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UK Bowls Again
People and things. It was a stunner when the Kentucky Wildcats were eliminated from Peach Bowl consideration last weekend and the chain of events that led up to that bowl's selection committee's decision Nov. 18 was interesting too.
On Friday, the day before the UK-Florida game, Peach Bowl committeeman Frank Stiteler was in Lexington and saying things like: "With Kentucky we don't feel like we're buying a pig in a poke. We've scouted them four times now and I wouldn't be here again if we had not been very interested. To us Kentucky is not an unknown'quantity and that's important."
Bob Watkins
Cats' Pause Columnist.
UK officials, including director of athletics Cliff Hagan, were making the rounds with peach emblems on their lapels.
Stiteler listed reasons why UK would be a good choice. "No. 1 is Jerry Claiborne. He's a fine coach and runs a good program. Second, is Kentucky's football heritage. We had them in Atlanta in 1976 and it was a sellout. The fact that there was not a sellout for last year's Hall of Fame game did not discourage us. We like your fan support. And finally, we like the UK band."
On Sunday the Peach committee made its announcement and you know the rest of the story.
UK is headed back to the Hall of Fame Bowl in Birmingham which will mark the first time in more than 30 years that Kentucky has gone bowling in consecutive seasons. UK goes bowling
If the on the record dollar amounts are not exaggerated, then UK's trip to the Hall of Fame Bowl rates as quite a "Thanksgiving" for UK budget makers. The University would have gotten $575,000 from a Peach Bowl appearance, but the Hall of Fame check is listed at $654,000. That's a cool $79,000 extra for Cliff Hagan to find something to buy with. Perhaps in part, it will make a nice Christmas bonus for Claiborne and staff.
But more important than going bowling and perhaps even the money guaranteed by the Hall of Fame bowl committee is ammunition for this (recruiting) scenario:
Jerry Claiborne to a high school prospect: "Hi kid. How would you like to be on a major college football team that wins enough games every year to get invited to a bowl? You'd like to be able to say 'Hi Mom' on television wouldn't you kid?"
Claiborne to a prospect's mother: "We're talking about a free education, ma'am. A good place to live, the best food, first class training facilities, a curfew that's enforced. And we see to it your boy gets to class on time every day. And ma'am, we look after your son the way you'd like him looked after. No nonsense.
"Sign right here, please."
Comment: And there's no baloney in Claiborne's pitch either.
Grade cards
The Southeastern Conference reported last week that 41 football players have been named to the Academic All-Southeastern Conference football team, (B average or better overall).
Which school's football team had the most players on the All-Academic team? If you said Kentucky, give yourself a pat on the back then drop Coach Jerry Claiborne and academic adviser Bob Bradley a note of congratulations. Gordon Jackson DB Sr  VocEd 3.36 Brian Willams     DE Jr   Acct. 3.04 Matt Lucas        TE  Jr   Comm. 3.00 Ken Pietrowlak   C   Sr   BusAd 3.32 Jim Relchweln    OGJr   Advert 3.08 Gary Sexton      DB Jr   Soc. 3.09 Mark Wheeler    TE  So PoSci 3.06 Brian Davis        DB So SocWk 3.06
Robert Lock
UK's 6-9 freshman on his experience at UK so far: "Being aggressive is something I've learned since I came here. I can tell you it's a lot funner, the push and shove kind of game, than it was in high school. I just couldn't get away with some of these things in high school."
Lock said he has never played on a fast break team and so "I've never been in shape before. I've found that out since I came here. I used to walk up and down the floor. But I'm working on my stamina real hard."
Working "real hard" are delightful words to Hall's ears. More than the mental mistakes, turnovers, all the rest, they are words that bring the UK coach to grin and sum up: "I really like this squad, they're a great bunch of kids. I feel good about 'em. I liked very much what I saw in our freshmen tonight. They're going to help us before this season's over."
On those things  enthusiasm, willingness to work and learn to handle frustration  Kentucky fans must pin their hopes for an enjoyable winter.
Toledo/UK
On the UK-Toledo opener this week: three Kentuckians are on the Rockets roster  Ken Epperson and Jay Gast are the team's one-two scorers and freshman William Lyle is a native of Winchester.
Epperson won't be intimidated he says, "Whatever happens, happens." About his friends and family: "It will be the first time they cheer against Kentucky."
Vandy/Burrow
In the SEC Vanderbilt University's junior center Brett Burrow has quite an opportunity this college basketball season.
The North Hardin High graduate will be the Commodores starting pivot man and looks to be (physically) ready to make a dent in the SEC. Burrow is 6-10 and 230 pounds. According to his high school coach, Ron Bevars, when Burrow played in the State Tournament in March, 1982, he weighed 179. That's an increase of 51 pounds to go with two years experience.
But Vandy coach CM. Newton is playing it cautious, perhaps using a bit of Ruppian psychology employed by his college mentor. When Newton was asked recently about his outlook for the upcoming season, he said, "My biggest concern is the fact that we do not have a proven center. History would indicate that most teams that have been successful in the Southeastern Conference have had an outstanding or proven center. Although we don't have that, hopefully Brett Burrow will make the kind of progress that you want a player to make between his sophomore and junior year and perhaps Steve Reece can give us some help there."
An area where the SEC was hit hardest by graduation and NBA draft was its big men. Gone are: 7-1 Sam Bowie, 6-11 Melvin Turpin (UK) along with 6-10 Dan Federman of Tennessee. Other inside players no longer around: 6-8 Ronnie Williams (Florida), 6-8 Jeff Turner (Vandy), 6-7 Charles Barkley (Auburn), 6-6 James Banks (Georgia), 6-7 Leonard Mitchell (LSU), 6-7 Kevlin Hildrith (Miss. State) and 6-7 Willie Burton (Tennessee).
This season? Tennessee's 6-10 John Snodgrass is academically ineligible, ditto Burrow's 6-10 teammate Will Perdue, and 7-4 Gunther Behnke was a no show at UK.
And so the SEC's big man list has shortened considerably leaving Burrow a chance to "make some hay" this season. The league's returnees: 6-11 Sylvester Kincheon (Mississippi), 6-9 Bobby Lee Hurt (Alabama) and unproven 7-1 Zoran Jovanovich (LSU).
Burrow is the only true center with appreciable experience. Considering his added bulk and previous combat, the Radcliff, Ky. native ought to be among the best at his position.
A footnote. For what it's worth, it was 30 years ago this week that an untried junior college transfer at Kentucky was the "new pivot man on the block" in the SEC. Nicknamed Slim, he had moved to UK from Wells, Texas. Bob Burrow led the Wildcats that season with a 19 point per game average, to a 23-3 season and
a league title.
A (UK) postscript. Hindsight is 20-20, but if UK coach Joe B. Hall could have known in the spring of 1982 what he knows now and had been more zealous in wooing Brett Burrow, then UK might not have a center problem heading into the 1984-85 season.
Just a thought.
Wendy's Classic
Together again...co-hosts for Western Kentucky University's fifth annual Wendy's Classic basketball tournament in Bowling Green Dec. 7-8 will bring together CBS basketball analyst Billy Packer and his antagonist from NBC Sports, Al McGuire.
McGuire, the ex-Marquette U. coach, made an interesting observation recently about the preseason college basketball poll. He pointed out that the top three ranked teams in the poll  Georgetown, Illinois and Indiana  "are the top three defensive clubs in the country. That shows you what wins. Defense." WKU outlook
Hilltopper coach Clem Haskins is talking 17-18 victories this season, perhaps to offset some rather lofty preseason ratings for the 'Tops. But the future for WKU certainly looks bright. Assistant Dwane Casey: "I feel we're more ready this season than in any one since I've been here."
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