SouthEastern Wildcat Review

Of course it is beginning to be old news by now, but 2010 Point Guard Josh Selby has de-committed from Tennessee. He is a 6'2" 180 lb top ten (Rivals #7 Overall,#2 PG; Scout #10 Overall, #3 PG; ESPN Grade-95) prospect with loads of talent. His scouting report reads as folows: One of the most aggressive and attacking point guards in the country; finishes above the rim with authority; very hard-nosed, tough-minded kid; has good range from the 3-point line, somewhat streaky, but rarely settles for the jumper; great energy and tenacity; plays defense with reckless abandon; tends to over-penetrate at times which leads to some turnovers; excels in transition and has great court vision; polished player with big-time potential.

Selby attended John Carroll High School in Bel Air, MD as a freshman. He led John Carroll to a 28-7 record while reaching the state semi-finals where they lost to St. Mary's of Annapolis. Josh averaged 16 pts, 4 rbs, 4 ast, and 1.5 stl that year. He was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Intensity Basketball Classic, the Benedictine Capital City Classic, and the Montverde Academy Invitational while also receiving All-Conference and All-County honors. His outstanding play as a freshman led his coach, Tony Martin, to say this:

"Josh is just an incredible athlete. He is very explosive, quick, a great leader," said Martin. "His skills are obvious. He has great ability, he has a great handle, and he can really see the floor. I don't think I have EVER seen a high school freshman who can see the floor as well as Josh does - he has great vision and court awareness. He is a scorer, but he is also a true point guard and a great floor leader."

Selby's numbers and reputation only grew from there. He transferred to Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha, which should sound familiar to Wildcat fans as it is the alma mater of UK great Keith Bogans. He is a member of the storied Baltimore Elite AAU squad, and has also played for Team Melo. Selby is a cousin of former Kentucky target and current Memphis commitment Will Barton, and the two traveled together to this year's NBA Top 100 Camp. He is now reportedly transferring again to Baltimore Lake Clifton High School, where they hope he steps into his cousin's shoes as the leader of the team. (Barton was not granted a 5th year of eligibiltiy and had to go the prep school route)

When asked if being out of the country in Israel coaching Team USA in the Maccabiah Games caused Pearl to possibly be "backdoored" by rival coaches trying to get Selby to de-commit he said:

"It happens, and that's just the way it is. It's part of it."

While no one knows if that is was has happened, many have speculated that Memphis is the leader due to his cousin Barton's recent verbal commitment to Pastner's team. So far however, that doesn't appear to be the case as Jeff Goodman of FoxSports is citing his sources as saying that Kentucky became the immediate leader following Selby's decision. His list is also said to contain UConn, Kansas, Miami, and Oregon.

For UK fans hoping to see him land in Lexington, good news came in the form of Josh's mother confirming that the family indeed knows one "World Wide" William Wesley. His mother downplayed the thought that this automatically meant he was bound for UK, but it is definitely hard to argue with past results.

Now to the question of the day....Was Nike involved in Josh Selby's de-commitment? Tennessee is contracted with Adidas, and the rumor is that Nike got word to Selby that his chances of landing a Nike endorsement would increase greatly if he were to attend a college affliated with the athletic gear manufacturing giant. Kentucky certainly fits that bill as reportedly they are poised to become Nike's "Signature" school. I am really hoping there is nothing to this rumor and that it is being spread by disgruntled (is there any other kind really?) Volunteer fans. Some of them are going so far as to suggest that LeBron's recent visit to Lexington last week led to Selby's retraction.

Unless this is proven to be true, I for one am going to refuse to believe it. If college basketball recruiting has sank to the point where a school's contract with Nike, Converse, Adidas, And1, or whoever influences the decision a young man makes more than the actual college, coach, or conference they play in does, then folks this is a mighty sad time for the sport I love. Can you imagine a world where a top high schooler says, "Yeah, I'm going to attend the University of [insert school] because during my visit I really enjoyed the atmosphere, the fans, the campus, and I also like the style of play Coach [insert name] employs, but most importantly, their contract is with [insert huge shoe company name] and they will pay me big bucks to endorse them when I get to the NBA someday."

Please Basketball Gods, don't ever let it come down to this. Please.

And here are a couple of short Josh Selby clips to change the mood...

As the video above shows, I really believe that UK will have the best frontcourt in all of college basketball next year. The experience and ability of Patterson and Stevenson, along with the natural talent of Orton and Cousins seems to me like a sure-fire receipe for success. I know there are a few "ifs" that must be mentioned, like, "Will Orton become more assertive and be the incredible player we know he can be?", "Will Patterson improve his jumper and be able to play effectively on the perimeter?", "Will Cousins lose the attitude problem that so many are reporting that he has?", and "Will Stevenson work hard enough to earn some playing time and not be stuck on the pine?" I believe in Coach Cal's motivational ability to get these things accomplished, and man it sure is going to be fun to watch it happen as the season progresses.
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Matt Pilgrim, the mythical practice and pick-up game "beast" is considering Memphis as one of his possible destinations. We mentioned that here yesterday, and I believe it could be a great choice for him and his future. If he is just half of the player that he has been made out to be, Josh Pastner will be getting one heck of a player. However, Pilgrim spoke to a group of reporters during his visit to the home of Graceland and let it be known that he wasn't happy with Cal's decision and that he hopes whatever school he ends up attending has UK on their schedule. "Revenge is a dish best served cold" I heard once upon a time, and it looks like Mr. Pilgrim has forgotten his microwave.
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Bluegrass State Basketball posted an excellent interview with Dan Wolken of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. In it Dan explains the effect that Cal had on Memphis, fan reaction during and after his tenure there, and his thoughts on Calipari in general. Great read, and congratulations to Bluegrass Hoopster on some thoughtful and engaging questions.
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Our sweaty, loud, and obnoxiously quotable neighbor to the south actually had a few flattering things to say about Coach Cal during the SEC coaches teleconference. Although I have to admit, I love have Pearl coaching in the SEC. With Donovan, Stansbury, Stallings, Grant, Johnson, Fox, Horn, and the rest of the fine coaches in the SEC now, I believe the league can do nothing but step up in the eyes of the nation. I for one am sick of all the talk of the Big East and ACC being head and shoulders above the level of competition in the SEC. With all these guys manning the sidelines this season, the SEC will get its rightful place in the upper echelon of BCS conferences and surely get more than 3 bids to the NCAA tournment.

Also from the teleconference, Kevin Stallings of Vandy said:

“(Last year) was just a year where a lot of people were caught in major years of transition, us being one of them,” Stallings said. “We just had a year where a lot of our programs we’re young, but I think you’ll see the exact opposite of that this year. With guys like (Patrick) Patterson and Tyler Smith and (Jarvis) Varnado and Devan Downey and all those guys coming back, I think you’ll just the opposite this year. We’ll have experienced teams that will raise the quality of our league and it will show come tournament time.”

He also had this to say about Calipari:

“John has had success every place he’s been,” Stallings said. "To think that he would not have success at Kentucky would be foolish. I think the perception of our league has suffered at times when Kentucky has been down. I think from that standpoint, the higher ups would tell you that it’s good for Kentucky to be good, but I don’t particularly want Kentucky to be good. We have enough good teams in our league already.”

Rick Stansbury, coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs added:

“It’s very obvious recruiting wise,” Stansbury said. “He’s got the best in the class in the country coming in with Patterson coming back. With the rest of that team coming back, I haven’t looked at any polls or anything, but I’ll be surprised if they’re not No. 1, 2 or 3 in the country. Calipari has done a great job everywhere he’s been and it’s pretty obvious he’s going to do a great job there. The perception in the SEC is if Kentucky and Florida is not as good as they normally are the league is down. Well I don’t know if that’s true or not, but if they would have been like they normally are, we would have had five teams in the NCAA Tournament and a question wouldn’t have been asked. I think when you have a program like Kentucky, the tradition they have and the standards they’ve set and the national championships they’ve won … I think it’s very obvious when they’re up where everybody wants them to be competing for national championships, the perception of them helps our league.”

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Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com released his 2010 mock draft. (Ridiculously early might I add, but they are fun). If his prediction comes true, we currently have 3 first rounders on our roster for the upcoming year. If the Xavier Henry rumors turn out to be true (I will have a post later dedicated to this subject) and if this article quoting Daniel Orton comes to fruition, that makes 5 total possible 1st rounders, including 4 one-and-done players. Don't know if I like the direction this is going, but I will reserve my judgement until I see how it all pans out. As long as Cal keeps recruiting at such a high level and it doesn't affect our APR ratings, I suppose all will be well.
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Ramel Bradley, a polarizing figure in UK history to say the least, has signed a contract to play in France next season after a year in Croatia. Ramel had a very good career at UK marred by having to suffer through his senior year playing for "tough guy" Billy Gillispie. I wish "Smooth" the best and sincerely hope that the path he is on ultimately leads to the promised land of the NBA.
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Donald Williams, he of the one-year scholarship, has transferred to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. This one always puzzled me. Williams was added last minute to the surprise of everyone, was told his scholly was not going to be renewed past the 1st year, then reportedly redshirted and never saw the floor for a minute. More testament to the genius that was BCG.
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IT'S ABOUT TIME, but, Lance Stephenson has reportedly picked his one-year destination, Cincinnati. I'll leave the "Thuggins must still be coaching there" comments alone, but Lance and Bill Self both may regret this decision when Xavier Henry shows up in Lexington after the Henry Family decides what's best for Xavier's future tonight.
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And finally, for any of you guys out there thinking of getting married, please get to know your future wife very well so that she doesn't turn out like this: