Jules Camera is getting better everyday! Did you know that if he was getting the same number of minutes as his buddy and teacher, Scott Padgett, Jules would be leading UK in scoring, rebounding, blocks and even steals !

Internet has helped an occasional battle with being homesick. With a big smile, Jules talked about his new friend, "Yeah, I was very surprised to get this e-mail from Senegal from someone going to Tennessee University. They saw me on TV, went to the web page on Kentucky and found me. I was sending them e-mail and laughing. I miss the dialect and stuff, you know." "I miss my family. During the semester break where we stay here a lot, it's tough. But, when we start playing and stuff and we have all these people around, there is no way you can get bored when you have guys like Michael Bradley, Ryan Hogan, and Desmond Allison. You can not get bored with those people." "They are funny man. It's between Mike and Ryan as to who is the funniest." "My mom calls a lot. She used to call me every other day when I was in high school. But now, she might call me once a week."

The skinny 6-foot-10-inch forward-center has changed his mental outlook on hoops. It's all part of adjusting to life in the fast lane. The end result is fewer mistakes. "Definitely, definitely," says the future UK All-American, "I'm a lot more focused. I pay attention a lot, which I didn't do when I first got here." "Everyone helps me. Mostly Scott. He tells me what to do on the court. I don't know exactly everything we do, but I know what I'm doing on the court."

It is not unusual for Kentucky players to get media requests from all over the country. But, Jules recently spent some time with a reporter from France. "He was just checking on me to see how I was doing and stuff. I tell him I was doing fine. I like this place a lot, with the adjustments I am making and stuff." Because Jules was the youngest on his national basketball team, he came to UK familiar with the media. That adjustment can often times be tough for rookies who enter UK. Jules says that reporters ask the same kind of questions, so dealing with the media that cover UK has been no problem. "They cool, no troubles," as Jules starts laughing.

On a number of occasions after I've done an interview with Jules, I will tell him to not worry about a thing, keep on working as hard, and his time will come. He always smiles and says thanks. My only piece of advise to Jules about the media has been to not pay attention to a single word that is either said or written. When I threw that at him he said, "You too ?" I said yes, he laughed and I told him to keep working hard.

When UK played in the NCAA tournament at St. Pete last March, I was the only reporter to take the 20 minute drive to Desmond Allison to do a TV story. We were amazed at his leaping ability. On a number of occasions, Allison almost had his elbow as high as the rim while trying to dunk. During the interview, it was almost shocking to hear a high school star talk about playing defense. After the taping was over, I told Allison that if he was serious about playing defense, that would be the quickest way to Tubby's heart, because most freshman can't spell the word. He smiled and said "thanks."

Well, Tubby loves his defense and his extra shooting after practice with Wayne Turner is paying great dividends. It wasn't surprising to see him start and play terrific against Mississippi St.

Two other big keys in Desmond Allison growing up quickly ? Getting used to playing in front of the big crowds at Rupp and learning to deal with the media. He is a lot more comfortable answering questions. What is refreshing is that he can admit all of this and move on like it is no big deal. It's all part of the process if you are going to succeed at UK.

With the Michael Jordan stories still floating around due to his retirement, former UK star Ron Mercer has a great one for his kids. Mercer, in his first game as a pro not only held Air Jordan to 30, but the Celtics who were down 20 came back to win. Mercer seems to be growing up quickly. After the lockout was settled, the second year pro asked Boston reporters for suggestions on how to win the fans back and talked about giving 'free' autograph sessions and buying tickets for kids.

With a shortened NBA season, lots of young legs, and this being year number two of PitinoBall in Beantown, look for the Celtics to be one of the most improved teams in the NBA. One of the quiet things that will help Boston ? Their strength coach. Former UK guru Shaun Brown could be the best. He comes close to killing his players who take it because they respect him.

Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to sportscut@mis.net . Alan Cutler is a motivational speaker, sports talk show host in Cincinnati and Lexington, and a Lexington TV sportscaster. choose to have a great day alan s. cutler sportscut@mis.net www.alancutler.com