Player of the Week: Doron Lamb, Kentucky

Player of the Week: Doron Lamb, Kentucky

Put Lamb's performance against Winthrop as one of the most impressive to date this season.

The freshman guard was not one of the headline recruits for John Calipari. Terrence Jones, Brandon Knight and, of course, still-ineligible Enes Kanter received the praise.

But none of them has had such a dominating performance as Lamb's record-breaking game. Lamb scored 32 points, making 11 of 12 shots, seven of eight 3s and all three free throws he attempted. He also had two assists and zero turnovers.

Lamb's efficiency from the field was one of the most impressive of any player this season. He was as on as a player has been in a game. Winthrop provided the fodder and the game wasn't close, as the Wildcats won by 37.

Lamb has been erratic so far this season, putting up modest scoring totals like five, six and nine points, but he has also scored 20-plus points three times. The Wildcats have options, and Lamb won't always be the hot hand, but he's proving he can be a star when called upon.

Andy Katz

espn.go.com

original article

It’s a Love/Hate Relationship

The Five Things I Hated This Week
...
5. I HATED…..that we have to hear about Enes Kanter’s pending eligibility decision at Kentucky… for the 2011-12 season. First of all, who cares? Answer: not me. Until next season that is, at which time I will resume my outrage that the NCAA is even considering bringing in a player who was paid as a professional. And second, shouldn’t the sport’s governing body have more important things to worry about right now – Cam Newton, Ohio State bowl eligibility, setting terrible precedents for amateur athletics…do we need to keep going?


Jesse Baumgartner is an RTC contributor.  In this piece he’ll spend each week reviewing the five things he loved and hated about the previous week of college basketball.
rushthecourt.net

Kentucky Basketball: What UK Can Do To Win Every Game From Here On Out

Did the lede get you interested? Well, I was only kidding. If I could really produce something that would get us victories every time, I'm sure Coach Cal would be on the line posthaste. But there is something that all our losses and difficult games have in common.

What is it? Consider the table below:

There's nothing magic about this. What I have done is highlighted 2 point FG% games where Kentucky has shot below 45% from 2 in yellow, games where Kentucky shot below 33% from 3 in red, and games where the effective FG% (which accounts for 3-point shots) below 50% in yellow.

As you can see, UK has won 3 out of five games where it's eFG was less than 50%. That actually speaks very highly of the defense, as you will see a bit later, but before we move on to a comparison of last year's team, I want you to remember that UK has only once shot worse than 33% (which is the 2-point equivalent of 50%) from the arc.

Now, let's look at last year's team at the same point in the season:

This is a little different, isn't it? Unsurprising, of course, but different. Last year's team couldn't shoot straight from 3, but boy, they could make the shots from 2. Only one time did UK shoot below 45% from 2 last year in the same time frame, and only once in 11 games did they have an eFG below 50%, which they won. Smokin'!

But despite that, Kentucky 2009 had several too-close-for-comfort games in which they shot an eFG% of 50% or better, and that against a notably less difficult schedule than the Wildcats have faced this year. That speaks volumes about where Kentucky's defense is compared to last year.

But the main takeaway I get from this is that all the 'Cats have to do is improve their 2-point percentage to be a very scary team. A lot of that has to come from Terrence Jones and Darius Miller, both of whom have struggled of late from inside the arc. Another way to look at it would be for UK to take even more shots from three than they currently do. The distribution figures to the far right indicate the number of shots from each distance UK is currently taking, and as you might expect, they are taking a lot more this year than last.

What I think most UK fans would like to see is Kentucky more productive inside the arc than taking more threes. I really do think that the 'Cats are taking about the right number of threes per game, and what would make us nearly impossible to beat is for the 2-point shooting to be consistently above 45%.

As a final parting note, Enes Kanter would undoubtedly increase UK's 2-point FG% above 45% singlehandedly. He is that good inside. So the ultimate answer to the problem is, as with most things this year -- FREE ENES!

Glenn Logan

aseaofblue.com

original article

Enes Kanter - Kentucky

UK Notebook: Ex-Vanderbilt player gives orphans a home

adopting Two boys 'An amazing journey'

In plugging the idea of a new playground, Calipari made Rupp Arena sound like a dilapidated building begging for the wrecking ball.

Host Tom Leach played straight man by noting that Rupp Arena opened in the 1976-77 season.

"The building is 33 years old," said Calipari, adding that such an age made it due for overhaul or replacement.

"What really has been done to it in 33 years?" the UK coach said. "Did they paint it?"

Lexington gave Rupp Arena a $20 million face lift earlier this decade. Bill Owen, the CEO and president of Lexington Center Corp., said that from 2001 to 2004, the city installed video screens, completely renovated the UK locker room and expanded the upper concourse.

The city also built a press box at the bottom of the upper arena, thus clearing space for high-roller seating at courtside, and created the E-Rupp-tion Zone section for students. The improvements included almost doubling the number of concession stands and almost tripling the number of women's restrooms.

All that doesn't include a new court (the old center court is in the lobby adjoining the Hyatt) and, as Leach pointed out, making all the seats blue.

"To say it hasn't been renovated is just not accurate," Owen said.

That said, Owen and city leaders welcome the idea of a new downtown arena as a piece of an expansion of the Lexington Convention Center.

Soon enough, the historic building that saw many UK victories and Villanova beat Georgetown in the 1985 national championship game will be no more.

Kanter revisited

Let's take another stab at where we are in the Enes Kanter case.

Since the NCAA has not reversed itself on the ruling of permanent ineligibility, it can be presumed that UK's efforts to get Kanter on the court have failed. The NCAA has rejected UK's request for Kanter to be ruled eligible and denied UK's initial appeal of that ruling.

UK's "new information" re-started the process. Presumably, the new information pertains to an NCAA ruling permitting Auburn quarterback Cam Newton to continue playing despite his father admitting he tried to sell his son's services to Mississippi State.

There is one big distinction to draw: the NCAA said it had insufficient evidence to draw the conclusion that Newton knew of his father's actions or profited by them. In Kanter's case, the pro team in his native Turkey provided housing and banking records to show he received pay for play. Even UK agreed with the NCAA that Kanter received $33,033 in excess of the permitted compensation for necessary expenses in the third of his three seasons on the team.

As eagle-eye readers correctly noted, it's that $33,033 that led to Kanter being ruled ineligible, not simply because he played for a pro team three seasons.

Since UK cited new information several weeks ago, it can be presumed that the NCAA again rejected the school's request for a ruling of eligibility. So now we're again at the point of an appeal hearing, which because of the holidays won't be heard before January.

Mehmet Kanter telling The Sporting News that his son would play for UK next season if the NCAA reduced the penalty to ineligibility in 2010-11 made for an attention-getting story. But NCAA spokesman Chuck Wynne said that comments by the player's father would be no factor in the case.

UK Coach John Calipari complicated matters last week by throwing out the possibility of the Kanter family seeking a court injunction temporarily nullifying the ruling of ineligibility. The Derrick Rose case came to mind. Memphis played the star point guard, who was ruled ineligible because of academic reasons after the season. The NCAA ordered Memphis to vacate its 38 victories and return revenue gained by a deep run in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

If the NCAA won the court ruling upholding the permanent ineligibility, it would presumably order Kentucky to vacate any victory in which Kanter participated.

Salute to Joe B.

The best thing about the halftime salute to former coach Joe B. Hall last week was UK's minimal involvement. His former players arranged the tribute as a gesture of gratitude and warm-hearted sentiment.

Jerry Tipton

kentucky.com

Enes Kanter Ruling Won't Come Until After New Year

Kentucky will have to wait until after the new year to learn whether or not Turkish Freshman Enes Kanter will be eligible to play after he spent three years with Turkish club Fenerbahce between 2006 and 2009 as reported by ESPN's Andy Katz.


"Reports on any decision before the first of the year are wrong," Wynne wrote in an e-mail, according to the report. "It won't happen."


Kanter had been ruled ineligible by the NCAA because he received over $33,000 more than his actual expenses while playing for Fenerbahce during the 2008-09 season. Kentucky first appealed the ruling, then asked for permission to re-present the case in light of the NCAA's ruling on Cam Newton. The school has been waiting for what it had hoped would be a quick resolution for the 6-foot-11 forward.


The NCAA bylaws state that potential players are allowed to play on teams with professionals -- a change from the old bylaws -- but that they are not allowed to exceed their actual and necessary expenses.


Kanter's father said earlier in the week that Enes would play for Kentucky next season if the NCAA declares him eligible for his sophomore year.


Kanter is widely expected to be a top five pick in the NBA Draft this season, if he declares.


-- Adam Gretz
By FanHouse Staff
ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com

NCAA won't rule on Enes Kanter in 2010

Kentucky won't get an answer on Turkish freshman Enes Kanter's final chance at eligibility until sometime after the new year, according to an NCAA spokesperson.

Chuck Wynne, the NCAA's director of communication strategy, said in an e-mail that any ruling on Kanter was not imminent. Kanter remains at Kentucky.

"Reports on any decision before the first of the year are wrong," Wynne wrote. "It won't happen.

Kentucky's staff has said for weeks that it was hoping for a quick resolution on the matter after it resubmitted Kanter's eligibility request once Auburn quarterback Cam Newton was ruled eligible by the NCAA.

The NCAA had ruled that Newton's father, Cecil, was shopping him to play at Mississippi State but that neither Cam nor Auburn knew about any such deal. Newton was ruled ineligible for a day and then was reinstated without penalty by the NCAA in time to play in the SEC championship game Dec. 4.

Kanter played three seasons with the Turkish club Fenerbahce from 2006 to 2009. He was on the senior club team in 2008-09. The NCAA said in a release Nov. 11 that the university and the NCAA Eligibility Center agreed on the facts that Kanter received $33,033 more than his allowable expenses for the 2008-09 season.

The new NCAA bylaw does allow possible players to play on teams with professionals. But players aren't allowed to exceed the actual and necessary expenses. Previously, players weren't allowed to be on a team with a professional without a game penalty.

"Enes took advantage of an opportunity to play at the highest level available to him, but the consequences of receiving payments above his actual expenses is not compatible with the collegiate model of sports that our members have developed," Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president of academic and membership affairs, said in the Nov. 11 release.

Kanter, who is billed as a top-five pick by most NBA personnel, has maintained that he never intended to turn professional. Kanter's father, Dr. Mehmet Kanter, told the Sporting News that if his son were to receive a one-year suspension he would return to Kentucky instead of declare for the NBA draft.

"Enes would do anything to play and help UK, his teammates and fans," Mehmet Kanter wrote to the Sporting News. "In the last two years, one thing me and Enes never discussed was him being pro. He didn't mention to me about NBA or draft and I guarantee you as a father -- if that's the NCAA's decision -- Enes will be a sophomore next year in UK."

"I know he decided to come to USA to be free in making his own decisions regarding his future, which was seeking an education and playing basketball," Mehmet Kanter said. "So he still is having hard time understanding most of the things happening the last six months. But I think support from UK staff and fans and his teammates is making it easier on him."

Instead of appealing the initial ruling Kentucky decided to resubmit the request for eligibility after Newton's decision.

"The NCAA and the University of Kentucky are still working towards resolution on this matter based upon previously agreed facts,'' Wynne wrote. "While the NCAA would always encourage more education for any prospective student-athlete, Mr. Kanter's comments will not be a factor in the decision-making progress.''

Andy Katz

sports.espn.go.com

Missing big man leaves hole in Calipari lineup

NCAA won't decide Kanter's UK status before next year


LEXINGTON, Ky. — If John Calipari could, he'd bolster his University of Kentucky basketball roster with freshman Enes Kanter.

But with word on Kanter's eligibility on hold until after the new year, Calipari is looking to alternatives to lengthen what's been a short rotation.

Six players on UK's 10-man roster are playing 24 or more minutes per game, five of them more than 28 per game.

“You have a lot of room for error if you have 10, 11 (players in the rotation) like we did a year ago,” Calipari said Wednesday after UK's 89-52 win against Winthrop.

That margin for error is narrow this season.

And there's no indication as to whether Kanter — a 6-foot-11 native of Istanbul, Turkey, whom Scout.com rated as the top center in the high school class of 2010 — will ever get the chance to widen it.

Last month the NCAA ruled Kanter permanently ineligible to play at UK, saying he'd received $33,033 more than his expenses while playing for Fenerbahce Ulker, a pro club in Turkey, during the 2008-09 season.

UK first appealed that decision, then submitted new information for the NCAA to review before making a second ruling. That process is ongoing, NCAA spokesman Chuck Wynne said in an e-mail, and no decision will be made until after the first of the year.

“The NCAA and the University of Kentucky continue to work this issue according to the established student-athlete reinstatement process,” Wynne wrote. “At this point, there is nothing new.”

On Wednesday, Kanter's father, Mehmet, told Sporting News in an e-mail interview that he could “guarantee” his son would return to UK for his sophomore year if the NCAA rules that he must sit out this year but would be eligible for next season.

That statement will have no impact on the NCAA's ruling, Wynne said in an e-mail.

“While the NCAA would always encourage more education for any prospective student-athlete, Mr. Kanter's comments will not be a factor in the decision-making process,” Wynne wrote.

Whatever happens with Kanter, the Cats need depth now, particularly in the frontcourt.

In that regard, Calipari saw an encouraging sign Wednesday, when forward Eloy Vargas gave the Cats quality minutes off the bench. The 6-11 transfer from Miami Dade Community College scored a career-high eight points and grabbed three rebounds, two at the offensive end.

Vargas hasn't shown the ability to produce on a consistent basis — he averages 2.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as the backup to Josh Harrellson — but an effort like the one he gave against Winthrop could be a boon to UK.

“It would be a tremendous help coming off the bench, just to have another big to give Josh help,” point guard Brandon Knight said. “Then Josh can save his legs a little bit. When he gets in foul trouble, we (would) have another big to come in and do what Josh is doing.”

Vargas ranks seventh among UK players in minutes per game at 12.4.

Knight, Terrence Jones and DeAndre Liggins average more than 30 minutes per game. Doron Lamb and Darius Miller average more than 28 minutes. Harrellson is playing 24.1 minutes per game.

“If Eloy does what he did today, we have got a nice little rotation of seven,” Calipari said. “In the old days, that's what they played. They played seven guys.”

Calipari would like an eighth, and he's looking for development in the backcourt as well. He said on Wednesday that he's toying with the idea of increased minutes for freshman point guard Jarrod Polson — who came to UK as a walk-on — and said Tuesday that wing players Jon Hood and Stacey Poole “will play a part in this season.”

The Cats' lack of depth has impacted not only his rotations, Calipari said, but his ability to teach. He noted that last season he could afford to sit a struggling player to teach him lessons.

Calipari suggested that if Kentucky boasted the depth it had last season, he'd be more easily able to sit Jones — whose effort has been inconsistent — during games when he wasn't prepared to play.

This season he's tried different teaching methods.

“You have to kind of cajole and grab and hug and yell, but you've got to have somebody out on the court, and that's the issue we have right now,” Calipari said. “But I like my team. We've got good players who are starting to play together.”

Brett Dawson

courier-journal.com/

The dream scenario: NBA lockout and Kanter eligible

Let’s say there is an NBA lockout next year, and in the process the draft is canceled.

Let’s say that the NCAA backs off its “permanently ineligible” stance with regards to Enes Kanter and rules the Turkish center as eligible.

In that dream scenario, here is what UK’s roster would look like for 2011-12.

John Clay

johnclay.bloginky.com

NCAA: Father’s comments no factor in Kanter case

Earlier this week, the father of Kentucky freshman Enes Kanter told The Sporting News that his son would return to UK next season if the NCAA lessens its penalty of permanent ineligibility.

Spokesman Chuck Wynne sent an e-mail Thursday morning saying that the NCAA had no interest in such a deal.

“The NCAA and the University of Kentucky are still working towards resolution on this matter based upon the previously agreed facts,” Wynne’s e-mail read. “While the NCAA would always encourage more education for any prospective student-athlete, Mr. Kanter’s comments will not be a factor in the decision-making process.”

Earlier this year, the NCAA declared Kanter permanently ineligible because he received $33,033 in excess of permitted expense money in the third of the three seasons he played for a professional team in his native Turkey.

UK has been appealing that ruling.

Jerry Tipton

ukbasketball.bloginky.com