The NCAA closes the book on Bledsoe

The NCAA will take no further action against Eric Bledsoe or the University of Kentucky regarding the Case of the Changed Transcript (that sounds like a Harry Potter movie).

Its not like they really had a choice.

While an independent law firm's investigation into Bledsoe's grade in Algebra III turned up information that made them believe the grade change was not credible, the Birmingham School District decided against making a change to his grade. And, in reality, they probably made the right decision. Is any good going to come from the change? The fact that this story has been making headlines for four months is enough of an indictment on the school district, and the only punishment that could have happened was Kentucky had their season vacated. Who wanted to see that happen again? (Other than the Calipari haters, of course.)

Let's move on.

Only three weeks until we can start talking about basketball again.

And while we are on this topic, go read this Dana O'Neil piece on the man that headed the investigation into Bledsoe. Seriously. Click here. Now. You won't regret it.

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Eric Bledsoe investigation is over

Eric Bledsoe's ordeal, if you can call it that, is over.

But that doesn't mean it has to make sense.

Friday evening, a Birmingham, AL, law firm published a report from a three month investigation into Eric Bledsoe's grades during his time in high school. The outcome? The law firm found that the teacher's reasoning for changing Bledsoe's Algebra III grade was "not credible" (read the entire report here), but the firm couldn't find enough evidence of wrong doing. The Birmingham school board decided that the findings were not sufficient, and thus Bledsoe's grade will remain an A and his eligibility will remain intact.

In other words, the law firm believed the teacher was lying, but no one could prove it. Kentucky's Elite 8 in 2010 will live on. Kentucky fans celebrate!!!

For the rest of the college basketball world, it looks like the Wildcats -- and John Calipari -- once again got off on a technicality. And while that may be true, the issue isn't the technicality. As anyone that has seen an episode of Law And Order knows, its not about what you know, its about what you can prove. Did Bledsoe get his grades changed? Yes. Is there reason to suspect that the change was less than kosher? Yes.

But grades get changed all the time in high school. I once talked a teacher out of giving me a C in a class by agreeing to write a paper late in the year. Who is to say that Bledsoe didn't do something similar?

The bottom line is this: Eric Bledsoe was originally cleared by the NCAA. He played in the games last season. And, personally, I would rather have Bledsoe's questionable grades hold up than see Kentucky punished by having a season vacated, which has to be the dumbest punishment in the history of sports.

Now that this saga is over with, we are one step closer to being able to talk about actual basketball. REJOICE!


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Report: Eric Bledsoe had grades changed in high school

Back in May, Pete Thamel of the New York Times penned an article claiming that Eric Bledsoe received improper benefits during his high school days, and also made accusations of academic impropriety.

While Thamel's article seemed to do nothing more than spawn an investigation, a report today from the Birmingham News seems, on the surface, to be quite damning.

You can read the article from Jon Solomon in full here (and I strongly suggest you do), but there are two key components to take note of.

• Bledsoe's transcript says that he received a 90 in Algebra 3 during two night school sessions. But a grade report from those two sessions indicates that Bledsoe actually received a low C and a low B in those classes.


• The other issue is that Bledsoe seemingly took these classes out of order. He took Alegbra 3 during the first semester of his senior year, while taking Algebra 2 in the second semester. He got an A in both classes. As the article indicates, Bledsoe would have fallen short of the NCAA's criteria for eligibility if he had received anything less than an A in either class. Bledsoe had never received a grade higher than a C in math before enrolling at Parker High for his senior year.
  


• Another issue to take note of is that Bledsoe received just one grade higher than a C in his core classes before enrolling at Parker, and that was a B he received as a make-up grade during a summer school session. After enrolling at Parker, seven of the ten grades he received in core classes (the ones that matter to the NCAA) were an A or a B.
  

Now, I don't want to make assumptions or insinuations here. High school algebra is not the most difficult of classes, and high school in general is not always academically rigorous. It is quite feasible that Bledsoe a) realized that his chances of playing college basketball were on the line and he really buckled down to improve his academics; and b) was that good at math that he was capable of pulling an A in Algebra 3 before taking Algebra 2.

But with all the other information out there -- including grades that seem to have actually been changed -- this report is going to draw a lot of interest from the NCAA.

As we learned from the Derrick Rose fiasco, the NCAA has the right to, if they wish, retroactively make a player ineligible. The NCAA has a staff of 55 people to examine some 90,000 potentially ineligible transcripts. Their view is that it is on the school to do a more thorough investigation into an athlete's eligibility.

If Bledsoe did lie on his transcripts, if the NCAA decides that Bledsoe earned a C in Algebra 3 instead of an A, then they could very well rule him ineligible. (Although this case does resemble the one involving Kansas' Darrell Arthur.)That would mean that Kentucky would, in all likelihood, have to vacate every one of the wins that Bledsoe played, which just so happens to be every game Kentucky won last season with the exception of a 104-61 drubbing of Hartford.

We will definitely be following this story as it develops.

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More news on Eric Bledsoe

Eric Bledsoe is back in the news.

If you remember (and how could you forget), back in late May, Pete Thamel of the New York Times filed an article stating that Eric Bledsoe received improper benefits during his high school career. One of his accusations was that Bledsoe's coach at Parker High School, where Bledsoe played his senior season, paid rent for Bledsoe and his mother on more than one occasion"

Brenda Axle, the landlord for the house where Bledsoe and his mother moved for his senior year of high school, said that Bledsoe's high school coach [Maurice Ford] paid her at least three months’ rent, or $1,200. By moving there, Bledsoe was eligible to play for Parker, which he led to the Alabama Class 5A title game. Maurice Ford, the coach, denied paying the money.

Obviously, Ford denied those claims. A report from today's Birmingham News backs him up:

Billy Fagnes, who is a first cousin to Bledsoe's mother, Maureen Reddick, said his family paid most of the rent on the house where Reddick and Bledsoe lived during his senior year at Parker. Also, Jerome McMullin, who described himself as a close family friend, said that although Ford found the family an affordable home, McMullin helped the family pay the rent during some difficult financial times. Ford did not pay any rent, McMullin said.
...
In late May, The New York Times quoted landlord Brenda Axle as saying she never received any money from Reddick or Bledsoe and that Ford paid the rent three or four times in cash, usually when Axle was at Parker as a volunteer worker. Axle disputes The Times' reporting of her account. Axle told The Birmingham News that Ford gave her cash a couple of times but she always assumed the money came from Reddick. Her lease was with Reddick, Axle said, and she never wrote a receipt in Ford's name. Axle said receiving the money occasionally from Ford -- she declined to estimate a number of times in case she was wrong -- provided an easy way to collect Reddick's rent because Axle frequently worked at Parker.

Now, I'm not going to try and convince what actually happened during Bledsoe's senior season. It is plausible that Bledsoe's family used Ford as a middle man to pay rent to Axle, as the two worked together at Parker High? Sure. Is it possible that Ford actually paid Bledsoe's rent in order to keep the player at Parker High? Absolutely. The only people that truly know the answers to these questions are those involved. Based on the above information, you can make your own assumption as to what actually happened.

But before you do, consider this: in both of these reports, no one disputes the fact that Bledsoe's mother needed help paying her rent. And when you need help scrounging up $400 a month to keep a roof over your head, I think it is safe to say that money isn't exactly easy to come by. Let's say the Birmingham News article is incorrect, and that Ford actually did help chip in and pay some of Bledsoe's rent, is that really that terrible of a crime? I know that it is a serious violation, but isn't it possible that Ford actually cared about Bledsoe as more than just a talented basketball player? That he wanted to make sure Bledsoe had a place to sleep at night? Put yourself in his situation. If you are a high school coach, and one of your players needs a couple hundred bucks to keep from being evicted, is there anyway that you don't pony up that money?

Helping pay rent is a far cry from paying for a car and handing out envelopes stuffed with benjis.

I know the opposite is just as likely. Maybe Ford was getting paid by college coaches and using some, or all, of that money to pay the rent. Maybe Ford truly just took cash from Bledsoe's friends and family and gave it to Axle.

My point is that we don't know.

Until we do, any speculation is just that -- speculation.

For now, as skeptical as I may be, I'll wait to hear a ruling from the Alabama High School Athletics Association.

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NBA Draft Prospects: Eric Bledsoe, Kentucky

Click here to find all of our 2010 NBA Draft prospect breakdowns.

Stats: 11.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 3.0 t/o's, 46.2% FG, 38.3% 3PT, 66.7% FT

Size:

• Listed: 6'1", 190 lb, 19 yrs old
• Combine: 6'1 1/2" (with shoes), 192 lb, 6'7 1/2" (wingspan)

About Him: Eric Bledsoe is a unique prospect in that he is one of the rare point guards that is drafted based almost solely on potential. Bledsoe joined the Wildcats with relatively little fanfare, which is what tends to happen when you are the fourth-most highly regarded member of a freshman class. A point guard in high school, Bledsoe was forced to slide over to the two this season to team up with John Wall in the Wildcat back court. This meant that Bledsoe, a surefire point guard in the NBA due to his height (6'1 1/2"), would play basically every minute of his collegiate basketball career out of position.

Bledsoe didn't play like someone worthy of being a first round pick this season, but a large part of that is playing on a team that also had four other first rounders -- including the No. 1 over all pick at his position -- on the roster. Bledsoe just simply didn't get enough touches to have the opportunity to show all he can do as a potential NBA point guard.

Offensively, there are two things that Bledsoe does very well -- getting into the lane, and shooting. Bledsoe has a lightening quick first step and is more than capable of beating his defender off the dribble, although we mostly saw this coming from a spot-up situation. He had fewer opportunites to make a play from the top -- especially out of the pick-and-roll -- with the ball in his hands due to Wall's presence.

Bledsoe's issue wasn't getting past the first defender, it was what he did with the ball after that. He had a bad habit of over-dribbling and getting to deep into the paint with out an outlet. The result of this over-penetration by Bledsoe was a very high turnover rate; he had more turnovers than assists on the season, and according to Synergy Sports, Bledsoe turned the ball over on an astonishing 27% of his possessions. While Bledsoe is an excellent athlete, quite explosive (more on this in a minute), and is capable of absorbing contact and finishing with either hand on a variety of shots in the paint and around the rim, Bledsoe was only a so-so finisher. He also only got to the line 3.3 times per game.

Some of the turnovers and poor shot selection can be explained by a desire to 'get his' -- with Wall, Cousins, Patterson, and company on the floor, there were only so many shots to go around -- but for a kid that projects as a role player at the next level, that is not necessarily a desirable trait.

As a shooter, Bledsoe proved to be a streaky threat from deep. Take away the 8/9 he shot from three in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and Bledsoe finished the year as just a 34% three point shooter. When he is hot, Bledsoe might hit three or four in a row, but overall he is just an average shooter. Part of the reason for that is that Bledsoe shoots a set shot with a very slow release and almost no elevation. As a result, his shooting ability off the dribble is even more inconsistent than his ability to hit set shots from three. He does have solid form, and with some work he should pan out into a good shooter down the road.

Why, you ask, is a point guard that averaged more turnovers than assists and was an inconsistent scorer and shooter being considered as a potential lottery pick? Because of the potential he has given his athleticism. Bledsoe has an ideal physical profile for a point guard. He's almost 6'2" with a wingspan that is over 6'7", he is built like a brick wall, and he has quickness and explosiveness for days. He is an exceptional athlete, which is why he is expected to be able to contribute at the defensive end immediately. On the ball, Bledsoe is a very good defender thanks to his strength, quickness, and length. Off the ball, he has all the potential in the world to be excellent, but at times he seemed not to be giving his best effort -- not getting around screens, not jumping to help side, etc.

Comparison:

• Best Case Scenario: Mo Williams is one comparison I have seen a couple times, although I think that is a bit generous based on what we have seen from Bledsoe offensively. (To be fair, Williams did take some time to develop.) Another comparison I've seen that I like a little more is Keyon Dooling, who maxed out at 10 ppg and 3.5 apg. For a couple of younger guys, I think that Bledsoe is a shorter/poor-man's Russell Westbrook (again, that may be generous). The best comparison, at least in my opinion, is that Bledsoe will end up being another Rodrigue Beaubois.
  
• Worst Case Scenario: I could see Bledsoe having a career similar to that of a Marcus Banks, bouncing around as a career back-up. As a player, maybe a poor man's Mario Chalmers.
  

Outlook: Eric Bledsoe's ability as a point guard is largely unknown right now. Can he develop into a starter? Yes, given his athletic ability and the assumption that he is an NBA caliber defender. But if he doesn't put in the work and develop a better all-around jumper, improve his decision making skills, and become a better creator, Bledsoe could be out of the league after his rookie contract is up.

One x-factor in all of this is Bledsoe's attitude on the court. I'm sure I'm not the only one that thought by the end of the season Bledsoe, and not Cousins, was the most immature player on the Wildcats. If he can put his ego in check and accept the fact that he is not yet ready to be a focal point in the NBA, I see no reason why Bledsoe can't develop into a starter and an all-defensive team member. As far as where he will be picked, it looks like he is destined to go somewhere in the mid-to-late first round.

Highlights:







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Yes, UK and Coach Cal should have known about Bledsoe's question marks

Earlier today, Jerry Tipton published an article in the Lexington Herald-Leader in which he spoke with a private investigator that checks the background of athletes.

"Coaches at other schools know there [were questions marks]," Michael L. Buckner, an investigator and attorney based in Florida, told Tipton. "Then I would assume Kentucky knew or should have known."

He's right.

Should UK have known about Bledsoe's transcript?
(photo credit: Zimbio)

John Calipari and Kentucky should have known about the questions involving Eric Bledsoe's transcript. And, to be frank, you would have to be naive to believe that they didn't. The questions that surround Bledsoe's transcript -- a jump from a 1.9 GPA to a 2.5 from his junior to senior year -- are not all that uncommon. I'd bet that there are quite a few college hoopers that didn't really care all that much about their grades until they realized that not caring could cost them a scholarship.

When it comes down to it, its really not that difficult to get a 2.5 GPA in high school if you put in the effort. If Bledsoe really did retake a couple of classes, replacing D's with A's and B's, a GPA jump like that is possible. Its also quite possible that the grades were fudged to get Bledsoe into college, I really don't know. What I do know is that the jump is questionable enough that I would want to do my due diligence if I were a coach and school recruiting Bledsoe. I would want to be certain that Bledsoe was going to be eligible.

The NCAA established that the burden of using a potentially ineligible is on the school when they punished Memphis last year. If a player is retroactively determined to be ineligible, the NCAA can go back and vacate wins, revoke postseason revenue, and levy any other sanction they deem relevant.

No one knows this better than Coach Cal. That was his 2008 Memphis team. That was his Final Four that got removed from the record books. With his history, signing a $4 million-a-year contract with the most heavily covered basketball program in the country created the perfect storm of scrutiny. Every move he makes -- recruiting or otherwise -- is going to be poured over.

He knew that.

I find it unlikely Calipari didn't know about the question marks in Bledsoe's past, and there's no way that he didn't know about the ramifications of using a player with questionable eligibility.

And he still brought Bledsoe into the program.

Why?

Because the NCAA cleared him.

Which brings us back to the exact same argument we had at this time last year. Why, if the NCAA's eligibility center clears an athlete, can they go back and retroactively punish the school?

Well, the NCAA's eligibility center is swamped. According to Tipton, they make a ruling on upwards of 90,000 athletes each year. 90,000 thousand! With that workload, its nearly impossible for the NCAA to do extensive background checks on every questionable transcript they see.

So they put the burden on the schools. Its on the university to determine if there are any skeletons hiding in a player's closet. If there are, and they come to light at a later date, the NCAA reserves the right to drop the proverbial hammer after the fact.

What Calipari does is the bare minimum. If a risky prospect is cleared by the NCAA, that's enough for Cal. If there were any improprieties involved with the recruitment or the process of getting that recruit eligible, he stays far enough away to keep from being linked. Its the same thing for a drug kingpin, never getting in the same room as the product. Or a mob boss, who has someone else pulling the trigger.

He mastered the art of plausible deniability, preventing anything from coming back on him. He is far from the only coach that does this -- in fact, many would argue that it is the norm. He just happens to be the best at it.

Kentucky and Coach Cal knew exactly what they were doing during the recruitment of Eric Bledsoe.

But it isn't necessarily different from what any other program does.
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Eric Bledsoe to sue, and a recap with plenty of links from the weekend

The latest news coming out in the Eric Bledsoe saga is that the former Kentucky Wildcat is considering suing whoever leaked his transcripts to the New York Times and ESPN.

High school transcripts are supposed to be confidential, which means that the person that provided the Times, ESPN, and whoever else had Bledsoe's transcripts committed a pretty serious violation of his trust. He's got a right to be ticked. The way I see it, the source of the transcripts must have been one of three places: the NCAA, Bledsoe's senior year high school, or any of the schools that he had sent his transcripts too. Early speculation is that Richard Pitino, the son of Rick Pitino who is on the staff at Florida (a school Bledsoe considered pretty heavily), is the leak. We'll see how that plays out.

If Bledsoe truly is considering a lawsuit, then that likely means he doesn't believe that a violation was committed. Lets say that something did happen, and that Bledsoe really did receive rent from his high school coach and had his grades changed to get him eligible. Wouldn't all of that come out during the trial? Would he really want a bunch of lawyers poking through his past, when questions will be asked of people under oath?

The biggest issue right now is that Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans did not actually provide any evidence that Bledsoe received any benefits. Sure, it is very easy to believe that when a kid's GPA jumps from 1.9 to 2.5 in a year that something illegal happened, but it is also possible that Bledsoe actually put in the work in the classroom. There's a lot of smoke, but no smoking gun.

Anyway, here are some links from over the weekend to get you caught up on the situation:

- On Friday night, both the Times and ESPN, who some believed were in a race to break this story, published articles questioning Bledsoe's eligibility.

- Kentucky released a statement saying that Bledsoe had ben cleared by the NCAA, but on Saturday, Dana O'Neil explained that even if Bledsoe was cleared, the Wildcats could still face penalties. Wins could be forfeited and the season could possibly be vacated. The NCAA set that precedent with Derrick Rose two years ago. The burden is on the school if they admit a player with a questionable past. Its why both USC and UCLA backed off of Renardo Sidney. Its why Lance Stephenson had so much trouble finding a school to play at. Kentucky took a risk with Bledsoe, and it may end up backfiring.

- Kentucky also released a statement saying that they had not been informed by the NCAA about a possible investigation, but the Birmingham News reported that NCAA investigators were in Birgmingham in February interviewing people close to Bledsoe.

- John Clay of the Lexington Herald-Leader went in pretty hard on Calipari on Saturday, asking the question many of us asked: how many times can he say "I didn't know what was going on." He backed off of that stance a bit on Monday once more facts came out.

- Eric Crawford of the Louisville penned an interesting column on Calipari on his blog. Rick Bozich called Calipari "Teflon John".

- Kentucky Sports Radio absolutely rips ESPN's Pat Forde (and takes a swing or two at CBS's Mike Freeman) for their criticism of Calipari. I really don't have a dog in this fight. My honest opinion: I think that everyone in college basketball cheats, and that Coach Cal is the best at doing it and keeping his nose clean. I don't really care whether or not he ever gets linked to one of these scandals. But I also doubt I'm the only one that would be enjoy watching all the apologist Kentucky fans eat their words if Cal costs Kentucky a season and bolts for the NBA.

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Did Eric Bledsoe receive improper benefits in high school?

Late last night, Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans of the New York Times broke a story involving Eric Bledsoe. According to the report, Bledsoe was the beneficiary of potential NCAA violations while still in high school in Alabama.

• Brenda Axle, the landlord for the house where Bledsoe and his mother moved for his senior year of high school, said that Bledsoe’s high school coach paid her at least three months’ rent, or $1,200. By moving there, Bledsoe was eligible to play for Parker, which he led to the Alabama Class 5A title game. Maurice Ford, the coach, denied paying the money.


• A copy of Bledsoe's high school transcript from his first three years reveals that it would have taken an improbable academic makeover — a jump from about a 1.9 grade-point average in core courses to just under a 2.5 during his senior year — for Bledsoe to achieve minimum N.C.A.A. standards to qualify for a scholarship.


• A college coach who recruited Bledsoe said that Ford explicitly told his coaching staff that he needed a specific amount of money to let Bledsoe sign with that university. The coach, who did not want to be named out of fear of repercussions when recruiting in Birmingham, said Ford told him and his staff that he was asking for money because he was helping pay rent for Bledsoe and his mother. Ford denied this, saying, "I don't prostitute my kids."
  
  He said he had done nothing wrong, adding: "I'm a poor black man. And when one black man tries to help another black man, there’s always something wrong."

Shortly thereafter, ESPN filed their own report, contributed to by investigative reporter Mike Fish. Fish's involvement has helped fuel speculation that this story has been in the works for months.

The biggest question now becomes whether or not Eric Bledsoe was actually eligible to play college basketball. The NCAA cleared him as a result of his marked improvement during his senior year, but was that improvement legitimate?

Bledsoe was forced to transfer from Hayes High after his junior year because the school closed, and he ended up at Parker High. Steve Ward was the head coach at Hayes High, and he spoke to ESPN.com.

"When he was at Hayes he was borderline," Ward told ESPN.com. "When he left me I don't know what happened." Asked if he was surprised that Bledsoe qualified, Ward said: "Not really. I knew if he applied himself he would have been able to. So I wasn't totally surprised."

Is it possible that Bledsoe actually put in the work in the classroom to get eligible? Absolutely. Is it possible that his grades were tampered with to get him to Kentucky? Absolutely. I have no idea.

What I do know is that this is now the second time in the span of two years that John Calipari has used a potentially ineligible player. Let's say the NCAA investigates Bledsoe (as of now, Kentucky hasn't been notified by the NCAA of an investigation) and discovers that what the New York Times reported is, in fact, true, then Kentucky's season is at risk. It doesn't matter that the NCAA had already cleared Bledsoe, they made it incredibly clear when they vacated the 2008 Memphis Final Four season that taking a risk on a potentially ineligible player can cost the school.

If a player is found to have been academically ineligible, the NCAA can retroactively punish the school for using an ineligible player. Every game that player participated in can be vacated. There is a chance that UK2K will happen all over again.

As far as Calipari is concerned, a vacation of the 2009-2010 Kentucky season will be the third time in his career he has had a season erased from the record books. How long is Kentucky going to put up with this? Could we relive this entire soap opera again next summer if news leaks that Enes Kanter was a professional in Turkey?

As Gary Parrish rightfully pointed out, the ability of a college basketball coach to survive depends on how well he is able to avoid the hammer when it drops. Calipari is hands down the best in the business at keeping his nose clean. His middle name is plausable deniability. I find it difficult to believe that as the head coach of a college basketball team, he was unaware of what was going on with Marcus Camby at UMass or Derrick Rose at Memphis. If it comes out that Bledsoe was also ineligible, only the simplest of the naive would maintain Calipari's innocence.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Will Bledsoe be found ineligible? Will Kentucky face sanctions? Will it be enough to send Calipari to the NBA?

The other part of this is the quote that the Times has from an unnamed college coach saying that he was told Bledsoe had to be bought. Did Calipari buy Bledsoe? Before you answer that, take a look at this quote from Bledsoe:

If Cal had stayed in Memphis, I would have signed with Florida. I wanted to play in the SEC.

So all that talk about Billy Gillispie recruiting Bledsoe can be put aside. Cal brought him to Kentucky.

We'll see where this goes. Nothing has been proven yet, but Kentucky fans should be concerned.
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No. 2: 2009-2010 Team Preview: Kentucky Wildcats

2008-2009 Record: 22-14, 8-8 SEC East (t-5th)

Key Losses: Jodie Meeks (23.7 ppg)

Key Returners: Patrick Patterson (17.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg), Perry Stevenson (7.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg), Darius Miller (5.3 ppg, 2.0 apg)

Newcomers: John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, Jon Hood, Darnell Dodson, John Calipari

Kentucky's crop of newcomers will carry the Wildcats.
(photo credit: Photobucket)

At this point, who doesn't know about the turnover the Kentucky program has had in the last eight months. In short, after two disappointing seasons with Billy Gillispie at the helm, Kentucky fired him and signed John Calipari, who brought with him one of the best recruiting classes in recent memory.

In terms of talent, Kentucky is as loaded as any team in the country. We'll start in the back court, where two freshmen, John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, will run the show. Everyone knows about John Wall by now. At 6'4", Wall is as good of an athlete as you are going to find at the point, and he has the skills to be one of the best point guards in the country. He has the handle and the quicks to break down any defender in the country one-on-one. He can elevate and finish above the rim with either hand. He doesn't quite have Ray Allen's jumper yet, but he is a good enough shooter that a defender has to show respect. Despite being a freshman, Wall is being touted as a possible player of the year candidate. The only thing that will hold him back this season is the transition to playing at the college level. He is a perfect fit for Calipari's dribble-drive motion offense, and should be a pleasure to watch this year.

While you may know about John Wall, what you might not know is that Eric Bledsoe is a heckuva player as well. Bledsoe is much less of a scorer than Wall. He is more of a pass first point guard with the ability to get into the lane, draw defenders, and find the open man. Another guy that is perfectly suited to the DDM, expect Bledsoe and Wall to share the back court and terrorize defenses for quite a few minutes this season.

There is not drop off on the rest of UK's back court, either. There are three returners on the wings in senior Ramon Harris and sophomores DeAndre Liggins and Darius Miller. The 6'7" Harris will be a guy that Calipari is going to love having on his team. Not much of a factor on the offensive end, Harris is a blue collar player that will go out and defend, rebound the ball, and make the hustle plays. On a roster full of potential superstars, Harris is going to be the glue guy. Liggins is a bit of a conundrum. He has worlds of potential as he is 6'6" with the skills of a point guard. The problem is that he doesn't understand how to use his talent. Last season, Liggins forced too many bad shots and turned the ball over too much. But his ability to slash and to pass makes him the kind of guy that could be an impact player in the DDM assuming he figures out how to play. Miller is the best of the three. Miller is another guy that is 6'7" but plays almost as a point guard. He is a tremendous athlete that has shown the ability to be a play maker offensively, especially if his handle continues to improve.

The problem for Miller, as well as Harris and Liggins, is that they may never see the floor. That's because Darnell Dodson, a sophomore transfer from Miami-Dade, and Jon Hood, a freshman from Kentucky, also join the team. Dodson and Hood are probably going to be Kentucky's two best perimeter threats this year. Dodson looks to be a better overall offensive player as he has the ability to slash to the rim, but Hood has been very impressive in the early going, knocking down open threes and just playing an all-around tough brand of basketball. Both have looked like major contributors in the early going for Calipari.

Kentucky's front court is basically going to be a four man rotation of big, athletic, talented kids. The best of the group is Patrick Patterson, one of the best big men in the country. Patterson is a load to handle in the paint. His length and athleticism make him a great finisher - and, as was the case with Joey Dorsey and company in '07-'08, Patterson should catch quite a few lobs this season - but his strength when establishing position and holding off defenders is what makes him a dangerous scorer. Patterson averaged 17.9 ppg last season, and while Kentucky will likely be playing a bit of a faster pace under Calipari, Patterson's numbers may take a hit simply because of how much talent their is surrounding him.

Freshman DeMarcus Cousins looks likely to be the other starter up front. Cousins is a big, physical post with an outstanding array of scoring moves. He has quick feet and a strong base on the block, but he also has three point range, is capable of using the dribble to get to the rim, and is a solid passer. Cousins has a bit of a rep for being lazy - not hustling for rebounds, not running the floor - and having an attitude, but if anyone can put a mean streak into a player, it is Coach Cal. Orton may have a better low post game than Cousins. He has a stronger build and is tougher, but he does not have the perimeter game that Cousins does. Like Cousins, Orton is also a good passer, which should lead to some pretty high-low action between the two this year.

Senior Perry Stevenson is the odd man out. Stevenson, despite having a slender frame, has developed into a solid option inside. He is long and athletic, which allows him to be a good shot blocker and rebounder. While he struggles at holding position and he doesn't have much of an offensive game beyond catching-and-finishing, Stevenson's effort and athleticism alone would probably allow him to start for 95% of the teams in the country. Also expect junior Josh Harrellson to see some limited time.

Outlook: The talent is clearly there for the Wildcats. The issue for them is going to be how well they adapt to playing with each other and, for the younger guys, playing at the collegiate level. There are a lot of new faces on this team, including John Calipari, and the DDM is not an easy offensive to learn. If they can get it down quickly against some of their early season opponents, this team could go a long, long way this year. The other problem is going to be perimeter shooting. Jon Hood is really the only guy you would consider a "shooter" on this roster, but guys like Dodson, Miller, Wall, and Cousins are all capable of stepping out and hitting a three. Will there be enough shooting to keep spacing available inside?
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Calipari signs Bledsoe

Coach Cal has landed the fifth member of what is probably the best recruiting class in the nation (currently 4th on Rivals).

Eric Bledsoe, a six-foot point guard rated 23rd by Rivals and 37th by Scout, announced his intentions to go to school in Lexington. Bledsoe picked UK over Memphis.

Bledsoe joins DeMarcus Cousins, Darnell Dodson, Daniel Orton, and Jon Hood as Cal's first freshman class. This crop is good enough that the Wildcats should be able to compete in a weak SEC even if Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson stay in the draft.

The question now becomes where will John Wall end up. Wall, the #1 recruit in the country who also plays the point, has been rumored to be headed to UK. With Bledsoe signing, does that change his plans? Or does Cal know something we don't?
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