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Cats still flying high without Anderson
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by Jeremey Clem When Clemson beat the Kentucky Wildcats to begin the season, no one expected the Cats to do much this season, but they have proven everyone wrong. The Wildcats were doing great and everyone had started believing in them again, until Derek Anderson went down with a knee injury and the worries came once more. Some Wildcat fans decided to call it quits for the second time this season. The chance for a repeat championship season was bleak. Not only did Anderson go down, but Kentucky lost four starters to graduation, red-shirted Jeff Sheppard, and Oliver Simmons transferred. Coach Rick Pitino seemed to even lose some confidence, stating, "no more 30 point blowouts for us this year." But Pitino nor anyone else expected Alan Edwards, Wayne Turner, and Cameron Mills to step up the way they have, so I wouldn't count the Cats out yet. In his first game filling in for Anderson, Edwards scored a blistering 16 points against Vanderbilt. Pitino stated that Edwards could start anywhere else n the country but he still didn't expect him to come on so strongly. Edwards showed glimpses of greatness, but I guess he just needed Anderson hurt and some playing time t prove he was worthy of Kentucky Basketball. And how about Cameron Mills, who has been the biggest surprise, scoring a career high 12 points against Arkansas. Pitino was happy to get him into the lineup because he needs his ball handling skills come March. Extra playing time is helping Edwards and Mills as well as other players like Wayne Turner who needed the experience to improve. It is Pitino's view that getting players playing time getting playing time that they normally wouldn't get just makes the team better, knowing that in close games he can put them in and not sweat as much. Since Anderson went down, every player has turned it up a notch. Scott Padgett is back in the lineup and helps the team, but with Anderson he just didn't have as many scoring opportunities. Ron Mercer was expected to emerge as the primary scorer and struggled a little at first, but he has adjusted to playing without Anderson. When Anderson wasn't hurt, he and Mercer were the top scoring duo in the country. Nazr Mohammed has also been a welcome surprise, as getting playing time on Kentucky's Junior Varsity team last year has helped him a lot, not to mention that he has lost some weight and bettered his work ethics. Every player on the team has a certain role that they all understand, and, if all of Pitino's puzzle pieces fall into place, he may just have something. Although it has taken a team to step up to make up for Anderson's absence, it can just make them better. Nothing against Anderson, but who would trade a whole team for one player? So when March rolls around and the Wildcats have adjusted to playing without Anderson and gotten more experience. Rick Pitino will have his boys ready to play and on the road to the Final Four once again.
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Groundhog misses shadow, so baseball season is nearby
by Shawn Campbell
Good news, the groundhog did not see his shadow.
Everyone knows what that means- spring is just around the
corner. With this winter being unusually mild I am already in
a springtime mood, and I have been anxious all winter to get
back to the sport that I love the best, baseball.
That's right, America's pastime. With the strike
behind us and more interest by the owners for the fans'
needs, this year promises to be a great year.
Nothing quite compares to the smell of fresh cut
grass and the sound of a vendor yelling, "Peanuts, get your
fresh roasted peanuts..." Sure, Astroturf has become popular
and some ball parks even sell sushi, but the game is still the
same as it was when my father watched it.
If you have never been to a major league ball game, I
encourage you to do so. Riverfront stadium, the home of the
Cincinnati Reds, is just a few hours away. If you would
rather go south, Atlanta is a fine place to watch a ball game,
even though they have a new stadium this year. Another nice
ball park is in St. Louis.
So if you really want to catch some major league
action, it really isn't all that hard.
Kentucky talents left out of NBA Top 50 list
by Tracy Hensley
The National Basketball Association
has always been structured around the greatest
basketball players in the world. Recently, a
panel of past and present NBA players, general
managers, certain journalists, and other
personalities involved in the game voted on who
they thought were the 50 graetest players in NBA
history.
All of the players who were selected
certainly deserved the honor. However, one
unexpected statement must be made--not one
former University of Kentucky player made the
list.
What? An institution that has earned
six national championships and has won the most
games in college basketball history did not
produce a good enough player to join this elite
club? Current research from the Official NBA
Basketball Encyclopedia helps to make a good
argument for the former Cat players.
In my opinion, there are three UK
standouts who could have joined this group: Dan
Issel, Cliff Hagan, and Louie Dampier.
Without question, Issel could have
been a top 50 pick. The 6'9" forward averaged 23
points and nine rebounds over 15 NBA and ABA
(American Basketball Association) seasons. As a
member of the Kentucky Colonels, he was a six
time ABA all-star and one time NBA all-star with
the Denver Nuggets of the NBA. Throughout the
rest of his career, he made all-ABA first team
in 1972 and also helped the Colonels to the 1975
ABA crown. After being traded to the Nuggets and
retiring in 1985, Issel is fifth all- time in
career scoring in professional basketball.
Although Dan Issel is the more
celebrated and recognizable star, Cliff Hagan
and Louie Dampier should not go unnoticed. As a
6'4" forward, Hagan began his career with the
St. Louis Hawks.The four time NBA all-star would
help St. Louis win the NBA title in 1958, and he
spent his last three seasons with the Dallas
Chaparrels of the ABA.Hagan averaged 18 points
and seven rebounds during his playing days.
Meanwhile, the six-foot Dampier was
drafted by the Kentucky Colonels, becoming a
seven time ABA all-star. Along with Issel,
Dampier was a key scorer for the 1975 Colonel
championship squad. As he averaged 13 points and
four assists over a 12 year span, Dampier shot
36% from 3-point range as well.
Certainly, this trio is not as well-
known as the Michael Jordans or the Dr.Js of the
NBA world, nor are they tremendous, individual
one-on-one players. Then again, Kentucky
basketball does not practice the individual
concept, but the team concept.
returnIntramural basketball underway as six teams battle for first place
by Tracy Hensley
The fever is back--intramural
basketball has once again entered the minds and
souls of players at the Cumberland campus of
SECC.
According to students activities
coordinator Cookie Baker, six teams will play
each other randomly every Wednesday afternoon
from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for eight weeks beginning
February 5 at the Lynch Social Club. At the end
of this time period, the two clubs with the best
records will play for the intramural basketball
title.
The rules will be the same as
organized college basketball with a total of 20
minutes for each half. The game clock will
always run except for the last five minutes.
The players from team one are Jerome
Estes, Bubba Ball, Matt Kinner, Ryan Duckworth,
Wade Collins, Michael Clark, Jay North, and
Johnny Murphy.
Team two’s roster will be Steve
Burgan, Larry Richmond, Marcus Ingram, John
Yeary, Mike Chapman, Jason Howard, Gary Johnson,
Randy Surbur, Conrad Thomas, and Joe D. Jones.
Members of team three are Brandon
Howard, John Phelps, Kenny Fields, Brian
Miniard, Bucky Vanover, Robert Hensley, Steven
Williams, Brian Taylor, Mike Sherman, and Kris
Reitz.
The students who make up team four
are Richie Creech, Shawn Branson, Brett Johnson,
Misty Creech, Kenny Raleigh, Chuck Mitchell,
Carl Belcher, and Kelli Jackson.
Team five consists of Reggie Young,
Brian Jones, John Carr, Chris Reed, Maurice
Hollinsworth, Poo Clay, Noah Asher, Philip
Barnhill, Brian Howard, Ralph Carr, and Kellie
Allen.
Team six includes Tony Lee, Tim
Birman, Delzie Kelly, Derrion Chapman, Jamie
Hughes, Chris Morgan, Justin Goode, Mike
Hatfield, Jason Blair, and Jeffery Fouts.
Look for complete championship
coverage of intramural hoops in the next edition
of The Southeasterner.