Bearcat Bits For June 25th 2012

The question of the week for Bearcat fans is whether or not Yancy Gates gets drafted come Thursday night. Its a question with no right answer and plenty of room to speculate. Gates wasn't invited to the NBA combine and is considered a fringe NBA Draft prospect today. Its not for lack of talent, the talent is clearly there, its always been there. But the questions are there and they are big when you consider the amount of money getting drafted means. Did Yancy really turn the corner last year and finally embrace his god given size and strength, or was that a one time only deal? Will he play as hard in the NBA as he did as a Senior when the checks start rolling in? Those are all valid concerns in my book, as those are the issues that plagued Yancy throughout his up and down career with the Bearcats.

And then there is the punch seen round the world. There can be little doubt that the punch is adversely affecting Yancy's stock. How could it not? Does a bigger red flag exist in the universe than punching someone in the head during the middle of a game? Even someone like Kenny Frease who deserves to get punched in the head? probably not. All this stuff is weighing down Yancy's prospects for Thursday. However, at the end of the day Yancy does have a lot to offer an NBA team. He is 6'9" 260 with good touch around the basket, a jumper out to 18 feet. On top of that he has quick hands, was an above average defender each of the last two years and he rebounds the ball really well. In short he has the kind of game that NBA teams are notorious for not taking a chance on. Thats why I think Gates goes late in the 2nd round to a team like the Spurs, Celtics or Knicks.

Andrea Adelson had a sit down with
Jordan Luallen about his transition from being a fulltime QB to full time WR/part time Wildcat. Most of it is the usual drivel but there was this statement from Luallen on how the decision was made

We were having our postseason meetings and I went in there with Coach (Mike) Bajakian, he had a list of things I needed to improve on. Being the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach we have a good relationship, so I went in there and said, ‘Coach, I want to help this team no matter what. I want to get on the field and make a contribution. Tell me what the best thing to do is and I'll do it.’ We had a meeting with Coach (Butch) Jones, and me and Coach Jones talked about it. All three of us were on the same page, so really it was just me wanting to help this team be a better football team and win, so that is how it came up. So far, everything's been good. I'm excited about it, and hopefully this will be something to help the team.

That instantly makes Luallen one of my favorite guys on this team. JL initiating the move isn't a massive deal, and it won't ultimately be a guarantor of success, but it says a lot about him. He can help the team more as receiver/wildcat than he could as a quarterback and whats more important Luallen knows it. Self Awareness is always a good thing.

Et Cetera

Football Mini Plans go on sale this morning if you aren't a student or a season ticket holder I would recommend the Rivalry Pack...Mary Wineberg missed the finals at the US Olympic Trials in Eguene....Eric Finan has been named an Academic All-American a fitting end to a fine career...Butch Jones be ballin ya'll....facility upgrades update the various projects are moving along nicely...a photo gallery of the ongoing facility upgrades...time lapse of the Bearcats Floor being sanded down...Kevin Youkilis traded to White Sox nothing but the best to the Greek God of Walks...he sucks as a Football player now but I will have a soft spot in my heart for Ochocino for as long as he continues to say shit like this...I really don't want to live in Mexico now.

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