LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky announced Tuesday that three players from last year’s squad are leaving the program, bringing the Wildcats closer to their roster limit of 13 scholarship players.
Sophomore forward A.J. Stewart plans to transfer, as does 6-foot-3 freshman Donald Williams. Senior Jared Carter will not seek a fifth year of eligibility. Kentucky is now down to 15 scholarship players — including coach John Calipari’s incoming freshman class.
That number could be 14 should top scorer Jodie Meeks leave for the NBA draft.
Stewart, a 6-7 sophomore, sometimes provided a spark off the bench last year and was a consistent free throw shooter, making 82 percent of his attempts from the line. He averaged six minutes and two points a game.
“I appreciate coach Calipari and the staff being truthful with me,” Stewart said in a statement. “I want to further my career both academically and athletically at a school where more playing time is available. I know that coach will do anything possible to find a great situation for me.”
Calipari was out of town and unavailable for comment, but assistant John Robic said it was a mutual decision between Stewart and the coaches.
“A.J. just wants to go somewhere and really play and contribute,” Robic said. “We’re going to do everything we can to make that work for him. He was very levelheaded about it.”
Stewart had some rocky moments under former coach Billy Gillispie. At one point he quit the team after playing just three minutes against South Carolina, then reconsidered and was allowed to return only after Gillispie met with the team about it.
Carter had already gone through Senior Day but was considering asking the NCAA to extend his eligibility due to a shoulder injury that sidelined him most of the 2006-07 season. In 42 career games, he averaged one point and one rebound.
“I’m looking forward to moving on with my life and am excited to see what professional opportunities await me,” Carter said.
Williams didn’t play his freshman season and was also seeking a transfer.
“I would have liked to have played and helped, but with coach leaving, sometimes it just happens that way,” Williams said.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
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Comments » 21
cobbwebb writes:
i have a funny feeling this aint billy clydes wildcats anymore! this team has the potential to be nasty! coach cal loaded up on every position! damn, its gonna be awful sweet when pearl beats the cats from up north! GO VOLS!!!!!
cobbwebb writes:
btw, frist, where are the trolls, tebows panties are stupid, the secret vol society is lame, and florida is a bunch of weiners! there, i pissed everyone off, the first police, the anti troll/secret society guys, the spelling patrol, the lopers, and the guy that always talks about tebows panties!
Pullingguard writes:
Sure hope they can beat them at least once coming season, something they did not do last season.. Pearl must improve the play in the inside game and improve the teams shooting accuracy in coming season, then the Vols will be a force.
OrangeMan_86 writes:
Pearl vs. Donovan 7-1
Pearl vs. Gillispie 1-4 or something
Donovan won championships while losing to Pearl. Pearl made tournaments while losing to Gillispie. His style beat Tennessee more so than the players. Memphis has had better players than Kentucky the past few years and Pearl is 2-2 against them/Calipari. So they had an awesome recruiting class.... it would have been no different if they put on Memphis jersey's. Pearl's coaching style matches up with Calipari. We saw that losing by two this past season and beating Rose and Co. in Memphis by 4. Both teams were better than Kentucky last year and yet Tennessee got routed in those games. It's all about the coaching style.
For the record, this fits right in with the football team. Those of you who think Crompton sucks don't understand systems. Crompton sucked under the spread in his first year. He isn't mobile like Tebow, White, Pryor etc. They'll go back to the pro style offense which he was recruited for and you nay sayers will s*** your pants when the offense moves the chains and the team notches 9-10 wins.
bigorange61 writes:
Frist? Now that's a first.
TnScooby writes:
Frist????....BILL Frist????....OHHH...first...lmao...
TnScooby writes:
just jabbin' ya' cobb...lol
murrayvol writes:
And one by one Cal convinces the not quite ready for prime time lads that their interests would best be served by toiling in another field.......far from Lexington. No soup for you.
back2backchamps writes:
I agree with you about coaching styles, but until Pearl proves that his "style" coaching will win in the NCAA tourney he will not get the respect he probably deserves. College basketball regular season wins are nice, but until you advance in the big tourney, the bragging is pretty lame.
back2backchamps writes:
and as for:
"For the record, this fits right in with the football team. Those of you who think Crompton sucks don't understand systems. Crompton sucked under the spread in his first year. He isn't mobile like Tebow, White, Pryor etc. They'll go back to the pro style offense which he was recruited for and you nay sayers will s*** your pants when the offense moves the chains and the team notches 9-10 wins."
The over/under on wins this year should be 7 wins. Anything more than 7 will be a surprise to a lot of people. As for not being a "mobile" QB, Chris Leak was about as mobile as a flat rock, but that didn't mean he threw one-hop passes when UF went to the "spread".
MrBamSeydu writes:
Let this be known, John Calipari cannot coach. He simply recruits 1 and done players every year and hopes that talent alone will take him to the Final Four.
At UMASS, he was in a weak league with better talen than his foes (Marcus Camby, etc) and at Memphis State (yeah, I said Memphis State) it was even more evident. The Conf-USA was one of the weakest leagues in the nation (not even comparable to a weak SEC league) the entire time he was there. His toughest competition was UAB. He would simply load up the front end with out of conference teams like Georgetown and UCLA, then cruise through the rest of the season.
He was a failure in the NBA. He has not proven he can win in a major conference. It doesn't matter how many 5-star players he recruits, he better learn to coach if he wants to make it back to the Final Four.
ETNTigerFan writes:
Keep in mind, part of the time he was at Memphis they were in the same league as Marquette, Cincy, and Louiville. Granted, after they left, the league was a little watered down. However, head to head CUSA has fared pretty well against the SEC even after the exodus of UL, UC, and Marq. Memphis alone is like 12-3 since '01. We'd always make a run throught the league but we'd beat the stuffings out of nonconference foes like MichState, UCLA, Uconn, Texas, Maryland, Georgetown, well, you get the point.
Yes, he is a great recruiter but you have to be. I don't care how good of a bench coach you are. It's the Jimmy's and Joe's moreso than the x's and o's.
I'm afraid you are about to find out how good of a coach he is. And the Memphis State thing is a lame attempt at a joke. It hasn't been MSU for 13 years.
IdahoVol writes:
Actually Calipari wasn't hired at Memphis until after Louisville left the conference. And I don't remember Cincinnati or Marquette being that good during Calipari's first few years at Memphis. Bottom line - his teams play maybe 4 or 5 tough games a year.
cobbwebb writes:
frist, is an inside thing, hence the spelling patrol comment! the ol timers on the site would get it!
ETNTigerFan writes:
Wrong. He was hired in 2000. UC, Louisville, and Marquette were in the league til '05(?). You don't think Dewayne Wade was good at Marquette? Kenyon Martin at UC?
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
My post from last month - "Cal will have to get rid of 3 or 4 more players" in order to sign the recruits he is bringing with him.
You lopers, Coach K isn't the only coach that runs off the players that won't produce.
GreyhairedVol writes:
VOL Fans are really fooling themselves if they think we are even close to UK's program. Calipari and UK will be very hard to beat. Kids that would not give Cal the time of day at Memphis will be very interested now that he is at UK.
I first thought Cal being at UK would be great for UT but I was told by a very good friend of mine that it will have the opposite effect. I would really be interested in your thoughts. Thanks
Sorry my friend is a very prominent basketball man that is very involved with the youth leagues.
bluetiger writes:
Just let me know whey UT plays Kentucky. Those will be two times I'll be wearing orange and saying the words I never thought I'd say: Go Vols!!
Oh, and if Calipari could REALLY coach, we'd have a NC trophy sitting at Memphis. If he wins a NC with any team, it will be from sheer talent on the part of his players.
bluetiger writes:
Typo -- Just let me know when UT plays Kentucky.
Volgrad777 writes:
Agreed Cal is not a great coach. He is the best recruiter in the game and thats what affords him success and there is something to be said for that. But as far as great coaching , ive never seen it. His style is not even organized chaos , just chaos. He gives the ball to his studs and they play. He calls a few inbounds plays , thas pretty much it. If anyone can recall a brilliant coaching strategy on his part to win a big game , im all ears??? Tarheeelsrule--I dont post here much , because mainly this site sucks and the news is always late and unreliable , however im curious why in gods name you would come here and post??? You talk about Pearl so much im starting to believe you might be of the stalker nature. I just cant think of one good reason why you would enjoy reading constantly about the Vols and lets face it your here constantly. I mean with the Fla guys i guess i get it, they are the kids that still wear the Shane Matthews jersey in front of the TV every Saturday yet have never actually attended a game bc bus fare is sooo damn expensive to Gainsville. They, judging by what they write , are just young lads whos witts are dulled by the constant pounding of the Fla bangwaggon rolling by. Somewhere along the way they jumped on. It must be that , or they are in their mid to late 80's living down in Boca and post here bc they had 15 mintues left in their allotment of "Online" time at the seniors center. Somewhere between shuffleboard, horseshoes, and bingo however they always find time. You though tarhells , you sir are just a sad individual.
bluetiger writes:
Exactly -- Calipari is a great recruiter and so he gets great players. And, for the most part, his players have been so talented that it was OK to just let them play and make their own decisions with little direction from the bench. However, as was demonstrated in the '08 NC game, in tight situations, even great players need some direction from a great coach. Our guys didn't get it, and talented as they were, they lost against a team that was equally as good but had the advantage of having a good coach.
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