking about the Final Four when you're trying to get to Puerto Rico or trying to win somewhere. Be champions in this game (tonight)."
U-M might be one of the youngest teams in the nation again as five of last year's freshmen — McGary, Glenn Robinson III, Nik Stauskas, Caris LeVert and Albrecht — all should have much larger roles.
"We knew (last year) what we had with the other two," assistant Jeff Meyer said of Burke and Hardaway. "We had experience, toughness and just a proven commodity. That's one of the things that you go into this year that is a little different."
The staff exhaustively has tried to figure out last season's success, from the 16-0 start to the long NCAA tournament run, even using analytics to keep the genie in the bottle.
But, to Beilein, teaching and basketball is the same as ever. The intangibles are the unknown.
"The harder thing is making us all recall how focused we were as we went down the stretch," he said. "The atmosphere and the environment — look at this (filled) room — changes pretty quickly when you're able to make the run that we did. There was incredible focus.
"But do we have that again? That's the most challenging thing."
Young Michigan players carry expectations beyond their years
For Mitch McGary, it got a little weird when a kid on campus asked him to sign his forehead. Then a few girls asked for kisses. (He politely declined both.)
While Spike Albrecht was recognized a little bit more walking around, he insists he's still like anyone else — presumably unathletic at first glance.
But the most difficult challenge for the Wolverines won't be fending off advances of fans. It'll be living up to expectations — reaching the national title game last season sets an impossibly high bar — without some of the key pieces that got them there.
Spending last season as one of the nation's 10 youngest teams, Michigan accomplished the improbable behind national player of the year Trey Burke and fellow NBA first-round pick Tim Hardaway.
"We're even younger this year," McGary said Thursday at Crisler Center, of the roster that has one fifth-year senior, one fourth-year senior and the rest sophomores and freshmen. "This year, we're not more of an underdog, we have a target on our back, but being a younger team we know we have to come out with a hot start, just like last year and not settle."
Michigan likely is without McGary early in the season due to a lower-back condition — he's still not practicing after being out since early September.
For years, coach John Beilein has slowly increased the expectations.
Early, the Wolverines broke the huddle with "NCAA," when a tournament berth hardly was certain — the one in 2009 ending a decade drought. Then it became "Big Ten champs" when that became their goal.
After reaching U-M's first Final Four in two decades, it logically should keep progressing. But Beilein is sticking with his 35 years of experience.
"What we're going to say when we go on the floor is champions," he said. "We have opportunities to be champions: in the Puerto Rico tournament, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the championship for our league — the Big Ten regular season, the Big Ten conference and obviously the NCAA if we make it."
Not Final Four?
"I don't because we didn't last year," he said. "You get to that point if you make the NCAA tournament. Now you're talking about winning a championship. … You can't be talking about the Final Four when you're trying to get to Puerto Rico or trying to win somewhere. Be champions in this game (tonight)."
U-M might be one of the youngest teams in the nation again as five of last year's freshmen — McGary, Glenn Robinson III, Nik Stauskas, Caris LeVert and Albrecht — all should have much larger roles.
"We knew (last year) what we had with the other two," assistant Jeff Meyer said of Burke and Hardaway. "We had experience, toughness and just a proven commodity. That's one of the things that you go into this year that is a little different."
The staff exhaustively has tried to figure out last season's success, from the 16-0 start to the long NCAA tournament run, even using analytics to keep the genie in the bottle.
But, to Beilein, teaching and basketball is the same as ever. The intangibles are the unknown.
"The harder thing is making us all recall how focused we were as we went down the stretch," he said. "The atmosphere and the environment — look at this (filled) room — changes pretty quickly when you're able to make the run that we did. There was incredible focus.
"But do we have that again? That's the most challenging thing."
Young Michigan players carry expectations beyond their years
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Duke freshman Semi Ojeleye set the Kansas high school career scoring record with 2,763 points before joining the Blue Devils. We're guessing very few of those points were as impressive as the two he scored on a vicious dunk to cap a five-on-five portion of practice this week.
We should mention the dunk comes off a nice half-court pass from senior guard Tyler Thornton.
Yes, as Allen Iverson would say, we're talking about practice here, but you have to appreciate moments of pure athleticism like this whenever you find them. If nothing else, the video of this dunk leaves us wanting to see a lot more of Ojeleye, a product of Ottawa, Kan.
Duke opens the season Nov. 8 at home against Davidson. Until then, enjoy this a few times.
Video: Y! SPORTS
We should mention the dunk comes off a nice half-court pass from senior guard Tyler Thornton.
Yes, as Allen Iverson would say, we're talking about practice here, but you have to appreciate moments of pure athleticism like this whenever you find them. If nothing else, the video of this dunk leaves us wanting to see a lot more of Ojeleye, a product of Ottawa, Kan.
Duke opens the season Nov. 8 at home against Davidson. Until then, enjoy this a few times.
Video: Y! SPORTS
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Good luck finding a frontcourt in college basketball more talented than Kentucky’s.
#In fact, the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats would probably trade.
#There are six former Top-50 recruits in the group, five of them McDonald’s All-Americans. Forwards Julius Randle, James Young and Alex Poythress and centers Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson are among ESPN draft guru Chad Ford’s Top 25 NBA prospects for 2014.
#Then there’s Marcus Lee, one of the top high school shot-blockers in the country, and former Top-100 recruit Derek Willis, a finalist for Mr. Basketball in Kentucky.
#They go 6-7, 6-8, 6-9, 6-9, 6-11 and 7-0 — all of them skilled, some of them shooters, some scorers, some swatters or slammers, or in the case of super freshman Randle, a combination of all. It is a potentially devastating front line.
#But …
#“Potential is exactly that,” Cauley-Stein said. “We had the potential (last) year and didn’t capitalize on it, so it could easily be we have the best recruiting class coming in and not do anything with it. It’s that simple. If you don’t come together and do things right, then you’re just a bunch of talented kids that didn’t get anything accomplished.”
#But coach John Calipari doesn’t believe history is going to repeat itself because now he has strength in numbers — and personality. Led by the powerful and explosive Randle, Calipari’s 6-9 “alpha beast,” the four touted freshmen figure to push the two “veterans,” sophomores Cauley-Stein and Poythress, who passed up NBA first-round money to come back to Kentucky.
#Calipari saw results in summer workouts.
#“Both of them are challenged,” he said. “Now you really see guys blossom. Right now, Willie’s challenged by the other big guys. Alex is challenged by Julius and the other guys. So all of the sudden, they’ve elevated their game. You make an excuse, you’ll be sitting. And they know that now, because you’ve got other guys.
#“What you see is they’re on a mission like some of my best teams have been on.”
#Suddenly, the 7-foot Cauley-Stein, who went from somewhat of a project when he signed to the SEC All-Freshman team last season, is a projected NBA lottery pick. Calipari hopes he will help lead the Wildcats to a ninth national championship — second in three years — before he goes.
#“Willie Cauley has a chance to be one of the better players that I’ve ever coached,” Calipari said. “He’s not delusional at all. Understood how far he had come. Understood how far he needed to go. Understood he could have been a first-round draft pick. He knew. But he came back anyway, because he wasn’t delusional.”
#Poythress, a 6-7 forward with a smooth 3-point stroke and a body built for banging in the paint, was inconsistent. He dominated Duke, disappeared against Robert Morris — the stunning NIT loss to finish a disappointing season.
#“I didn’t want to leave with a bad taste in my mouth,” Poythress said. “You didn’t want to end your college career like that. (I want to) just prove that I belong, too, prove that I’m not just potential.”
#Poythress is viewed differently than many other players, Calipari said, because he’s at Kentucky, where all hyped recruits are expected to be one-and-dones, star for a season and cash in as pros.
#“Alex Poythress learned a lot about himself and where he’s going to have to take everything to be the player that he wants to be,” Calipari said. “He knew he wasn’t ready (for the NBA). He knew: ‘I have to change. I have to take this to another level.’ If he does, and the competition brings out the best in him, it is scary how good he can be.”
#Scarier still is the fact that neither Cauley-Stein nor Poythress is likely to be the best player in UK’s frontcourt. Randle, who some analysts believe could be as good or better as projected No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins of Kansas, reminds his coach of former UK star Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the emotional leader of the 2012 NCAA title team.
#“He’s an alpha beast who will drive the team,” Calipari said. “There are good players out there, (but) he’s as good as any of them.”
#Several NBA alumni were back on campus this summer and watched or worked out with Randle and came away impressed. Kidd-Gilchrist, Archie Goodwin, Eric Bledsoe and DeMarcus Cousins are among the pros singing Randle’s praises.
#“He’s a competitive guy just like I was,” Goodwin said, “in the gym every night just like I was.”
#Besides sheer volume and talent, the versatility of the Cats’ frontcourt is impressive. Young is a 6-6 small forward who could be Kentucky’s best outside shooter — if that’s not Poythress — and Johnson is the first traditional center that Calipari has signed in four years.
#Whenever Johnson and Cauley-Stein play together, especially if Randle is on the floor with them, UK would have to be the biggest team in America. Not to mention Lee, who’s a better shot-blocker than all of them. He averaged 13.9 points, 13.9 rebounds and 9.1 blocks as a high school junior and swatted 566 shots during his prep career.
#This frontcourt is so loaded that Lee might be the fourth- or fifth-best player in it. So loaded that junior Kyle Wiltjer, a 6-10 forward who shot 40 percent from 3-point range, was being asked to redshirt this season and instead transferred to Gonzaga.
#Just how good are these guys?
#“We haven’t done nothing yet,” Poythress said. “We haven’t won anything yet. So we still gotta prove ourselves.”
NCAAB preview: Kentucky’s front line best in nation | Newton Citizen
#In fact, the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats would probably trade.
#There are six former Top-50 recruits in the group, five of them McDonald’s All-Americans. Forwards Julius Randle, James Young and Alex Poythress and centers Willie Cauley-Stein and Dakari Johnson are among ESPN draft guru Chad Ford’s Top 25 NBA prospects for 2014.
#Then there’s Marcus Lee, one of the top high school shot-blockers in the country, and former Top-100 recruit Derek Willis, a finalist for Mr. Basketball in Kentucky.
#They go 6-7, 6-8, 6-9, 6-9, 6-11 and 7-0 — all of them skilled, some of them shooters, some scorers, some swatters or slammers, or in the case of super freshman Randle, a combination of all. It is a potentially devastating front line.
#But …
#“Potential is exactly that,” Cauley-Stein said. “We had the potential (last) year and didn’t capitalize on it, so it could easily be we have the best recruiting class coming in and not do anything with it. It’s that simple. If you don’t come together and do things right, then you’re just a bunch of talented kids that didn’t get anything accomplished.”
#But coach John Calipari doesn’t believe history is going to repeat itself because now he has strength in numbers — and personality. Led by the powerful and explosive Randle, Calipari’s 6-9 “alpha beast,” the four touted freshmen figure to push the two “veterans,” sophomores Cauley-Stein and Poythress, who passed up NBA first-round money to come back to Kentucky.
#Calipari saw results in summer workouts.
#“Both of them are challenged,” he said. “Now you really see guys blossom. Right now, Willie’s challenged by the other big guys. Alex is challenged by Julius and the other guys. So all of the sudden, they’ve elevated their game. You make an excuse, you’ll be sitting. And they know that now, because you’ve got other guys.
#“What you see is they’re on a mission like some of my best teams have been on.”
#Suddenly, the 7-foot Cauley-Stein, who went from somewhat of a project when he signed to the SEC All-Freshman team last season, is a projected NBA lottery pick. Calipari hopes he will help lead the Wildcats to a ninth national championship — second in three years — before he goes.
#“Willie Cauley has a chance to be one of the better players that I’ve ever coached,” Calipari said. “He’s not delusional at all. Understood how far he had come. Understood how far he needed to go. Understood he could have been a first-round draft pick. He knew. But he came back anyway, because he wasn’t delusional.”
#Poythress, a 6-7 forward with a smooth 3-point stroke and a body built for banging in the paint, was inconsistent. He dominated Duke, disappeared against Robert Morris — the stunning NIT loss to finish a disappointing season.
#“I didn’t want to leave with a bad taste in my mouth,” Poythress said. “You didn’t want to end your college career like that. (I want to) just prove that I belong, too, prove that I’m not just potential.”
#Poythress is viewed differently than many other players, Calipari said, because he’s at Kentucky, where all hyped recruits are expected to be one-and-dones, star for a season and cash in as pros.
#“Alex Poythress learned a lot about himself and where he’s going to have to take everything to be the player that he wants to be,” Calipari said. “He knew he wasn’t ready (for the NBA). He knew: ‘I have to change. I have to take this to another level.’ If he does, and the competition brings out the best in him, it is scary how good he can be.”
#Scarier still is the fact that neither Cauley-Stein nor Poythress is likely to be the best player in UK’s frontcourt. Randle, who some analysts believe could be as good or better as projected No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins of Kansas, reminds his coach of former UK star Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the emotional leader of the 2012 NCAA title team.
#“He’s an alpha beast who will drive the team,” Calipari said. “There are good players out there, (but) he’s as good as any of them.”
#Several NBA alumni were back on campus this summer and watched or worked out with Randle and came away impressed. Kidd-Gilchrist, Archie Goodwin, Eric Bledsoe and DeMarcus Cousins are among the pros singing Randle’s praises.
#“He’s a competitive guy just like I was,” Goodwin said, “in the gym every night just like I was.”
#Besides sheer volume and talent, the versatility of the Cats’ frontcourt is impressive. Young is a 6-6 small forward who could be Kentucky’s best outside shooter — if that’s not Poythress — and Johnson is the first traditional center that Calipari has signed in four years.
#Whenever Johnson and Cauley-Stein play together, especially if Randle is on the floor with them, UK would have to be the biggest team in America. Not to mention Lee, who’s a better shot-blocker than all of them. He averaged 13.9 points, 13.9 rebounds and 9.1 blocks as a high school junior and swatted 566 shots during his prep career.
#This frontcourt is so loaded that Lee might be the fourth- or fifth-best player in it. So loaded that junior Kyle Wiltjer, a 6-10 forward who shot 40 percent from 3-point range, was being asked to redshirt this season and instead transferred to Gonzaga.
#Just how good are these guys?
#“We haven’t done nothing yet,” Poythress said. “We haven’t won anything yet. So we still gotta prove ourselves.”
NCAAB preview: Kentucky’s front line best in nation | Newton Citizen
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Kentucky and its roster full of high school All-Americas is the narrow choice over Michigan State in The Associated Press' preseason college basketball poll.
The Wildcats, who finished last season with an NIT opening-round loss at Robert Morris, received 27 first-place votes and 1,546 points from the 65-member national media panel. The Spartans, who return four starters from the team that lost to Duke in the NCAA tournament's round of 16, snared 22 first-place votes and 1,543 points.
The last preseason No. 1 not to be ranked in the final poll of the previous season was Indiana in 1979-80.
Defending national champion Louisville received 14 first-place votes and was third while Duke, which received the other two No. 1 votes, was fourth.
Kansas was fifth and was followed by Arizona and Michigan. Oklahoma State and Syracuse tied for eighth and Florida rounded out the Top Ten.
Ohio State was 11th and was followed by North Carolina, Memphis, VCU, Gonzaga, Wichita State, Marquette, Connecticut, Oregon and Wisconsin.
The last five ranked teams were Notre Dame, UCLA, New Mexico, Virginia and Baylor.
This is Kentucky's third preseason No. 1 and first since 1995-96 when the Wildcats won the national championship. The other preseason No. 1 was in 1980-81. Kentucky was ranked for just one week in the final 16 polls of last season but coach John Calipari enters this season with a roster featuring two returnees — Alex Poythress and Willie Cauley-Stein — and six freshmen who were selected McDonalds All-Americans last season.
Indiana was the preseason No. 1 last season and the Hoosiers were fourth in the final poll.
Gonzaga was No. 1 in the final poll last season and 18 teams in that final poll were in the preseason Top 25.
The Atlantic Coast Conference had the most teams in the preseason Top 25 with five and the Big Ten had four. The new American Athletic Conference, the Big 12 and Pac 12 all had three ranked teams.
Kentucky picked No. 1 in AP top 25 preseason poll
The Wildcats, who finished last season with an NIT opening-round loss at Robert Morris, received 27 first-place votes and 1,546 points from the 65-member national media panel. The Spartans, who return four starters from the team that lost to Duke in the NCAA tournament's round of 16, snared 22 first-place votes and 1,543 points.
The last preseason No. 1 not to be ranked in the final poll of the previous season was Indiana in 1979-80.
Defending national champion Louisville received 14 first-place votes and was third while Duke, which received the other two No. 1 votes, was fourth.
Kansas was fifth and was followed by Arizona and Michigan. Oklahoma State and Syracuse tied for eighth and Florida rounded out the Top Ten.
Ohio State was 11th and was followed by North Carolina, Memphis, VCU, Gonzaga, Wichita State, Marquette, Connecticut, Oregon and Wisconsin.
The last five ranked teams were Notre Dame, UCLA, New Mexico, Virginia and Baylor.
This is Kentucky's third preseason No. 1 and first since 1995-96 when the Wildcats won the national championship. The other preseason No. 1 was in 1980-81. Kentucky was ranked for just one week in the final 16 polls of last season but coach John Calipari enters this season with a roster featuring two returnees — Alex Poythress and Willie Cauley-Stein — and six freshmen who were selected McDonalds All-Americans last season.
Indiana was the preseason No. 1 last season and the Hoosiers were fourth in the final poll.
Gonzaga was No. 1 in the final poll last season and 18 teams in that final poll were in the preseason Top 25.
The Atlantic Coast Conference had the most teams in the preseason Top 25 with five and the Big Ten had four. The new American Athletic Conference, the Big 12 and Pac 12 all had three ranked teams.
Kentucky picked No. 1 in AP top 25 preseason poll
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Freshman forward Julius Randle posted a double-double and top-ranked Kentucky pulled away for a 76-42 exhibition victory over Transylvania on Friday night.
Shooting solidly but leading only 41-30 at halftime, Kentucky broke it open with an 18-2 run over the first 8 minutes of the second half. The Wildcats went on to make 15 of 26 from the field in the second half (57.7 percent) and finish 29 of 58.
Randle's 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 12 rebounds led the way for Kentucky's much-heralded freshmen class. Swingman James Young added nine points, five rebounds and five assists, guard Aaron Harrison scored eight points and center Dakari Johnson had nine points and eight rebounds.
Trevor Tiller scored 11 points with three 3-pointers for Transylvania, a Division III school located less than a mile from Rupp Arena. Logan Wade added 10 points.
Y! SPORTS
Shooting solidly but leading only 41-30 at halftime, Kentucky broke it open with an 18-2 run over the first 8 minutes of the second half. The Wildcats went on to make 15 of 26 from the field in the second half (57.7 percent) and finish 29 of 58.
Randle's 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 12 rebounds led the way for Kentucky's much-heralded freshmen class. Swingman James Young added nine points, five rebounds and five assists, guard Aaron Harrison scored eight points and center Dakari Johnson had nine points and eight rebounds.
Trevor Tiller scored 11 points with three 3-pointers for Transylvania, a Division III school located less than a mile from Rupp Arena. Logan Wade added 10 points.
Y! SPORTS
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
The expectations continue to pile up for John Calipari's young roster of heavily-hyped freshmen, as Kentucky was voted No. 1 in both the major preseason top 25 polls.
Two weeks after being voted as the top team in the country in the USA TODAY Sports' Coaches Poll — earning 16 first-place votes in the 32-coach panel, the Wildcats were again picked as the favorite in The Associated Press top 25 poll, but by a much smaller margin over No. 2 Michigan State. Kentucky (27 first-place votes) edged the Spartans (22 first-place votes) on the 65-member national media panel. After earning a preseason No. 3 selection, the Wildcats finished last season unranked in both polls following an NCAA tournament-less postseason and an early NIT exit.
All but one of the top 25 teams made both polls, with Indiana (No. 24 Coaches Poll) and Baylor (No. 25 AP Poll) voted in the top 25 in different polls.
Oklahoma State (12th in the Coaches Poll, 8th in the AP) had the greatest disparity in its ranking, with New Mexico (No. 20 in Coaches Poll) differing by three votes by coming in at No. 23 in the AP poll. Among other significant differences, Kansas (No. 6 in Coaches Poll) cracked the AP's top 25, while Michigan (No. 9 in Coaches Poll) earned more respect from sports writers at No. 7 and a Florida (No. 8 in Coaches Poll) roster plagued by early-season question marks dipped to No. 10 in the AP top 25.
How do all of this season's preseason top 25s compare? Here's a complete breakdown: Comparing the preseason Coaches and AP basketball polls
Two weeks after being voted as the top team in the country in the USA TODAY Sports' Coaches Poll — earning 16 first-place votes in the 32-coach panel, the Wildcats were again picked as the favorite in The Associated Press top 25 poll, but by a much smaller margin over No. 2 Michigan State. Kentucky (27 first-place votes) edged the Spartans (22 first-place votes) on the 65-member national media panel. After earning a preseason No. 3 selection, the Wildcats finished last season unranked in both polls following an NCAA tournament-less postseason and an early NIT exit.
All but one of the top 25 teams made both polls, with Indiana (No. 24 Coaches Poll) and Baylor (No. 25 AP Poll) voted in the top 25 in different polls.
Oklahoma State (12th in the Coaches Poll, 8th in the AP) had the greatest disparity in its ranking, with New Mexico (No. 20 in Coaches Poll) differing by three votes by coming in at No. 23 in the AP poll. Among other significant differences, Kansas (No. 6 in Coaches Poll) cracked the AP's top 25, while Michigan (No. 9 in Coaches Poll) earned more respect from sports writers at No. 7 and a Florida (No. 8 in Coaches Poll) roster plagued by early-season question marks dipped to No. 10 in the AP top 25.
How do all of this season's preseason top 25s compare? Here's a complete breakdown: Comparing the preseason Coaches and AP basketball polls
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
LaQuinton Ross and Lenzelle Smith Jr. each scored 15 points to help No. 11 Ohio State beat Walsh 93-63 in an exhibition game Sunday.
Aaron Craft added 14 points, Amadeo Della Valle had 13 and Sam Thompson 12. Amir Williams finished with eight points and five of the Buckeyes' 11 blocks.
Jesse Hardin led the Cavaliers with 18 points.
Ohio State led 49-26 at halftime, making 19 of 24 free throws while the Cavaliers were 1 of 2.
The Buckeyes return four starters from the team that went 29-8 and reached the regional finals in the NCAA tournament, losing only scoring leader Deshaun Thomas.
Ohio State opens the regular season at home against Morgan State on Nov. 9.
Y! SPORTS
Aaron Craft added 14 points, Amadeo Della Valle had 13 and Sam Thompson 12. Amir Williams finished with eight points and five of the Buckeyes' 11 blocks.
Jesse Hardin led the Cavaliers with 18 points.
Ohio State led 49-26 at halftime, making 19 of 24 free throws while the Cavaliers were 1 of 2.
The Buckeyes return four starters from the team that went 29-8 and reached the regional finals in the NCAA tournament, losing only scoring leader Deshaun Thomas.
Ohio State opens the regular season at home against Morgan State on Nov. 9.
Y! SPORTS
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
The University of Kentucky turned in another uninspiring exhibition performance, considering it was college basketball's preseason No. 1 against Division II Montevallo, but that doesn't mean it wasn't entertaining. In fact, Monday night's game at Rupp Arena included perhaps the rarest play in sports: an own-goal 3-pointer by the Wildcats.
That crazy play – on which UK guard James Young tried to save a ball on the sideline but flung it blindly behind his back and straight into the wrong basket, a perfect swish from beyond the arc – was the biggest highlight of the Cats' ho-hum 95-72 victory over the Falcons. There were other reasons for the home crowd to cheer, but they came in fits and starts, with bouts of bad defense in between. The Falcons led 9-2 before Kentucky scored 14 straight points to seize a lead it never relinquished. Montevallo never really went away, though, thanks to a 30-point night from guard Troran Brown.
"We're not a good team right now," Cats coach John Calipari said. "We've got a nice collection of guys, but we're not a good team."
After Brown's driving bucket with just a minute to go in the first half, the overmatched visitors were shooting 50 percent from the field and trailed 45-35. As they did last week against Division III Transylvania, Kentucky's bigger, faster, stronger players pulled away late.
Young, who finished with 16 points and five rebounds, and fellow freshman star Julius Randle shined again. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Randle put on another impressive display of his versatility: spinning into the lane for layups, skying for slams, swishing a 3-pointer, dishing deftly to teammates and crashing the glass. He had 21 points and 11 rebounds.
"Julius was a beast," Calipari said.
That, and the fact that sporadic sophomore Alex Poythress had 10 points and four rebounds in just 17 minutes off the bench – "as well as I've seen him play," Calipari said – and freshman shooting guard Aaron Harrison looked more comfortable than in the first exhibition against Transylvania, are good signs.
But with the season opener lurking on Friday night and a date with No. 2 Michigan State just a week away, once again a far inferior opponent hung around too long. Calipari took some of the blame, saying he "beat them up pretty good" with a pair of two-a-day practice sessions over the weekend that "got to their legs a little bit." Starting center Willie Cauley-Stein had just one rebound, one block and two points at halftime. Calipari lit into him during the break.
His message to Cauley-Stein: "I can't play if I don't fly around and block shots."
He responded by blocking five shots and scoring seven points in the first six minutes of the second half, a blitz that threatened to bury the Falcons – although they mounted a 10-2 run to cut the lead back to 67-56 with 9:36 remaining. Did Cauley-Stein, who finished with 12 points, six blocks, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in just 23 minutes, feel like former shot-blocking Cats Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel?
"No, I just felt like a dude that just got his butt chewed at halftime," Cauley-Stein said, "and you better go do what coach said."
Spoken like a true veteran. The Cats don't have many of those, and Cauley-Stein as a sophomore only qualifies because he's on a team with eight scholarship freshmen. He uses air quotes when referring to himself as a vet.
Kentucky is so young it hasn't learned one of the oldest coaching points in the book: "Don't ever throw it back at your basket," Calipari said. "It's probably not going to go in, but you're throwing it to them."
Only this time, it did go in. Cauley-Stein swatted another shot with 14:18 to go in the game and Young chased it to the sideline. He scooped it and slung it behind his back. Swoosh. The crowd gasped. Calipari laughed. By rule, it only counted as two points for Montevallo.
"It was the craziest thing I've ever seen in my life," Cauley-Stein said. "(Young) just looks at me like, 'Are you serious?' Like, 'Did that seriously just happen?' I'm like, 'Dude.' "
He figures it will make SportsCenter's "Not Top Ten" on ESPN. He hopes, now that the games are about to start counting, the Cats have gotten the blooper-reel plays out of their system.
"Basically, it's on," Calipari said. "And whether we're ready or not – and we're not – the bus is taking us to the games. So we have to learn as we go."
Crazy play steals the show at Kentucky's exhibition
That crazy play – on which UK guard James Young tried to save a ball on the sideline but flung it blindly behind his back and straight into the wrong basket, a perfect swish from beyond the arc – was the biggest highlight of the Cats' ho-hum 95-72 victory over the Falcons. There were other reasons for the home crowd to cheer, but they came in fits and starts, with bouts of bad defense in between. The Falcons led 9-2 before Kentucky scored 14 straight points to seize a lead it never relinquished. Montevallo never really went away, though, thanks to a 30-point night from guard Troran Brown.
"We're not a good team right now," Cats coach John Calipari said. "We've got a nice collection of guys, but we're not a good team."
After Brown's driving bucket with just a minute to go in the first half, the overmatched visitors were shooting 50 percent from the field and trailed 45-35. As they did last week against Division III Transylvania, Kentucky's bigger, faster, stronger players pulled away late.
Young, who finished with 16 points and five rebounds, and fellow freshman star Julius Randle shined again. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Randle put on another impressive display of his versatility: spinning into the lane for layups, skying for slams, swishing a 3-pointer, dishing deftly to teammates and crashing the glass. He had 21 points and 11 rebounds.
"Julius was a beast," Calipari said.
That, and the fact that sporadic sophomore Alex Poythress had 10 points and four rebounds in just 17 minutes off the bench – "as well as I've seen him play," Calipari said – and freshman shooting guard Aaron Harrison looked more comfortable than in the first exhibition against Transylvania, are good signs.
But with the season opener lurking on Friday night and a date with No. 2 Michigan State just a week away, once again a far inferior opponent hung around too long. Calipari took some of the blame, saying he "beat them up pretty good" with a pair of two-a-day practice sessions over the weekend that "got to their legs a little bit." Starting center Willie Cauley-Stein had just one rebound, one block and two points at halftime. Calipari lit into him during the break.
His message to Cauley-Stein: "I can't play if I don't fly around and block shots."
He responded by blocking five shots and scoring seven points in the first six minutes of the second half, a blitz that threatened to bury the Falcons – although they mounted a 10-2 run to cut the lead back to 67-56 with 9:36 remaining. Did Cauley-Stein, who finished with 12 points, six blocks, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in just 23 minutes, feel like former shot-blocking Cats Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel?
"No, I just felt like a dude that just got his butt chewed at halftime," Cauley-Stein said, "and you better go do what coach said."
Spoken like a true veteran. The Cats don't have many of those, and Cauley-Stein as a sophomore only qualifies because he's on a team with eight scholarship freshmen. He uses air quotes when referring to himself as a vet.
Kentucky is so young it hasn't learned one of the oldest coaching points in the book: "Don't ever throw it back at your basket," Calipari said. "It's probably not going to go in, but you're throwing it to them."
Only this time, it did go in. Cauley-Stein swatted another shot with 14:18 to go in the game and Young chased it to the sideline. He scooped it and slung it behind his back. Swoosh. The crowd gasped. Calipari laughed. By rule, it only counted as two points for Montevallo.
"It was the craziest thing I've ever seen in my life," Cauley-Stein said. "(Young) just looks at me like, 'Are you serious?' Like, 'Did that seriously just happen?' I'm like, 'Dude.' "
He figures it will make SportsCenter's "Not Top Ten" on ESPN. He hopes, now that the games are about to start counting, the Cats have gotten the blooper-reel plays out of their system.
"Basically, it's on," Calipari said. "And whether we're ready or not – and we're not – the bus is taking us to the games. So we have to learn as we go."
Crazy play steals the show at Kentucky's exhibition
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
It's no coincidence that some of the world's most prolific writers have Bovada Sportsbook in there list of what I feel to be the Nr: 1 greatest sports books ever.
Welcome!!
Welcome!!
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
There was almost a full decade when Michigan basketball players and coaches could roam the world in virtual obscurity.
Such is the life of a passive program, one that does nothing special and simply exists, drawing no attention and deserving about the same. When John Beilein arrived in Ann Arbor in 2007, fresh off reviving West Virginia, he didn't see what he expected. He saw a dilapidated arena, no legitimate practice facilities and one or two viable Big Ten players on the roster.
The program that pulsated in Beilein's memory from attending his first Final Fours in the early 1990s was barely relevant.
His predecessor, Tommy Amaker, had rescued it from the depths and endured a few years of probation. But the basic tenet of respectability — reaching the NCAA tournament — was nearly a decade past, and Amaker couldn't get the Wolverines into the Big Dance.
So Beilein began chipping away at improvements. It started with a surprise NCAA tournament berth in 2009. Then another in 2011, when the Wolverines nearly upset top seed Duke in the round of 32. Michigan kept it going in 2011-12 with a shared Big Ten regular-season title.
But to become a national name again, March mattered. Enter the 2012-13 season.
Riding the national player of the year, sophomore point guard Trey Burke, the Wolverines reached a No. 1 Associated Press ranking in late January. (They were No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.) They just missed a share of a second consecutive Big Ten title when a buzzer layup rolled off in the last game of the regular season against Indiana.
They found a superstar center in Mitch McGary and wore their famous maize uniforms all the way to Monday night, holding a halftime lead against Louisville in the national championship game.
The young Wolverines lost the final but regained their national name, something that became clear as the pain faded.
Droughts in so many areas were wiped out.
There was the top ranking. The Sweet 16 appearance. The Final Four. First-round NBA draft picks in Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Michigan back on the map.
Beilein said in the spring that he and Burke could barely walk through the airport together in April without being stopped to sign autographs.
"Maybe people know us more, understand the block M more, where Michigan has been in the past, and we're striving to get back to where we were in those days, where we were in perpetual postseason play," Beilein says. "I think I see that appreciation and understanding thus far, that this is working well. However, I don't look for a lot of those things. I probably should enjoy it a little bit more. I do know the recognition of our program and what we're trying to accomplish 100%, 200%, 300% more than when we got here."
Forward Jon Horford was suddenly noticed in unusual places, such as the Atlanta airport, during the offseason.
In his fifth year, senior Jordan Morgan couldn't believe what he was seeing. He committed to Michigan as a high school prospect, when there was only hope and no proof.
Now the program was relevant nationally and locally.
Michigan basketball mattered, shown by the season ticket sales. There are nearly 4,500 from the students, a number as high as in the 20 years of available recordkeeping and more than 1,700 more than just last season.
So many more than the athletic department anticipated that every student with a ticket cannot attend every game — there just aren't enough seats.
"As far as campus goes, there's never been so much excitement and support," Morgan says. "In the program, we really embrace a hardworking attitude, because we want to experience that feeling again, of making a run. We know we lost some talent and some leadership, so we're really working hard to come together and embrace the challenge of doing something like that again."
Despite the lofty ranking entering this season by many preseason publications, including No. 9 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, Michigan has yet to prove it can make repeated deep NCAA tournament runs and has one of the youngest rosters in the country. All but two players are freshmen or sophomores.
Last season was its first Sweet 16 in 19 years. There were six opportunities in between, but the program never left the tournament's first weekend.
The 2012-13 team was driven by Burke, who took over games when other players were sluggish. He rolled up assists and points and hit the legendary shot to force overtime against Kansas in that Sweet 16 game. Burke signed photos from the game all summer before and after being drafted ninth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves and being traded to the Utah Jazz.
This season's team is lacking a defined leader, which makes a repeat even more uncertain.
Burke put off early entry into the NBA draft after his freshman year, then spent the offseason turning himself from Michigan's best player into the nation's best.
This team has two players who made the same decision, McGary and wing Glenn Robinson III. Both bypassed middle first-round projections.
On the court, they are the unquestioned stars, but both have question marks.
Sophomores get comfortable
McGary, who played himself into shape as a reserve for most of the regular season, showed in the NCAA tournament he could be the nation's best big man with dominant performances in the first five games.
Yet he knew returning would only increase the pressure.
"It's a relief that I had all that (predraft decision) stress off my shoulders and I had a lot more stress actually added to my shoulders," he said in the summer. "Everybody looks at me having a big name now coming back to Michigan and trying to lead this program back to Final Four status. I've been trying to get better every day and trying to go back to campus and prove and show my teammates I want to lead this team."
Though he was limited early in the fall by a back problem, McGary returned, along with Robinson. The two close fr
Such is the life of a passive program, one that does nothing special and simply exists, drawing no attention and deserving about the same. When John Beilein arrived in Ann Arbor in 2007, fresh off reviving West Virginia, he didn't see what he expected. He saw a dilapidated arena, no legitimate practice facilities and one or two viable Big Ten players on the roster.
The program that pulsated in Beilein's memory from attending his first Final Fours in the early 1990s was barely relevant.
His predecessor, Tommy Amaker, had rescued it from the depths and endured a few years of probation. But the basic tenet of respectability — reaching the NCAA tournament — was nearly a decade past, and Amaker couldn't get the Wolverines into the Big Dance.
So Beilein began chipping away at improvements. It started with a surprise NCAA tournament berth in 2009. Then another in 2011, when the Wolverines nearly upset top seed Duke in the round of 32. Michigan kept it going in 2011-12 with a shared Big Ten regular-season title.
But to become a national name again, March mattered. Enter the 2012-13 season.
Riding the national player of the year, sophomore point guard Trey Burke, the Wolverines reached a No. 1 Associated Press ranking in late January. (They were No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.) They just missed a share of a second consecutive Big Ten title when a buzzer layup rolled off in the last game of the regular season against Indiana.
They found a superstar center in Mitch McGary and wore their famous maize uniforms all the way to Monday night, holding a halftime lead against Louisville in the national championship game.
The young Wolverines lost the final but regained their national name, something that became clear as the pain faded.
Droughts in so many areas were wiped out.
There was the top ranking. The Sweet 16 appearance. The Final Four. First-round NBA draft picks in Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Michigan back on the map.
Beilein said in the spring that he and Burke could barely walk through the airport together in April without being stopped to sign autographs.
"Maybe people know us more, understand the block M more, where Michigan has been in the past, and we're striving to get back to where we were in those days, where we were in perpetual postseason play," Beilein says. "I think I see that appreciation and understanding thus far, that this is working well. However, I don't look for a lot of those things. I probably should enjoy it a little bit more. I do know the recognition of our program and what we're trying to accomplish 100%, 200%, 300% more than when we got here."
Forward Jon Horford was suddenly noticed in unusual places, such as the Atlanta airport, during the offseason.
In his fifth year, senior Jordan Morgan couldn't believe what he was seeing. He committed to Michigan as a high school prospect, when there was only hope and no proof.
Now the program was relevant nationally and locally.
Michigan basketball mattered, shown by the season ticket sales. There are nearly 4,500 from the students, a number as high as in the 20 years of available recordkeeping and more than 1,700 more than just last season.
So many more than the athletic department anticipated that every student with a ticket cannot attend every game — there just aren't enough seats.
"As far as campus goes, there's never been so much excitement and support," Morgan says. "In the program, we really embrace a hardworking attitude, because we want to experience that feeling again, of making a run. We know we lost some talent and some leadership, so we're really working hard to come together and embrace the challenge of doing something like that again."
Despite the lofty ranking entering this season by many preseason publications, including No. 9 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, Michigan has yet to prove it can make repeated deep NCAA tournament runs and has one of the youngest rosters in the country. All but two players are freshmen or sophomores.
Last season was its first Sweet 16 in 19 years. There were six opportunities in between, but the program never left the tournament's first weekend.
The 2012-13 team was driven by Burke, who took over games when other players were sluggish. He rolled up assists and points and hit the legendary shot to force overtime against Kansas in that Sweet 16 game. Burke signed photos from the game all summer before and after being drafted ninth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves and being traded to the Utah Jazz.
This season's team is lacking a defined leader, which makes a repeat even more uncertain.
Burke put off early entry into the NBA draft after his freshman year, then spent the offseason turning himself from Michigan's best player into the nation's best.
This team has two players who made the same decision, McGary and wing Glenn Robinson III. Both bypassed middle first-round projections.
On the court, they are the unquestioned stars, but both have question marks.
Sophomores get comfortable
McGary, who played himself into shape as a reserve for most of the regular season, showed in the NCAA tournament he could be the nation's best big man with dominant performances in the first five games.
Yet he knew returning would only increase the pressure.
"It's a relief that I had all that (predraft decision) stress off my shoulders and I had a lot more stress actually added to my shoulders," he said in the summer. "Everybody looks at me having a big name now coming back to Michigan and trying to lead this program back to Final Four status. I've been trying to get better every day and trying to go back to campus and prove and show my teammates I want to lead this team."
Though he was limited early in the fall by a back problem, McGary returned, along with Robinson. The two close fr
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
In the middle of his team's foul-plagued exhibition victory over St. Catharine (Ky.) on Saturday night, Morehead State coach Sean Woods glanced at the video board and cringed.
There had been so many stoppages that 10 minutes of real time had somehow passed without a full minute coming off the game clock.
The barrage of whistles exemplifies why many coaches are concerned about the impact of rule changes meant to increase scoring in college basketball by limiting defensive contact and allowing greater freedom of movement.
Morehead State and St. Catharine combined to commit 66 personal fouls, a higher total than every non-overtime Division I game but one last season. The 97 free throws attempted by the two teams caused an exhibition game not delayed by TV commercials to drag on for nearly 2 1/2 hours.
"I get that they're trying to make the game better and increase scoring, but I don't think the way they're going about it is good," Woods said. "I just hope it doesn't get to the point where it's hurting our game because it slows it down so much. You can imagine the pace of a game with that many fouls called and that many free throws." It's too soon to accurately assess how many more whistles and clock stoppages there will be this season than years past, but early evidence suggests Woods has a right to be worried. Fifty-foul games have been unusually common in exhibition play the past two weeks as defenders struggle to adapt to rules designed to wean them off hand-checking or arm-barring and to force them to play defense with their feet.
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins joked that all the whistle-induced dead time this season will "help beer sales tremendously" after his team won an exhibition game featuring 63 fouls and 82 free throws on Monday night. Rhode Island coach Danny Hurley admitted he doesn't know what a foul is anymore after an exhibition victory that included 56 fouls and 71 free throws last week. Neither Huggins nor Hurley will get any sympathy from Dayton coach Archie Miller, who endured an astonishing 70 fouls and 96 free throws in his team's exhibition victory Saturday night.
"Early on, the refs will be the game, not the players," Miller said. "Refs will be operating as the evaluated people. To be honest, it's going to backfire and refs will be attacked not by coaches but by fans and TV [commentators]. They will become the bad guys."
All the grousing among coaches raises the question whether the long-term benefit of the new rules outweighs the short-term damage to the game. Is reversing college basketball's recent downturn in scoring worth potentially turning a season defined by star power nationwide into the year of the whistle?
Proponents of the rule changes say yes because they believe college basketball requires an overhaul. The speed and artistry that once defined the sport has waned in recent years as freedom of movement has diminished and physicality has increased. Louisville coach Rick Pitino compared some games last season to "semi-football, semi-rugby," lamenting that dribblers were often impeded by forearms and cutters were bumped and bodied like receivers jammed by cornerbacks at the line of scrimmage.
The proliferation of rough, bruising defense is likely one of the culprits for scoring in Division I plunging to 67.5 points per game last season, the lowest in 31 years or the entirety of the 3-point era. That's an alarming trend for university officials and NCAA administrators because of the potential impact on gate receipts, merchandise sales and television ratings.
Out of the need to halt the decline in scoring came a proposal by the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee in May to crackdown on hand checking. St. Peter's coach John Dunne said momentum had gradually built in favor of the proposed changes during his four years on the rules committee until the 12-person group decided last spring that the time was right.
"Obviously right now it uglies up the game, but that was expected," Dunne said. "The players have to adjust and the referees have to fall into a rhythm of what they're going to call and not call. Overall down the road, I think it will make for a better flowing, more enjoyable game."
The new rules were adopted by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel in June, a decision that has since been hailed as one of the most dramatic changes to the sport since the addition of the 3-point line. The panel also approved the rules committee's proposal to make block-charge calls easier for referees by mandating that a charge be called only if a defender is in legal guarding position when the offensive player begins his upward motion to pass or shoot.
Bobby Dibler, coordinator of officials in the Pac-12 and Mountain West, said he believes the rules changes will improve the sport in the long-term even if an adjustment period is required this season. Dibler said that simply touching a dribbler will not result in a foul, but obstructing a ball handler with two hands, jabbing at him with a forearm or impeding his path to the rim with an arm bar will.
"What we're looking for is for defenders to back to using their feet rather than their arms and their hands," Dibler said. "I want my referees to have a feel for the game, but at the same time I want them to enforce the rules as they're written. The onus is not on the official to keep from blowing the whistle. It's clearly the defenders guarding the ball who have to adjust. I'm one who believes that if we do our jobs consistently, players are going to adjust because they don't want to be sitting on the bench in foul trouble."
One of the most challenging aspects of the rules changes for coaches is many remain unsure how much they'll have to alter their methods to adapt.
Some have reluctantly implemented more zone in an effort to close off driving lanes and keep their stars out of foul trouble. Others have instructed their guards to attack off the dribble whenever possible this season
There had been so many stoppages that 10 minutes of real time had somehow passed without a full minute coming off the game clock.
The barrage of whistles exemplifies why many coaches are concerned about the impact of rule changes meant to increase scoring in college basketball by limiting defensive contact and allowing greater freedom of movement.
Morehead State and St. Catharine combined to commit 66 personal fouls, a higher total than every non-overtime Division I game but one last season. The 97 free throws attempted by the two teams caused an exhibition game not delayed by TV commercials to drag on for nearly 2 1/2 hours.
"I get that they're trying to make the game better and increase scoring, but I don't think the way they're going about it is good," Woods said. "I just hope it doesn't get to the point where it's hurting our game because it slows it down so much. You can imagine the pace of a game with that many fouls called and that many free throws." It's too soon to accurately assess how many more whistles and clock stoppages there will be this season than years past, but early evidence suggests Woods has a right to be worried. Fifty-foul games have been unusually common in exhibition play the past two weeks as defenders struggle to adapt to rules designed to wean them off hand-checking or arm-barring and to force them to play defense with their feet.
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins joked that all the whistle-induced dead time this season will "help beer sales tremendously" after his team won an exhibition game featuring 63 fouls and 82 free throws on Monday night. Rhode Island coach Danny Hurley admitted he doesn't know what a foul is anymore after an exhibition victory that included 56 fouls and 71 free throws last week. Neither Huggins nor Hurley will get any sympathy from Dayton coach Archie Miller, who endured an astonishing 70 fouls and 96 free throws in his team's exhibition victory Saturday night.
"Early on, the refs will be the game, not the players," Miller said. "Refs will be operating as the evaluated people. To be honest, it's going to backfire and refs will be attacked not by coaches but by fans and TV [commentators]. They will become the bad guys."
All the grousing among coaches raises the question whether the long-term benefit of the new rules outweighs the short-term damage to the game. Is reversing college basketball's recent downturn in scoring worth potentially turning a season defined by star power nationwide into the year of the whistle?
Proponents of the rule changes say yes because they believe college basketball requires an overhaul. The speed and artistry that once defined the sport has waned in recent years as freedom of movement has diminished and physicality has increased. Louisville coach Rick Pitino compared some games last season to "semi-football, semi-rugby," lamenting that dribblers were often impeded by forearms and cutters were bumped and bodied like receivers jammed by cornerbacks at the line of scrimmage.
The proliferation of rough, bruising defense is likely one of the culprits for scoring in Division I plunging to 67.5 points per game last season, the lowest in 31 years or the entirety of the 3-point era. That's an alarming trend for university officials and NCAA administrators because of the potential impact on gate receipts, merchandise sales and television ratings.
Out of the need to halt the decline in scoring came a proposal by the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee in May to crackdown on hand checking. St. Peter's coach John Dunne said momentum had gradually built in favor of the proposed changes during his four years on the rules committee until the 12-person group decided last spring that the time was right.
"Obviously right now it uglies up the game, but that was expected," Dunne said. "The players have to adjust and the referees have to fall into a rhythm of what they're going to call and not call. Overall down the road, I think it will make for a better flowing, more enjoyable game."
The new rules were adopted by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel in June, a decision that has since been hailed as one of the most dramatic changes to the sport since the addition of the 3-point line. The panel also approved the rules committee's proposal to make block-charge calls easier for referees by mandating that a charge be called only if a defender is in legal guarding position when the offensive player begins his upward motion to pass or shoot.
Bobby Dibler, coordinator of officials in the Pac-12 and Mountain West, said he believes the rules changes will improve the sport in the long-term even if an adjustment period is required this season. Dibler said that simply touching a dribbler will not result in a foul, but obstructing a ball handler with two hands, jabbing at him with a forearm or impeding his path to the rim with an arm bar will.
"What we're looking for is for defenders to back to using their feet rather than their arms and their hands," Dibler said. "I want my referees to have a feel for the game, but at the same time I want them to enforce the rules as they're written. The onus is not on the official to keep from blowing the whistle. It's clearly the defenders guarding the ball who have to adjust. I'm one who believes that if we do our jobs consistently, players are going to adjust because they don't want to be sitting on the bench in foul trouble."
One of the most challenging aspects of the rules changes for coaches is many remain unsure how much they'll have to alter their methods to adapt.
Some have reluctantly implemented more zone in an effort to close off driving lanes and keep their stars out of foul trouble. Others have instructed their guards to attack off the dribble whenever possible this season
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Mike Rice is finally telling his side of the story, and that side includes a helping of self-examination.
After seven months of radio silence, the former Rutgers basketball coach toldThe New York Times Magazine, "I was an idiot, but I never abused anybody." In the long-form story, for which reporter Jonathan Mahler spent weeks with Rice starting in June, Rice concludes that the pressure to win on a big stage prompted him to take in-your-face tactics that worked at Robert Morris to the next level.
"My problem became a huge problem, and I never took time out to analyze how I was going about these things," Rice said.
Andy Toole, who succeeded Rice as Robert Morris' head coach, called it "a hard paradox to explain or understand."
"He cares about you so much and he wants you to win, he's willing to go maybe into a gray area with you to motivate you," Toole, a former Christian Brothers Academy standout, told the magazine.
After three losing season at Rutgers, Rice was fired amid national controversy in April when ESPN aired a video montage of him mistreating players during practices.
"A good coach leads his team to water," Rice said. "A great coach leads his team to water and makes them thirsty. I led them to water, put their heads in until I was satisfied with how much they drank."
The 44-year-old Rice, who lives in Little Silver, is back in basketball as an administrator with the Hoop Group, a Neptune-based instructional academy where he worked from 2001-04. His long-term goal is to get back into college coaching.
"The fear is that he won't get another job," basketball rehabilitation guru John Lucas told the magazine. "How long is everything going to be, Mike Rice, the disgraced ex-Rutgers coach?"
Rice has been working with Lucas since May. The magazine reported that Rice, who was captured on tape shouting homophobic slurs at his players, has volunteered his services to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education network.
"You know how much courage it takes for a kid to come out in high school?" Rice told Mahler, whose piece is titled "The Coach Who Exploded."
Rice's public rehabilitation hits airwaves Friday night when ABC's "20/20" will show a sit-down interview with him.
"I won't be perfect moving forward, but I've changed," Rice says in the interview, according to ABC News' website. "Having that taken away, your dream job . . . having it done in such a visible way . . . and hurting the people closest to me . . . it changes a person."
The interview will air at 10 p.m. As irony would have it, that's right about when new Rutgers coach Eddie Jordan will be conducting his first postgame press conference following the Scarlet Knights' season-opening game against Florida A&M.
Ex-Rutgers coach Mike Rice breaks silence after player abuse scandal
After seven months of radio silence, the former Rutgers basketball coach toldThe New York Times Magazine, "I was an idiot, but I never abused anybody." In the long-form story, for which reporter Jonathan Mahler spent weeks with Rice starting in June, Rice concludes that the pressure to win on a big stage prompted him to take in-your-face tactics that worked at Robert Morris to the next level.
"My problem became a huge problem, and I never took time out to analyze how I was going about these things," Rice said.
Andy Toole, who succeeded Rice as Robert Morris' head coach, called it "a hard paradox to explain or understand."
"He cares about you so much and he wants you to win, he's willing to go maybe into a gray area with you to motivate you," Toole, a former Christian Brothers Academy standout, told the magazine.
After three losing season at Rutgers, Rice was fired amid national controversy in April when ESPN aired a video montage of him mistreating players during practices.
"A good coach leads his team to water," Rice said. "A great coach leads his team to water and makes them thirsty. I led them to water, put their heads in until I was satisfied with how much they drank."
The 44-year-old Rice, who lives in Little Silver, is back in basketball as an administrator with the Hoop Group, a Neptune-based instructional academy where he worked from 2001-04. His long-term goal is to get back into college coaching.
"The fear is that he won't get another job," basketball rehabilitation guru John Lucas told the magazine. "How long is everything going to be, Mike Rice, the disgraced ex-Rutgers coach?"
Rice has been working with Lucas since May. The magazine reported that Rice, who was captured on tape shouting homophobic slurs at his players, has volunteered his services to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education network.
"You know how much courage it takes for a kid to come out in high school?" Rice told Mahler, whose piece is titled "The Coach Who Exploded."
Rice's public rehabilitation hits airwaves Friday night when ABC's "20/20" will show a sit-down interview with him.
"I won't be perfect moving forward, but I've changed," Rice says in the interview, according to ABC News' website. "Having that taken away, your dream job . . . having it done in such a visible way . . . and hurting the people closest to me . . . it changes a person."
The interview will air at 10 p.m. As irony would have it, that's right about when new Rutgers coach Eddie Jordan will be conducting his first postgame press conference following the Scarlet Knights' season-opening game against Florida A&M.
Ex-Rutgers coach Mike Rice breaks silence after player abuse scandal
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
Kenny Chery scored 14 points, Cory Jefferson had 13 points and 11 rebounds and Baylor beat cold-shooting Colorado 72-60 in the season opener for both teams Friday night.
The final game of a season-opening tripleheader at the downtown Dallas home of the NBA's Mavericks featured last year's NIT champion in Baylor and a Colorado team coming off the school's first back-to-back trips to the NCAA tournament in 50 years.
Brad Heslip had 12 points, all on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, including one with a defender in his face that gave the Bears their biggest lead at 56-43 with 8:38 remaining.
Josh Scott had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Buffaloes, who shot 33 percent and went 2 of 19 from 3-point range.
Taurean Prince had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Bears.
Baylor's heralded frontcourt duo of Isaiah Austin and Jefferson helped the Bears pull away after a slow start. Jefferson missed a wide-open, two-handed dunk after an offensive rebound, and Scott hit a layup to pull Colorado to 64-58 with 2:19 remaining.
Jefferson missed again on a jump hook in the lane, but Askia Booker couldn't hit a jumper on the other end. The Bears pushed the lead back to eight when Jefferson drove the lane and passed to Austin for a short bank shot from the left side of the lane with 47 seconds left.
Austin finished with five points and four rebounds.
The Buffs missed their first 12 shots from 3-point range before Spencer Dinwiddie finally hit one to cut Baylor's lead to 44-38. But Royce O'Neale scored inside at the other end for the Bears, and Prince hit a shot in the lane after another Colorado miss from long range to push the Bears' lead back to double digits. The first point of the game didn't come until the 17:23 mark of the first half on a free throw by Austin. The Buffs missed their first four shots — three from beyond the arc — and the Bears started 0 for 5 with a pair of misses from in close.
The first basket came on a three-point play by O'Neale that put Baylor up 4-0, and Wesley Gordon got Colorado's first field goal on a short jumper at the other end.
Colorado shot 21 percent in the first half, yet trailed by just two points before an 11-3 Baylor run to finish the half gave the Bears a 30-20 lead.
Chery hit a couple of jumpers and Heslip had a long 3-pointer. After a bucket from Prince, Austin made a hook shot to put the Bears up 10.
Baylor had the 10-point halftime lead despite not having anyone with more than six points.
Dinwiddie, Colorado's leading returning scorer, missed all four of his shots in the first half and had two points. The Buffs were 0 of 9 from 3-point range in the first half.
Kenny Chery, Cory Jefferson lead Baylor past Colorado
The final game of a season-opening tripleheader at the downtown Dallas home of the NBA's Mavericks featured last year's NIT champion in Baylor and a Colorado team coming off the school's first back-to-back trips to the NCAA tournament in 50 years.
Brad Heslip had 12 points, all on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, including one with a defender in his face that gave the Bears their biggest lead at 56-43 with 8:38 remaining.
Josh Scott had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Buffaloes, who shot 33 percent and went 2 of 19 from 3-point range.
Taurean Prince had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Bears.
Baylor's heralded frontcourt duo of Isaiah Austin and Jefferson helped the Bears pull away after a slow start. Jefferson missed a wide-open, two-handed dunk after an offensive rebound, and Scott hit a layup to pull Colorado to 64-58 with 2:19 remaining.
Jefferson missed again on a jump hook in the lane, but Askia Booker couldn't hit a jumper on the other end. The Bears pushed the lead back to eight when Jefferson drove the lane and passed to Austin for a short bank shot from the left side of the lane with 47 seconds left.
Austin finished with five points and four rebounds.
The Buffs missed their first 12 shots from 3-point range before Spencer Dinwiddie finally hit one to cut Baylor's lead to 44-38. But Royce O'Neale scored inside at the other end for the Bears, and Prince hit a shot in the lane after another Colorado miss from long range to push the Bears' lead back to double digits. The first point of the game didn't come until the 17:23 mark of the first half on a free throw by Austin. The Buffs missed their first four shots — three from beyond the arc — and the Bears started 0 for 5 with a pair of misses from in close.
The first basket came on a three-point play by O'Neale that put Baylor up 4-0, and Wesley Gordon got Colorado's first field goal on a short jumper at the other end.
Colorado shot 21 percent in the first half, yet trailed by just two points before an 11-3 Baylor run to finish the half gave the Bears a 30-20 lead.
Chery hit a couple of jumpers and Heslip had a long 3-pointer. After a bucket from Prince, Austin made a hook shot to put the Bears up 10.
Baylor had the 10-point halftime lead despite not having anyone with more than six points.
Dinwiddie, Colorado's leading returning scorer, missed all four of his shots in the first half and had two points. The Buffs were 0 of 9 from 3-point range in the first half.
Kenny Chery, Cory Jefferson lead Baylor past Colorado
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
That's the way you set the stage for a meeting of the top two teams in the country. The No. 1-ranked University of Kentucky basketball team blasted Northern Kentucky 93-63 Sunday evening at Rupp Arena and can now turn its attention to Tuesday night's game against No. 2 Michigan State in Chicago.
The Wildcats (2-0) shot 54.5 percent, grabbed 28 more rebounds than the Norse (0-2) and led by as many as 36 against a team that lost by a single point at Purdue on Friday night.. UK's prized freshman power forward Julius Randle was again a man-child, recording his second double-double — by the end of the first half — in as many college games.
Randle had 11 points, 10 rebounds (four of them offensive), three assists and a blocked shot in his first 17 minutes. He finished with 22 points and 14 boards. Through two games, he has 45 points and 29 rebounds. That's more points and more rebounds to start than any of the many freshman stars John Calipari has coached at Kentucky. John Wall previously had the most points (40) through two games and Nerlens Noel and Terrence Jones had the most rebounds (17).
Randle put on a show Sunday. He skied impossibly high for a rebound on one end and finished through contact for a three-point play on the other to make it 20-10 early. He chased down an offensive rebound in the corner, drove baseline and performed a violent chin-up on the rim to make it 27-10.
A 6-foot-9, 250-pound force of nature, Randle did a little of everything. He pinned a shot on the glass. He delivered a deft touch pass to Dakari Johnson for a slam. He corralled another offensive board and hammered the ball back through the rim during a 13-0 UK blitz that buried the Norse with more than eight minutes still remaining in the first half.
What makes Kentucky so scary, why the Wildcats will enter their game against the Spartans as the only team in the country ranked higher, is that Randle is hardly alone. Sophomore Willie Cauley-Stein flirted with a first-half double-double Sunday, too. He had seven points and nine rebounds – five of them offensive – in 12 minutes before the break.
The Cats' veteran 7-footer scored on three consecutive put-back buckets, one of which was a mighty slam, and helped Kentucky build a 38-15 lead with 4:20 to go before the break. Cauley-Stein finished with seven points and 11 rebounds in just 20 minutes.
Sophomore Alex Poythress was a blur off the bench again — nine points, seven rebounds, two assists in 20 minutes — and rookie point guard Andrew Harrison looked much sharper than in his debut. Harrison, who missed most of the preseason with a bone bruise in his knee, had 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting; his jumper was smooth, two of his three 3-pointers swishing through the net. His twin brother Aaron scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
So now the stage is set. It'll be No. 1 versus No. 2 on Tuesday night in the United Center. For a team full of freshmen, Kentucky looks as ready as it can be.
No. 1 Kentucky blows away Northern Kentucky 93-63
The Wildcats (2-0) shot 54.5 percent, grabbed 28 more rebounds than the Norse (0-2) and led by as many as 36 against a team that lost by a single point at Purdue on Friday night.. UK's prized freshman power forward Julius Randle was again a man-child, recording his second double-double — by the end of the first half — in as many college games.
Randle had 11 points, 10 rebounds (four of them offensive), three assists and a blocked shot in his first 17 minutes. He finished with 22 points and 14 boards. Through two games, he has 45 points and 29 rebounds. That's more points and more rebounds to start than any of the many freshman stars John Calipari has coached at Kentucky. John Wall previously had the most points (40) through two games and Nerlens Noel and Terrence Jones had the most rebounds (17).
Randle put on a show Sunday. He skied impossibly high for a rebound on one end and finished through contact for a three-point play on the other to make it 20-10 early. He chased down an offensive rebound in the corner, drove baseline and performed a violent chin-up on the rim to make it 27-10.
A 6-foot-9, 250-pound force of nature, Randle did a little of everything. He pinned a shot on the glass. He delivered a deft touch pass to Dakari Johnson for a slam. He corralled another offensive board and hammered the ball back through the rim during a 13-0 UK blitz that buried the Norse with more than eight minutes still remaining in the first half.
What makes Kentucky so scary, why the Wildcats will enter their game against the Spartans as the only team in the country ranked higher, is that Randle is hardly alone. Sophomore Willie Cauley-Stein flirted with a first-half double-double Sunday, too. He had seven points and nine rebounds – five of them offensive – in 12 minutes before the break.
The Cats' veteran 7-footer scored on three consecutive put-back buckets, one of which was a mighty slam, and helped Kentucky build a 38-15 lead with 4:20 to go before the break. Cauley-Stein finished with seven points and 11 rebounds in just 20 minutes.
Sophomore Alex Poythress was a blur off the bench again — nine points, seven rebounds, two assists in 20 minutes — and rookie point guard Andrew Harrison looked much sharper than in his debut. Harrison, who missed most of the preseason with a bone bruise in his knee, had 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting; his jumper was smooth, two of his three 3-pointers swishing through the net. His twin brother Aaron scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
So now the stage is set. It'll be No. 1 versus No. 2 on Tuesday night in the United Center. For a team full of freshmen, Kentucky looks as ready as it can be.
No. 1 Kentucky blows away Northern Kentucky 93-63
Join:
2006/12/07
Messages:
29893
.jpg?v=1.014689139)
.png?v=1.014689139)
This class has yet to even play a game at Kentucky.
Still, Calipari hinted Tuesday his view could quickly change.
His eight-player freshman contingent includes McDonald's All-Americans Dakari Johnson, twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison, James Young, Julius Randle and Marcus Lee. In-state players Dominique Hawkins, Kentucky's Mr. Basketball, and Derek Willis round out this latest crop.
Time will whether they can match the achievements of the 2011-12 national championship or past Calipari squads that produced first team All-Americans such as John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis. They do present a scenario where he could start five freshmen.
''I'd like this to play out a little bit and look back, but I will tell you this team is deeper,'' the coach said during media day, comparing them to his first squad in particular that just missed the Final Four in 2010.
The talent has expectations of Kentucky winning a ninth national title high - especially after the Wildcats went 21-12 last year and were upset in the NIT.
This Wildcat roster also has Calipari thinking of fulfilling his dream of coaching an unbeaten national championship team.
''For eight years I've said that before I retire I'd like to coach a team that goes 40-0,'' Calipari said. ''Will that happen? I don't know. Every game we play, we play to win. ... You may not go 40-0, but you're doing some special things.''
Kentucky seems to have all the ingredients to make a run.
The Wildcats return 7-footer Willie Cauley-Stein and forward Alex Poythress, both of whom bypassed the NBA draft for another year of college experience. They could provide the veteran leadership missing last season as Kentucky stumbled out of the rankings after starting No. 3 with that duo, Nerlens Noel and Archie Goodwin, now in the NBA.
Then again, Calipari sees potential leaders in his newcomers, especially 6-foot-9 forward Julius Randle. The coach has referred to him as the ''alpha beast'' for his take-charge mentality but notes there are others ready to lead.
Players such as Lee, Willis and Young already have exceeded Calipari's initial impressions. The 6-6 Young has shown more quickness than expected, a willingness to draw contact and a transition game that reminds the coach of Davis, who led Kentucky's last title run along with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist on a team that sent six players to the pros.
Still, these new Wildcats have a lot to learn. For now, Calipari is stressing a ''fail fast'' philosophy that urges players to get all their weaknesses out of their systems so there are no issues when Kentucky begins its nonconference schedule that includes date with Michigan State, North Carolina and in-state archrival and defending champion Louisville.
''We're just learning from him,'' said Young, who's trying to master Calipari's dribble-drive strategy. ''We're taking it day by day and just learning new things. ... The coaches have been there to help us when we have failed.''
Kentucky will need floor generals to maintain the squad's focus, particularly with projections of a preseason No. 1 ranking, potentially going unbeaten while trying to capture a second national championship in three years.
Such expectations are nothing new for a Kentucky program that has thrived with talented freshmen under Calipari, but none have had quite the hoopla surrounding this class. Calipari's challenge in choosing which five to play is a problem any coach would love to have.
''We know we have a talented team,'' Andrew Harrison said. ''It's just a matter of playing together. You can't really worry about expectations because they're coming from people that have nothing to do with you or your teammates.
''I used to watch Kentucky whenever it was on TV, so I'm pretty aware of the tradition. But we can't really compare ourselves to teams in the past. We have to be ourselves.''
Kentucky's fervent fan base is certainly eager to see how the lineup and rotation will look. They get their first chance to see at Friday night's sold-out Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena.
Encouraging as practice has gone so far, Cauley-Stein has warned the freshmen that the regular season will be much different. He speaks from the experience of being on last season's team that fell short of expectations, but sees a team very aware of what's expected of them.
Said the sophomore, ''they're showing how much more mature (they are) than where we were last year.''
Y! SPORTS