Randall Cobb #18 of the Kentucky Wildcats runs with the ball while defended by Sean Richardson #21 of the Vanderbilt Commodores during the game at Commonwealth Stadium on November 13, 2010 in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won 38-20.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Randall Cobb ran for a career-high 170 yards and two touchdowns as Kentucky [...]]]> Associated Press

Randall Cobb #18 of the Kentucky Wildcats runs with the ball while defended by Sean Richardson #21 of the Vanderbilt Commodores during the game at Commonwealth Stadium on November 13, 2010 in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky won 38-20.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Randall Cobb ran for a career-high 170 yards and two touchdowns as Kentucky surged past Vanderbilt 38-20 on Saturday.

Cobb had touchdown runs of 5 and 73 yards to help the Wildcats (6-5, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) become bowl eligible for the fifth straight season. He finished with 279 total yards, breaking the school record for all-purpose yards in a single season in the process.

Derrick Locke ran for 145 yards and two scores in his first game in a month and quarterback Mike Hartline threw for 232 yards and a touchdown in his final home game.

Kennard Reeves rushed for a career-high 105 yards for the Commodores (2-8, 1-6), but Vanderbilt couldn’t make a 13-10 halftime lead stand up.

Cobb made sure of that. The junior said earlier in the week he’ll gauge his NFL prospects before deciding whether to return to school next fall.

He made a pretty compelling case for the pro scouts in attendance, showcasing why he’s become one of the nation’s most versatile and valuable players.

The Wildcats certainly needed it after slogging through another uninspired first half.

The defense struggled to keep the SEC’s worst offense in check and the offense looked sporadic even with Locke’s return to the lineup after missing four games with a shoulder injury.

Vanderbilt had no such problems. The Commodores rolled 242 yards in the first 30 minutes, heady territory for a team that averages just 267 yards a game.

Reeves, thrust into a starting role due to a myriad of injuries, found gaping holes to run through and wide receiver Jonathan Krause made a couple of big plays to keep the Wildcats on their heels.

Yet Kentucky, as it has done most of the season, gathered itself at halftime and turned to Cobb to get things moving in the right direction.

He lined up at quarterback in the WildCobb formation on Kentucky’s first possession of the half, took the snap, ran to his left then cut back to his right to race 73 yards for a touchdown to give the Wildcats the lead.

Cobb was at it again two possessions later, taking the snap and retreating 10 yards before somehow weaving his way through the Vanderbilt defense for a 52-yard gain.

Locke’s 1-yard touchdown dive four plays later put Kentucky up 24-13, and the Wildcats poured it on.

Hartline hit a wide-open Chris Matthews for a 55-yard score and Locke finished the Commodores off with an 83-yard touchdown run.

The victory takes some of the pressure off the Wildcats heading into their season finale at Tennessee in two weeks. Kentucky hasn’t beaten the Volunteers in more than a quarter century, and coach Joker Phillips acknowledged it was important for his team to become bowl eligible before heading to Knoxville.

Kentucky outgained Vanderbilt 370-158 in the second half to beat the Commodores for the sixth time in the last seven meetings.

The rivalry has been one-sided in recent years, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been heated. This time was no different. The team combined for 16 penalties and a handful of skirmishes. Kentucky cornerback Martavius Neloms and Vanderbilt’s Udom Umoh were ejected in the fourth quarter after trading punches.

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Western's Jared Clendenin, left, and Quanterus Smith, right, pressure Kentucky back-up quarterback Morgan Newton during the fourth quarter of their football game in Lexington.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Randall Cobb did it all, accounting for three touchdowns to lead Kentucky to a 63-28 victory over Western Kentucky on Saturday night.

The junior wide receiver caught [...]]]> Associated Press

Western's Jared Clendenin, left, and Quanterus Smith, right, pressure Kentucky back-up quarterback Morgan Newton during the fourth quarter of their football game in Lexington.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Randall Cobb did it all, accounting for three touchdowns to lead Kentucky to a 63-28 victory over Western Kentucky on Saturday night.

The junior wide receiver caught a score, threw for another and returned a punt 50 yards to the end zone as the Wildcats (2-0) outclassed the Hilltoppers to post their 17th straight regular season nonconference win.

Quarterback Mike Hartline completed 16 of 20 passes for 213 yards and tied a career-high with three touchdowns. Derrick Locke ran for 102 yards and a score as Kentucky overpowered the Hilltoppers (0-2) when it mattered.

Bobby Rainey ran for 184 yards and two touchdowns for Western Kentucky but couldn’t stop the Hilltoppers from dropping their 22nd straight game, the longest active losing streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Kentucky’s point total was its highest in a regulation game since scoring 77 against UTEP in 2002.

Western Kentucky coach Willie Taggart had hoped the Hilltoppers could show the Wildcats that “little brother” is starting to grow up.

Though Western Kentucky played much better than it did in a 41-3 loss at Commonwealth Stadium two years ago, the program, which is in its second season as a full-fledged member of the BCS, couldn’t match Kentucky’s depth.

And the Hilltoppers certainly couldn’t match Cobb. Or catch him, for that matter.

Cobb, a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection a year ago, showcased his many talents against the Hilltoppers and did it with his typical ease.

He converted a fourth-and-1 on Kentucky’s first drive to set up a touchdown, then later put Kentucky up 21-7 with a scintillating punt return. He caught the ball at midfield, shook a couple of defenders then sprinted down the right sideline for the score.

Cobb wasn’t done. The former starting quarterback tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to fullback Moncell Allen out of the “WildCobb” formation and completed his rare triple crown with a ridiculously easy 35-yard touchdown reception from Hartline that put the Wildcats up 49-21 in the third quarter.

Cobb finished with 191 total yards as part of an efficient — if not always spectacular — Wildcat offense. Kentucky racked up 482 yards and did whatever it wanted against an overmatched Hilltoppers defense.

Yet the Wildcats were hardly perfect. Rainey became the first Western Kentucky back in 11 years to top 150 yards in consecutive weeks. He put up 155 yards in a loss to Nebraska in the season-opener and was even better against Kentucky.

He darted down the sideline on the game’s third play for a 59-yard score and never really stopped. He later added a 1-yard plunge as the Hilltoppers continued to fight despite a nightmarish stretch in the first half when they allowed the Wildcats to reel off 35 straight points.

Kentucky allowed Western Kentucky to put together a pair of 80-yard scoring drives in the second half, not exactly the kind of performance coach Joker Phillips is looking for with a trip to Gainesville, Fla., looming in two weeks.

Even so, the Wildcats were never in any real danger. Not with Cobb and Locke doing what they do. Taggart said during the week his advice to his players when trying to tackle Kentucky’s dynamic duo was simple: “Hold on and wait for help.”

It didn’t come often enough for the Hilltoppers to end their miserable streak. They’ll try to snap it next week at home against Indiana while Kentucky will try to improve to 3-0 for the third time in the last four years against Akron.

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//

NEW YORK (AP) — Kentucky dominated the first round of Thursday night’s NBA draft and passed some other powerful college programs with the five players selected.

John Wall, the overall No. 1 pick by the Washington Wizards, DeMarcus Cousins, the fifth pick by Sacramento, Patrick Patterson, the 14th selection by Houston, Eric Bledsoe, [...]]]> Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Kentucky dominated the first round of Thursday night’s NBA draft and passed some other powerful college programs with the five players selected.

John Wall, the overall No. 1 pick by the Washington Wizards, DeMarcus Cousins, the fifth pick by Sacramento, Patrick Patterson, the 14th selection by Houston, Eric Bledsoe, the 18th pick by Oklahoma City, and Daniel Orton, the 29th selection by Orlando, all left Kentucky with eligibility remaining and were all taken in the first round of the draft.

Three schools had four players taken in the first round. Duke had overall No. 1 pick Elton Brand, Trajan Langdon, Corey Maggette and William Avery taken in 1999. North Carolina had Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants selected in 2005. The next year Connecticut had Rudy Gay, Hilton Armstrong, Marcus Williams and Josh Boone all go in the first round.

“As far as all of us being in the draft, it’s just a great accomplishment for all of us, individually, and especially for the University of Kentucky, Coach (John) Calipari and the coaching staff,” Patterson said. “We made a new milestone, set history with five.”

Patterson, a junior, was the only non-freshman of the group. Wall and Cousins were both selected to The Associated Press’ All-America team. Orton wasn’t even a starter, averaging 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds.

—

REALLY BIG 12: The Big 12, which was almost broken apart by various conference movements last week, had a big day at the NBA draft, leading the way with seven players selected in the first round.

The Southeastern Conference was next with five – all from Kentucky – while the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big East both had four. The only other conference to have more than one player taken in the first round was the Western Athletic with two.

Besides Kentucky’s record run of five first-rounders the only schools with more than one selection were Kansas and Texas, which both had two.

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FEWER INTERNATIONALS: Five seniors were selected in the first round, one less than last year’s draft. There were six freshmen taken in the top 30, two more than last year and four less than the record set in 2008.

The one big difference in the first round from last year was that only one international player – Kevin Seraphin of France – was taken, five less than last year.

—

MOM FIRST: The first person the first pick went to was his mother.

John Wall turned and hugged his mother when Commissioner David Stern announced that the Kentucky freshman had been selected No. 1 overall by the Washington Wizards.

“I can’t even, words can’t even explain right now,” Wall said as he talked of his mother, Frances Pulley, who raised him in Raleigh, N.C. “Growing up I lived in a tough neighborhood, getting in trouble in school, especially when my dad passed. So my mom taking me to school and picked up in the afternoon, that was it. As a kid, 10, 11 years old, you want to see your family spend time and (we) didn’t really have it. She was the first lady, she says, if you don’t change your attitude, you’ll never be doing so for her, to be in some situation, means a lot to me and I love her to death.”

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FAMILY WAY: When Ed Davis was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 13th pick of the first round, it meant the draft’s father-son legacy would last another year.

This is the eighth straight year that the son of a former NBA player was taken in the draft.

Davis, who left North Carolina after his junior year, is the son of Terry Davis, who played 10 seasons in the NBA with Miami, Dallas, Denver and Washington.

Andy Rautins of Syracuse, the son of former NBA player Leo Rautins, was taken by the New York Knicks in the second round.

The rest of the streak is: Mike Dunleavy in 2002, Luke Walton in 2003, Jackson Vroman in 2004, Sean May in 2005, Ronnie Brewer in 2006, Al Horford in 2007, Patrick Ewing Jr. in 2008, Stephen Curry, Gerald Henderson and Austin Daye in 2009.

There was almost another father-son combination to add to this year’s list. Quincy Pondexter of Washington was taken 26th by the Oklahoma City Thunder. His father, Roscoe, was a third-round pick of the Boston Celtics in 1974 but he never played in the NBA, opting for a professional career in Europe.

—

TOP FIVES: John Wall, the No. 1 pick, and DeMarcus Cousins, the fifth pick, are the fifth set of teammates taken in the top five since 2002.

The others were: Duke’s Jay Williams (2) and Mike Dunleavy (3) in 2002; Connecticut’s Emeka Okafor (2) and Ben Gordon (3) in 2004; North Carolina’s Marvin Williams (2) and Raymond Felton (5) in 2005; and UCLA’s Russell Westbrook (4) and Kevin Love (5) in 2008.

—

COMING BACK: A total of 103 players applied for early entry to the draft this season and 55 kept their names in the mix after the last date to withdraw. The original list included 80 college players and 23 international players.

Of those that stayed in the draft, 50 are from the college ranks and five are international players.

—

POINT GUARDS: When John Wall was taken first overall by the Washington Wizards he became the third guard taken with the No. 1 pick in 14 years.

Allen Iverson of Georgetown was taken first by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1996, and Derrick Rose of Memphis was the No. 1 pick by the Chicago Bulls in 2008.

Wall and Rose had something else in common: in their one year of college they were both coached by John Calipari. Rose led Memphis to the national championship game with Calipari on the bench and Wall led the Wildcats to the regional finals this season, Calipari’s first at Kentucky.

“Coach taught me a lot and I became a better leader vocally,” Wall said of Calipari. “I was always a leader by example being the first in the gym and the last in the gym and working hard, but I’m a leader that won’t mind speaking up to the older guys.”

—

FIRST NO. 1: In a fact that could win a lot of bar bets, John Wall was the first Kentucky player taken as the overall No. 1 draft pick.

The highest a Kentucky player was drafted had been in 1984 when the Portland Trail Blazers took Sam Bowie one pick after the Houston Rockets took Hakeem Olajuwon and one before the Chicago Bulls selected Michael Jordan.

Since the 1966 draft seven schools have had two players taken with the No. 1 pick: Maryland (Joe Smith, John Lucas), North Carolina (Brad Daugherty, James Worthy), Michigan (Chris Webber, Cazzie Russell), Georgetown (Allen Iverson, Patrick Ewing), Purdue (Glenn Robinson, Joe Barry Carroll), Houston (Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes), UCLA (Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).

—

NICE THREADS: The competition among the players on draft night is all about off the court, as in what they are wearing. This year’s version of Mr. Blackstone was Kansas freshman Xavier Henry, the 12th pick by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Wesley Johnson of Syracuse, who was selected fourth by the Minnesota Timberwolves, had on an interesting pair of pants to say the least with a checkered pattern last seen on golf courses in the 1970s.

“I didn’t know if he had pajama pants or are they sleeping pants or sweat pants or something,” Henry said. “He pulled it off. He had a top to match it. He looked good tonight. Whoever did his shoot, he should tell them thank you.

“I liked John Wall’s suit, a nice shade of blue; (teammate) Cole’s (Aldrich) suit – we got them done by the same people so they are similar. I think everybody came out happy for a great occasion.”

—

OLD DAYS: For those who thought watching the NBA draft all through two rounds was a bit much think back to the old days when the draft went as long as 20 rounds in 1973. Teams were allowed to keep picking players as long as they wanted and the Buffalo Braves selected 20 players that year, one less than the number of wins they had the previous season.

In 1974, the league put a 10-round limit on the draft and it was trimmed to seven rounds in 1985. The draft went to three rounds in 1988 and to its current length in 1989.

By the way, that player who was the only one taken in the only 20th round ever conducted was Phil Tollestrop of BYU.

—

BUTLER DID IT: Gordon Hayward was the first Butler player selected in the NBA draft since Ralph O’Brien was taken by the Indianapolis Olympians in 1950. Billy Shepherd, the school’s all-time leading scorer, played in the ABA from 1972-75.

Hayward, whose halfcourt shot hit the rim at the end of the national championship game and left Duke with a 61-59 victory, was taken with the ninth pick by the Utah Jazz.

Hayward left the Bulldogs after two seasons.

“Toughest decision I ever had to make, and a lot of that was just because of the people at Butler, the fact we had everyone coming back,” said Hayward, who grew up 20 minutes from the Butler campus in Indianapolis. “They are phenomenal people and they do things the right way and it’s just a great program, a great program.”

—

NEW CLIPPER: Al-Farouq Aminu was property of the Los Angeles Clippers for less than 20 minutes when someone asked him a question about the NBA’s most futile franchise.

“I guess every team has a history either good or bad,” the Wake Forest sophomore said after being taken eighth by the Clippers, the team that sends a representative to the draft lottery almost every year. “When you’re drafted, you just try your best to change it for the good. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

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John Wall is ready to go to Washington and clean up the Wizards. And he'll have more backcourt help when he gets there -- whether or not Gilbert Arenas is still around.

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NEW YORK—John Wall is heading to Washington, and a record number of Kentucky teammates are following him to the NBA.

Wall [...]]]> Associated Press

John Wall is ready to go to Washington and clean up the Wizards. And he'll have more backcourt help when he gets there -- whether or not Gilbert Arenas is still around.

NEW YORK—John Wall is heading to Washington, and a record number of Kentucky teammates are following him to the NBA.

Wall went to the Wizards with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft Thursday and four more Wildcats were among the top 30 selections, making them the first school ever to put five players in the first round.

After falling short of the Final Four even with all that talent around him, Wall is ready to help Washington bounce back from a season that was embarrassing on the court and in the locker room.

“I feel like I had pressure since I became No. 1 in high school and was one of the top players,” Wall said. “I always got there hungry wanting to fight hard and compete in every game, so when I step on the court I’m going to take on any challenge there.”

The SEC player of the year is the first Kentucky player chosen first overall. He goes to a team still reeling from Gilbert Arenas season-ending suspension for bringing guns into the team locker room.

Wall could replace Arenas as the Wizards’ point guard, or perhaps play alongside him in a potential high-scoring backcourt. He’ll try to become the third straight freshman point guard to win Rookie of the Year honors after Chicago’s Derrick Rose and Sacramento’s Tyreke Evans—who like Wall also played for John Calipari.

The pick came shortly after a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press that the Chicago Bulls had agreed to trade veteran guard Kirk Hinrich and the 17th pick in the draft, Kevin Seraphin, to the Wizards. Hinrich is a solid veteran defensive guard who could help with Wall’s transition to the NBA.

After his name was announced to begin the draft, Wall hugged family members and donned a blue Wizards cap before climbing onto the stage to shake commissioner David Stern’s hand.

Predicted to finish in the top half of the Eastern Conference last season, the Wizards’ season quickly spiraled out of control, reaching its low point on New Year’s Day when news broke of the altercation involving guns between Arenas and fellow guard Javaris Crittenton, who also was suspended for the year. Washington eventually traded fellow stars Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler in a dismal 26-56 finish.

Arenas is eligible to return, but Wall is ready to take charge of the team.

“I was always a leader by example being the first in the gym and the last in the gym,” Wall said. “But I’m a leader that doesn’t mind speaking up to the older guys.”

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Kentucky Wildcats  guard John Wall has reached an endorsement agreement with Reebok worth $25 million over five years, according to Yahoo! Sports. Wall is  projected to be the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft.

John Wall, the projected No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft, has [...]]]> By M.Bowman / Staff Contributor and Wire Reports

Kentucky Wildcats  guard John Wall has reached an endorsement agreement with Reebok worth $25 million over five years, according to Yahoo! Sports. Wall is  projected to be the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft.

John Wall, the projected No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft, has reached an endorsement agreement with Reebok worth $25 million over five years.

Reebok believes that Wall can replace Allen Iverson as the brand’s superstar. Wall’s reps, Dan Fegan of Lagardere Unlimited and Brian Clifton of Pindar Enterprises, negotiated a rare two guaranteed signature shoes for Wall.

The deal exceeds what most industry insiders believed even Wall, a spectacular talent, could get in this marketplace. In the declining economy, shoe companies have become more judicious about handing out such big guaranteed deals to rookies. The No. 1 pick in the 2009 NBA draft, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin, was reported to have signed for $400,000 annually with Nike. Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings(notes) had a more lucrative deal with Under Armour that he signed out of high school, worth approximately $2 million over four years.

Reebok and Fegan were moving toward a signed agreement on Wednesday night, sources said.

Reebok’s bid for Wall beat overtures by Nike and Under Armour, sources said.

It didn’t hurt Wall’s marketability that the big market Washington Wizards won the draft lottery and have the No. 1 overall pick. He’s expected to be the centerpiece of the franchise’s rebuilding process.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. —Kentucky assistant coach Rod Strickland has been voluntarily reassigned to another position within the program.

Strickland will move into an administrative role to reduce travel requirements following his DUI charge last month.

The school announced Thursday that Strickland will move into an administrative role to reduce travel requirements. The move comes a [...]]]> Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. —Kentucky assistant coach Rod Strickland has been voluntarily reassigned to another position within the program.

Strickland will move into an administrative role to reduce travel requirements following his DUI charge last month.

The school announced Thursday that Strickland will move into an administrative role to reduce travel requirements. The move comes a month after Strickland was charged with drunken driving. He has pleaded not guilty.

The search for Strickland’s replacement will begin immediately. Strickland came to the school with coach John Calipari last spring after working the Calipari at Memphis. He played 17 seasons in the NBA and has twice been convicted of drunken driving.

The school also promoted deputy athletic director Rob Mullens to director of day-to-day operations within the men’s basketball program.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. —John Calipari is reassuring Kentucky basketball fans that he plans to coach the Wildcats next year, despite speculation he is being pursued by the NBA.

ohn Calipari is reassuring Kentucky basketball fans that he plans to coach the Wildcats next year

Calipari sent a message on Twitter on Friday that said: “I [...]]]> Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. —John Calipari is reassuring Kentucky basketball fans that he plans to coach the Wildcats next year, despite speculation he is being pursued by the NBA.

ohn Calipari is reassuring Kentucky basketball fans that he plans to coach the Wildcats next year

Calipari sent a message on Twitter on Friday that said: “I will be coaching at Kentucky next year. Now let’s finish what we started!”

Calipari added that Kentucky is “the best job in the country” but that he couldn’t stop the speculation. He also said he was addressing the topic for the last time.

Several reports have linked Calipari to the vacant head coaching position with the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose, the point guard he coached at Memphis.

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Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton said Saturday they’re going to remain in the NBA Draft rather than return for their sophomores seasons.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP)—Kentucky’s freshman exodus is complete.

Guard Eric Bledsoe and center Daniel Orton said Saturday they’re going to remain in the NBA Draft rather than return for their sophomores seasons.

They will [...]]]> Associated Press

Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton said Saturday they’re going to remain in the NBA Draft rather than return for their sophomores seasons.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP)—Kentucky’s freshman exodus is complete.

Guard Eric Bledsoe and center Daniel Orton said Saturday they’re going to remain in the NBA Draft rather than return for their sophomores seasons.

They will join classmates John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins in the draft. Junior forward Patrick Patterson is also leaving school early to head to the NBA, leaving coach John Calipari with some major holes to fill heading into next season.

Saturday was the deadline for underclassmen to remove their names from draft consideration.

Bledsoe averaged 11.9 points in the backcourt alongside Wall, the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. The 6-foot-1 Bledsoe made 49 3-pointers and created one of the quickest guard combinations in the country with Wall.

“I never thought I’d be ready for the NBA after one year,” Bledsoe said. “I worked hard to be able to have this choice. Coach Cal pushed me to be the best I could be, and I’m ready to take my game to the next level.”

Orton spent most of the season as a reserve center behind Cousins. He averaged 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds and was second on the team with 53 blocks. Orton called his season with the Wildcats a great experience but he’s ready to move on.

The 6-10 Orton is considered raw offensively, but Calipari said he’d received calls from several NBA teams inquiring about Orton’s ability.

“There are teams all over that first round that say we really like the guy,” Calipari said.

Bledsoe and Orton were part of one of the greatest freshmen classes in recent memory, helping Kentucky go 35-3 and win the SEC regular season and conference tournament titles.

Calipari has already begun the rebuilding process. The Wildcats have signed Florida high school star Brandon Knight and Turkish center Enes Kanter.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky coach John Calipari says while he’s open to a contract extension, he’s not interested in a raise.

Calipari says he loves coaching at Kentucky and the Wildcats went 35-3 in his first season.

Calipari said Wednesday in an audio tweet on lexy.com that athletic director Mitch Barnhart approached him 10 [...]]]> Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky coach John Calipari says while he’s open to a contract extension, he’s not interested in a raise.

Calipari says he loves coaching at Kentucky and the Wildcats went 35-3 in his first season.

Calipari said Wednesday in an audio tweet on lexy.com that athletic director Mitch Barnhart approached him 10 days ago about restructuring his contract.

Calipari says he told Barnhart that he welcomes the idea but doesn’t want his compensation to change. He recently finished the first year of an eight-year deal that pays him just under $4 million a season.

The contract talks surfaced shortly after reports that Calipari was interested in coaching the NBA’s Chicago Bulls.

Calipari says he loves coaching at Kentucky and the Wildcats went 35-3 in his first season. Freshmen stars John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins have both declared for the NBA draft.

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Calipari, Kentucky working on new contract

//

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky coach John Calipari could be in line for a raise.

Athletic director Mitch Barnhart said Tuesday night the university and Calipari have started talks on a new deal that would keep the coach with the Wildcats for the rest of his career.

“We have [...]]]> Associated Press

Calipari, Kentucky working on new contract

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky coach John Calipari could be in line for a raise.

Athletic director Mitch Barnhart said Tuesday night the university and Calipari have started talks on a new deal that would keep the coach with the Wildcats for the rest of his career.

“We have begun initial discussions on restructuring his contract so that he’s the coach at Kentucky until he retires,” Barnhart said in a statement.

Barnhart’s comments came just hours after reports surfaced linking Calipari and the coaching vacancy with the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, who fired Vinny Del Negro on Tuesday.

Calipari, already the highest paid coach in men’s college basketball, just completed the first year of an eight-year deal that averages nearly $4 million a season. Kentucky went 35-3 last season behind the play of freshmen stars John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.

“I’m extremely proud of what Coach Calipari has done in just one year as the leader of our men’s basketball program,” Barnhart said. “Cal has brought Kentucky men’s basketball back to its rightful place of national prominence and I’m excited about our future.”

Calipari tried to brush off the NBA speculation on his Facebook page.

“Every year you will hear my named mentioned for NBA jobs because I coached in the league before,” Calipari posted. “I’m very happy at Kentucky.”

Calipari went 72-112 in two-plus seasons with the New Jersey Nets in the late 1990s. He spent the 1999-2000 season as an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers before returning to the collegiate level to coach at Memphis.

The 51-year-old Calipari spent nine seasons with the Tigers before coming to Kentucky last spring. He revitalized the program with arguably one of the greatest recruiting classes in history in Wall, Cousins, Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton.

All four, however, are headed to the NBA. So is junior forward Patrick Patterson. Calipari has already put the finishing touches on another stellar class that includes point guard Brandon Knight, rated the top-rated high school senior in the country by Rivals.com.

Calipari has become something of a phenomenon during his one season in the Bluegrass, embracing the school’s tradition and legacy while connecting with one of the most demanding fan bases in the country. He has reveled in the spotlight but acknowledged on Monday that it can be draining.

“I love coaching here, but this is a hard job,” he said. “I haven’t had a day off in a long time. I am looking forward to it at some point, because we still have to finish this recruiting class, to just getting away.”

His destination, however, does not appear to be the NBA.

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