Kentucky Wildcat Kyle Wiltjer Selected To Canadian Basketball Team
Last weekend Drew Barker went out and performed exceptionally well at the Elite 11 regionals in Columbus, so much so that he earned an invite to the final try outs in California at the end of this month where he will compete against 18 of the best qb’s in the nation to secure a spot in the final Elite 11. He turned around the next day and earned MVP honors at the quarterback position of the NFTC going up against other top qb’s including Deshone Kizer, J.J. Consentino and others.
This weekend Drew is at the Rivals100 5 Star Challenge to once again prove that he is an elite talent. He will also do some recruiting as his roommate is WR Artavis Scott. Scott is being heavily recruited by the UK coaches and has mentioned that he would like to play with Drew. Not in no way a done deal or anything but he does have interest in Kentucky. Drew will also be “talking up” the # 3 WR in the country, Josh Malone. Josh is another one that UK is high on and would love to add him to the 2014 class. Josh has shown interest in UK.
Mar 15, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Alex Poythress (22) shoots the ball during the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports
Last week there were a few comments made about Alex Pothress and his freshman season. Some (like myself) would say Alex had a solid, successful freshman season. But others would say that by the standards that other freshmen under John Calipari have set, Poythress’ season was not that great. Coach John Calipari was quoted as saying,
"Because the standards here are higher, and that’s why kids come here. It has nothing to do with anything other than: Now you’ve got a competitive spirit going, because it’s you and a guy every day in practice. And it’s going to bring out the best in him. Believe me, he wants to do well, I don’t believe I can tell individuals – if they got a 4.0 (GPA), I can’t say those things, but he did well academically. He’s a conscientious kid. This overwhelmed him. It overwhelmed him. You think about yourself, if I put you in there. It wouldn’t overwhelm you? There are kids that come here that take longer. It doesn’t matter to me if you take one, two, three or four years. Does it really matter? I just want you to get it so you’re ready to go on and have success."
"Some kids – Terrence Jones, it took two years. Darius (Miller) took four years. Now you look at Darius (and) do you know what they say? Anthony Davis told me, ‘Coach, you won’t believe this: We (Hornets) play Darius Miller as a stopper on defense.’ Think about that. So he’s tougher now. He’s more aggressive. I watched him in the gym in there; he makes every shot now. Well, he was now ready to go on to have success."
"One year, two years, three years – Alex is taking a little more time. And if it takes another year, what’s the problem? What if it takes them three or four years, what’s the problem? Well, we’re not on the 25 year old model here and if you don’t make it in two or three years what’s wrong with you? What? The only kids held to that standard are here. We’ve probably done it to ourselves but … Feb. 2, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA: Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb on the red carpet prior to the Super Bowl XLVII NFL Honors award show at Mahalia Jackson Theater. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports"
Green Bay wide receiver Randall Cobb caught 80 passes last season, leading the Packers and ranking 17th in the NFL. Eighty catches is good, but quarterback Aaron Rodgers is expecting even bigger things out of Cobb in 2013.
"I think he can be a 100-catch guy, We haven’t had that here in awhile, but I think he can. He’s a special player. As long as he can stay healthy, I think he’s going to be a big-time star for us."
When Rodgers says the Packers haven’t had a 100-catch guy in a while, he means a while. The last Green Bay receiver to cross the 100-catch mark was Robert Brooks, who caught 102 passes in 1995 — when Cobb was 5 years old.
So what makes Cobb so good in Rodgers opinion?
"He puts a lot of extra time in. He watches a ton of film. He spent an offseason watching various slot guys that he admired and tried to pick things up, Rodgers said. He’s very well-coached. I think Edgar Bennett deserves a lot of credit. Here’s a guy who’s a Packer Hall of Fame running back who’s coaching receivers and doing a heck of a job. So that helps. He stays on those guys about ball security and detailed routes. That helps. But Randall sees the game through the eyes of a quarterback because he was a quarterback (in college at Kentucky). So he understands timing and spacing and when he has to get out of his breaks.”"
If Cobb does cross the 100-catch mark, he’d become only the third player in Green Bay history to do it. Besides Brooks’ 105 receptions in 1995, Sterling Sharpe is the only other Packer with a 100-catch season. Sharpe caught 108 passes in 1992, then followed that up with a franchise-record 112 catches in 1993.