Kentucky's preseason camp marches on and CatsIllustrated.com has, as always, plenty of coverage, opinion and analysis.
The Immanuel Quickley-Zion Williamson package deal talk tapers off. Julius Randle gets married. And Randall Cobb's making news for ... a cookbook?
HE'LL BE READY
Lynn Bowden wasn't available for all of the summer workouts that almost all of Kentucky's other freshmen were present for, but don't assume that, and a few missed days of practice, will impact his ability to contribute.
News that Lynn Bowden has been cleared is certainly a welcome development for Kentucky's football program although it's no surprise and has been anticipated right from the start of the summer. The delay from the clearinghouse caused some consternation for some fans, but CatsIllustrated.com readers know that sources never wavered and, in never wavering, made it seem very unlikely Bowden would be ineligible (it would have been foolish not to deflate expectations somewhat if there was the slightest risk of ineligibility).
LINK: Bowden's late arrival shouldn't lessen the chances he makes an impact
COMMITMENTS COMING?
CatsIllustrated.com publisher Justin Rowland takes a look at some football recruiting stories that are brewing and bound to come to a head on the horizon.
While Kentucky is more than halfway finished with their 2018 class, there's still a lot to watch out for.
WHO'S NUMBER TWO?
Benny Snell is Kentucky's clear cut starter in the backfield and he stands to get a lot more carries than he did in his freshman year, when he was already a workhorse at times.
But who will start, or emerge, as Kentucky's primary number two?
Justin Rowland and T.J. Walker discuss.
SCRIMMAGE HIGHLIGHTS
It was an eventful offseason for four-star Kentucky quarterback commitment Jarren Williams, but now that he's solidly committed to the Cats and a summer with the Elite 11 and The Opening is behind him, it's time for his senior year.
Lawrenceville (Ga.) Central Gwinnett had their first preseason scrimmage late in the week and you can watch Williams' highlights below.
There was a running clock and Williams played the first half.
LINK: Watch highlights of Jarren Williams' first preseason scrimmage
WOMEN'S TEAM BOOSTED
Kentucky women’s basketball freshman Dorie Harrison is a four-star prospect from Nashville who is regarded as one of the top 100 players in the 2017 recruiting class.
LINK: Dorie Harrison gives Matthew Mitchell a “great athlete”
SLOWING DOWN
Kentucky coaches, especially head coach Mark Stoops, wish junior linebacker Jordan Jones — last year’s leading tackler — would force himself to play a bit slower at times. Right or wrong, he goes full speed.
PRACTICE TAKEAWAYS
A quarterback note, Lynn Bowden and a freshman defensive linemen: That's what the Herald Leader's John Clay is writing about after Kentucky's open practice over the weekend.
LINK: Three takeaways from Kentucky's open football practice
NO PACKAGE DEAL
As arguably the top player in the 2018 class, and easily the most recognizable, it’s anything but difficult to understand why an elite point guard would want to play with Zion Williamson at the next level.
For him to reciprocate that feeling, well, that’s noteworthy.
LINK: Zion Williamson and Immanuel Quickley want to team up in college but aren't a package deal
STARS COME OUT
The marquee game was on opening night, when Spartanburg Day School rising senior Zion Williamson and SC Supreme faced Southern California’s LaMelo Ball and Big Baller Brand in the Adidas Uprising summer championships.
More than 3,000 people crowded around the court, including several NBA players, and 80,000 or so watched a Facebook live stream of the showdown between top-10 recruits. More than 1,000 people were turned away — LeBron James reportedly among them — and the Las Vegas Police Department was called in to help control the crowd.
LINK: Final period brings top recruits like Zion Williamson to Vegas
COBB'S COOKBOOK
Do you want to eat like a wide receiver? Well you can with recipes you can find in a new cookbook. It's called "Prevea Gets Cooking with Cobb." and it's a collaboration between the Packer Randall Cobb and Prevea Health. You can get a copy at an event next week. And here from Prevea to tell us about it.. is Dr. Ashok Rai, President and CEO of Prevea.. and then we'll get cooking with Registered dietitian Deb Guenterberg.
LINK: What's for dinner? Recipes from Randall Cobb's cookbook
SLIMMED DOWN COUSINS
It’s the NBA offseason, which means we should be on “he lost weight/he gained muscle” watch. Between now and when training camps open the last week of September, every team will push the story that some player lost weight or has gained muscle, and everyone will suddenly be in the best shape of their lives.
That said, DeMarcus Cousins does look slimmed down.
He previously said he lost 20 pounds, and at the NBA Africa game this week he said this is the best he has ever felt.
LINK: Slimmed down DeMarcus Cousins: “Probably the best I have felt my whole career”
“It’s all going to boil down to — because the league is getting smaller, let’s face it, Kevin Durant was a four and Draymond Green played the five for the Golden State Warriors a lot when it’s winning time — so it’s going to really boil down to what we can do defensively. Can Anthony Davis guard some guards? If we’re able to do it defensively and not give up too much, teams will be really having a hard time matching up to us on the other end.”
LINK: Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins ‘guarding down’ is biggest key for Pelicans
RANDLE TIES THE KNOT
Randle’s best season as a pro was recently followed by the by biggest and most important day of his life as he married longtime girlfriend Kendra Shaw. According to an article by NBA.com a few of Randle’s current and past teammates joined him on his big day.
