Boise State's Tuesday News and Views

I hope you didnt act like a reasonable person and go to bed. Because if you did, you missed one of the greatest college football games ever. I often dont like to use such hyperbole. But watching the Boise St-Oklahoma game, I found myself pulling harder for a team not named Kentucky than I could have ever imagined. This game had everything. Underdog pulls off a huge lead…..loses the lead at the end….then goes down on an interception by the veteran quarterback…..but then a miracle comeback to get into overtime, including an amazing HOOK AND LADDER play on 4th and 18. Then you have overtime…..Boise scores on 4th and 2 on a trick play…..goes for two to win and runs the STATUTE OF LIBERTY….a play so corny it only works in back yard games. And then to top it all off, the star running back asks the cheerleader to marry him during the post game……Are you Kidding me? If this were a movie, we would write it off as completely impossible. It is rare I want a copy of a football game not involving UK, but I want TWO of the game last night. What a great time…..now Boise St is more than the blue football field….who woulda thunk it? If you missed it, here it is:

Besides that however, it is time for us to get back to business. The last few days have been a bit dead around here as we all headed to Nashville, celebrated New Years and got ready for the transition to basketball. But we are back in business, so here is the news…..

(1) The biggest news of the day may (once again) be football related as St X running back Victor Anderson is rumored to be considering bypassing West Virginia and committing this week to Kentucky. Folks, this would be a huge pickup. Anderson was considered to be a West Virginia lock, in large part due to Rich Rodriquez and once ol Rich decided to turn down Bama and stay in Morgantown, most felt like UK’s chances were the same as Paris Hilton being First Lady. But now rumors are rampant that Anderson may be about to come the other way and the talk around the football recruiting circles is heating up that the Music City Bowl may have turned the tide. I admit to not being a football recruiting guru, but I heard this in Nashville and now the talk seems to be spreading to other ears as well. Stay tuned.

(2) With the date of the Marshall Moses official/Patrick Patterson unofficial visit on the 13th looming, some might think UK would rest on its recruiting laurels until then. Well now if the break is any indication. 08 and even 09 targets have been coming to Lexington in droves during the last three weeks. Philip Jurick, Carter McMasters and Jacob Jenkins, all players that are imminently getable for UK and are also very talented have come on campus for the UMASS and Eastern Kentucky games. But we have also heard that three other recruits have stepped foot in Rupp Arena, although I have no official names as to who. While it is still too early to know what will happen in 08, it is shaping up as if Jurick and Darius Miller will be two TOP FLIGHT local targets that UK will be intent on getting. Both will be anything but easy, but both could go a long way in relieving some recruiting tension. As far as Miller goes, word is that UK pushed for an early commitment and was told that the decision would be made this summer…..it shall be interesting to see if that is the case. Finally, 08 target Scotty Hopson, who has struggled early this season, is said to be seriously considering reopening his recruitment this summer past Mississippi State. As Lefty Driesell used to say, “an early commitment just tells me who my competition is.”

(3) Contrary to what many on the internet suspect, I report the good chatter but I also report the negative chatter…..and there is some negative chatter right now surrounding the newest UK player Ramon Harris. As many of you will remember, most everyone who saw Harris play on his visit talked about his talent and athleticism and his ability to contribute……and these attributes are still being extolled now. But I am hearing that the transition to college basketball is not going smoothly right now. Those that would know suggest that Harris might be a bit behind in the ability to play defense and grasp offensive schemes. Put simply, much of the original optimism that so many felt has been tempered a great deal. I will say that I think Harris cannot be judged until he has a full off season and pre-season of practice to get ready. But for those that thought Harris would be a huge impact this year…..the early results are a bit disappointing.

(4) The Holiday Tournaments have been very positive for two players with UK ties. Mike Williams impressed many with solid performances at the Dell Curry Classic in Charlotte, NC over the holidays and his stock continues to rise among recruiting types. He has already moved into Bob Gibbons Top 100 (the only analyst who had seen him play prior to this season) and great buzz surrounded his double-doubles throughout the season. Williams is still a project….and a bit of a reach….that much is for sure. But his athleticism and basketball sense may make him more like a Marquis Estill reach than a Shagari Alleyne reach. And folks watch out for Stephon Pettigrew out of Elizabethtown. I wrote on here recently about how I thought the decision to not maintain contact with him was ABYSMAL by the staff. Well it keeps looking worse as Pettigrew is lighting up the high school season, scoring over 50 points in a game and never dropping below 23. Folks our top targets (Moses, Lucas and Patterson) are better choices than Pettigrew. But if we lose ANY of them (which isnt unlikely), Pettigrew should get an offer in my view…..he is not another Chris Lofton, but he could be a guy that during the summer we wished we had been friendly to.

That is all for now. There is more news to report, but we will wait for another time. Look for Episode 19 soon (I hope) and much more tomorrow. Go Broncos!!!