Kentucky coach John Calipari is organizing a "first-of-its-kind" combine for his draft-eligible players to participate in.
The Kentucky Combine, as Calipari is calling it, will allow Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones,DeAndre Liggins and senior Josh Harrellson an opportunity to work out with NBA personnel, and every NBA team has been invited to the Kentucky campus next week to attend the event. Two days of private workouts are scheduled with accompanying one-on-one interviews with the players after they attend classes.
"My hope is this will allow our players to get direct feedback from NBA decision-makers and hopefully create a clearer picture of what their NBA potential may be," Calipari said in a statement. "Instead of us telling them what we are hearing, they can hear directly from the clubs."
May 2011 Kentucky Wildcats Wiretap
Kentucky Coach John Calipari confirmed Tuesday that he has been asked to coach the Dominican Republic's national team and that he is considering taking the additional role.
"Now that our season is over, I can give proper attention to other things, such as this," Calipari said in a statement on his Web site.
"They liked what we are doing in China, including coaching their coaches and being involved in promoting grassroots basketball. Not only would I help train coaches in the Dominican Republic and here in Lexington like we have with the Chinese coaches, but I would also coach their national team."
Calipari said the commitment to the national team would run mainly from the start of August through mid-September.
College basketball attendance across the three divisions has decreased slightly to 32.8 million.
The NCAA announced Tuesday that it still ranks No. 5 all-time.
Division I schools drew 27.6 million fans, an increase of more than 86,000 over the previous season.
Kentucky led the nation in average home attendance for the 15th time in 16 years. The Wildcats averaged 23,603. Syracuse was second at 22,312.
For the 35th consecutive year, the Big Ten led all conferences in home attendance with 2.4 million.
The USA Today announced their 2011 All-USA Boys Basketball team this week, headlined by Player of the Year Austin Rivers.
First Team
G: Austin Rivers, Winter Park High, Winter Park, Fl., Duke
F: Michael Gilchrist, St. Patrick's, Elizabeth, NJ, Kentucky
C: Anthony Davis, Perspectives Charter, Chicago, Kentucky
G: Brad Beal, Chaminade, St. Louis, Florida
F: James McAdoo, Norfolk (Va.) Christian, North Carolina
Second Team
F: Khem Birch, Notre Dame Prep, Fitchburg, Mass., Pittsburgh
F: Perry Ellis, Wichita (Kan.) Heights
G: Myles Mack, St. Anthony, Jersey City, Rutgers
G: Shabazz Muhammad, Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas
C: Cody Zeller, Washington, Ind., Indiana
Third Team
C: Johnny O’Bryant, East Side, Cleveland, Miss., LSU
F: Kyle Wiltjer, Jesuit, Portland, Ore., Kentucky
G: Tyrone Johnson, Montrose Christian, Rockville, Md., Villanova
G: Shannon Scott, Milton, Alpharetta, Ga., Ohio State
G: Marquis Teague, Pike, Indianapolis, Kentucky
F: Dorian Finney-Smith, Norcom, Portsmouth, Va., Virginia Tech
Bob Knight apologized Tuesday for his statements over the weekend about the academic record of the University of Kentucky basketball team.
Knight's apology was posted late Tuesday afternoon in an article on ESPN.com and was also mentioned during the network's SportsCenter show.
"My overall point is that 'one and dones' are not healthy for college basketball," Knight said. "I should not have made it personal to Kentucky and its players and I apologize."
At a speaking engagement in Indiana on Saturday, the Hall of Fame coach blasted Kentucky Coach John Calipari's habit of recruiting players who spend just a year on campus before bolting for the NBA.
Kentucky's Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and DeAndre Liggins have declared for the NBA draft, the school announced on Wednesday.
None of the three has hired an agent or announced plans to do so.
Coach John Calipari said he supported the three players exploring the possibilty of entering the NBA.
"They were a joy to coach this year and I would love the opportunity to continue to coach them again next season," Calipari said in a statement released by the school. "I will always support my players in weighing their options and doing what is personally best for them and their families."
Kentucky freshman Doron Lamb will return for his sophomore season, according to an ESPN.com report on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 12.3 points and shot 48 percent from 3-point range for the Wildcats while helping them to their first Final Four appearance in 13 years.
Bob Knight took a shot at John Calipari's basketball program over the weekend, and on Monday, UK shot back.
Athletic director Mitch Barnhart called Knight's assertion “blatantly erroneous” and said that “the University of Kentucky, our student-athletes and their families take great offense” to Knight's words.
“Academic performance has always been a priority at UK and it's unfortunate that, although every starter from the 2010 season finished the spring semester in good academic standing, these myths exist,” Barnhart said in the release.
One starter from that UK team, junior Darius Miller, still is in school. Another, Patrick Patterson, graduated in three years, earning his degree in 2010.
Former Indiana coach Bob Knight took a shot at John Calipari, claiming that none of the starters on Kentucky’s 2009-10 team, which advanced to the Elite Eight, went to class that semester.
"Kentucky, year before last, started five players in the NCAA Tournament games that had not been to class that semester," Knight says during the video, which according to the YouTube post was shot at the Honeywell Center in Wabash, Ind., over the weekend.
"And that’s that one-and-done philosophy that we have now."
Though that Kentucky team had four one-and-done players, Knight’s accusation is unlikely.
One of Kentucky’s five starters during the 2010 NCAA Tournament, Darius Miller, still is in school. Another, Patrick Patterson, graduated in the spring of 2010.
James McAdoo scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the East to a 113-109 victory in the 10th Jordan Brand Classic. While McAdoo won MVP honors for the East, Anthony Davis had 29 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks to become the West MVP.
McAdoo will attend North Carolina in the fall and Davis will play for Kentucky.
"He influenced the game so much. And with me being a Tar Heel, whenever I get in an argument with someone, I just pull out the Michael Jordan card," McAdoo said.
Michael Gilchrist and Marquis Teague scored 12 and 14 points respectively and also will be joining Davis at Kentucky.