Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Thank You Letter

2100 Oleander Dr.
Lexington, Kentucky 40504
October 28th, 2013

Mr. Glenn Logan
Managing Editor
A Sea Of Blue
Louisville, KY

Dear Mr. Logan:

I want to express my appreciation for the chance to visit with you regarding the possibility of writing for your website. This is an exciting opportunity, and I want to reaffirm my strong interest in the position.

As we discussed, I am currently a journalism student at the University of Kentucky where I am learning all the techniques to be successful at this position. The experience I will gain from this job will be essential to my future success and want to thank you.

Again, I am very interested in this position and believe that I can make a significant contribution to your website's coverage of Kentucky athletics. Thank you again for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Don't hesitate to contact me at rjsalazar@uky.edu if you have further questions about my qualifications.

Sincerely,




Rudy Salazar

Cover Letter

2100 Oleander Dr.
Lexington, KY 40504
October 28, 2013

Mr. Glenn Logan
Managing Editor
A Sea Of Blue
Louisville, KY

Dear Mr. Logan

I am writing this to become an author for your website covering Kentucky Wildcat Baseball. I can bring a wide knowledge of baseball to this site. I can show fans new and old school tactics to the game of college baseball while also letting them know how their favorite player might project at the next level. I can also bring a knowledge of why a manager made the decision that he made.

I am currently a journalism student at the University of Kentucky so my knowledge of writing is constantly increasing. I have had practice in different styles of writing so far such as recap of events, opinion pieces and some broadcasting.

I have spent the last four years working for the Wichita State University baseball team gaining sponsors for the team and have had a close relationship with coaches and players of the team, which is one of the best college baseball programs in the nation.

I'm a hard worker who will always makes sure the work is done on time and to the best of my ability. Thank you for your consideration of this job.

Sincerely,




Rudy Joseph Salazar

Kentucky Basketball: Game Recap Montevallo Falcons 72 @ Kentucky Wildcats 95

Britney McIntosh

Even though I never feared that UK would lose this game it was still a little too close for my taste. Kentucky should have more than a 52-42 lead in the second half against a Division 2 team. You have to give the Falcons credit for coming out and not being scared of the moment and giving everything they have but it's just a game that UK should and needs to dominate. The offense while explosive is doing its job but the defense really has been a disappointment so far especially considering it has the chance and should be an elite defense.

But that is what exhibition games are for. Work through the kinks, get the freshmen used to college basketball and get ready for the season.

My Observations:
  • Willie's offensive game right now is getting better each time he steps out on the court. His shot just looks good and has the perfect amount of touch on it plus he is showing the ability to use either right or left hand. At some pout and soon I think he will be hitting his free throws at 70% rate and have the ability to knock down a 12-foot jumper. WCS also finished the night with 6 blocked shots to go with 12 points and 4 rebounds.
  • Julius could legitimately break the NCAA record for double-doubles in a season currently held by Kansas State's Michael Beasley. Julius is just all around the ball and really does leave his mark in every aspect of the game as he finished with 21 points and 11 boards. His combination of size, strength and quickness combined with his surprising ball handling is just too much for anybody to stop. Julius might honestly be the best player UK has ever had.
  • Aaron Harrison just really impresses me more and more. His ability to run the point is surprisingly good to me. He doesn't force shots and he looks to get everybody involved. Andrew is clearly the point guard for this team but Aaron can fill in no problem whenever needed as he finished the game with 10 points and 7 rebounds.
  • If it wasn't for Randle, James Young would be the best player on this team. This guy is just a stud and it would not surprise me if he isn't a First Team All-American this year and turns into a Top-5 pick in the NBA draft. Young finished the game with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.
  • Poythress had another OK game, which I'm pretty sure I will say a lot this year. Finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 1 steal but again failed to impress me. Way too much talent to not be making a bigger impact but if he hasn't changed by now odds are he never will. Still can be a good role player on this team and help out.
  • Dakari had another solid game with 9 points and 5 rebounds but he is just a force down low and too much for most people to handle. He is a true back you down post. Expect his season averages to be right around here. Will cause constant double teams.
  • Offense can obviously improve and will as the year goes on. Expect this to be one of the best offensive teams this year.
  • The defense is what worries me. They clearly have the potential to be lock down and elite and as the season goes on I'm sure they will improve on this matter but until then you could see slip ups against good teams like Michigan State, Tennessee and Florida due to the struggles of this defense.

Kentucky Basketball: Montevallo Falcons @ Kentucky Wildcats

Chet White

The Montevallo Falcons are coming into Rupp Arena for their first game and UK's 2nd and final exhibition game before the season starts on Friday. Montevallo last year posted a 20-10 record in the Peach Belt Conference and are a Division 2 school located in Alabama. A very mature and seasoned team that did lose 3 starters but has 2 seniors and 8 juniors on the roster.

This should be a much better team for UK to play as Montevallo is both bigger and more talented than Transylvania was. Expect Montevallo to try and play how Transylvania did though by taking a lot of three's as that is their strength and are still considerably small than UK. This should be another easy win for UK though and a final chance to work out the kinks before the games start to really count.

What I'm Looking For:
  • I want to see the defense play the entire game like they did the 2nd half of the Transylvania game. This is a team that will shoot threes and won't be afraid to shoot them from closer to NBA range.
  • How does Aaron look again at the point guard position. With his brother Andrew out for another game I want to see Aaron again run this offense while not forcing anything and get everybody involved and keep the same ball movement as in the last game.
  • Will Julius Randle continue his relentlessness? I want to see him play just like he did in his last game. On the constant attack while not being selfish and leaving his mark on every aspect of the game.
  • Continued improvement from Willie Cauley-Stein. Had a very solid first game of the year but I want to see him dominate down in the paint against a team that he is so much bigger than.
  • Can Poythress finally live up to his potential? I want to see him play hard and attack the basketball. If he goes half as hard as Randle does then he can be a dominant player but he needs to start playing with aggressiveness.
  • Get out and run. This starts with the defense. Get stops, get steals, block some shots and then get the ball and go. Don't waste time push the ball and attack and get some more easy baskets.
Like the Transylvania game I expect Montevallo to stay somewhat competitive early in the game but about halfway through the first half I expect the Wildcats to go on a run and start to pull away and have the game in the bag by halftime.

UK 88 - Montevallo 58

Game Recap: Alabama State Hornets 14 @ Kentucky Wildcats 48

Chet White

Well if you needed any proof how important Jalen Whitlow is the offense this was the game to watch. While things weren't perfect on the offense Jalen had an impressive game in his first start back from injuring finishing 101 yards rushing with 2 touchdowns and 186 yards through the air with another 2 touchdown passes and that all started on the second play of the game when Jalen took the ball 88 yards by himself into end zone for a stadium record.

Kentucky got a lot of help in this game from Alabama State as the Hornets had a bit of a personal foul trouble. They were just giving away yards to Kentucky and besides Isaiah Crowell the team was generally ineffective. By no means was this a perfect game as Kentucky obviously showed it still has a long ways to go there were encouraging signs and a win is a win.

Observations:

  • Jalen played a solid game. Other than the 88 yard TD run didn't really make any "wow" plays but made the right plays and put Kentucky in situations to be successful. Still needs to work on accuracy but is constantly improving and turning into a very solid quarterback.
  • Jojo Kemp kept with his impressive freshmen season by averaging 5.2 YPC and adding a touchdown.
  • The kicking game was on point tonight. Landon Foster averaged 49 yards per punt and Joe Mansour was 2/2 in the kicking game.
  • The offensive line struggled pretty good against competition they should be dominating. Alabama State was able to log 3 sacks and 10 TFL. Way too many to be giving up.
  • Defensive line was disappointing as well. They have a clear advantage over Alabama State in size and athleticism and while Bud Dupree got a sack they were pretty held in check the entire night.
  • Speaking of Bud Dupree he is quietly having one of the best seasons in the SEC for a defensive linemen. He finished with 4 tackles to give him 45 on the year and 1 sack which brings his total up 5.5 sacks with still 4 games left to play. Not earth shattering numbers mind you but has recorded at least half a sack in every game but two while not even playing in one of them.
  • Maxwell Smith struggled after coming into the game and you could see the big drop off in how the offense performed. Amazing how far he has dropped since the first few weeks of the season. Have to think he will be a transfer candidate at the end of the year.
  • Kentucky is going to have to have somebody step up at Wide Receiver with the loss of Alex Montgomery for the year and Ryan Timmons for a few weeks and possibly rest of the season. Luckily Javess Blue will be back but Uk needs more weapons for Whitlow to throw the ball to.
  • This team is headed in the right direction. They are getting better every week and while they still have a long ways to go these last four games will be important for them to try and get a winning streak going and maybe sneak into a bowl game but at the least pick up some momentum for the offseason.

Kentucky Football: Preview Alabama State Hornets vs. Kentucky Wildcats


Jalen Whitlow will be making his first start back from the injury he suffered against Alabama. While I like Maxwell Smith and think he is good backup quarterback due to his ability to have big passing games this offense is clearly much more efficient and more explosive with Jalen. Your Kentucky Wildcats are 1-6 overall, 0-4 in conference while Alabama State is coming in at 6-2 and 6-1 in the SWAC. This will mark the first time that Kentucky has played a team from the SWAC and the first time Alabama State has played a SEC team. With that let's get to our preview.

The Vitals

Date:          Saturday, November 2nd
Time:         7:30 P.M.
Location:   Lexington, Ky.
TV:             CSS/ESPN3

3 Keys to the Game:

1. Protect Jalen: This will be Jalen's first start since his ankle injury and while it wasn't a serious one the last thing this Kentucky team needs is for him to go down again. Jalen is a running quarterback so there will always be that threat of him getting injured down the field when taking off to run but make sure it doesn't happen while he is the pocket. Protect him and let him start to get into a groove. This is a game UK should win but would be a major blow if they do win but lose Jalen again in the process.

Familiar Faces: Alabama State might be a D1-AA school but they do have 16 transfers from SEC schools with one of them being former All-American Georgia running back Isaiah Crowell who has rushed for 917 yards with 16 Touchdowns. He is the player you must not let get going otherwise Alabama State could control the game. It will be up to Bud Dupress and Avery Williamson to prevent this from happening.

Jalen, Jalen and Jalen: While Jalen might not be the best quarterback in the SEC he is extremely vital to UK's offense. He brings an explosiveness that this team generally lacks. They need him to complete easy passes early to get into a grove so that the Alabama State defense can't sit on a group of plays. Whitlow has a very young receiver core to work with so he needs to make things easy for them. Most importantly when he sees a hole he needs to take it. Whitlow's ability to run is superb as he is a great athlete. He needs to use his legs to his advantage and keep the Alabama State defense guessing all night.

Prediction:

At the end of the day I think the UK defense will be able to slow down the ASU running backs down enough where a consistent running game can't be established. Jalen will look like he did in games against South Carolina and Florida and lead UK to a hard fought but deserved victory. Final Score UK 28 - ASU 17

Kentucky Basketball: Transylvania Pioneers 42 @ Kentucky Wildcats 76 Game Recap

Courtesy of Chet White

Well this game was much more competitive in the first half than even I thought it would be but like expected UK was just too much for this Transylvania team, who by the way is going to be very successful this season at the Division 3 level.


I was a little surprised to see Aaron Harrison starting at point guard but I have to say if Andrew is going to miss anymore games than this is the lineup I like. Aaron ran the point extremely well. Made the right plays, looked to get other players involved and didn't force any shots or play like a shooting guard at all.

Kentucky was able to get off a fast start and sure looked like they were going to end this game early with three's from Aaron Harrison (2), Julius Randle and James Young. It is clear that Calipari finally has the team he wants because they are definitely able to play this dribble drive and kick out offense that he loves and it works out great for this team because ball handling and three point shooting is definitely a strength of this team. Almost every player has shown the ability to put the ball on the floor including big ol' Willie Cauley-Stein.

Transylvania though was able to give Kentucky some competition and not allow them to play a relaxed game. Everytime Kentucky would start to look like they were going away Transylvania would go on a small 5-0 or 7-2 run to keep the score reasonable. Kentucky was finally able to go on a 8-0 run to give them a 10 point lead with 7:00 minutes remaining and for the rest of the half each team just traded baskets with the halftime score finishing at 41-30.

UK got off to a great start in the second half going on a 13-0 run 6 minutes into the half before Translyvania hit their first basket to take a 54-32 lead. The UK defense came out not allowing the open looks from three that were there for Transylvania in the first half by extending their defense out. Their defense just really picked up the pressure and started getting after their man off the ball.

Translyvania kept it close and competitive in the 1st half but whatever Calipari told them at halftime worked because UK's second half defense was special as Translyvania only score 4 points in the first 12 minutes of the second half as UK was able to take a 30 point lead 64-34 and would just trade buckets the final 8 minutes of the game and win 76-42.

Team Notes

  • Julius Randle was easily the Player of the Game. He had an impact in every facet of the game finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists. His assist numbers don't wow you but he showed an amazing ability to handle the ball in the paint and find the open man. He also was able to lock down his man defensively. Randle just plays with such relentlessness that I don't think tams are going to expect and he really is a special player that no team will be able to fully prepare for. Most complete player in the nation and my early preseason player of the year pick.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein has to be one of the more improved players in the nation. He looks so much more comfortable offensively and is showing a very nice touch on his shot and the ability to shoot left-handed. One aspect of his game that probably doesn't get talked about enough is his on-ball defense as he lead the team with 4 steals. Great feet and very quick hands. Expect him to average around 2 SPG this year.
  • Young didn't have an offensive explosion but finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Best on-ball defender and will be Kentucky's x-factor this year. While he won't probably start expect him to play around 30 minutes a game and be the most productive guard on this team.
  • Aaron Harrison showed that he can definitely handle the point if his brothers injury happens to be a long term one. Only had 2 assists but didn't turn the ball over and kept the ball moving side to side and making the defense rotate. All around solid game that left me impressed with his ability.
  • Alex Poythress played a fine game with 7 points, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block but only finished the game with 1 rebound and for somebody as big as he is that just isn't good enough. Still doesn't play with that sense of emergency and makes me feel like he isn't giving 100% all the time.
  • Dakari looked great from his backup center spot with 9 points and 8 rebounds and showed that on the offensive glass that he will be a force to reckon with. Twice he secure offensive rebounds and was able to finish at the rim even while being hacked. Seems to capitalize on every minute he gets whether its a lot or a little.
  • Derek Willis got most of his minutes in the first half as Marcus Lee replaced him in the 2nd half but another option from behind the three point line as he knocked down 2 three's early in the game. Beautiful pure jumpshot and will help stretch defenses for Randle, WCS and Dakari down low.
  • Jarrod Polson played solid minutes finishing with 5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. Will be a very solid role player for this UK team in case of injuries or foul trouble.
  • Marcus Lee won't get major minutes this year due to the talent on this team but he is a high energy guy and I fully expect him to do big things in the future but if the team needs a spark he can definitely be that type of player and have a big impact from time to time on this team.
  • Overall offensively Kentucky was solid as they shot 50% from the floor and 35% from three but shot 42% in the first half. You can tell Calipari finally has the guys he wants as this team is built perfectly to run the dribble drive offense that he loves. The players did such a good job of getting into the paint to draw double teams and finding open teammates out on the perimeter. Extremely talented passing team. Not a whole lot of "wow" passes but consistently made the extra pass to turn a good look into a great look. Not one player dominates the ball and even though they are a young team they already understand the "team" concept.
  • Struggled a little bit defensively early as they let Transylvania get open looks from three but after halftime they just shut down every possible. Played aggressive and might possibly be the best steals team in the nation as multiple players on the team showed the ability to read the offensive player and use quick hands to get steals and easy buckets.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Kentucky Men's Basketball: Transylvania Pioneers at Kentucky Wildcats Preview

Courtesy of ukrecruiting.bloginky.com

Tonight is the night everybody has been waiting for. The first chance to see the sensational six freshmen in action. Well fabulous five since Andrew Harrison won't be suiting up due to a knee injury. I'm assuming this is nothing serious and if it wasn't an exhibition that he would be suiting up and ready to go.

The Vitals

Day:          Friday
Date:         Nov. 1, 2013
Location:  Lexington, Ky.
Time:        7:00 p.m. ET
TV:            FS South/UK IMG
Radio:       UK IMG

Transylvania Pioneers (0-0, 0-0)

Transylvania finished the year 20-8 overall and 14-4 in the Heartland Conference, which was good enough for second in the league. They return six players from last years team with two starters returning. Like Kentucky this is a very young team with 13 freshmen on the team.

Head Coach Brian Lane is in his 12th season as coach of the Pioneers and sports a 211-91 record while leading Transylvania to the NCAA DIII tournament five times. Won Coach of the Year for the Heartland Conference four times since taking over.

Parker Stansberry is their leading returning scorer at 8.9 PPG and Tate Cox follow him with 7.8 PPG. Parker is the returning leader in rebounds at 3.4 RPG followed by Taylor Botkin at 3.0 RPG. Cox is the returning leader with 23 assists. While Stansberry also is the returning leader in blocks with 14 and Botkin in steals with 22.

Transylvania shot 48.2% from the floor, 38.3% from beyond the arc and 70.2% from the line while scoring 70.5 PPG. Their opponents shot 44.1% from the floor, 37% from beyond the arc and 69.1% from the line while scoring 61.6 PPG.

Kentucky Wildcats (0-0, 0-0)

Kentucky is coming off a rough season after winning the National Title two years ago. They finished the season 21-12 overall and 12-6 in the SEC finishing second in the conference. For most schools this would be a successful season but considering Kentucky failed to make the NCAA Tournament and lost to Robert Morris in the first round of the NIT makes it a terrible season for Big Blue Nation.

The Wildcats are lead by Head Coach John Calipari who is entering his fifth season at Kentucky is 123-26 while at UK and 526-164 overall. Led UK to the Final Four in his third year UK while winning a National Championship the following year.

UK returns seven players this year with Alex Poythress and Willie Cauley-Stein as the only players returning who started a significant amount of games. Like Transylvania there are a lot of freshmen on this team with nine on this Kentucky squad.

Poythress and Cauley-Stein are the leading returning scorers with 11.2 PPG and 8.3 PPG respectively. They are also the leading rebounders with Cauley-Stein at 6.2 RPG and Poythress at 6.0 RPG. Jarrod Polson is the leading assist man with 35. Cauley-Stein is also the returning leader in both blocks and steals with 60 and 24 respectively.

Kentucky shot 47.5% from the floor, 34.6% from beyond the arc and 64.2% from the line while scoring 72.6 PPG. Their opponents shot 39.2% from the floor, 32.4% from beyond the arc and 71.9% from the line while scoring 64.5 PPG.

Edge: Kentucky

Kentucky clearly has the edge here. They are bigger, faster and stronger than Transylvania. Transylvania will put up a fight because they are a good team who won't be afraid of the moment but by the end of the game the talent differential will just be too much for Transylvania.

What I'm Looking For
  • Who will run PG for Kentucky and how will the offense look with somebody else running it. I'm expecting Jarrod Polson to be the starting point guard since he is the more experienced player between him and Hawkins. I want to see the offense run smoothly and have a good flow to it.
  • Can James Young repeat his performance in the scrimmage? This is probably what I'm most excited to see. Young had an amazing scrimmage going for 27 points and while I don't expect him to score 20+, I want to see if that playmaking ability is there and that explosiveness we saw from him in the scrimmage.
  • What will the rotation be, especially for the bigs. Who will Calipari bring off the bench first? Is Dakari or Lee going to be the guy or Willis who has been making a noise for himself in practice and might be the first guy off the bench for the Wildcats this season.
  • Is Randle the real deal? The answer is yes but I'm still excited to see just how dominant he can be and in a game like this I expect him to just absolutely dominant from start to finish.
My Prediction

Kentucky will win this game. It will be fairly close earlier but they will pull away for a sizable lead. UK 86-49

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Kentucky Men's Basketball: 2013-2014 Preview The Bigs

instragram.com/juliusrandle30

I decided to not break up the rest of the players into forwards and centers like previously mentioned. With there only being six players left we will cover them all in here. Well without further ado here are the big man who will be suiting up for the Blue and White this year.

#00 Marcus Lee 6-9 215 FR Antioch, Calif. (Deer Valley): Marcus Lee is another one of the forgotten freshmen whose minutes will be lower than they would be at any other school. Ranked as the #19 player by Rivals he chose UK over California, Louisville and Duke. First thing I notice right away with Marcus is while he is extremely skilled he will need to gain a lot of strength to be consistent at the college level. About 90% of Lee's weaknesses are due to his lack of strength. What he does bring though is great length with a 7-1 wingspan and crazy athleticism. Amazing finisher who can dunk everything and a premier shot blocker. Will definitely have his moments this year but as he gets stronger he will start to take his game to another level.

#15 Willie Cauley-Stein 7-0 244 SO Olathe, Kan. (Northwest): So WCS is my favorite player on this team considering I'm from Kansas also and grew up not too far away from Olathe. One of the few experienced players on this team and will be looked at to help these young freshmen bigs learn what it takes to play down low. Came to UK as the #40 player ranked by Rivals and chose UK over Alabama, Florida and Kansas State. He is vastly improved on the offensive end this year by showing more touch on his shots but is still raw on that end but is constantly improving. Will bring a hard working attitude on the defensive end getting rebounds and swatting balls away and look out for him on fast breaks as he is big and athletic. Should be the most improved player on the team.

#22 Alex Poythress 6-8 239 SO Clarksville, Tenn. (Northeast): Another one of the few returning players with playing experience. AP was ranked #8 by Rivals coming out of high school and chose UK over Florida, Memphis, Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky. Poythress is obviously extremely talented and athletic but he always leaves me wondering if he really gave it all he had. Needs to play harder more consistently and I worry that on this team where he won't be the focal point if we will get that. Very solid defender and rebounder and has his moments where he can take over games offensively. Has all the skills and can do a little bit of everything but needs to stand out more in games as his talent says he should.

#30 Julius Randle 6-9 250 FR Dallas, Texas (Prestonwood Christian): This guy leaves me speechless. He really is college basketball's version of Lebron James as he just do everything. He can score down low, has a great mid-range shot and will knock down 3's with ease. His ability to drive and dish though is very underrated. Randle is an exceptional ball handler and passer. My favorite quality about him has to be his relentlessness. This guy just goes 110% all the time. Will take games over with his scoring and defense but also shows ability and desire to get rest of team involved. #2 ranked player by Rivals and chose UK over KU, Texas and Florida. My pick for College Player of the Year and #1 draft pick in the NBA next summer.

#35 Derek Willis 6-9 205 FR Mt. Washington, Ky. (Bullitt East): Derek is another local kid from Kentucky who was is a 3-star recruit and ranked #115 by Rivals and chose UK over Indiana, Louisville and Purdue. Very skilled forward who can shoot from anywhere on the court. Has ability to put ball on the floor and then score off the dribble, which is very advanced and rare for a young post player. Needs to work on his strength and hit the weight room and has also been known to be a little immature at times on the court and will need to keep his emotion in check. I don't know where his minutes will come from his year but like Dawkins should develop and be a big time player for UK in the future. Very similar to Kyle Wiltjer offensively but should be much better on the defensive end.

#44 Dakari Johnson 7-0 265 FR Brooklyn, N.Y. (Montverde Academy): Dakari is just a big strong guy. He reclassified to the class of 2013 and was ranked #9 by Rivals and chose UK over Syracuse, Georgetown, Kansas, North Carolina and Ohio State. Dakari is a very solid player on offense. He has the ability to score with his back to the basket with a right hand hook shot and is a major threat on the offensive glass. Brings that New York toughness that you see in players from that area. Probably one of the least athletic on this team as he does struggle to get elevation, which can hurt him on the offensive end. Needs to work on his left hand and footwork to become a consistent scorer. Struggles with defending players outside of the paint and lacks lateral movement to be a shot blocking threat from the weak side. Will be a solid player though as a freshmen for Kentucky and have his moments.

And that does it for the preview of the upcoming season for UK basketball. My guess for the starting 5 this year will be Andrew Harrison at PG, Aaron at SG, Poythress at SF, Randle at PF and WCS at C. I would start James Young over Poythress due to AP's lack of motivation but he will get plenty of minutes off the bench along with Polson, Hawkins, Lee, Dakari and Derek.

Look out for a pre-game article for the exhibition game against Transylvania on Friday.