2026-03-30- KSR - Hour 2

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Speaker 4: Welcome to our two of Kentucky Sports Radio present it by Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones all right.

00:01:06
Speaker 5: Welcome back Hour number two. We're gonna start with breaking news as soon as.

00:01:09
Speaker 1: We get going here, Ryan Drew sh and Jack.

00:01:13
Speaker 5: Cockham Drew Franklin with big news. It just happened.

00:01:16
Speaker 3: I mean, an email just hit the inbox as the intro music is playing. It's from UK Athletics saying Kentucky volleyball will play Penn State at Wrigley Field this year.

00:01:26
Speaker 5: That's really good, sounds awesome. That's awesome.

00:01:29
Speaker 3: September sixth, which appears to be a the Sunday after the home football opener. Kind of reading this on the fly, but yeah, Kentucky Penn State at Wrigley that's awesome. That sounds like a KSR trip.

00:01:42
Speaker 1: I've never known a volleyball game to be outside or at a stadium.

00:01:46
Speaker 5: That is really cool.

00:01:48
Speaker 3: It's the inaugural SEC Big Ten Volleyball Challenge. Beyond national TV. Obviously the Cubs are officially hosting it. That makes sense. Yeah, that's all I have now, that's crazy.

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Speaker 4: That being a windy city, you know, you think maybe the win might have a lot to do with it.

00:02:04
Speaker 5: That's true. They're also going to the Bahamas for an inaugural event. Down Down there so volleyball team.

00:02:14
Speaker 1: Yes, Wow, Craig Skinner getting it done. So there you go, breaking news. I do have another breaking news story, Shannon, you need another winding? Not yeah, I got another one, one another one.

00:02:23
Speaker 4: I don't think this might be the most un ever had.

00:02:27
Speaker 1: At one second, the state of Tennessee are now limiting baseball games.

00:02:33
Speaker 3: Just how do I turn this off? Shannon?

00:02:36
Speaker 1: Right there we go four K baseball team limits all of you. I mean the Tennessee baseball only to five innings. They're not going to play the sixth, seventh, eight or ninetheen because nobody in Tennessee plays the final four. All right, Ryan Drew, Shannon, Objack, we're getting trenating version of it.

00:02:52
Speaker 3: You're ever getting spin offs? I guess that was better than the golf.

00:02:55
Speaker 1: On Before we get to our friend Tiger Woods, I knew. I got a couple of questions here on the A Vision class text machine. Uh, Jack, did we do a couple of deals for some guys to keep for two years because the rules were changing?

00:03:09
Speaker 6: Not?

00:03:10
Speaker 5: That is not my understanding of how these deal I think it's all because of how last year's set up was with the you know, pre rev share everything was just kind of blank checks to everybody. Now that the REV share stuff and they're having to combine the pots with all that, I don't believe anybody is back for a reup on what their previous year's deal was. No, you hear anything on that Drew.

00:03:32
Speaker 3: I've not. There was like, as Jack said, are like when KENTUCKI took advantage of the rules as things were changing and they got to pay a little more than they will this year. I think it's partly why Jack Gibbons mentioned they won't have the same part they did. It was more of just how the calendar lined up. But I don't know of any two year deals. I wondered at the time if like a Hawthorn or somebody might be, but your your big names aren't signing a two year deal when they can go double dip the next The next time, they.

00:03:55
Speaker 1: Wondered, that's why, that's why the budget was twenty two million. Maybe they were signing a couple guys for two year deal. That's white inflated that number a little bit. I think it's what made us feel better about the number in real time, But maybe, uh maybe not the reality. Another one Fronavisi and glass Tex Machine. Does Drew or Jack have any scoop or scuttle butt on coaches?

00:04:14
Speaker 5: Not publicly yet, but yeah, I think you can share with us. We're just us his friends. I do think some calls are happening, and I think they're well, we'll see, but I do think that we should see some news pop up here the next next day or two. But hope Pope's hope swinging Pope seeing seeing what he can he can pull off with these with these replacements, and seeing who he can who he can hire with these replacements.

00:04:39
Speaker 3: The basketball aspect aside, I think you agree. Alvin Brooks seemed like a good dude. You knew him a little better than me. But I wish him well and his family, and that was a big deal for them to move here for a couple of years. Obviously it didn't work out, but uh, I'm wishing him the best, especially heart too. But Brooks really seemed like a great guy.

00:04:54
Speaker 1: We're probably gonna hear Rondo's name come up on the next couple of years. Would he possibly join the staff?

00:04:58
Speaker 5: So he kl tried like that was a thing. Cal tried really hard, had conversations with him. In fact, there was an event in Lexington. It was one of those just kind of donor events that that Cal told the crowd like, We're we're bringing Rondo on staff for this next year. Tyler Elis. I think that was when Rondo sort of taking classes at UK. Tyler Ellis had just gotten the student assistant job, and he was like, well, shoot, if I could get Tyler Eulis on staff, I'm getting Rondo on staff too. But I think it was a little bit more complicated on Cal's side than he realized. With you know, he had his own AAU program and some other things that would be a direct violation for you know, INCI double a reason, so he I think he was a little ambitious with his push for Rondo. But hey, I'm for it if Rondo is interested in joining the coaching staff. I wanted to be at the University of Kentucky, all right.

00:05:45
Speaker 1: We got to get to Tiger Woods over the weekend. Gets arrested for possibly driving DUI. He passed the breathalyzer test but refused to take a p test, So I guess the implication is that maybe he was allegedly on some pills or illegal drugs.

00:06:03
Speaker 5: Breaks my heart.

00:06:04
Speaker 1: I mean he is one of the top athletes of all time, like you put Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, I mean those of all time, and now to see this happen again with him Drew, it just kind of just breaks my heart a little bit.

00:06:20
Speaker 3: Definitely a big Tiger fan here. I think you were there when I cried at cass Bar when he won the Master five years ago. Was very unexpected. We had a little tear in my eye. I think it was during a Reid Travis signing. Reid even stopped signing. I think Reid might have had a tear in his eye. You know, Tiger's a legend. He was coming towards a comeback at the Masters. We're all rooting for. But this, this stuff, He's got to get under control. There's no excusing this. I don't care how much we love his golf game. He's lucky he had and killed somebody. At this point, this has already happened more times than it should. He needs to go ahead and get help. I know a lot of people say he needs to get a full time driver because he's rich. Whatever it takes. He's now gotten very lucky twice twice that we know of, So Tiger, Yes, I love to watch you hit a golf but please get some help because this could have been much worse.

00:07:03
Speaker 5: Yeah, I can't say that it any better than that, but yeah, I looked at I saw the updates unfold, and I was like, I don't know if it's two thousand and six twenty twelve, because it just feels like it's in every couple of years major setback for him, Like right when he feels right on the cusp of breaking through and kind of having his Hurah moment again, he has another setback. So yeah, I'm wishing him the best, and he's got to get a stuff together.

00:07:25
Speaker 3: The one that happened years ago, I remember, I don't know. People were trying to spin it. They're talking about, oh, it's a dangerous part of the road, it is a blind spot, okay, whatever. This one he was like flying through a suburban neighborhood when someone's pulling in their driveway, Like, come on, Tiger, we can't be doing this, Like figure it out, whether clearly whatever he's got going on with the we assume addiction to pills, whatever, but the driving, if you're going through that, don't drive. You can afford Huber, you afford a driver like this, This can't keep happening. It's it's sad, but it's also on him that he's doing it.

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Speaker 5: He could afford helicopter rides wherever he wants to go. He doesn't even need to be driving. I'm on Tiger, Shannon is sad. You know, our hero and you s either star get tarnished a little bit.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, And then that was my takeaway, the same that Drew and Jack were saying. I mean, you've got all that money, there's no excuse for you to ever be driving in that condition. I mean, if you don't have a full time driver, you can afford. I don't think Tiger's gonna get an uber, but if you wanted to, he could get an uber and to be a lot safer than him driving around hopped up on pay meds or whatever.

00:08:17
Speaker 5: It was.

00:08:18
Speaker 4: So, yeah, he's gonna kill somebody. You're right, Drew, I mean, you can't keep doing that if you're Tiger and he has so.

00:08:25
Speaker 5: What does he do? What does he do now?

00:08:28
Speaker 4: Don't get help, don't drive?

00:08:29
Speaker 3: I mean from the golf standpoint, it was he was saying stuff about a potential return. He was he just did his Total Golf League a few weeks ago. He've only missed a three foot putt and looked pretty bad. There was some excitement behind Tiger, some great pr and some people thinking, are we gonna get to see Tiger giving another run and then to have this happen. Put your clubs down and go figure out your life right now, Tiger.

00:08:51
Speaker 1: Because you know the he could be that guy like Jack Nicholas would hit the first shot at the Masters and.

00:08:58
Speaker 3: All these great Yeah, golf star every player, Arnold. I know what you're saying, the ceremonial show and golf needs that.

00:09:04
Speaker 5: Can he be still be that guy?

00:09:06
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, he can still be that, But right now he needs to to, you know, get help. Quit being selfish and getting on the road in that condition. Because, as I said, when you're passing people in this suburb as they're pulling their driveway, you're out of control. And it's lucky hadn't been much work. I mean, it's car flipped over. Here's lucky, there's no injuries.

00:09:21
Speaker 5: Very true.

00:09:22
Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, eight five nine, two two eighty seven. Go back to the phone line till we got channings.

00:09:26
Speaker 3: Go to Alvin.

00:09:27
Speaker 5: Alvin, go ahead, Alvin didn't hear.

00:09:29
Speaker 7: From you, Hey, Hey, likewise, thank you a lot. Yeah. I think Blue Charlie needs Tiger Woods. He has a great young son. There's going to be a promising golfer. We don't like to see superstars having this type of incidents, similar to Mike Tyson and and others title Woods as a icon in certain generations, a great golfer. I do have a question for your panel. If you can win guys this championship, do they move And to the blue blood conversation, which I really think is that antiquated blue blood And if they do, who would they replace? I would I think Indiana needs to be removed and maybe you'll see la So I wanted you to, you know, comment on that, to see if they would change the lineup. Regarding blue bloods.

00:10:22
Speaker 1: Appreciate Alvin. I think they are already of blue blood.

00:10:24
Speaker 5: They are. I mean they're already.

00:10:26
Speaker 4: There six and twenty what seven years twenty eight years six, it's nineteen ninety nine.

00:10:31
Speaker 1: They're sneaking up on Kentucky. We gotta be careful that we're gonna get past.

00:10:34
Speaker 3: So sneaking up. They have six to our one since nineteen My goodness, that's gross. I imagine they get a seventh. Yeah, I mean they deserve everything that's being said about them. Like Alvin said, I don't know how much blue blood still exists Corey and Rick Pottino, they're dead. But if they're if there's still the conversation of blue bloods, you have to put you coning in it right now.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, I think that the conversation has been over. I think they've been a blue blood. I'm more concerned about they're standing compared to ours and in terms of like the trajectory and where things are going. But I mean they were talking about Villanova being a blue blood and if they belong in the conversation when they went on their little Jay Wright run, So I you know, Yukon is absolutely deserving, and I think another one would only add to that.

00:11:17
Speaker 1: You know, I got Joe's I've said this before. Josiah is nineteen years old. He's he didn't even remember Kentucky winning the twenty twelve title, but he remembers Yukon all these titles they've won. So for the younger generation, Yukon is the UCLA of our generation. They just they're the superstar team right now.

00:11:35
Speaker 3: Kind of are especially they had another one, and compared to Indiana, I guess my math's right. Indiana has one final four appearance to Yukon's six national titles. Oh wow since nineteen ninety nine. So if you're trying to put Indiana in that group, they're definitely getting kicked out.

00:11:49
Speaker 5: Here's my thing is Hurley? If he gets three of four, does he start kind of getting his wandering eye going, I've accomplished everything that I because that was the speculation when he you know, Kentucky tried for him, the Lakers tried for him. It was like, hey, you've already won two, Like what more could you need? He gets three of four and is kind of established himself atop the sport. Does he kind of start going, maybe I can test myself somewhere else and see if I can do it, you know, a bigger, bigger powerhouse, so to speak.

00:12:20
Speaker 1: Would Hurley have worked here ooh.

00:12:23
Speaker 6: Not.

00:12:25
Speaker 5: With Bonhart, but but himself as a coach, Yes, because he's Dan Hurly and he could coach anybody to a championship.

00:12:32
Speaker 3: So yeah, probably he'd work about anywhere in college. If he were to the NBA, that would not work the way he acts doing that to a mega millionaire, think of someone a name him name an NBA superstar. I don't know if they're going to take the Dan Hurley level of coaching. So if he stays in college, I think he'd win anywhere. If he tries to make the jump in the pros, I don't see his style working at that level.

00:12:53
Speaker 1: Yeah, can you see him doing it with Draymond Green.

00:12:56
Speaker 3: Or even like Yanna, anybody up in their face.

00:13:00
Speaker 5: I mean there was a real chance that he was going to do it with Lebron and Luca like that would not have I'm confident in that.

00:13:07
Speaker 3: I mean Lebron won't even listen to JJ Reddick. I mean I definitely not listened to Herley get in his face.

00:13:13
Speaker 1: You see, Luca got his sixteenth technical already this season, sixteen technicals. So I heard him say what the record was, Shannon, know what the record is for most technicals in an NBA season?

00:13:21
Speaker 5: NBA season?

00:13:22
Speaker 4: I'm going to say, Dennis Robin has it? Am I right or wrong?

00:13:25
Speaker 5: No? No, you guy's got to guess who has it?

00:13:27
Speaker 3: Marcus Cousins, No, it's Wallace.

00:13:31
Speaker 1: Yes, Yeah, that's an easy one for she was with you know, how many he's got, No, I don't know he has game season forty one.

00:13:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, I figured it's probably him by miles forty one technicals.

00:13:43
Speaker 5: In an eighty two game season.

00:13:44
Speaker 4: The other game he was getting teed up.

00:13:46
Speaker 1: So Luca's got sixteen right now with several one was only like, what ten games left or something.

00:13:51
Speaker 4: He's got a long way to go.

00:13:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, all right, Well take a break, come back eight five, nine, two to eight seven, Ryan Drew, Shannon Jack will be right back.

00:13:58
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00:14:16
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00:14:48
Speaker 1: Five nine two two eight seven. Let's get a phone call.

00:14:50
Speaker 5: We got a chance. Who he got.

00:14:51
Speaker 1: Let's go to Roland. Roland, go ahead, Roland.

00:14:55
Speaker 8: Hey, Yo, I'm around asketball, and I be a minority on this, but I I do not like Marino's games. I mean to me, he doesn't roll to the rim, he doesn't attack the rim. He like shy on rebound, and he's shy on getting over where he needs to be. And I just, you know, I just don't like Marino's game. It's just, you know, we need somebody that's ready to attack the rim.

00:15:28
Speaker 9: We don't need any guys like that.

00:15:33
Speaker 8: And all right, you know, recruiting real quick, just recruiting.

00:15:38
Speaker 9: All they need is twelve guys. You need four guys from from six TOI to six six. You need four guys from six to six to six.

00:15:47
Speaker 8: Man, and you need four gas six man and over.

00:15:51
Speaker 9: It is that stop.

00:15:51
Speaker 5: Wadn't simple.

00:15:54
Speaker 9: We just need attackers, not these guys that are.

00:15:58
Speaker 1: Stuff rolling to appreciate it, we'll put you on the staff. What do you guys think about Roland's philosophy about Malachai and four four and four.

00:16:06
Speaker 3: I mean, Malachi has a lot of places needs to improve. I feel like people a little hard on on a guy who plays the center position and was just playing against Madison Central and Frederick Douglass a year ago, and then he jumps to the SEC. You know, Jack mentioned he's the little physical hands need to get better. But at some point, like I think we got it burned in our brains from the Cow era like that, players just are what they are for one year. Like I think Malachi has a great chance to grow. I think you had a lot of growth in one season. Sure, there's a lot of things he can work on, but I don't think you throw them away right away over freshman year, especially for a center that has to make that big jump from high school to the SEC.

00:16:42
Speaker 5: Yeah, we gotta remember a nineteen year old kid man like true, he it wasn't supposed to be where he like it was gonna be. Jaden Quainton's team and Brandon Garrison backing him up in Malachai playing eight twelve minutes a game. Yeah, he got thrust into that position, not his fault, and he outperformed the expectation for what it was coming in. And like, I feel like he just put him in a really tough spot for the fans where at the end they just leaned on him so much to be something that he's not yet. But he showed so many flashes of being that all American type of talent. And I think we also have the recency bias with Amari Williams being the complete perfect product as a twenty two to twenty three year old, So like he was four years advance beyond what Malachi is right now. Just give him time. Where he is right now, he's already exceeded all expectations, and I think he could be a star at Kentucky if anything.

00:17:37
Speaker 3: Pope feiled building the front court where Malachi had to be the guys a freshman. That was not true plan. It's just that you know, acquaintance we didn't get to see, and then Garrison didn't make that big jump right that everyone was assured what happened. So Malachi was already doing more than he was recruited to, and I think he's got a lot left in him.

00:17:53
Speaker 1: This from the Avisian Last Tech Machine. I'd like to hear Jack go through the current players and give his percentage chance of each coming back. We did it with Matt the other day. You feel comfortable doing it, we go go real quick and dure. You can jump in when you've got an update. Sure, all right, you gotta read them. Okay, let's do Malachi first.

00:18:10
Speaker 5: Stay.

00:18:10
Speaker 1: Are we doing like a percentage chance? The percentage chance? Matt loves percentage chances.

00:18:14
Speaker 5: Okay, uh seventy.

00:18:17
Speaker 3: Uh yeah, I think I said seventy five when we did this last week. I'll stick with that.

00:18:20
Speaker 5: I said fifty. I jump it up to down like eighty.

00:18:23
Speaker 3: I just don't think Pope can let that happen. If he sees a foot out the door, he needs to make sure he pulls him back to Shannon.

00:18:29
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think he's coming back. Seventy five, I'll say.

00:18:32
Speaker 5: Brandon Garrison twenty five percent.

00:18:37
Speaker 3: I was fifty. I'm gonna go lower to thirty.

00:18:41
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:18:41
Speaker 1: I think I was about forty. And you know, he has a child that's in Oklahoma, and maybe he wants to go back closer to the child.

00:18:48
Speaker 5: I can see some things than random.

00:18:49
Speaker 3: And he was paid so much this year that you just can't you can't, you can't run it back of that.

00:18:54
Speaker 5: That's right, Shannon, I.

00:18:55
Speaker 4: Think he's gone. I think I said ten or fifteen last week, so I'll stick with that.

00:19:00
Speaker 5: Cameron Williams. Cam Williams, uh, fifty percent.

00:19:06
Speaker 3: Oh so open. Jack will be a little higher too, me too. I'll say seventy.

00:19:11
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:19:11
Speaker 1: I was gonna like seventy. I thought he was a guy that was maybe leaning more towards Jack may know something.

00:19:15
Speaker 5: What about you shoot out?

00:19:16
Speaker 4: You need back, give you some three point shooting. I'll say sixty.

00:19:19
Speaker 1: Colin Chandler, there's a lot of scuttle butt about him on the socials this weekend.

00:19:25
Speaker 3: I'm still gonna go high. I know b Yu wants. That's something we have to assume was gonna happen. Yeah, just unique circumstances there. I still think he's got a connection to Pope and he really likes this place and then he'll see it through. But it's not as high as I want it to be. I'll say he's seventy.

00:19:44
Speaker 5: Seventy, Yeah, pretty high.

00:19:45
Speaker 1: Seventy Dan, I'd go with that, Yeah, Trent Noah.

00:19:51
Speaker 5: That's that's the coin flip, because I think that there's a real pull for him internally to like he wants to play, like he's like, he doesn't want to be a token kid at the end of the bench is you know, Victory cigar kid like. I think he wants to play, But I think he will also make much more money here than anywhere else with the organic, local nil and he wouldn't take up a bunch of the you know, the rev share cap cap dollars. So I think it's gonna be do you value wearing the jersey and making a lot of money or playing somewhere and probably dropping down a level. So I'm gonna go coin flip. I'm saying fifty.

00:20:24
Speaker 3: Same here for what he just said. I mean, he will not find better support than he has here obviously. I mean there are people screaming for him at the end of season. They wanted more Trent Noah. He has that Kentucky fan base that would be hard to get away from. But at the same time, he's done two years of it. Maybe he wants to go somewhere where we can get up a bunch of shots the game. He'll just come down to what's between his ears. But I'll keep it at a coin flip because it would be hard to turn down the money and the fan support and Lexigon, even though it'd be likely a smaller role.

00:20:49
Speaker 4: Shannon, I'll see him as another Travis Perry, you know, and maybe that's just because he's a Kentucky guy. Good three point shooter, you know, that didn't necessarily perform like we thought he was going to. So I think he goes somewhere else. I'll say there's a thirty percent chance he comes back.

00:21:04
Speaker 1: Brandon Hawthorne, Braden Braden, Biden Hawthorne.

00:21:08
Speaker 5: Sorry, fifty percent, really fifty Now that ain't good?

00:21:15
Speaker 3: No, He's well he did. They're aware because if you want Stokes and you want Cam Williams, you can see where Hawthorne is like, well, I don't not really spot for me. If they do get Stokes and Williams comes back, I'll to be different than Jack. I'll say fifty five, but he's probably waiting to see what pans out.

00:21:29
Speaker 1: If I'm guessing, yeah, Shannon, I think he comes back.

00:21:31
Speaker 4: I'll go seventy five.

00:21:33
Speaker 5: Jasper Johnson ten he's gone uh twenty twenty percent.

00:21:42
Speaker 3: You and I went really low last week on this. I think I said one or two. I will raise it to fifteen, but I still think it's unlikely.

00:21:51
Speaker 1: And here's the in A reset would probably be good for him to me. The biggest wild card Aberdeen.

00:21:57
Speaker 5: Oh, he has no eligibility, so I'm gonna say he's going.

00:21:59
Speaker 3: To get to Yeah, I'm going to go zero percent on Aberdeen in no way.

00:22:04
Speaker 5: I don't know why I said Aberdeen.

00:22:05
Speaker 3: Also, I go zero percent. Got another year, right, Oh way, I'll go zero on Jason Hard, zero on Alvin Brooks.

00:22:14
Speaker 5: Let's try to get uh third, thirty five percent.

00:22:22
Speaker 3: I'll go fifty. I heard mid year things were optimistic about it on both sides, that those conversations were going well as the season progressed. But you know, you get to this stage of the calendar and their phones are ringing and offers they didn't have start showing up.

00:22:35
Speaker 4: Shannon, We'll go forty, go right in the middle between those two.

00:22:37
Speaker 1: See, I was kind of lower on him. Now I'm kind of a little bit higher on him than I was originally. So Pope, I think once that physical number four guy, I get a shooter.

00:22:47
Speaker 3: He's another one I'd love to have back, only if the team is built the right way. We saw how it hurts the offense with him at the four and not be able to get spacing. But if you if you have spacing and shooters and need him to come off the bench and do what he did at the end of the year, I would love to have him back.

00:23:00
Speaker 1: About out of time, we got do yellowch yet, Uh say thirty five, yeah, Shannon, thirty. Well, this didn't go as well as we did last the other day doing Mark Fox, Mark Fox, Guys, do Mark Fox.

00:23:15
Speaker 3: Just keep watching coaching staff moves forty.

00:23:19
Speaker 5: We'll take our break. We'll be right back taking s poage radio. TJ Smith personal injury attorney call TJ. He'll make them pay.

00:23:26
Speaker 4: Now more of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Here's Matt Jones.

00:23:31
Speaker 1: All right, welcome back, Ryan, Drew, Shannon and Jack Pilgrim. Here can take a sports radio taking your calls eight five nine two two two eighty seven. Uh, and our breakdown the players. I did forget Rhys Potter.

00:23:42
Speaker 5: He said after after the season ended that he was like, I don't care. I just want to be here. I love, you know, being a part of this, and you know Pope will have me back. I'll be back. And I know he wasn't making a ton of money and you're one as a red shirt anyway, So I think the plan is for him for him to come back. But you know, I think he's one of those end of bench. We'll we'll see what happened guys that you know, But I expect him back.

00:24:06
Speaker 3: I do too, And since he didn't play this year, you know, I don't know that his phone will be ringing with huge offers because he didn't really show anything at the next level. So just knowing his connection to UK and being from here, I would expect him to run it back another season.

00:24:18
Speaker 5: The difference with Hawthorne as the red shirt thing is Hawthorne was a top forty recruit. Like NBA draft interest, there there will be a bidding war for him, at least the back channels of people wanting to come and steal him as a potential star piece for their respective program. So that's part of the reason why I think Brayden, like, does he get out priced for Kentucky versus what they're willing to pay.

00:24:42
Speaker 1: You believe that Hawthorne was about to get his red shirt pool but he's brained his ankle.

00:24:47
Speaker 5: I don't. I mean my understanding of the people that actually watched practice that he was awesome, showed flashes of it, but he red shirted for a reason. If he was good enough to play, he would be playing. You know, he was way too skinny, way to raw, immature like that was a common thing that popped up with him, just you know, a little a little too physically and mentally immature to be a serious competitor. Competitor right now. But next season could be awesome for him if he does does to come back.

00:25:15
Speaker 1: Shannon got a story for you, all right. The guy named Tucker Johnson who played for Hazard Basketball that looked like Kurt Rambus.

00:25:22
Speaker 5: Oh yeah, I was talking about him.

00:25:24
Speaker 4: Fan of this guy.

00:25:24
Speaker 1: Yeah, he came to ks Bar, has the hair, has the glasses, looks like Kurt Rambus. As soon as the Hazard got beat and soon as the high school basketball scene was over, guess what he started doing. Duck hunting, training to be a wrestler. It's perfect, It's perfect. The guy looks like Kurt Rambus. He's from Hazard and he's training to be a professional wrestler, the.

00:25:50
Speaker 4: Guy that doesn't need a gimmick like he is his own gimmick.

00:25:52
Speaker 1: He is his own gimmick. So I loved it.

00:25:55
Speaker 4: Do we think that maybe he's gonna end up at ov W, you know, training grounds for wrestling in the country, So.

00:26:01
Speaker 1: Him and Cash Daniel future tag team partners. I mean from the mountains. It's perfect both those guys. So so he's now my new favorite. Well, Cash is my favorite, Tuck Tuck Johnson's my second favorite.

00:26:15
Speaker 3: Cash is your favorite because he put you through a table.

00:26:17
Speaker 5: That's true.

00:26:17
Speaker 3: Did you see the Abbey horn seck reporter get body slammed and made me think of your Derby. Oh, she took a supplex from a female wrestler. Her neck almost snaps. I know this is radio. Can't give you the video here, but you'll have to watch it. Okay, she voluntarily takes a supplex, but she is inches her next surrounded me of your Derby.

00:26:38
Speaker 5: She took it in stride, I mean she did, she was on the job.

00:26:42
Speaker 3: Yeah, but she hops right up and finishes the live head. But you know she's hurting and she probably didn't know how close she was to a long term effects. There's a nasty supplex eight five nine two two to eight seven. Who's next, Shannon N Kevin?

00:26:56
Speaker 10: Go ahead, Kevin, Yeah, thanks for taking the call.

00:26:59
Speaker 5: Guys.

00:27:00
Speaker 10: Uh, you may have said this earlier in the show, so sorry if it's a repeat. But what are your uh, what's your opinions on on Stokes? You're you know your you're I guess what what is your gut telling you? I'll just give you mine real quick. I think if he wanted to come to Kentucky be here already, he seems to be waiting on uh, you know, I guess a clear future for for Bill self.

00:27:24
Speaker 2: So.

00:27:25
Speaker 10: And and to me if if that's if he if he wants to go to Kansas, that bad, then then even though we need players, he just doesn't seem like he really wants to be here, in my opinion, So I'll hang up and listen to your call.

00:27:37
Speaker 5: All right, Kevin, appreciate it what you're hearing. Jack. I I prefaced by saying I think Kentucky, that Kansas is the leader, has been the leader, better relationships with the Kansas staff, all of those things are very true. But why is he not committed to Kansas?

00:27:51
Speaker 10: Then?

00:27:51
Speaker 5: Like Why why are we still doing this song and dance with him if it's just been a shoe in lock for for Kansas this whole time, So you can't kind of have it both ways when we're you know, weighing both of these things. Though he doesn't really want to be here, well, it doesn't sound like he really is dying to be a Kansas because he's still not committed there too. The Bill self thing, I think that's something to really monitor. That is he just going to pull a Bruce Pearl Steven Pearl deal where he's going to coach the guys throughout the summer and then once you get the day before the official start of fall practice, say, Coach Vaughn, you're now the head coach and I'm calling it a career. I think that's something that if I'm Mark Pope, I need to be leaning super super super hard into and say, like, you don't know if the guy of it is promising you to be your head coach is even going to be your head coach. So I think the longer this drags out, it helps Kentucky. I do think that the Nike thing is very real. I think that's been probably the biggest hang up in his entire recruitment is will he if he goes to Kansas, will they let him wear Nike? Would he ever be willing to wear Adidas? Given his contracts and all that. I think that's a really problematic thing for him that he's trying to sift through. So I think the longer this drags out is better for Kentucky. But all things considered that the momentum is still still in Kansas's way.

00:29:05
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's pretty clear he prefers Kansas, but the Adidas Nike thing and Bill self, he just can't pull the trigger yet or hasn't. I know, Kentucky fans kind of grown it being the second option. But if he ends up a Kentucky next year, when it's ten minutes left in the Louisville game, I'll tell you what I'm not thinking about that he thought about Kansas and April. I don't care if we're fit on his list. If he ends up putting the jersey on, I don't think twice about what is happening right now, So that doesn't bother me at all that maybe second on his list. If he ends up, you know, putting Kentucky on top, we're fine with whatever he's going through his mind right now. I mean Terrence Jones committed to Washington and then coach Cal called him a day later and say, hey, bub, what are we doing? And he switched to you know, we were fine. We were fine after that.

00:29:47
Speaker 1: Are you are you putting any traction to the Jamal Crawford interviews with Kentucky possibly assistant coach and he's connected with Stokes or anything.

00:29:56
Speaker 5: Not yet. I think that's something that I'd love for Pope to call and see see, you know, pick his brain a little bit about. But like, my understanding is that Jamal loves where he is. He's got that super cushy NBA on NBC job that you know, he's coaching his his you know, eighth grade son in Seattle. So I think it's something that it Pope needs to see if he can swing for the fences on that one. But my understanding is that he's he's content with where he is. But you know, worth a phone.

00:30:28
Speaker 1: Call eight five nine two two two eighty seven. Who's next, Shannon, Let's go to Jacob. Jacob, go ahead, Jacob, Hey.

00:30:36
Speaker 11: Guys, good morning morning. I love this team.

00:30:40
Speaker 5: Man.

00:30:40
Speaker 11: I didn't like the outcome. But I love this team. I love the Cats no matter who goes on the jerseys. I do worry about Tyron Stokes being a Darren Peterson type. Granted, I love the kid. If he came, no matter what he did, if he puts up thirty at night, you know we're gonna love him. But with the and I hate all the fake media on Facebook, I don't know what to believe what not. I mean, you can obviously tell what not to believe. But with the landscape of black Box, and of course we got Mo Williams committed, which is awesome. Who could you possibly see starting for Kentucky next year?

00:31:25
Speaker 1: I appreciate Jay go on if you know, if you find out it is a summer show, so why not. Who would you foresee a potential starting line up next year?

00:31:34
Speaker 3: Oh my goodness? Good optimistic? Yeah, I'll say Malachi. I mean, like the dream lineup would have Stokes in it, maybe some dink Pat there's three. I don't know. I mean, if we're just dreaming.

00:31:47
Speaker 5: Colin and Cam there's our five.

00:31:49
Speaker 3: Well, we need a good point Guarden. I mean, I would love to go to Vanderbilt and take him, or there's a lot of them I'd love to have, but right now, it's so early in the portal process, I don't have much optimism at the point ard spot.

00:32:01
Speaker 5: Superstar point guard, not gonna name names, but just superstar point guard to the announced point guard Colin Stokes. Yeah, let's go. Yeah, let's do that, all right, Superstar point Guard, Colin Dink, pat Tyron Stokes, Malachi Marino, there you go the.

00:32:20
Speaker 3: Bench.

00:32:21
Speaker 5: Heck, yes, let's do it. And Aberdeen Aberdeen with his make believe a six year senior Cam William six Man.

00:32:29
Speaker 3: Of the Year.

00:32:30
Speaker 1: Uh, there's a this Navas and glass tech machine. What a'd you guys over under for a tournament run next year? If I give you sweet sixteen, are you taking the over or under?

00:32:39
Speaker 5: Maybe?

00:32:39
Speaker 3: Does this run? Gosh?

00:32:41
Speaker 5: I mean until we like, if you if Tyron Stokes comme ins, not go, let's run it. Let's go like I could be bought very very easily. But until we see it. I think this week, I mean with the dominoes, with the State Goes decisions, I think the offers are coming in. They're going to be accepted slash turned down, and I think I'll get we'll get a better feel for all of this, but I think Sweet sixteen is a real nice safe bet for right now, So I'm going breaking even on that one.

00:33:09
Speaker 3: On March thirtieth, I'll go under because I can't name one player that will be on the team, but my mind could quickly change in the next two weeks. That's true, you know what. I apologize to Mason Williams. In that case, a lead eight Mason Williams and eleven players to be named later will lead us to the laite eate.

00:33:28
Speaker 1: Well, didn't Hawthorne say he was coming back?

00:33:32
Speaker 3: What else are you supposed to say in those moments?

00:33:33
Speaker 1: Yeah, Jaalen Low is not going to say during the March Manage run that he's coming back.

00:33:38
Speaker 3: And even if they believe it, your one phone call away with someone on the other end saying I got a bag for you to come here. I mean this can change in the night. Well, as we saw with Boy Wilkerson last year.

00:33:48
Speaker 5: Yeah, changed overnight.

00:33:49
Speaker 3: It takes one phone call and whatever you thought you were doing, you can change that real fest.

00:33:53
Speaker 5: I can confirm everything that you heard on that you are totally conjicated in everything to do with Lamar Will Thank you Jack.

00:33:59
Speaker 1: How kind of they still saying it was done.

00:34:04
Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, it was done that night before. But your optimism was justified.

00:34:08
Speaker 1: Yeah, just can't use the one hundred percent ninety nine point nine. Go all right, we'll take our last break, come back our last segment. We got a couple of calls. We got to get to eight five nine two eight two two eight seven Ryan Drew, Shannon Jack. This is Kentucky's Sports Radio final segment. Knthankan' sports Radio, Ryan Drew, Shannon Jack. Who's our sponsor?

00:34:23
Speaker 4: Shannon Uh, the Kentucky Skin Cancer Center, you know, the final fours here and so is prime time for your skin tailgating patios, sunshine before tip off. It can all that up. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in America. It's also one of the most preventables. Could so go to Kentucky's Skin Cancer Center dot com. They offer full body skin checks and treatment for all types of skin cancer. And they're right here in your community. Owensboro, Bowling Green, Franklin, Glasgow and Powderly Kentucky Skin Cancer Center dot com for an appointment.

00:34:53
Speaker 1: Did the Louisville Kings win their opener this one?

00:34:56
Speaker 3: Oh no, I watched it lost in the end. They led for a lot of the game. It looked like a great crowd.

00:35:01
Speaker 5: Looked like it was packed.

00:35:02
Speaker 3: They had like a cool skyline shot a love before the game started. The broadcast was fun. First drive, they threw an interception. It's like a blooper. It hits the tight end and the helmet pops in the air. Then it bobbles off both of his hands. I think it hits in the helmet again and it's an interception. At that point I was like, oh my goodness, let's not have him on the team anymore. Just hand it off to Benny. But then Benny didn't really get going either. The offensive lines got to get him some help, but they lost. The overall, just product of the broadcast and stuff looked fun though. I'd like to go sometime, so I'm rooting for it. But Game one did not go well and they had a little incident. I don't know if you saw it. Halftime the players walk through a tunnel where there's an open bar, and the other team and the fans got into it, including other players grabbing drinks and throwing them at the at the fans and all had to be separated.

00:35:48
Speaker 5: Wow.

00:35:48
Speaker 3: I would say, maybe not run that back next time, because I mean it was it wasn't like a little bit of John They're throwing drinks at each other, Shannon's kind of event overall, go Kings, though, we gotta get Benny going a little better. It get him some holes, but it looked like a fun atmosphere.

00:36:01
Speaker 5: And then like it was packed. Did Lynn Bow never get picked up? He did not feel like we could get him on waiver wire right now? Well we cut him, so.

00:36:10
Speaker 3: Picking back up now, Yeah, that's a big hit for them not having Lynn and Benny. That was a big selling point.

00:36:16
Speaker 1: Eight two two eight Seven've got a couple dollars, ye before we get out of here. So who we got chantings? Go to Mike, Mike, go ahead, Mike.

00:36:24
Speaker 12: Hey, guys, got a question for Jack on the recruiting trail. Do you think that popes shared minutes and name on the front of the jersey hinders his ability to land some of these top recruits, whether it's high school or transport Fernle, All.

00:36:42
Speaker 5: Right, appreciate it, thank you, Mike. Uh yeah, one hundred percent. Yeah, that's that's definitely been a talking point and it's been negatively, you know, a negative recruiting pitch for other schools to say, why would you only go play twenty twenty two minutes there when we're gonna promise you thirty But I think it's kind of the same deal with cal where it's like, we're not going to promise you anything, but you can come in and play. And I think it helped this year with you know, Aberdeen playing thirty eight minutes and Otega playing thirty eight. Like, I think year one was a bad example because that's when it really peaked, you know, the hey, this is mister system coach, not player players first coach. So I think year two helped his cause, even though the product itself was, you know, a little bit more of a stinker. So I think it should be on the uptike going into year three. And I think you know, some of the support staff help that he's getting, and it seems like he's trending back in the right direction to kind of make, you know, make up some ground on the recruiting front.

00:37:38
Speaker 1: Your post you made you and Jacob was very alarming with the fact that some people were admitting that Pope would get to the closing table and couldn't get the deal closed, that sort of thing, and wants you to play for the front of the jersey. And that's alarming in this day and age.

00:37:52
Speaker 5: Yeah, but I think, to Pope's credit and to give him some grace, this is all brand new to him. I mean, he only he has this romanticized view of Kentucky basketball of the nineteen nineties and what it was then and what it means to him now. And I think what's missing in something that he has to learn on the fly on the job is kids just don't care about that. You gotta make You got to get them here first and then make them care later. Don't like John wall didn't come to Kentucky because it was the sacred piece of piece of cloth. He came because he wanted the platform to go be the number one draft pick, and that's exactly what he did, and then he ended up falling in love with the University of Kentucky in the process. That is the future. That's what these kids care about.

00:38:32
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:38:33
Speaker 5: Tyrann Stokes is the perfect example of I could not because Drew so eloquently said, I do not care about where he's like, Oh, I'd rather play at Kansas. Don't care. Get him on campus, let him fall in love with a fan base, let him fall in love with all this stuff and figure all that stuff out later.

00:38:47
Speaker 3: For being honest, most of the players we love in history probably didn't have those feelings about Kentucky until we got there, outside of the ones born in this state or might have grown up nearby that like it. The legends we think of probably came out in here not really knowing about the Sacred cloth and the fan base other than what they hear, and then they fall in love as it happened. So let's keep it that way, trying to sell it to them until they live it. I think they might even be like, what are you talking about?

00:39:11
Speaker 4: What is this?

00:39:12
Speaker 3: Yeah, they'll fall in love when they get here, there's no doubt about that. So maybe I wouldn't lean all the way into that. I would, you know, focus on the basketball and let the Kentucky romanticism fall into place, because it will.

00:39:23
Speaker 1: Who's next, Shannon J c JC, You're up next?

00:39:25
Speaker 6: Go ahead, Hey, guys, I'm trying to get to invest most invested in Tyron Stokes. Of course, I've never seen play other than his eclipse, Jock, do you think he would even be a top ten player in this year's class if he was a year older, and Doesney have an outside shot? And I'm the kind of guy that kind of likes this the older postman. I'm worried about Maca being able to put on Wait.

00:40:00
Speaker 5: In a year.

00:40:00
Speaker 6: I think he's like three years away.

00:40:02
Speaker 5: I'll hang us all right, JC appreciate it. We think Jack tyron Is, he's the goods. Tyron Is is a player this year. Yes, he's a bull in a china shop, like physical freak Julius Randal Lee in that regard, but also I think tests himself with what he can do on the perimeter, and he's taken twenty nine foot step back threes just to be like I can add that to my bag, you know, pick little things, so like the efficiency is a work in progress, those things. But he's even said at interviews he is he is a cocky he but he believes in himself more than anybody else in the world believes in himself. And you need that, Like that's what That's what a Kentucky basketball player in bodies. It's a I believe I'm better than you. I believe that I can go be a superstar at the highest level, average twenty points a game and be the number one draft pick. You want that to be a part of your part of your program. And I think he lives up to the billing in that regard, you know, the tough, tough, tough kid, you know, a character. I don't know so concerns, but that's a talking point about being you know, good teammate. But he's just he's he's got that that that edge to him, that dog to him, that it eybodies winning.

00:41:09
Speaker 1: Yeah, one more caller we get out here, Shannon. Who you got got, Robert?

00:41:12
Speaker 7: Robert?

00:41:13
Speaker 5: Go ahead, Robert.

00:41:15
Speaker 13: Hey, guys, I want to say I am pro poke, but I want to go back if when Bruce Pearl was a conversation, how would you all have if he had come to Kentucky and at whatever stage of the game it was left right before the season and left Kentucky with having to take Stephen Pearl as their coach.

00:41:33
Speaker 1: Appreciate phone call, Drew got back a minute.

00:41:35
Speaker 3: Well, that wouldn't have it wouldn't have taken the Kentucky job just to leave. Also, we got like nepotism laws that they don't have, right. I don't even think he could have done that. Think that was a cal Brad issue. So I don't think that scenario could have even happened.

00:41:46
Speaker 1: What if he'd stayed five years then get it off to Steven.

00:41:51
Speaker 3: That wouldn't have We would not have let Stephen Pearl coach as basketball. That would not have happened. There's no scenario where Stephen Pearl would have taken over like what Auburn did you know Auburn and Bruce lessenbad that would not have happened here.

00:42:03
Speaker 5: Good for him though, Good for Steven to just walk his way into a high major, big time coaching job and have Bruce Pearl build the platform for him.

00:42:12
Speaker 3: Almost made the tournament.

00:42:13
Speaker 1: Yeah, jealous for your first head coaching job. Not a bad must be Jack, Thank you for coming in. Appreciate you Geving. On a basketball heavy day, Drew's driving the ship. Tomorrow Football Touch Radio, a lot of football. Nick roush Right, we're back.

00:42:25
Speaker 5: This is Kadat Sports Radio.