Entries from April 2011 ↓

UK is looking to fill a job opening in the Sports Information office.

UK describes the job as a full-time intern for one year beginning July 1. There would be an option for renewal for the 2012-13 year. The job will pay $1,440 per month, with no benefits.

The job would include working with the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams, assisting with women’s basketball and contributing to Cat Scratches, the official blog for UK Athletics.

The job would also include helping in other sporting events.

According to a news release, UK will seek such qualifications as “undergraduate degree in communications/journalism or related field with 1-2 years experience in media relations or sports information setting. Applicants should have a strong knowledge of sports. Excellent journalistic writing ability, with knowledge of AP style guidelines, is necessary. Candidates must possess strong oral and computer skills. Experience in Statcrew programs, Quark, Netitor and/or PhotoShop software plus web management is preferred, but not required.”

To apply, job seekers should send a cover letter, resume, work samples and references to:John Hayden, Associate Media Relations Director, University of Kentucky Athletics, Joe Craft Center, Lexington, KY 40506

Or John.hayden@uky.edu

For the 15th time in the last 16 year, Kentucky led the nation in average home attendance, the NCAA announced. UK averaged 23,603 for its home games.

Kentucky has led the nation in attendance 23 times in the 35-year history of Rupp Arena.

Louisville took advantage of 21 home games to lead the nation in total home attendance with 458,463 fans. Next was Syracuse (423,924 in 19 games), Kentucky (354,046 in 15), Tennessee (341,130 in 18), Memphis (318,601 in 19) and Ohio State (302,498 in 20).

For all-game attendance – including home, road and neutral site games – Kentucky led with 755,748 fans watching the Wildcats over 38 games.

In terms of conferences, the Big Ten led the nation for the 35th consecutive year in attendance. Its 11 teams totaled 2,475,440 fans and averaged 12,826 per game.

Rounding out the top five conferences in attendance were Big East (11,323), Southeastern (11,187), Big 12 (10,716) and Atlantic Coast (10,266).

The top 10 in attendance were Kentucky, Syracuse, Louisville, North Carolina, Tennessee, Brigham Young, Wisconsin, Memphis, Kansas and Illinois.

Dan Owens, who fretted publicly and repeatedly about no UK recruit in the Derby Festival Basketball Classic this year, sounded upbeat on Wednesday.

Owens said more than 10,000 tickets had been sold for the game, which will be played Friday in the KFC Yum Center in Louisville. The upper arena will be curtained off, which allows for seating only in the seats closest to the court.

The attendance record for the Derby Festival game came in 1987. That’s when 19,044 came to Freedom Hall to see UK recruits Deron Feldhaus, John Pelphrey and Richie Farmer play.

Prospect Trevor Lacey spoke highly of the honesty conveyed by Kansas during the recruiting process.

When the Jayhawks first recruited Lacey, the coaches told him they had a loaded team for 2011-12 and playing time would be limited.

“I respected them for being honest,” Lacey said Wednesday before a practice for the Derby Festival Basketball Classic.

Then Josh Selby and the Morris twins announced they would enter the 2011 NBA Draft. Kansas re-recruited Lacey.

“I felt if they were honest with me that way, that’s a guy (Coach Bill Self) I can trust.”

Prospect Trevor Lacey said Wednesday that his college choice will come down to either home-state school Alabama or basketball bluebloods Kansas or Kentucky.

Lacey visited Alabama last weekend. He plays in the Derby Festival Basketball Classic in Louisville this coming Friday.

Then he plans to visit Kansas the following weekend and Kentucky later in May.

“The last three visits will play real factor in my decision,” he said.

For the Derby Festival game, Lacey is rooming with Alabama signee Levi Randolph.

When asked if Randolph was lobbying him to sign with the Tide, Lacey said, “I’m hearing it from Levi a little bit. He’s Bama.”

This lobbying effort had taken the not-so-subtle form of Randolph commenting on the “cold” weather as the players arrived earlier Wednesday, said Lacey, who had his warmup jacket zipped to his neck.

But Kentucky is not without a lobby. Lacey said his science teacher in Huntsville, Ala., is a UK graduate.

“She told me to try Derby pie, or something like that,” he said.

In case you haven’t heard (and I”m sure everyone has heard), a death in the family caused DeAndre Daniels to drop out of the Derby Festival Basketball Classic.

Daniels had been linked to Kentucky. Now, he’s said to be considering Duke, Texas and Kansas. He played for IMG Academy this past season.

The death of a grandfather caused Daniels to drop out of the Derby Festival game.

Among the players in the game is Trevor Lacey, a wing from Huntsville, Ala. UK Coach John Calipari visited with Lacey since the season ended.

The father of UK wing Darius Miller said Wednesday that his son will return to play for the Cats next season. Miller, a former Kentucky Mr. Basketball from Mason County, had considered entering his name in this year’s NBA Draft.

“I just think he wanted to finish up,” Brian Miller said of his son, who will be a senior next season. “He likes school. . . . He wants to accomplish more things.”

By becoming a more consistent offensive threat and contributor, Miller keyed Kentucky’s late-season surge in 2010-11.

One name was conspicuous by its absence from UK’s announcement Wednesday about Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and DeAndre Liggins entering this year’s NBA Draft.

There was no mention of wing Darius Miller, a catalyst in UK’s late-season surge.

“He still has not made up his mind,” his father, Brian Miller, said after UK’s announcement. “He’s weighing the pros and cons.”

A moment later, Brian Miller said of Darius, “Really, he likes school. He wants to finish out, I think.”

The elder Miller cautioned against leaping to a conclusion that Darius Miller will definitely return to UK next season, which would be his senior season.

But Miller added to that impression when he playfully tweeted, “I would like to take this time to announce that I’m declaring for the 2011 NBA draft………………. On my xbox season”

Sunday is the deadline for underclassmen to enter their names in the 2011 NBA Draft, which will be held June 23.

UK just tweeted that Terrence Jones, Brandon Knight and DeAndre Liggins will enter this year’s NBA Draft.

None has hired an agent nor announced plans to do so, UK said, leaving open the possibility of a return to college.

Liggins,  a member of the Lefty Driesell Defensive All-America Team and a member of the Southeastern Conference All­-Defensive Team, had been encouraged by UK Coach John Calipari to test his NBA stock.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to enter my name into the draft, putting me one step closer to realizing my dream,” Liggins said in a news release. “Growing up in a tough environment in Chicago, it’s a pleasure to have an opportunity to do something special. This is another challenge I’m looking forward to, to have my game evaluated by pro scouts and see how I rank against some of the top players in the world.”

Jones, a 6-8 forward from Portland, Ore., averaged 15.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. He led the SEC in double-doubles (13) and rebounding, ranked sixth in blocks and seventh in scoring.

He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year by league coaches and SEC Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press.

“Coach Cal and the rest of the staff pushed us all year long and helped us develop every part of our game to help prepare us for this point in our lives,” Jones said in the news release. “This will be a great chance for me to measure my skills against some of the best in the country and receive additional information on where I fit into this year’s draft.”

Knight, a 6-3 guard from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., led the team and ranked fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game. His 4.2 assist average was second in the SEC. He set the UK freshman scoring record, scoring 657 points, and also broke the UK freshman 3-point record with 87 3s.

A Freshman All-American, Knight was also named the NCAA East Regional Most Outstanding Player as well as fifth-team All-America by FoxSports.com.

“Playing in the NBA has always been a dream of mine and this is the next step,” Knight said. “All season long coach has been tutoring me on the fine points of being a point guard, and now I have an opportunity to put my game on display in front of NBA scouts as a result of my hard work.”

The UK release also included words of support from Calipari.

“I support the decision these three have made to take advantage of the process of putting their names in the draft,” Calipari said. “They were a joy to coach this year and I would love the opportunity to continue to coach them again next season.  I will always support my players in weighing their options and doing what is personally best for them and their families.”

Hall of Fame Coach  Bob Knight issued an apology on Tuesday for his critical comments about Kentucky’s so-called one-and-done players.

During a speaking engagement on Saturday, Knight said UK’s five starters in the 2010 NCAA Tournament did not attend class in the spring semester.

That was easy to refute given that one of the starters, Patrick Patterson, was a junior. Another starter, Darius Miller, returned to the UK team in the 2010-11 season.

“My overall point is that ‘one and dones’ are not healthy for college basketball,” Knight said in a statement through ESPN, one of his employers. “I should not have made it personal to Kentucky and its players and I apologize.”

Norby Williamson, Executive Vice President, ESPN Production, welcomed Knight’s apology.

“Bob Knight’s comments do not reflect the opinions of and are not endorsed by ESPN,” Williamson said in a statement. “We have communicated to him our disappointment and welcome his apology.”