Entries from September 2010 ↓

“Wildcat” Wally Clark, an annual presence in the line for Big Blue Madness tickets, is a no-show this year.

Health problems forced Clark, 59, to stay at his Lexington home, meaning his streak of campouts at the University of Kentucky’s Memorial Coliseum ends at 18 years.

“I miss it bad,” Clark said on Thursday. “I’ve had all kinds of people calling me (asking) ‘Why aren’t you here?’ ”

Clark, who once camped outside Memorial Coliseum for 39 days to ensure he would be first in line for Madness tickets, said he fell down a flight of stairs earlier this year. He had been in and out of hospitals three times before doctors diagnosed a problem with diabetes and gout.

Having suffered a relapse earlier this week, Clark was resigned to not attending Big Blue Madness.

“No,” he said. “I haven’t been able to go to football either. You have no idea how much I miss it. I miss it a lot.”

The NCAA announced on Tuesday that it is officially closing its review of former Kentucky player Eric Bledsoe’s academic records.

“On Monday, we reached out to Birmingham school district officials to officially confirm they do not plan to take any further action regarding Eric Bledsoe,” NCAA spokesman Chuck Wynne wrote in an e-mail. “They have just now confirmed that is the case.  Based upon this response, the NCAA plans no further action. The original initial-eligibility decision stands.”

A story in The New York Times earlier this year raised questions about Bledsoe’s high school transcript and his recruitment. The player’s grades rose dramatically when he transferred from Hayes High School to another school in his native Birmingham, Ala., Parker High, according to reports in The Times and The Birmingham News.

The Birmingham City Schools commissioned an independent review of Bledsoe’s transcript. That review, which was made public on Friday in the form of a four-page report, found instances of grade changes in classes Bledsoe took. But, in part because of missing documents, no judgment could be made on the validity of the player’s transcript.

Superintendent Craig Witherspoon ruled that there was not enough evidence to invalidate Bledsoe’s transcript.

Alan Milstein, a New Jersey-based attorney representing Bledsoe, welcomed the news while deriding the notion that the NCAA should “drop” the case.

“I didn’t know they picked it up,” he said. “I don’t think anybody’s algebra grade has ever been reviewed as Eric’s has been.

“He’s come a long way from Birmingham, Ala., to Los Angeles, Calif., and it’s only up from here.”

Here’s the response from UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart to the Birmingham City Schools review of Eric Bledsoe’s transcript:

“Eric Bledsoe was a part of our normal institutional process, the NCAA’s normal eligibility cycle and a more extensive secondary review by the NCAA eligibility center as well. We maintain our reliance on the high school, university and NCAA eligibility center for initial eligibility and will continue to do so. At no point was the University of Kentucky under investigation by the NCAA nor had any reason to believe we were ever under investigation.”

The independent investigation into the high school transcript of former Kentucky player Eric Bledsoe found the explanation for a questionable grade change “not credible,” The Birmingham News reported Friday.

The report of that investigation commissioned by the Birmingham City Schools was made public Friday.  

Names, classes and grades were redacted on the report released by the Birmingham Board of Education. Through independent reporting The Birmingham News confirmed the class in question is Algebra 3 and was taught by Larry Webster.

The Birmingham News reported that a three-month investigation by an outside law firm hired by the board concluded Bledsoe’s Algebra III grades for first and second terms in 2008-09 were changed by Webster, who acknowledged making the changes , according to the report. The report says Webster explained that Bledsoe completed “make-up and extra work” that justified the grade changes.

“We do not credit this explanation,” the report said. “We note that the teacher changed (Bledsoe’s) grades far more frequently than those of any other students in his class.”

Reginald McDaniel, a Birmingham-based attorney representing Bledsoe’s coach at Parker High School, voiced his disappointment that the report did not affirm the former UK player’s transcript as valid.

“This dampens the day for those who were hoping otherwise,” McDaniel said.

The report leaves Bledsoe and UK vulnerable to the NCAA ruling the player ineligible.

Such a ruling could lead the NCAA to order Kentucky to vacate the 34 victories last season that included Bledsoe’s participation and return money earned for play in the NCAA Tournament.

The NCAA made such a ruling against Memphis after retroactively ruling Derrick Rose ineligible in the 2007-08 season.

Former UK point guard Wayne Turner has joined John Calipari’s staff, Kentucky announced Friday. Turner led UK to the 1998 national championship, scored 1,170 points in his career and still ranks fourth on the school’s career assist list with 494.

Turner will work on UK’s staff while finishing his undergraduate degree. He’ll work with UK guards, the school said in a news release.

UK noted that a new NCAA rule permits former players who are completing degree work to be used as on-court staffers.

“I’m really excited to be back in school getting my degree and to have an opportunity to work with the basketball team,” Turner said in the news release. “Coach Cal is one of the best, if not the best coach in the world, and who better to learn from? I’m looking forward to the season and feel like I can give some great advice to the players.”

Turner played in a NCAA record 151 games for Kentucky. Among honors he received were being named 1998 NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player and SEC Tournament MVP the same season.

“I’m so happy to be able to bring back a player and person of Wayne’s stature to our program,” Calipari said in the news release. “I’ve always tried to bring former players back to finish their degrees wherever I have been and I applaud the NCAA for this new rule. It’s always been one of the pleasures of my career to bring people back to campus and finish their degrees and let them know their university hasn’t forgotten about them.”

Other former UK players to work on Calipari’s staff have been Tony Delk and Scott Padgett. As UMass coach, Calipari recruited Turner out of Boston’s Beaver Country Day school.

“Wayne will do a lot of work with our guys before and after practice, but there could be times when he needs to strap it on and jump in for practice,” Calipari said. “I used to be able to do that myself, but not anymore.”

The attorney representing Eric Bledsoe’s coach at Parker High School said Friday that he’s not optimistic that the Birmingham City Schools investigation will find no fault with Bledsoe’s transcript. That report is scheduled to be made public later Friday.

“I would be surprised if it came out positive,” said Birmingham-based attorney Reginald McDaniel, who is representing former Parker High Coach Maurice Ford. “I don’t see any indication of that.”

McDaniel cited the length of time needed to complete the investigation as a bad sign. He said he expected the investigation not to contradict reports earlier this year in The New York Times and The Birmingham News.

From his knowledge of the facts, McDaniel said that a finding of wrongdoing by investigators would be inaccurate.

McDaniel said he believed Birmingham City Schools investigators focused on the grade change in Algebra 3 on Bledsoe’s transcript.

According to The Birmingham News, Bledsoe had an “A” in Algebra 3 on his four-year transcript shows. He made an A in Algebra 3 in night school as a senior by receiving a 90 during each of the two sessions.

But a grade report from those night sessions showed Bledsoe was recorded as making a C average, with a low C recorded in the first session and a low B recorded in the second, The Birmingham News reported.

By receiving an A in Algebra 3, Bledsoe barely qualified for initial eligibility in college.

If the Birmingham City Schools investigation supports the newspaper stories, Kentucky could face repercussions. The NCAA would have the basis for ruling Bledsoe ineligible, meaning UK might be ordered to vacate the 34 victories last season in which Bledsoe participated.

Such a ruling would remove the distinction of UK being the first program to reach 2,000 all-time victories. Such an order would leave UK with 1,989 victories. North Carolina would be the first program with 2,000 victories.

Before his appearance at the UK Tip-Off Dinner in Louisville Thursday night, UK Coach John Calipari voiced his hope that Enes Kanter will play for the Cats this coming season.

But Calipari acknowledged that he could not be sure if the NCAA Eligibility Center will clear Kanter to play.

“Look, I have a lot of faith in our program, the players in our program,” Calipari said. “We want him to play. I believe he will. But he has to go through the process. And you just don’t know.”

The Birmingham City Schools’ investigation into the academic transcript of former Kentucky player Eric Bledsoe will be made public on Friday.

“The report should be made public as part of a special called Board of Education meeting at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24,” wrote Michaelle Chapman, Director of Communications for Birmingham City Schools in an e-mail message.

The report is the result of a private investigation commissioned by the Birmingham City Schools. The investigation resulted from a story in The New York Times which alleged several questionable improvements made by Bledsoe after he transferred from Hayes High School to Parker High School in his native Birmingham.

Kentucky basketball and the NCAA have an interest in the Bledsoe report. The NCAA could base any conclusion about Bledsoe’s eligibility on the findings. If Bledsoe is ruled ineligible, UK could be ordered to vacate the 35 victories in which he participated in the 2009-10 season.

The UK Alumni Association’s Greater Louisville Club expected a crowd of more than 1,000 to attend the annual UK Basketball Tip-Off celebration Thursday night.

The affair is usually revolves around a luncheon. This year it was moved to a dinner.

UK games beginning with Big Blue Madness will be televised by some channel this coming season, the school announced on Monday.

Madness, which will be on Oct. 15, will be televised by the Big Blue Sports Network and Fox Sports South.

Earlier this summer, UK announced its schedule, but left out a few television details. The announcement Monday filled in the gaps.

Those gaps included Fox Sports South picking up the exhibition games against Pikeville and Dillard, plus regular-season games against East Tennessee State, Boston, Wintrhop and Coppin State.

UK’s game against Mississippi Valley State will be televised by CSS.