NFL Combine including participants from ninety-three college football teams

Coach John Calipari of the Wildcats reports that Alex Poythress, a former standout basketball player for Kentucky, is battling sickness. Calipari sent a request for prayers on social media, confirming earlier claims. Poythress, a professional player in Italy, has hemiparesis, which affects one side of his face, according to Euro Hoops.

I learned last night that Alex Poythress, who plays basketball in Europe, had been ill,” wrote Calipari. “A wonderful man and one of the best athletes I’ve ever coached! Together, let’s offer up some prayers for BBN.

Poythress was diagnosed with a medical ailment subsequent to his participation in the FIBA AfroBasket 2025 Qualifiers in Africa. He is currently a member of the Cote d’Ivoire national team.

“He looked like he had hemiparesis when he came back from the games in Africa. “It’s unclear if it stems from a neurological condition or a virus,” Ettore Messina, Poythress’ coach, stated to a local news outlet. “He made the effort the other night, but it bothers him.”

In the 2012 recruiting cycle, Poythress was rated as a five-star prospect and the seventh-best player in the country. Poythress played for Calipari for four years at Kentucky, averaging 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest.

In signing as an undrafted free agent with the Indiana Pacers, Poythress joined fellow Wildcats Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets), Skal Labissiere (Sacramento Kings), and Tyler Ulis (Phoenix Suns) as the fourth member of the 2015–16 squad to make it to the NBA.

Just 12 players have amassed 900 career points, 500 career rebounds, and 70 career blocks, including Poythress. A superb student and player with integrity, Poythress completed his studies at Kentucky in just three years, and in his senior year, he became the first Academic All-American from the UK since 1995. He was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll four times.

For the third time, Reed Sheppard was selected SEC Freshman of the Week.

On Monday, it was revealed that freshman guard Reed Sheppard of the Kentucky men’s basketball team has won the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week award three times already this season.

The London, Kentucky, native, a 6-foot-3 guard, played the game of his life during UK’s thrilling victory over Mississippi State on February 27. In addition to scoring a career-high 32 points, the London, Kentucky, native also contributed five rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and two steals.

He scored twenty-three points in the second half. In the last ninety-three seconds, eleven of them were made. This season in the NCAA, it was the only game with thirty or more points, seven or more assists, five or more rebounds, two or more blocks, and two or more steals. In fact, there have only been 11 games of this kind since 1996–1997. In that period of time, it is only the second by an SEC player. Sheppard is also the only player from Kentucky to record multiple games with 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the last 25 seasons. In addition, he is the first player from Kentucky to record 30 points, five boards, and five assists in a game since Derek Anderson in November of 1996.

He averaged 21.0 points on 66.7% shooting, 54.5% from 3-point range, and a flawless 1.000% from the free throw line for the week. Each game, he added 1.0 block, 1.0 steal, and 6.5 assists. His 76 steals this season already put him third on the UK single-season list.

This season, Kentucky has seen a record-tying five Wildcats win SEC Freshman of the Week. Sheppard and DJ Wagner have each won the prize three times, while Justin Edwards, Aaron Bradshaw, and Rob Dillingham have each won it once.

When John Calipari is leading the UK, they have been dominant in the weekly SEC honors. During the Calipari era, UK has earned the most weekly SEC honors (134), including 31 SEC Player of the Week and 103 SEC Freshman of the Week trophies.

The Cats return to action on Wednesday when they visit Vanderbilt at Central Bank Center’s Rupp Arena, tipping off at 9 p.m. ET. SEC Network will broadcast the game nationwide.

The NFL Scouting Combine for 2024 has now concluded. The last set of players took the field at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday, capping the televised portion of the league’s annual scouting extravaganza.

Participating in the NFL Combine were 321 draft prospects, including representatives from 93 college football programs, who were invited by the league. For every player present in the event, we have assembled their official measurements and athletic test results.

The athletic testing consists of the following: a 40-yard dash with 10-yard splits, a 20-yard shuttle, a three-cone drill, a vertical jump, a broad jump, and a bench press (for certain position groups). The measurements include height, weight, hand size, arm length, and wingspan.

‌Keeping that in mind, scroll below to view each player’s official measurements and test results from the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.