Big Blue Nation

Statement from University of Kentucky president Lee T. Todd Jr. regarding the passing of Bill Keightley: "For many Kentuckians, and, indeed, for much of the country, Bill Keightley was not only the face of UK Wildcat basketball, but the University of Kentucky itself. In his five decades with the university, Mr. Keightley represented UK and the Big Blue Nation with class, with devotion and with an abiding love for our players and fans. He was as much a part of the basketball program as any player or coach.

One of three University of Kentucky players who declared for the NBA Draft has opted to return next season. Freshman Terrence Jones decided to stay, while DeAndre Liggins and Brandon Knight decided to remain in the draft this weekend. Knight announced his plans Friday, while Jones made his announcement on Saturday. Liggins waited until the last minute and made his plans known Sunday night. “Coach (John Calipari) encouraged me to come back for my senior season, but based on the feedback I got from NBA personnel, I felt it was in the best interests of me and family to stay in the draft,” Liggins said.

LEXINGTON - When Kentucky players came out for their pregame shootaround Wednesday before playing Eastern Michigan, there was a familiar face with them - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. He had a night off from playing with the Charlotte Bobcats and came back to see UK play for the first time since he helped the Wildcats win the national title last year and was the second overall pick in the draft. He joked with UK assistant coaches and hugged various players as they came over to see him. He sat on the bench for most of the pregame warmups and then was on the front row to watch the game.

Editor's note: Jenny Jones is a Lincoln County and Centre College graduate now living in Washington. D.C., and a life-long UK fan. Did I have the privilege of watching one of the greatest basketball coaches of all time, Adolph Rupp, rule the sidelines for the Wildcats? The answer is No. Was I able to experience the exciting history of Tom Payne becoming the first African American player to sign with the University of Kentucky in 1969 after much racial controversy daunting the program?

Glenda Dixon knew what she wanted to do for her father, James, but she just wasn't quite sure how to make it happen. That's when Big Blue Nation Cares helped make her dream for her father became a reality. The Danville woman and her dad had front row seats at Rupp Arena on Saturday night to watch Kentucky beat Chattanooga. “This is a great thrill for me,” said James, 86. “ I have been following the Cats since 1940. This is the first time I have ever been this close to the court.

After hinting as soon as he was hired that he knew who his defensive coordinator would be, new Kentucky coach Mark Stoops made it official Thursday when he named D.J. Eliot as UK's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Stoops was defensive coordinator at Florida State and Eliot coached the defensive ends for the Seminoles the last three years. This season the Seminoles were 11-2, won the Atlantic Coast Conference, earned a berth in the Orange Bowl and had one of the nation's top-ranked defenses.

Andrew Wiggins, considered the top prospect in the Class of 2013, will make his college decision Tuesday and Kentucky is in the mix to sign the Huntington (W.Va.) Prep standout. Wiggins has narrowed his choices to Florida State, Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina. Despite the hype surrounding Wiggins, he will sign the national letter-of-intent at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday in a light setting. “He will not hold a press conference type ceremony,” Wiggins' coach Rob Fulford said in a Twitter message Sunday night.

LOUISVILLE — Kentucky coach John Calipari is a big proponent of non-conference neutral site games against high quality competition and over the next three years, he’s made sure his Wildcats will have at least one game like that each season. Kentucky announced Wednesday that it had agreed to a three-year contract beginning in the 2011-12 season to play in the Champions Classic against Kansas, Duke and Michigan State in New York, Atlanta and Chicago. “This three-year event is a reward for how passionate these fan bases are for their teams,” Calipari said.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Willie Cauley-Stein and Kyle Wiltjer will return to the Kentucky men's basketball program for the 2013-14 season, while Archie Goodwin will forego his sophomore season and enter his name in the 2013 NBA Draft, head coach John Calipari announced Monday. “I'm excited that Willie and Kyle have decided to return for next season,” Calipari said. “When we talk about a players-first program, our goal is for each player to reach his dreams. Willie and Kyle believe it is in their best interest to return to Kentucky next season to achieve those dreams, and I fully support their decisions.

He's signed his first recruiting class and already hosted his first junior day for 2014 recruits, but new Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops admits things have “definitely been more demanding” than even he expected. “It's a little bit more challenging on your family and things like that, but it's been a lot of fun because I'm not trying to be anybody that I'm not,” said Stoops. “I'm going to be exactly who I am, try to be very consistent and try to do things right. We know we're not going to be perfect but I'm going to strive to do the best I can every day and that's fun. It's good to put together this staff.

Andrew Wiggins, considered the top prospect in the Class of 2013, will make his college decision Tuesday and Kentucky is in the mix to sign the Huntington (W.Va.) Prep standout. Wiggins has narrowed his choices to Florida State, Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina. Despite the hype surrounding Wiggins, he will sign the national letter-of-intent at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday in a light setting. “He will not hold a press conference type ceremony,” Wiggins' coach Rob Fulford said in a Twitter message Sunday night.

Andy Murray was a fierce competitor when he played fullback at the University of Kentucky and remains a hard-core UK fan. That's why he's become a huge Mark Stoops' fan already and believes that Conner quarterback Drew Barker will pick the Wildcats over South Carolina and Tennessee Friday when he announces his college choice. “He is a lock in my opinion. Kid is a blue blood,” said Murray. Because Murray's son plays at Simon Kenton, he's not been able to get out in northern Kentucky to see Barker play.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel said his injured knee is “doing good” and that his physical therapist tells him he's ahead of schedule recovering from the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in UK's loss at Florida Feb. 12 that ended his season - and college career since he's put his name into the NBA draft. Noel said he is trying to “take things slow” as he focuses on his therapy but being patient has not been easy. “It's hard to be patient, especially during the season seeing my teammates out there playing and just wishing I was out there playing with them.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel said his injured knee is “doing good” and that his physical therapist tells him he's ahead of schedule recovering from the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in UK's loss at Florida Feb. 12 that ended his season - and college career since he's put his name into the NBA draft. Noel said he is trying to “take things slow” as he focuses on his therapy but being patient has not been easy. “It's hard to be patient, especially during the season seeing my teammates out there playing and just wishing I was out there playing with them.

LEXINGTON - While the game mattered and gave Kentucky coach Mark Stoops a chance to evaluate his roster, the most impressive part of Saturday's Blue-White Game had nothing to do with what happened on the field. Instead, it was what was going on in the parking lots during tailgating and in the Commonwealth Stadium stands when an estimated  crowd of more than 50,000 fans turned how to show that they did care about football. Remember, Kentucky went 2-10 last year and had several games with less than 25,000 fans in the stands (the biggest actual attendance all season was 43,174 for the Western Kentucky game)

ATLANTA (AP) - Kentucky coach John Calipari says sophomore point guard Ryan Harrow is transferring to Georgia State. Calipari says he supports Harrow's decision to be closer to his family in Atlanta. Calipari says the health of Harrow's father played a role in the decision. Harrow averaged 9.3 points per game as a freshman at North Carolina State in the 2010-11 season before transferring to Kentucky. He sat out the Wildcats' 2011-12 national championship season. Harrow averaged 9.9 points in 29 games, including 24 starts, for Kentucky last season.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Willie Cauley-Stein and Kyle Wiltjer will return to the Kentucky men's basketball program for the 2013-14 season, while Archie Goodwin will forego his sophomore season and enter his name in the 2013 NBA Draft, head coach John Calipari announced Monday. “I'm excited that Willie and Kyle have decided to return for next season,” Calipari said. “When we talk about a players-first program, our goal is for each player to reach his dreams. Willie and Kyle believe it is in their best interest to return to Kentucky next season to achieve those dreams, and I fully support their decisions.

For the first time in the John Calipari era, Kentucky won't be dancing in March, and the Wildcats can't blame anyone but themselves for missing the NCAA Tournament for the second time in five years. Instead of defending its national title, Kentucky will spend the rest of the year competing in the 32-team National Invitational Tournament, along with Southeastern Conference foes Tennessee and Alabama. A year ago, Kentucky was a program that was riding high as the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and won the school's eighth national title with a squad that included a solid mixture of veterans and newcomers.

LEXINGTON - Wayne Turner played on two national championship teams - 1996 and 1998 - at Kentucky. Walter McCarty played on the 1996 championship team and went on to play 10 years in the NBA. Yet both were smiling like young children on Christmas morning when they were back at UK last week to receive 1996 national championship rings from the university along with other teammates. “It is definitely something we were looking forward to for a while. We weren't sure we were even going to get them,” said Turner.

He's signed his first recruiting class and already hosted his first junior day for 2014 recruits, but new Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops admits things have “definitely been more demanding” than even he expected. “It's a little bit more challenging on your family and things like that, but it's been a lot of fun because I'm not trying to be anybody that I'm not,” said Stoops. “I'm going to be exactly who I am, try to be very consistent and try to do things right. We know we're not going to be perfect but I'm going to strive to do the best I can every day and that's fun. It's good to put together this staff.