Claiborne Sends SOS, Signs Six JuCos
Couldn't Find Veteran Offensive Linemen
Kentucky Coach Jerry Claiborne felt his Wildcats needed some immediate help next season in several key positions.
That's why the Cats have added six junior college players, the highest number | Claiborne has ever recruited, to the 1988 roster.
Larry Vaught
Cats' Pause Columnist
"A junior college player is going to be much more mature than a true freshman," said Claiborne. "We needed help in specific spots and feel like we got just that.
"We were looking for certain needs and were able to get some good junior college players in positions where we needed help. You try to find junior college players in the area you need help the most. If we have done our job, these guys should be better than players coming in right out of high school."
Last year UK added tight end Charlie Darrington and quarterback Glen Fohr. Darrington led UK in receiving last year and Fohr is the top quarterback entering spring practice.
The star of this year's junior college class could be 5-10, 200-pound tailback Alfred Rawls of Northeast Oklahoma. He originally signed with Georgia two years ago but did not meet NCAA academic requirements. With the loss of Mark Higgs, Claiborne felt Kentucky needed more depth at
tailback even though he has Ivy Joe Hunter and Al Baker returning.
"Alfred is a hard working kid who wants to get better," said Claiborne. "We are looking forward to giving him that opportunity."
Rawls and 6-3, 256-pound defensive lineman Scott Booth of Northeast Mississippi Junior College have already enrolled at UK and will participate in spring drills.
"That's really the big advantage with a junior college player," said Claiborne. "If you can get him on campus and in spring practice it is a big edge."
Joining the team in August will be 6-0,185-pound defensive back Albert Burks of Hinds, Miss., Community College; -1, 209-pound defensive back Tony Missick of Marion Institute in Alabama; 6-1, 225-pound fullback Rodney Shephard of Nassau Community College; and 6-5, 190-pound wide receiver Alfred Jones of Northeast Oklahoma, who is scheduled to sign today.
Kentucky, though, failed to land any junior college offensive linemen. UK has only one returning starter in the offensive line and had hoped to bolster that group | from the junior college ranks.
"There were some good junior college linemen out there but if we couldn't get the ones that could help immediately, we didn't want to sign any," said Claiborne. "The junior colleges have a lot more good players now because of the Proposition 48 academic guidelines. More playes are going to junior colleges to get their grades up and the junior colleges now have more Division I-A athletes."
The Wildcats landed 13 in-state players, including tailback Craig Walker of Fair-dale, lineman Chuck Bradley of Fern Creek and running back Tim Harris of Henry County.
The 6-1, 190-pound Harris, the state's leading scorer and rusher in 1986, missed ] part of the 1987 season with a knee injury. He still rushed for 4,662 yards in his career and scored 63 touchdowns but received little statewide recogntion.
'His doctors have told us his leg is okay," said Claiborne. "He's an athlete. He can play offense or defense. He's the kind of player you like to have around because he can help you in a lot of different ways. He does a lot of things."
Larry French, head coach at Mercer County High School in Harrodsburg, had to | face Harris in high school and always left the field impressed.
'He's fast but he's a hard runner," said French. "As the game went on, he always got stronger. I've always thought he would be a dandy player. I think UK really got a good player that not many people know a lot about."
One player people did know a lot about was Kurt Barber of Paducah Tilghman, the state's Mr. Football. Kentucky lost him to Southern California and also lost running back Anthony Carter of North Hardin and quarterback Marcus Wilson of Butler to Vanderbilt and lineman Joe Avilia of Ashland to Colorado.
"We are real pleased with the guys we got and can't worry about the ones we |lost," said Claiborne. "The ones we got want to play for Kentucky."
The UK mentor landed six players from Ohio, including quarterback Ryan Hockman of Harrison. The others were 6-4, 260-pound defensive lineman Brad Schuford; 6-3, 205-pound linebacker Reggie Smith; 6-7, 232-pound defensive lineman Chuck Latimer; 6-4, 243-pound defensive lineman Greg Lahr; and 6-4, 240-pound tight end Eugene McClellan.
"This is one of the best groups we have ever got out of Ohio," said Claiborne. "Hockman won a lot of awards. Smith has good range and will be an excellent linebacker. Latimer is skinny but will grow. He runs very well for a big guy and has'big-hands'anri'feet: He just need's tirrie todevelop. The others all have a lot of
potential."
Claiborne wouldn't predict which newcomers might make an immediate impact next season. "There are always some freshmen who help; not many, but some. If they do, that is just a bonus.
"You never know how good a group is until it plays. You just can't tell how good they are until they compete for two or three years. But we think we have a fine group."
He better. Time is running out on Claiborne at Kentucky. The Cats have had three straight losing seasons and seem destined for a fourth in 1988 unless Claiborne can work the same magic he did in 1983 and 1984 when UK went to bowl games.
Kentucky didn't land any of the nation's top prospects and for the second straight year lost some of the best in-state talent. Those things won't help Kentucky compete in the SEC.
No one works harder or runs a cleaner program than Claiborne. But, as others have learned, winning at UK is an almost impossible job. Claiborne has got close but will have to work harder than ever next season just to keep Kentucky respectable against a brutal schedule.
Mark Higgs
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HIGGS HAS raised his stock with NFL scouts since the 1987 season ended. He played well in two all-star games and recently set a tryout record with a 43-inch vertical jump during workouts in Indianapolis.
Teammates Dermontti Dawson and Greg Kunkel also attended the tryouts in Indy.
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ARIZONA, Brigham Young and Nevada-Las Vegas rank among the nation's best teams and recently held the top three spots in the Associated Press college basketball poll.
That would make one think college basketball in the west is finally gaining respect. Think again.
"Arizona deserved to be number one but they also play in one of the weaker conferences (Pacific-10)," said Kentucky Coach Eddie Sutton. "If they played in our (Southeastern Conference) league, the Big Ten, ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) or Big East I'm not sure their record would be as good. BYU and Vegas also have great records but they are not dominant teams."
Florida Coach Norm Sloan also supplied material for the Arizona, BYU and Vegas bulletin boards.
"The west is weak," said Sloan. "If you are going to have an outstanding record that is the place to be. Their conference games are not that tough.
"Parity is going to be the norm in most of college basketball now. We have a lot of talented teams, and it is difficult to be a dominant team."
The SEC has not had a dominant team but Vanderbilt has impressed all the league coaches.
Vandy reminds Sloan of last year's Providence team that used the three-point shot to reach the Final Four. Alabama Coach Wimp Sanderson feels the Commodores are much like the team he had last year that lost only one league game.
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