The tweet — simple, no teasing build-up, and worded as if PR had absolutely nothing to do with the message — instantly generated an overwhelming sense of excitement for a season still months away. Deservedly so; a lineup where Kyle Wiltjer is the eighth man of the bench already seems unfair against any team that doesn’t have North Carolina on the front of its jersey. How the pieces will fit, who starts, who emerges as the go-to guys when nearly anyone could be, all these and more will be entertaining to think about and watch develop. But that will come later.

Jones’ decision had import beyond next year’s national championship hopes. It showcased what Calipari’s recruiting style can optimally do. After his first year, where all four freshmen who thought about making The Leap successfully did, the one-and-done strategy was derided. Too much yearly roster turnover would make it impossible to construct a team steeped in both the necessary talent and experience to win a championship. One year’s freshmen class would make costly mistakes when it mattered, and then next year’s freshmen class would then do the same thing. This year proved that to a degree; Calipari admitted that the Reliant Stadium lights were too bright in the Final Four (not literally), and UK largely shot its way back to Lexington.

Next year, UK will have at least one senior in Darius Miller leading the charge, and possibly two depending on DeAndre Liggins’ decision (coming Monday). It will have a smattering of juniors who may or may not end up mattering, and it will have two supremely talented freshmen in Jones and Doron Lamb, who combined represent the first one-and-not-dones of the Calipari era.

During the latter portions of the season, when talk began circulating about who would jump to the NBA, I wondered how much the one-and-done culture at UK, whether real or perceived, might influence their decisions. Seeing the five Draft Cats get to the NBA so quickly played a large role in recruiting — remember Calipari called it the “biggest night in UK history” — and it seemed plausible that getting to the NBA quickly was a primary goal for anyone coming to UK. Would they feel like a failure if they WEREN’T “good” enough to go professional after a year? Would they feel like something wrong must have happened to them, as they watched other freshmen ditch UK jerseys for an unknown NBA team’s cap? Would their preconceived notions from before freshmen year of what they were supposed to be doing after their freshmen year alter, in any way, their judgment?

Apparently not, at least In Jones’ case. He passed up a top-15 pick because he ‘can’t leave BBN just yet,’ although some might interpret that to mean he just wants to become a higher draft choice in 2012. He might end up being a rare case; but at this rate, isn’t that all UK might need? It’s hard to project outward too far, but considering that Jones’ roster status essentially represented starting over with a young seven-man rotation or having a loaded team from the beginning of the year, it seems it might be the case. Of course, the opposite could realistically happen in the near future; if one recruiting class doesn’t quite come together, ‘depleted’ would be the keyword of that particular summer.

But it didn’t happen, at least not this year, and now we have a best-case scenario, one where Calipari has a wide variety of talented youth and talented experience to meld as he sees fit. I personally see this type of roster, rather than last year’s stretched-thin one, as being more representative of the normal case. Judging how Calipari’s methods of building a team after one year seemed far too short-sighted to me, although judging after his second might be an exercise in overreaching conjecture as well.

Follow Aaron on Twitter @KernelASmith

We did this because, for the first time in quite some time, UK football had some legitimate zest. With the Legend of Cobb, and Locke running wild, and Hartline becoming an efficiency expert, and rattling off three straight wins, there was palpable hope that UK could topple Florida and the 23 straight years of losing to the Gators.

We dared to dream. We all did.

Just the fact that there was legitimate optimism — it remained guarded, but it was undoubtedly legitimate — around the UK  program was enticing enough to make UK fans elevate their hopes. For once, all the cliche quotes spewing forth from coaches and athletes about playing Florida — “we think we have a shot, we just have to play our game, we believe in this team” — sounded like they were being said with some sense of conviction.

And, of course, UK fans couldn’t help but look ahead. What if? What if UK took down a top 10 team, rattled off a couple swing games, took advantage of a favorable schedule, made a run at the SEC East?

What if this year was different?

I was afraid to say these optimistic thoughts, either out loud or on here. I was afraid that I was rushing to judgment after playing three very bad teams. I was afraid we were all getting ahead of ourselves, and getting ahead of our team, in assessing just how good UK was. I was afraid that tonight would happen.

Of course, tonight did happen. It was a repeat, a repeat of a repeat. UK hung in there just long enough to keep a sparkle of hope alive — the Cats were only two touchdowns at the half — but nothing that happened in the first 30 minutes of the game suggested a comeback was possible.

Not when UK was fighting to get first downs the way an asthmatic man fights to catch air after a mile run. Not when Florida’s freshman “quarterback” Trey Burton — really, if he truly is the quarterback of the future, the slobbering over Denard Robinson will mean nothing — is running rampant (five rushing TDs, one receiving TD) over a defense whose effectiveness was unchanged with or without Danny Trevathan and his cast on the field. Not when Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke made me question their bona fides as SEC superstars.

I guess the optimism wasn’t deserved at all. The Florida blowouts continue. But that, I think, is what sucks the most. Everyone thought this year had the look of setting up perfectly for some magic. But it was just an illusion.

I showed up late to watch the UK-Louisville game at my friend’s apartment.

(This by itself should immediately make you hate me for missing the season-opening kickoff. Believe me, I would hate myself for my own actions if I wasn’t, you know, an “objective journalist.”)

I was not the kind of late where you make up a story about how your front tire literally exploded as you were exiting the driveway to justify the tardiness. No, I was more of a Gandalf kind of late–wizards, of course, arrive “precisely when they mean to.” I was a wizard kind of late this time.

Bad move.

By the time I rolled through the door, everyone was on their feet, screaming and applauding. Naturally, I thought my arrival merited this sort of reaction and they were just waiting for me to show up so the party could start.

Turns out UK had already scored, in just two plays–a deep throw to La’Rod King and an explosive run by Derrick Locke. The Joker Phillips Era had got off to a boisterous start, despite the fact that he didn’t “hug the toilet” before the game. Denzel Washington would be disappointed, although if Phillips called the Locke run “Fake 23 Blast, with a backside George Reverse,” then it might even things back up.

At least I made it in time to witness the Rick Pitino jokes that spanned the entire commercial break. (Come on, you know you made them, too.)

From there, I was kicking back and enjoying the game, most notably Randall Cobb’s insane catch (probably the loudest the room got for anything, and considering the catch was on first down and gained about seven yards, that shows how ridiculous the one-handed lefty snag was), Randall Cobb’s 51-yard touchdown sweep (again, for all the times Randall has been adamant in wanting to be “just a wide receiver,” Joker Phillips has it right when he says that using the WildCobb HAS to be used It’s too good), and knowing that my very good friend* and my brother, both big Cardinals fans, scored tickets for the opener of Thick Crust Stadium and went from giddy to dejected in the span of a few hours.

*On a related note, my friend is now denying he roots for Louisville and instead is a big-time fan of the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, who beat Ole Miss in the upset of the week. By the way, who knew another school would be dumb enough to pick Gamecocks as their mascot, as Jacksonville State has done?

And so passed Sept. 4, the day an entire class of UK football players secured the right to say they never lost to Louisville. Mike Hartline did just what everybody expects him to, and what the team needs him to do, in completing an efficient 17-of-26 for 217 yards. Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke were the explosive playmakers everybody expects them to be. Linebacker Danny Trevathan was all over the field, and he will be counted on to continue that type of play. I’m not going to deeply analyze this game — if you want that, check out Kernel writer Nick Craddock’s game story and columnist Chandler Howard’s thoughts about Hartline. They were there; I was not.

But I was thirty seconds late to watch the game; they were not. And for that, they got to see, firsthand, the amazing start to the Joker Phillips Era.

It’s one of the most common questions we’re asked when we’re children and the answers can range everywhere from firefighter, to doctor, to teacher to professional basketball player.

Wait, professional basketball player?

Call me crazy, but after reading the comments from a lot of Big Blue Nation – no, not all of Big Blue Nation – I would have thought John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton were leaving UK early to enter a profession not safe for print.

I’ve heard everything from ‘John Calipari might as well be a trainer for the NBA,’ to ‘Why isn’t Calipari making his players stay to earn their degrees?,’ to ‘Everyone going pro is going to be broke in five years anyway.’

I don’t get it. Actually, it genuinely makes me upset.

I’m sorry Big Blue Nation if this freshman class didn’t deliver an eighth championship banner, but what else do they need to do for you?

They reinvigorated a program that had grown stale under the previous regime, they excited you all enough to help set a new Rupp Arena attendance record, they beat Louisville, they beat North Carolina, they won the program’s 2,000th game, they dawned covers that had never been dawned before by college players, they won countless awards, they won regular season and postseason championships, they started dance crazes, and they were one of the biggest stories in all of college basketball.

Why are you grilling them for following their dreams to become professional basketball players? Why are you grilling Calipari for encouraging them to follow their dreams?

Sure, getting a degree would be great, but let me ask you this: If you were majoring to become an accountant, and you were one of the smartest and brightest accounting majors in the entire country when you were just a freshman, and a firm contacted you and said they would pay you $30 million over the next five years to work them, would you turn them down?

Even that scenario isn’t fair though. These players can always get injured and have their dream and all the money that comes with it washed down the drain from an injury.

Please, stop acting like these young men are doing something horrible by foregoing a few years of college to begin a respected, well-paid profession as a professional athlete.

I don’t mean to paint Big Blue Nation with too broad a brush. It certainly is not everybody who is upset with these young men. In fact, it’s probably a minority, but why are some of you treating these young athletes with disdain for following their dreams?

Sure, as a fan it might stink to know your favorite team is missing out on a great opportunity to hang another banner in the hallowed rafters of Rupp Arena, but don’t put your fandom and personal desires above the futures of five young men who you cheered on for six months.

When these 19-, 20- and 21-year-olds were in elementary school and were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, it’s likely they said a professional basketball player.

Is that such a horrible dream?

Let’s congratulate Wall, Cousins, Patterson, Bledsoe and Orton for accomplishing their dreams at such young ages. Let’s congratulate these five players for being able to support their families. Let’s wish these players the best of luck in the future while thanking them for their work in the past.

All they’re guilty of is working hard and following their dream when they were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Across a number of media platforms, the Worldwide Leader has without a doubt raised the profile of football and basketball across the South.

That’s it, though.

The inherent problem with ESPN promising so much coverage is it can’t all go on the flagship station or even ESPN2. If an ESPN crew is going to cover an SEC early-season baseball game in the middle of basketball season, how deep into your cable company’s sports package will you have to dig to watch?

By the time you get down to watching games live on ESPN Classic, something doesn’t feel right. Even during football and basketball season, the deal didn’t perform. Games were aired on networks Insight employees weren’t sure how to access.

The SEC Network didn’t offer a marked improvement in production quality and the on-air talent was, to say the least, a major step down from all-world hoops tandem Tom Hammond and Larry Conley.

But in the other areas, what has the deal done? What about the Olympic sports?

According to the joint news release the league and ESPN sent last August, ESPN and ESPN2 would televise: at least three regular-season baseball or softball matches, three regular-season gymnastics matches and the conference championships in those three sports.

During the gymnastics conference championships, ESPN went with an MLS game. and ESPN2 had Sweet 16-round NCAA women’s basketball tournament games.

The heart of the deal is in football and basketball. But by the time ESPN gets past its priority programming — Alabama and Florida football, and UK basketball — you may be stuck watching your favorite team play on ESPNU, with second-rate production quality and commercials for muffin pans.

And we’re in for 14 more years of this. By the end of this thing, we may be spurning college baseball programming just so we can watch third-round coverage of all 16 SEC teams playing in the 180-team NCAA Tournament, broadcast in 3D.

Whatever it is we’re watching at that point, it still won’t be gymnastics.

James Pennington is a journalism senior. E-mail jpennington@kykernel.com.

The differences between the two Blue/White scrimmages were so many, it’s unreasonable to even compare the two.

UK’s version of the spring game finished with a score of 60-25, a blowout win for the offense utilizing a convoluted scoring system “designed” to help give both sides an even chance of winning.

UK head coach Joker Phillips said he initially planned on splitting the two sides into full squads — offense, defense and special teams — but because of injuries, enough players weren’t playing. So the teams split: one was offense, the other defense. Off they went with a scoring system unfit for any sort of school-sanctioned, open-and-advertised-to-the-public event.

The offense was awarded every time it recorded a first down, whereas the defense was only rewarded if it forced a punt or a turnover. No points for sacks or tackles for losses.

After the game, Phillips defended the system. He said it was fair, and the defense needed to see the score and take responsibility in getting off the field.

Those on the field didn’t agree.

Said defensive tackle Ricky Lumpkin: “A point every first down? What do you expect? That’s skewed. That made it look like we did nothing. We did something.”

But the scoring system was just one issue Saturday.

Overall interest in the Blue/White Game was low this year. It doesn’t look like it will get higher anytime soon, either.

Reasons to be excited for football season were there Saturday. The backup tailbacks, Donald Russell and Jonathan George, were superb. Each of the three quarterbacks contending for the starting job looked strong enough to at least keep his name in contention.

Assuming you weren’t one of the few who attended the game Saturday — the official attendance said 9,000 but it looked closer to 900 — this year’s game didn’t give any incentive to make the effort next year.

UK’s game may never provide an atmosphere like Penn State’s, which had 55,000 in attendance at University Park this weekend. And nobody could’ve held off the severe weather that rolled in just minutes after the players left the field.

But Phillips could have set up the game to be more competitive.

Now he’s set up the season with much less anticipation than he could have.

After all these years, I guess Joe Paterno knows what he’s doing.

James Pennington is a journalism senior. E-mail jpennington@kykernel.com.

It’s all people are talking about this week (between talks about recruiting, obviously).
NBA Draft, NFL Draft, heck, maybe even the MLS Draft (just kidding, that one already happened).

But around these parts, specifically on UK’s campus, the buzz has waned significantly. The obvious reason is the closest NFL team is at least an hour and a half away and no teams reside in this state.

The second, and probably less obvious reason, is what was once billed as the best NFL Draft former UK players would have in a long time has been a big bust.

There’s at least two guys who were considered first round football talent at some point in their careers. The first, Micah Johnson, had his stock peak about the time he graduated from high school. The second, Trevard Lindley, watched himself slip from his position as the best corner in the Southeastern Conference and a late first round selection to the possibility of a Friday second round selection.

From two to zero means little to no interest in ESPN’s primetime first round Thursday night, and slight interest in Friday. Maybe the diehards will watch the final rounds on Saturday, but I wouldn’t count on it.

But UK’s first round shutout since Tim Couch was drafted by the Browns in 1999 is a bit perplexing. It’s not like UK players aren’t succeeding in the league. Wesley Woodyard and Keenan Burton are two recent Cats slowly making a name for themselves in the NFL.

About half a dozen more players are on that same level and another half dozen are bouncing around on practice squads and as career backups.

With UK players, an NFL team is usually getting a high quality, solid character type of player with a nose-to-the-ground work ethic and usually a little bit of a chip on their shoulders.

And it’s not like UK has a bad crop of talent trying to make it into the NFL. In addition to Lindley and Johnson, there’s also John Conner, Corey Peters and Alfonso Smith, among others.

The stats may not be as impressive as others and this group didn’t win any conference or national championships, but that doesn’t mean this group doesn’t have talent.

It does.

But then, as we all know, the NFL Draft isn’t just about talent. It’s about who you played for, how tall a player is, the name recognition and more. If the NFL Draft was perfect, they’d probably replace it with something imperfect, just because.

In the meantime, UK players will wait for days to hear their names called and to find out where their NFL careers will begin. UK fans will be more intrigued with the latest basketball commitment or this Saturday’s Blue-White game. The draft will probably be an afterthought, the same way UK players have been to NFL teams.

Maybe “Operation Win” will change this notion or maybe it won’t and UK players will still remain late round picks that excel under the radar.

Either way, as it stands now, the NFL Draft doesn’t matter in these parts.

Kenny Colston is a journalism senior. E-mail kcolston@kykernel.com.

Big Cuz — the same Big Cuz that drew almost as much love from NBA scouts as he did from end-of-the-bench hacks, sent in to try and hack their way through what many thought was a paper-thin temper — may have controlled the lane more so than anyone in college basketball for 38 games, but that’s all for now.

Eventually, he’ll move up to the two-lane roads and larger highways.

So maybe when John Calipari called Cousins a “big 12-year-old” on several occasions throughout the big man’s only collegiate season, there was a little something more to that than just sitting down and playing video games with Calipari’s son.

Regardless of his status with UK, the NBA or the DMV, they don’t make ‘em like DeMarcus very often. And soon, big men around The League will find out.

Right now, he’s not really working on much in terms of basketball. He said right now he’s focusing on finishing up the semester in good academic standing and getting his body ready for the NBA. He’s losing weight and putting on muscle.

Once the semester’s out, he’ll start working on his basketball skills, fine-tuning and getting them ready for the NBA scouts and general managers who will have to decide whether he’s worthy of a top-three, top-five or top-10 pick.

And more so than judging his skills, those same scouts and GMs will have to decide if his attitude is worthy of such a considerable investment. Cousins had a reputation follow him around while at UK that he lost his cool with the snap of a finger.

Anyone that digs into game film would be wrong to assume an issue with Cousins’ flares (which were few and fairly tame, especially compared to the perception surrounding him).

At UK. he was a kid being bullied around — by bullies, no less, who had to flout the rules just to keep him from breaking records at their expense.

Now it’s time for kids his own size to pick on him.

“It just helped me grow up as a basketball player and a man, and I believe it’s time for me to go,” Cousins said.

Soon, he’ll be going up against men like Dwight Howard, who can actually hang with a body and a talent like Cousins without not-so-subtly resorting to dirty tricks. It’ll be a new challenge for Cousins because even after a year of Division I hoops, he’s still never played regularly against men who can reasonably match up with him.

Those asking if Cousins can mentally handle the challenge could even compare him directly to Howard. Howard jumped straight from high school to the NBA (before the league established a rule in 2005 banning such transitions) and some thought his goofy attitude and constant grin would cost him.

Even as recently as 2009, a Sports Illustrated cover story questioned Howard’s “smile,” questions which Cousins has faced, if in a bit of a different light. (Big Cuz can get angry in a game, but not too much to don his geeky glasses and laugh it off immediately thereafter.)

In 2009-10, Howard led the NBA in rebounds per game, blocks per game and field goal percentage. Whether Cousins will equally produce doesn’t matter; but just because he’s a big kid, that won’t count against him. Even if he’s a “big kid,” he’s still big.

And for the sake of the NBA, which employs too many players that seem to find more headlines in court than on the court: Hopefully Cousins, like Howard, never grows up too much.

When asked on what he’d spend that first NBA paycheck, he answered without too much pause, like any kid who knows what’s best.

“Whatever my mom wants,” he said.

A few big paychecks down the road, he’ll get that driver’s license, too.

James Pennington is a journalism senior. E-mail jpennington@kykernel.com.

By now, we all know what that catchphrase is, “Operation Win,” and how that winning is going to occur.

But I have a simple question for all involved: based on spring practice reports that senior-to-be Mike Hartline has separated himself from the quarterback pack as of now, can “Operation Win” be successful with No. 5 under center?

Hartline and the fans have had a rocky relationship thus far. As a sophomore, Hartline threw his teammates under the bus after losing his starting job. And he was booed from time to time for his play on the field.

In his junior year, the blame game ended, but fans still piled on Hartline, booing him multiple times. And during the one game in which he actually excelled, he suffered what amounted to a season-ending injury.

In his absence, sophomore-to-be Morgan Newton stepped up and led the Cats to away wins at Auburn and Georgia, a mighty feat for a freshman quarterback in the Southeastern Conference, much less one at UK.

The Cats have won with Newton at the helm. Yes, the offense was pared back in order for success to occur, as Phillips has acknowledged, but the fact of the matter remains — a win is a win is a win.

This year’s offense will be more robust and have more depth when it comes to playmakers. Randall Cobb is a year older and Derrick Locke is back as well, so it won’t matter how “pared back” the offense is.

Hartline has no such wins under his belt. In fact, against perennial SEC powers, Hartline usually performs at his worst. To his credit though, he was likely leading the Cats to a win at South Carolina before his injury occurred.

It seems in every practice, Hartline looks better, more qualified to be under center. But his play in games doesn’t match up to his skill in practice.

Meanwhile, Newton may not practice at his best, but he still led a struggling offense up and down the field enough to win big games.

Which matters more?

Believe it or not, there is a natural skill that separates Newton and Hartline, or at least it does in the comparsions we’ve been able to make so far.

No, it’s not an ability to read a defense (though that helps) or how quickly one digests a playbook (that helps, too).

The difference between Hartline and Newton is that one is a playmaker and one is not. When a defense has all options covered, Hartline will throw a ball out of bounds. Newton will tuck it for a 5-yard gain.

That’s called making a play.

We saw the raw playmaking ability of Newton last year. In three years, we’ve yet to see it from Hartline.

Yes, Hartline has strong qualities. He knows the offense, he’s familiar with the receivers, he doesn’t take drive-killing sacks.

But he also hasn’t displayed deep-ball arm strength, the ability to tuck the ball effectively and pick up yards when all receivers are covered or anything else that a strong quarterback needs to do.

It’s not that Morgan Newton is perfect, but he gives the defense pause at quarterback. He provides another wrinkle Hartline doesn’t.

Maybe No. 5 will show everyone that his last year as a Cat will be his best. But the reports out of spring ball aren’t that Hartline is better. He’s merely shown that in the spring, a four-year knowledge of the offense is paying more dividends.

But that doesn’t mean that Hartline can be the lead in “Operation Win.”

Not yet, anyway.

Kenny Colston is a journalism senior. E-mail kcolston@kykernel.com.

So when Rod Strickland was pulled over early Sunday morning in his fourth drunk driving-related incident, the consequences shouldn’t be easy, and maybe they won’t be fair.

But if UK wants to get it right, it shouldn’t wait for his April 15 arraignment to decide on Strickland’s future. Be swift, be just. Set the proper example for the student-athletes, and don’t play politics like the powers that be in Indianapolis, messing with the basketball tournament.

Strickland should be thanked for his season of service to UK, and he should be let go.

When John Calipari brought Strickland to his staff from Memphis, the former NBA guard was seen as, among other things, a recruiting tool: He knows what it takes to play in the league, because he lasted there for 17 seasons. What high school player, especially a point guard, wouldn’t like that kind of tutelage?

Strickland’s hire could also have been seen as a calculated risk from Calipari. At Memphis, Strickland served as director of basketball operations — a suit on the bench that didn’t coach; rather, he assisted with off-court relations (which makes the title “director of basketball operations” seem like a misnomer).

His spot on the bench at UK was initially set to go to a man named Josh Pastner, until he accepted the head coaching spot Calipari left at Memphis that nobody expected to fall all the way to Pastner. So when it did, Calipari opted to give Strickland a chance to bump up from a non-coaching administrative job to assistant coach instead of finding somebody he hadn’t worked with.

Through just one season, it’s difficult to say if the risk paid off. Because of the timing of Strickland’s hire last May, it’s likely he didn’t impact any signings from Calipari’s first class.

But the administration shouldn’t wait any more to see if the risk will pay off eventually. Now, there’s no way it can.

Most times, assistant coaches work more personally with players than head coaches do. In turn, they have just as much or more influence over the athletes than Calipari does in a personal sense. If Cal decides to leave Strickland on staff, how can he explain to parents on the recruiting trail that a repeat DUI offender is on staff?

And how can Calipari justify to himself that it’s worth the trouble?

For all Strickland may or may not do behind the scenes and on the practice floor at UK, his job isn’t irreplaceable. If it was, he’d be a head coach somewhere by now.

And for Strickland personally, it may be best he is cut loose.

When Billy Gillispie was fired last year, he hit rock bottom. In August, he surfaced in nearby Lawrenceburg in the middle of the night, caught driving under the influence. Only then did he realize he had a problem with alcohol, and only then did he seek treatment.

Maybe for Strickland, he can realize alcohol is a problem in his life. Four times now he has been arrested for driving drunk. For the sake of himself and his family, he should seek treatment. Like Gillispie, maybe it would take something as dramatic as losing a job to find that help.

Calipari should stay by his side, and offer him assistance throughout the process. But it should be as a friend, not as a boss.

Maybe that’s not fair. But fair isn’t always right, and right isn’t always fair.

James Pennington is a journalism senior. E-mail jpennington@kykernel .com.