SouthEastern Wildcat Review

Even though I highly doubt that this site has regular readers now, (as if it ever did,) then surely you noticed that it hasn't been updated since last July. As much as I love posting and the University of Kentucky, my place of employment was requiring that I work some very strange and early hours. Seeing as how I had to eat and pay bills, the job was my 1st priority. I decided I didn't want to throw up half-ass posts just for the sake of updating the site. My content may not be great on my best days, but I just wasn't going to do it unless I could focus and at least deliver something I was proud of. Now that I have had six months to adapt to the demands of the job, I plan to post daily (or very close to it) and expand a bit beyond only UK news, links, and commentary. While the 'Cats will always be the primary focus, I can think of many other sports, issues, and topics I would like to address, and after all, that was the original intention for this site. OK, enough with the explanations and B.S. and on to the post.

After the incredible start to this season, I thought numerous times about re-starting the site, but all the other UK sites and national media outlets were going on and on about UK's general awesomeness, so I felt there wasn't very much I could say that hadn't already been said. And this picture pretty much explains it all, doesn't it??? If it doesn't, then check out the athleticism in this play and read what a non-UK fan living on the other side of the country had to say. Obviously, Cal has so far been extremely successful in his endeavor to bring back the brand name of Kentucky Basketball. We are back to our rightful place in the upper echelon of Division 1 Men's Basketball.

Being a native Kentuckian, and a hillbilly raised one at that, I understand the nature of the intense rivalry and hatred that exists between these two programs. Not many people, if any, born outside the state of Kentucky could ever or will ever understand why we feel the way we do, I believe the feelings are imbedded into our psyches very early on in our fanhood. I wanted nothing more than a 50 point drubbing of the Dirty Cards. Alas, it was not to be, but the final score put our beloved 'Cats ahead by 9 points, and a win is a win. Traitor Rick was foiled again, and only two things come to mind that could've made the victory any sweeter; a more succinct offensive performance that ended with UK winning by 30 or more, and if Porcini's unofficial mascot showed up at the post game presser wearing a fruity red scarf or something similar.

Really and truly, if Michael Buffer had been at Rupp Arena Saturday, it would have been very easy to believe 24,479 people had shown up for a UFC undercard instead of a college basketball game. What a start!! I would love to know what exactly Reginald Delk said to Bledsoe to get him so worked up. He kept on woofing even after Coach Cal took him out and was yelling in his ear for him to sit down and get himself under control. I also have to admit that had Cousins been tossed from the game, it would've been hard to muster a defense for him to stay. Not that I wanted that to happen, and I love a good forearm shiver as much as anybody, but man did that head shot look totally intentional and maybe a little uncalled for. Then after the game I became aware of the knee that Swopshire landed on Boogie's noodle thanks to the still frame photo over at Walter's Wildcat World. So in retrospect, DeMarcus' temper served him and the team very well in this instance. Had he backed down, the CardThugs would've increased their physicality in an attempt to get him mentally out of the game. Instead he went for 18 and 18 and put the icing on a great week that ended with 'Cuz being named not only the SEC Freshman of the Week, but also the SEC Player of the Week.

Never in my life as an athlete or during my many years of watching sports have I ever been the type of person to place blame for a loss on the officials. I've always believed that you keep your mouth shut, adjust your game to the way it is being called, and move on. However, that being said, THAT WAS THE ABSOLUTE WORST OFFICIATED BASKETBALL GAME THAT I HAVE EVER WATCHED OR TAKEN PART IN!!!A very good friend of mine that was watching the game with me kept using an old, but very fitting cliche while screaming at the television. He said "We can't beat Louisville and the refs too!! But in the end, Cal's 'Cats found a way to win ugly, a mark of a very good basketball team. Absolute light years away from the stressed, depressed, and terrible frame of mind that has floated around the program over the last few seasons. Wonder what Clyde thinks about the dramatic about face of the Wildcats? Wonder if he thinks sometimes that maybe, just maybe, he was the major reason the last few teams looked as if they would rather be getting a high colonic than playing basketball for the greatest, most tradition-rich program in the entire landscape of the NCAA? I know this probably reveals a little more of my character than I should, but I can only hope that after the way he treated this job, this program, and the general disrespect he bestowed upon Big Blue Nation, that regret is as big a part of his daily life as coeds and Whiskey Sours were. (Or still are??) Feel free to insert your own drunk driving joke here, or if you're not feeling up to creating the 500th joke at BCG's expense, just look below for a good laugh. If you're not all giggly remembering when we all got to see this pic for the 1st time, then you may need to really rethink how dedicated you are to your fanhood.

While doing a little thinking earlier this morning about just how wonderful it is to be a Wildcat fan right now, a terrible thought crossed my mind. What if Mitch Barnhart and Lee Todd hadn't pulled the trigger and fired Clyde following the NIT loss to Notre Dame? What would we be looking forward to this fall? What would the roster and probable starting lineup look like? Very sobering train of thought let me tell you. Of course we have all heard the rumors about some of BCG's more disturbing motivational tactics. All of these are alleged, no one to my knowledge has come out and directly vouched for the validity of any of these stories. There is the one where Clyde made Josh Harrellson sit in a toilet stall during halftime after Billy thought he turned in a bad first half performance. Then the one regarding an injury to Darius Miller where he was supposedly told by Clyde to suck it up and play like a man, and if he couldn't do that, maybe he needed to walk back to the team hotel instead of riding the bus. Of course a team mutiny followed, with the players stating that if Darius had to walk, they were all walking. Jodie Meeks and Derrick Jasper were also victims of the BCG "Play Through Pain" philosophy. It led Jasper to transfer and Meeks to insinuate leaving for sure if Clyde came back.

And we all know about the Jeanine Edwards interviews and the "Ambassador wasn't in my job description" comments, so I think there was a clearly defined pattern of behavior all Kentucky fans had to look forward to. Add to that the undefined substitution patterns and unpredictable starting lineups, and 'Cat fans would be standing in line to jump off the nearest cliff and what a sad, sad season we had coming my fellow fanatics.

Now my next comments are not meant to disparage any of these players in any way. All these guys (Porter especially) either gave or would have given their all for the program, this is just a talent comparison. A realization of what could have come to pass had the UK brass not had a change of heart. B.C. = Before Calipari and A.C. = After Calipari. I'm not going to compare what each player brings (or would have brought) to the team, I'll leave that judgement up to you. This list is just to remind you what would have been versus what now is.

Point guard: B.C. - Michael Porter, Konner Tucker, G.J. Vilarino. A.C. - John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, DeAndre Liggins (combo 1 & 2). Maybe Porter still leaves the team, maybe he doesn't, but Liggins has stated the had Clyde came back, he would've been gone. Konner Tucker went on to sign with Wake Forest, but I believe that Wall and Bledsoe are adequate replacements.

Shooting Guard: B.C. - Jon Hood, Kevin Galloway (combo 1 & 2), Landon Slone. A.C. - Jon Hood, Darius Miller (combo 2 & 3), Darnell Dodson. The difference here being the exchange of Galloway for Dodson, Miller playing SG and SF for Cal, and Slone. I thought Galloway had more game than Clyde allowed him to show, and Dodson is still an unknown quantity, so this one will just have to play itself out. Slone had the potential to be the shooter the 'Cats need this season but transferred to Morehead after realizing Cal wasn't going to offer the scholarship that BCG had promised.

Small Forward: B.C. - Darius Miller, Ramon Harris, A.J. Stewart (combo 3 & 4). A.C. - Darius Miller, Ramon Harris, Perry Stevenson. Perry might play some power forward for Cal, it's not clear yet at this point. Stewart may or may not have been back, as he had already been suspended for the first 10 games of the season due to academic troubles. Miller will almost certainly play more shooting guard for Cal than he would have for Clyde.

Power Forward: B.C. - Matt Pilgrim (combo 4 & 5), Josh Harrellson, Perry Stevenson, A.J. Stewart (combo 3 & 4). A.C. - Patrick Patterson, Josh Harrellson, DeMarcus Cousins (combo 4 & 5). This has to be the greatest impact position because had Clyde stayed, Patterson would likely have joined Jodie Meeks and stayed in the draft. Pilgrim migrated to Oklahoma State, so the jury is still out on that one. Cousins appears to be an incredible talent who will also see time at the SF and C positions.

Center: B.C. - Daniel Orton and Matt Pilgrim. A.C. - Daniel Orton and DeMarcus Cousins. Cal's offense has so many interchangeable positions, center may not be much of a label. However Orton will be a beast either way, and personally I would take Cousins' potential over Pilgrim's potential.

So there you go, you can extrapolate whatever starting lineup you like from that list of players, and in my view Cal's version will always be superior, talent-wise. But draw your own conclusions and comparisons and come up with your own results. (I have a sneaky suspicion yours will be very similar to mine) Now onto the UK news for the day, started off with the new Louisville logo......the one on the left is before Calipari was hired, the one on the right is the redesign to reflect 'Card fans feelings about Coach Cal leading the Big Blue Nation.

It's great to be back, Kentucky has 5-1 odds to win it all this year.

Does tradition really matter? You bet it does!!

Will former 'Cat Randolph Morris ever fulfill his potential? Who knows??

Big shocker here, Cal's offense is perfect for point guards.

TMZ is claiming they have the tape of LeBron getting dunked on by Jordan Crawford.

Cal hopes Antonio Burks is OK and has learned a lesson.

John Clay's random notes.

Rich Brooks wants Randall Cobb to be more creative.

A look at the SEC by the numbers.

A pre-season SEC power poll. (UK gets no respect)

A ranking of the toughest stadiums in the SEC.

And that's the end. I haven't forgotten about the funny story to post today, I'm trying to get the guy who is the subject of the story to write it himself.

World Wide Wes. One might think that with all of the stories floating around out there in rumorville about one William Wesley that maybe, just maybe, this is not a photoshopped picture after all and he actually was in the limousine with JFK on that fall November day in Dallas when he was shot. So who is the man given the public moniker of "World Wide Wes?" In the simplest terms, he is a connector, meaning that if one were to disassemble the various mechanisms involved in getting a player to the NBA such as: the players themselves (high school, college, and pro), front office executives, shoe companies and their representatives, agents, marketing people, and coaches (college and AAU), Wesley is the missing link the completes the entire chain.

Where did this guy come from? What is John Calipari's relationship to him? Does it mean that the NCAA will be knocking on Mitch Barnhart's door asking to see travel and recruiting expenses? Will he do for the Kentucky program what he did for the Memphis program? Which is to say nothing with the exception of a few high-profile recruits showing up on campus in Lexington. If what few stories there are turn out to be true, then William Wesley will be a blessing to the program and an indespensible ally.

The Beginning.

"Whether college, professional, or youth basketball, shoe companies or media, U.S. or international, I would guess that Wes is as connected as any individual that I've observed," said Jim Delaney, the Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference. "That said, I still don't know much about him."

William Sidney Wesley was born August 14, 1964 to a middle class family. He attended Pennsauken High School, and while not a standout athlete, he played basketball and football. Basketball was said to be the better of his two sports, and he received the nickname "Beast of the Best." Pennsauken football coach Vince McAneney recalled that he was a likable and outgoing reserve with a gap-toothed smile. (He later had it fixed.)

For a likely precursor of what was to come, Wesley was voted "Class Loudmouth" in 1982. In reference to his smile, childhood friend Brad Vespe said, "I wish I had that tooth--I'd put it on eBay." He attended Brandywine College, now known as Widener University, for one year, and during the summer after his freshmen year the true evolution started when he began working at a Cherry Hill athletics store called Pro Shoe.

The store was a hangout for young local high school, college, and professional players, many of whom had already made somewhat of a name for themselves. Billy Thompson, a star basketball player at Camden High School who would later attend the University of Louisville and play in the NBA, was one of Pro Shoe's frequent customers.

"It wasn't just a sneaker store," said Thompson. "It was THE sneaker store."

Milt Wagner, another local star who played at Louisville and whose son DaJuan would be the main reason that Wesley and John Calipari rekindled their friendship many years later, was another one of Wes' nephews. (A term he still uses to describe the players he takes under his wing). Wesley's outgoing personality, ability to talk to people, and overall likability drew players into the store in droves. Greg Mark and Jason Hicks were two standout football stars from Wesley's alma mater, Pennsauken High. Jimmy Johnson, then head coach of the Miami Hurricanes, was traveling to New Jersey recruiting both these young players.

"He is such a good person," Johnson said. "He is extremely friendly, and you can trust him right away."

So how did a twenty-something college dropout basically end up as a part of two of the most powerful college programs of the 1980's? One of the main reasons was as all the local stars matriculated off to college, Wesley kept up the relationships. If he was getting close to the Cardinal program, he was that much closer to South Beach. Jason Hicks was quoted saying, "If you have the gift of gab, the gift of likability, it can take you a long way if people trust you. In his business, it's all about trust." He would fly to Louisville and Miami and visit with his "nephews." He would stay up all night with his guys, talking, gambling, and playing cards. Rumor has it that Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin even won the Nikes off of Wes' feet playing poker the night before a game.

"What Paris Hilton has done in Hollywood, Wes has done in the sports world," said Irvin. "Whoever is winning a championship, Wes is there associated with them. He's never played a down or shot a basket. But he's a superstar anyway."

The Network Expands....

"If someone brought him in for show and tell, I'm not quite sure what Wes would present," UConn Head Coach Jim Calhoun said. "It was easy to identify Sonny Vaccaro because of Nike and later Adidas. It was easy to identify David Falk (NBA Superagent) because of the players he represented. It's difficult to identify Wes, but in some ways he's a power broker of the same scale."

Lady Luck herself must have William Wesley on speed dial. In the early 1990's, Rick Mahorn of the Detroit Pistons and one of the original "Bad Boys" hired Wes as the doorman of his brand new Cherry Hill nightclub. True to form, Wes worked his way through the ranks of "Mahorn's" making general manager and becoming the contact for important clientele.

"Everything that Wes has done for me is wonderful," said Mahorn. "It's not only that he works hard. It's his aura."

His already extensive network of contacts expanded to include musicians as well as athletes. The teen rap group Kris Kross even went so far as to serenade Wesley at the club, singing "Daddy Wes make you jump, jump." His highly publicized friendship with Jay-Z and Beyonce was also started during this time.

Wesley moved to Chicago in the mid-90's to open another nightclub for one of Mahorn's business partners. He reportedly still owns a condo there and a house in suburban Detroit. Shortly after moving to Chicago, Wes' magic struck again as this was the time period in which he was introduced to and inducted into Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan's inner circles.

The Arrival of World Wide Wes

"I think that lots of people are more powerful than me," said NBA Commissioner David Stern. "I don't know whether World Wide Wes is more powerful." When he was asked if a complaint about Wesley had ever been filed with his office, Stern adamantly replied, "No. Never. Not one word. Just positive things."

Even better, this quote from Reggie Miller during the infamous Brawl in the Palace: "What the hell is he doing out there? I mean what is he doing? He has no business out there! He injects himself into the middle of everything!!"

The role call of people World Wide Wes has been connected with reads like a who's who of.....well anybody and everybody. John Calipari, Jim Boeheim, Phil Martelli, Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, Mike Krzyzewski, Deron Williams, John Tyson (of Tyson's chicken), LeBron James, Richard Hamilton, DaJuan Wagner, Eddy Curry, Phil Knight of Nike, Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Mark Cuban, Vivica A. Fox, Usher, and the list still goes on.

As much as Wesley doesn't like to be in the public eye, it's very hard not to be when fans routinely see him every year in the best seats at the best sporting events, concerts, and awards shows. He was spotted on national TV on the sidelines after the Cowboy's third Super Bowl win. He was photographed (see above) trying to get Ron Artest off of the floor during the "Brawl in the Palace" in 2004. Again on TV crying tears of joy when Memphis won the Midwest Regional in Houston to advance to the Final Four. And yet again behind the bench when Mario Chalmers hit the three to send Kansas to overtime in the national championship game.

"I don't have a clue what he does or how financially he benefits from this," said Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim. "I don't know. But he's just there. He's around. He knows all the pro guys, their agents, the sneaker people, the coaches, general managers, media people. There's no one he doesn't know."

World Wide and Cal
John Calipari and William Wesley first met during his effort to recruit Kevin Wells, a player from Camden who eventually signed with Louisville and played on the '86 National Championship team. Calipari was an assistant at Kansas at the time working under Larry Brown. They apparently fell out of contact for quite a few years. Martin Newton, UK's current Director of Basketball Operations, who worked for Nike at the time, brought Wes back to Cal's attention when he was first hired at Memphis. It was also during his recruitment of high school All-American DaJuan Wagner, Calipari's first one-and-done player.

"Martin Newton reconnected us when I was going to Memphis because DaJuan was thinking of coming to Kentucky," Calipari said. "Then Martin said, 'Hey, Cal's getting back into the college coaching business.'"

It was during this time that Cal was quoted as saying "William Wesley is a goodwill ambassador to the Memphis program." When he was hired for the Kentucky job, of course one of the first questions he was asked regarded what function Cal thought that Wesley was going to take within the UK program.

"William Wesley knows what he's allowed to do and what he's not allowed to do," Coach Cal said right after leaving Memphis. "He will never represent the University of Kentucky or me in any kind of recruiting."

At the end of the day, I believe World Wide Wes will be a great addition to the program. There is no documented evidence that he has committed any wrong doing whatsoever at any time during his career. He knows where the line is and knows not to cross it. All big time schools have people like him on the fringes of the operation, his name is just better known than most. His influence with recruits and friendship with Cal will do nothing but help the 'Cats stay at a high level. Granted Cal is such an incredible recruiter that he doesn't need much help. But every little bit counts, correct? To close, I believe I will just re-read the following quote from World Wide Wes, and trust that Cal knows what he is doing, and that if he needs it, help is there in the form of Wes.

"What's going to happen at Kentucky is going to be monumental for college basketball," said Wesley. "It's going to be exciting. It's going to be great."

[Sources:Lexington Herald-Leader, NY Daily News, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, Chicago Sun-Times]