True Blue Kentucky

UK recruit Brandon Knight, who is regarded as the #1 player in the 2010 class by some, will be keeping an online diary for Slam Online documenting a day in the life of a McDonald's All-American.

The first diary entry was written earlier today by Brandon's mother and offers a unique perspective into the young man's life.  By reading her work, you can definitely see why Brandon is such a good student and bolsters a 4.3 GPA.

Some excerpts:

Five, four, three, two….one. As the buzzer sounded the crowed stood up and began to clap wildly. Somewhere in the corner Pine Crest students began to chant Brandon’s initials and the rest of the fans joined in, “BK…BK…BK…”

And so it was over, just like that my son’s high school career had ended. As I looked at Brandon limping to the center of the court (with a pulled groin) to accept his runner-up medal in The State Championship game, I cried. It was at that moment that it hit me–not the fact that we had lost the state championship, but rather the fact that my son would never play in another high school game again. I realized that the final chapter had been written and that this particular book was closed forever. As I stood next to my husband wiping my eyes, trying my best not to let the tears fall, he seemed to read my mind.

To read the full diary entry, click here and be sure to look for more in the future.

 

Check out some of today's most popular topics on the TBK message boards:

• Several Cats make the all-SEC teams including P.O.Y. honors. Congrats!
• If John Wall sweeps P.O.Y. honors, should he have his jersey retired ?
• Comparing the games of CJ Leslie and Terrence Jones.
• Is Rod Strickland going to be a candidate for a coaching job at Depaul ?
• What sets Brandon Knight apart from the rest of the 2010 class as the #1 player?
• What do you want to see the individual players accomplish during the postseason ?
• Wall named P.O.Y. by Yahoo , Cousins named 1st team All American.
• KACAT says Junior Day was a huge hit for UK Football .

The SEC has unveiled its awards for the 2009-2010 season, and several UK players were honored.

Freshman phenom John Wall received top billing, winning SEC Player of the Year. He's only the second freshman to be named Player of the Year, following LSU's Chris Jackson in 1989.

DeMarcus Cousins was named the SEC Freshman of the Year.

Wall, Cousins, and Patrick Patterson were named to the First Team All-SEC. Georgia's Trey Thompkins, Mississippi State's Jarvis Varnado, South Carolina's Devan Downey, Tennessee's Wayne Chism, and Vanderbilt's Jermaine Beal also were named to the first team.

Wall was a unanimous selection on the SEC's first team.

Patterson was included on the SEC's All-Defensive Team. Wall, Cousins, and Eric Bledsoe made the SEC's All-Freshman team.

All three were unanimous selections to the freshman team.

Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings was named SEC Coach of the Year.

The votes for the awards come from the SEC's coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own players.

John Wall highlights from secsports.com 

The countdown is on...

• Davender pleads guilty
• Cats back at #2
• ESPN blog says Cal is worth the $
• Cousins or Wall for SEC POY?
• Could the SEC only be represented by teams from the East?
• Where will Wall fit in the NBA?
• Follow Wall’s Mom through a game
• The Wall or Turner debate rages on
• Are the youngins Tourney Ready?

 

We are only one week away from the NCAA tournament starting.  With such a short amount of time left, teams across the nation are trying to secure their spot in the upcoming NCAA Tournament as conference tournaments continue this week.  The Lexington Herald's Jerry Tipton provides coaches' comments as the SEC Tournament begins this week in Nashville, TN. 

There has been one dominant theme in regular season play this year for the SEC.  The SEC East has dominated the West.  No Western Division team won more than two of five games against the Eastern Division. Among Eastern Division teams, only South Carolina (2-4) and Georgia (1-5) had losing records in inter-division games.  Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt are undefeated against SEC West foes.

Since division play began in 1991-92, each of the SEC divisions has had at least one team receive a NCAA Tournament bid. That streak is in jeopardy.

SEC West leader Ole Miss enters the SEC tournament with a 21-9 (9-7) record.  The Rebels will face the winner of the UT vs LSU matchup on Friday.  Ole Miss will has helped their bid for a NCAA tournament spot, but still needs a win or two to get to the field of 64.  Ole Miss bolstered its chances by winning the last four regular-season games. The Rebels have a quality non-conference victory over Kansas State, which the school noted was the SEC's best away-from-home non-conference victory.

For an exert from Jerry's article over Coach Cal's comments on what UK needs to do to secure a number 1 seed, click read more.

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After much debate, we're back to the million dollar question.  Can talent trump experience?  According to BetOnline.com it can.  BetOnline.com says Kentucky is a favorite to win the national title with odds of +350.  When this much talent is on a team it can easily trump inexperience.  The best quote of all:

The Wildcats have the talent to overcome their experience, as this may be the most talented freshman class since Michigan’s “Fab Five” days. There is just too much, led by Wall, to stop Kentucky, and Calipari should finally get a national title, probably against a Kansas team that stole it from his Memphis club of two years ago.

Big Blue Nation has a feeling this could be the year and I'm starting to feel it too.  You can check out the entire article here.

Click "Read More" to read excerpts from the article.

John Wall was named the National Player of the Year by Yahoo! Sports earlier this afternoon.  He can now add this accomplishment to the many other awards and honors he has received so far this season.

Joining Wall on the First Team All-American Team from Yahoo's site is C Demarcus Cousins, G/F James Anderson, G/F Evan Turner, and G Scottie Reynolds.  John was also named Freshman of the Year and Patrick Patterson was named to the Honorable Mention team.

Here are some excerpts from the article:

Before he ever played a game for Kentucky, John Wall had been labeled as the top talent in college basketball, the future No. 1 pick in the NBA draft and the player who would lead the Wildcats back to national prominence.

Pretty lofty expectations for an 18-year-old freshman.

“It got to me after awhile,” Wall said by phone Sunday. “I started worrying about living up to what everyone predicted from me instead of just playing basketball and having a good time.

“Once I put all that stuff behind me and started having fun, I started showing what I’m capable of.”

To read the full article, click here.

Check out some of the most popular topics from the weekend on the TBK message boards:

• Marc has some fantastic recruiting updates on Brandon Knight.
• Enes Kanter .....
• Josh Selby ....
• Marquis Teague .....
• and Quincy Miller ....
• Marc addresses the rumor that Brandon Knight has committed.
• More recruiting updates from the verified sources on Terrance Jones.
• The UK Hoops team gave the Volunteers a good game last night in the finals of the SEC tournament.

In the era of the "one and done" player, the debate has been rehashed over and over. Which is better: talent or experience? That familiar argument hits home a bit more than usual for UK fans this season, as it's one of the most important questions to determine how far this talented, but young, squad can go in the NCAA tournament.

Right on cue, John Clay has a new article in the Herald-Leader discussing this very topic. While he neglects to answer the question himself, his piece has great insight from a number of people around the program on the number one issue the Wildcats will face in this year's tournament. 

Some quotes to whet your appetite:

At 62-60, the Cats did what they have so often done. They bore down. They made plays. They rose to the occasion. Florida went 3:45 without a point. Kentucky proceeded to victory.

Florida is an NCAA Tournament bubble team, however. It's not a Kansas or a Syracuse, or even a Michigan State or a West Virginia. Those teams don't start three freshmen. Can the Cats afford such youthful lapses of concentration against tougher competition and survive? Once the light flickers, can it hit the switch in a do-or-die setting?

And my favorite few paragraphs:

The hope is that such a consistent message has taken hold. Maybe the way the Cats have been able to pull it together down the stretch of games will now translate to the stretch of the season.

After all, talent counts. It's good to have John Wall, as clutch as it comes. Patrick Patterson will play a part. He might not be NCAA Tournament-tested, but he's battle-tested.

Having DeMarcus Cousins camped on the block doesn't hurt. If Sunday's Darius Miller is the evidence of a March Darius Miller, Kentucky will be tough for any team to beat.

That is if youth doesn't beat it first.

Check out the full article, complete with quotes from Cal and some players, here.