Calipari changing Kentucky Basketball - otherwords, cleaning up the mess he was left with

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090409/SPORTS03/904090471/1002/SPORTS

High school star DeMarcus Cousins is in, UK veteran Michael Porter is out and high school signee Daniel Orton appears to be on the fence as Calipari reshapes his roster.

Meanwhile, Calipari has begun to piece together his first UK staff with parts from his last one at Memphis -- assistant coaches Orlando Antigua and John Robic and director of basketball operations Rod Strickland.

UK's latest roster addition is Cousins, a 6-foot-9 McDonald's All American from Mobile, Ala., who is following Calipari to Kentucky after initially committing to him at Memphis.

Cousins committed Tuesday night and can sign a letter of intent as early as Wednesday.

The first significant subtraction of the Calipari era is Porter, who started all 36 games at point guard last season but has elected to forego his senior season in order to focus on his new family. Porter and his wife, Bryana, are expecting their first child in July.

Orton, for now, is in limbo.

The 6-10 center from Oklahoma City, who signed with UK under former coach Billy Gillispie, told Scout.com yesterday that he asked for a release from his letter of intent with UK, but he said he "might be going back to Kentucky."

Orton's father, Larry, told Lexington television station WKYT that his son has not asked for a release.

Neither Larry Orton nor Daniel Orton could be reached for comment yesterday.

Regardless of what happens with Orton, more roster moves could be coming.

Nolan Dennis, a 6-4 shooting guard from North Richland Hills, Texas, signed with Memphis in the fall but now is exploring other options, including UK.

His mother, Carol, told The Courier-Journal that Nolan Dennis also signed a document allowing him to void the letter of intent if Calipari took another job. The family called Memphis yesterday, Carol Dennis said, and requested the release.

"We told them we wanted it first thing in the morning," she said.

Like Orton, Dennis -- a top-50 national prospect -- will play in Louisville's WazooSports.com Derby Festival Classic this weekend. Dennis doesn't have a new list of schools, but his mother indicated that UK is a contender.

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"He loves Coach Calipari," she said. "Definitely, he was the main reason he was going (to Memphis). He idolizes him. (Calipari) will make him such a better player."



If UK hopes to add any other recruits it first must create roster space.

If Orton sticks with UK and Cousins enrolls, the Wildcats would have 14 scholarship players next season, one more than the NCAA limit.

Despite that numbers crunch, Porter's father, Gary, said that his son didn't feel pressured to leave the team.

"There was never any sense of that," Gary Porter said Tuesday night. "The first thing I asked him was, 'Were you asked to leave?' and he said no."

In a UK release yesterday, Porter said the decision had been "weighing on my shoulders for a while."

"I love basketball and will miss it a lot, but I think it's the best thing for me and my family at this stage of my life," he said.

Almost immediately after Porter stepped aside, Cousins stepped in.

The post player from LeFlore High School is ranked No. 2 nationally by Rivals. He averaged 26 points and 12 rebounds as a senior, according to the Mobile Press-Register.

"He's a special, special player," said Otis Hughley, Cousins' high school coach. "He's an unbelievable passer. In high school he was by far the best player in the gym. When he gets to (UK), the competition in practice will make him a better player."

Cousins has not yet qualified for freshman eligibility. He has a 3.4 grade-point average, Hughley said, but has yet to take either the SAT or the ACT.

If Cousins gets his way, UK will be in an even tighter scholarship squeeze.

Cousins told Rivals that he's working to recruit point guard John Wall, Rivals' No. 1 player in the class, and swingman Xavier Henry -- another Memphis signee and Rivals' No. 3 player -- to follow him to UK.

Cousins, Wall and Henry are playing Saturday for the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select team in the Nike Hoop Summit at Portland, Ore.

While UK's roster remains in flux, Calipari's coaching staff is rounding into form.

With Antigua, Robic and Strickland on board, there's at least one more position to fill. UK spokesman DeWayne Peevy said staff roles have not yet been assigned and that Calipari could hire a third assistant, or move Strickland into an assistant's role and fill the director of basketball operations position.