WDRB 41 Louisville - News, Weather, Sports CommunityWDRB Road Trip: Cats in Connecticut, 3 recruits sign

MONTVILLE, Conn. --- The Wildcats arrived at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Montville, Conn. just before one o'clock Thursday afternoon, in preparation for Saturday's Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. And no, UK and its roster full of 18 and 19 year olds are not staying at the casino resort but at a nearby Marriott.

Kentucky plays Penn State noon Saturday, then the winner of USF and Old Dominion Sunday.

John Calipari and the Cats practiced for more than two hours at the home of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun, after Tuesday's 75-65 win over #12 Kansas in New York. Coach Cal had clearly already broken down the tape, making reference during practice to several things he saw against the Jayhawks and emphasizing them during practice. Among the points of emphasis were defensive sliding and not getting beat off the dribble, something UK struggled with at times against Marist and Kansas.

Calipari isn't the only one giving his players feedback though. Former UK players are chiming in during the NBA lockout, with John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Patrick Patterson talking to the team in the Cats locker room after the game Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Plus, there have been phone calls.

"We didn't know if they were coming or not, who was coming. I got an interesting call from (Rajon) Rondo after the game, who says, 'Do you mind if I call the kids? I took some notes about the game.' I'm like absolutely. Call them and tell them what you think," said Calipari Thursday. "John and DeMarcus and Patrick were at the game, and then they want to be there and be a part of it. It shows we're a family. This is what we're trying to build here."

Another note: Former Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Goodson was also on-hand to watch practice at Mohegan Sun Thursday.

Elsewhere, the Cats officially introduced three top-50 signees Thursday for the Fall Signing Period for next year's freshman class: shooting guard Archie Goodwin (#4 SG by ESPNU), center Willie Cauley (#5 Center by ESPNU), and small forward Alex Poythress (#4 SG by ESPNU) . Here's how Coach Cal described his new additions before Thursday's practice in Connecticut:

Archie Goodwin
"Archie Goodwin is a combination guard, one of those scoring athletes, out of the mold a little bit of Tyreke Evans, probably a little better shooter. Tyreke was more physical at this time but a big guard."

Alex Poythress (pronounced poy-tress)
"6'9", maybe even bigger...long arms, seven foot arms...gives us another guy in the mold of the guys we have here, which make us a really long team."

Willy Cauley
"Willy Cauley is a 7-footer. He plays football! Wide receiver, cornerback, and is now really going to focus on basketball. I'm telling you. His upside and what the future holds for him...great hands, great feet. I really think he's going to be a unique guy because of his size."

As for the team's activities while in Connecticut, there is a Jay-Z and Kanye West concert at the same arena Friday night before the basketball games Saturday, but the Cats play Penn State at noon Saturday. And there's that newly instituted curfew for UK, after Terrence Jones' late night car accident the night before Marist. One team official told me some of the players are definitely going to wish they could go to this one.