Mock Drafts

Before the season started, Kentucky had three freshmen - Nerlens Noel, Alex Poythress and Archie Goodwin - already projected as lottery picks in the 2013 June NBA draft. Not long after the season started, freshman Willie Cauley-Stein did enough on the court to put himself into the same type of lofty draft status even though he didn't make his first start until Saturday after Noel was lost for the season due to a knee injury. The expectations were nothing new for UK freshmen. Back in 2010, Kentucky had four freshmen - John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton and Eric Bledsoe - all picked in the first round.

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)

LEXINGTON - Kentucky's best two players, junior guard Jodie Meeks and sophomore center Patrick Patterson, likely will test their NBA value before this year's draft. Both players earned additional honors Tuesday as Meeks was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association District IV Player of the Year and both were voted to the all-Southeastern Conference first team by the league's coaches. Meeks leads the SEC in scoring at 24.7 points per game, scored a school-record 54 points at Tennessee and has already made a school-record 107 3-point shots this year.

He's getting a lot of telephone calls from teams making sure they have the correct information to reach him this weekend, but Boyle County's Jacob Tamme still has no idea what might happen with the NFL draft. "It's just still hard to tell who is more interested, or if they are interested at all," said Tamme, a consensus all-Southeastern Conference tight end at Kentucky. "It's just hard to tell what it all means. " The good news is that the meaning will become clear Saturday and Sunday during the NFL draft.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky's best two players, junior guard Jodie Meeks and sophomore center Patrick Patterson, likely will test their NBA value before this year's draft. Both players earned additional honors Tuesday as Meeks was named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association District IV Player of the Year and both were voted to the all-Southeastern Conference first team by the league's coaches. Meeks leads the SEC in scoring at 24.7 points per game, scored a school-record 54 points at Tennessee and has already made a school-record 107 3-point shots this year.

He's getting a lot of telephone calls from teams making sure they have the correct information to reach him this weekend, but Boyle County's Jacob Tamme still has no idea what might happen with the NFL draft. "It's just still hard to tell who is more interested, or if they are interested at all," said Tamme, a consensus all-Southeastern Conference tight end at Kentucky. "It's just hard to tell what it all means. " The good news is that the meaning will become clear Saturday and Sunday during the NFL draft.

ANAHEIM - When Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart hired Billy Gillispie last year, it was hailed as a terrific hire by most UK fans as well as national college basketball analysts. When UK was 7-9 in early January, the reviews were nearly as kind. Many speculated that not only would UK not make the NCAA Tournament, but that the Wildcats wouldn't even be NIT worthy. Instead, UK finished 12-4 in Southeastern Conference play, made the NCAA field and Gillispie was named co-SEC Coach of the Year.

As the countdown to tonight's NBA draft approaches, a few random thoughts on what fans in the Bluegrass are continuing to ponder. Randolph Morris. Did he make a mistake leaving Kentucky after a good, but not spectacular, freshman season? The guess here is yes. While Morris continues to believe he's going to be a first-round pick - and the guess here is that at least one team has assured him and his parents that he will be picked that high - it's not likely to happen.

Before Jodie Meeks commits to keeping his name in the NBA draft, former Kentucky star Scott Padgett hopes Meeks understands just how hard it is to get into the league. "It's about more than just talent. You have to be picked by the right team and get the right opportunity," said Padgett, a starter on UK's 1998 national championship team and a seven-year NBA veteran. "I've had a friend stay in the league for 13 years. He does all the right things, does great things in the community and he's a veteran player a coach can trust.

Draftexpress.com analyst Matt Kamalsky was just as surprised as many University of Kentucky basketball fans when freshman Terrence Jones decided Saturday to take his name out of the NBA draft. “Jones returning surprised me since he was still going to be a high first-round pick despite his late season struggles,” said Kamalsky. “With all the players ahead of him (in the draft) that stated that they wouldn't enter the draft, I thought Jones holding out would make him more likely to declare and hire an agent.” So did most Kentucky fans, especially after Brandon Knight confirmed a day earlier that he would keep his name in the draft.

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)

Before the season started, Kentucky had three freshmen - Nerlens Noel, Alex Poythress and Archie Goodwin - already projected as lottery picks in the 2013 June NBA draft. Not long after the season started, freshman Willie Cauley-Stein did enough on the court to put himself into the same type of lofty draft status even though he didn't make his first start until Saturday after Noel was lost for the season due to a knee injury. The expectations were nothing new for UK freshmen. Back in 2010, Kentucky had four freshmen - John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton and Eric Bledsoe - all picked in the first round.

He has not been able to see any of his son's workouts with various NBA teams, but from what Brian Miller has been told, everything is “going very well” for Darius Miller. He has already worked out for six teams and has several more planned while trying to impress coaches, scouts and front office personnel before the NBA draft later this month. “He worked out for the Indiana Pacers last week and just goes where teams want him,” Brian Miller said. “There's no way to go with him because they just fly him out for the day, work him out and then he's off to somewhere else.

NBA draft analysts Matt Kamalsky and Ed Isaacson both agree on one thing - there's no way Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis won't be the first pick in the June draft. "I have tried to come up with any scenario where Anthony Davis won't go number one, and even in the most absurd scenarios, he is the only option at number one in this draft. In a few years, he could be on his way to being a star in the NBA,” said Isaacson of NBAdraftblog.com. “No matter what, he's the top prospect in the draft.

John Calipari not only thinks Kentucky will have four players picked tonight in the NBA draft, but he agrees with Enes Kanter that the center should be the first overall pick, just as former Wildcat John Wall was last year. Kanter was deemed “permanently ineligible” at Kentucky and never played for the Wildcats last season, even though he practiced with the team and took classes both semesters. He’s told media members that if he had played, he would be in line to be the top pick instead of maybe only going in the top five choices tonight.

Tonya Knight says it has been “hectic” for her son, former Kentucky point guard Brandon Knight, as he continues to work out and talk to NBA teams before finding out later this month where he will be headed following the NBA draft. “Brandon is just traveling and working out for different teams. He’s actually enjoying it. Not much stresses him out. He leaves all that to his mother,” Tonya Knight said. “He doesn’t worry at all. He doesn’t mention any worries or concerns.

Draftexpress.com analyst Matt Kamalsky was just as surprised as many University of Kentucky basketball fans when freshman Terrence Jones decided Saturday to take his name out of the NBA draft. “Jones returning surprised me since he was still going to be a high first-round pick despite his late season struggles,” said Kamalsky. “With all the players ahead of him (in the draft) that stated that they wouldn't enter the draft, I thought Jones holding out would make him more likely to declare and hire an agent.” So did most Kentucky fans, especially after Brandon Knight confirmed a day earlier that he would keep his name in the draft.

Kentucky receivers coach Tee Martin not only spent last season trying to help Randall Cobb improve, but he’s continued to help him since Cobb decided to bypass his senior year at UK and go to the NFL. The two knew each other before Martin came to UK, and have continued their friendship now that Cobb has given up his final year at Kentucky to be in this week’s NFL draft. It has not been unusual this spring to see Martin throwing pass after pass to Cobb after UK’s practices ended.

Even though Brandon Knight’s dream has always been to play in the NBA, putting his name into the NBA draft was “bittersweet” for both the Kentucky freshman and his parents, Tonya and Efrem Knight. “One promise he made to me and his dad is that he would finish his degree. That’s important to everybody because he’s always taken great pride in his academics,” said Tonya Knight. Many UK fans hoped the thought of completing his degree by this time next year due to the college credit hours Knight earned in high school would persuade him to come back to UK for another year.

Before they ever played a game at Kentucky, both Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones were projected as first-round NBA draft picks if they decided to go pro after their freshmen seasons. Now both freshmen are apparently on the verge of doing just that. Kentucky announced Wednesday that both players, along with junior guard DeAndre Liggins, have declared for the draft but will not sign with an agent. That means they could return to school if they change their mind by May 8 and take their names out of the draft.