2026-04-21- KSR - Hour 2

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00:00:59
Speaker 3: Welcome to our two of Kentucky Sports Radio present it by Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones welcome back.

00:01:06
Speaker 4: I remember two Kentucky Sports Radio eight. I'm nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. Text machine is seven seven two seven seven four five two five four, and we the text just keep coming in. I like this one, Shannon. One person writes, you know, sounds like you guys think that Kentucky basketball is down and out. But I think you need to realize Pope's up to something. Pope is up to something, I hope.

00:01:30
Speaker 5: So he better be.

00:01:31
Speaker 4: I hope he is.

00:01:32
Speaker 5: This is a big year for him coming up.

00:01:33
Speaker 4: That's right, big year. All right. A couple things here. First of all, ks are bowling. The practice round starts tomorrow night. Right, we will have a team on the scene. Yes, I will be at the opening night, which is April twenty ninth. Okay, KSR Bowling dot Com. To get your team set up. You can come out tomorrow night's just like you know, get yourself ready. Then the league starts the next night. Get your foursome. If you don't have a force them, you can call. They'll put you with somebody with other KSR fans. Ks R Bowling dot Com. Mario is gonna be documenting it tomorrow night. Should be fun. And then the league gets going on the twenty ninth.

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Speaker 2: Always a ton of fun. I mean, it's something really fun to do in the something Betty Boops playing. They have to They've been there since day one, the Betty Boops.

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Speaker 4: Yes, so by yourself before. You can't eat at the bowling alley next week, next week and think that that counts.

00:02:29
Speaker 3: And what would you eat at a bowling alley anyway?

00:02:31
Speaker 2: Pizza that their pizza is like do you not know about the South ond Lanes Pizza?

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Speaker 5: Only have had their pizza.

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Speaker 4: Well, then you're gonna have to come one night.

00:02:43
Speaker 5: I will, I'll get the pizza.

00:02:44
Speaker 4: The pizza, it's really good. UK basketball players used to all go just to get the pizza. They'd be sitting in that little bar eating a pizza. Do you know that, John wall de Marcus Cousins, Well, I.

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Speaker 3: Tell you know, it's a good pizza. If you go to the Bowl, well you're just going to eat pizza.

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Speaker 4: There were like back in the day, those didn't even go back farther than that.

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Speaker 2: They would go eat the South and Lanes pizza. You know, I didn't know this. That's kind of a cool story.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, that No, that was the the basketball players. I'm even going back now to like your Prince Bogan's era of people. Huh, go eat eat pizza there, I know.

00:03:20
Speaker 2: They would go to take bowling team outings together.

00:03:23
Speaker 4: And eat pizza and eat the pizza. So tomorrow night, seven o'clock, seven o'clock tomorrow night, and then the league starts the next week. Go to KSR bowling dot com and get yourself signed up as well. Eight five, nine, twenty two eighty seven. Real quick. One person asked me, Matt, are you finally too willing to admit the Reds are good? No, not yet. They did their fifteen and eight though they did win again.

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Speaker 2: They keep finding a way to win. But like we're signing two on the road, they have to win now because the schedule it favors them right now.

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Speaker 4: Except a lot of the teams that are supposed to be good aren't. So yeah, like last place, that's one that's we played them in the last series of the year that looked like oh no, but they're in last place. Now.

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Speaker 2: You already mentioned the Mets. They're struggling.

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Speaker 4: They're struggling. So like the Twins we played last night there we swept them. They're not their first place, Tampa Bay second place. So maybe things it's a it's a top upside.

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Speaker 2: Down world redgend Cardinals battling up.

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Speaker 4: For we still thought Shennon. Five of our nine hitters hit under two hundred. So I don't know how we're good.

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Speaker 3: Well, I guess maybe good pitching. You're winning low scorer.

00:04:29
Speaker 4: You do have good pitching, and the best it's the best er Bullpenny r a and basement.

00:04:32
Speaker 5: There you go.

00:04:33
Speaker 4: That's it, which that helps our.

00:04:35
Speaker 2: Top two starters are out. Yeah, that's the other thing. Top two starters are out. That has to be maybe the worst starting lineup hitting average in Major League Baseball history. You got five guys under two hundred and are starting, and.

00:04:49
Speaker 4: We got one guy, my man Key Brian, who's like point oh seven.

00:04:53
Speaker 2: Good thing he's got a good glove because the boy can't hit.

00:04:56
Speaker 4: But his name is by Brian and I love it, Key Ryan, I should start calling you.

00:05:02
Speaker 2: That, okay, Key Ryan, Key Ran.

00:05:08
Speaker 4: Yeah? Who sports reporting. If Steve Kerr retires, which is expected, Golden State will target Todd Golden.

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Speaker 2: I can see it. I could see him being really good. Yeah, he's just cocky and arrogant enough to maybe make it.

00:05:22
Speaker 4: We're smart.

00:05:23
Speaker 2: Yeah, dude, I'd love that.

00:05:25
Speaker 4: Take it, get him out of the sec Shannon, Wouldn't that be good for us? If Todd go, take Go.

00:05:32
Speaker 3: And he's going out and he's going to the Golden State. I mean, he's got a.

00:05:36
Speaker 4: Weird year for him to leave though. They're gonna have the preseason number one team in America yes year, so he'd be walking out the door on a great team.

00:05:43
Speaker 2: All those dudes decided to come back to play for him.

00:05:46
Speaker 4: One more time because there's an exception to the portal rule, which is if your coach leaves, you get two weeks. It'd be funny if all those guys went back to Aberdeen, come back. We'll take him, actually said laugh a second man.

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Speaker 5: That could happen, right.

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Speaker 4: You know, I mean if Golden leaves, all those guys would be able to leave, and they might.

00:06:03
Speaker 5: And they might guess what we need to have happened.

00:06:06
Speaker 4: That's Steve Kerr retire Todd Golden go. That would be great maybe, And then all of a sudden, who knows the bigs for Florida come here that.

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Speaker 5: We figured out what God's up to? God, Steve Kerr retire to Okay.

00:06:23
Speaker 4: See you do you think this is what's happening. God has been up to something and this is what he got. And see you, Lord works in mysterious way. He's shaying it. Steve Kerr retires, take Golden, We take their bigs. Now we're now, we're up to something. That's right, fat, go for it fast.

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Speaker 6: We figured it out, Pat thirty seconds.

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Speaker 7: Billy Donovan just let go by the Chicago Bulls.

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Speaker 4: Yes, we said that.

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Speaker 6: I'm on a wax with my bad. But if we're a serious program, we give them a call right now.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, you just can't. They're not gonna do that. I mean, I appreciate the call. They're not gonna I mean they're not letting Pope go now.

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Speaker 5: Maybe another year.

00:07:12
Speaker 4: Yeah now, I mean if it was next year, that's a different thing. But they're not. I mean, that's it's not gonna happen.

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Speaker 2: So there's a lot of schools which would like to have Billy Donovan right now, but they all have their coach. Their coaches didn't play. But oh, wait a minute, Florida. What if Todd Golden left and then Billy went back to Florida.

00:07:30
Speaker 3: Ope, God's not up to that.

00:07:40
Speaker 4: Oh that's now that's diabolical right there.

00:07:43
Speaker 2: But you could see it, Dave, Go.

00:07:48
Speaker 7: Ahead, Dave, Yeah, I was gonna say the same thing. Take the cash and take it to Chicago.

00:07:57
Speaker 4: Yeah. Yeah, But it's not gonna happen though, I mean, like we can. I understand people say that, but it's not gonna happen.

00:08:03
Speaker 7: I'm talking long term.

00:08:07
Speaker 8: Yeah, I mean long term, like going to be here after next year anyway.

00:08:11
Speaker 4: Yeah, now that's a different scenario. I appreciate the call. I mean, I think if he if Pope were not here at the end of next year. But I wanted to work, Ryan, I mean I I don't want to spend three hundred and sixty five days sitting here talking about who the next coach is gonna be. I want this to work.

00:08:26
Speaker 2: We all wanted to work. We all love Mark Pope. But he's at the point now and this is a make or break season for him. He's got to get He's gotta get anything.

00:08:33
Speaker 4: That's even more true now than it even what with what happened over the last couple of weeks.

00:08:37
Speaker 2: I think it amplifies it for sure. Striking out in the recruiting race, Now you was that put more pressure on you to win games next year.

00:08:43
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think I think you're I think you're exactly right, John, go ahead, John.

00:08:50
Speaker 6: Yes, Number one was never really big on Freeman, so that doesn't bother me too. A new guy entered the portal yesterday out of Minnesota, formerly of North Carolina, Tyson.

00:09:01
Speaker 4: I remember that kid, Devin.

00:09:02
Speaker 6: You need to give him a little nineteen points six points a game last year, five and a half boards, fifty percent field go than forty two percent from the tray.

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Speaker 4: Thanks, appreciate the god. I mean, they're gonna be guys like that. One of the things to watch today is your as news comes out, is this is the last day to get in the portal. There could be a last guy out there coming in that you say, I mean, it could be like, you know, something falling from the sky. Because one of the things that has happened is most of these other teams now have their.

00:09:32
Speaker 2: Players, right, Like Diabat ended up at LSU.

00:09:36
Speaker 4: Everybody assumed he was going to Saint John's, and then Saint John's got Freeman, and so Diabata ends at LSU. I don't think Deabate is gonna do a ton of stuff at LSU. I don't think l s you will be very good, but he will. He will annoy us in that game, like he'll watch him play well when we play LSU.

00:09:53
Speaker 2: Next, of course he will. I just see that happen that way.

00:09:56
Speaker 7: Do you.

00:09:57
Speaker 4: Let's go back to hindsight for a second. If I told you we're gonna be where we are now, would you rather Modia Bate have stayed.

00:10:06
Speaker 2: Yes, absolutely, I would have. So you at the position. We have really nobody right now.

00:10:13
Speaker 4: So if I said to you, okay, Ryan Lemon, Modiabate stays, you don't try to get somebody better in the portal, that's what you would have said two weeks ago, or now you just go well, since we struck out, that would have been better.

00:10:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm saying what I feel like right now. We probably should have just kept him on one more year.

00:10:30
Speaker 4: Yeah, no, I mean it'll be interesting. We may not get someone better than him.

00:10:35
Speaker 2: Oh you know, there's nobody available right now better than him?

00:10:38
Speaker 4: Is there? All those There's a lot of kids that are but like, I don't know that we're in The kid from Iowa State is better, the kid from Santa Clair is better. I don't know if this kid the kid from Minnesota is, and there may be somebody else inner, But the question is are we going to get.

00:10:52
Speaker 2: Any of them?

00:10:53
Speaker 4: If it were me, I'm calling that kid from Iowa state because he has projected like forty third.

00:11:00
Speaker 2: In the draft.

00:11:01
Speaker 4: I'm gonna go, look, kid, what do you want? And he's probably gonna say six million dollars and that's too much, But I don't think you have a choice. Not Now, I'm gonna say. Here's what I'm gonna say, Shannon, I'll give you six Tell everybody I gave you four.

00:11:19
Speaker 3: Do you think that's actually gonna hold true?

00:11:21
Speaker 5: Like what the kid would actually do that? I doubt it?

00:11:25
Speaker 4: All right, I'll give you six point three hush money to just tell everybody that you gave me for.

00:11:30
Speaker 5: Yeah, how about seven?

00:11:35
Speaker 2: But see, I think.

00:11:35
Speaker 4: Part of it. What what there's a saying, a famous saying something like nothing stinks like desperation or something. What's the same, Channon, See if you can find it. There's some quote. There's some famous quote about desperation, and the theory is that when you smell desperation on someone, it makes it even worse. I think that applies to like, think about when when people are flirting with each other. When somebody's trying too hard, it usually turns the other person off right.

00:12:06
Speaker 2: Same thing and recruiting.

00:12:07
Speaker 4: I kind of wonder if maybe we are sort of giving off the smell of desperate.

00:12:14
Speaker 3: People can smell desperation from a mile away.

00:12:19
Speaker 4: Okay, I think there's a I think it was said more beautifully once, but but that's the premise is And do you think we might be doing that?

00:12:28
Speaker 2: Maybe maybe that's why we can't close the deal in some of these guys that they're they're in the air of being a little desperate.

00:12:35
Speaker 4: Yeah, we'll see. But I would just say to that, I would say, all right, I'm desperate Iowa State kid. First, they'd probably say, Shannon, will you learn my name? Yes, so that you stop calling me Rodney? Go ahead, Rodney. Hey.

00:12:52
Speaker 9: Back in the nineties, we had Patino, in the two thousands, we had col We've had superstar coaches. That's who the players. Superstar players want to play for or superstar coaches. Second of all, what are the odds that Ryan owns his own bowling ball? And I think it's time for you guys to add a female presence to the male dominated motley crue on air personnel that you had. That's all I got.

00:13:13
Speaker 2: Thanks guys, appreciate it.

00:13:15
Speaker 4: As far as the superstar thing, I mean, was Todd Golden a superstar? Is Dusty May a superstar? As John Shire superstar? I mean superstars are created, right, they're not. I mean when we got cal Perry and Patino, yes they were superstars, but they were created somewhere. So I mean, you go look, go look at this year's Final four. I mean, was Brad Underwood a superstar? Is Todd Golden although he wasn't there this year, but Dusty May? You know, I guess you could say Danny Hurley is, but four years ago he wasn't a superstar.

00:13:49
Speaker 2: He wasn't.

00:13:49
Speaker 4: So I mean I think, you know, superstars to some extent are created, and Kentucky should be a platform ryan where you can create them. I mean Tommy Lloyd, is he a superstar in Arizona?

00:14:03
Speaker 2: No? No, He's just a young up and coming potential superstars down the road, but not at the moment.

00:14:09
Speaker 10: Now.

00:14:09
Speaker 4: What's worrisome is these superstars are being created elsewhere and not here. Yes, But I mean I think we have officially transitioned into the new area of college basketball where the superstars have kind of aged out. I mean Rick and Cal and Izzo himself, they're still out there, but they weren't the best coaches this year.

00:14:29
Speaker 2: And there's a new wave.

00:14:30
Speaker 4: The best coaches were this young new wave that guys. I mentioned Nate Oates, we talked about Shire. I mean, there's this new young wave of guys, and the question is do we have one of those guys on that wave because in terms of age he should be. He's actually older than a lot of them.

00:14:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, he is the early fifties. But you know, I thought I thought we had that guy. I'm still holding that we do.

00:14:57
Speaker 4: Yeah, corn Brad Hemp. The weather's warming days ago, getting longer, but the corn bread and few Seltzers are still there. Four award winning flavors, thirty calories, are less per can expert crafted, third party lab tested and made with all natural agreement ingredients. It's cornbredhimp dot com code ks R. You have two hundred days left to save Himp. By the way, the bill will expire, So go to cornbread hip dot com slash action to learn more and make your voice heard. Get the Seltzers, get the gummies, Cornbread hemp grown for the good life. We'll take your calls. Be right back, KSR. Welcome back, Take you Sports Radium A five nine two twenty two eighty seven. Ryan's starting to meet my neighbors in the new new neighborhood. I mean I still haven't moved in, but you know, just like yesterday, I was doing some work around there. Yeah, we're down the street, went and said hello, you know.

00:15:49
Speaker 2: You didn't take it nobody like I always.

00:15:51
Speaker 4: Nobody ever asked me what I do, which makes me think they know, yeah, which uh, but you know, they were very nice, and they were like, if you need anything, you let me know. So I'm gonna go knock on their door some time and ask for sugar. You gonna be baking and need some sugar and kitchen sugar.

00:16:09
Speaker 5: Yeah, and can you hang this picture for me?

00:16:12
Speaker 4: Yeah? And then met the very next door neighbor. He was very nice. He said he had advertised on here before. Really that's good.

00:16:20
Speaker 5: He helped build that.

00:16:21
Speaker 4: House and uh yeah, then his uh, his daughter, her her boyfriend was over and he plays football intense. See, I'm learning everybody. The problem is I can't remember anybody's name. And as we learned, with the Iowa State kid. People don't want to just be like I can't be like I've seen the daughter go oh, you're the daughter that has the boyfriend that plays for Like I need to know their names, and I don't know. I'm not good with that. As I get older, I'm not good with people's names. They all just kind of Yes. What ends up, patman chain is I remember people by distinct features they have, and you can't call them by the distinct feature. That's true, right, be like that's the guy with the ears, and like you can't do that.

00:16:59
Speaker 3: People have their names on their mailbox. Maybe that would help. You could see their last name.

00:17:03
Speaker 4: So everybody it feels like everybody's named.

00:17:05
Speaker 2: The same thing.

00:17:07
Speaker 5: Everybody's name the same.

00:17:08
Speaker 4: Well, I've met like four people, all of whomse first names start with T. There's like a how are you gonna remember all that? So I wish I could assign people names that I could remember, but I'm trying.

00:17:21
Speaker 2: I'm trying, Teska, what I do? Yeah, what do you do?

00:17:25
Speaker 4: Because you're pretty good.

00:17:25
Speaker 2: At this In a neighborhood like this. I go on to Fayette County PVA website and they list you know, the names and the owners of the houses.

00:17:34
Speaker 4: So you like creep on them, Yeah, like up.

00:17:36
Speaker 5: On your refrigerator, you do, like you have like cards.

00:17:41
Speaker 2: No, but like I could look and you're the address the guy besides you look him up say oh yeah that's so and so.

00:17:47
Speaker 4: Okay, But it doesn't say they're family members.

00:17:50
Speaker 2: Name, no, no, just the owners.

00:17:52
Speaker 4: Well, I'm I'm trying to be neighborly because I had a bad run in with my Louisville neighbor.

00:17:57
Speaker 5: Well, you stole the stuff off the porch, no wonder.

00:17:59
Speaker 4: No, I did and steal the stuff. This was this just happened Friday.

00:18:04
Speaker 2: There's a new incident.

00:18:06
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a long story. We'll save that for later in the week. But there was neighbor different. I never met this person. Well, I know I want to get into because I'll get worked up. I don't want to get worked up today. I want to hear it though, Oh you will. I'm just trying to fair how I we'll say it because I got I was in the right of course. Yeah, I'm not having that. And this this neighborhood is going to be much more. We're not having that. Yes, let's go to Kevin. Go ahead, Kevin.

00:18:35
Speaker 8: Uh.

00:18:35
Speaker 11: Yeah, you guys talked about reading the room and and all that stuff. I think Mark Pope should have read the room prior to the portal and known that the brand has been broken for a little bit now, and and worked harder to keep guys already on the team. I made the call a couple of weeks ago before the portal opened, about the importance of Chandler and Yellovich, And now look at us, we have eight play He tried.

00:19:01
Speaker 4: He tried with Chandler. I mean he Yelovich. I'm not sure how much they tried to keep him, but he tried with Chandler. Between me, I mean, we can go find somebody that's just as good as Yeovich in my opinion, Like, I don't think Yelovich is a huge loss if they tried with Chandler. But the question is, did you want to pay Chandler? I mean, if you have a reputation for overspending, go spend three and a half million dollars on Chandler.

00:19:27
Speaker 2: You think now they regret that decision?

00:19:29
Speaker 4: No, because I think they'll they got guards. I think the big one will be they might look back in whish they'd kept Diabate They.

00:19:37
Speaker 2: Have nobody at that spot right now.

00:19:38
Speaker 4: I mean in Garrison, Garrison got over two million bucks from Alabama. You willing to pay two million bucks for Garrison?

00:19:45
Speaker 2: Probably not?

00:19:45
Speaker 4: Probably not. They got a kid that's apparently going to zoom the Devin Williams from Florida Atlantic. He's as good as Garrison. The problem is not to me, you couldn't replace Garrison or even Diabonte. The problem is we knew. Let's just put it like this, we knew last year we weren't good enough. Would you agree with that?

00:20:05
Speaker 2: Yes? Thought we were of the season start.

00:20:07
Speaker 4: We knew we weren't good enough. We lose away in Aberdeen. Nothing we can do about that. We've replaced him with two guys that whether they're better or not, they're in the ballpark. Yes, all right, so we replaced that Moreno, we assume he's going to be better big jumps, so we at least are equal or upgraded that. Yes, which means you've got a three and a four position that if you want to be better than you were last year, you've got to go get an upgrade. Right Chandler was the three. I think the assumption was Cam Williams can replace Chandler. I don't know if that's true or not. We'll see. I don't think it's crazy that he could be better than Chandler.

00:20:49
Speaker 2: Do you Maybe that combination of Trent and Cam could be better.

00:20:54
Speaker 4: But the four, I think the biggest problem for our team last year is we didn't have a four that was consistent, that could shoot right.

00:21:01
Speaker 2: I think they thought they had that combo of those two guys. It just didn't work.

00:21:06
Speaker 4: And this is the thing you have to go replace to really take a step up, and as of yet, we haven't done. Corey, go ahead, Corey.

00:21:19
Speaker 12: To quote the office, I have no bird, I have no bush. God has taken my bird and my bush. Turns out that the eighteen hours after we hired Mark Pope was not an overreaction, and maybe Mitch Barnhardt didn't out smart everybody. This guy doesn't have the mental fortitude to lead this program. He performed fine with no expectations the first year, and this year he's making comments in a press conference about killing himself and not being able to get out of the up.

00:21:48
Speaker 4: H Yeah, well we'll just let it sit. Jami go ahead.

00:21:57
Speaker 7: Matt Jmi took over in IL and is of twenty twenty five. Prior to that, Pope signed two to five stars and a high four star Jasper Marino and a Caaden Lewis. People like to discredit Marino and Jasper Causer for Kentucky, but they're still highly recruited after JMI. We've been to the table with Wilson, Collin Stokes, right Freeman, all right up to the point of committing, and it falls apart. Sometimes the easiest explanation is the right explanation, Like you like to say.

00:22:27
Speaker 4: Mean not crazy again. There's a way to answer that question, which would be for people to talk, and people don't talk. I still think it is I still think it is ludicrous that Mark Pope has not spoken since after the season. It's ludicrous, like I know it. Besides going on his radio show where he took no questions from anyone except Tom It's ludicrous, but it's ludicrous. E Capaluto didn't do an interview after giving Mark Mitch Barnard that deal. It's ludicrous that the only one that talked was mintioned, that he told people to stop asking questions. Where it's like Will Stein's coming on here tomorrow. You know, there's a point where like what do you want us to do for you? We can't hold your water. Help When you all don't speak, you know the silence will be filled. We'll take a break. Be right back. KSR. TJ. Smith personal injury attorney called TJ. He'll make them pay.

00:23:33
Speaker 3: Now more of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage.

00:23:37
Speaker 5: Here's Matt Jones.

00:23:38
Speaker 4: Welcome back to Tucky Sports Radio. New cover zero podcast out. Me and Billy did an NFL draft preview. Very good, very good, lots of information.

00:23:48
Speaker 2: I'm just impressed by the new camera work. The cameras are awesome.

00:23:51
Speaker 4: Yeah, you need to download it. Uh, it's entertaining. We had fun with it. I mean, I'm not going to act like there's a lot of analysis Shannon on these players.

00:23:59
Speaker 5: Oh really that's what I tune in for.

00:24:01
Speaker 4: So yeah, we have analysis, but we did have fun doing it, and we have some good We got some good tidbits that you need going into the draft, and we're going to product. So Billy and I just did our own mock draft based on our sources, which are none, and we're going to compare it to the other mock drafts and see Shannon who got the most.

00:24:20
Speaker 3: Right you probably would get more than them.

00:24:22
Speaker 4: I agree, Yeah, you may be. You remember my NFL theory. I go into this in detail on the podcast. Don't have her, do not have a scouting staff, save the money. Just look at the mock drafts and just pick based on that.

00:24:39
Speaker 3: Copy what everybody else says, yeh, copy and paste.

00:24:42
Speaker 4: Theory of collective intelligence.

00:24:44
Speaker 2: Let those people do the work.

00:24:45
Speaker 4: They do the work. I bet you, Shannon, you do just as good as they would. You probably would, yeah right, And you wouldn't have spent all that time to.

00:24:53
Speaker 5: Flip around a couple of names.

00:24:55
Speaker 2: That's what mal Kipel does it. Kuiper does it every day of the year. Let him do it with.

00:24:59
Speaker 4: The work for That's exactly right. It's mel Kiper's working for me now, Shannon, for free. This way, Why do I need to pay these people? An amazing piece of news just came across Devon. Ask you has entered the transfer portal as he was still playing college basketball.

00:25:20
Speaker 2: How in the world is this dude still playing college basketball?

00:25:24
Speaker 4: He was on our team in twenty twenty twenty one. Yes, that was his first year, So he has played You said he played for five teams, Shannon, let's play a game. Can you name the five teams? Devon Ask? You played for? Kentucky is one?

00:25:40
Speaker 6: I know?

00:25:40
Speaker 5: Texas?

00:25:41
Speaker 7: Right?

00:25:42
Speaker 2: Two?

00:25:42
Speaker 4: Okay?

00:25:45
Speaker 5: Was was he at Washington?

00:25:47
Speaker 4: No?

00:25:48
Speaker 5: Oh, that I'm thinking of somebody else?

00:25:50
Speaker 4: That was Severe Wheeler?

00:25:52
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:25:54
Speaker 2: Villanova just played last year.

00:25:57
Speaker 5: Yeah, I should have gotten out.

00:25:58
Speaker 2: Was he at Long Beach State? Yes? Before he went to Villanova, he was at Long Beach State.

00:26:05
Speaker 4: I know, like I can't remember my neighbour's name, but I can remember that, Devin Ask, you played at Long Beach State. And what's the other one?

00:26:13
Speaker 10: Cal cal for two years? Seventh year of eligibility in Kentucky for one, Texas for one, California for two, Long Beach State for one, Villanova for one.

00:26:26
Speaker 4: Jim Fletcher set out a couple of years he has played all these years.

00:26:31
Speaker 2: He reclassified in high school, left high school for his junior year to his soul. Maybe could you just get a job, calibrace. He's got a mortgage in two kids seven.

00:26:43
Speaker 4: They're not gonna give him. How are they?

00:26:46
Speaker 2: How could they? How could you justify? He goes to another school.

00:26:50
Speaker 4: This would be his sixth.

00:26:51
Speaker 2: School, sixth school and seven years.

00:26:54
Speaker 3: That's what point do you look in the mirror and go, maybe it's not them, it's me that can't work out somewhere.

00:26:59
Speaker 2: Well, didn't that Chad Baker Mazzara didn't he play for seven years? Ended up playing seven years? I think?

00:27:04
Speaker 4: Yeah. Van Wilder though, that's what he is. He's not graduating.

00:27:08
Speaker 2: Unbelievable.

00:27:09
Speaker 4: I like it. Robert thirty seconds.

00:27:11
Speaker 5: Go Robert, Hello, Goat, I'm here.

00:27:21
Speaker 7: Okay, you all have fought the notion that UK is falling into oblivion such as Indiana. Are you changing your tune on that in any way? Shipping and form and not yet? Okay, what about cooking classes?

00:27:35
Speaker 11: How are they going?

00:27:36
Speaker 7: Now?

00:27:36
Speaker 4: The cooking classes didn't get didn't end up happening. I appreciate the call. So that's still we got some work to do on that. No, I'm not again. I mean, as bad as this has been, we've been to the second round of the tournament every both years of Pope. Indiana doesn't make the tournament. So no, now is it acceptable? No? But there are levels to irrelevancy and we are not at the lowest level. But we do need to correct course. I think that's fair to say.

00:28:12
Speaker 2: Death need to correct course because I mean we're we're trending down, but we're not that far down yet.

00:28:18
Speaker 4: I have a great question, but let's take crease. Go ahead, crease.

00:28:23
Speaker 7: Hey, guys, So I don't know that we're heading towards an obligatory, but I do think that we are in purgatory as a Kentucky fandom, and I think that may be there's no way out. There's no way out with Mark Pope, and I just don't see any way that he's gonna pull us out. I just think we're in a bad spot with recruiting and everything else everyone's mentioned, and I think we're screwed.

00:28:42
Speaker 4: Have a good Okay, that's a great now, right, So that gets to the point I was about to read. It was as if he knew eight five, nine eighty seven. So let's do this, all four of us, Shannon, including you, so you can't answer the phone. I'm gonna read that. I'm gonna read it, and then I will do it. After I finished reading it, I would like all of you guys to do me a favor. Close your eyes, all right, Ryan, eyes closed, Marcos, Shannon closed all right. I want you to try to picture in your mind a way that the Mark Pope era works out to get number eight, which we all want, or number nine, which we all He said eight.

00:29:15
Speaker 2: But it's not.

00:29:17
Speaker 4: Explain to me with your eyes closed, thinking of Bliss, what the scenario is where Mark Pope is able to do what we hoped when he was hired. Great question, All right, eyes closed, I'm looking none of your eyes open. Start with you, Ryan, how do we get to that point?

00:29:39
Speaker 2: You gotta get Tying Stokes. You gotta get the number one player in the country to come. You got to get one of these top the kid from Santa Clara or the kid from Iowa State, preferably the kid from Iowa State. And you got to find a way to connect with these kids. Whatever your reason you're not connecting with them, Connect with these kids, get them to believe like you did that first group of team you had at Ragtag group you had. But it starts with getting the right players. You gotta get the players in for.

00:30:00
Speaker 4: That's a high bar to make it happen. Shaneon, how do you make it?

00:30:04
Speaker 3: I'm floating in space right now, I'm meditating. You gotta get stock, you gotta get Stokes. So you have a pretty good regular season, you make a run in the SEC tournament. Maybe you don't win the SEC tournament, but you end up with a good seed in the NCAA tournament, win a couple of games. You get hot at the right time, and that's how you can make a run and get number nine. As long as you gotta get stokes. So if you don't have stokes, are closed.

00:30:30
Speaker 4: I think neither of you have provided scenarios. I think they're actually realistic. So I'm going to think of a realistic way.

00:30:36
Speaker 5: You think it's realistic, we get stokes, at.

00:30:40
Speaker 4: Least not yet, No, I mean maybe. I mean I don't know about that kid. I don't know about that kid, like I have no idea what he's gonna do, So I can't. I can't rely on that kid. Again. I'm in my bliss, so I can't let others. I'm gonna fall down if I'm not careful. I can't let others decide for me. So I want to get so a surprise from the portal is my power forward. I'm going to will over paying for the Iowa State kid. He comes on the team. We add a couple of depth pieces. We're good this year. We play a fun style. We're back to where we were in year one, except we win one more game and go to the Elite eight. Fan base gets excited, feels good. We bring Moreno back for another year, We bring Wilkins back for another year. We build, We get a couple of top recruits because we hire a GM that knows how to relate to kids. Mark becomes lovable dorky coach, not just dorky coach, and we actually recruit at a high level, and we go for the title the next year.

00:31:47
Speaker 2: That's where I think it can happen. None of our situations are that crazy that all they all could happen.

00:31:55
Speaker 4: Mine is completely realistic. Skidting Stokes, I mean maybe, but I feel like it's a long shot.

00:32:03
Speaker 5: He's gotta get fifty fifty four just a few days ago though.

00:32:07
Speaker 4: Yeah, but I think so you know something. Let me give you example. Let me let me do you remember when Patrick Patterson was being recruited. Oh yeah, Patrick Patterson went to Duke back in two thousand whatever it was. And I remember Patrick Patterson. Remember he did an interview when he came here and they said, why didn't you go to Duke? And he goes, you know, I just kind of wasn't feeling those guys you remember that, Yeah, forget about and the insinuation was they're a little cringe, right, That was the insinuation. And then Mark John cal Perry made Kentucky the cool program. Yes, Wall Cousins, Davis, et cetera, and Mike Kruyschefsky made an existential change. He realized that the days of the slapping the floor Duke, it just wasn't gonna work anymore. And he said, you know what, I'm changing the perception to Duke. He did, I'm gonna bring different kinds of assistance in. We're gonna market different We're gonna start recruiting one and done's and four years later he gets what at the time was Zion Williamson was the coolest player in the country.

00:33:15
Speaker 2: Yep.

00:33:18
Speaker 4: Krzyzhevsky understood that the perception, the one he had built for twenty five years, just was not working anymore, and he switched Nick Saban realized his offense was a little outdated. The perception was it was kind of old school brings in Lane Kiffen. All of a sudden, they're fun. They take off for a second ride. Now Mark Pope hasn't had the first ride that Krzhevski and Saban had. But there needs to be a realization that, like this whole thing they thought was like cool, it just ain't cool and it's time to adjust. But Williams may have been a good step in that.

00:33:56
Speaker 2: Yes, I think it was.

00:33:57
Speaker 4: Now let's make some more steps.

00:33:59
Speaker 2: I think there are a lot of fans who think that Mark is still stuck in back of that ninety six when he was here and you know, Kentucky miant something and it was a mostique of Kentucky basketball. I think he still believes that attracts players.

00:34:10
Speaker 4: But these Kentucky basketball to them was John cal Perry, who's not here. Yeah, and if it's not Joe B. Hall Rick Patino, it's cal.

00:34:20
Speaker 2: Somebody pointed out to these kids that are coming out of high school now, when they were in middle school admiring their college all stars were getting beat by Saint Peter's and Oakland in the first round. That's what That's what they remember, iSchool in middle school of what Kentucky basketball was about.

00:34:32
Speaker 4: Yeah, Shady Rays, it's that time of year that you need great sunglasses and why pay a lot for him? Go to Shady Raisshadyrais dot com premium brand, but not like the two hundred dollars sunglasses you're used to. They can still see they have lost in broken protection in their premium polarized lenses that cut glare. It's Shady Rays dot Com. My code KSR get you thirty percent off. Don't go spending money on sunglasses outrageous prices. Go to shady rays dot Com promo code KSR. We'll get to some Kevin Chris Ady, Scotty Scott, all that stuff and more here on KSR. Right after it. This is NBA playoffs are here. DraftKings, the official sports betting partner nick Letlanta was a great game last night and the Hawks won playoff stars. Turn it Round and Round bet five dollars. You'll get three dollars in bonus bets instantly on the dat Draft Kings sports book. In partnership with Draft Kings. The Crown is yours. Use my code KSR. If you have a game problem called one air game by eighteen plus Kentucky only is a bus sixply bet ust willing to receive bone specks fire in seven days. Men Monster required in me a Boostertriick's apply and very went off. Boost only plies some winnings, traditional term responsorble game resources see sportsbook, dok DraftKings dot com, size promos, limited time off. Yeah that did you see the Hawks?

00:35:41
Speaker 2: And I didn't see it last night?

00:35:42
Speaker 4: Se J McCollum.

00:35:44
Speaker 2: So the Hawks beat the Knicks last night?

00:35:45
Speaker 4: Yeah, they were down fourteen to fourth quarter, came back and got the win. CJ. McCollum. Do you remember where he went to college?

00:35:53
Speaker 2: Texas?

00:35:54
Speaker 4: Nope? Shannon, do you remember where?

00:35:55
Speaker 2: CJ. McCollum, No where to go?

00:35:58
Speaker 4: Leha Leeha, who now come up on this show twice in two days about that that he was the one who they were playing against. Duke and the guy had the sign that said Duke is it JJ Reddick on the team said Duke is and it said Reddick ridiculous. Okay, so it was really stupid, Duke is ridiculous. And a Lee High person made a sign and wrote L Y hi and stood next to the person and it said J. J. Reddick is ridiciculous. Lee High. That's pretty good, which old like you got to be smart to come up with that, because they did it on the fly, Shannon. They saw the ridiculous sign went and held up Lee High Nerds. I'm still talking about that sign fifteen years later. You're okid, Yeah, Kevin go.

00:36:58
Speaker 6: The Kentucky band was batter a lot worse than the late eighties and it is now. And we went and yet a basketball coach at the end of his career to come in and help rebuild it.

00:37:09
Speaker 7: To be our AD.

00:37:10
Speaker 6: We should at least approach Billy d about the AD spots, if you would have any interests. He's used to working with agents. He'd get us a solid GM and he could be the man to hire our next coach.

00:37:22
Speaker 4: It's interesting appreciate the car. I don't think that's coming. Brad Stevens came a GM in the NBA worked out really well.

00:37:28
Speaker 2: I don't hate that idea.

00:37:29
Speaker 4: A horrible idea. Scotty go for it.

00:37:34
Speaker 13: So two things. First of all, I think about coaches the UK that would have done good in the portal era. So I think about Tubby Smith got critique for not being able to recruit high school guys all the time. I think he would have been really good in the portal era.

00:37:46
Speaker 6: And then, second of.

00:37:47
Speaker 13: All, you said that there were two AD candidates and.

00:37:50
Speaker 14: Did you not know that.

00:37:53
Speaker 4: I know one of them. I don't know the other one, so I can't That's why. Yeah, I don't know one.

00:38:00
Speaker 13: But based on the one you know, would you be optimistic?

00:38:04
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I think it can work. I think there's a lot of different ways it can work. I think for it to work. Though, here's the thing, there's only one candidate out there that I think, well, actually, I don't even know if that's fair either. I think there has to be a break from the Mitch Barnhart way of doing things. And I think every candidate I know that's a serious candidate for the job would be doing that, even if they have a connection to Mitch Barnhart. I could see it being it will be a different way of doing it. Yeah, I think Mitch. I think miss did a very good job here for a long time. But I think it's time for change. I think people know that. I think the people making the hire of the ad know that too. Now, the people making the hire of the ad have made some decisions I don't like either. But I think the days of us sort of being like, we're not going to do anything until we make sure that all the rules are we don't want to move quickly. I think those days are over. I think whoever we get is going to be aggressive. I just think I don't think you have a choice but to be so. I'm more confident about the ad higher than I was, say a month ago, because I've talked to people who are part of that decision process and I have an idea of kind of what they're looking for. Scott, go ahead, Scott.

00:39:24
Speaker 8: Hey, guys, A great day to be a Cat fan. I don't care what anybody else says. Got a couple of things I want to run by you here, Matt. First of all, would you pay one hundred and fifty thousand dollars for a twenty twelve yukon with say, three hundred thousand miles on it?

00:39:43
Speaker 4: No?

00:39:45
Speaker 8: Then what's the problem with us passing on Donnie Freeman? Dude missed thirty two games in two years?

00:39:51
Speaker 4: Anyone, I mean on paper? Is there anything we didn't but we didn't pass on him? We lost. It's not so much that I'm saying we had to have Donnie Freeman. Like I said, I didn't know Donnie Freeman. I don't know who he is.

00:40:05
Speaker 2: It's that they wanted him and they didn't get him.

00:40:08
Speaker 4: They we did not pass on him. He passed on us. And I think the concern to me is when you're UK and you say this is our priority. Matter of fact, we're gonna let this kid over here who wants to come, We're gonna let him walk because we are gonna get this guy, and then you don't get him. That's what bothers me. I wasn't really all that excited about, said Sebastian Ransick. But he's better than what we have now, which is nothing right. And so I'm Donnie Freeman is not the key to success. But they thought he was and they didn't get him, and that's what is worriesome. Andy, go ahead, Andy.

00:40:48
Speaker 15: Three, first time, long time?

00:40:50
Speaker 4: Who are.

00:40:52
Speaker 2: Yeah?

00:40:52
Speaker 15: So here's the ultimate prediction that's going to be the major kick to the sack for UK fans now that the bull jobs open. I feel John Shire going to head to Chicago because he's actually from Illinois. That's going to send Jay Lucas to Duke and then win. And if Kerr does stup down and Todd Golden heads out there, that's gonna send Billy Donovan back to Gainesville.

00:41:11
Speaker 4: That would be a terrible string of events. Wow, and very possible. Yes, Shy are taking the bull's job, I think is very very possible. And then when that duke job's open, Jay Lucas will be the number one choice, and that would mean Jay Lucas would never be Yeah, now that's a certainly plausible scenario.

00:41:31
Speaker 12: Chris, go ahead, Hey guys, first time caller, who are.

00:41:38
Speaker 14: A quick question? Well, actually it's just a comment. So I sell cars for a living, and I think Hope needs to have more of an aggressive approach, kind of have that killer mentality. I ask two questions to my customers. Number one is a decision maker here at number two, if I could will you so, if you've got to recruit the saying I want two point three million dollars, if I could get you two point three million dollars and I get your commitment, it's a simple question. And if they.

00:42:04
Speaker 4: Don't, just I've heard that's the way car dealers do it, and I agree with that. There's a part of me wonders if we had no chance at getting a couple of these guys and they were using this to begin with, Maybe Pope and his group don't understand if, like if somebody's really into them or not like Shannon. Maybe with some of these recruits, we're in the friend zone and we don't.

00:42:26
Speaker 3: Realize nobody wants to be in the friend zone. And maybe we're in the friend zone and it's worse where you don't even know that you're in the friend zone.

00:42:32
Speaker 4: Exactly. You got to know you're in the friend zone. When you don't know you're in the friend zone.

00:42:37
Speaker 5: We need some Netflix and chill.

00:42:39
Speaker 4: That's when Shannon needs to Netflix and chill. We will be back tomorrow. Uh, we have to be in studio because of will Stein, so we will not be at the bar. We'll see you later. It's KSR.