College Hoops Video

Kentucky coach John Calipari has become a regular tweeter in recent months, and he was forced to go back to the social networking site last week to assure Wildcats fans that he was not about the leave the school.

Multiple press sources had linked Calipari, who went close to winning a national championship in his first season at UK, making a swift move to the professional ranks to join his former point guard Derrick Rose and coach the Chicago Bulls.

While Calipari has a great resume as a college coach, there is nothing to say his skills would translate well to the NBA , the plot had changed recently because of his relationship with LeBron James, other sources linking Calipari as a potential coach for whatever team James is playing for at the start of next season.

The two are very close, with Calipari acting as a mentor for the NBA’s brightest talent, but whether the James-Calipari double act will be a package deal in free agency is another matter entirely.

Calipari’s deal with Kentucky is huge in college terms – eight years, $31.65m – and his success in the first of those years in developing talent like John Wall and Eric Bledsoe is likely to make it very difficult for anyone, even LeBron, to tempt him away.

Calipari’s future was often in question when he was in charge at Memphis, yet he stayed there for nearly a decade and continually improved their team, and now it seems he is keen to win at least one championship in the Bluegrass state before he makes his next move, be it to another college (is there one bigger?) or to the NBA.

He says this is the last time he will address the subject, but that might be a little harder to believe, because the clamour is only going to get louder once LeBron’s home for 2010-11 is decided. It is doubtful that ‘King James’ will want to play for a small-time coach and, although Calipari has no professional resume, there are times when 1+1 really does add up to 2.

In other NBA Betting news from Lexington, Kentucky’s rotation for next season has been boosted with the news that Darnell Dodson will be returning for his junior season after rumours that he was about to leave after doubts were made public about his focus and consistency.

The 2010 All SEC Basketball awards have been released for the 2009-10 NCAA basketball season. The SEC votes designate a first-team, second-team, all-freshman, and all-defensive team. Ties are not broken in the SEC conference awards, so there are 17 players for the first and second team awards. Kentucky Start John Wall was the player and freshman of the year in the SEC with three Kentucky players being named to the First Team All-SEC list.

2010 First team All-SEC

Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State – F, 6-9, 230
Devan Downey South Carolina – G, 5-9, 170
Wayne Chism, Tennessee– C, 6-9, 246, Sr.
Jermaine Beal, Vanderbilt – G, 6-3, Sr., 205

Trey Thompkins, Georgia – F, 6-10, 247, So..
DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky – F 6-11, 270, Fr.
Patrick Patterson, Kentucky – F 6-9, 235, Jr.
John Wall, Kentucky – G 6-4, 195, Fr.

2010 Second Team All-SEC

Mikhail Torrance, Alabama – G, 6-5, 210, Sr.
Courtney Fortson, Arkansas – G, 5-11, 180, So.
Erving Walker, Florida – G, 5-10, 171, So.
Tasmin Mitchell, LSU – F, 6-7, 238, Sr.
Chris Warren, Ole Miss – G, 5-10, 168, Jr.,
Dee Bost, Mississippi State – G, 6-2, 170, So.
A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt – C, 6-11, Jr., 255
Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt – F, 6-7, So., 210

SEC All-Freshman Team

DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky – F 6-11, 270, Fr.
John Wall, Kentucky – G 6-4, 195, Fr.
Reginald Buckner, Ole Miss – F, 6-8, 233, Fr.
John Jenkins, Vanderbilt – G, 6-4, 215

Tony Mitchell, Alabama – F, 6-6, 185, Fr.
Marshawn Powell, Arkansas – F, 6-7, 220, Fr.
Kenny Boynton, Florida – G, 6-2, 183, Fr.
Eric Bledsoe, Kentucky – G, 6-1, 190, Fr.

SEC All-Defensive Team

Patrick Patterson, Kentucky – F 6-9, 235, Jr.
Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State – F, 6-9, 230, Sr.
Devan Downey, South Carolina – G, 5-9, 170, Sr.
Sam Muldrow, South Carolina – F, 6-9, 220, Jr.
Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt – F, 6-7, So., 210

SEC Coach of the Year: Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt
SEC Player of the Year: John Wall, Kentucky
SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Ray Shipman, Florida
SEC Freshman of the Year: DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky
SEC Sixth-Man of the Year: John Jenkins, Vanderbilt
SEC Defensive Player of the Year: Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State

The Kentucky Wildcats have exceeded most experts (outside of the state of Kentucky) predictions for performance during the 2009-10 NCAA basketball season, as Coach Cal has relied upon starting 3 freshmen most of the season. Kentucky’s three star freshmen, John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, and DeMarcus Cousins have started most of the season along with Patrick Patterson, and Darius Miller. Darnell Dodson has started at times in place of Miller and once for Eric Bledsoe. The following are the starters averages through the Sweet 16 of the 2010 NCAA Tournament for the 2009-10 Kentucky Wildcats basketball team.

2010 Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Starting Lineup

2010 Kentucky Wildcats Starter – Point Guard – John Wall

John Wall was named the NCAA freshman of the year, SEC player of the year, SEC Freshman of the year, and to the first team all-SEC Team this season. Wall is averaging 16.6 ppg and 6.6 apg on the season. During the NCAA Tournament his scoring has been down a tad averaging 13 points a game but his assists per game have increased to just under 9 apg. He may lose the 2010 Naismith Award to Ohio State’s Evan Turner (just due to the number of future NBA players on Kentucky’s squad that results in a depression of his per game numbers), but Wall has been a consensus #1 pick in the 2010 NBA draft for the majority of the 2009-10 NCAA basketball season.

2010 Kentucky Wildcats Projected – Power Forward – Patrick Patterson

Patterson bypassed the 2009 NBA draft although he was projected to be a first round pick. He came back to improve his outside game, finish his degree, and to finally participate in a NCAA Tournament. Patterson has accomplished all of the above. He has been the team leader of the Wildcats this season with being the only junior starter. Patterson’s scoring and rebounds are down a tad this season at 14.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg, but he has demonstrated an ability to hit from 3 this year as well as to guard players on the wing. Patterson is currently projected to be a first round/low lottery pick in the 2010 NBA draft. Patterson was named to the first team All SEC Team and to the SEC all-defensive team this season.

2010 Kentucky Wildcats Projected Starter – Center – DeMarcus Cousins

DeMarcus Cousins has not disappointed this season. He was named to the first team All SEC team and the All Frshmen team. For the season to date, he has averaged just under a double-double at 15.1 ppg and 9.9 rpg. He also gets just under 2 blocks a game, and he does all this with only playing 23.4 minutes per game. Cousins play his freshman year has been likened to former SEC big man, Shaq. With his improvement in play this season, Cousins has improved his draft odds on most 2010 NBA mock drafts to a high lottery pick.

2010 Kentucky Wildcats Starter – Small Forward/Wing Guard – Darius Miller

Darius Miller has had ups and downs this season. When he has been hot, the Wildcats have been almost unbeatable. As Miller continues to improve, look for him to be one of the leaders on the 2010-11 Wildcats roster. For the 2009-10 season, he has averaged 6.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, and 1.6 apg while shooting 35% from 3. He had a career high of 20 points against Wake Forest in the 2^nd round of the 2010 NCAA tournament and has scored in double figures 7 times this season.

2010 Kentucky Wildcats Starter – Shooting Guard – Eric Bledsoe

Bledsoe gets lost in the press a bit due to playing with Cousins and Wall, but when he’s been hot, he has been almost unstoppable. He averages 11.4 ppg this season with shooting just under 40% from 3, and gets just under 3 assists per game and 1.4 steals a game. Bledsoe was named to the 2010 All SEC Freshman team. Bledsoe has started showing up in some 2010 NBA mock drafts, but its unknown whether he will declare in 2010 or return for his sophomore season to improve his draft status as the primary point guard for the Wildcats.

2010 Kentucky Wildcats Starting Line-Up:

PG: John Wall

SG: Eric Bledsoe

SF: Darius Miller

PF: Patrick Patterson

C: DeMarcus Cousins

Haven’t seen the John Wall Dance? We’ve collected some of the John Wall dance videos on the web for you to check out.