Kentucky Wildcats: John Calipari opens up about the 2013-2014 team and Mark Stoops is HEATED
By Wayne
Sep 14, 2013; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops gives instructions to his team during the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Commonwealth Stadium. Louisville defeated Kentucky 27-13. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Kentucky has a match up this weekend with yet another Top 20 team, #13 South Carolina, which will make three (3) this season already. I’m not complaining but that’s brutal in general but worse for the coach of a new team with very few of his own players. One would think that the urgency is there among the players to practice hard all week so they don’t get embarrassed against South Carolina but one would be wrong. Head Coach Mark Stoops was pretty upset yesterday after their practice. Ok, he was really upset. And just like we’ve grown accustomed to with Coach Cal, he freely speaks his mind to the players and media.
"LEXINGTON, KY. — Mark Stoops was visibly angry as he walked off the University of Kentucky football practice field Wednesday afternoon. The Wildcats’ coach had “steam coming out his ears” moments earlier as he addressed the team, senior running back Raymond Sanders said. By the time Stoops got to the group of reporters waiting for him afterward, he blew his top."
But don’t look to South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier for any reassurance of that sentiment because he is the master of coach speak and double talk. Though he is more eloquent than most. But in this case, SC is going through a bit of their own offensive dilemma and Jadeveon Clowney hasn’t overwhelmed opponents yet this season. I’d expect that to change on Saturday.
"“We’re looking forward to playing Kentucky again; we play them every year, Eastern Division opponent. They have struggled a bit this year, got a new coach, Mark Stoops, who I think eventually is going to do an excellent job there at Kentucky. But they have struggled a bit offensively, their defense has played well most of the year, struggled occasionally, but they’ve been tough and they will come in here and give us all we can handle,” Spurrier said. “We’re fired up that it’s another sellout. We appreciate our fans buying the tickets and I want to say this, I can’t criticize our fans if they leave early, I can’t criticize, I appreciate you buying the ticket. I know sometimes I go to a ballgame here on campus and I leave before it’s over, too. Now, the students, I think they should stay. They’ve got nothing else to do all night, except party around, so they are going to be up half the night or all the night. “So, students, sing the alma mater with us. But the other people, we appreciate you buying the ticket. You look at these stadiums all around the country, they’re not packed like ours. So, I really will tell our fans, keep buying our tickets, if you have to leave at the end of the third quarter, that’s okay, you’ve got little kids or something and you want to beat the crowd, I can understand that, I really can. So keep buying tickets, and be there at the beginning, keep yelling and screaming. It’s going to take that to help us beat Kentucky this week.”"
Our recruiting class is so good, and the spotlight fading from their corner of field that Rick Pitino has had to weigh in on it. In his own passive-aggressive way, the former UK coach compliments with a hammer. Yes the class is great but they’re team isn’t worthy of the #1 ranking. It doesn’t quite compute. Oh, wait, it does compute since this is Rick Pitino. Here’s what he had to say:
"“Best recruiting class in 20 years,” the Louisville coach told SNY.tv by text. “As far as No. 1, I’m not sure.” Louisville, which is loaded with returning players, and Kentucky, which is stacked with talented frosh and a few key returnees, could end up battling for the national championship. Kentucky won it all in 2012, and Louisville won the title in 2013. Kentucky’s roster includes four players projected as first-round picks in the 2014 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com, and three others picked as first-rounders in 2015. Freshman forward Julius Randle is projected as the No. 2 pick next year, followed by freshman point guard Andrew Harrison at No. 8, sophomore center Willie Cauley-Stein at No. 16 and sophomore forward Alex Poythress at No. 28. Freshmen Dakari Johnson, Aaron Harrison and James Young are projected to go 21-23 in 2015. “Two top six picks, three other potential first-rounders,” Pitino said, counting Andrew Harrison as a top-six pick. “It’s not as good as some of the UCLA teams but they stayed in school. They had to stay in school because of freshmen teams.” Ironically, longtime New York recruiting expert Tom Konchalski told SNY.tv last year that Lew Alcindor alone going to UCLA was the greatest recruiting class in history. In what may be the most highly anticipated regular-season game in recent memory, Kentucky hosts Louisville Dec. 28."