The Season Could Depend on Mother Hen.

For Big Blue Nation the nickname Jorts is universal and we know who goes by that nickname and his name is Josh Harrelson. Harrellson came in as a Billy Clyde recruit and was very excited due to the fact he was a big man who had a nice touch shooting the ball as much as any guard we had at the time could. Harrellson never got much playing time and really was the type of player you cheered your heart out for and hope he scored in the minute playing time he had. Even last year on the star studded team Harrellson rarely got playing time and pretty much logged garbage minutes for the Wildcats. Oh my how things has changed.

Fast forward to the 2010/2011 season, with a freshman laden Wildcat team with no seniority and no leadership, returners Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins were mere role players last season. Enes Kanter’s eligibly still rests in the hands of the NCAA and while the decision may not come until late next week, worst case scenario is that Kanter will be ruled ineligible and that leaves one man for the job of anchoring the Wildcats down in the post and doing the dirty work.

Mother Hen.

Who is mother hen you ask? Why, it’s the new nickname that Boston U’s head coach, Patrick Chambers has given Josh Harrellson for the season. I’m not sure how fast it is going to catch on because Jorts has become a phenomenon that has only been matched by the John Wall dance. Here is what the Boston U. head coach said about Harrellson:

"“[Harrellson is] perfect for this team. He doesn’t need the ball. He doesn’t demand it. … He does everything you want a center to do. He plays ball screens great, rebounds the basketball. He’s the mother hen out there. You hear him talking the whole time. He covers for everybody”"

Let’s be honest. If you have been watching the basketball games this year you may be frustrated over Harrellson’s lack of ability to hold on to the ball but if you watch, Harrellson does do everything for this team. He may not have as much ability as the other star studded freshman on the team but he works just as hard as any of them. Harrellson runs the floor, rebounds and just hustles his tail off every minute he is in the game.

I hope Kanter plays just like the rest of the big blue nation but let’s face it, if it doesn’t happen Harrellson will still be around and the playing time he has received so far is really working out for him. Against the athletic Washington post players, Harrellson positioned himself well and was a force on the boards when he pulled down 14 and tossed in nine points as well. Last night against the Boston Terriers he ran the floor well and crashed the boards hard and got himself a double double .

He doesn’t put up big numbers, he is only averaging 5.2 points per game but he is pulling down almost nine boards a game. Remember: Even though his numbers are not that great, other coaches are taking notice of Harrellson’s hard work and so should we, as a fan base.

So while we await the decision from the NCAA about Kanter, jump on the Mother Hen bandwagon. Harrellson is a senior and he very well may be the anchor that Kentucky needs for a deep run in the SEC and in March.

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