Archie Goodwin goes from "recruited" to "recruiter" for Kentucky's Big Blue Madness
By Paul Jordan
Now that Archie Goodin is the Kentucky Wildcats sole 2012 recruit, he gets to appear at tonight’s Big Blue Madness in another role: that of a recruiter for the other players attending. Goodwin has already expressed an interest in playing with fellow 2012 recruits Shabazz Muhammad and Gary Harris. There is plenty of room for Goodwin in the 2012 class as Kentucky may have five to six spots to fill. Goodwin and transfer Ryan Harrow make a nice start, but there is still work to be done. Tonight’s extravaganza should make Goodwin’s pitch a bit easier.
Somewhat lost in the hoopla concerning BBM is he fact that John Calipari is showing some major love to Canada tonight. Andrew Wiggins is the top rated player in the 2014 class and is also slated to attend the BBM festivities. Along with Wiggins, his HS teammate Xavier Rathan-Mayes, a 2013 SG is also attending. Rathan-Mayes is not as highly rated as some of the other attendees, but could find himself a top 25 player by next year.
This may be somewhat old news for some of you, and if it is, I apologize. But with no news on the future of Rupp Arena, it is interesting to note that UCLA has undergone the same debate recently and fabled Pauley Pavilion is in the midst of a $136 million dollar renovation that will force the Bruins to play “on the road” all year. I realize that is one of the downfalls of renovating Rupp, but UCLA has a “virtual venue” site set up where fans can check out what the “new” Pauley Pavillion will look like. It’s pretty cool, and gives a good idea of how much change a renovation can actually make.
The Big Blue All Stars ran their record to 5-0 with a 125-100 win over Mid Continent in Graves County last night. Kenneth Faried led the BBAS with 32 points and 12 rebounds. Lest we forget, Mid Continent is coached by former Wildcat Winston Bennett. Boogie Cousins had 24 points and 21 rebounds, while Jodie Meeks, Brandon Knight, and Josh Harrellson had 21, 16, and 14 points respectively.
This was supposed to be the last game for the BBAS, but the current tour has been such a success, that three more dates have been added. It’s not like the NBA is going on or anything, so these guys can keep doing this all year and Kentucky fans will keep showing up. Here is the rest of the BBAS schedule:
- vs Kentucky Christian, 10/17, at Morehead, Johnson Arena
- vs St. Catherine College, 10/19, at Marion County HS
- vs Kentucky Wesleyan, 10/23, at Owensboro Sportscenter
Then of course, the “UK Pros vs Villains” game is on October 24 at Rupp.
A Sea of Blue’s Ken Howlett has been doing his own version of barnstorming lately, appearing on the WBN podcast Tuesday night and sharing with us his favorite UK memory yesterday. He also has his regular duties at ASOB and his gig at CoachCal.com. In Ken’s latest article for CoachCal, he delves into how Calipari is balancing championship desires with what’s best for the players.
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