UKmadness 2009 rankings, #21

#21, Chrisitan Watford – Considering Indiana, Lousiville, Kentucky, Alabama, Memphis, Missouri

Positives
- The biggest positive in Christian Watford’s game has to be his shooting range. Watford has NBA ready range right now and has a surprising consistency in his jumper out to 25 feet. And when Watford is hitting his long range jumpers he can put points on the board in a hurry. In the King James Shootout in Akron, OH Watford poured in 38 points in a game against the D.C. Blue Devils AAU squad. Watford also uses his height to shoot over opponents so he has a great rhythm when shooting because he does not have to rush because he is taller and longer than just about every opposing guard he goes up against.

- The second positive in Watford’s game is just that, his height for his position. Watford stands at 6′7″ and plays shooting guard. Most 6′7″ kids in high school play power forward or center, and even in college and in the NBA there are players his height playing in the low post. Watford, like I said, uses his height to shoot over opponents and uses his overall size to just overpower opponents in the post. He has a game similar to Tracy McGrady in the sense that he uses his body to overpower opponents in the post and has a fluid all around offensive game.

Negative
- The major knock on Chrisitan Watford’s game is his ball handling. Watford does not have a tight handle on the ball for how good the rest of his ability, he is not as good at driving to the rim as he should be for how big he is because he does not control the ball easy enough. Watford must improve the ballhandling before he plays in college because if he does not improve his driving ability his weakness will be exposed and he will not reach his full potential. I compared Watford to Tracy McGrady earlier but McGrady has much better dribbling ability than Watford does. McGrady can easily get in the lane almost any time he wants and when being guarded by a quick guy Watford tends to struggle getting in the lane.

Comparison
Despite what I just said Watford reminds me most of Tracy McGrady. Now I am not saying Watford is as good as McGrady was at this stage nor am I saying he will ever be as good as McGrady is but I think they share alot of similarities in their playing styles. Both have unlimited range and can hit a shot despite how good or badly the defender is playing them and both have a fluidity that you do not see very often. Both players are very good in the post offensively as well, Watford has really picked up this part of his game recently.

Recent News
- M33M Ballers forward Christian Watford is having another strong weekend. The bigger and stronger forward from Alabama can rack up the points with the best of them. [read more]

- Alabama forward Christian Watford will be completely honest in his own assessment of how he played in the all-important month of April. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward says he couldn’t have performed any better.

Watford shined with the M33M Ballers in Arkansas for the Real Deal on the Hill, the King James Shooting Stars and last weekend in Kansas for the Jayhawk Invitational.

“I think I did really good to be honest with you,” Watford said. “I’m a little bigger and stronger. I think that helped me out a whole that. I don’t think I could have had a better April. [read more]

UKmadness 2009 rankings, #22

#22, Shawn Williams – Considering Kentucky, Texas, Arkansas, Baylor, UCLA, Florida

Positives
- Shawn Williams’ biggest attribute is his veratility on the offensive end. Williams had been labeled as just a spot up shooter last season and through last summer but really has improved the other parts of his shooting to make him one of the more difficult matchups in the nation. Williams has been displaying his all around shooting ability throughout this summer on the AAU circuit so far, dominating in the post in some tournaments and still showing his very good shooting touch from deep.

- The other part of Williams’ game that is worthy of talking about is his rebounding. Williams averaged 7 rebounds a game last season from the small forward position, which is almost unheard of.very good for a wing player. Williams is very smart when rebounding because even though he usually has a height advantage on his man, he is usually rebounding against the power forwards and centers so he could not just out jump them because he is giving up size so he has to out smart the bigs around the basket which is something he does as well as any wing in the 2009 class.

Negative

- You might have noticed that the two positives I talked about were geared toward Williams’ offensive ability so it should come as no suprise that Williams’ biggest improvement must come on the defensive end. Preferabely with his on ball defense. For how tall and long Williams is he does not seem to be able to steal the ball and block shots very well. You would think that a guy that is 6′7″ who goes up against guys 3-4 inches shorter would tip alot of balls and pressure the opposition into turnovers with his length but that does not seem to be the case.

Comparison
The player that Williams most compares to is a player that is only one year older than him and was also looking at UK, Chris Singleton. Both players are 6′7″ and both have complete and versatile offensive games. The weakness for both of them is their on ball defense although Singelton was more of a power forward in high school where as Williams plays small forward in high school.

Recent News on Williams

Williams worked on the perimeter and on the block and showed well on both ends of the floor, starting strong after a standout performance at the Real Deal on the Hill last weekend.

“I’m just doing my thing and playing hard. That’s how it goes,” said Williams following Friday’s performance. “We’re just having fun and getting ready for tomorrow when everything gets busy.”

Of course playing on his home court at Duncanville High School did not hurt. [read more]…

Rivals player page
Scout player page

Blog Update: UKmadness Website!

Hey everyone, just thought I would let you all know that I have started up a UKmadness website. You can click here to view it but please do not expect it to be anything good at all for a while. I am not very good at building websites so it does not look professional right now. If anyone is good at building sites let me know and maybe we can work together on making it look presentable.

The new UKmadness Message Board is over there too. Click here to view that.

Thanks!

Web Wednesday – 5/28/08

Recruiting Trail

- There has been a bit of confusion over where UK stands with the #1 player in the nation, John Wall. There have been a couple articles, one of which Wall was interviewed, that have some UK fans thinking they have a good shot to land the #1 prospect in the nation. The first article was written by a Charlotte, NC newspaper and interviewed Wall about his recruitment, he stated that Kentucky IS in his top schools but those who think that UK is in the lead probably think that because he has visited there twice. Although he never says UK is not in the lead this, to me, implies that we are not. In the other article, by the lead writer of the North Carolina Rivals site, says that the rumor is that Wall is favoring the Cats. This is not just some guy who is assuming either, this writer has been following Wall’s recruitment from the beginning because he lives in North Carolina and UNC is recruiting him.

- Word is coming out that Vinny Zollo, the rising sophmore, is considering a transfer to Clark County High School in Winchester, KY. Clark County High is only 20 miles from Lexington and right in the heart of Big Blue Country so UK fans could easily see him play and he could make a trip to see CBC any time he wants.

- Scout.com is reporting that Tommy Mason-Griffin, a rising senior from Houston, has recieved a scholarship offer from UK. Mason-Griffin had a great tournament out in Arizona a few weeks ago and has been playing well ever since. Mason-Griffin is also contemplating a transfer to high school basketball power Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. Mason-Griffin is also considering Texas, Baylor, and Texas A&M.

Videos

Hunter McClintock in the Tournament of Champions in North Carolina this past weekend:

Christian Watford highlights from this past high school season:

Kentucky Greats; Greatest Team – 1970’s

The voting has closed on the 1960’s UK poll. The top four vote getters were the 1966 team, 1967 team, 1968 team, and the 1969 team. Those four teams will be added to the bracket and now you can vote on the four best teams of the 1970’s. PLEASE VOTE AND VOTE FOR A MAXIMUM OF FOUR TEAMS!!

UKmadness 2009 rankings, #23

#23, Roberto Nelson – Considering Cal, Nebraska, UC Santa-Barbara, USC

Positives
- Nelson is just a bonifide scorer. Nelson led the Arizona Cactus Classic tournament in scoring with 25.1 points per game, that tournament had some great players in it too like John Wall, Avery Bradley, Abdul Gaddy, and Tony Wroten Jr. Nelson shot 55% from three point range in the event and shot an amazing 65% overall from the field. Nelson is one of the better and more efficient scorers in the 2009 class, he manages to score a bunch of points and still shot great from the field.

- Nelson also showed off his passing and rebounding in the event, he had 8 rebounds to go along with 32 points against the New York Gauchos and dished out 5 assists in the actual tournament part of the event. Nelson has been one of the best players on the AAU circuit so far this summer and expect his stock to grow as he continues to play at the level that he established in the Arizona Cactus Classic, he has no offers to date but that could change with a couple more great tournament showings like in the ACC.

Negatives

- One of the problems with Roberto Nelson is that he is kind of a tweener. Based on his size he should be a point guard but his skill set is fit for the shooting guard position, and since he is not likely to grow height wise he needs to improve on his ball handling and passing. Nelson had the ball in his hands for most of the tournament in Arizona but still only averaged 2.9 assists per game. Nelson will most likely play point guard in college so the ball handling (1.8 turnovers per game) and passing needs to be improved.

- The other part of his game that needs to be improved is his defense. Nelson might have scored 25 a game in the tourney but allowed the opposing player to score double digits in every game, including multiple games of 20+ points allowed. In the championship game of the tournament Nelsons scored 29 points but allowed Tommy Mason-Griffin to put up 14 points and 6 rebounds in only the second loss of the tourney for Nelson.

Comparison
Nelson reminds people of Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Martin because of the great shooting and scoring but the lack of just about everything else. Martin, though, is 6′7″ 200 lbs. but still plays like a shooting guard.

Rivals player page
Scout player page

Web Wednesday – 5/21/08

Recruiting Trail

- As many of you know by now, UK is likely to sign 6′8″ PF Mathew Pilgrim, formerly of Hampton University, for next season. Pilgrim would enroll at UK next school year but would have to sit out a year because of a transfer rule. Pilgrim has been compared to Joey Dorsey because of his height and body build. Here is a picture of Matthew Pilgrim taken last season when he played for Hampton.

If UK signs Pilgrim it looks as though the 2009 class might be wrapped up, the only thing holding me back for sure is that Gillispie continues to recruit several 2009 prospects very hard. That either means he really is not sold on Pilgrim (Pilgrim has not recieved an offer from UK but it has said to be inevitable) and is looking for someone better or another player is “leaving the team”.

- One reason I say this is because Curtis Kelley, a former UCONN Huskie and 5-star prospect, has listed UK in this article among other schools he is contemplating transfering to after he left Connecticut a few months ago. Kelley was rated #27 in the nation in 2005 and is 6′7″ 236 according to his Rivals player page.

- UK has recently gotten involved with 2008 point guard Hunter McClintock, a senior who has flown under the preverbeal radar but has gotten same late interest from UK, IU, and Boston College. McClintock plans to take an unofficial visit to UK and attend their Elite Camp, he should make his decision on school by June, although UK has not offered him.

Other News and Notes

- As most of you know Jon Hood got bumped up to 5-star status in the latest Rivals 2009 rankings while former UK target Deshawn Painter was not so lucky, he moved from 5-star to 3-star in the update and now he has committed to in-state foe Florida. Here is a little run down on the recruits Florida is bringing in (All rankings provided by Rivals.com).

2008

Name	National Rating/Ranking	Position	Height/Weight
Eloy Vargas	☆☆☆☆ (#26 overall)	C	6′10″, 210 lbs.
Kenny Kadji	☆☆☆☆ (#27 overall)	C	6′10″, 240 lbs.
Ray Shipman	☆☆☆☆ (#91 overall)	PG/SG	6′3″, 180 lbs.
Allan Chaney	☆☆☆☆ (#96 overall)	SF/PF	6′8″, 220 lbs.
Erving Walker	☆☆☆ (#102 overall)	PG	5′6″, 140 lbs.

2009

Name	National Rating/Ranking	Position	Height/Weight
Elrik Murphy	☆☆☆☆ (#63 overall)	PF	6′10″, 220 lbs.
Deshawn Painter	☆☆☆ (#110 overall)	C	6′9″, 210 lbs.

The point is Florida is loading up pretty good for the next couple of years. Vargas and Kadji are the top two 4-star prospects in the nation according to Rivals.com so that could easily be two 5-star players and they are building around the possibility of also landing Daniel Orton, who is the #1 center in the nation for 2009.

Eastern Conference Finals: Preview

With yet again another kind of dry period in the UK recruiting world I want to write another game preview for the NBA Playoffs. Like I have said many times before I am a very big Boston Celtics fan so I am going to write a series preview for the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons.

Matchups

Point Guard
Rajon Rondo vs. Chauncey Billups

Although Rajon Rondo has been playing very well in the playoffs so far he has not faced a point guard with size, skills, or experience as Detriot’s Chauncey Billups. Billups should be 100% after suffering a groin injury in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semi’s against the Orlando Magic because he sat out the last two games of the series, in which the Pistons won both. Billups has more experience than any remaining player in the Eastern Conference and knows exactly how to use it. Rondo has succeeded in the playoffs mainly on the defensive end where he has pressured his opponent into coughing up the ball, a tactic that most likely will not work against a savy Pistons backcourt. The Detriot Pistons feature the NBA’s number one guard tandem in the league with Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton and the two will continue their hot play into the Conference Finals against the Celtics. This is the easiest matchup to pick because Rondo is the fourth best player on his team and Billups is the best on his. Billups will not give in to Rajon Rondo’s pressure defense because he has seen it too many times to fall into Rondo’s traps.

Advantage: Chauncey Billups, Detroit

Shooting Guard
Ray Allen vs. Richard Hamilton

In my opinion this is the key matchup of the series. Ray Allen is the player that makes the Boston Celtics run, if he is playing bad or struggling (As he did in Round 2 vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers) the Boston Celtics seem to follow suit, so Allen really is the key player in the series. The Detroit Pistons are not very fond of double teaming a player all over the court (See the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals for confirmation) like Allen was by the Cavs, so look for Allen to get more shots early on and to get into a rhthym. People might just look at the Cavs and then look at the Pistons and come to the conclusion that Detriot is a better defensive team so Allen will automatically have an even worse series. But the Cavaliers actually played Allen tougher because they knew he was the key to the team.

Richard “Rip” Hamilton is no slouch either. Hamilton is averaging 21.5 points per game in the playoffs so far, leading the team in that category, and has scored 24 or more in each of his last three games, 30 or more in each of the last two even withouht Chauncey Billups! Hamilton runs off screens better than anyone in the league so an average defender like Ray Allen will have even more trouble defending him. The reason I believe Ray Allen has the slight advantage in this matchup is because how good Boston is at defending the pick and roll/off ball screens and how great their help defense is. Hamilton will not get the ball off a screen and have an open shot like he has in the first two series’, he will be defended tougher than ever before.

Advantage: Ray Allen, Boston

Small Forward
Paul Pierce vs. Tayshaun Prince vs. Rasheed Wallace

This is another very intruiging matchup because of how great Tayshaun Prince is defensively. Prince is the premiere perimeter defender in the NBA because of his height but especially his length. You may remember a few years back when Prince was coming into his own during the NBA Finals he completely put a lid on L.A.’s Kobe Bryant and helping ensure a championship for Detroit. Pierce went off for 41 points in Game 7, he was being defended by LeBron James who is a very good defender but not a great on-ball defender and not nearly as long as Tayshaun is.

The advantage that Paul Pierce has is that he is one of the stronger (If not THE strongest) small forwards in the league, and Tayshaun Prince is no body builder. Pierce is about 2-3 inches shorter than Prince but still has 15 lbs. on him, Prince uses his length to control his opponent when he is on defense so if Pierce can manage to overpower Prince with his strength he will out-duel Tayshaun.

Advantage: Paul Pierce, Boston

Power Forward
Kevin Garnett vs. Rasheed Wallace

Personally I do not think that this matchup is very close at all. Rasheed Wallace makes a living with his three pointers and quick post moves because most of his opponents are too slow to come out and defend him around the perimeter or are too small to defend him in the post, that is just now the case when the defender is Kevin Garnett. Garnett is currently the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and that is for good reason. Garnett is the second most athletic power forward in the league (Amare Stoudamire) and also has the body strength and length to defend Rasheed in the post. And when Garnett is on offense he has an overwhelming advantage, he has an unstoppable fadeaway and his jumper inside 18 feet is unmatched. Really nothing else need be said.

Advantage: Kevin Garnett, Boston

Center
Kendrick Perkins vs. Antonio McDyess

This matchup should not really have that big of an impact on the game, both players are the worst starters on their teams and do not generally bring much on either end to the table. Both average about the same points and rebounds during the playoffs, and both are pretty good in a couple areas, Perkins at shot blocking and offensive boards, and McDyess at defensive boards and mid range shooting. Mcdyess’ back up, Jason Maxiel actually plays more minutes per game than him during the playoffs so really McDyess is a backup. Perkins gets the advantage here because he is a good defender and Mcdyess does not really excel at anything and he only plays 23 mpg!

Advantage: Kendrick Perkins, Boston

I may be a little biased but I think Boston suprises people, even though they are the favorite seed wise, by winning the series in 7 games. Boston has yet to lose at home and I think they will improve just a little on the road.

UKmadness 2009 rankings, #24

#24, Keith Gallon – Considering LSU, Oklahoma, UCLA, Kentucky, USC, Baylor

Positives
- Gallon is very strong, I mean very strong. Gallon is only 6′9″ but weighs an astonishing 290 lbs. Gallon is in the mold of a Glen “Big Baby’ Davis type player, although he does not just look like him, he plays like him. Gallon out muscles taller opponents with his great strength around his base, you will almost never see Gallon get out muscled in the post, just like you would never see Glen Davis get bossed around down low. Gallon does need to shed some of the weight but while he has it he is a tough guy to box out and to get position against.

- Gallon also finishes around the basket well for a man his size. You would think Gallon would get blocked because he is much shorter (6′9″ is a generous height for him) than most of the opposing centers but, like I said in the first point, he uses his strength to get separation down low to prevent from getting blocked. Gallon is strong enough to draw contact and still finish so there is not a problem with him getting the ball in the basket once he has great position.

Negatives
- The biggest negative by far for Gallon is his body weight. 290 lbs. is just too much to be carrying around for 40 minutes, even great college players like Glen Davis had to shed some of his treasured weight because he could not complete an entire game without getting too tired and he could not run up the court. Gallon does have light feet for his size like Davis but, also like Davis, is not good at all running up and down the court for consecutive possessions because he gets winded much too easily. Look for Gallon to lose a bunch of weight this summer and to jump in the updated rankings.

- The other glaring negative to Keith Gallon’s game is his mid range offense and defense. Gallon is pretty much a non factor on the offensive end once he gets out of the paint and when playing against big, strong centers like Tyler Hansbrough, Gallon would struggle mightly because he would no longer be able to force his way in the lane because he has lost his strength advantage. Gallon needs to improve his jumper to keep defenses off balance so they can not make him a one dimensional player.
Gallon’s perimeter defense needs work too, mainly because he is too slow to defend quicker players. Because of his lack of size and his great strength Gallon only really dominates undersized and weak players. Anybody quick or tall will handle Gallon relatively easily.

Comparison
Former LSU center and current Boston Celtics power forward Glen Davis.

Rivals player page
Scout player page

Kentucky Greats; Greatest Team – 1960’s

The voting has closed on the 1950’s UK poll. The top four vote getters were the 1950 team, 1951 team, 1952 team, and the 1958 team. Those four teams will be added to the bracket and now you can vote on the four best teams of the 1960’s. PLEASE VOTE AND VOTE FOR A MAXIMUM OF FOUR TEAMS!!