Kentucky Wildcats: There is “no gap” between the Harrison twins and Mark Stoops has a legit shot to end the streak vs. Florida

For a while now, the country has heard all about how Andrew Harrison is much better than his twin brother Aaron.  I haven’t seen them play much, and none while on campus, but I have always found it tough to believe that when both are ranked #1 at their respective positions.  Well it turns out that during preseason workouts, the wide gap between the twins really isn’t wide at all.  In fact, it’s apparently non-existent.  Add to them, Julius Randle and Willie Cauley-Stein and what do you have?  Banner #9.

"Kentucky’s Aaron Harrison is a McDonald’s All-American, a consensus top-10 national recruit and well-rounded and undeniably accomplished member of the Class of 2013, in general. But he’s still forever been labeled a notch below, relatively speaking. Is he the best Aaron in the class? No, that’s Arizona freshman Aaron Gordon. Is he the best Harrison in the class? No, that’s his brother — fellow Kentucky freshman Andrew Harrison. So I imagine it must be tough on some level — being great at something but still always hearing that you’re not as good as this guy or that guy, especially when one of those guys is your twin. But Aaron Harrison — AKA, the other Harrison — has been so splendid in preseason workouts that at least one observer close to the program told CBSSports.com that there doesn’t appear to be a gap between the brothers. “Not at all,” said the source. So good luck, everybody else in college basketball."

Kelly Oubre, SG, is the #4 player in the 2014 class and Coach Cal is among a number of high profile coaches recruiting him heavily.  His father, Kelly Oubre, Sr., recently spoke with Steve Jones of the Courier-Journal and though he doesn’t have a favorite, he has favorites.  And yes, Coach Cal is among them.  Just a fraction of the article is below so click the link above to read the entire conversation.

"The University of Kentucky basketball team has emerged as one of the top recruiting options — perhaps even one of the top two options — for five-star wing player Kelly Oubre Jr., his father said in a phone interview last week. Kelly Oubre Sr. said his son — the nation’s No. 4 prospect according to 247Sports.com — doesn’t have a leader in his recruitment but mentioned that he’s in regular contact recently with the head coaches only at UK and Kansas. The Jayhawks have long been seen as well-positioned with the 6-foot-7 Oubre, and UK has been heavily involved since making a scholarship offer in July. “It’s all about fit, all about vision for my son, also about him having a chance to display his talents, and I hold those schools in high regard,” he said. “I deal directly with them. At this point, Kansas and Kentucky are pretty much on a level playing field. … Kansas and Kentucky have piqued Kelly’s interest at potential landing spots.” UK and KU are also the only schools to which Oubre has scheduled official visits. He’ll see Kansas the weekend of Oct. 4 for the Jayhawks’ Late Night at the Phog event. He’ll be in Lexington on Oct. 18 for UK’s Big Blue Madness. Calipari made visits two weeks ago both to Oubre’s home in Houston to meet with his dad and to Findlay Prep to meet with the player and his coaches. Kelly Oubre Sr. said Calipari gave a “good presentation” and outlined why he wanted his son at UK. “He fits their type of style,” Kelly Sr. said. “He is a very versatile ballplayer. He can complement players. He has experience playing with big men. … He’s played on the perimeter, and he’s played in the post. … Cal likes the versatility in Kelly’s game, and he can play him at multiple positions. He can defend multiple positions.” Kelly Oubre Sr. thinks Calipari has done well with players of a similar style to his son. “It’s obvious that he’s an experienced coach and that he knows what he wants,” he said. “Like I told Cal … based on the players he’s coached in the past recently and over the years, he’ll fit right into that system. Cal was very receptive to that, and he liked that.” Kelly Oubre Sr. also said he’s impressed by Calipari because he views the coach as “his own man.” “Kelly would like to be coached by a real coach and someone who is comfortable in his own skin,” the elder Oubre said. “Cal is one of those guys and comes across that way. He controls his own team, and it’s his show. That really impressed me.”"

It looks like former Kentucky Wildcats DeMarcus Cousins is about to get a huge pay increase along the line of John Wall’s but more importantly he is going to learn to play his position from one of the all time greats, Shaquille O’neal.  Shaq recently purchased a minority stake in the Sacramento Kings and hasn’t stopped raving about Boogie since.  Oh and Shaq doesn’t want Cousins to turn into Dwight Howard.  Hilarious.

"Shaquille O’Neal is remembered as a four-time NBA champion, former league MVP and one of the most dominant centers in history. So it’s hard to recall a time when winning wasn’t always synonymous with the Shaq brand. Before O’Neal was a three-time NBA Finals MVP during the Los Angeles Lakers’ dominant run from 2000 to 2002, O’Neal was scrutinized and criticized for failing to win. His Orlando squad was swept in the 1995 Finals by Houston, and his Lakers teams suffered humiliating postseason losses against Utah and San Antonio. Now enter DeMarcus Cousins. The ultra-talented Kings center hasn’t carried his team to the playoffs, much less a winning season. He’s been criticized for his immaturity, outbursts and how he’s treated coaches and teammates in his attempt to be the focal point of the franchise. It’s monitoring Cousins’ development as a player that O’Neal will concentrate on most. “I understand everything that (Cousins is) going through,” O’Neal said Tuesday. “We have similar backgrounds. I understand everything he’s going through, and I speak his language. That’s why my conversation with him is going to be easy.” What was O’Neal’s first impression of Cousins? He doesn’t even remember playing against him in his final season in Boston when Cousins was a rookie. “I don’t remember, and that’s because my mindset was different,” O’Neal said. “I’m going to teach him the same mindset. When you step on the court – I don’t like to use the word kill – but I’m trying to kill you; it doesn’t matter who you are. He has that passion and that ferocity, but I don’t want him to be like Dwight Howard with all that laughing and giggling. I want him to be in tear-your-head-off mode.”"