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OSCAR L. COMBS
CATS' PAUSE EDITOR/PUBLISHER
A Win (Even One Like Saturday's) Is A Win
Any victory is better than any defeat.
At least that's what any optimist would say after Kentucky's boring 14-7 victory over Virginia Tech Saturday.
The Wildcats were solid 18-point favorites and appeared to be well on their way to destroying the Hokies in the first period, only to quit midway through the opening stanza.
The first two times UK took possession, the Wildcats racked up 14 points. After that, they took the night off to play trick-or-treat. and it was mostly tricking the 50.000 or so fans who forked over greenbacks to watch a faked exhibition.
But that game is now history and UK remains alive for a postseason bowl invitation with a 5-3 mark.
It seems like every week has been a "must" game for the Big Blue. This Saturday is no different. Unlike last Saturday when UK was a prohibitive favorite, Vanderbilt presents a team which can stand the Wildcats on their head if UK isn't careful.
Rutgers, which held Kentucky in check most of the game, gave up almost 600 yards offense to Vandy.
If Kentucky is going to have any shot at a seven-win season, it must escape an ambush in Music City. It won't be easy.
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The Central Tennessee Wildcat Club is sponsoring a free pregame hospitality party this Saturday from 9:30 a.m. till 12 noon (Central Time) at the Marriott Hotel in Nashville prior to the UK-Vandy game.
Some of UK's official party is expected to drop by the event, which is being held at the team's headquarters. There will be a cash bar and the CTWC is providing free snacks according to Barry Britton of the CTWC.
The CTWC is a sports boosters club made up of UK fans living in the greater-Nashville area. It makes at least one football and basketball trip to UK each season.
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Time-out for basketball.
Eddie Sutton puts his 1987-88 Wildcats on public display twice this week, first in Louisville on Tuesday and then at Rupp Arena on Thursday, after some 14 days of intense practice sessions.
What fans will see is a wide array of talent which has Sutton expecting great results this winter.
The biggest concerns over the summer have been the rehabilitation of fifth-year senior Winston Bennett and just how quickly Sutton's bumper crop of freshmen would adjust to the big-time.
This is to report that both projects appear to be right on target, perhaps even ahead of schedule.
"I've really been pleased with Winston's comeback," said Sutton last week, "he's really banging around the boards. The first couple days he was sorta tentative and I had a talk with him, told him he had to throw his body around. Ever since then, he's been the Winston of old.
"He's had a little sorness in his knee a couple times after practice, but I've been told that's normal. Our doctors say he is 100 per-
cent physicially," added Sutton. "If Winston plays like I think he will, we're going to be a very fine basketball club."
Sutton also has been impressed with the crop of freshmen he brought in. ^
Although no official decision has yet been made, Sutton has hinted he'll probably red shirt Deron Feldhaus, Johnathon Davis and John Pelphrey, thereby playing true frosh LcRon Ellis, Eric Manuel and son Sean.
"It's really amazed me in practice, these freshmen have picked up things much faster than freshmen I've had in the past," said Sutton. "I think all our freshmen are going to be mighty big contributors here at Kentucky."
Of the trio which isn't expected to play this season, Sutton offered these observations:
On Feldhaus: "He's a competitor and a great athlete, a great shooter and plays the hard-nosed style I like. In most years Deron would have been able to step right in and contribute as freshman here, but because of all the seniors it's a little different."
On Pelphrey: "A lotta people said he was slow, but I don't agree. After two weeks of practice, he's showed me he has some real quickness. He's a heckuva basketball player. He's much better than some people believe. He's going to be an excellent player here. He just needs development."
On Davis: "Has a great athletic body but probably needs more development than the others. He's going to be a fine, fine player in time."
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It's winding-down time for the crucial early national letter-of-intent signing period next week for basketball coaches around the country.
Kentucky, it appears, is zeroing in on four players, hoping to sign a trio from the likes
ing date. The other three have not announced their intentions.
Mills made his official visit over the past weekend, said he enjoyed the stay and expects to sign during the early November period.
He said his decision would be made among a group of five schoolsUNLV, UCLA, Syracuse, Indiana and Kentucky.
Mills visited Indiana the same weekend as Eric Anderson and Shawn Kemp did. Anderson recently announced for Indiana and some recruiting experts believe Kemp will choose either IU or UK.
That has prompted rumors that Kemp and Mills will go as a package somewhere. Mills denied the rumor.
"That's not true," said Mills. "If we end up at the same school, that would be nice, but Shawn had to do what's best for him and I have to do what's best for me."
Mills said he plans to make an official visit to UNLV before making his decision. He's already visited the other four schools.
Early rumors had it that Mills has been locked up to UNLV for months, but one recruiter in the Mills hunt said he'll be shocked if Mills goes to UNLV.
Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports Publications said he believes Kemp will go to either Kentucky or Ohio University. Ohio U.?
"It may surprise a lot of people, but Kemp's high school coach has a brother coaching at Ohio U. and I think that he'll either go to UK or to Ohio U., a small school where he will get a lot of attention. In the end, I believe it'll be Kentucky," added Gibbons.
In the end, Sutton and his staff may have saved the best for last. The final blue-chip prospect to make an official visit is one of the biggest names on the high school level.
Don MacLean was first scheduled to make a visit back in October, but Kentucky apparently wanted MacLean to visit late, so his
Shawn Kemp
of Sean Woods, Shawn Kemp, Don MacLean and Chris Mills.
All except MacLean have made official visits to the Lexington campus and MacLean is scheduled to tour this campus this week.
Woods announced several weeks ago he would sign with UK during the early sign-
Don MacLean
trip to Kentucky would be fresh on his mind when the signing date arrives.
It just so happens that Kentucky will be playing one of its Blue-White games this week when Dandy Don comes to town.
Perhaps that's a good nickname for MacLean.  Much like Don Meridith,
MacLean has an itch for the flare, the limelight. If there is one thing in Kentucky's favor, it is that Don MacLean enjoys the big-time atmosphere, the attention of a state engulfed with hoop hysteria.
He'll certainly witness that here.
Don was the MVP of the Kentucky Prep All-Star Festival in Lexington this past Fourth of July. At the time, he said he liked Lexington.
MacLean's a terrific shooter, and as Los Angeles Herald-Examiner sportswriter Steve Guiremand said, "I don't think I ever saw him have a bad shooting game. There's no question he is the best shooting big man in the country."
The 6-10, 210-pound forward plays at Simi Valley High in southern California.
Among MacLean's official visits have been stops at Georgia Tech and Arizona. Earlier, many felt Arizona had the inside track. Georgia Tech, according to some, has come on strong and could be leading the pack, but no one is counting out Kentucky.
The fact Kentucky successfully persuaded MacLean to wait late for a visit has to be a good omen for the Wildcats. Of course, the only thing which really counts is the name of the school above the dotted line next week. And, according to all reports, Dandy Don will sign next week.
Prediction: Gibbons predicts Kentucky will wind up signing threeWoods, Kemp and either MacLean or Mills. "I believe it'll come down to which one of them tells Eddie first he is coming. I don't think Kentucky can sign both of them because they're similar players."
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HITS AND MISSES . . . In just a couple weeks, most of the recruiting attention will be turned toward the junior crop and Kentucky fans will have an opportunity to see the nation's top junior perform at Rupp Arena this December. Macomber-Whitney High of Toledo, Ohio, will bring its team and super guard Jimmy Jackson to the annual Coca-Cola Thoroughbred Classic the weekend of the UKIT. Also playing in the one-day event will be LfK-bound Sean Woods and his Indianapolis Cathedral team. Ticket information can be obtained from either Rupp Arena or Lafayette High School in Lexington . . . During last Saturday's practice drills at Memorial Coliseum, Sutton had his players walk to the end of the court to meet and welcome sportscaster Alan Cutler back to Lexington, a gesture which left even the ever-witty Cutler speechless. Cutler returns to WLEX-TV, Channel 18 after a three-year stint with KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh where he also hosted a popular weekend radio call-in show over the powerful 50,000-watt KDKA Radio. On the Pittsburgh television side, Cutler was controversial to say the least, and some observers said he was too liberal for a conservative city like Pittsburgh. So what does that say for Lexington, where he had a popular following? At first Cutler was reporter, fill-in anchor for the station and during his second year in the Steel City he was added to the Pittsburgh Pirates television net-
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