BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!

The Lon here with an urgent sports update....The Cats are better than Pikeville College! The Cats are also probably better than The Kid, Weatherly, me, and 2 drunk guys we push off bar stools at Two Keys. Watch this space for more shocking developments.

All Buy Starting Five!!

If you go here, you can see that BCG has named the starting five for the first exhibition game tonight, a game I will attend in person.

All five starters, Bradley, Meeks, Harris, Stevenson, and Coury were listed as BUY in the pre-season BUY/SELL. So, I guess I'm pretty damn smart. A few other notes of interest from the CJ story linked above:

1. There will be a 1 hour full speed practice before the game.

2. Patterson is not starting b/c of missed practices, but expect to see him play a lot

3. Jasper is being praised more highly than I would have expected

4. Carter is not. At all.

My thoughts:

1. This sounds like a good idea, but if UK looks tired or sluggish in any of their games, this is what will be attacked on the message boards. Speaking of message boards, the ones at the CJ have to be the worst I have ever seen. I know newspapers are dying and they are trying to integrate the digital age into all their platforms (Check out all those buzz words!!), but there has to be some sort of regulation. Unfortunately, it is not all UL fans. The UK fans are just as bad.

2. I am more excited to see PP than any othe player. I will repeat my prediction that he will average more rebounds than Morris from last year.

3. Glad I put him at BUY, but I will be very surprised if he plays at all this year.

4. Not good. It is too late to change to SELL, but........not good.

Maybe more later. Defintiely more after the game.

The Kid

WE'RE BACK!!!- Stock Report #1

Pre-Season Stock Report- Stock Report #1

Because I am borderline obsessive when it comes to UK Basketball, even more so than UK Football (Did you know the basketball team will play 4 times before the football team plays again?), I can hardly wait until Wednesday night for the first game, even it is only an exhibition. And, since I am not The Lon, I can successfully follow two different UK sports at the same time.

Therefore, I have scoured the internets, blogs, and message boards looking for any and all scraps of information that might be floating out there. Some of it sounds good (Ramel Bradley being a leader), some it sounds bad (Joe Crawford possibly being a problem), and some of it is…..well let’s just go with interesting (Ramon Harris and Mark Coury playing a lot of minutes?!?!).

Anyway, before the season officially starts, and despite this being an exhibition game this is it, here is my own personal view on each of the scholarship players and Mark Coury. I am excluding our 27 walk-ons b/c I expect them to be nothing more than cannon fodder for practice. If a player is a BUY I expect him to do better than last season or if he is a freshman to be a major contributor. A SELL is a player I expect to do less than he did last year or if he is a freshman to be a minor contributor. I am assuming that all players will be healthy. That is to avoid putting a HOLD on anyone, such as Derrick Jasper or Jared Carter, whose health and playing status for the season is in question. So, in order of jersey number, here is the first stock report of the 2007-2008 Kentucky Wildcats, including the new head coach Billy Clyde Gillispie and staff.

#1- Alex Legion- BUY- I expect the better known new Wildcat from Oak Hill Academy (Bonus points if you can name the other one. Answer at end), to be a major contributor this season, although I do not expect him to be a starter. Legion can shoot. Period. He has the potential to be the best shooter on the team. Hopefully, a Rashard Carruth without the attitude. (The other new Wildcat from Oak Hill is walk-on Matt Scherbenske)

#3- Ramel Bradley- BUY- I believe Ramel will have a better year than last year, across the board statistically, and could possibly develop into a 1st team All-SEC’er. His turnovers will go down and his 3 point percentage will go up. Ken Pomeroy’s analysis of UK points out that it will be almost impossible to shoot from 2 as well as they did last year. They can make up for this with fewer TO’s and a better 3 point percentage. Bradley will be the leader of this team.

#5- Derrick Jasper- Mild BUY- It is hard to put out of my head that Jasper is hurt. Honestly, I think he will red-shirt. That is why he is a BUY. In reality, he is probably a SELL. If he is healthy, he is a BUY. He will not start games, but, if healthy, will score more than last year and will be the main back-up at point guard.

#13- Michael Porter- SELL- He didn’t play much last year and he is being recruited over as we speak. The only chance that Porter has is that he is the only “true” point guard on the team. BCG does not really require a “true” PG, but if he needs one Porter is the only choice. He moves up if Jasper is out the whole season.

#15- AJ Stewart- SELL- I think Stewart will be the Perry Stevenson of this year. He is extremely athletic and will make some impressive plays, but he will also be out of position a lot. This guy has potential, but I don’t expect him to be a major contributor.

#21- Perry Stevenson- BUY- I am basing this on the reading between the lines of BCG’s comments. When he talks about this team being a great shot-blocking team, I can only think that means “The Octopus”, my wife’s nickname for Stevenson, is going to play a major part. If he can be a major contributor, UK could be a lot better than their preseason ranking of #22.

#23-Jodie Meeks- BUY!!!!- I don’t follow the stock market enough to make the proper comparison, but if there was a stock that you could buy and it had the potential to make money for the rest of your life (Microsoft? Google?) that is what Meeks is. He is a star. His junior year, he will be the leading scorer for UK and a possible All-American.

#25-Morakinyo Williams- SELL- I liked him better when he was Mike. Hopefully, he will not have to play a lot this year. That would mean Jared Carter was healthy and producing. Although Williams had a good showing in the Big Blue Madness so did Woo. Ideally, he will continue to lose weight, gain muscle, and learn the game of basketball. When the SEC rolls around, he will not be a major factor.

#30-Dwight Perry- SELL- Dwight started the NCAA Tournament game against Villanova, and I think that will be his career highlight.

#32-Joe Crawford-SELL- Sad, but true. No transition goes completely smooth and I am worried that Joe C. will be the odd man out. In a traditional 2 guard lineup, Joe will have Meeks and Legion breathing down his neck. He is the leading scorer amongst those returning, but I do not think he will hit that average this season. If I’m wrong, which I hope I am, it will only mean good things for the Wildcats.

#34-Ramon Harris- BUY- Rumors run rampant (that’s alliteration!) about Razor Ramon (more alliteration!). If they are true, you could be looking at the newest Wildcat in the starting lineup. I am hoping this is true, b/c Harris gives UK a true SF who can match up against the other big and quick SF’s. It has been proven that Joe cannot guard these guys, and as awesome as Meeks is, it is asking a lot of him as well. A 6-7/216 SF who can “D” up and score a bit makes UK a very dangerous team.

#42- Mark Coury- BUY- Coury fits every stereotype you have about white players. He is “smart”, he “knows his role”, he “hustles”, and he appears to be able to knock down an open J. Because of the lack of depth in the front court, and b/c internet reports continue to say it is so, I expect Coury to be a major contributor this year. I refuse to believe he will start, but a key backup is extremely possible.

#43-Jared Carter- BUY- If he is healthy, it would be impossible for him not to improve. The only native Kentuckian on the roster is also the best chance for a true center. Like Stevenson and Coury, a good season from Carter means a GREAT season for UK.

#54-Patrick Patterson- BUY- Is he really going to get 20 shot attempts per game? If he is anything close to the real deal, he will. UK needs PP to have a Tyler Hansbrough type freshman year. If he does, UK wins the SEC. Not just the East. The SEC. To judge how important PP is, simply consider the reaction when rumors started swirling that he had some sort of medical ailment that would keep him from playing. Panic. Full scale panic. Bradley will be the leader, Meeks will be the best guard, but Patterson will be the key. He doesn’t have to equal the scoring of Randolph Morris, but he does have to match or better the rebounding.

Billy Gillispie- BUY- Seriously, until he wins an NCAA title, this is the most popular he will be. However, I do believe he is still an improvement over the Tubby Smith of the past few years.

Staff-BUY- If anyone on Tubby’s staff was any good he would have taken them to Minnesota.

And there it is. Stock Report #1. Tune in after the game against Pikeville for an updated ranking as well as a player ranking, 1-13, done by some of my students.

Yours truly,

The Kid