Joker Phillips will be removed as Kentucky head coach after this season. (Wesley Hitt, Getty Images)

The University of Kentucky will be searching for a new head football coach this offseason. In an open letter posted to the university’s official athletics site, Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart announced that Joker Phillips will be relieved of his duties after three years in charge of the team. The change will take place at the conclusion of the current season, as the Wildcats have two games remaining on their schedule.

Phillips has endured an especially rough season in 2012, as his Wildcats went 1-9, including a 0-7 mark in the Southeastern Conference. The team plays Samford at home next weekend before concluding their season with a trip to Tennessee.

After much conversation, evaluation and prayer, I have determined that it is in the best interest of our athletics program to make a change in our football coaching staff at the conclusion of the season. I do so with a heavy heart for a man who has served his alma mater for almost 22 years as a player and a coach. Joker Phillips has carried the banner for the Blue and White with honor and pride. I have enjoyed working alongside him and am thankful for his friendship for the last decade. His concern for the entire program, his work and teaching of young people, his humanitarian work, and the friendship we all enjoy with him will long surpass the scoreboard. I want to thank him for all of those things on behalf of Kentucky.

Andrew Wiggins has been ranked the nation’s top basketball recruit all summer, but college coaches and boosters have anxiously awaited his decision on when he’ll take his game to the next level. Wiggins ended speculation by deciding to reclassify from the Class of 2014 to the Class of 2013 today.

Huntington (W.V.) Prep coach Rob Fulford confirmed Wiggins’ decision on Twitter:

Spoke to Andrew father Mitch. Both he and Andrew are comfortable with him reclassifying to 2013. He wants to concentrate on school & season—
Rob Fulford (@rfulford) October 25, 2012

Fulford told Scout.com that Wiggins is more than ready.

He didn’t need to be in high school another year,” Fulford said. “Obviously it’s been the question of the summer,” Fulford said. “Our stance from the get go would be that we would support Andrew’s decision in whatever direction he decided. But this is the smart decision for him.

“His grades are good and he has enough credits,” the Huntington Prep coach continued. “We’ll just have to enroll him in an additional English course so he can graduate on time.”

The 6-foot-8 son of former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins and Marita Payne-Wiggins, who won two track-and-field silver medals for Canada in the 1984 Olympics, is being recruited by Kentucky, Florida State, North Carolina, Ohio State and Kansas among others.

Wiggins confidently detailed his approach and plan for getting himself into the NBA to USA Today.

“I just try to kill whoever is guarding me,” Wiggins said. “I don’t practice to play against people in high school like Julius Randle and Jabari Parker. I practice to play against guys in the NBA because I want to be better than them. I practice to beat the best player in the world because I want to be the best player in the world.”

Aaron and Andrew Harrison announced their commitment to Kentucky this afternoon.

Andrew and Aaron Harrison decide to go to Kentucky. #sorryterps—
David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) October 04, 2012

The highly recruited twin brothers out of Texas had narrowed their list to Kentucky and Maryland.

Many had speculated that UnderArmour founder Kevin Plank’s ties to Maryland would help land the coveted duo for the 17-15 Terps.

The twins’ father, Aaron Harrison Sr., has been outspoken as to the type of coach he was not going to let his sons play for:

“For college coaches to come in and tell me, ‘I’m holier than thou,’ it doesn’t work like that,” Harrison Sr. said in a recent interview. “You are in that business because that business makes a lot of money. That means you are pushed by money..”

Kentucky’s John Calipari is comfortable Nerlens Noel will play in ’12-13.(AFP/Getty Images)

The USA TODAY reports Kentucky coach John Calipari feels “comfortable” that freshman center Nerlens Noel will be able to play for the Wildcats this season.

Noel’s academic and amateur standing have been the subjects of speculation this summer. After the NCAA cleared Noel’s reclassified standing, SI.com’s Pete Thamel reported that the NCAA was expanding its inquiry into his amateur status.

While Noel, a 6-11 center from Everett, Mass and USA TODAY’s high school player of the year, has remained silent since enrolling in August, Calipari spoke on his top recruit’s near future.

“We feel comfortable. “It’s a review that those kinds of players go through. When you reclassify, you’re going to have reviews. When you reclassify and some people are mad you reclassified, there are going to be some reviews. That’s how it is. We’re comfortable that he’s done everything he was supposed to do.”

Kentucky is hoping Noel, who picked the Wildcats over Georgetown and Syracuse, can provide a  dominating inside defensive presence similar to Anthony Davis, who became the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

Nike co-founder Phil Knight will be honored by two basketball tournaments in 2017. (Scott Halleran/Getty Images Sport)

In honor of Nike co-founder Phil Knight’s 80th birthday, 16 teams sponsored by Nike will take part in two, eight-team tournaments during Nov. 2017, reports ESPN’s Andy Katz.

The two tournaments will include many of the nation’s top programs: Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State, Florida, Ohio State, Georgetown, Connecticut, Oregon, Stanford, Xavier, Butler, Oklahoma, Texas, Portland and Gonzaga, Katz reports.

Knight’s 80th birthday will be Feb. 24, 2018.

The two-tournament format comes because teams from the same conference can’t play in the same tournament, Katz reports.

Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis was reportedly the driving force behind the event.

“All of these great basketball programs have been supported by Phil Knight and Nike,” Hollis said. “His support of the programs have created scholarships and resources for these departments to excel.”

The tournament could still have to adjust if any of the programs change sponsors or conferences in the next five years.

The University of Kentucky men’s basketball team has been invited to visit the White House this Friday, according to a tweet from head coach John Calipari.

We have been invited to meet President Barack Obama at the White House on Friday.

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) May 1, 2012

The amazing thing is the first thing that was said when the horn sounded in New Orleans was, “We’re going to the White House!”

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) May 1, 2012

The Wildcats defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 67-59 in the National Championship game in early April to earn their eighth overall NCAA title, and their first since 1998. The club finished with a 38-2 overall record, helping Calipari improve his record with Kentucky to 102-14.

Following the team’s victory, the entire starting lineup announced that they will be leaving school to enter the NBA draft.

Former University of Maryland head coach Gary Williams told ESPN 980 yesterday that he believes the Kentucky Wildcats could beat the Washington Wizards.

As transcribed by the Washington Post:

“I’ll tell you, you walk into some gyms — and that would be one of them, Rupp Arena — and you better be tough,” Williams said. “Regardless of how good you are, you can get taken right out of the game with the crowd. You just don’t feel right, you can’t play your game.

“I think one game — Kentucky couldn’t play in the NBA or anything like that — but one game at Rupp Arena, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kentucky win one game. Because you’re gonna have five players off that team playing in the NBA, and probably playing significant roles in the NBA. And that’s why I say that, for one game.”

Last week, television analyst and former NBA legend Charles Barkley said that he thought Kentucky could beat the Charlotte Bobcats or the Toronto Raptors. The Wildcats recently earned a bid to the Final Four, and have lost just two games this season.

Currently the Wizards have the second worst record in the NBA, at 11-38. Their best player, John Wall, played for Kentucky two years ago before being drafted No. 1 overall by the Wizards.

A University of Kentucky student, nicknamed “Carrot Top,” challenged star basketball player Anthony Davis to a game of one on one. Davis responded with this monster slam:

Davis has averaged 12.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks per game in 15 contests for the Wildcats in this his freshman year.

Many expect Davis to be a lottery pick in this summer’s NBA draft.