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Tag: willie cauley-stein

  • Jabari Parker To Make His NBA Decision On Wednesday

    Whether or not Jabari Parker will leave college basketball after his freshman season for the opportunity to play in the NBA was a hot topic of discussion throughout the NCAA tournament, and continue to be since the season has ended.

    Jabari Parker was one of the top players in the country at the beginning of the season, and while he lost all of he player of the year awards to Creighton’s Doug McDermott, he could still go as the No.1 draft pick, if he decides to enter.

    The decision on whether to go to the NBA or not will be based on where he feels that he can grow the most. He will meet with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski when he returns to Durham, N.C., on Tuesday.

    As of right now, Jabari Parker says that “I don’t know where that is right now. I’ll talk to coach about it and lay out my options, but I’m just really glad I get the best of both worlds.”

    He was one of the standout players on an outstanding Duke tea, and just received the Wayman Tisdale Award as college basketball’s top freshman. He was with his parents in Oklahoma City to accept the award, and the Parker family is originally from the Chicago area.

    As any fan of college basketball knows, it is an honor to play for someone like Coach K., and perhaps Parker will want more time as a member of the Duke Blue Devils.

    While he may be a good fit for the NBA right now, another year or two at Duke could also help him develop more as a player. Willie Cauley-Stein, the center for the Kentucky Wildcats, declared that h would return for his junior year on Monday.

    Jabari Parker was the highest-scoring freshman in Duke history, averaging 19.1 points per game, and he was also the first freshman to lead the Blue Devils in both scoring and rebounding.

    Imagine the power lineup if JabariParker stays w/ #Duke one more year? With their incoming class it should be an incredible 2014-15 season.

    — Captain (@PicardDeltaOne) April 15, 2014

    During this year’s NCAA tournament, the Duke Blue Devils were delivered perhaps the biggest upset of the tournament from No.14 seed Mercer, but that does not take away from the excellent year that Parker had over the course of his freshman season.

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  • Willie Cauley-Stein Says He Will Return To Kentucky

    Every other star player may be leaving the roster of the Kentucky Wildcats, but Willie Cauley-Stein says that he plans to stay. Most players on the Kentucky roster will be departing for the NBA after only their freshman year, but he plans to stay to at least become a junior.

    He is a part of a Kentucky team that made it to the national championship, although they lost to UConn, who won both the men’s and the women’s championship, doing so for the second time, and they are the only team that has ever achieved that honor.

    Willie Cauley-Stein was not able to play in the 2014 national championship game, and perhaps wants another shot with a different group of supporting players. The center for the Wildcats was injured during the game against their rivals Louisville in one of the key Sweet 16 match-ups, preventing him from playing in the rest of the tournament.

    The Wildcats were able to upset both the Michigan Wolverines and the Wisconsin Badgers, but with Cauley-Stein, the Huskies were simply too much to overcome. During the championship game, there were also rumors about John Calipari heading to coach the Lakers, but he quickly denied the rumors.

    Speaking on his decision to return to Kentucky, Cauley-Stein said “I want to come back and have a chance to win a national championship, while also getting closer to earning my degree. Being at the Final Four this year was special, but not being able to help my teammates on the floor was tough. I look forward to helping us get back there next year, while playing in front of the best fans in the nation.”

    While he did not show up in the record books in the same way that players such as Aaron Harrison or Julius Randle did, over the course of his sophomore season, Wilile Cauley-Stein averaged 7 points and 6.2 rebounds.

    He was a former high school wide receiver who has drawn comparisons to Tyson Chandler. He was projected to go in the first round of the NBA draft based on his size and athleticism, but could even help his draft prospect by another year with Kentucky.

    In addition to the return of Willie Cauley-Stein, the two players that stepped up in his absence during the tournament, Dakari Johnson and Marcus Lee, will also be returning in the fall.

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  • Willie Cauley-Stein’s Status For Elite Eight Game Is Doubtful

    Kentucky won a hard fought battle against their in-state rivals last night, and were forced to play throughout part of the game without Willie Cauley-Stein. The Kentucky forward suffered an injury in the first half of the Louisville game, and was unable to return.

    The Sweet 16 match-up between rivals Kentucky and Louisville was certainly one of the biggest, and would mean the most for each of them, as they fight to become the best team in the state. The Wildcats won the game 74-69, despite not having their star Willie Cauley-Stein available in the second half.

    The Kentucky Wildcats were top-ranked team to start the season, and high hopes entering the season, although they lost 10 games, and have not lived up to the hype. After beating formerly defeated Wichita State, and now Louisville, Kentucky will play in the Elite Eight, and is only one win away from an appearance in the Final Four.

    Speaking on the availability of Willie Cauley-Stein in the game against Michigan, Kentucky coach John Calipari said “He’s still in a boot. He’s doubtful. He’s acting like he thinks he could do something, and I would be stunned if he plays in this game.”

    Many people had picked Wichita State or Louisville to advance from the Midwest region, but Kentucky continues to surprise people and may even have what it takes to upset Michigan. Michigan is the No.2 seed, and barely beat Tennessee last night, but can Kentucky do it without Willie Cauley-Stein?

    After Cauley-Stein left the game last night, Dakari Johnson came in to replace him, and gave an impressive performance with 15 points and 6 rebounds. He could give a similar performance against Michigan, but Kentucky was hoping to have Cauley-Stein’s smaller physique, and athletic skills, when matching up against the smaller lineup of the Wolverines.

    Kentucky struggled throughout the season, but they are on a hot streak right now. If the Wildcats can win just two more games, then they could get a rematch against Florida, if they also win their next two games.

    Over the course of the 2013-2014 season, the 7-foot Willie Cauley-Stein averaged 6.8 points and 6.1 rebounds. He receives help from other star players such as Julius Randle, James Young, Aaron Harrison, and Andrew Harrison.

    The Kentucky Wildcats were able to reach the SEC Conference Championship where they almost beat the No.1 overall seed Florida, but their streak could come to an end tomorrow against Michigan. The Wildcats and Wolverines will tip off at 5:05 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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