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Did Joker Phillips beat Donald Trump to the punch and release some of his coaches? The Apprentice season opener isn't even on the radar yet (and you will get Apprentice updates when it starts...I love the apprentice!)

Matt Jones from "Kentucky Sports Radio" has reported that Joker Phillips has released position coaches Jimmy Heggins and Rick Petri. Both were not an any "hot seat" and this is a surprise to everyone. Recruiting is not a joke with Joker (pun intended). It seems he's not happy with the quality or quantity of recruits at the O/D line positions.

WOW! If this doesn't have you thinking Joker is the head coach, nothing will. This move draws the line in the sand and sends the message that this is his Joker Phillips program.

I must say I'm excited and impressed with this decision. At the end of the day it's about accountability and expectations. I like to see that both of these things are being taken seriously and I'm sure there will be positive results to follow.



I said it during the post of his head coaching announcement..."I'm not a huge Joker fan", but I must say, he definitely scored some points with this one!

We're new to the blog world and I'll say that we have a new found respect for the work that it takes to keep a blog going. At the end of the day, covering the CATS is fun and we're having a blast doing it, but it's definitley a commitment. With this new perspective on the blog community, we thought we would put together what we feel are some of the top blogs out there covering the Wildcats.Now I'll start off with this disclaimer.....This list is based off the blogs that I'm familiar with and routinely read. If you disagree with my rankings, feel I left someone off the list or have someone on that should be taken off, please feel free to leave those in the comment. As an open invitation, if someone feels they were short changed, just leave the link to the blog and we'll do a post dedicated to that specific blog.So here we go!...First, we're going to break it down into five categories. Grass Roots Blogs Media affiliated Blogs Link Blogs Overall Blogs Discussion BoardsIn this post, we're going to talk about Grass Roots Blogs. Again, if you feel we left someone off the list, please let us know in the comments.Here we go....#5 Wildcat Blue In A Sea of Orange (wildcatblueblog.com)- A wildcat blog from the sunshine state. Post less often than the others, but always very informative. Does a nice job on recruiting.#4 Walters Wildcat World (wildcatworld.com) - Walter seems to have named his site "John Walls World" for this season. Post at least once daily and always seems to have an original story.#3 - Danny Jett's Inner Circle (dannyjett.com)- I'm not sure if Danny is a member of the media. If he is, then I'll move him off this list and move someone else in. Danny does a great job posting throughout the day with very detailed reports of what happening with the Cats. It's hard to stop reading once you start.#2 - Sea of Blue (aseaofblue.com)- A Great place to get all of your Wildcat news. The Sea of Blue provides excellent analysis and breakdown of each pregame and post-game report. Each post is always very thorough and well thought out. They're not part of the mainstream media, but they're far better than most!And now...for the winner..........................#1 - Kentucky Sports Radio (kentuckysportsradio.com)- "The Godfather" of Kentucky Sports Blogs as we know it. They do a great job of posting throughout the day and you can always count on getting a different take on the latest story. With a motto of bringing you Wildcat news in the most ridiculous manner possible.... you can routinely expect them to exceed your expectations.Honorable Mention - All KY Hoops (allkyhoops.com) - We really love this site, especially if your need your recruiting fix. They didn't make this list because they cover basketball across the state. That's a great thing, it's just not specific enough for the purpose of our list. Expect to see the latest news on Morehead, Eastern, Western and everyone in between.Next week we'll take a look at Link Blogs. That's the sites that specialize in providing links to the most recent Wildcat stories around the Internet.

Cougartown!

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John Wall Dance , NOB TV

From : http://buckeyeprep.blogspot.com/2010/01/another-blow-to-grassroots-basketball.html
You may not know it, but as the AAU basketball season approaches, the NCAA Board of Directors has been busy drafting legislation that will change the face of summer basketball. Clay Dade's BlogTalk Radio Show has shined a light on the fact that the NCAA will soon pass new rules that will prohibit tournaments, camps and other events from being held on D-I college campuses.


That's right, mega tournaments like Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions (Duke, North Carolina and NC State), Pittsburgh Jam Fest (University of Pittsburgh), It Takes 5ive Classic (University of Cincinnati), King James Classic (University of Akron and Kent State University), Real Deal on the Rock/Hill (University of Arkansas), Wallace Prather (Georgia Tech) will all have to find new homes. It's not just tournaments, but elite camps such as the Lebron James Skills Academy (University of Akron & Cleveland State), Reebok U (Philadelphia University) and other high profile camps will have to relocate. It's not just the big guys, but smaller more local and regional events will also have to find new court space. Don't forget the McDonald's All-American Game (Ohio State University this year) which could also be impacted. In addition, events like Clay Dade's Jr. All-American Camp, which was held at the University of Kentucky this past summer, will be forced to move.


Why is the NCAA taking such drastic steps? Some people close to the game feel that the NCAA is trying to reduce the influence of grassroots/AAU basketball, while returning the power and influence currently enjoyed by travel team coaches and program directors, to high school basketball coaches. Critics will also point to earlier NCAA legislation, which limited "open periods" for college coaches to a few weeks in July as a way of discouraging AAU coaches and players from traveling to elite tournaments around the country, as more evidence of the NCAA's bad intentions. The general rule of thought is, if college coaches were not present at these tournaments, travel teams would pass on the big boys and choose instead, to attend smaller, more local and regional events. As we all know, the rule changes did not achieve their intended goals, as travel teams continued to attend these big time tournaments. Now, instead of following the college coaches, the teams and players follow the scouting services and continue to take advantage of the opportunity to take what amounted to unofficial visits on these college campuses. Other NCAA initiatives such as the popular iHoops program-also known as First Team-are seen as more intrusion into grassroots basketball.

It's not just the NCAA who is pushing this legislation, which will take effect immediately, just in time for AAU season, but many college coaches support the changes because of the perceived advantages these large tournaments provide to their colleagues. Think about it, you are a big time recruit who has the chance to tour the facilities and campuses at North Carolina, Duke and NC State while spending a weekend at the Bob Gibbons TOC. Chances are, you are going to be influenced by the experience. Coaches from colleges who do not host such events feel these schools have an unfair advantage by hosting these types of events. It's also important to note that although coaches on those host campuses are prohibited from watching the actual games going on their campuses, they always seem to be around at the end of the event to greet prospective recruits and their families as they depart the tournaments.

College presidents have endorsed Proposal No. 2009-100 as well, despite the fact that their universities are currently suffering during this poor economy, and will lose revenue streams from these summer events. Talk about panicking, what about the major tournament organizers like the Hoop Group, who hosts huge tournaments at the University of Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Providence? Without the facility space these universities offer, not to mention the allure of playing on college campuses, these tournaments could suffer a significant financial impact.

The reality is, the big tournaments will find away to adjust to the new rules, and will continue to generate big profits; it's the players and their families who will miss the opportunity to play at storied venues such as Cameron Indoor Stadium or the Dean Dome. It's the players who will not get to experience the thrill of playing on the floor of their favorite program and hanging out on various college campuses around the country. Instead of playing on the floor of UC Arena in Cincinnati during the first week of July, players will likely be playing in dimly lit recreation centers, on small middle school courts and older high school gymnasiums around the country. Thanks NCAA for diminishing the experience of grassroots basketball.
Posted by Rob Taylor, Founder at 12:15 AM
Hat Tip to Tracie Baugus @crewfan20

Watch Josh Hopkins do his favorite dance!

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John Wall Dance , NOB TV