Entries Tagged 'players' ↓

Congratulations are in order for former Kentucky big man Lukasz Obrzut. He got married on Saturday to his college sweetheart, Nikkie Belcher.

Obrzut, who finished his college career in the 2006-07 season, met Belcher during his junior year at UK. They maintained a relationship as he played pro basketball in his native Poland and she went to law school.

The marriage was performed in Lexington by Judge Kim Bunnell.

“We fell in love,” Obrzut said of the decision to get married. “We just decided to do it. Nothing big. We went to court. We planned the whole thing is about 18 hours. No friends or family involved. We just wanted to do it on our own. We love each other.”

Obrzut, who left his home at age 15 to pursue a career in basketball, said he looked forward to settling down. He and his bride hope to move to Lexington by September.

“I’m just hungry to find a home,” he said. “I feel Lexington, for me, is my destination. It will be nice, for a change, to be around people you know.”

Kentucky Coach John Calipari expressed hope that sophomore Darius Miller will gain confidence while playing for the U.S. team in the Under-19 international competition this summer.
“What I’m hoping through that experience is he builds his confidence in his ability to (play in UK’s dribble-drive offense),” Calipari said on a SEC coaches teleconference on Monday. “That’s what I’ll be trying to build (next season).”

As a high school player, Miller starred for Mason County. He led the team to the state championship as a senior and was named Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball.
Calipari saluted Miller’s work ethic. The UK coach noted times he’s been in the office at 11 p.m. and noticed Miller turning on the lights to begin a workout.
“I had six workouts with Darius,” Calipari said. “I was as excited about him as anyone on the team.
“He has a knack for getting the ball in the basket. He’s a good athlete. Not a great, great athlete. But a very good athlete. He can shoot the runner. He scores the ball well enough from the perimeter you have to guard him.
“But it’s confidence (that must be strengthened).”

During an appearance on Monday’s SEC coaches’ teleconference, John Calipari spoke of possible neutral site games for Kentucky in future seasons.

He noted the consideration given games in dome stadiums in Indianapolis, St. Louis and Atlanta. Plus he talked about neutral site games in Nashville, Louisville and New York.

Here are the particulars Calipari mentioned:

– Possible games against Indiana alternating in Louisville and Indianapolis.

– A game against Memphis in Nashville.

– Games against Ohio State alternating in Louisville and Cincinnati.

– A game against Kansas in St. Louis.

– A game against “some of the best teams” in either New York or Atlanta.

To play such a schedule requires a strong roster, Calipari said. The UK coach suggested that the incoming freshman class will not have any academic problems and will be eligible.

Calipari noted how point guards John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, whose competition for playing time could potentially cause a problem, were getting along well. Big man DeMarcus Cousins was a “big teddy bear,” the UK coach said.

Kentucky Mr. Basketball Jon Hood had become a popular figure among his teammates.

“I love the attitude,” Calipari said of the freshmen. ” ‘Let’s try to win all the games.’ “

During his appearance on a SEC coaches’ teleconference on Monday, John Calipari acknowledged that losing Jodie Meeks will hurt Kentucky next season.

“No way we can be the shooting team we’d be if he was here,” Calipari said.

The new UK coach wished Meeks well.

“You can’t hold these kids back,” Calipari said. “At the end of the day, it was a great choice because that’s what he truly wanted to do.”

Meeks led UK and the SEC in scoring last season with an average of 23.7 points a game. He also set the school record for points in a game by scoring 54 at Tennessee.

Meeks, who would have been a senior next season, was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of last week’s NBA Draft.

Calipari noted that Meeks’ absence will create opportunities for others. He mentioned such players as sophomoe Darius Miller and incoming freshman Darnell Dodson.

Calipari also spoke again of having the two highly regarded freshmen point guards, John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, playing together.

The new UK coach noted how well the heralded freshmen are meshing.

“The best thing I like is they like each other,” he said. “. . . They’re like four brothers.”

But South Carolina Coach (and Lexington native) Darrin Horn noted how a player of Meeks’ experience is difficult to replace.

“You don’t replace what a guy (like Meeks) has just with talent,” Horn said. “He was a high producer on a very consistent basis. You don’t replace that level of experience. . . .

“Experience is so important. Look at every sport on every level. You know what to expect and understand the commitment it takes.”

Former Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks did not say exactly why he decided to stay in this year’s NBA Draft rather than return to UK for his senior season.

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas wondered if part of the reason was the prospect of playing for a third new coach in four college seasons. Meeks played for Tubby Smith as a freshman, then played for Billy Gillispie as a sophomore and junior. John Calipari would have been Meeks’ third UK coach.

“I played for three coaches in four years of high school,” Bilas said. “I didn’t particularly like it. I can understand why that might be a factor.”

Bilas had not spoken to Meeks about the decision. The ESPN analyst simply considered the chore of re-introducing yourself to a new coach and again going through the unknowns that  come with a new personality in the coach-player relationship.

It was no secret that Meeks had a less-than-ideal relationship with Gillispie. Nothing illustrated that problematic coexistence better than the now famous (or is that infamous?) T-shirt story. Nike produced a T-shirt for the team commemorating Meeks’ school record 54-point performance at Tennessee in mid-January. But Gilispie chose not to distribute the T-shirts to the players.

The T-shirts sat in a box in UK’s Craft Center for more than two months before Calipari became coach and OK’d the distribution of said shirts.

But back to the dynamic of a new coach, Bilas said, “Having to prove yourself all over again for a new coach is not always something guys want to do.”

Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks and other underclassmen face a deadline of 5 p.m. EDT Monday to withdraw from this year’s NBA Draft.

As of this posting at 6 p.m. EDT Sunday, there was no word of Meeks withdrawing his name.

If Meeks waits until Monday afternoon to decide, he would fit the typical profile of a NBA prospect who waits until the final few hours.

NBA consultant Chris Ekstrand said Sunday that the league typically receives notice of about half the withdrawals on the day of the deadline.

This year saw 105 underclassmen enter the draft, Ekstrand said. Of those early entries, Ekstrand said the NBA would expect about 50 to withdraw. Only about 25 had withdrawn as of Sunday afternoon.

Ekstrand said that a handful of the last-minute withdrawals come players harboring a fantasy wish that, say, the Lakers will belatedly come begging for their services. Another 20 simply hold out a realistic hope that late word will come of being projected as a first rounder.

Meeks is seen as a possible selection in the second half of the first round.

“Some guys wouldn’t get drafted in a 10-round draft,” Ekstrand said. “They haven’t withdrawn yet.”

Meeks, who would be a senior next season, was named to the all-Southeastern Conference team last season. He led UK in scoring. On more than one occasion, he almost single-handedly either won games or kept Kentucky competitive.

At Tennessee, he broke UK’s 39-year-old school record for points in a game by scoring 54.

That 5 p.m. EDT Monday deadline to withdraw is a “hard” and fixed time, Ekstrand said. The league must receive written notification of a withdrawal by that time. The notification can come via fax if the NBA has been notified that a withdrawal will come from that particular fax number.

Maybe having already played for three college teams, basketball nomad Kevin Galloway could sense his days as a Kentucky Wildcat were numbered.
So when new UK Coach John Calipari told him earlier this week that his basketball future would be best served elsewhere, Galloway was ready to accept that advice.
“I was already getting mentally ready for it when the coaching change was made,” Galloway said on Saturday. “I got mentally prepared for the worst. I’m not frustrated.”
After becoming a star for Sacramento (Calif.) High, Galloway played 13 games for Southern California (2.8 ppg and 2.0 rpg). Then he went to the College of Southern Idado for a season (8.4 ppg and 8.4 apg) before coming to Kentucky last year as part of then coach Billy Gillispie’s roster alterations.
But when UK fired Gillispie and hired Calipari this spring, Galloway knew it might be time for his gym shoes to be wandering.
“From Day One,” he said. “With Coach Cal, I knew he’d bring in a lot of players. I prepared for the worst.”
When it came to new players, Calipari brought in quality as well as quantity. Most recruiting observers rated UK’s incoming class the nation’s best. However, Kentucky needed to drop several players to fit its roster within the NCAA’s 13-scholarship limit. Earlier this spring, it became known that Donald Williams, A.J. Stewart and Jared Carter would not be returning next season.
Then last week, two more players — Matt Pilgrim and Galloway — headed for the exit.
Galloway expressed appreciation for how Calipari let him know it was best to leave. The UK coach mixed sober assessment with big-picture rationality.
“He didn’t actually kick me off,” Galloway said. “He was just really real with me.”
Calipari wrapped reality around Galloway’s NBA aspirations. Galloway had a chance to make a NBA roster some day, the UK coach told him. But he’d have to play a lot to maximize those chances.
Galloway averaged 10 minutes (and 1.9 points) per game last season for Kentucky. A load of minutes next season seemed unlikely.
“He felt I wasn’t going to play 30, 35, 40 minutes a game,” Galloway said. “Instead of sitting there in January and February thinking Cal (screwed) me, he didn’t want that.
“That’s man talk. I can respect that.”
As for the future, Galloway is not picky about a destination nor in any hurry to make a decision.
His first priority is to return to Sacramento to be with his family. A brother recently received a 10-year prison sentence, Galloway said, so he wants to comfort his mother.
His landing spot in basketball could be practically anywhere.
“I’m wide open,” he said, meaning that more literally than most prospects. “Division I. Division II. NAIA. Overseas. D-league.”
Galloway simply wants to play.
But, he added, no matter where he goes and how much he plays, he’ll miss the support of Kentucky fans.
“Make sure you say the Kentucky fans are the greatest of all time,” Galloway said. “Because every day I saw fans, they were always telling me they loved the way I played and they wanted me to stay.”
The love affair of seldom used player and devoted fan base began in the days leading up to Big Blue Madness, Galloway said. That’s when he visited with fans waiting for tickets and played games like corn hole with them.
Now, he’ll pack those memories and carry them to the next basketball stop.

I believe that all the Internet talk about Jodie Meeks having decided to return to Kentucky are premature at best and possibly wrong. The speculation has even reached the point of Meeks’ decision being announced on Thursday.

Wrong with a capital R.

Meeks flew to Chicago on Wednesday. He’s working out for the Chicago Bulls on Thursday morning.

Which raises a question: Why would Meeks bother with the trip and workout if he’d already decided to return to UK?

I believe the plan is as follows: Meeks will work out for the Bulls. This will be his final workout. Then he plans to sit down with his family this weekend and decide.

The deadline is Monday for players to withdraw from the NBA draft and return to college. The NBA draft is June 25.

Meeks has worked out with several NBA teams. UK Coach John Calipari had advised players to withdraw from the draft process if they had a bad workout or two. So Meeks must be performing well for teams since he’s still working out for teams.

Mock drafts have Meeks being taken in the second round. The key word there is “mock.” No one knows where any player will be selected. As NBA officials like to say, it only takes one team to make a player a first rounder or lottery pick.

Landon Slone, a walk-on for Kentucky last season, has made it official. He committed to Morehead State on Wednesday.

Slone, an all-state player for Paintsville High, will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. He plans to appeal the NCAA rule requiring transfers to sit out a season before playing for a new school.

His appeal will be based on not voluntarily deciding to leave UK. The coaching change from Billy Gillispie to John Calipari led to the transfer. Calipari let it be known he did not share Gillispie’s enthusiasm for walk-on players.

Of his transfer, Slone said, “It was kind of set on me. I had to leave.”

Slone became a fan favorite in his one season for UK. He did not want to revisit the circumstances that led to his transfer. Earlier, he said that he tried more than once to meet with Calipari, but never got a chance to speak to the head coach about the future.

“I’ll always be a big (UK) fan,” he said. “Someday when I have kids, I want them to be big (UK) fans, too.”

Former Kentucky walk-on Landon Slone is close to a commitment to Morehead State after visiting the campus on Friday.

An official announcement could come by early next week, he said on Saturday.

Slone, an all-state player for Paintsville High, became a fan favorite as a freshman walk-on for UK last season. His gritty, fearless play and perimeter shooting thrilled fans.

But the coaching change from Billy Gillispie to John Calipari led Slone to decide to transfer. Calipari said he would not have nearly as many walk-ons as Gillispie.

Morehead State opens up next season at Kentucky. Slone said the schools actually had agreed to open the next three seasons.

That led Slone to move to the brink of a commitment to Morehead State, not because he thirsts for revenge, he said. But because he likes the idea of re-living the thrill of playing basketball in Rupp Arena.