Doron Lamb

LEXINGTON - Doron Lamb says making shots is not as hard as some might think, but even he admits he's on a bit of a hot streak right now. Lamb is hitting 49.5 percent this season from 3-point range, but in Southeastern Conference play he's at 55.6 (20-for-36) after going 4-for-5 in Tuesday's win over Florida . “Yeah, I am shooting the ball very well right now and getting a lot of open looks really. I want to keep doing this and getting shots up and working on my game,” said Lamb.  He credits teammates for his success because of the way UK's interior players are posting inside to draw defenders into the lane.

NEW ORLEANS - When Kentucky finished its shootaround Monday at the Superdome, coach John Calipari predicted to his team that Doron Lamb would score 25 points in the national championship game against Kansas. “He just told us Doron was shooting great and was on fire the whole practice,” Kentucky forward Eloy Vargas said. “Coach said he knew he was going to have a great shooting game. He didn't get 25, but he got 22 and that's not too bad.” Lamb's 22 points in the 67-59 victory over Kansas helped the Wildcats win their eighth national title.

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.

NEWARK, N.J. — There was no way Kentucky freshman Brandon Knight was going to believe that teammate Doron Lamb once held Ohio State freshman All-American center Jared Sullinger to three points in a high school game. Yet it happened in January of 2010 when Sullinger’s team edged Lamb and Oak Hill despite the defensive job the 6-4 Lamb did on the 6-9 center. “Sullinger held Doron to three points or Doron held Sullinger? I don’t think that’s true (that Doron held him)

Discipline is something that Doron Lamb had little choice but to accept and embrace discipline during his time at Oak Hill (Va.) Academy. “At Oak Hill, it is basketball, school work and bed. There’s nothing else to do there. You don’t get distracted. I was there two years, so I am used to discipline,” the Kentucky freshman said. “We went on the road a lot, so it was good preparation for college. It made me a better player and better person off the court.

NEW ORLEANS - They are not valued for their senior leadership like Darius Miller. They are not one-and-done players like Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - and possibly even Marquis Teague. Yet CBS-TV college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg says it would be a mistake to undervalue the impact sophomores Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb have had for No. 1 Kentucky going into Saturday's national semifinal game with Louisville. “They are not the team they are that is favored to win this if they don't have those two guys,” said Kellogg.

For Doron Lamb, it has been easy not to think about a potential NBA career this season for one reason - he wants to win a national championship. “It would mean a lot to me in my second year in college,” said the Kentucky sophomore guard. “We went to the Final Four my freshman year and my second year I¿am on a great team and that would be a great college career by itself. “That was my main focus this year. Right now we are on a good pace and playing great.We want this to lead to a national championship.” Lamb has averaged 13.2 points per game - up slightly form 12.3 per game last season.

Doron Lamb toyed with the idea of leaving Kentucky after UK’s Final Four loss to Connecticut in his freshman season before deciding to stay in college. “It helps a lot having him back. He was a big part of the run last year and we know he will come back and do the same thing or even more. We are happy to have him and T (Terrence) Jones back and know they will do a lot for us,” said Kentucky senior Darius Miller. “You don’t find many shooters like Doron.” Lamb averaged 12.3 points per game last year and shot 48.6 percent (68-for-140)

JD Legends will host the 1996 Kentucky Wildcat basketball champions Friday from 8-10 p.m. “Bowl with the Champs” will include Derek Anderson, Tony Delk, Ron Mercer, Wayne Turner, Jeff Sheppard, Jody Meeks, Antoine Walker, Anthony Epps Jodie Meeks and Doron Lamb. You can sign up to bowl one game with a UK player and get a 2012 Final Four T-shirt for $30.  Participation limited to the first 32 people. Patrons can also pay a $5 admission fee to come watch the games and can also be used toward bowling the night of event or any other night.

Doron Lamb is not exactly how many family members and friends he'll have present when Kentucky plays Kansas tonight in New York's Madison Square Garden. “My mom is dealing with that. I am not dealing with that, so I really don't know about who wants tickets or how many,” said the Kentucky sophomore, who is a New York native. “I will have a lot of family and friends there. I am excited to play in front of family and friends in New ¿York against one of the top teams in the country.

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.

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.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Kentucky guards Ryan Harrow, Julius Mays and Archie Goodwin have frustrated UK fans with their inconsistency at times this season and befuddled even coach John Calipari at times. However, Tennessee guard Skylar McBee says the trio may have had no chance to succeed this year considering who they had to follow. McBee, a senior, played against John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, both first-round draft picks and current NBA stalwarts, three years ago. Two years ago he went against Brandon Knight and DeAndre Liggins, both draft picks and both on NBA roster.

Kentucky junior guard Jarrod Polson has played in 28 games the last two seasons at UK and got into his first NCAA Tournament game last season. Still, he's got off just nine shots in the 28 games, a far cry from the type of offensive exploits he was used to during his high-school career at West Jessamine, when he averaged 18.2 points, 6.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game as a senior and helped the Colts win a state-tournament game. He finished his high-school career with 1,884 points.

LEXINGTON -  Kentucky junior guard Jarrod Polson has played in 28 games the last two seasons at UK and got into his first NCAA Tournament game last season. Still, he's got off just nine shots in the 28 games, a far cry from the type of offensive exploits he was used to during his high school career at West Jesssamine when he averaged 18.2 points, 6.4 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game as a senior and helped the Colts win a state tournament game. He finished his high school career with 1,884 points.

Dick Vitale has not been surprised that John Calipari has been such a good coaching fit for the Kentucky basketball program. “Not many guys can handle that job. John is one I thought could, and he has,” Vitale said. Even Vitale's wife, Lorraine, noticed the way Calipari got along with former players when she came to Lexington with her husband for his appearance at the recent John Calipari Fantasy Experience. “My wife pointed out that she could see the warmth of relationships between the players and coach with the way they hugged and were shaking hands,” Vitale said.

LEXINGTON - For the first time being on a University of Kentucky basketball court felt a little “weird” to Darius Miller. "We came back for them, to show them support like they showed us since we've been here," said Miller, a key member of last season's national championship team at Kentucky. "For me, it's kind of weird coming back, instead of actually being here. I've been here for four years, so it's different. But it's fun at the same time. " Miller was back along with NCAA championship teammates Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Doron Lamb for The John Calipari Pro Camps at Memorial Coliseum that started Thursday and continue through Saturday.

If college basketball analyst Jay Bilas is right, Kentucky is not going to match the record five first-round picks it had in the 2010 NBA draft. Kentucky coach John Calipari is hoping to have six players selected in the first round Thursday night, with Anthony Davis being the top overall pick just as the Wildcats' John Wall was in 2010. However, Bilas has only Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones and Marquis Teague joining Davis in the first round, with Doron Lamb and Darius Miller dropping to the second round.

JD Legends will host the 1996 Kentucky Wildcat basketball champions Friday from 8-10 p.m. “Bowl with the Champs” will include Derek Anderson, Tony Delk, Ron Mercer, Wayne Turner, Jeff Sheppard, Jody Meeks, Antoine Walker, Anthony Epps Jodie Meeks and Doron Lamb. You can sign up to bowl one game with a UK player and get a 2012 Final Four T-shirt for $30.  Participation limited to the first 32 people. Patrons can also pay a $5 admission fee to come watch the games and can also be used toward bowling the night of event or any other night.