Once Valerie Still found out that former University of Kentucky teammate Lisa Collins had passed away at age 59, she knew she wanted to do something special for Collins’ legacy.
     Still is UK’s all-time leading scorer with 2,763 points points and was part of the UK Alumni Distinguished Hall of Fame class in 2020.
     “I know that I could not have done what I did without the players I had around me,” said Still.
     That’s why she reached out to South Laurel High School coach Chris Souder — Collins played at Laurel County — after a reunion of the 1982 UK team that won the Southeastern Conference championship. The team never got championship rings and Still launched a fund-raising campaign to get rings for the players.
     “The only person on the team who could not attend when we finally got our rings was Lisa, who had been going through some things. We still got her ring and she was excited,” Still said. “We all knew she had some things going on but not exactly what. Then we heard she passed away.”
     Still said the team had lost coach Terry Hall in 1997 but Collins’ death really hit the players hard.
     “We were all taken aback. I just asked our group if we should do something for her and we all knew we should,” Still said.
     The former UK All-American asked Souder about the possibility of doing something for Collins donated by the 1982 SEC Tournament championship team. Still and her teammates thought it would also be best to do something for Collins in London, her hometown.
     “I knew she was well known and respected in her hometown. I thought having something at the high school would celebrate her life and pass on her legacy to future generations,” Still said. “After talking to coach Souder, he suggested having an annual high school tournament in Lisa’s honor.”
     The first Lisa Collins Classic will be Dec. 10 at South Laurel with seven teams joining host South Laurel. The schedule is as follows: 11 — Boyle County vs Pineville; 1 — Danville vs Paintsville; 3 — Mercer County vs Letcher County Central; and 5 — South Laurel vs Pulaski County.
     Still appreciated Souder’s willingness to do whatever he could to help honor the former Miss

     ESPN’s Chris Low got UK offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello to make a bold prediction about Kentucky quarterback Will Levis before the Cats played and lost 22-19 at Ole Miss last week when Levis had two costly late fumbles.
     Scangarello spent the five previous seasons in the NFL with Denver and San Francisco. He was Denver’s offensive coordinator in 2019.
     Kentucky coach Mark Stoops called Scangarello a “quarterback guru” because of his coaching not only in the NFL but the work he has done with young quarterbacks during his career.
     “Will is as talented as anyone I’ve evaluated the last five years. The only two guys I would compare him to, where you could see it clearly, would be Joe Burrow and Josh Allen,” said Scangarello.
     Burrow, the former LSU quarterback, got the Bengals to the Super Bowl last year. Allen is the reason the Buffalo Bills are favored by many to win the Super Bowl this year.
     “I think he (Levis) will be the first overall pick in the (2023) draft,” Scangarello said.
     Levis was being criticized by many after the Ole Miss loss but UK associate coach Vince Marrow, who predicted in the summer that Levis would be one of the first quarterbacks drafted, posted this on Twitter after the Mississippi loss.
     “All you dudes taking shots at Will Levis don't have a clue what the heck y'all talking. Will is a great leader and puts his body on the line every game. We wouldn't trade him for any QB in the country. The hype is real,” Marrow said.
     Levis is 97 of 141 passing for 1,405 yards and 12 touchdowns with four interceptions in five games this season. He insisted after the Ole Miss loss that Kentucky's goals could still be reached even though future games against Mississippi State and Missouri suddenly look a lot more difficult after last week's results.

     Kentucky senior Emma King’s faith is important to her and has shaped her basketball career/personal life for many years.
     Not surprisingly, she has a “lot of respect” for Oscar Tshiebwe, the unanimous national player of the year last season and a player who shares his faith as often as he can.
     “It is hard for a lot of people to share their faith on such a public platform like he does,” King said. “He has done it very well. He does not care what others care or think about what he does.
     “To see how he goes about what he does and the impact he has made on millions of people he has reached whether he knows it or not is incredible. It’s very humbling to know he has an opportunity like that and is constantly making themes of it and then still doing what he does on the basketball court.”
     King says since the two UK basketball teams share the same facility, she knows most of John Calipari’s players and that the players on both teams get along well.
     “Me and Blair (Green) helped with the Father-Daughter Camp. Me and Blair have a better relationship with some of the players, especially because of CJ (Fredrick, who is Green’s boyfriend).”

     Forward Keion Brooks gave up his final season at Kentucky to transfer to Washington about five months ago but last week posted a farewell message to Kentucky fans on his Instagram page.
     "This is a little overdue but I have to thank BBN for the 3 great years that we spent together. To my coaches and the support staff I learned so much from all of you guys and it was a blessing to be able to go in and work with y’all everyday as y’all pushed me to be the best I could be,” Brooks posted.
     “To my teammates/brothers y’all gave me relationships that I’ll have for the rest of my life and y’all inspire me everyday to go and get it!! John Calipari thanks for pushing me and challenging me to be the best version of myself. And to Big Blue Nation thanks for taking me in as the kid with the long twists in and supporting me through all the ups and downs. I’ll be a part of BBN 4life."
     Brooks averaged a career-high 10.8 points per game last season and shot a career-best 49.1 percent from the field. He had a career game in an 80-62 win over eventual national champion Kansas when he had 27 points and eight rebounds.

     North Hardin coach Brent Thompson is not surprised by the way Octavious Oxendine, his former player, is performing for Kentucky this year.
     Oxendine is a fixture in the UK defensive front and a leader on and off the field for assistant coach Anwar Stewart and defensive coordinator Brad White.
     “A lot of that goes to the amount of work he puts in every day,” Thompson said. “Fans do not always get to see the daily work. Every time he was here (on a break from UK) he wanted on our field or in the weight room.
     “He is the hardest worker we have ever had. He was never satisfied no matter how much he did or how well he did.”
     Oxendine has 11 tackles this season and two quarterback hurries but statistics do not always measure a defensive lineman’s value.
     “I do think he is better this year,” Thompson said. “One game he was quick getting off the ball but did not use his hands. Another game he was hustling to the ball better. I just tell him to continue to run like that and good things will happen.
     “I try to find little things I see and send the to him or talk to him about during the week. He is very critical of himself. He knows I will not change and I will always be one who is honest about his play. If he does not do well, I will tell him how it is. But he’s playing very well this year.”

  Quotes of the Week

Quote of the Week 1:

     “I mean this is much more of Kentucky making too many mistakes than Ole Miss playing well,” ESPN's Myron Medcalf after UK's loss at Mississippi.

Quote of the Week 2:

     “I would like to see anyone who doesn't like him. I don’t think that person exists. He is too lovable,” Milt Wagner on Louisville coach Kenny Payne, a former UK assistant coach.

Quote of the Week 3:

     "If people asked me at the end of the year, 'Hey, would you take 11-1 or 10-2?' I would say, 'No, absolutely not. What game do you want me to give up on? What game am I supposed to throw in the white towel?' We go out and compete to win every game,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops on ESPNU Radio.