RECRUITING PREVIEW APRIL 29, 2010
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PAGE A2 | Thursday, April 29, 2010
PHOTO BY ADAM WOLFFBRANDT | STAFF
UK head coach John Calipari, pictured celebrating UK’s 2,000 win, has received a reputation for more than winning games, but winning recruiting battles as well.
Calipari ‘gets it’ again with 2010 recruiting class By Metz Camfield mcamfield@kykernel.com
When describing UK head coach John Calipari, basketball fans, analysts and coaches have said at one point or another; “He just gets it.” And when it comes to basketball recruiting that phrase couldn’t be more true, especially at the place he calls the Mecca of college basketball. Before, Calipari had to recruit prospective student athletes to play at smaller schools like Massachusetts and Memphis, and he did. But at a school like UK, the fish in the recruiting pond seem to be even bigger, which is why having a master angler like Calipari has allowed the Cats and Big Blue Nation to reap the rewards. CBS Sports Senior Writer Gary Parrish pointed out this out in column from mid-May of 2009. “…The rest of the (Southeastern Conference) –— and almost everybody in the country not named North Carolina, UCLA or Kansas — is about to spend the foreseeable future consistently competing against a superior roster,” wrote Parrish. First Calipari got DeMarcus Cousins, who had committed to Calipari at Memphis after committing as a junior to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, to follow him to the Bluegrass. And that was just the beginning. Calipari’s recruiting prowess became a stimulus package for a program lost in recession, and within just months on the job he had brought in a recruiting class rivaling some of the best of all-time, highlighted by Rivals.com’s No. 1 prospect John Wall. While the 2010 class got off to a slower start, with only one recruit, four-star prospect Stacey Poole Jr., committing in the early signing period, it is now regarded as one of the top classes in the country. Calipari landed Enes Kanter, a big man from Turkey who is currently unranked by Rivals.com but is rated as a five-star prospect. Kanter really burst onto the scene after setting a new individual scoring record for the World Team in the Nike Hoop Summit game on April 10. Kanter broke current Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki’s record by scoring 34 points. He also had 13 rebounds. Calipari continued with his ability to land top guards by getting Brandon Knight, who joined LeBron James and Greg Oden as the only players to win the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award twice. “As the next in line to assume the point guard mantle, Knight's ability to get it going from behind the 3-point arc is a weapon that
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRENT WOJHAN
Enes Kanter, a 2010 recruit, recently broke a high school all-star game scoring record for points. should make him almost impossible to stop within the system,” said ESPN recruiting analyst Paul Biancardi in a story from April 14. Then came Doron Lamb, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., who is rated as a five-star prospect. Oak Hill has produced many top talents, including Carmelo Anthony, Brandon Jennings, and former UK guard Rajon Rondo. Lamb, a natural shooting guard unlike either Wall or Eric Bledsoe, paired alongside Knight should give the Cats a balanced backcourt next season. “Doron is a terrific guard from New York and Oak Hill who will come in and contribute right away,” said Calipari in a statement from April 23. “With the Dribble Drive Motion and the way we play, his ability to score and his mid-range game will flourish. I think he’s going to be a great defender and a great addition for us at Kentucky.” Calipari and the Cats are still recruiting two forward prospects in Terrence Jones, the No. 13 prospect in the country, and C.J. Leslie, the No. 14 prospect and a high school teammate of Wall’s at Word of God Christian Academy. Jones is expected to commit on April 30, while there still isn’t a set date for Leslie. Whether the Cats get the two forwards or not is still unknown, but Calipari has gotten the Cats back at the heart of the recruiting map, and many of the roads of the top prospects lead to Lexington. “Kentucky had virtually nothing, then it had everything, and now it has virtually nothing again,” said CBS Sports national columnist Gregg Doyel in a column from April 11. “But Calipari will bring it back, and he'll bring it back quicker than any coach at any school could do it.”
Matt Murray Features Editor
Kernel Pop Thursday, April 29, 2010 Page 3
Phone: 257-1915 mmurrayt@kykernel.com
Finding her stitch By Matt Murray mmurray@kykernel.com
When Ribin Estes needed a dress for her senior prom, she didn’t fight the rush to her local designer dress stores. Instead she went to her sister. Clothing designer Sarah Estes is a 21-year-old merchandising, apparel and textiles sophomore at UK, and she also happens to design her own clothes and organize her own fashion shows. Estes said she had always been interested in art, but her creative mind took to clothing design when she and a friend designed T-shirts together at age 15. After high school she attended the International Academy of Design and Technology, in Nashville, to pursue her passion for design. She would eventually transfer to UK to pursue her major. When Estes’ sister came to her asking for a prom dress, she said Ribin trusted her creative style. “My sister wanted me to design her prom dress. She just told me she wanted a purple dress,” Estes said. “All I had to do was make sure the fabric was purple.” Estes helped form the Lexington Collaborative Group, made up of local designers collaborating to organize events and bring together the fashion scene in Lexington. She is the only student in the group. Estes said the group is an opportunity for people from different backgrounds who all love design to work together and help one another. “I started out loving making clothes, but I realized if I’m going to be able to sell my clothes and get my name out there, we have to organize events,” Estes said. “It’s really just a passion of helping all these designers. A lot of them are good friends of mine, and I want to help them get their stuff out there. I want the community to get excited about what’s going on.” Estes said the future of the group looks promising, and she is excited to see what’s around the corner. “We’ve been a group for a year, but we haven’t been a group people can donate to. It’s not really an official organization,” Estes said. “But this week we’re going to be incorporated. We’ve already got everything filled in. We’ve grown a lot in one year, and in another year we’ll be even bigger than this.” She said her ambition is to one day design custom pieces on commission. She said it would offer her the most creative freedom, and it is at the heart of what she loves to do. Estes’ designs will be on display at Awesome Inc’s Nexington on May 8th, and the Lexington Collaborative Group’s Future of Fashion 2 on June 5th. To see Estes work, as well as the work of other local designers, visit www.bluegrassfashionhouse.com
Photo by - Andrew Kung Model - Leslie Moore Set design - John Feather
PHOTO BY ANDREW KUNG
Drake makes himself at home in Lexington Drizzy’s home — they were the first words out of Drake’s mouth when he took the stage in Memorial Coliseum Tuesday, and by the looks of things, he may as well have been. Canadian rapper Drake wasn’t shy about his recentlyformed relationship with UK, as he made it a central pillar of his MATT show. MURRAY After waiting Kernel through forgettable, columnist yet still tolerable opening acts, the lights dimmed and Drake took the stage to a thunderous applause—an applause he could incite on command by simply saying either “Kentucky” or “wildcats,” and he wasn’t conservative about doing so. The highlight of the night came when Drake welcomed his “family” onstage. The majority of the 2009-10 men’s basketball team joined Drake onstage, where they danced behind him while he performed. Needless to say the John Wall dance had plenty performances by Wall and others. Drake’s performance of his song “Fireworks,” from his debut album “Thank Me Later,” due out June 15, grabbed the crowd’s attention, capped off by his a cappella performance of the song’s second verse. His theatrical background was glaringly evident. He repeatedly broke from songs to offer heartfelt insight that sounded like it could have been scripted for an episode of “Degrassi.” However, his dramatics didn’t hinder his talent as a frontman. His charm is un-
PHOTO BY CAROLINE SNYDER | STAFF
Drake performs at Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday night deniable, and his Steven Tyler-esque mic stand was laced with bras rather than scarves, a collection that grew over the course of the show. To add to the sensual vibe that seemed to dominate the middle portion of the performance, Drake invited a girl on stage to dance with him. The onstage interaction started off innocently enough with a prom-style slow dance, but eventually turned into a nuzzle session, which was a bit more intimate than some of the crowd was ready to see. Fortunately it didn’t last long, and the fast-paced set moved along at full speed as it had all night. The setlist was well crafted, with songs rarely lasting more than 2 minutes, holding the audience’s attention throughout. The performance had an organic feel, a refreshing attribute in the world of live hip-hop music. Other then the virtual absence of autotune, the six-piece band that backed him created visceral vibe and a fuller sound. Drake declared Lexington his second home Tuesday, and judging by the crowd in Memorial Coliseum he is welcome back whenever he’d like.
A heart that keeps beating: four years of college dating Four years on this campus has taught me many things. And no, this isn't your end of the year "cherish your friends, go to class," blah blah column. I created the heartbeat, and by God I wanted to finish my senior year with it. But now that I am settling down, planning a family and out of the dating game, all I can offer is a reflection. So here it goes: What I learned in four years of college dating. KATIE First and foremost, get out SALTZ of your circle. I can't tell you Kernel how many people I know who columnist would only date within their social group from high school. Why did you even move to college if you won't branch out? It's comfortable to date people you and all your friends know, but playing it safe won't always lead to success. You are on a campus of more than 20,000 people, many from different cities, states or even countries. Go meet them and see if sparks fly with someone who does not share your high school mascot. Speaking of 20,000 plus on campus, that's a pretty big pond of fish—pretty much an ocean. So when you jump ship from a doomed relationship, don't grieve like you are the last single person on the planet. Your options are endless. Cry a little, then wipe those eyes and open them up to the thousands of people on this campus. And don't ever say, "there's just no one out there for me." If you do, chances are you are lazy. If you are not single, but wishing you were, don't wait too long. Four years goes by quickly (trust me) so wasting one minute in a bad relationship isn't worth it. Don't let an unhealthy relationship linger and suck the fun out of your college years. Get out early and get out fast. When your graduation day comes, do you really want to be adding up the months you spent unhappy with
someone, or do you want to have too many amazing memories to recount? Unfortunate enough to be the one friend in a group not in a serious relationship come graduation time? Don’t mope. You are not the last single senior on campus, so don’t sign up for your membership card to the lonely hearts club just yet. Graduating unattached can be a good thing. You are free to pursue a job anywhere you want, or travel Europe. Be selfish in your decisions! That whole “be selfish” thing isn’t a blanket rule, but it can apply even when you are in a relationship, be it freshman or senior year. A committed relationship is a good thing, but don’t let it be your world. If you want to go to the basketball game with your friends, but don’t have a ticket for your significant other, you should probably go. It would suck to break up with that person somewhere along the way and realize you missed your chance to watch the next John Wall play in Rupp. This next bit of advice cannot be bolded, italicized or underlined nearly enough. Don’t change for anyone but yourself. It’s hard enough to find your identity in college. Social pressure, an environment of constant discovery—all this contributes to making college a difficult place to find out who you really are. So if you are repressing your personality to appease someone you want to date, I can promise you it will never be worth it. Happy graduation seniors, and I wish you a happy three more years, freshmen. I hope you find what you are looking for, whether it be a love that lasts a lifetime or just the discovery of the unique sound of your own heartbeat. Katie Saltz is a journalism senior. Email ksaltz@kykernel.com.
PAGE A4 | Thursday, April 29, 2010
When players like Patrick Patterson, pictured against West Virginia, leave, the biggest debate is always who will fill their shoes? PHOTO BY SCOTT HANNIGAN STAFF
Recruiting is all about walking in someone’s shoes Recruiting is a phenomenon to me. Sure, it’s a sustainable craze to me. Fans love it, and it has a place in sports coverage. Entire news operations are geared toward it. But what I can’t get over is the year-to-year name game that is played. Can Brandon Knight be the next John Wall? What about Enes Kanter compared to DeMarcus Cousins? Better question: do these KENNY comparisons ever stop? COLSTON I get it. Some years there Kernel is a strong batch of recruits, columnist others not. Supposedly this 2010 class as a whole is a little bit lower on the scale in comparison to last year. Ask a recruiting analyst to compare Knight with Wall and they’ll probably say it’s unfair. Because it is.
There’s never going to be another John Wall, just like there’s only one Michael Jordan and one LeBron James. James isn’t the next Jordan. Knight isn’t the next Wall. That’s not intended to be a slap in the face to Knight or anyone else. Both the recently departed Wall and the incoming Knight were the top point guards in their perspective class. Both committed to UK. Comparisons do exist But the funny thing about recruiting is that you never really know what you’re getting until after the fact. Last year’s class took the Cats to the Elite Eight and back into the national discussion for a title. The freshmen broke record after record. So obviously, Knight and Co. will be expected to at least make the Elite Eight, right? Depending on the roster and how the schedule shakes out, maybe they can. But here’s a key question: If Knight wins a national title in his first year, something Wall didn’t do, is he better than Wall?
Of course not. All that being said, this fan base has longed for a recruiter ever since Tubby Smith packed his bags and went north. That’s why the university hired Billy Gillispie as a replacement, to fill the recruiting need. Gillispie had a reputation as a strong recruiter in the Big 10 and Big 12 as an assistant and as a head guy, so you’d think he’d be able to carry that to UK. We know how that story went, but you have to think John Calipari’s reputation as a strong recruiter played into him getting his current job as well. Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans, among others, helped Memphis soar both on the court and in recruiting. Calipari’s success in landing those two has crossed over here at UK. Rose begat Evans who begat Wall who begat Knight. We could do a same line with the big guys. Bottom line: recruiting matters in these
parts. Debates will always remain about whether one recruit is better than the person he’s replacing. The recruiting ranks will matter to those in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. And with Calipari being a recruiter, the talk will always remain. UK basketball fans don’t believe in an offseason. With the way Calipari works in recruiting, they don’t need to. Doesn’t matter if Enes Kanter ever lives up to the hype of DeMarcus Cousins. Same goes for the rest of the incoming players against the outgoing players. After a long absence, the recruits are once again calling Lexington a destination city, and the Big Blue Nation can rejoice with Calipari year in and year out. But just in case you want to know, I doubt Brandon Knight overshadows John Wall any time soon. Kenny Colston is a journalism senior. Email kcolston@kykernel.com.