Jerry Tipton on UK basketball

Darius Miller isn’t happy. But he’s not leaving the Kentucky basketball team.

That’s the word from Brian Miller, the player’s father.

During UK’s victory over Central Michigan on Monday, television cameras showed Darius Miller looking unhappy on the bench. There’s been subsequent talk about Miller returning home to Maysville, which fueled speculation about him leaving the team.

“No, that’s not true,” his father said in a phone conversation late Tuesday evening.

When asked if his son was OK, Brian Miller said, “He’s doing fine. . . . He’s just a little frustrated. That’s all.”

When asked if Darius would hang in there, Brian Miller said, “Oh yes. He is. He’s going to.”

Kentucky has not said anything officially on the subject. UK Coach Billy Gillispie is not scheduled to meet with reporters until a news conference on Saturday.

Like many, if not all freshmen, Miller seems to be struggling with the adjustment from high school star to low man on the college totem pole. Last season he stood as high as any high school player in Kentucky can: He led his team, Mason County, to the state championship and was named Kentucky Mr. Basketball.

At UK this season, he’s dealing with a new role, limited playing time and a demanding and impossible-to-satisfy coach.

For UK, any speculation of a player’s unhappiness is potential poison on the recruiting trail. After the transfers of Alex Legion (to Illinois) and Derrick Jasper (UNLV), further player unhappiness feeds the perception of internal problems. It’s a perception rival recruiters are only too happy to perpetuate.

When asked about Miller after UK’s game against Central Michigan, Gillispie said the freshman had “a great attitude.” The UK coach gushed about Miller’s personality and demeanor while seemingly shedding light on Miller’s frustration about playing time.

“There’s not a better person that I’ve been around,” Gillispie said. “He’s probably too respectful (of) teammates. He’s got to be more competitive. He has to go take something from somebody.”

In case you didn’t get the word. freshman DeAndre Liggins will make his first career start Monday night for Kentucky.

The Cats play Central Michigan.

Liggins is coming off a game in which he had three assists and two turnovers against Florida Atlantic. That marked the second time all season (first time since the North Carolina game) that he had more assists than turnovers.

Liggins will start beside Michael Porter in the backcourt. Perry Stevenson returns to the starting lineup.

The other two starters are Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks, the last two Players of the Week for the Southeastern Conference.

Before Monday night’s game against Tennessee State, Kentucky plans to honor former All-American Vernon Hatton.

UK will present Hatton with a section of the court used in Memorial Coliseum. The section marks the spot from where he hit a 47-foot shot against Temple on Dec. 7, 1957 to send the game into double overtime. UK won in three overtimes 85-83.

Kentucky freshman DeAndre Liggins was spotted entering Rupp Arena around 3 p.m. for Saturday’s game against Indiana. That’s an hour before tipoff.

His teammates were already shooting around on the Rupp Arena court.

If Liggins does not get in the game early or had reduced minutes, being tardy could be the reason.

Or maybe LIggins had a good reason for arriving when he did and cleared it with UK Coach Billy Gillispie.

At the least, we can watch Liggins’ playing time and see what happens.

Of course, earlier this season, Liggins made news by refusing to re-enter UK’s game against Kansas State. Gillispie handled the punishment behind closed doors. Liggins tied a season-high for minutes the next game with 27.

For what it’s worth, Gillispie did not put Liggins in the starting lineup. On Friday, the UK coach said he had been thinking of a lineup change to help the Cats get off to a faster start. But the UK coach said the timing wasn’t right for a change.

The lineup is Kevin Galloway, Michael Porter, Perry Stevenson, Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson.

Stay tuned . . .

As Kentucky and Miami warm up for today’s game, injured Cat Ramon Harris is greeting fans near the scorer’s table.

Harris is wearing a cervical collar as he talks to fans. He’s also wearing a black sweatshirt with “Kentucky” across the chest.

Harris and teammate Michael Porter had a nasty head-to-head collision in the Lamar game on Wednesday. Harris left Rupp Arena on a stretcher and was hospitalized overnight.

Porter, who needed 10 stitches to close a cut over his left eye, practiced on Friday and was among the players warming up. He wore a blue headband that pulled back the skin around his swollen left eye.

Michael Porter practiced on Friday, while Ramon Harris remained home recovering from their nasty head-to-head collision earlier in the week, Kentucky Coach Billy Gillispie said at a news conference Friday night.

When asked about the players’ availability against No. 22 Miami on Saturday, Gillispie said with a proud smile, “Porter says he’s going to play.”

Gillispie coyly declined to say if Porter would start against the Hurricanes. Nor did the UK coach say who would start for Harris on the wing or what alternative options the Cats were considering.

While in practice, Porter wore a headband. The headband pulled the skin up off his swollen left eye.

Porter may wear the headband against Miami, although he joked, “I think I’m going to go out with a helmet.”

Porter said he felt “pretty good” while practicing. Gillispie said he did OK.

Porter did not recall the collision with Harris. The two banged heads as teammate Perry Stevenson retrieved a loose ball-rebound against Lamar on Wednesday night.

Harris stayed on the floor for about eight minutes before being loaded on a stretcher and taken to UK Chandler Hospital. His step father said on Thursday that Harris was up walking and joking at the hospital.

But Gillispie seemed almost offended by a question about when Harris could return to practice or games. Such a question was “not proper” when the focus should be on Harris’s recovery, the UK coach said.

Porter downplayed his injury. While denying that he’d sustained a mild concussion, as his father suggested on Thursday, the UK player said he’d taken harder hits.

Here’s a statement UK released about 8 p.m. EST:

University of Kentucky men’s basketball player Michael Porter returned to practice on Friday after being injured in Wednesday night’s game against Lamar. Teammate Ramon Harris has not returned to practice after being released from UK Chandler Hospital on Thursday afternoon.

Porter was cleared to practice on Friday but continues to have swelling above his left eye from the collision.  He could be available to participate in Saturday’s game vs. Miami.

Harris has not been cleared to practice and is wearing a protective cervical collar.  According to the UK medical staff, once Harris’ symptoms of muscular pain in his neck and back resolve he will be reevaluated by team physicians and can remove his protective collar. After further testing, a timetable for a return to basketball activity can be determined. The UK medical staff is confident that Harris will return this season.

Harris and teammate Michael Porter collided during Wednesday night’s game against Lamar after chasing after a loose ball. Porter received 10 stitches to a laceration over his left eye, while Harris suffered a blow to the back of his head. He was taken to UK Chandler Hospital where he remained under observation over night until being released Thursday.

A UK worker just came by to tell the media the starting lineups for the game against Lamar Wednesday night.

There are no changes in UK’s lineup, meaning junior Michael Porter will start at point guard with freshman DeAndre Liggins coming off the bench.

The other regular starters are Patrick Patterson, Jodie Meeks, Ramon Harris and Perry Stevenson.

Former OKlahoma Coach Billy Tubbs is in Rupp Arena Wednesday night. He now works as Lamar’s Athletic Director.

During a pleasant pre-game conversation courtside, I asked Tubbs what he thought, as a former coach, of how Billy Gillispie handled DeAndre Liggins’ act of insubordination last weekend. For those living in a cave, Liggins refused to re-enter UK’s game against Kansas State in Las Vegas last Friday. Gillispie promised punishment when the Cats got home, and played Liggins 27 minutes against West Virginia on Saturday.

Tubbs recalled being an assistant at North Texas when a player refused to enter the game. “Our coach sent the kid back home the next day,” Tubbs said. “That’s a coach’s decision. Everybody handles it a little different.”

One key question, Tubbs said, is this: “Who are you punishing? The kid? The team? Yourself?”

Tubbs, who once considered hiring Gillispie as an assistant, then offered another key factor. “Usually when it’s a first offense, that’s a big difference,” he said. “You have to work through that. We all need a lot of chances.”

I asked about the aftereffect a decision to play Liggins might have on teammates who could be emboldened to refuse to obey orders.

“That’s just speculation unless you know the situation,” Tubbs said. “Obviously, that’s a question a coach has to ask. That’s up to Billy Clyde.”

Freshman DeAndre Liggins refused to re-enter Kentucky’s game against Kansas State Friday night.
UK Coach Billy Gillispie acknowledged Liggins’ refusal to enter the game earely in the second half of UK’s 74-72 victory. “He just said he didn’t want to go back in . . . ,” Gillispie said before adding with a defiant tone, “and we made due without him.”
A followup question brought a softer, philosophical response from the UK coach.
“I was really surprised by that,” he said. “But it’s a freshman who wants to play all the time. When he doesn’t get to play all the time, sometimes you make mistakes like that. And hopefully it won’t be repeated.”
Liggins, a celebrated recruit who played last season for Findlay Prep in nearby Henderson, Nev., played only two minutes in the first half. He went to the bench after awkwardly slipping to the floor and being called for walking.
Because the game ended after 2 a.m. EST, UK did not make any players available for interview.
While Kentucky won without Liggins, his absence had repercussions. It forced starting point guard Michael Porter to play 36 minutes (second most of his career) against Kansas State’s pressure defense. Porter contributed five points and five assists while committing four turnoveres.
“He played very gutsy,” Gillispie said of Porter. “Because he was totally physically drained and worn out.
“He needed to be rested. He needed to not play so many minutes. But he had to. He showed a lot of toughness and grittiness.”
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UK Coach Billy Gillispie changed his lineup for the first time. The starting lineup included freshman Darius Miller of Maysville, Ky.

Miller played well, including a career-high 13 points in Saturday’s victory over Delaware State.

Miller replaced junior Ramon Harris in the lineup for UK’s game against Longwood Monday night.

The other four starters remain the same: Patrick Patterson, Jodie Meeks, Michael Porter and Perry Stevenson.