Kentucky Basketball: Coach Cal Is In The Process Of Confounding His Critics Yet Again

No, Kentucky has not won the this year's national or SEC championship yet.  Yes, this Kentucky team is young and prone to play young sometimes.  Yes, this Kentucky team is exceeding expectations by a long way, and could be a contender in March, Enes Kanter or no.

Many in the media predicted that Kentucky 2010-11 would be a top 20-25 team at best, and most predicted someone other than the Wildcats would sit atop the SEC.  The conference season hasn't begun yet, so that could all still come true, but taking a look at where the Wildcats are sitting right now, it doesn't seem likely.

Right now, Kentucky is 12-2, and both losses have been completely defensible ones to rival North Carolina Tar Heels on the road, and to the Connecticut Huskies in the Maui Invitational.  The Huskies were a far more mature team and Kentucky had yet to gel, and the game against UNC was the first true road game for this Wildcat team composed mostly of freshmen, and a very narrow loss.  Kentucky leads the SEC in the RPI at #7 with only the #8 RPI Florida Gators within shouting distance.

No matter what you think of Calipari, his results at Kentucky so far have been spectacular.  Tubby Smith had a similar run of victories when he was at UK, and both coaches were 45-5 after their first 50 games as Wildcat head men.  But with each recruiting class getting stronger year by year, its hard to imagine, barring injury, that Calipari's success will begin to wane a bit, comparatively, like Smith's began to do about this time in his career.  From this point in his career through the following year, Smith would go on to lose 18 additional games.  Can you really imagine that happening for Kentucky under Calipari?

Even Calipari's critics are beginning to find little to criticize, even though they search endlessly for something to latch on to.  Last year, it was John Wall's youthful indiscretions, his small amount of impermissible benefits that cost him two games (one an exhibition), and the lousy mid-term Kentucky grades.  This year, there is none of that, and the grades issue has turned completely around.  I mention this in the context of Josh Selby and Bill Self, who have gotten comparatively little negative media attention for a much more serious situation regarding benefits.

Of course, there are many rival fans and a few media people who are breathlessly waiting for some kind of NCAA sanction against Kentucky and repeatedly knock Calipari's character.  While that is always possible in a high-profile program like UK, for the moment, Calipari can sit back and say to his critics, "How do you like me now?"

Glenn Logan

aseaofblue.com

Tennessee vs. Memphis Preview

...

The rest of the Tigers' points will come from new faces.  The Barton Bros. - 6'6" Will and 6'2" Antonio - lead the Tigers in scoring and three point shooting, respectively.  Will Barton combines with Witherspoon to give the Tigers two bigger players who can really do a number of things well, and both fill up the stat sheet.  Memphis also relies heavily on local kids, as usual:  Joe Jackson from White Station, Tarik Black from Ridgeway, and Chris Crawford from Sheffield are all instant contributors.  Other than Kentucky, Memphis had the best recruiting class in the nation (though both took a hit without Enes Kanter and Jelan Kendrick):  five of their top seven scorers are freshmen.

...

by Will

rockytoptalk.com

2011 Draft Prospect Profile - Enes Kanter

Enes Kanter
Height: 6'11" (in shoes), 260 lbs , 18-years old,  (Signed with Kentucky, but not currently playing basketball due to eligibility problems)
Stats after 10 games  - None
Draft projection: Anywhere between 4-9. I have him as #4.
NBA Position: Center

Before I start extolling the virtues of Enes Kanter, I first want to go on a bit of a rant.....

In November, Enes Kanter was ruled "permanently ineligible" by the NCAA because his father reportedly accepted "benefits" from a Turkish professional club over and above actual expenses. Allegedly, Kanter's European club Fenerbahce Ulker, paid cash and benefits over a three year period to reimburse him for expenses. The NCAA declared that about $30,000 of those payments were outside the eligibility rules.


Just two years before, Kanter's father had turned down contract offers worth multiple millions of dollars "more than a few times" because his intention was for Enes to keep his amateur status and play and study at a United States college. In addition, Kanter was offered the chance to play for the Turkish national team in the FIBA World Championships, but declined because it would have required him to miss nearly a month of classes at Kentucky - and because it would jeopardize his amateur standing. As a result of Turkey's runner-up finish in the World Championships, each player on the team shared an $18 million bonus pool funded by the government and each player was given a condominium by a private Company. Those "benefits" would have certainly caused Kanter to lose his amateur status. That's enough evidence for me that Kanter intended to remain an amateur. But of course, I'm not the NCAA.

There are also allegations that Kanter's Turkish basketball club intentionally overstated the cash and benefits they paid when they spoke to the New York Times when the original story broke - hoping that it would lead to an NCAA investigation. The intent being to punish Kanter and deter other Turkish players from turning down contract offers from the club. Another twist is that Fenerbahce has every reason to want to keep their rights to Kanter as they can demand a release fee worth millions of dollars from either an NBA franchise or any other pro club, inside or outside of Turkey.... if he plays for another professional club this year.

So in Kanter's case, there wasn't really hundreds of thousands of dollars involved, and there wasn't a salary paid - His father didn't try to elicit money from Kentucky - and Enes Kanter is not a "professional" basketball player receiving compensation for his play. Quite the opposite;  as the "benefits" the Turkish club paid were used by his family to pay for Kanter’ educational expenses—such as schooling and tutors. Had Fenerbahce paid the expenses directly, there would be no problem - But because Fenerbahce didn't pay those expenses directly and instead reimbursed the Family directly, the NCAA declared those payments were outside the eligibility rules. In my opinion, it's a case where the "letter of the law", and the NCAA's deaf-dumb-and-blind enforcers have obscured the intent of the law.


Cam Newton was ruled ineligible by the NCAA because his father tried to get Mississippi State to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for his son to play football there. Auburn appealed for his reinstatement on the grounds that Cam did not know what his father had done.  The NCAA gave Cam Newton the OK to play in the SEC championship game. Kanter's family gets reimbursed about $30,000 for expenses, and Kanter is ruled "permanently ineligible". You've got to be kidding - right? Newton is allowed to play, but Kanter is not? How is that even remotely fair?

Kanter has appealed the ruling, but as of late December, the case is still "under review". The NCAA is notoriously slow and deliberate in these matters (unless your name is Cam Newton, and there are millions of dollars in bowl revenues at stake - then things get expedited) - but in the mean time Kanter, who came to the U.S. with the intention of playing at a US college and eventually in the NBA, is still enrolled at Kentucky and doing well in the classroom. And while he can practice, he cannot play or travel with the team. There are reports that Kanter couldsue the NCAA if they do not allow him to play.

Enes Kanter is a 6'11" Center from Turkey. He has a solid 7'1" wingspan and a 9'1" standing reach. It's fair to assume that at 18 years old, he's probably still growing. Kanter won't wow you with his explosiveness or athleticism, but unlike the other Euro big men in this draft Kanter has a well developed frame and is extremely strong. Also unlike other Euro big men, he is a physical presence down low. He's not the most explosive jumper, but he's got great foot work, and a high skill level. He runs the floor well for a guy his size. He's got great hands, seemingly able to secure any basketball even remotely close to him. What he lacks in pure athleticism and quickness - he more than makes up for in intelligence, skill level and energy.

Although he was ruled ineligible to play college ball this year, I was able to see some of his play in EuroLeague competition when he was 16, and I also watched him dominate in the Under 18 European Championships tournament and absolutely blow up at the Nike Hoops Summit game. The Nike game was played in April 2010 with the top high school seniors (including Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Kyrie Irving, Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones) playing against a World Select Team made up of top European players 19-years-old or younger. Kanter broke the individual World Team scoring record (formerly held by Dirk Nowitzki) scoring 34 points. He threw in 13 rebounds for good measure. He absolutely destroyed anyone the US team put on him on Offense - and more than held his own defensively. To underscore how dominant he was in that game, he didn't start, and accomplished all that in only 24 minutes of play. He was quite simply the best player on the court, by a wide margin.

Kanter is an old-school throw back post player. He's just a beast in the paint. He has a tremendous base, and strong legs. Once he establishes post position, there's no one that will move him out. In addition, he has great footwork; looking like an established 10-year professional, rather than a 18-year old kid. He knows how to use his bulk and size to his advantage, but is also crafty in using angles, leverage and pump fakes to get his shot off. He seems to relish contact inside - most of the time initiating it himself. He has a well developed post game with a variety of up and under moves, pivots, drop steps, hooks, short jumpers, turn around and scoop shots. He's has the muscle to finish through contact, and the touch to still put up a soft shot around the rim. There's really not much that he cannot do in the post. If you try to front him, he simply holds his position for the lob. If you play behind him, he'll either score over you, or around you, or more likely THROUGH you.

Surprisingly, Kanter is not restricted to playing in the paint. He has a very polished looking jumper with range out to the International three point line. He doesn't show it off much, preferring to do his damage inside, but his mechanics are sound with squared shoulders and a nice high release. He line drives his shot a bit, but even so, he's been effective with it. Given the fact that he sets devastating screens, has great soft hands, tremendous foot work, and that nice jumper - he should be a very good pick-and-roll player in the NBA; especially if he can get a bit more arc on his shot. He displays the same fundamental form from the Free Throw line - and is a good shooter from there, hitting almost 70%.

As for the rest of his offensive game, he's not much of a ball handler, but he can take a dribble or two and go directly to the rim. Asking him to do anything else dribbling the basketball is asking for a turn over. He even broke out a spin move during the Nike game. He's alert and active on offense, making the correct pass out of double teams, and hitting cutters. He sets solid screens, not worrying about rolling to the basket until he's properly impeded the opposition's guard. 

On defense, Kanter is very good in the post. Because he has a strong base, he's difficult to back down. He plays smart positional defense, using his strength and bulk to his advantage. He's active and alert and plays with great energy on the defensive end. His length helps to block a few shots, but I don't expect him to be a great shot blocker at the next level. His quickness is adequate enough to stay in front of most Centers, but he'll have trouble with quicker, perimeter oriented big men. He has very good court awareness - and anticipates well. His biggest and most desirable quality is his ability to rebound. When a shot is missed, more likely than not it will be Kanter pulling down the rebound. His bulk and length help him a lot here, as does his intelligence and timing. His high energy motor is also in evidence, as he frequently beats smaller, quicker players to the ball. He simply seems to want the ball more than everyone else..... and if he keeps that desire, he should be an excellent rebounder in the NBA. 

Talented big men are hard to come by in the NBA - especially big men that are skilled, have a high intensity level and play "big". That's the way to describe Enes Kanter - he plays "big". He's a beast in the paint.... He's fundamentally sound. He rebounds in traffic... He loves contact... He's a throw back "big man" with a competitive attitude and a toughness to his game. Obviously at 18 years old, Kanter will only get better with experience - but he should be able to contribute rebounding and inside scoring right away for any Lottery team - even as a Rookie.

If the Wizards are looking to change their culture - Looking to get tougher - Looking to get more physical - they could do a lot worse than drafting Enes Kanter.

 by Rook6980

bulletsforever.com

Kentucky 86 - Pennsylvania 62

Penn took the Rupp Arena floor with serious confidence and slapped Kentucky around for the first 15 minutes of this one, hitting 7-9 from behind the three point arc and looking generally fresher than the Wildcats. UK appeared to be still a little groggy and in the grip of a hangover from their New Year’s Eve win over Louisville, and when they left Penn’s shooters open in the corners, guys like Tyler Bernardini (22 pts on 7-11 FG, and 3-4 from three) took advantage. The real Kentucky team eventually arrived, though, and went on a 12-0 run at the end of the half to erase Penn’s double-digit lead and take a one point advantage into the locker room. In the second half, not only did Kentucky defend the three, they didn’t even let the Quakers SHOOT them. Penn started the game 7-9…but ended it just 8-12. The defense of DeAndre Liggins (7/4/2 asst) and Doron Lamb (16 pts on 6-11) made a rumor out of Zack Rosen, the Ivy League’s leading scorer for the past two seasons, holding him to six points — all on free throws. Kentucky is known for its fantastic trio of freshmen, meaning Lamb, Brandon Knight (22 pts on 8-12), and Terrence Jones (10/8). But the contributions of junior Darius Miller (11pts/7rebs/6 asst/2 stls) and, the newly-anointed SEC Player of the Week, senior center Josh Harrellson (12/11/6 blks) cannot be underestimated. The latter was considered a huge liability in the pre-season, and the only reason people acknowledged him then was to point out how he was not Enes Kanter. Now he’s putting up double-doubles. You can count on Harrellson keeping perspective, though. When asked in the post-game interviews by several hovering writers about his new SEC POW award, he smiled broadly and said, “A few months ago if you’d have told me I’d be an SEC Player of the Week, I’d have laughed at you. And so would you guys.”


rushthecourt.net

Checking in on… the SEC

It appears that the NCAA delights in antagonizing Wildcat fans by dragging their feet through the procuess surrounding the appeal of Enes Kanter’s ineligibility ruling. The NCAA was able to declare Cam Newton eligible in a day, but has been considering the Enes Kanter case for the better part of seven months now. The NCAA declared Kanter permanently ineligible for receiving benefits over and above actual expenses while playing for a Turkish professional team as a teenager but has allowed Kentucky to resubmit their case in light of the Cam Newton case as a precedent. There were some that thought a decision would come quickly, but after two weeks of standing around and patting themselves on the back for its near endless display of inconsistency, the NCAA announced this week that no decision would come before the New Year. In the meantime, Enes Kanter’s father, stated that if declared ineligible for this season but allowed to play next year, a la Renardo Sidney, Enes Kanter would indeed return to school next year and play, rather than declare for the NBA, again making the case that Kanter’s desire all along has been to play “amateur” college basketball in the United States under coach John Calipari.

You will perhaps recall that I previously lamented the lack of quality matchups in the SEC/Big East Invitational which this year involved Arkansas, Kentucky, Auburn, Tennessee, Seton Hall, Notre Dame, Auburn and Pittsburgh. It was announced around the holidays that beginning in 2011, six SEC teams and six Big East teams will participate in an annual event whose title will alternate between the BIG EAST/SEC Challenge and SEC/BIG EAST Challenge. I for one can’t wait to see the matchups. Cross your fingers for Kentucky/Syracuse, Tennessee/Georgetown, Vanderbilt/Louisville, Mississippi State/Pittsburgh.

Jared Quillen
rushthecourt.net

No set date for Kanter appeal

With the NCAA office open today, there’s still no real news on the status of Kentucky center Enes Kanter, who’s awaiting word on his eligibility.

An appeal hearing "may happen later this week or first part of next week," NCAA spokesman Chuck Wynne wrote in an e-mail this morning. Officially, the appeal hearing is scheduled for "early January," Wynne wrote.

Kanter has not played this season after being ruled permanently ineligible because of $33,033 in benefits in excess of his expenses that he received while playing for a pro club in his native Turkey.

UK submitted new information to the NCAA early last month in the hope of changing the eligibility ruling. Kanter, a 6-foot-11 freshman, has been practicing with the Wildcats since.

Brett Dawson

blogs.courier-journal.com

Videos: Calipari wants to zero in on improvement

kentucky.com

Glenn and Ken participate in Wildcat Blue Nation Roundtable

Paul Jordan, founder of Wildcat Blue Nation and long-time friend of A Sea of Blue, has come up with what I think is a terrific idea for his site.  Paul's plan is to have various co-bloggers give their opinions each week on the current hot topic the Big Blue Nation is talking about. 

In the first installment of the roundtable, Paul asks the question: Would the Enes Kanter situation have been handled differently if Kanter had attended a school other than Kentucky?

This week the respondents include A Sea of Blue's Glenn Logan, myself, Wildcat Blue Nation contributing writers Greg Edwards and Jonathan North, as well as Kentucky Sports Report and Scout.com writer Brian Eldridge.

I encourage you to give the piece a read, it will be a great way to start off your Sunday.

Ken Howlett

aseaofblue.com

Harrellson's double-double powers Cats over Cards 78-63

LOUISVILLE — When it came to first impressions, Josh Harrellson did not make a strong one with Kentucky teammate Terrence Jones. The freshman heard the coaches complain in the summer about Harrellson's unwillingness to work hard or even pay attention.

From what he saw firsthand, Jones rolled his eyes at the thought of a goofball like Harrellson as starting center.

"Oh, man," he said of that first impression. "I hope Enes can play."

The NCAA still has not — and may never — "free" Enes Kanter from permanent ineligibility. But Harrellson's play in Kentucky's 78-63 victory at Louisville on Friday made that possibility seem less of a death sentence on this season.

Helped immeasurably by Louisville's defensive attention on Jones, Harrellson scored a career-high 23 points, equaled a career high of 14 rebounds and even made his first three-pointer in more than a year (Dec. 21, 2009 in the 2,000th-victory celebration against Drexel).

With victory secure, Harrellson left the game late in the second half and received a bear hug from UK Coach John Calipari.

"At first, he didn't say anything," Harrellson said when asked what Calipari had to say. "He looked at me like, 'Did you really do that?' "

Then as Harrellson recalled, Calipari said, "Good job, kid."

In a game demanding blue-collar contributions, Kentucky's humble tradesman excelled.

Kentucky (11-2) won in large part because it out-scrapped Louisville 34-25 on the boards and out-executed the Cardinals.

"It doesn't take a smart answer to figure out they were the better basketball team, by far," U of L Coach Rick Pitino said. "Better on the glass. They were better executing."

Harrellson played a big part on both ends of the floor.

Offensively, he took advantage of Louisville's concern with Jones, UK's leading scorer (18.2 ppg) and rebounder (9.3 rpg).

"We have great respect for him," Pitino said of Harrellson. "We, obviously, want to take away Jones in the post. We did a good job. We just didn't rotate to Harrellson."

Time and again, Jones found Harrellson in position for layups and dunks.

The Cats had worked all week on playing off Louisville double teams of Jones, Harrellson said. "Sealing the weak-side guy and being available and finding the open spot. ...

"They kept doubling, and I kept making myself available to him," Harrellson said. "He kept feeding me the ball, and I kept finishing."

Jones was reluctant to take credit for the scoring by Harrellson, whose previous career-high was 15.

"I didn't help him get 14 rebounds," Jones noted.

Louisville guard Chris Smith acknowledged the out-of-nowhere quality to Harrellson's productive game.

"I wouldn't say he caught us by surprise because (Pitino) told us he was a good player," Smith said. "But maybe we did underestimate him a little bit. He went out there and did his job."

Harrellson also contributed to a UK defense that made Louisville scrap for almost every point. Except for a second-half flurry by Preston Knowles, the Cardinals seemed out of sync all afternoon.

Knowles scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half. That only kept the final score respectable as Louisville fell to 11-2.

The Cats trailed early. And when Doron Lamb went to the bench with his second foul at the 14:33 mark, it appeared it might be a long afternoon for UK.

Darius Miller helped turn the game in UK's favor. His post-up basket over Kyle Kuric gave Kentucky its first lead, 15-14, with 11:22 left in the first half. That also marked his first points against Louisville in 

three career games.

Harrellson's three-pointer from the top of the key — his first three-point attempt of the season — put Kentucky ahead 44-26.

With Knowles scoring 13 points in a span of less than five minutes, Louisville got as close as 54-45. Almost 10 minutes remained.

Jones and Harrellson saw to it that Louisville got no closer. The pair collaborated on eight straight points to push Kentucky to a 69-52 lead inside the final five minutes.

Afterward, Calipari reflected on the ugly swan that developed into a beautifully productive player.

"He taught me a great lesson," Calipari said of Harrellson. "What we coaches like to do is just work with the good guys. The guys that are struggling, sometimes you push aside.

"What he showed me is, every kid deserves everything we have to help them get better."

Of course, Harrellson got the extra attention after he tweeted about his frustration with Calipari's lack of encouragement. That earned Harrellson a steady diet of extra running, which, ironically, made him better conditioned and better able to perform.

According to Calipari, Harrellson saw his performance against U of L as a chance to resume tweeting. "Are you kidding me?!" a smiling UK coach said of his answer.

This came as news to Harrellson.

"He might have heard me say something," he said of Calipari. "I didn't ask him face to face."

After a pause, Harrellson added, "I might now."

Jerry Tipton

kentucky.com

Is Josh Harrellson Kentucky's Brian Zoubek?

Kentucky senior Josh Harrellson entered the season almost as an afterthought while Wildcat fans awaited the eligibility decision on highly regarded freshman Enes Kanter. After today's 23 point, 14 rebound performance against cross-state rival Louisville, maybe we should rethink that thought.


Darrell Cartwright
kentucky.scout.com