Entries Tagged 'players' ↓

Kentucky Coach Billy Gillispie denied that he told leading scorer Jodie Meeks not to shoot at Florida on Saturday.

“Absolutely not,” Gillispie on a Southeastern Conference coaches teleconference on Monday.

After chuckling, Gillispie said that Meeks scoring this season showed that he had “the green light” to shoot.

After Florida beat Kentucky, Florida freshman Ray Shipman said that Meeks told him in the second half of Gillispie’s order to stop shooting.

Kentucky has put the focus of its offense in recent weeks on big man Patrick Patterson.

When asked about Meeks’ slip in scoring since getting 45 points at Arkansas, Gillispie said that other players needed to do more to create scoring opportunities for Meeks.

Meanwhile, Ole Miss plans to keep a healthy amount of defensive attention on Meeks. When the teams played in Oxford on Jan. 27, Meeks made only four of 15 shots. That was the scene of the first Jeannine Edwards-Gillispie dust up when the ESPN sideline reporter asked about Meeks not scoring a basket in the first half.

Ole Miss Coach Andy Kennedy said that Meeks warranted special defensive attention.

“If you play him straight up like any other player, he’ll make you pay dearly,” Kennedy said.

Amid rumors of his dismissal from the Kentucky team (or did he quit?), sophomore forward A.J. Stewart is the focus of intense speculation.

Kentucky had not said anything. But I just received word from UK that there are no roster changes. So we can assume Stewart remains on the team.

Presumably, UK Coach Billy Gillispie will be asked about Stewart’s status when the coach holds his regular day-before-the-game news conference later Friday.

Meanwhile, we’re checking and re-checking sources. No one knows for sure.

This much we know: Gillispie kicks a player off the team, then thinks better of it and re-instates the player on a regular basis. It sounds like the mind game routine routinely practiced by Gillispie’s coaching hero, Bob Knight.

Stewart was the focus of such speculation in the pre-season. Then he was on the team.

Stewart seems to be a whipping boy for Gillispie. During a pre-season interview, Stewart acknowledged that he felt like the coach was trying to run him off the team last season. But Stewart chose to stay because he likes being part of Kentucky basketball.

Time will tell (and hopefully Gillispie will tell later today) if Stewart is on the team.

But one thing for sure: this kind of speculation does not help Kentucky. After the transfers of Alex Legion, Morakinyo Williams, Derrick Jasper, Kerry Benson and Dusty Mills in the last 15 months, Kentucky does not need any more departures.

If nothing else, this only fuels a potential pitch by rival recruiters that Kentucky basketball breeds unhappiness.

UK announced the launching of a campaign to make guard Jodie Meeks the National Player of the Year.

The effort includes a splash on the school’s official website, UKathletics.com.

The nation would be able to get all the Meeks they want starting with the launching of www.ukathletics.com/jodie23, the official Jodie Meeks Web site.

To quote a UK news release, “The Web site features a highlight reel of Meeks, what the media is saying about him, press clippings, his biography, radio calls of his performances and much, much more.”

Plus, on Friday, fans will even be able to talk to the man himself. Starting at 1 p.m., Meeks has agreed to sit down with Cat Scratches for a live chat with UK fans. For about 30-45 minutes Friday, Meeks will answer questions and comments from you all.

Kentucky guard Jodie Meek was among three Southeastern Conference players selected to a 30-man list of mid-season candidates for the 2009 Naismith Award, which goes to the national player of the year.

The other two SEC players on the list are Florida guard Nick Calathes and South Carolina guard Devan Downey.

Here’s the list of 30 mid-season candidates as voted by a panel of journalists.

2009 Naismith Men’s Mid-Season Candidates
Last First Class Position School
Abrams A.J. Sr. Guard Texas
Adrien Jeff Sr. Forward Connecticut
Blair DeJuan So. Center Pittsburgh
Booker Trevor Jr. Forward/Center Clemson
Brockman Jon Sr. Forward Washington
Calathes Nick So. Guard/Forward Florida
Christmas Dionte Sr. Guard Temple
Clark Earl Jr. Guard/Forward Louisville
Collins Sherron Jr. Guard Kansas
Curry Stephen Jr. Guard Davidson
Downey Devan Jr. Guard South Carolina
Griffin Blake So. Forward Oklahoma
Hansbrough Tyler Sr. Forward North Carolina
Harangody Luke Jr. Forward Notre Dame
Harden James So. Guard Arizona State
Henderson Gerald Sr. Forward Duke
Hummel Robbie So. Guard/Forward Purdue
Johnson James So. Forward Wake Forest
Lawson Ty Jr. Guard North Carolina
Maynor Eric Sr. Guard Virginia Commonwealth
McClinton Jack Sr. Guard Miami
McNeal Jerel Sr. Guard Marquette
Meeks Jodie Jr. Guard Kentucky
Mills Patrick So. Guard Saint Mary’s
Rice Tyrese Sr. Guard Boston College
Singler Kyle So. Forward Duke
Teague Jeff So. Guard Wake Forest
Thabeet Hasheem Jr. Center Connecticut
Williams Terrence Sr. Forward Louisville
Young Sam Sr. Forward Pittsburgh

UK wing Ramon Harris will wear No. 5 in Tuesday night’s game at Ole Miss.

He had been wearing No. 22 this season. Harris decided to switch in order to change his luck, UK spokesman DeWayne Peevy said.

Harris has been involved in two medical scares this season. He sustained a neck injury in a head-to-head collision with teammate Michael Porter in the Lamar game. Then he fainted at halftime of UK’s game at Alabama last weekend.

Harris chose the No. 5 in honor of his five siblings, Peevy said.

Changing numbers is nothing new for Harris. He originally wore No. 22. Then he switched to No. 34. Then he gave up No. 34 to freshman DeAndre Liggins this season.

The SEC named Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks its Player of the Week for last week.

Was there any other choice?

Meeks set a school record with 54 points at Tennessee on Tuesday. That marked the second-highest scoring game for a SEC player since 1971.

Meeks also added 22 at Georgia on Sunday.

For the week, he averaged 38 points and made 23 of 38 shots.

Meeks has been the SEC Player of the Week three times. Patrick Patterson won it once to give Kentucky four award winners in the 10 weeks of play.

Freshman DeAndre Liggins did not get off the bench during Kentucky’s victory at Tennessee on Tuesday night. This came three days after his defense got credit for spurring UK to a home victory over Vanderbilt.

Much Internet speculation centered on Liggins supposedly leaving practice the day of the Tennessee game. No one denied that speculation nor did anyone confirm it.

UK Coach Billy Gillispie twice declined to comment. In his post-game news conference, Gillispie responded to a question about why Liggins sat by saying, “We’re talking all about the good stuff.”

On his post-game radio show, Gillispie dismissed the topic by saying it was a coach’s decision.

Whatever the reason, Liggins apparently brushed against UK basketball justice for at least the second time and possibly the third.

He famously refused to re-enter Kentucky’s Nov. 28 game against Kansas State in Las Vegas. The next night, he played 27 minutes against West Virginia.

Later, Liggins seemed to arrive at Rupp Arena late for a game. But Gillispie suggested that getting to the arena an hour before tip-off was OK.

Then Liggins warmed up, but did not play at Tennessee.

Stay tuned …

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.