It's been a while

Haven't had much time to update, but given the snow situation here in Parkersburg, now is a good time.

Before I make comments on the Kentucky-Ole Miss game, I want to comment on the overall state of sports in general, mostly a high school girls game in Texas that has created a lot of controversy.

Covenant School in Dallas, Texas managed to hand Dallas Academy, a small private school that caters to students with learning disabilities, a 100-0 embarrassment of a loss. After refusing to apologize for running up the score, Kyle Queal, the coach of the Covenant school, was dismissed.

The losing team has received much affection from the public and the media and you almost have to wonder how much of it is warranted. In addition, the girls were given a luxury suite at a WNBA game. The winning team lost its coach and has come under intense ridicule.

For the record, I realize that some of the girls on the team may have been special needs children, but the fact of the matter is, this game should have never been scheduled or agreed in principle to start with. Before you get on your high horse and criticize Covenant, remember that it takes two to tango. Dallas Academy should have realized going in that they would likely have been in a situation similar to this before they decided to play a superior team. In addition, Covenant should not have scheduled Dallas Academy because there is no benefit to playing a team that you are going to walk all over.

Any time you look at high school sports, especially basketball, you always want to schedule teams early on that can give you a better chance to examine yourself and prepare ultimately for championships. I followed Rose Hill for the two years OJ Mayo starred and watched Rose Hill take on teams in-state that were powerhouses. They weren't overly successful, but it eventually led them to their first and only trip to Rupp Arena. This game did not serve a purpose for either team and it is unfortunate that as a result, we are led to debate whether or not mediocrity should be accepted in sports.

If you want further proof, just examine the divisions based on class sizes. In Kentucky especially, schools have been divided into public and private, and the divisions are divided based on the class sizes. For example, where I am originally from in northeastern Kentucky in the 16th region, Ashland is the largest school in the district and has been moved to a new district, playing teams all over the state from Tates Creek and Bryant Station to Pikeville. The famous Boyd County-Ashland inner city rivalry now doesn't have the same impact as it does every season.

Schools such as Rose Hill, Lexington Catholic, and the private schools in Louisville have paved the way to the cries of foul by public schools, and as a result it is now set up to where every child gets a trophy, and the true sports fans will never really know the true champion. If you look at college basketball, this is what March Madness is all about, as we get to see a Cinderella such as George Mason or Davidson shock the world. We like pulling for the underdogs, but now the way the system is set up, it eliminates that.

It's been said that high school sports was fine until adults got involved. Looking at some other cases I have seen personally, I would have to agree:

• In Kentucky, a story that will likely make bigger news in the near future is the death of a student due to overheating similar to Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings. Pleasure Ridge Park coach David Jason Stinson was indicted for the death of 15 year old Max Gilpin. This could be a dangerous precedent to set, but I fully understand the reasoning. However, it will be interesting to see what else transpires.

• A story in Kentucky that I know all too well growing up. Former Greenup County basketball coach Randy Ward, after winning the first game in state at Rupp Arena during the semifinals, decided to take the team to Hooters after the game to celebrate. He then tried to defend himself by saying Hooters was a "family restaurant", which became a punchline for Jay Leno. The parents were up in arms over this, but not for the reason you might think. A lot of parents were dissatisfied with Coach Ward's style of play and decided to use "Hootergate" to axe the coach. However, Coach Ward was able to keep his job until he was eventually fired in a recruiting incident that landed Greenup County on probation with the KHSAA.

• Another story that is more disturbing that is similar, but happened here in West Virginia at Parkersburg High School. Former coach Marshall Burdette had allegations brought against him that he had propositioned some of the players that had played for him and as a result was forced to resign. As with Coach Ward, some of these players parents were unhappy with the way Coach Burdette was handling the team and wanted a new coach, however there is some question as to the legitimacy of the complaints. Burdette assistant Craig Farnsworth took over the team and led them to a state championship and decided not to take it, even with full booster support, over the way Coach Burdette was handled.

As for the Kentucky game, overall poor performance. I was more concerned over comments made by Gillispie at halftime to an ESPN reporter, calling her question in regards to Jodie Meeks performance a stupid question, as one player did not make up the entire team. While the other players and some fans did not find a problem with this, I would venture to say this endeavor will ultimately hurt in recruiting some of the players Kentucky is aiming to get.

Hopefully I will have more after Saturdays tilt with the Gamecocks.

WOW, Just Wow

If there was anything that Kentucky needed to get back into the national spotlight, check out the first thing being shown on Sportscenter tonight.

Jodie Meeks was absolutely unconscious, putting on the best performance I have ever seen in my lifetime out of one Kentucky player. On the way to 54 points, Meeks shattered records set by both Kentucky greats Dan Issel and Tony Delk, nailing ten trifecta's in the process.

Oh, did I mention Kentucky won in Knoxville against a Tennessee team heavily favored to win the SEC?

Did I mention they won by EIGHTEEN?

To be honest, I didn't even have Kentucky pegged to win this game. This was a game I figured Kentucky would probably lose, but now not only has it given Kentucky national recognition, but a marquee win done convincingly against a top team.

Brad Nessler and Jimmy Dykes were both calling for Kentucky to be ranked after this game and for Jodie to be in the mix for Player of the Year consideration. Nessler even made the comment that in the 17-18 years he has covered basketball at ESPN, he had never seen a performance like this out of one player.

For those thinking Kentucky will likely be one of the last teams into the tournament (Joe Lunardi, I am looking at you), if Kentucky builds off of this momentum, I could see them going no lower than a 6 seed.

I will try to have another update ready by the weekend following the Georgia game. Let's hope Jodie lights up Stegeman Colliseum like he did Thompson-Boling Arena tonight.

Two Part Review (Basketball Edition)

And now, the rest of the story...

While Louisville won the game, there are a lot of things to take away from this game. There were several times in the game where it looked like Louisville would pull away that Kentucky came right back, none more important than erasing a seven point defecit with 52 seconds to go in the game. Last years team, and the year before would have quit long before, but Kentucky managed to pull off a sensational comeback that could have been one of the greatest in the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry.

The fact Kentucky only lost by three on the homecourt of a team ranked third in preseason shows that this team has come a long way and is close to arriving. Looking at next years team:

• Jared Carter is graduating.
• Matt Pilgrim becomes eligible.
• Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson, if they decide to return.
• Incoming freshman class of Jon Hood, Daniel Orton, and GJ Vilarino.

We could see the return of Kentucky to basketball prominence should the above happen. However, a lot could happen between now and then as well.

Some more thoughts on the game:

• I DVR'ed the game and watched the technical, and the only thing I can figure is that Gillispie was complaining about was Porter being taken to the ground while Patterson finished the play. Given Clark Kellog was oooing over Patterson, nobody from CBS decided to find out what happened. Gillispie was asked during the post-game press conference what he said and his reply was "I'd rather not say".
• Why Landon Slone did not receive any playing time is the mystery in itself for Kentucky fans following this game. Slone has established himself as Kentucky's best on-ball defender, but a lot of his playing time did come against teams such as Central Michigan. My guess is Gillispie was afraid he would crack under the pressure at Freedom Hall.
• While Michael Porter's defense left something to be desired, he didn't contribute to any of the Cats 21 turnovers, which is shocking. It is possible that Porter may be turning into a more servicable player, but a true floor general is what this team really needs right now.

This team is in an eerily similar situation from the Tubby Smith days. During that time, we had above average to excellent point guard play from Cliff Hawkins, Rajon Rondo, and even Ramel Bradley at times. However, we have lacked a dominating big man opposite Randolph Morris. Now, we have some excellent players in the post in Patterson and Stevenson, yet we don't have someone to set them up effectively.

With the Louisville loss out of the way, it is time to look toward Saturday and the rematch with Vanderbilt. The same Vanderbilt that crushed Kentucky at Memorial Gymnasium 93-52 last season. I made the prediction last year that Kentucky would turn some heads come conference play, and they did exactly that, going 12-4 in SEC play. This play was what ultimately got them into the NCAA tournament last season, and I believe this season the SEC play will be what gets us a national ranking at seasons end.

This weekend has left me brimming with confidence in Kentucky as the season progresses, even with the loss. Hopefully the momentum can keep up.

Two Part Review (Football Edition)

This will be a two part overview of the exhilirating weekend in both football and basketball for the University of Kentucky.

First up, the pigskin miracle in Memphis as Kentucky, trailing East Carolina 16-3 at halftime, staged a second half comeback off an opening kickoff return and fumble recovery to defeat the Pirates 25-19.

To be honest, I didn't expect Kentucky to win this game. Riding a three game losing streak, two of those teams they should have beaten in Vanderbilt and Tennessee, the defense would have to make up for an anemic offense, and it did. Give Mike Hartline credit for doing a good job of managing the game in Randall Cobb's absence.

The only game I had seen East Carolina play in was against West Virginia earlier this season and they managed to keep the Mountaineers in check. That being said, I believe the fact that we used a pro-style offense in this game helped us to defeat East Carolina more than anything.

Mike Hartline has likely solidified the QB position for next season with his performance. It wasn't spectacular, but Randall Cobb will likely go back to wideout where he belongs and Morgan Newton and Ryan Mossakowski will battle Hartline in training camp.

Given the defections, especially of Andre Woodson, my expectations were low heading into the season. This bowl win shows that Kentucky may be on the way back in football. I don't think they will be able to hang with Florida anytime soon, but I would like to see Tennessee or Steve Spurrier lose at least once to Kentucky in my lifetime.