LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Lamar Thomas is never short on words, chatting up anything and anybody no matter the subject.Hes especially talkative discussing the art of catching the football and turning it into a game-changing play, which are his primary goals coaching Kentuckys wide receivers. Developing that same big-play ability and swagger begins with mastering the important first step of consistent pass-catching, the bottom-line strategy being stressed by the former University of Miami standout and NFL veteran.Thomas is among five new assistants brought in by Wildcats coach Mark Stoops this season in hopes of making the programs first bowl appearance since 2010. Thomas arrives after two seasons at rival Louisville, which has denied Kentucky that critical sixth victory necessary for bowl eligibility the past two seasons thanks to a dynamic receiver corps he coached.Though mindful of how his cross-state move raised eyebrows in the Bluegrass State, Thomas prefers not to discuss his former job and is more focused on establishing consistency for a unit that has lacked it.Guys in that room are striving to be better, Thomas said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. Im jovial and let them know I want them to be better. Being across the field from them, I saw and heard stuff around here that guys have been very inconsistent, and they cant run from that.They have to accept it, but theyve got to get better.Thats especially important with Kentucky switching to a pro-style offensive scheme with new co-coordinators Eddie Gran and Darin Hinshaw. Asked this week whether that means receivers could be free to improvise routes, Stoops said they must understand what defenses are showing and be able to alter them.Improvement is necessary for an offense that averaged 11.5 yards per reception and managed just 10 touchdowns last season.Thomas believes the first step is finishing plays. Rather than watch video of past performances to gauge where his receivers needed growth, he viewed their workouts this spring and focused on tweaking mechanics, footwork and concentration in an effort to get it right.Its just repetition and getting them to be able to do it in their sleep, said Thomas, adding that he began noticing improvement by the end of drills.Kentucky begins practice Thursday with the return of top receivers Garrett Johnson and Dorian Baker, who each had more than 600 yards receiving and combined for five touchdowns last season. Thomas has sought to instill his passion for playing the position to them and other receivers while making sure they develop off the field.Gran credits Thomas for making an immediate impact.(Hes) someone thats been there, someone who played at a great program and played in the NFL, Gran said. All these guys want to play at that level, so he brings credibility. He gets after their tails and lets them know you cant perform like this if you want to get to that level.The Wildcats will be hard pressed keeping pace with Thomas loquaciousness, especially on social media. On Thursday, he told his nearly 10,000 Twitter followers on his UK account that he was retiring from the site before returning 30 minutes later to tweet: I just couldnt Live with myself !!!!! ... IM BACK.Stoops welcomes Thomas outspokenness and notes that personality is key to effective recruiting and coaching. For a Kentucky squad seeking its first bowl bid since 2010, its definitely part of the process.I like the way Lamar coaches, I like the way he goes about his business, the coach said. If it was just the flair I wouldnt be very into it (because) youve got to have some substance behind what you do. ... I want to see results with our receivers -- by any means necessary. Hydro Flask Clearance . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. Cheap Hydro Flask For Sale . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. http://www.discounthydroflaskcheap.com/ . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. 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OLLIE PREDICTS: 2-0 (Sky Bet odds 8/1)Ollies previous predictions... Walsall v Barnsley (0-3 agg) - (Thursday from 7.30pm, Sky Sports 1 HD) Highlights of Barnsleys 3-0 win over Walsall on Saturday I was blown away by Barnsley on Saturday - they were sensational and in Sam Winnall they could have the best player in League One. Not only is he a goal machine, he can also set up his team-mates too. The way he pulled the ball back for Adam Hammill to force the own-goal was equally as impressive as his two goals.Walsall were tactically all over the place. They tried to overplay and didnt suss the impact of the home crowd and the situation - sometimes you have to be more cautious. They now have a mountain to climb against a Barnsley team who have shown automatic promotion form in the league since Christmas. OLLIE PREDICTS: 1-2 (Sky Bet odds 11/1) RESULT - 1-3 (1-6 on agg) - Barnsley reach play-off finalLeague TwoAccrington v Wimbledon (0-1 agg) - (Wednesday from 7.30pm, Sky Sports 1 HD) Highlights of AFC Wimbledons 1-0 win over Accrington on Saturday night Accrington are in the same boat as Brighton. They missed out on automatic promotion by the skin of their teeth and now theyre staring down the barrel of play-off heartbreak.However, Ive got so much time for their manager John Coleman and I can see them getting to Wembley.dddddddddddd. Despite them missing out on the final day, Coleman still had enough class to send a txt to Bristol Rovers manager Daryl Clarke to say congratulations. Ive got a soft spot for Accrington and although Neil Ardley has done a magnificent job at Wimbledon, I think Colemans men deserve to go up. The Accrington front pair of Billy Kee and Josh Windass may just be too hot to handle on their own patch.OLLIE PREDICTS: 2-0 (Sky Bet odds 8/1) - RESULT: - 2-2 (2-3) - AFC Wimbledon reach League One play-off finalBrighton v Sheffield Wednesday (0-2 agg) - (Monday from 7.30pm, Sky Sports 1 HD)I feel for Chris Hughton - Ive never seen a game like it. A game of such magnitude and importance, and for four of your players to go down, is just unbelievable. In the space of a week they could end up losing everything. However, this is life and football can be unfair at times. Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final second leg between Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday. Hughton is a very experienced man and will do his best to put a team together to trouble a confident Wednesday outfit. Theyve got to claw back a two-goal deficit, but I think theyll give it a good go in front of their home fans, who have to create a raucous atmosphere, like the Wednesday fans did on Friday. I urge the Brighton fans to stay with their team.Can Hughtons boys do it? Of course. Will they? Theyll need everything to go their way. They may just fall short.OLLIE PREDICTS: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds 17/2) - RESULT: 1-1 (1-3) - Sheff Wed reach Championship finalHull v Derby (3-0 agg) - (Tuesday from 7.30pm, Sky Sports 2 HD)Hull were magnificent on Saturday. They performed in a way I expected them to do all season. I expect them to see the job through very easily on Tuesday.What happens at that Derby group? Those players have got to grow some. They lack character. You have to have the will do achieve something, not just the skill. It doesnt really matter who the manager is at Derby, whether its Harry Redknapp and Darren Wassall, theres a massive character flaw within that squad. The crowd went quiet. The team went quiet and they went out with a total whimper. No-one takes responsibility. Derby need to have a complete rebuild - there is something wrong at the club. Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final second leg between Hull City and Derby County. The whole group needs to be looked at and questions need to be asked. Compare it to Middlesbrough, where questions were brought up by their manager, he smashed them into place and they achieved their goal.OLLIE PREDICTS: 2-0 (Sky Bet odds 17/2) - RESULT: 0-2 (3-2) - Hull reach Championship final Also See: Brighton preview Baldock hopeful of turnaround Millwall roar to first-leg win Well go for it ' ' '