Kentucky Wildcats WiretapMay 2013 Kentucky Wildcats Wiretap

Willie Cauley-Stein Wants To Expand Skillset, Return To Kentucky With 'Dominating Mindset'

Apr 25, 2013 4:53 PM

Willie Cauley-Stein has been working to expand his skillset as he prepares for his second season at Kentucky.

"(I want to) become more of an all-around basketball player, a guy that can step out, shoot threes, hit the 15-footer, take people off the dribble," Cauley-Stein said. "Just become more of a complete dude, not just a guy that's going to sit in the paint. That's not the way that I wanted to play coming in, it just ended up being like that."

The 7-foot, 244 pound Cauley-Stein requested evaluations from the NBA draft advisory committee after a freshman season in which he averaged 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

"I heard anywhere from (picks) eight to 10, 15 to 20, 22 to 25," Cauley-Stein said. "And you're like, 'That's the whole dang scale. That's everywhere.'"

Cauley-Stein plans to bring a different attitude to practice when Kentucky begins its workouts in October.

"I kind of got like a dominating mindset going into this next year," Cauley-Stein said. "I want to be the best in everything I do. Before it was kind of like, 'Eh, I'll come in here and try to do.' This time I want to come in here and do it. I don't want to try to do it."

Brett Dawson/CatsIllustrated

Tags: Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky Wildcats, Southeastern Conference, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Wiggins Cancels Home Visits With North Carolina, Kansas, Florida State

Apr 22, 2013 10:24 AM

Andrew Wiggins has canceled hime visits he had scheduled this week with Kansas, North Carolina and Florida State.

Wiggins is also considering committing to Kentucky.

Wiggins had 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists in Saturday's Nike Hoop Summit in Portland. Wiggins remains in Portland due to travel problems and still plans on speaking with coaches from those schools on the phone.

Jeff Goodman/CBS Sports

Tags: Andrew Wiggins, North Carolina Tar Heels, Florida State Seminoles, Kansas Jayhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, High School, High School Recruiting, NCAA, NCAA Recruiting, NCAA Misc Rumor

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Towns, Wiggins Developing Chemistry On World Select Team

Apr 19, 2013 12:37 PM

Karl Towns is rooming with Andrew Wiggins at the Nike Hoop Summit.

Towns and Wiggins will lead a World Select Team of international players against Team USA on Saturday in the All-Star game.

“We are having a blast,” Towns said. “We are enjoying each other, enjoying time with each other. He is so athletic and skilled on the court. It’s easy to do a pick-and-roll with him. We are going to utilize that on Saturday along with the chemistry we have. Me and him are so outgoing with each other.”

Towns is happy to share the spotlight with Wiggins, who led the World Team to an 84-75 victory over Team USA at last year’s Nike Hoop Summit.

“That has been nice. There are so many great players here. Sometimes you get used to having all the attention and being in the spotlight, but it is great to have someone here like Andrew. It’s very humbling to know he can help with anything I need. It’s nice to have a co-pilot in this big spotlight. That’s one reason I love being here at the Hoop Summit,” Towns said.

Towns knows the exhibition is a good way to make a positive impression.

“With NBA scouts here, it’s always good to start your future early and show what you can do daily,” Towns said.

Larry Vaught/Danville Advocate

Tags: Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Kentucky Wildcats, Southeastern Conference, High School, High School Nike Hoop Summit, NCAA, NBA

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Andrew Harrison Plans To Showcase PG Skills At Kentucky

Apr 19, 2013 11:54 AM

Andrew Harrison believes playing at Kentucky will give him a chance to showcase his point guard skills.

Andrew and his twin brother Aaron will join Julius Randle, Dakari Johnson, Marcus Lee and James Young in what’s considered Kentucky’s best recruiting class ever.

“I don’t care about scoring. I just want to lead my team. I want to win every game,” Harrison said. “I will get a chance to just throw it up the rim sometimes and see who can go get it. I just have to put them in the right positions to score and I am looking forward to that. In high school, they could play four guys on you. Now you can’t leave anybody or they will kill you because we have so many good players.”

Harrison has played with his future teammates in a few All-Star games over the offseason and is expecting a quick assimilation.

“All the guys are cool. Getting to know them has definitely made me even more comfortable about next year,” Harrison said. “It was like a two-week head start on next season. We have not developed great chemistry yet, but we all like each other a lot and everything. We are cool.”

Larry Vaught/Danville Advocate

Tags: Andrew Harrison, Kentucky Wildcats, Southeastern Conference, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Nerlens Noel Confirms He'll Enter NBA Draft

Apr 15, 2013 5:31 PM

Kentucky forward Nerlens Noel, who is recovering from a torn ACL, has officially announced his intention to enter the NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-10 freshman sustained a season-ending knee injury on Feb. 12.

Noel said in a statement released by the university that he's loved his time with the Wildcats but feels he's "ready to take the next step to the NBA."

Despite his injury, many expect him to be a possible No. 1 pick.

ESPN

Tags: Nerlens Noel, Kentucky Wildcats, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft Declarations, NCAA Misc Rumor

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Calipari Sold Julius Randle On Chance To Develop Against Top Players

Apr 12, 2013 9:31 PM

During Julius Randle’s recruitment, John Calipari focused on his weaknesses and challenged him to want to battle against high-level competition every day.

“No other coach said that,” the sculpted 6-foot-9 Randle said.

Randle will be joined in the Kentucky frontcourt by Dakari Johnson, the top-ranked center; Marcus Lee, the second-ranked center; and James Young, a Michigan native who is the third-ranked small forward.

Randle and Johnson noted they picked Kentucky to get pushed not only in the SEC, but in practice also.

“It’s going to be a war,” Johnson said.

Zach Braziller/New York Post

Tags: Julius Randle, Kentucky Wildcats, Southeastern Conference, High School, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General, NCAA B-Ball IQ

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Andrew Harrison Thinks He Would Beat Michael Jordan One-On-One

Apr 10, 2013 7:09 PM

Andrew Harrison was asked how he would fare against Michael Jordan in his prime.

“I think he’d get a couple buckets here and there, but then I’d start to lock him down and give him buckets,” said Harrison, a top 10 player in the class of 2013. “Yeah, I think I’d get him.”

The 6-foot-5 Harrison predicted he would win the game 11-7.

Harrison has signed to play for Kentucky next season.

Jason Jordan/USA TODAY (via Justin Boyd/Houston Chronicle)

Tags: Andrew Harrison, Michael Jordan, Kentucky Wildcats, Southeastern Conference, High School, NCAA, NBA

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Andrew Wiggins' Brother Believes Kentucky May Not Be Best Fit

Apr 5, 2013 9:19 PM

Andrew Wiggins’ older brother, Nick, thinks Kentucky may not be the best fit for him.

“It’s all about combinations of players you put on the floor and how players feel about playing with each other, playing a team game," Nick Wiggins said.  “And I feel like they got a couple kids coming (back), they got seven or eight dudes that are already signed to come in off the (McDonald’s) All-America team, and I don’t feel like it would be the best fit for him to make his own legacy. But in the end, he’s going to make the best decision for him.”

Nick believes his parents want Andrew to pick Florida State.  

“I think both my parents would like him to go to Florida State University because that’s where my mom and my dad attended school so it would be pretty amazing to see him do that and I believe they would be happy with that decision,” Nick, a junior guard at Wichita State, told SNY.tv.

Kyle Tucker/Louisville Courier-Journal

Tags: Andrew Wiggins, Florida State Seminoles, Kentucky Wildcats, Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference, High School, NCAA, NBA

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