I’m in a bit of a gloom and doom mood because my beloved Chicago White Sox have a one game playoff tonight to determine the AL Central winner, and I think they’ll get crushed. So I don’t feel like writing a sunshine and lollipops piece of fluff about UK football. Instead, I want to focus on something that has already happened, the open gym extravaganza that took place this past Saturday before the WKU game. Let’s take a look at some selected players and see how they did. The info comes from a close friend who was able to make it to the show on Saturday.

KEVIN GALLOWAY

The best word to describe this guy is “smooth.” While his shot isn’t good enough to keep defenses from sagging off of him, he is good at taking it to the rack. He has one desired trait of the big point guard, in that he uses his size to advantage when matched up against smaller guys. He can post up and use either hand, either in the post or going to the lane. Both he and DeAndre Liggins have a great feel for the game.

JOSH HARRELLSON

One of the first things you notice about him is how wide he is. He isn’t Robert Traylor or anybody like that, but he’s still very big. Another good thing that needs mentioning is how he has a very good nose for the ball. He doesn’t have the athleticism to win a battle on the boards with a guy like Joey Dorsey, but he can counter that lack of athleticism with his magnet hands and nose for the ball. That’s such an underrated asset for a player to have, but the more guys like that you have on a team, the better off everybody will be in long run, and I’m thinking of 2003 when I say that. Also, his midrange jumper is good enough that it will be difficult to continuously double team Patterson when both of them are in the lineup together. He might end up being Patterson’s favorite teammate because of this.

RAMON HARRIS

You always want to take news on Razor with a grain of salt when it comes to a non-game situation, but he looked like his primary weakness (ball handling) had improved somewhat. I believe that he has the mindset to be more aggressive on offense, but he hasn’t had the skills to put the plan to action. With a handle as improved as it was this weekend, the aggression will pick up, just like it did on Saturday. He showed some nice moves and capped off the day with a huge dunk.

JON HOOD

There’s still a lot of time left for Jon, but he has grown since the last ratings came out. He is now a legit 6’6”, and there might be room for a little more growth. I think Hood may have been a bit overwhelmed to start the day, but as the games went on, his play got a lot better. The form on his shot is very good and the accuracy is also good, but there is hardly any rotation on it. This is very odd, and it may need to be worked on some more. Luckily, there’s still a lot of time for him.

DEANDRE LIGGINS

Liggins didn’t play as well in this set of scrimmages as he did in the one from a few weeks ago, but that isn’t a big problem in my opinion. Like Kevin Galloway, he is very smooth, which is what you love to hear about your potential starting point guard. He looked to push at any chance he could, which is a welcome change from years past. He had some nice assists on penetration and kickouts for open threes. If Kentucky has a penetrating guard, the offense will look great more often than not.

JODIE MEEKS

It looks like Jodie is injury-free. He was back to his freshman year speed and quickness that we all know and love. The shot was quick, and while they didn’t go in at the rate that we’d all like to see, they at least looked good. I’ve said the same thing about guys like Chris Lofton and Shan(e) Foster whenever they missed against Kentucky – well, it missed, but it looked good. He even took it to the rack a few times, but his handle is not good enough to play point guard in case of a slew of injuries.

PATRICK PATTERSON

First things first, this is a firsthand story. The players all came out at once and got a polite response. Then, about 20-30 seconds later, Patterson came out and received a standing ovation from the crowd. Patrick hasn’t been allowed to practice for very long, so he doesn’t look like he could play 40 minutes right now, though I have no doubt that this won’t be a problem a month from now. In a limited role, he looked like the same old Patrick Patterson, which is a good thing.

MATTHEW PILGRIM

It’s official, I need to see this kid play. EVERY single account I have read has said he’s a beast. Once again, he was the best player on the floor this weekend. When he got it down low, people just needed to get out of his way, as he had quite a few thunderous dunks. He also hit the face-up jumper between 12-15 feet out, and even stepped back and made a three. Another thing I’ve read in every account is that he has a mean streak, but it’s a good mean streak because it’s a competitive one.

DONALD WILLIAMS

This was the pleasant surprise of the day. Williams threw down some impressive dunks in the warmups, showing off his athleticism. Then when the scrimmages began, he started scoring. He is a terrific backcourt scorer. His shot is streaky, but when it’s going in, he’s lights out. Because of this, he may show some tendencies of being a gun, but who cares if the shots are falling? I can see this guy come in like Mu Evans in 1998 and provide instant offense for this team.

Well, those are the guys who stood out. I hope you enjoyed the report, and I hope they do it one more time before Madness. But now, I have to stop because it’s four hours until Sox/Twins and I have to get my game face on.

I’m Seth Stogsdill, and you can put that on the board.