May 16, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Nerlens Noel is interviewed during the NBA Draft combine at Harrison Street Athletics Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Nerlens Noel continues to be projected by the majority of NBA Draft experts (and wannabees) to be the #1 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Prior to Tuesday’s Draft Lottery, Noel visited Bristol to go through the ESPN Car Wash, and he met with fellow Car Wash visitors tennis legend Jimmy Connors and NBA star Al Horford:

In an interview with ESPN after the lottery, Noel talked about his one year at Kentucky, and how his rehab from ACL surgery is going:

It has been surreal. It’s crazy. I could be graduating high school right now, walking out on stage. I definitely made the best decision for myself. My year at Kentucky was the best year I’ve ever had.

I want everyone to know that I want to play this game, the game I love as soon as possible. I want to be ready. I’ve really benefited by being here. I want to come back as strong as possible.

Meanwhile, Draft Express released their latest mock draft and Nerlens Noel is projected to go #1 overall to the Cavaliers, while Archie Goodwin is the final pick of the first round at #30 to the Phoenix Suns. 

Noel will no doubt be seeking out advice from former UK All-American Anthony Davis, who recently recalled his ‘whirlwind‘ of the 2012 NBA draft lottery experience prior to being selected #1-overall by the-then New Orleans Hornets:

It was a whirlwind. I didn’t know what was going to happen. My family was more happy than me. I was pretty nervous. I didn’t know what was going on. I was just scared. (I was told) ‘Oh, you’re going to be No. 1 pick, you know this’. But you never know what’s going to happen.

It was just the fact I didn’t know if I was going to get drafted. You’re supposed to have certainty but I’m the type of guy that I don’t believe nothing is going to happen unless it happens. I got to make sure it happens first. Anything can happen. I gotta make sure it happens before I relax.

And according to ESPN’s Marc Stein, Davis has been invited to the Team USA mini-camp in late July in Las Vegas. He was on the squad that won gold in London last year, which gives him the inside track to get one of those final roster spots once again after initially being cut last year, but became a late addition after Blake Griffin bowed out due to a leg injury.

Kentucky will undoubtedly have more players hearing their names called in future NBA Drafts, as Scout.com’s final 2013 rankings are out, and Kentucky scored its fifth straight #1 class.

Dec 2, 2012; Lexington , KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops spoke to reporters during a press conference at the Nutter Field House. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Coach Mark Stoops and Staff have only been at UK for approximately 6 ½ months but they are redefining football in the bluegrass. With their youthful energy, enthusiasm and their relentless recruiting, they have already done things never seen before at UK. They have a commitment from the administration to pour in over 100 million dollars for football and stadium upgrades, they have re-energized the fan base and they have brought in and are still bringing in, top recruits. They have yet to coach a game here but something about this staff just “feels right”.

With the 2013 recruiting class, this staff only had about a month and a half to recruit and they made the most of it. Not only did they hold on to top recruits like Khlid Thomas, Alvonte Bell, Blake McClain and Jacob Hyde but they secured commitments from 4 stars Marcus McWilson, Za’Darius Smith and Jason Hatcher. Marcus was committed to Nebraska before he flipped to Kentucky, Za’Darius was ranked as the #1 strongside Defensive end in the Junior College ranks and Jason was a commit to USC who flipped as well. They got commits from 5.7 3 star players, Jaleel Hytche (the first official recruit of the Stoops era), Kyle Meadows, Alex Montgomery and Ryan Timmons. And let’s not forget my favorite player, 5.7 3 star, #10^th ranked all-purpose back JoJo Kemp. Put all of these guys together along with a few that I didn’t mention and UK has put together their highest recruiting class of all time. Finishing out at #29 nationally according to Rivals.com. *

So, let’s move on to the 2014 recruiting class. Everyone asked, “If these coaches could recruit that well in that short of time, what could they do with a full year?” Well, if the first few months are any indication then we will see a class like we have never seen before. So far, Kentucky has 7 commits with 3 of those being 4 star players and 3 more that are 5.7/ 3 stars. They are currently ranked #18 nationally. Take a look below at who we have so far.

Drew Barker – 6’ 4” 214lbs. Burlington, Kentucky Conner High School

Pro Style Quarterback  #5 position ranking, #117 nationally,  5.9/4 Star.

Most people consider Drew to be the most important recruit for Kentucky. Obviously, the coaches felt the same way. At one point they had sent Drew 115 hand written letters and followed that up with another 100 a few weeks later. They told Drew that they would not recruit another QB until he made his decision and they stuck to that. Drew is excited about the opportunities he has at Kentucky with the new coaching staff, especially Neal Brown and his Air Raid offense. He is now dedicating himself to recruiting the best of the best to join him at Kentucky. Drew has been around the camp circuit for the past few years and has made a lot of friends. He is the type of guy that people gravitate to and want to play with. Look for him to recruit players like Braxton Berrios and Artavis Scott at the wide receiver spot. Drew, was the first player that committed that was not from Ohio.

Mikel Horton – 6’ 1” 230lbs. West Chester, Ohio. Lakota West High School

Running Back #12 position ranking, #131 nationally, 5.9/4 Star

I think Mikel will be a special player at Kentucky. He has the size and the abilities of a big back but he also has the quickness and feet of a smaller back. He catches the ball well out of the backfield, often getting linebackers out of position and beating them. This guy has a great attitude and is constantly talking to other Ohio prospects about the opportunities at Kentucky. He was recently at the Rivals Camp in Cincinnati, Ohio and won the offensive Most Valuable Player award. Not many backs win the MVP over QB’s and wide receivers.

Thaddeus Snodgrass – 6’ 1” 184lbs. 4.44 speed. Springfield, Ohio. Springfield High School

Wide Receiver #29 position ranking, #205 nationally , 5.8/4 Star

Thaddeus comes to a much-needed position at Kentucky. With the way Coach Neal Brown’s offense is run, there is a glaring need for more receivers and he is one of the best. He has all of the intangibles that are needed for the WR position; Speed, size, quickness and route running ability. Thad has an impressive offer sheet that includes Ohio St., Michigan St., Penn St., Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Nebraska, South Carolina, etc. Look for him to make some noise when he gets on campus.

Dorian Hendrix – 5’ 11” 225lbs. Huber Heights, Ohio. Wayne High School

Inside Linebacker #25 position ranking, 5.7/3 Star

Dorian was the first of the Ohio kids to commit and he is expecting more talent to come from the Ohio ranks. He impressed at the Rivals camp in Cincinnati showing off his straight-line speed. He is compact in size but he can handle the run defense aspects of the inside linebacker position. His talent is much-needed at the LB position.

March 2, 2013; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Julius Mays (34) looks to make a pass under pressure from Arkansas Razorbacks guard Mardracus Wade (1) during a game at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas defeated Kentucky 73-60. Mandatory Credit: Beth Hall-USA TODAY Sports

Former Kentucky Wildcat SG, Julius Mays worked out for the Brooklyn Nets in Easy Rutherford, New Jersey today as the graduate student transfer looks to continue his basketball career in the NBA.

The 6’2″ guard from Marian, Indiana averaged 9.3 points a game and mainly played shooting guard, but today managed to show his skills from the 1 and 2 positions during his workout with the Nets. All signs are that the workout went well, as Mays managed to put up 17 points during the 24 minute scrimmage game.

Kentucky coach John Calipari was in attendance for the workout and managed to Tweet this after everything was over.

With Julius after his great workout at today’s combine. Proud of you, kid. twitter.com/UKCoachCalipar…

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) May 23, 2013

While Mays is expected to go undrafted in next months NBA draft, Uncle Julius could easily find an invite to the NBA summer league as a free agent if the positive workouts continue.

Players in summer school have the opportunity to work with their coaches for two hours each week, and UK Head Coach John Calipari said he will work on installing the Dribble Drive Motion offense with his club after shying away from it last year:

We’re more skilled, and we can shoot. It’s really hard to play dribble/drive if you can’t make shots. We’ll just start on the process of getting them ready, getting them together and getting them earning credits. There won’t be a whole lot of difference between what we’re doing and everybody else. Except maybe we’ll work more on the offense.

There is a bit of confusion regarding the status of forward Julius Randle, as it was reported yesterday that the the 2013 UK recruiting class will play for America this summer in the FIBA U19 World Championships. In an interview with Draft Express, Randle revealed that he is still considering joining the club this summer, depending on his college schedule:

May 16, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Nerlens Noel is interviewed during the NBA Draft combine at Harrison Street Athletics Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers won the first pick of the 2013 NBA Draft and with that, they have the options of selecting Kentucky Wildcats center Nerlens Noel with the selection.

I reached out to the Cleveland sports media to get their thoughts as to what the Cavaliers needs are and whether Noel would be a good fit for the team.

“I think the Cavaliers will look long and hard at Nerlens Noel,” Cleveland Plain-Dealer beat writer Mary Schmitt Boyer said. “He’s the sort of defensive player new coach Mike Brown would love to have, if he’s healthy.”

“He’s the best fit for them, even though they’d have to wait for him to be ready,” said Tony Zarrella, the sports director at 19 Action News. Long-term answer, especially defensively…impact player. To me, he’s the clear-cut choice.”

The incoming freshmen and current players for the Kentucky Wildcats have turned down opportunities to try out for the USA FIBA Under 19 team in order to focus on winning a championship this upcoming season for their new college team.

John Calipari explained the decision by his players to Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News:

Most of it is, they didn’t want to play. I’m not forcing kids to do anything,” Calipari told Sporting News. “I think the reason they all turned it down is, they want to get started.”

Kentucky’s rich haul of 2013 recruits will bring guards Andrew and Aaron Harrison to Lexington, along with forward James Young, power forward Julius Randle and center Dakari Johnson. All were eligible for the U19 squad. Randle was a star on the U18 team that qualified for this summer’s world championship. The Harrisons were cut in training camp. Johnson was a member of the U17 squad that won the world title at that age group last summer.

Willie said, ‘This is not the summer for me to do this stuff. I just can’t wait to get back. I want to get prepared,’ ” Calipari said. “I’m happy they’re thinking in those terms. They know the spotlight’s on them.

Kentucky’s eight-week summer session will begin in early June, and Calipari said the majority of the Wildcats will be enrolled save for a couple whose high school classes will not have graduated in time. They will arrive two weeks later and enter a six-week program.

Players in summer school have the opportunity to work with their coaches for two hours each week. Calipari said he will emphasize the installation of the Dribble Drive Motion offense, which he previously said he expects will work well with the athleticism and jumpshooting ability of the roster in place.

“We’re more skilled, and we can shoot. It’s really hard to play dribble/drive if you can’t make shots,” Calipari said. “We’ll just start on the process of getting them ready, getting them together and getting them earning credits. There won’t be a whole lot of difference between what we’re doing and everybody else. Except maybe we’ll work more on the offense.

The focus and the unity of this team is unbelievable thus far.

Dec 2, 2012; Lexington , KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops spoke to reporters during a press conference at the Nutter Field House. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

The Louisville Cardinals stopped by and visited Ohio three star safety Mike Edwards. Edwards is considered a UK lean at this point. The Cards and the Cats have gone head to head over some players in recent weeks and the Cats have come out on top more often than not. Edwards was on Kentucky’s campus earlier this week and the coaching staff felt good about what went on during the visit.

Step off Charlie.

Mar 15, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari watches his team play against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament at Bridgestone Arena. The Commodores beat the Wildcats 64-48. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

John Calipari likes the idea of Nerlens Noel in Cleveland:

Another reason the coach would like to see Noel in Cleveland is that he thinks the Cavs are going to become an elite team in the not-too-distant future.

“Kyrie, in my opinion, will be the best point guard in the league in short order,” Calipari said. “(The Cavs will be) one of the best six teams in the league, within four years, because of the youngness of their team and next year’s draft. Within the next year or two, you’re going to see them being one of those teams trying to win the whole thing.

“Smile. Enjoy. Don’t sell your [season] tickets.”

I agree with coach Cal. I like Noel in The Cleve.

Nov 24, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Jalen Whitlow (13) during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won by a score of 37 to 17. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

It’s only 100 days until the Kentucky Wildcats open their season with a game in Nashville Tennessee against Bobby Petrino and his Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. While the Big Blue Nation is once again excited for action on the grid iron, things need to be kept in perspective.

Remember that the team that Mark Stoops inherited is a two win team that was basically a trainwreck for most of the season. This is Stoops’ first stint as a head coach but everything he has done, from recruiting to hiring one of the best young staffs in the SEC, has shown that he is going to work as hard as he can to right the ship.

I’m not expecting six wins and a bowl game this season, but there are a few things that I really want to see in order for me to feel confident heading into 2014 and beyond.

1. Beat Western Kentucky- The loss to the Hilltoppers in Commonwealth Stadium was an embarrassment and a back breaker for the rest of the season. I’m not taking anything away from WKU, they had a good football team, but the Wildcats should NEVER lose to them at home. Both the Hilltoppers and the Wildcats are sporting new coaches and are ready to take it to the next level. Bobby Petrino is at the helm and Stoops has already acknowledged that he feels that his team would lose to WKU if they played right now. But he then added that they will be more than ready when the time comes in August. It’s important that Kentucky wins this game not as a revenge factor, but in order to show that the program is ready to take steps towards reclaiming their status as the best football program in the state. It is also important that Stoops gets a win over a brilliant football mind such as Bobby Petrino’s. The guy has character flaws but he can damn sure coach.

2. Consistency and Health at the Quarterback Position - Max Smith started the season as the starting quarterback for the Wildcats and was putting up some impressive numbers until he was sidelined with an injury. Jaelin Whitlow then took over, played like a true freshman, but showed flashes of talent. Then he was out with an injury. Enter another true freshman in Patrick Toweles who, like Whitlow, showed flashes of ability but played young and was also sidelined with an injury. There is nothing worse on a football team than musical chairs at quarterback. Most teams, right or wrong, are identified by their quarterback. The disaray at the QB position mathced the disaray of the team as a whole. The position wasn’t solidified through the fault of no one, not even Joker Phillips, therefore the team struggled to play with any consistency. Neal Brown is known as a quarterback and offensive genius. The hope of the fans is that he names a quarterback as soon as possible during summer camp so that whomever he keeps can get the most reps at practice. Right now Whitlow seems to be in the lead for the job, but don’t count out the veteran Smith or his fellow sophomore Patrick Toweles.

Time flies when you are following the Kentucky Wildcats.

‘I can’t believe, but it has been four years since I started this site on Blogger.

At the time, I had no idea what I was doing or even why.  All I knew is that I HAD to cover John Calipari and the excitement he was bringing back to Kentucky Wildcat basketball.  Other than that, I really had no clue how I would come up with enough material to fill a blog, much less keep it going for four years.  And then there is the problem of finding readers.  The internet is littered with abandoned University of Kentucky blogs and I figured with time, mine would eventually join that vast wasteland.

But the grand experiment began.  My plan was to get at least 50 hits a day.  If I could somehow hit that mark, I would happily write as long as there was someone to read it.  And I have to admit that the 2009 “summer of Calipari” made it very easy to write about UK.  Eventually with time, I began to realize that this was going to be more than a hobby.  I added Alan Smith, then in high school as my first writer and later grabbed Kyle to be my “football guy” and we never looked back.

From blogger, I took the site to my own domain and into the Yardbarker Network and we continued to grow.  And last January, Fansided approached me about taking over the Kentucky clot in their network …and the rest is history.

Along the way, if you ever accomplish anything, you have lots of people to thanks.  And I want to thank each and every one of my writers who have sacrificed their time to help make this site what it is today.  I appreciate each and every one of you more than you can realize and want to thank you once again for making me look good.  Also, similar thanks has to go out to Ken Howlett and Glenn Logan from A Sea of Blue.  They served as my blogging mentors and still remain as close friends of the site even though we are now “competitors” on different networks.

In the end, it’s all about the Cats.  And finding those passionate Kentucky fans who are just crazy enough to devote their time and effort to write for free about the Cats.  And to you, the readers who keep us going and on our toes.  Both of you have combined to keep my motivated and continuing to write and run this site.

So I want to give a huge thanks to all of you who write for this site and for those that read it.  None of this would be possible without you and I am so excited to go into the next year with you.  Thanks for joining us on this ride.  It’s been real.

May 16, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Nerlens Noel is interviewed during the NBA Draft combine at Harrison Street Athletics Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

After last nights NBA Lottery the Cleveland Cavaliers secured the #1 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. For Kentucky fans this most likely is not the destination they saw Noel going to but nevertheless he is closer to Lexington. As Wildcat fans we love to see former cats playing on the same teams together as Noel could have easily been picked by the Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings or New Orleans Pelicans but he will most likely be picked by the Cavs. Cleveland is becoming a hot bed for young talented players, leading the way is phenom Kyrie Irving who is becoming one of the best point guards in the league. Along with Irving they have talented players such as Dion Waiters who was their first round pick last year, Tristan Thompson, Mareese Speights and Alonzo Gee. They are looking to the future and with these pieces they are piling up from the NBA lottery it might not be a bad idea to let Nerlens sit out this upcoming season to completely rehab his knee. Why would they do this you ask? Due to the lack of talent in the 2013 draft class getting the #1 pick doesn’t mean what it normally does which is you get a great all-star type player. If Noel sat out this coming season that could put Cleveland in the running to getting Andrew Wiggins who will ultimately be the #1 next year and make an immediate impact on the league from a scoring standpoint. Just some thoughts that I have been thinking about and I think that Noel to Cleveland will be a good fit for him.

Jan 2, 2013; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari watches his team during the game against the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Rupp Arena. Kentucky defeated Eastern Michigan 90-38. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

And then Coach Cal arrived.

From the time John Calipari first arrived on campus, he has gone out of his way to make the Cats cool, to make them trendsetters, to keep Big Blue at the forefront of the minds of college hoop heads from coast to coast. As I’ve pointed out before, the worst part of the latter Tubby and the entirety of the Billy G years was the fact that Kentucky was an afterthought on the college basketball landscape.  No more.

It started on that night in October 2009 when John Wall descended onto the crowd at Big Blue Madness and debuted his self titled dance.  And before you knew it kids (and adults) within and without the Commonwealth were flexing their biceps and doing the “John Wall.”  And since then, we’ve had The Brow and The Flat Top and even blue jean shorts… Jorts.  The Cats are not only dominating on the court, but off the court as well.  Finally, it’s cool to be a Cat.

I grew up in Louisville in the 1980s and you were more likely to see a polar bear on Main Street than a black person wearing anything Blue or White.  For a multitude of reasons, some valid and some not so valid, you just didn’t see it… especially in Western Louisville.  But now, you can walk around and see, amongst all the Old English L’s and Red and Black, the famous interlocking “UK” logo.  The Cats have become hip. The Cats have become cool.

Jay-Z has visited the Cats at home and on the road, once famously receiving a fine from the NBA for doing so.  LeBron has visited Lexington.  Magic Johnson has been the “Y” at Rupp Arena.  Politics aside, President Obama has called the Cats thanking them for their fundraising for Haiti AND asked for and received a chest pass from Eloy Vargas.  The Wildcats are getting press on and off the court for all the right reasons.

And next year, with the freshmen all declining to play for the US’s U19 basketball team to focus on the NCAA title, the Cats are going to be real cool… cold blooded in fact.