Not Jerry Tipton's Friday Basketball Notebook

by:Not Jerry Tipton05/31/13
tipton2 The 2012-13 season is mercifully over, and despite having the #1 ranked recruiting class in the country, Kentucky failed to make the NCAA Tournament, and were unceremoniously dispatched in the First Round of the NIT by Robert Morris. Hard to see things being any different in 2013-14. To stay apprised and educated, follow me on Twitter @NotJerryTipton. Here’s the weekly notebook: *Drop the World (feat. Eminem): Last week, John Calipari told reporters that none of the players on Kentucky’s roster were choosing to play for the U.S. under 19 national team this summer, as they were opting to stay in Lexington to begin preparations for a national championship run. In other words, those kids hate America. Think about it. They will all get several more chances to win a national championship assuming they stay in school 4 years, whereas this will be their only chance to ever suit up for the Red, White & Blue under 19 squad in Peru. Not to get all soapboxy, but this is exactly what’s wrong with kids these days. No appreciation for duty, no sense of honor, and no love of country. And to make matters worse, the only UK player who is trying out for a national team is Kyle Wiltjer, who’s trying out for the Canadian team. Amazing. I doubt they'll even face the flag when the National Anthem is being played before the national championship game next year. *I'm Me: In the Spring semester, the Kentucky basketball team posted a 3.4 GPA. This has to make Cat fans absolutely furious. None of the 24,000 fans who fill Rupp Arena on cold winter nights pay their hard earned money to watch a bunch of pointdexters play with their beakers. The only chemistry experiments Big Blue Nation wants to see is whether Nerlens Noel and Willie Cauley-Stein can effectively play at the same time. Of course, this would explain the subpar performance from UK on the hardwood this season. Maybe if the players would have spent more time in the weight room and less time in the classroom, they would have been able to make the NCAA Tournament. *I Don't Like The Look Of It: During a recent workout in front of several NBA general managers, former UK player Julius Mays impressed while playing point guard. This does not bode well for Kentucky. John Calipari, of course, stuck Mays at shooting guard this past season, apparently unaware that Mays’ true position is point guard. And a little bit of research reveals that this isn't the first time Calipari had someone playing out of position. He once famously told DeMarcus Cousins that he would play him at shooting guard, though he also told him “we post up our shooting guards a lot.” So not only did he not recognize that Cousins is a center, but he also didn’t realize that you’re not supposed to post up your shooting guard. smh. Next year, don’t be surprised to see Dakari Johnson bringing the ball up and Brian Long on the blocks. * On this date: On this date in 1995, Andre Riddick ran a stop sign. Tim Higgins cited Walter McCarty for speeding.

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2024-03-28