Derby Classic Game

[KapitalCat]

Of all the all star games I've attended, this was by far the most enjoyable and the most hotly contested. The crowd was great and was probably 60-40 ish in favor of UofL. The most intriguing and most annoying part of the game was when Henderson (Duke Signee) was introduced, he jogged to mid-court and stomped on the Cardinal. It was hilarious, but at the same time, pretty Duke classless stuff. When Character from UofL was introduced, just after Henderson, he brought out a towel and wiped off the Cardinal. Pretty funny stuff.

The game was fairly well played for an all star game. The Ky guys played well. Beyond the talent, what I'm most impressed with is the attitude and demeanor of Meeks, Jasper, and Stevenson. These guys are class, play the game, no trash talk, no pointing at the crowd garbage, they just play the game and play it hard. Meeks has a great body, is quick with the ball to the basket, plays with courage and confidence. Seems to be very right handed but it's hard to tell for sure after only one game. He's clutch, and he wants the ball in the clutch. His outside shot needs a lot of work. It's not an ugly shot by any means, but certainly not classic and a tad flat. You can tell though, if he works and works on his shot, it's going to get better and I bet this guy is going to work his tail off.

Jasper has the same attitude as Meeks. He's not super quick, and once again seemed to favor the right a lot. I really could not get a sense of his shot. He really is pass first player and is a true point, although I'm sure he can play the 2 if necessary. He's a legit 6-5. Plays hard all the time and worked very hard on D, which is unheard of for an all star game. Not terribly explosive, just very very solid.

These two are guys that Tubby will love to coach and if they can be surrounded with one more highly skilled player, they will be very good in two years.

Stevenson is exactly as advertised with one exception, he is even skinner than I thought. His arms and legs, are no bigger than a baseball bat, this guy is really really thin. He reminds me a lot of Andre Riddick, although Riddick was bigger. Had no shot (that I could tell) beyond 10 feet and in my opinion is not a guy we should rely on to help next year. If he does, it's gravy. Some positives, this guy has major hops. I think his head could hit the rim and he has very long arms. He plays much taller than his 6-8 frame. He was really moved around in the post against some of the bigger guys he went up against. This is a guy that will need work, but as he matures physically, I think he can really help. Although he does not remind me of Erik Daniels, I left the game thinking the same of Daniels and he turned out to be a very good college player.

N e way, that’s my down and dirty on last nights game.

[mrmeeks]

KapitalCat, I really appreciate your support for the incoming Freshmen. It sounds like you had a nice time at the game. I thought the only two players that shot the ball well were Caracter and Kemp. I thought there were many players that played well.

I wouldn't worry too much about Jodie's shooting. I know he would be the first to admit he didn't shoot the three very well, but to his defense, not playing over a month and then jumping into a game with those players and that crowd is enough to make anyone miss:) Based on his history Jodie will shoot the 3 ball just fine at UK. I don't agree that his shot is flat, but I am definitely not offended. It is tough for the kids to perform to everyone's expectation on the drop of a dime. I believe when the UK recruits get to Kentucky this summer and gets the chanceto work with the coaches and other players, this team will have an opportunity to be pretty good. They have to find their roles and learn to play together. I believe this will happen pretty quickly (at least I hope so). I don't know if you noticed the box scores, but did you notice the White team played all of his players pretty evenly? The Black team gave most of its minutes to the 'star' players. Tough to do when all are deserving. Winning didn't matter, but having said that, I'm not sad about the outcome.

I can tell you Jodie said he wanted to go to the line and shoot those freethrows. Having seen him succeed and fail in tough situations, I'm proud of him for 'wanting' to be there. That is all for now. I know there will be much discussion about the coming season. I am VERY optimistic about the coming season........how about you?

Do you think Florida fans were optimistic about their coming season last year? I can tell you most were, but they called themselves realist. They didn't expect much and won it all. It would be nice to see our Cats exceed everyone's expectation.

[audacious1]

I think that's one thing many (some?) Kentucky fans lack... a positive outlook. Any good golfer will tell you thatyou must envision the shot goingto its proper destination to have any chance to actuallyhit that shot. Ialso think, that like last year's Florida team, you have to expect towin, expect to make the NCAA, and expect to advance. Any doubt that creeps in, only undoes the hard work.

Go Cats!

[poodoo]

The Ky guys played well. Beyond the talent, what I'm most impressed with is the attitude and demeanor of Meeks, Jasper, and Stevenson. These guys are class, play the game, no trash talk, no pointing at the crowd garbage, they just play the game and play it hard.QUOTE by KapitalCat

_______

Thanks for the great report, KapitalCat. Too, I love what you say here about our newest Cats. :)

[poodoo]

Do you think Florida fans were optimistic about their coming season last year? I can tell you most were, but they called themselves realist. They didn't expect much and won it all. It would be nice to see our Cats exceed everyone's expectation. QUOTE by mrmeeks

_______

Thanks for that reminder, Mr. Meeks. I LOVE your attitude! :)

Too, as I posted on another thread, I love how your son Jodie responded to the boos from Louisville fans, draining both free throws to force overtime. I surely look forward to watching Jodie and the other freshmen next season. :)

[Chunks06]

Tre Pryor wrote: I think that's one thing many (some?) Kentucky fans lack... a positive outlook. Any good golfer will tell you thatyou must envision the shot goingto its proper destination to have any chance to actuallyhit that shot. Ialso think, that like last year's Florida team, you have to expect towin, expect to make the NCAA, and expect to advance. Any doubt that creeps in, only undoes the hard work.

Go Cats!

I think this is a great point. Just seemed like this year we got off to a rough start and it played in their minds. Everytime a tough game came about our players looked more worried about losing then planning on winning. Composure was lacking. I know this was just an ALL Star game but I think it really says something about Meeks hitting those free throws. In front of a U of L crowd playing to impress Kentucky fans Iam sure the pressure was there much more than a normal All Star game because of that.

[Doug Hardin]

My only complaint was that it took FOR-EV-ER to get this game started. It was supposed to start at 7:00, but they didn't start the player introductions (which took 5-10 minutes) until close to 7:45. I kind of felt bad for the Manual High Dance Team who got booed at the points where their routine (which started around 7:20 or so) looked like it was finished, but they really had a few more acts to go (is that the right word? I apologize if I'm using incorrect dance team terminology).

But since this game took forever to get started, that meant I got to sit in my seat and watch the players warm up for half an hour. Now I'm not saying Perry Stevenson is going to be a Robert Horry type player, but he's got a decent form on his shot. I saw him hit several from the top of the key in warm-ups. I'd guess, based entirely on warm-ups, that he's got the potential to occassionally knock down that jumper from the top of the key, sort of like Jules was able to do from time to time, if the defense gives it to him, so I might give him a little more credit than the poster that said he has no shot outside 10 feet.

[lighthouse]

Players that look "Good" in all star games, sometimes look all together different when they are in real games. There is very little defense played in these games, and vertually no team defense. The offense has very little time to get organized, so it ends upmostly one-on-one. For instance, I officiated the game when John Pelphrey played,he only scored 5 points and 3 were free throws. He couldn't get a shot off, and we all know how he turned out in a strutchered offense. On the other hand, when Jamal Mashburn played, he left no doubt about his talent. You just never know. Here's hoping that our guys will be much improved when they learn Tubby's system.

[KapitalCat]

mrmeeks wrote: KapitalCat, I really appreciate your support for the incoming Freshmen. It sounds like you had a nice time at the game. I thought the only two players that shot the ball well were Caracter and Kemp. I thought there were many players that played well.

I wouldn't worry too much about Jodie's shooting. I know he would be the first to admit he didn't shoot the three very well, but to his defense, not playing over a month and then jumping into a game with those players and that crowd is enough to make anyone miss:) Based on his history Jodie will shoot the 3 ball just fine at UK. I don't agree that his shot is flat, but I am definitely not offended. It is tough for the kids to perform to everyone's expectation on the drop of a dime. I believe when the UK recruits get to Kentucky this summer and gets the chanceto work with the coaches and other players, this team will have an opportunity to be pretty good. They have to find their roles and learn to play together. I believe this will happen pretty quickly (at least I hope so). I don't know if you noticed the box scores, but did you notice the White team played all of his players pretty evenly? The Black team gave most of its minutes to the 'star' players. Tough to do when all are deserving. Winning didn't matter, but having said that, I'm not sad about the outcome.

I can tell you Jodie said he wanted to go to the line and shoot those freethrows. Having seen him succeed and fail in tough situations, I'm proud of him for 'wanting' to be there. That is all for now. I know there will be much discussion about the coming season. I am VERY optimistic about the coming season........how about you?

Do you think Florida fans were optimistic about their coming season last year? I can tell you most were, but they called themselves realist. They didn't expect much and won it all. It would be nice to see our Cats exceed everyone's expectation.



Thanks Mr. Meeks. I found your sons website (its very good) and saw that he shot almost 39% from the 3 point line, obviously Jodie can shoot. My daughter shot 40% from the 3 point line this year and the other day doing shooting drills on her own, she could not hit a lick, but she's been off a few weeks, so I understand.

I think next year is going to be vintage Tubby to be honest. Joe, Ramel and Randolf a year older, more mature, natural improvement, add the talent of your son and Jasper and I think we'll see a team that is in the hunt for a final four.