Do you play college basketball or are likely to be a lottery pick on Draft night 2010? But look... I did just quote it, anyway
Hey Hayesfan, Any word on Patterson and Meeks returning to Kentucky to play for Calipari? I know that Meeks has put his name in the NBA Draft but has not hired an agent, but I don't know about Patterson. What are you hearing? Do you think they return and play with Wall and that Kentucky becomes this Super Power again?
Patterson held a press conference last week to confirm he is not going to be in the draft this season. He decided to come back and finish his degree and play one more year. Jodie is going to stay in if he's a first rounder, so he's going through the draft circuit. So far he's been to Detroit and Washington and he should be at the group combine thing too. There were other teams they had mentioned he was going to work out for but I can't remember them off the top of my head. Right now they have him as a 2nd rounder so he'd have to increase his stock quite a bit to make it into the 1st round.
So if Meeks returns to UK, what is their projected starting 5, IYO? What are they going to do with the excess guys on scholarship? Wouldn't they have like 17 and aren't you only allowed 15 or is it even smaller than that?
You're allowed 13 scholarship players via the NCAA... and yes if Meeks comes back they will officially have 17 players on scholarship. However there are three at the end of the bench who could likely end up transferring because of their lack of pt. Coach was required by the university to keep all the seniors who wanted to play for UK - because this will be their 3rd coach in 4 years and they have been through a lot of crap - so that leaves only those three underclassmen as people who will likely leave. Some people are suggesting that Perry Stevenson will redshirt next year in order to get an extra year of development under his belt, but I am not sure that counts as subtracting a scholarship... so I don't know. Either way we are going to be 1 scholarship off I think. Coach says not to worry about it, that by the time he talks to all the kids and explains the situation (that they have no shot of seeing the court) that some of them will choose to find another team to play for (and my understanding is he will help them find those schools) Edit: forgot to add Starting five, with Meeks... John Wall PG Jodie Meeks SG/SF Patrick Patterson PF DeMarcus Cousins C Then the last spot would be a toss up... either Bledsoe (run with John at SG) or Darius Miller (more traditional SG/SF) or go big Orton (with Cousins playing as a F)
There is no excuse for that team not to make at least the final 4 next season. Dare say that this will be one of the most anticipated upcoming seasons in UK basketball history?
If Meeks is even a late 1st rounder he should stay in school. I never understood why some college players stay in the draft when they are projected to go late in the 1st round.
Said that he wanted to emulate Hakeem? Patrick is like Dwight Howard Lite w/ added offensive game... imho... much more so than Diop. I don't necessarily even see PP as a Hakeem like player, but I thought it was nice that he recognized the Dream as a hero. And Manny, yes it's been... oh since I was in college since I was so excited about a UK team. I think they should at the very least be a Final Four team... but I won't count my chickens until they hatch. I agree Shaud, but guaranteed money is hard to pass up I would imagine. I honestly think Jodie will be back. After all the crap he has been through, I would love to see him actually have a great team around him and be successful. Poor kid had a heck of a roller coaster ride his first three years.
I dont remember exactly but when the Cavs drafted him he didnt speak much english and espn/tnt asked him who he wanted to be like in the NBA and he said i want to be like olajuwon
Because it's guaranteed millions. Why wait a year when it's totally possible that you could get hurt or even lose draft value? I'm thinking of someone specifically, but I cannot recall his name...I think it was an U of A guy...projected lottery, stayed his senior year, sucked and didn't get drafted...this was like 5 years ago. Now I have to research this. I'm not saying declaring is the right thing for sure. I'm just saying that there are risks with going either way.