Shannon Dawson Joins the Kentucky Football Staff
By Brian Smith
Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
Kentucky’s search for a new offensive coordinator to replace Neal Brown appears to have come to an end Wednesday night with reports that current West Virginia offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson accepted Mark Stoops’ offer to join the Wildcats’ coaching staff. Jen Smith writes:
"“The Clinton, La., native and 11-year coaching veteran has been with the Mountaineers since 2011, starting as the inside receivers coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2012.In two of the past three seasons, WVU has averaged 500-plus yards of offense a game. Its Air Raid offense is No. 11 nationally in total offense this season, averaging 502.1 yards a game with the run/pass balance that UK Coach Mark Stoops favors.The Mountaineers threw for 3,775 yards and rushed for 2,250 yards, averaging 5.91 yards per play. They were 38th overall in scoring offense, averaging 33.2 points per game.”"
One of the favorite jabs rival fanbases like to lob at John Calipari is that he doesn’t develop his players. And while there is plenty of evidence disproving this (Josh Harrellson, for example), Willie Cauley-Stein’s move up the draft board provides more. Kyle Tucker writes:
"“NBA franchises are beginning to think similarly. After he produced 36 points, 18 rebounds, nine steals and five blocks in 61 minutes combined against the Longhorns and Tar Heels, both of whom boast future pros in the frontcourt, Cauley-Stein shot up to No. 4 in DraftExpress.com’s latest 2015 mock draft.Jonathan Givony, the site’s top analyst, explained the move (a six-spot jump) in an email, saying Cauley-Stein has shown that ‘his offense, mental focus and consistency have improved enough to be considered a starting-caliber center prospect, of which players in his mold are increasingly valuable in the style of play found in today’s NBA.’ESPN’s Chad Ford agrees, telling The Courier-Journal he’ll vault Cauley-Stein from No. 16 to No. 8 on his updated Big Board to be released Wednesday. Additionally, one NBA scout who requested anonymity and not to be quoted directly said Cauley-Stein is almost certainly a lottery pick now. The only question left is how high he’ll climb.”"
I refuse to believe Kentucky will go 40-0 and will only believe it if they make it to 34-0 (because at that point only 6 games in the NCAA Tournament stand between them and perfection). But are the two remaining non-conference games the Wildcats’ biggest challenge in making in through the regular season unscathed? Scott Polacek writes:
"“Ultimately, the odds are still stacked against Kentucky finishing the season undefeated because there are so many unpredictable factors to take into account over the course of a long season. That means a perfect nonconference slate does not guarantee a 40-0 record.Still, if it can make it past UCLA and Louisville’s suffocating defense, college basketball fans need to start accepting a perfect season as a legitimate possibility.The rest of the SEC is just that bad.”"
Tyler Ulis is often seen as one of the most important pieces to this year’s Kentucky team. After all, as Calipari has said before, his presence on the team makes the platoon system possible. Saturday’s game against UCLA in Chicago represents a bit of a homecoming for Ulis. Jerry Tipton writes:
"“On the weekend before Santa Claus comes to town, Kentucky freshman Tyler Ulis returns to Chicago. It’s a homecoming, of course, but more. It’s also a signpost of how far the-little-point-guard-that-could has come and, perhaps, how much farther he can go.‘Just another step along this journey he’s on, which is pretty incredible,’ said Mike Taylor, who coached Ulis at Marian Catholic High in Chicago Heights.When asked what he meant by Ulis’ journey, Taylor said, “What we’ve said from the very beginning is that there’s no limits on him. I think it’s unlimited. He’s got the desire and the work ethic and the skill to take this as far as he wants to take it.”"
Listed at 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds, Ulis’ struggle for acceptance as a top-drawer player is well known. A marquee college basketball game like Kentucky-UCLA in the United Center on Saturday provides additional evidence that Ulis is a player, not a novelty.”
John Wall on a nightly basis is proving that he is among the NBA’s elite point guards. He will certainly be an All-Star but will be be the East’s starting point guard? “averagebro” writes:
"“I tweet “John Wall #NBABallot” at least 10 times once a day. You should too. But despite this team’s 18-6 start, I think all Wizards fans should prepare themselves for the inevitable disappointment when Derrick Rose or Kyrie Irving end up starting the game at PG. Not because John’s not great (he’s from my hometown, and therefore he’s awesome!), but because he doesn’t have the local buzz to help overcome his lack of national buzz. And none this is his fault at all. It’s the local media’s fault.”"