When
Kentucky hired Billy Gillispie to succeed Tubby Smith, Bret Bearup
thought his alma mater had made a “great hire” based on what he knew.

Bearup had played at Kentucky under Joe Hall and had developed
numerous high-profile basketball contacts thought his business before
he eventually moved into his current role as an advisor with the Denver
Nuggets.

He’s still friends with Gillispie, who was fired after last
season, but has no trouble admitting that Gillispie was not right for
UK or that new coach John Calipari is a much better fit for the
Wildcats.

“Calipari is the right fit. His philosophy is perfect for
Kentucky,” Bearup said. “He’s the anti-Gillispie. I still don’t get
what went wrong with Billy. I thought he was a great hire and big-time
win for Kentucky.

“You just have to be a regular guy if you coach at Kentucky and
people will kiss your feet. They love the coach if you just treat them
right. Calipari is unbelievable in that area with his people skills.
He’s also brought in top players right away, and fans love that. He’ll
have that program back kicking butt in a hurry.”

Bearup says he sees no reason for UK not to always have quality
players and a highly-ranked team because of the Cats’ tradition,
facilities and fan base.

“That’s who Kentucky is. It was that way under Joe B. (Hall). It
was that way under Rick (Pitino). It was that way under Tubby until the
end,” Bearup said. “You have to have players, but if you cannot get
players at Kentucky with what is there, then you just can’t recruit.
Nobody should have better players than Kentucky.”

Bearup says no one should question Calipari’s recruiting skills
or think it was a fluke that he assembled the nation’s No. 1 recruiting
class at UK in his first month on the job.

“He is relentless. He’s as good a coach as Kentucky could have,”
Bearup said. “I always liked him because he is so relentless in
everything that he does.

“He can recruit as well as anybody that laces up the sneakers
because of his approach. Guys believe he’ll have big-time success
because of the line of big-time players he has put into the NBA. If you
are a high school kid, you pay attention to that. His style of play is
so conducive to the transition to the NBA that it really attracts top
kids.”

Helping Bledsoe: Jodie Meeks’ decision to play in the NBA
could be a boost to UK freshman guard Eric Bledsoe. Or at least that is
what Bledsoe’s high school coach, Maurice Ford, believes.

“Jodie was a shooter and scorer. I don’t know who else they have
to fill that role on the perimeter, but it should make it easier for
them to play together,” Ford said.

The “them” is Bledsoe and John Wall, both incoming point guards.
Ford wondered what might happen to Bledsoe after Wall, one of the
nation’s top three recruits, signed with the Cats after Bledsoe already
had. He worried that Bledsoe might find himself sitting on the bench
more than he anticipated.

Calipari insisted he would play Wall and Bledsoe together. Now it seems it will be much easier for him to do that, too.

“It will be hard for them to guard the two of them together,”
Ford said. “I kind of figured that if Jodie didn’t come back, then John
(Calipari) would have no choice but to play them together. I don’t
think (Jon) Hood is ready to play that role because he’s more of just a
spot up shooter.

“I think now that you can see Eric and John (Wall) playing a lot
more together. The situation is going to work out fine. They will make
freshman mistakes, but they will be fine in the SEC. Eric and John
(Wall) will be able to tear up a lot of people.”

Orton update: Freshman center Daniel Orton is about
halfway through his summer workout in California that is designed to
strengthen his knee that required surgery before last year and get him
in top shape for his first year with the Wildcats.

“Everything is great with him,” Larry Orton, Daniel’s father,
said after returning from California on Monday. “He wants to help
Kentucky win a national title this year. When he says he will do
something, he will do it.

“I can already see a big difference in him. People always wonder
about his leg, but nothing is wrong with his leg. He’s playing against
pros, holding his own and getting valuable experience. The workouts he
is doing are not for everybody.

“What he’s doing is very tough, but it will make him better,
stronger and tougher. He will be in great shape. There won’t be any fat
on him when he reports back to UK.”

Kentucky junior Patrick Patterson is also in California with
Orton undergoing the same training. Larry Orton says he “looks
fantastic” doing the drills and workouts that he watched last week.

“Buster and I are headed to San Francisco to spend time with
Patrick and Daniel for a week. We’re taking vacation and sight-seeing
and touring around town in addition to watching workouts to check on
Patrick and Daniel,” Twyanna Patterson, Patrick’s mother, said.