College Basketball

Spencer Perrin certainly made his presence known last season at Eastern Kentucky, but not to the extent that he’s doing it this year. Perrin is already asserting himself in practice, and the former Boyle County High School star plans to do the same on game nights in his second season with the Colonels. He is more at ease in his surroundings and more comfortable on the court than he was a year ago. And with only one season remaining in his collegiate career, he is more determined to do all he can to succeed and to help his team do the same.

Editor’s note: This is third part of a four-part series with new Kentucky assistant basketball coach Kenny Payne. LEXINGTON — Kentucky assistant coach Kenny Payne knows the NCAA championship he helped win at Louisville looks good on his resume, but he knows his NBA experience brings him “instant credibility” that is even more important in recruiting. “What is instant credibility for kids? I want to be a NBA player. The moment you have been in the NBA and are coaching and talking to a kid, you have got his ear,” said Payne.

If you have a basketball recruiting question, you’ll have your chance to get it answered today from 2:30-3:30 p.m. by Scout.com recruiting analyst Evan Daniels at vaughtsviews.com or amnews.com. We’ll be hosting our second live chat — the first one with Boyle County linebacker Lamar Dawson went great — and all you have to do to ask a question is log on and post your question for Daniels. I will also be on the chat with him and can answer questions — or ask him questions.

Editor Andrew Sharp of http://www.sbnation.com wrote a column — “Why Does Everyone Hate John Calipari” — that surprised some because of the way he defended the Kentucky coach against the national criticism he’s received from The New York Times story questioning Eric Bledsoe’s high school academic performance and other parts of Bledsoe’s life. Here are a few insights Sharp shared about the column: Question: What made you decide to write the column about Calipari?

Rees MacShara of Boyle County was named The Kentucky Advocate Male Athlete of the Year. Here’s a look at the other nominees for the award, as provided by the school’s athletics directors: Kyle Jeffries The Casey County senior was unbeaten in regular-season singles in tennis, reached quarterfinals in state tourney and was named All-State. In basketball, he was named all-district and all-region and was on the Advocate’s All-Area team. Jeffries averaged 13 points and two assists per game, and had 142 rebounds, 90 steals, while helping the Rebels reach the 12th Region Tournament for the second straight season.

Columnist Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News never stops following college basketball. He’s known Kentucky coach John Calipari for years and has also followed the UK basketball program for many years. Here are some insights he shared about the upcoming NBA draft, Calipari’s recruiting and what Kentucky could be missing next season: Question: Do you believe all five Kentucky players who declared for the draft will be first-round draft picks — and will we ever see that again if it does happen?

Sometimes it is best to get an outside, unbiased opinion when trying to fairly analyze a situation like the one The New York Times reported last week involving former Kentucky player Eric Bledsoe. Obviously, the story contained potentially troubling information about Bledsoe’s grade improvement his senior year, as well as how some family expenses were reportedly paid by Maurice Ford, his high school coach. Ford quickly denied the allegations and now there are reports Bledsoe may sue the New York Times for revealing information about his high school transcript.

Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News was the first to tell me in September that he thought Kentucky had the most talented team in the country and that John Wall was the main reason. Nothing has changed DeCourcy's mind, and he even noted that John Wall is "greatest point guard athlete ever" after watching him play against North Carolina. "In 25 years, if you are a fan of college basketball, you will be seeing highlights of the time Wall drove on a fast break, got himself too deep under the backboard, and solved that problem by gliding to the opposite side and scooping in a layup past Carolina's Marcus Ginyard.