New UK Point Guard Not One-and-Done?

The #7-ranked Louisville Cardinals went into Commonwealth Stadium Saturday afternoon and took care of the Kentucky Wildcats 27-13. What was that I said recently about Kentucky being Louisville's only possible gridiron stumbling block this season?

Yeah, that. Uh...never mind.

So let's talk basketball. No, not this coming 2013-2014 season. THAT'S old news! I'm talking about the 2014-2015 season. The way guards have jumped from Lexington to the NBA since the arrival of John Calipari in 2009, you have to believe the same will happen next spring. The Harrisons? Gone like a freight train, gone like yesterday.

Notice how I used lyrics from a big hit by Montgomery Gentry, two great big UK fans? You saw that? Anyway...

So, Coach Cal has been needing the services of a blue chip point guard to fill a coming void in '14-'15. Enter Tyler Ulis.

The top Chicago prospect had been toying with Michigan and Iowa, but in the end Ulis chose to come play for the Wildcats. And it's not like it was unexpected. Everybody and his grandmother--even a Duke writer--predicted Ulis would hightail it to Lexington for his college years. Oh, wait, did I say YEARS? With an "S?" My bad.

I don't mean to be ugly, but until this asinine one-and-done rule changes, I might as well make light of obvious scenarios.

At 5'8" tall, Tyler Ulis is the shortest point guard Coach Cal has recruited since he got to Kentucky. He's nearly a foot shorter than Andrew Harrison who, at 6'5", will run the show this season.

And, actually, Ulis is the backup plan after Emmanuel Mudiay surprised everyone and spurned Kentucky for Southern Methodist University which, to be fair, is very near his home.

Hardcore UK fans may not like what they see with this kid. But I submit that this is the right guy at the right time. See, I don't see Tyler Ulis as the one-and-done type and if there is ANY position where a coach would most desire experience, it's at the point.

Kentucky won't be a title favorite in 14-15--unless, of course, the NBA raises the draft limit to 20 years old in which case Kentucky runs the table in two seasons. But it will be a solid team. I've heard John Calipari, with frantic eyes and an ashen complexion, lament the 2012-2013 season, swearing never to experience one like it again. So in this new crop of players for 2013-2014, there are those he's certain will stick around. And that will provide stability.

And stability is good news. And that's what Kentucky fans needed on Saturday, September 14th, 2013, right?