Posted on Sun, Apr. 27, 2008

UK NOTEBOOK

Another Kentucky gem polishes Pearl

By Jerry Tipton

HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER@WK-TOPPER 2=[S"","WK-TOPPER 2"]

Jerry Tipton

When he signed with Tennessee last week, Kentuckian Scotty Hopson marked the first McDonald's All-America recruit for Vols Coach Bruce Pearl.

"This is a big one," Pearl told the Knoxville News Sentinel after Hopson signed. "It breaks a door down for me, my first McDonald's All-American, a guy with a lot of visibility."

Of course, Pearl has done wonders without the benefit of a marquee recruit. He's elevated UT from a basketball backwater into a top 25 program. Hopson could be for Tennessee what Mike Miller was for Billy Donovan and Florida in the late 1990s: a prospect who signals a new national contender.

Hopson, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard for University Heights, joins 6-11 center Philip Jurick, 6-1 point guard Daniel West and 6-8 wing Renaldo Woolridge. The latter is the son of former Notre Dame and NBA player Orlando Woolridge.

Rivals.com rated Hopson at No. 5 in the Class of 2008. Woolridge is No. 53 and Jurick is No. 68.

West is not ranked in the top 150, but he made his mark by leading Saginaw to back-to-back state championships in Michigan's largest high school classification.

"There's good balance to the class," Pearl said. "Just look at how far Tennessee basketball recruiting has come.

"Scotty, obviously, is a guy who will have an impact. It's hard for me to downplay his potential. The timing couldn't be any better."

The good timing includes adding Hopson when the Vols lose another Kentuckian, Chris Lofton, and JaJuan Smith, two of the SEC's more explosive scorers.

"It's a relief," Hopson said at his signing ceremony. "It's time to relax and enjoy the rest of my school year. I'm excited to come to Knoxville, but I know I'll miss home."

Hopson voiced confidence that he'll handle the pressure of replacing Lofton, the SEC's career leader in three-point baskets.

"Over the years when I've had that kind of pressure, I've never folded," said Hopson, who scored 21 points last weekend at Madison Square Garden in the Jordan Brand Classic all-star game. "I just take it in stride. I usually do my best when the lights are on and thousands are in the stands."

Meanwhile, back in Knoxville, Pearl spoke of the thrills Hopson may give Tennessee fans.

"Scotty will get a little stronger, but he has his quick-twitch fiber and muscle and he moves very fast," Pearl told the News Sentinel. "He's very explosive. He has great lift, he plays over the rim and he can create off the bounce. People are going to be excited."

UT recruited Hopson twice. On the first go-around, Hopson committed to Mississippi State. Tennessee bowed out gracefully.

"We ended it cordially, and I think he appreciated the fact we let him go with integrity," Pearl said. "When he didn't sign (in November), deciding he may have made his decision prematurely, we jumped back in with both feet."

Pearl quickly set about trying to put expectations for Hopson in perspective.

"You can't overlook the fact that we lost No. 5 (Lofton), and that's a guy whose jersey will be hanging in the rafters one day," Pearl said. "I don't care what freshman you sign, you can't ask him to do what Chris Lofton did as a senior. But I expect him to do a lot."

As earlier noted, Hopson is the sixth McDonald's All-American to sign with Tennessee. The five earlier super-sized stars had a mixed record of success. The five were Vincent Yarbrough (1998-2002), Tony Harris (1997-2001), Charles Hathaway (1996-2001), Allan Houston (1989-93) and Doug Roth (1985-89).

Tyler Smith stays

Tennessee forward Tyler Smith announced last week that he will return to the Vols next season. He cited a desire to stay close to home. And who could argue with the combustible life he's lived the last few years.

To review: he spent his senior year of high school in Pulaski, Tenn.

Then a coaching change at Tennessee led him to attend Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va.

After Hargrave, Smith played for Iowa as a freshman. Then he transferred to Tennessee for his sophomore year.

Off the court, Smith grieved the death of his father to cancer and became a father himself. His son, Amare, lives in Pulaski.

Of his decision to return to Tennessee, Smith said, "My family played a big part, as far as my son, getting to see him more. I'm not moving around like each summer I've had the last five years. Just being in a stable position is good.

"It came down to me wanting to be in a place longer. I've only been able to stay in some places six or seven months. Finally, I'm just in a place where I'm enjoying my life."

Smith spoke of the stability helping him become a better basketball player.

"I don't have to rip and run every other week or anything like that," he said. "I'm right here, and my home is not too far. The weight training and individual (practice time) will be great."

Smith spoke of wanting to improve his jump shot and ballhandling. Sounding like a coach, he said he wanted to improve in all areas.

Smith considered joining the hot trend of the moment: Declare for the NBA draft, but don't hire an agent.

Pearl checked Smith's NBA viability. With so many players entering the draft, Smith could not be assured of being selected in the first round. So after speaking with his family, he decided to return to Tennessee.

Guarded optimism

Going into each season, players and coaches forever will have different perspectives. Players are optimistic.

So no surprise that Tyler Smith spoke of Tennessee successfully defending its SEC regular-season championship.

"Coming into next year, we have a great class coming back," he said. "Scotty Hopson is coming in as a (high school) All-American, and we've got a lot of other great players coming in. I think that next year, we can repeat as SEC champions and also be a contender for the national championship."

By contrast, coaches fret about every possible pitfall.

So no surprise that Bruce Pearl cautioned against runaway expectations.

"I want folks to be guarded in their optimism," the Tennessee coach said. "We're losing that guy who wore the jersey No. 5 (Chris Lofton), and he carried the load. He carried the water for a couple of years. His number is going to be up next to Bernard (King) and Ernie (Grunfeld). That's going to be tough to replace."

Re-committing to LSU

The coaching change at LSU gave other college programs the thought of picking off star signee J'Mison Morgan.

Needing a replacement for Kevin Love, UCLA apparently eyed Morgan.

But the Press-Enterprise of Riverside, Calif., reported last week that Morgan met with new LSU coach Trent Johnson and then decided to honor his letter of intent.

Johnson's decision to keep former LSU interim coach Butch Pierre as an assistant was a big factor in Morgan's decision because Pierre recruited the player to Baton Rouge. (After LSU fired John Brady and named Pierre interim coach, Pierre's first move was to travel to Dallas to meet with Morgan.)

Johnson, who formerly coached at Stanford, also emphasized his track record developing big men. That assured Morgan that he will be a focal point of the LSU offense next season.

"That was a tell-tale point right there," Morgan's high school coach, James Mays, told the newspaper. "J'Mison wanted to go somewhere they would play inside-out so he would be involved in the offense. Coach Johnson told him it would not be a bombs-away three-point shooting offense. He wants to go inside first."

Morgan originally chose LSU over UCLA, Alabama and Kansas in November, but considered asking for a release from his letter of intent after the Tigers fired longtime coach John Brady. UCLA made a strong push for Morgan because he could fill the interior void left by Love's near-certain imminent departure.

Rupp or Keightley

Reader (and UK fan) Robert Bolson could not agree with the idea of a statue outside Rupp Arena in honor of Bill Keightley.

"I don't know how we could justify a statue of Mr. Keightley ... when we don't have one there already of The Baron himself," Bolson wrote. "It seems way past due to me to rectify that major oversight and it is somewhat odd (at least to me) that one wasn't placed there soon after Mr. Rupp's death. It is, after all, his 'house.'

"Who better to greet the fans?"

Of course, Adolph Rupp is the founding father of Kentucky basketball.

"I have no problem with a statue for Mr. Keightley," Bolson wrote. "But in my humble opinion it would be far more appropriate and fitting to place it in the museum where 'Mr. Wildcat' could officially greet visitors there.

"I also wonder if anyone at UK Athletics has given any thought of checking into the possibility of the postal service issuing a Bill Keightley postage stamp (as he was a retired mail carrier)? It would seem to me to be a fitting tribute to honor him with a 'Mr. Wildcat' postage stamp and a special cancellation day/ceremony similar to other special dignitaries/situations."

Bolson, 46, works in marketing at The Blood-Horse.

Tied for ninth

A few years ago, Kentucky trumpeted a Harris Poll that labeled UK as the most popular college basketball program.

The times, they are a-changin'. A Harris Poll conducted online between March 11 and 18 by Harris Interactive saw Kentucky placed in a tie for ninth.

The nationwide sample of 2,513 U.S. adults found that Duke was the most popular program. North Carolina ranked No. 2. Rounding out the top five were Indiana, UCLA and Iowa. Georgetown, Tennessee and Kansas tied for sixth. UK was tied with Wisconsin for ninth.

Related factoids: Kentucky has not polled as the nation's most popular program since 1998. This year marked the first time Tennessee made the top 10. Duke polled No. 1 for the fifth time since 1998. The Blue Devils have been No. 1 or 2 in seven polls since 1998.

Derby party

A longtime Kentucky Derby party of choice for UK athletics department staffers, the "Poor Man's Harlan County Derby Eve Party," is dedicated this year to the memory of Bill Keightley. The party is hosted by UK graduate and booster Bill Morgan, a Harlan County native who each year entertains thousands of guests at his North Broadway business, B & B Morgan Tire. The first "Poor Man's" bash was a more humble event in 1972, when Morgan was a UK student who decided to throw a party for friends who could not afford to attend the traditional Derby weekend galas.

Now, it is an invitation-only affair. Special guests at Friday night's event are UK Coach Billy Gillispie, UK offensive coordinator and future head football coach Joker Phillips and Lexington Catholic football coach Bill Letton, whose team won the 2007 Class 4-A championship.

Happy birthday

To Father Ed Bradley. He turned 65 on Thursday.

Father Bradley, who has served as unofficial chaplain for Rick Pitino's teams at Kentucky and now Louisville, celebrated his birthday in the usual way. His bishop arranged a dinner for Bradley and friends.

Although he reached retirement age, Bradley noted that priests don't necessarily retire.

"We just fade away," he said.

The birthday brought calls from such former UK players as Jared Prickett and Rodrick Rhodes. Travis Ford recently stopped to say hello on his way from UMass to Oklahoma State.

When asked why he continues to travel with Pitino's teams, Bradley said, "I'm sort of a basketball junkie. I played in high school. I've always loved basketball.

"And just being with Rick. Rick and I are friends."

UK fans saw Bradley earlier this month when he officiated at the public Memorial Service for Bill Keightley.

"He truly is one of the genuinely good and friendly people I ever met," Bradley said.

Jerry Tipton covers UK basketball for the Herald-Leader. This article contains his opinions and observations. He can be reached at jtipton@herald-leader.com.