Basketball

Johnny Gray is a three-time Olympian who won the bronze medal in the 800-meter run at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He set a U.S. record of 1 minute, 42.60 seconds in the 800 in 1985 and established the U.S. indoor record of 1:45 in 1992 when he came close to breaking the world indoor record at the time. Gray has been inducted into the USA National Track and Field Hall of Fame and is a member of the Santa Monica College Hall of Fame and Melrose Games Hall of Fame. He came to Danville this week to work at the Maximum Velocity Track and Field Academy at Centre College and shared some insights on another of his former passions — basketball — as well as track: Question: Is your son, Johnny Lee Gray III, still playing basketball?

HARRODSBURG — Now that they have their college choices for baseball out of the way, Colin Buckner, Clay Cinnamon and Matthew Honchel can concentrate on Mercer County’s basketball season. The three signed their letters of intent during the early signing period in the middle of November, and had a celebration at the school on Tuesday. All three say they are glad to have the pressure of trying to juggle sports, academics and picking a school over for the rest of the year “It feels good to just get this over with,” said Colin Buckner, who signed with Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee.

HARRODSBURG - Austin Sagraves had to wait a while to find out that he had been accepted to Centre College. But once he got that letter from his top college choice, there was no doubt the Mercer County senior would be going to Centre and playing basketball for the Colonels. Sagraves, a 5-10 guard, is one of a handful of Mercer students who will officially announce their college decisions Tuesday and Wednesday at the high school. It’s a decision Sagraves said was not really that hard for him to make for a variety of reasons.

LANCASTER - It would be easy to say Jared Prewitt didn't miss anything by sitting out the last basketball season at Garrard County. It would also be wrong. Prewitt missed the game, and his teammates missed him. But he isn't missing a thing this season. He is back on the court for one last season, and he is doing his share to help the Golden Lions get back on their feet. "He hasn't really missed a beat," said Kent Johnson, Prewitt's teammate and classmate. Prewitt returned to the starting lineup only a few weeks after he decided to return to basketball, and he is one of the leading scorers for a Garrard team that has turned its fortunes around.

Keith Taylor and Rachel Parsons talk about a big weekend in Kentucky sports.

Dear Editor, I was quite disturbed when I read the article in the newspaper about the Danville High School boys basketball team on Friday, Jan. 2. Coach Yates made the comment that he gave Jacody Taylor the green light to shoot and that he wished Jacody would force his shots more because he is the only one on the team making shots. Is Taylor the only player who can shoot? Is he making all the points on the team? What is the rest of the team doing? Can one man beat five? If Coach Yates can answer "yes" to these questions I'll give him a public apology.

Ever since she first picked up a basketball as a young child, Emily Fox has aspired to play Division I basketball.  The 5-9 guard, now a Lincoln County High School senior who helped lead the Lady Patriots to a 12th Region title and Final Four state finish last season, has made that dream come true by signing her letter-of-intent to play basketball for Austin Peay University. The Lincoln girls basketball team gathered in the school auditorium just before the Thanksgiving break to watch as Fox committed to the Lady Govs.

Boyle County's girls basketball game at Woodford County has been canceled for tonight and rescheduled for Feb. 16 because of weather concerns. The Boyle boys game with Washington County will still be played here tonight. However, the junior varsity game has been canceled and the varsity only game will start at 6 p.m.

Join Advocate sports writers Mike Marsee and Hal Morris for a live weekly chat on high school sports at amnews.com at noon Thursday. This week's chat will look back at the high school football season and ahead to the high school basketball season. Participants are encouraged to ask questions or comment on anything relating to high school sports during the 30-minute chat, a weekly feature on the website. Follow this link to access the chat.

He played last season in Slovakia before finishing the season in a higher league in Hungary where he caught the eye of teams from France, Italy, Spain and more. Now former Boyle County and Eastern Kentucky basketball player Spencer Perrin has signed a more lucrative contract to play this season in Australia. “It's doing nothing but getting better,” said Perrin. “It's more money for me and my family and a great opportunity career-wise. Australia is a very nice place to live and play basketball.

The NBA had its draft lottery Tuesday night and chances are, former Kentucky center Nerlens Noel wasn't paying much attention if he is taking the same approach he has taken toward mock drafts. Many analysts predict Noel will be the top pick in the June 27 draft, a selection the Cleveland Cavaliers will ponder during the next month after winning the draft lottery. Despite his lofty status as one of the elite players available in the upcoming draft, Noel is focused on his recovery from a torn ACL. “I don't pay attention to those (mock drafts)

Count Florida's Will Yeguete as one who expects big things from Willie Cauley-Stein next season. Yeguete said he was impressed by the progress the Kentucky center showed in the second of two meetings between the Wildcats and Gators and said he believes Cauley-Stein will continue to get better. “I think he did a good job defensively this year. He was a factor. He was blocking shots, tipping the balls. I think he did a really good job overall,” Yeguete said. “The first time we played them, he didn't really play that much and do anything to impact the game because (Nerlens)

If there is anything Emmanuel Mudiay can't do well, his coach has not seen it. Ray Forsett, Mudiay's coach at Dallas Prime Prep Academy, said the 6-4 point guard, who is regarded as one of the top five overall players in the 2014 recruiting class, said Mudiay could play for virtually any school in the country. “He is just a special player. He can do it all from getting to the rim to shooting the ball. He's electrifying,” Forsett said. “You've got to see him play to appreciate all the special things he can do. He could go to Kentucky, Baylor, Arizona or about anywhere else because of the type player he is. “He can do it all. He can get teammates involved.

Kentucky coach John Calipari said he gave freshman Archie Goodwin  "the information, what was out there, what we were told" before Goodwin put his name into the NBA draft. "We sat down and talked to him and he came back and said he wanted to put his name in the draft and we said, 'Great, let's go for it,'" Calipari said Wednesday. "I'm not going to sit here and give you everything I said or my opinion because I don't think, it's fair but they get everything they need and whatever decision they make - I've been on the phone right now with probably five or six NBA teams about Archie.

LEXINGTON - If Kentucky coach John Calipari is right, last year's NIT season was “the beginnings of success” for the upcoming season for the Wildcats. “What we're about to undertake has never been done before. Trying to put teams together like this, where you're talking a big number of players, whether it be the Lakers, the Miami Heat, it takes time,” said Calipari during his summer press conference Wednesday. “There's a learning curve. There's a galvanizing process that we have to go through.

Kentucky missed out on Andrew Wiggins earlier this week, but John Calipari hasn't changed his mind about next year's team. Wiggins, considered the top prospect in the nation, chose Kansas over Kentucky, Florida State and North Carolina. Calipari said during a press conference Wednesday he's “as confident before and after his decision.” “I wish him well,” the Kentucky coach said. “He's a great kid, and he's going to be a terrific basketball player. It didn't change me any. I was confident in this team and the group that we had before and after.” Although Wiggins isn't part of a group of newcomers who will be arriving on campus this summer, Calipari's incoming freshmen class featuring twins Aaron and Andrew Harrison, Dominique Hawkins, Dakari Johnson, Marcus Lee, Julius Randle, Derek Willis and James Young is considered one of the top classes in the country.

Lincoln County girls basketball senior Emily Fox added a final award to her career, as she was named to Kentucky's 2013 All-State Basketball Second Team. She was one of just five regional players named to an All-State team and the only one on the Second Team. The Austin Peay signee averaged 16.9 points in her senior season and surpassed 2,000 points in scoring to become Lincoln County's all-time leading scorer. Fox shot 43 percent from the field and 78.1 percent at the foul line and had 81 3-point goals this past season.

What impact will it have on Kentucky now that Andrew Wiggins, the nation's No. 1 recruit, has announced he will not play for the Wildcats? Instead, the Huntington (W.Va.) Prep star announced Tuesday that he was going to play for Kansas and not UK, North Carolina or Florida State. “I think not getting him takes away another weapon that Kentucky could have fielded, but Kentucky still will be overwhelming physically,” said Sporting News columnist Mike DeCourcy. “I think it forces (UK signee)

Mississippi guard Devin Booker says he has “always heard about” Kentucky basketball, especially after the arrival of coach John Calipari four years ago. “I know everybody in Kentucky loves the game. That's the kind of spot where you want to play where people love the sport and pay attention to it. Some schools are only about football and don't care about basketball. At Kentucky, it's strictly basketball,” the 6-5 shooting guard, considered one of the top 25 players in the 2014 recruiting class, said.

NBADraftblog.com's Ed Isaacson correctly predicted that two of Kentucky's freshmen (Archie Goodwin and Nerlens Noel) would put their name into the NBA draft and two (Willie Cauley-Stein and Alex Poythress) would return to UK for their sophomore seasons. Now he's had a chance to watch Kentucky coach John Calipari's next No. 1 recruiting class that includes six McDonald's All-Americans and he offers his insights on those players and their futures: Question: Could you just give me your impressions of each future Wildcat?