Kentucky Wildcats 5 for Friday: The waiting game continues….

Another day continues … and still no word on the NBA decisions of Terrence Jones, Brandon Knight, and possibly DeAndre Liggins.  To be honest, this is harder to read than tea leaves, but it seems that other NCAA stars are dragging their feet on a decision as well.  There were rumours that UNC’s Harrison Barnes was going to return to Chapel Hill, but official word is that Barnes will make his decision later next week.  I would expect the same for Kentucky’s players as well.  It would be a shock if  Knight and Jones did not at least test the waters …. but this is the story that is consuming Wildcat fans right now.

Think that UK fans are obsessed about the NBA decisions?  Well, Kentucky’s top rated 2011 class is equally obsessed about it and it weighs heavily on their minds:

"Perhaps the biggest early-entry decisions yet to be made affect the four Kentucky signees. Current UK point guard Brandon Knight and forward Terrence Jones have obvious NBA talent, but both probably would be better served by another year in college. That doesn’t mean some NBA general manager wouldn’t draft one or both in the lottery. “We talk about that a lot, like, ‘What if Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones leave?’” Kentucky signee Anthony Davis said. “If they come back we’re going to have a better team, but if they leave we’re still going to have a great team. We talk about that all the time.” Davis, a 6-10 forward, should start regardless what Knight and Jones decide because of his size. But if Knight stays, that would mean Marquis Teague would be fighting for playing time with Knight and Doron Lamb. And if the 6-8 Jones stays, that would mean Michael Gilchrist (6-7) and Kyle Wiltjer (6-9) would have to earn minutes the hard way."

Speaking of Michael Gilchrist, he pulled off something of an upset when he was named the 2010-2011 ESPN Rise Mr. Basketball USA.  I only say it is something of an upset because he edges out what some ESPN pundits call the “best recruit of all time — Austin Rivers” for the honor.  Yes, that is sarcasm.  Here is a bit more on what ESPN says about Mr. Gilchrist:

"This year, I just focused on being a leader all of the time on the court,” Gilchrist said. “Working on my jump shot helped me a lot, too. Last year, I had Kyrie, so I wasn’t really worried about scoring that much or my jumpshot. This year, I had to step up more and be a leader on both sides of the floor.” At the McDonald’s All-American Game, Gilchrist was a team leader during practices and it translated over to the game. His East team won thanks to his 16-point, 12-rebound performance and co-MVP honors. “Gilchrist can change the game with his offense, his defense, his rebounding,” said Mr. Basketball panel member and ESPN Director of Basketball Recruiting Paul Biancardi. “He’s just a coach’s dream. He cares more about winning than statistics, and he plays 100-percent all the time.”"

In other news, UK AD Mitch Barnhart took the time to talk about the possible replacement of Rupp Arena and said that no matter what happens, UK must play in a “gold standard arena”.  Well … duh. 

And finally for your Friday …. here is Brandon Knight’s season in review for you in video form:

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