Wednesday Night Headlines

Today was a long, hot day in Kentucky, the kinda days that make the long wait for UK basketball and football seem that much more unbearable. To make matters worse, tonight wasn't very eventful in way of UK news either, so the "headlines" are kinda light. Don't worry though, with each passing day, we continue to get closer to seeing our beloved Cats in action, and this site will really be hopping when that day finally arrives. In the meantime, I'll post a few headlines from the day.

Rick Pitino made a statement this evening. He basically said he was sorry for making the boneheaded decision to have a random sexual encounter with Karen Sypher six years ago. The statement wasn't read from a script, and the man actually seemed regretful for the whole situation. He tried to pat himself on the back for telling the truth, seemingly hopeful that it would at least count for something; and to be honest, it probably did. I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the guy, even though I think his actions six years ago were beyond horrible. As he spoke, he seemed to be only a ghost of the man that pounded the sidelines at Rupp Arena in the 1990's while returning Kentucky to the pinnacle of college basketball. At any rate, from a PR perspective, this statement was the right move. He had originally been on the record as saying he had no desire to comment on the Sypher situation apart from his testimony in court. However, after the details of the story broke all over the country, he really had no choice but to make a public statement. Ricky P probably went a long way to patching things up with potential recruits and their parents, as well as a fractured and hurt fan base in the Ville. How he will be treated and viewed in the days to come remains to be seen.

In other news tonight, it seems that former Tennessee commitment Josh Selby could be leaning towards UConn. Things have been moving this direction for a while now, and UK has yet to put on the full court press for his services. If he makes a verbal to UConn soon, don't be surprised. Of course, nothing is over until it's over, and he's still very much in play. At any rate, Brandon Knight is next year's John Wall, and it's a pretty safe guess that he's Cal's number one choice and that Selby would be a distant second.

In other recruiting news, it seems CJ Leslie is being fiercely sought after by the UK staff. Even Leslie's former high school teammate, John Wall has been talking up UK to his former teammate. Leslie is a 6'8" forward with a strong, versatile game that should fit in well with Cal's system. Rivals has him ranked as a four star recruit, but that could rise to five with a solid senior campaign. Leslie is probably a while away from making his final college choice, but Kentucky is certainly on his list, along with schools like UConn, Florida and North Carolina.

In football news, rumor has it that the injury bug is making its way around the team. No major injuries to report, but it seems some of Kentucky's younger players might get to see some early playing time this season if veterans like Derrick Locke and Alfonso Smith don't rid themselves of some nagging injuries. One thing's for certain, Rich Brooks and Co. have had solid recruits flowing into Lexington for sometime now, so seeing some of this young talent get early opportunities could be fun. We should know more about UK's probable starters and final depth chart before the new season officially kicks off on September 5th.

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading, Big Blue Nation. We'll see you tomorrow... bring a friend... and something to eat. We're always hungry around here.