Welcome to the Big Bluminsider. Dick Gabriel with you on a Monday edition of our program as we take one giant stride closer to college football. The Wildcats of course opening up at the end of August, and it is right around the corner. That means the talking season is underway. And sure enough Mark Stoops talking again today at the UK kickoff luncheon. It'll be over in Louisville again, I think tomorrow at the kickoff luncheon there. But he came back from SEC Media days a little more than a
week ago. I have been on vacation since then. So we hope you appreciate the best of the show is they're always kind of fun to go back and figure out what we were talking about in the past weeks. But back in the saddle today and we'll be hearing from Mark Stoops as he spoke. Also we're going to hear from Jeff Pikoro who was there. So is Aaron Gershan at the kickoff lunch and Aaron of course with the Cats balls Jeff for the UK Radio Network. Jeff comes up at the bottom of the hour, Aaron comes
up and now number two. But before we get to football a reminder, it is game night and you've got La Familia taking on the Louisville Cardinals version of the team. It's the you know, UK versus U of l Let's face it. We'll talk about that more in just a minute, but I think we need to talk about what Mark Stoops kind of referenced earlier today but was the subject of a column by USA Today's SEC football writer, and this ran in the Courier Journal, which is owned by
the same company. Mark Stoops made some comments to Daryl Byrd in a long piece Daryl Road. Typically typically a great story by Daryl, but Stuops talked quite frankly about what the headline refers to as the crushing weight of the new college landscape. And you might recall a couple of years ago Stoops called his players free agents. Said, you know, there's free agency, and the sustainability of aid
five free agents a year is interesting. How would you like to operate an NFL team where every one of your guys is a free agent every year? I remember that I was there when he said that, and he's right. Every coach in America in Division one at least is dealing with that one double A as well, but steps and Darrow talked about it at length, and he said, basically, he's got to make payroll. He has got to go out and raise money. I don't blame him for saying
what he did to Darrel. He said, I feel very isolated, very alone. That I'll get to that in a minute, but he said I don't know how long I can take dealing with what I've dealt with. He said, personally, I can only do so much. I've never felt this kind of stress and pressure. And he said I don't need it to be woe is me or we feel sorry for you. But he said my name has changed and these issues consume me. And he said I can't coach the way I want to coach because all I
do is raise money or try to raise money. I get that now. He also talked about the fact he said I'm all alone in this, and it was quoted in the column and the Courier Journal about that, but that writer failed to mention the fact that Stoops immediately at least in Darryl's story, talked about Eddie Grant, who
is now the special assistant to Mark Stoops. Eddie Grant is deeply entrenched in the fundraising business, and Stoops said to Darryl Byrd, I don't know what I would do without Eddie Gran he said, at some point every day we talk about how to raise money, how do we do it, how do we make payroll? So Stoops isn't doing at all by himself. But what he talked about, of course, was the fact that he is having to do it and doesn't care for it. And I don't
blame him. I don't blame any coach for not liking it. What this guy wrote about was the fact and he kind of embraced the notion. And this is not accurate that everybody in the big Blue nation media and fans are like, is content with seven wins a year? Now, that's just not true. That's the floor being raised, not the ceiling being lowered. But he's not the only guy who's written out about Mark Stoops in the UK football
But I'll promise you nobody's happy with that. But now, because of all the changes in college athletics, the hill is steeper to climb for everybody. And Stoops today at the luncheon, some of his first comments are about how he and the administration are dealing with the changes.
What Doctor Capaludo, what match in our administration have to deal with in the next twelve months is unprecedented, and we've already been dealing with a lot, and we've adapted and done the very best we can and will continue to find creative ways, great ways to continue to be as competitive as we've been and take it to another level. And if you heard my comments at SEC media Day, that's what we want. That's what you want. I am
not interested in sitting here and just existing. You know, you know we we and I'm not interested in exiting. You know, We're interested in finding ways, in exploring ways to be the best we possibly can at Kentucky.
Well more coming up later in the show with Mark Tuobs and his two coordinators who were there today, Bush Hampden and Brad White. But I did want to touch on this being game night for La Familia. Coach by Tyler Eulis, the rookie head coach off to a good start. He's two and zero, has never lost to U of L as a player or an assistant coach under Calipari, and he talked today, actually it was yesterday, about some of the memories he has of the uk Uo l series he was a part of.
You know that we never lose. You know, that's the best memory. You know, obviously the iconic picture where you know, Chris Jones elbowed me in the face. I know that's pretty big for me, that picture. You know, I've got to thank him for that.
I guess why is that so big for you?
The fans is bigger for the fans.
I think fans always cheer when they see that. In the video montage before Kentucky games, that shot of Tyler Ewis with blood trickling down the side of his face. Talk about giving your off for your team. So all right, Coming up next, we're gonna talk about the Olympics. A lot going on, including UK's Lee Keefer with gold. A little bit later on Jeff Pecorrel and Aaron Gershaan, plus the UK coordinators and more from Lafa Meia. Next on six point thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider.
Coming up at the bottom of the hour, Jeff Pecorrel or the UK Sports Network will join US former football Wildcat, now a veteran of Have Gosh twenty odd seasons now covering Kentucky football along Tom Leach and yours truly our number two, Aaron Gershawan will join us and we will hear from more from La Familla. It is game night.
The Wildcats take on the Cardinals of Louisville tonight. It is They're not called the Wildcats, but they are Wildcats naturally in the basketball tournament, the million dollar winner take all event, and the Wildcats and cards teams are both two and oh and they will play in Freedom Hall tonight, not the Young Center, nine o'clock start. It's over on Fox. I think it's Fox Sports one maybe. Anyway, check your
Fox channels for that ball game. I thought we would talk some Olympics, so I have watched a lot of Olympics covers. I will tell you that I enjoy them. I actually like the Winter Games more than the Summer Games, but I do like the Summer Games quite a bit. And of course, right now you've got a UK medical student, Lee Keefer, who is well known now in Lexington because since she was a teenager, has been known on the international circuit for fencing. She wins the gold and in
fact she's thirty years old now. I think I first interviewed her when she was fifteen years old, but she became the first US woman and only the third woman ever to win two Olympic gold medals in fencing, and she beat a fellow American, Lawrence Scruggs, who's twenty one. She goes to Harvard and she became the first black fencer from Team USA to medal in a women's individual event at the Olympics. So it was American versus American and watching Lee Keeper celebrate just the absolute joy that
she took in winning that gold. And her husband is also on the US Team USA fencing team, and I'm not sure when it may have happened already forgive me, but Lee Keeper is also going to be part of the team fencing event. I'm not sure how that works, but she could win herself another medal, but I think I think I was the first person to interview her when she was a student at Dunbar and becoming a
really really great fencer. And so she wins gold her second and individual foil by beating one of her teammates, a Canadian Eleanor Harvey took home bronze, and that was Canada's first Olympic medal in fencing. So anyway, Lee Keifer, who began fencing at age five, won the gold in Tokyo and meanwhile is going to med school at uk along with her husband Gerrick Manhart. So congrats to Lee Keefer. The weirdest story, I think, well, there's several so far.
South Carolina beat China in archery won the gold medal, right, and that's not unusual because they always win. South Carolina's won South Carolina South Korea. Wouldn't that be something has won ten straight gold medals. But I'm talking about women's team archery. It looked like they were going to need a second shootout after the final regulation shots, it was
all tied up, so he needed a shootout. Then it looked like they were tied again, but an official pulled out the magnifying glass and checked the targets and the South Korean team was ruled to have scored a ten instead of a nine on their shots, and that gave South Korea the win in the shootoff, and they won it five four. Can you imagine China was hoping to take them down, of course, because they beat South Carolina.
There.
I did it again South Korea at the Archery World Cup in twenty two and it looked like they were gonna have to keep going, but the judge pulled out the magnifying glass and it was South Korea, not South Carolina, that beats China for the Team Golden Women's Archery. Mexico beats the Netherlands to earn bronze if you had Mexico
in your team pool. Speaking of pools, there have been just some great races, including the one hundred meter breaststroke last night, which to me is a fascinating sport because when I was a kid, I swam on a team for two or three years at least, and I wasn't very good, but I won some ribbons. I didn't win any races, got seconds and thirds for the most part. In freestyle, I swam butterfly, wasn't good at it, swam backstroke a little bit, was okay at it, but I
couldn't swim breaststroke. Even today, I cannot swim the breaststroke to literally save my life. If I had to save my own life by swimming breastroke, you'd say goodbye to your old boy here. But I'm watching the breaststroke and it was an incredible race, called one of the great races in the history of the event, but not a single swimmer finished would have finished better than eighth at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago based on the time,
nobody cracked fifty nine seconds and rowdy gains. The analyst for NBC pointed that out almost immediately. And the reason is they're saying now, the pool is slow. And I learned this when I was broadcasting a swim meet at WKYT many many years ago. I didn't know this when I was swimming, but I was a kid who cares. But some pools are faster than others. One of the elements involved in making a faster pool are the gutters
on the side of the pool. The bigger the gutter, the faster the pool can be, but also the depth and the pool in Paris is a temporary pool plopped into a rugby stadium similar to the one in Lucas Oil Stadium last in last month's Olympic trials, is two point one five meters deep. Right, the standard minimum standard is two meters. What they're usually at is three meters
or at least two and a half meters. That's the new World Aquatics minimum of two and a half when they approved it for Paris, they said two point one five is okay. Now the new minimum is two and a half meters deep, and that makes for a slower pool because when the swimmers displace the water, it bounces off the bottom of the pool comes back up and makes the second fifty meters of one hundred meters swim or choppy. They're not swimming through smoother waters, They're swimming
through turbulence. That's why at least that one hundred meter breaststroke final was not very fast at all compared to the Tokyo Olympics. So keep an eye on on that. Keep an eye on Simone Biles as well. She is nursing that ankle injury and she still came in first in qualifying. She's competing in all four events. It was a little painful to watch her limp off before. She is not dealing with the mental trauma that she dealt with at the last Olympics, but she did disappear briefly,
came back with a heavily taped leg. It's a calf muscle she tweaked during warmups for the floor exercise. But she is still getting it done, so that's very cool. How about that by the way, Sunny Lee on that team, of course, competed for Auburn after she she won the overall goal at the Tokyo Olympics. I remember when she was having medical issues, but I didn't really understand what
was happening. NBC did a great piece last night Sudie Lee mysteriously gained forty five pounds, had to stop competing at Auburn, had to stop competing internationally. So they figured out what was wrong with her was some sort of kidney disorder, and they finally got it turned around with meds and she got in shape just enough time to qualify for the Olympics, and now she'll be competing for medals. But I had no idea. They had video of her,
and it was eerie seeing how big she got. And she's not very tall obviously, so for a woman that size, maybe five feet tall, to carry an additional forty five pounds, and they had lost her coordination for the most part. They showed her trying to work back on the beam and on a couple of other events and falling. But
now she's okay and she did well in qualifying. Kind of a weird I watched the end of the women's bicycling mountain biking cross country event and Haley Batton of the USA won a silver medal, first ever for an American mountain biker, best finish ever for a woman, actually for an American mountain biker. But she broke the rules. She was final, won't it won't cost you the medal, but it won't cost you five hundred and sixty five bucks.
Broke a rule in the final lap. She was jockeying for second place with a woman from Sweden and went through a lane meant for taking in food or stopping for medical problems. Judges said she failed to quote respect the instructions of the race organization. They didn't think it was enough of an infraction to warrant a disqualification. But she is fine. Guarantee you she won't care. Don Staley
Women's basketball committee. She's not the coach South Carolina head coach, but she is on the selections committee, has admitted, and I said this the same thing a couple of weeks ago. Caitlin Clark, the way she's playing now probably would have been included on the Olympic team back when they chose the team. You could not make the argument for Caitlin
Clark based on how she was playing. People believe you could make and should have made the argument based on ticket sales and what it would have meant and interest in a women's game, and that's all important. But your job, if you're picking a team is to pick the team that's going to win the gold and at the time, she wasn't, in my opinion and in Don Staley's opinion, playing well enough to be included. Staley said in an interview last night with Mike Tariko on NBC now she
would be in really high consideration. She didn't say we would have taken her, but she said she would be in really high consideration to make the team because she's playing head and shoulders above a lot of people shooting the ball well, an elite passers. She said, great basketball I quu, which she knew, but at the time she just wasn't playing well enough. One final note on the Olympics.
This guy's an idiot. A European Olympics broadcaster made a comment about the Australian women's swimming team Saturday and got fired and he should have. And this is not being overly sensitive or being woke or anything. Stupid like that. It's him being a dope god named Bob Ballard covering the games for Eurosport, and he is a veteran sportscaster. He's a guy who's been around, which means he should
really have known better. He's been a staple of Olympics coverage for several years freelance broadcaster for the BBC, but he decided it would be really clever when he was talking about the Australian women's swimming team, said you know what women are like? In reference to the team after they won the four by one hundred meter he said, well, the women are just finishing up. You know what women are like, and I'm quoting hanging around doing their makeup,
and that was it done. You just don't I don't care if you're kidding. I don't care if you think that's being overly sensitive that you just don't go there. How many times have we said that about announcers. Don't go there? But he did and it cost him his gig.
Up next, speaking of gigs, Jeff Picorrel's had the gig for quite a while as color analyst on the UK Sports Network cover in Kentucky football that added more on the Big Blue Sider next in sixt thirty WLAP welcome back to the Big Blue Sider and joining us now in our celebrity Hodeline. He's my longtime friend and colleague, Jeff Pacarel from the UK Sports Network and WTVQ. He was there earlier today when Marx Tubes and the coordinator spoke.
Did anything jump off the podium at you, Jeff. I know I talked earlier about how Stoop's made some comments that were kind of referencing what he has said about the burdens of really all college administrators and coaches. Now, other than that, really optimistic. He sounds like to me, how did you hear it?
Yeah, I think all three of them were, let's put it this way, cautiously optimistic. I really think that for this team, they've got to get through the the workouts here in the next month unscathed, mean no injuries. If they can get if they can get to the end of August with little or no injuries, that would really help,
especially in a defensive front. You know, you're you're you're probably going to be one guy down with Hayes, but uh, you know, but you're thankfully that's a decently deep position. And a couple of the guys that did not practice in spring will be ready, uh you know here in the next couple of weeks.
So well, I like to talk with you, obviously, because you've been through this not just as a college football player but at Kentucky. And yet there have been so many changes in the way things are and things that are allowed to be done in the college game. But right now there is much more opportunity for a coach to work with a player here in the off season, here in the summertime. Then it was I don't know what the rules were back when you were playing.
There were none.
Yeah, well that's true, but after a point it was like coaches, as Stud's point out, could only watch or they could work out without a ball or whatever. Now those rules have changed so much. But how much do you think, Jeff, that helps a program like Kentucky that's trying to challenge the big boys every year?
Well, Jeuge, and I'm glad you brought this up, because you know, back in the seventies and eighties, what they did is we actually had three days. We had a morning practice, an afternoon practice, and then we came back after dinner for a night practices was all special teams, so we did offense defense morning, offense defense afternoon, and then special teams at night. So we had two or
three days where guys stayed on campus and stuff. But before that, before the practice started, so like right now, because it starts tomorrow, we would be working at Clayburne Farms. Who worked at the FC bottling plant. We worked at UPS, so you could do that in the off season to get yourself some money. Now obviously all they got to do is sign on the dial line to get themsel some money. But I like what you said at the start. They have loosened up the rules where you can't have
two the days anymore. You can't have three days like we did. But it's almost a year round gig. We got basically the summer off and we worked out on our own. Randy Jenkins, Bill Randol, Lula mcrim and all the different quarterbacks we had and stuff. Would get with the receivers and we'd go out there and toss the ball around. But now it's basically eleven and a half
month out of the year job. And it's one of the reasons I asked, well, you know, cause I get to go to practice, and they don't run a whole lot, meaning run gassers and sprints and stuff like we did. And I'm like, what's up with this? Why don't you do that? And I was told by mostly the weight guys and the Mark Hills and then that, well, these guys now not. You know, when you played, it was
basically a ten month job. Okay, now it's year round, and these guys stay in shape year round, much different than what it was, so you don't have to get back in shape. You know, they do tests and things like that, but we had to run sixteen forties, we had to bench press squad all that kind of stuff, whereas now these guys are basically working year round, so you don't really have to do those types of things when you come back.
And some of them do have jobs, to be sure, but to your point, a lot of them don't need it, so that gives them more time to spend in a weight room or just throwing with each other.
Right, yeah, and Dick, look you've been over to that facility. A lot of people listening probably haven't. Everything's there. They've got a haircutting share, they a barber shop. Basically, they've got a game room guy can go in there, hang out, play pool, huge TVs, play Xbox, all that kind of stuff. There's the pools in there, there's the indoor facility. Yeah, there's food, nutritional food, not just going there and you know, scarf stuff down, but nutritional stuff. All the weights, the
bikes you want, totally different. It's just it's it's such an arms race now and it's totally different. So these guys have all the benefits.
What else they have is it's so much easier now to study video what you all they still call film. Yeah, but we'll say, back in your day, when you wanted to study actual film, you had to go in and grab a projector. And I don't know if you did it much, but it was it. It was I don't want to say it was an ordeal. But now heck, they've all got iPads that they can study video in their room, right.
Yeah, And this really started in the late nineties into the two thousands. We had, as you said, Doug Martin, you know, Billy Ramsell, Randy Jacin, they bring the projector back to their room and the Rick Masseys and Jokers in us of the world. Yeah, we would go up there and because they were gonna watch. We'd go in there and watch with them. Yeah, but yeah, it was totally different. You know, our film study was an actual
you know, before practice it was. It was an actual year to be there, you know, two thirty and then two thirty three thirty you hit the weights maybe, or or you watch film with the coaches, your coaches. Yeah, now they just give them a disc and go here you go, everything's here, or download it now on the iPad, as you said, and it's all specific to your position. Back then, you just watched the high high eleven.
You know.
Now it's specifically the defensive backs. You can watch the receivers, the line. So yeah, it's it's so much easier now.
Yeah. Talking to Jeff Pikoro the UK Sports Network, he was there earlier today when Mark Stoops and the coordinators spoke to the fans the annual kickoff luncheon. Another great crowd on hand. It seems like a getting bigger every year. What about what bush ham Dan mentioned earlier today? Did anything he said jump out at you?
Yeah, yeah, I know a lot of people want this almost Tim Couch offense where Kentucky's gonna throw it fifty five times a game, you know. But the thing that I really liked is when he said, you know, seven years in a row, you've had a thousand yard rusher. Ye, and I'd like to see us run the ball thirty times a game. I thought that was a great number that he threw out there. And the thing that he's, well, I think you've got to have ballot. I think it's
pretty much been proven. I mean, you look at those those years with Tim Kouch and Jered Lorenza. You had great offenses and you scored points, but the other team scored a lot more points a lot of the time. Right, you have to be balanced. You have to be able to control the line of scrimmage because if you control the line of scrimmage, then you can run it or pass it, and you can also control the clock. And
that's what Kentucky likes to do. Because there's so many high powered offenses, you don't want to you don't want to get into when you play Georgia or in Alabama or a Texas. You don't want to get into a pinball machine game with them because you know they're going to be able to score forty and you hold them down. This year's team looks like it can. But I really like what Hampden said.
Well, and Stoops referred directly to number of plays and talked about, you know, offenses in the past that yeah, they work, but they didn't run enough plays and the clock was going down three to one. You know, people always talk about why didn't so and so get the ball? Why didn't you throw to your tight ends, Why didn't this running back get it? Well, if you're only running fifty five plays, yeah, and it could happen. And rich Brooks educated or tried to educate people, you recall back
when he was here. But to your point, thirty running plays now add thirty to thirty five passing plays and you've controlled the football, haven't you. But if you're only going to run thirty in twenty pass plays, boy, the other guys are getting the ball way too much, right.
Yeah, if you're not going to be at Tennessee Space or you know some of the other schools that run the hurry up where you're going to get eighty to ninety offensive snaps of the game, that's just not going to happen. But to get in the sixties, I think that's a good number because you get if you run
thirty and you throw thirty. That's a really balanced offense. Now, there's gonna be games when you play some teams that maybe they're stouter up front, so you want to get the ball on the edges a little more, and you might throw it thirty five or forty times and only run it twenty five times. But to get close to that number I think is huge for them running the ball because look, you've got a great offensive line, and I think, great, we throw that around too much. Let
me tell you this. You've got an experienced offensive line and you've added a couple of key figures to give them depth. I don't know if they're great yet because I haven't seen them play together, but you've got some great depth there. You've got great depth of defensive line as well. So guys, so Dion Walker doesn't have to be out there sixty five seventy plays. If Dion Walker could go ninety to one hundred percent, and again, you're not going to go one hundred percent every play, You're
only going to play twenty plays. But if he can be in the ninety percent tyle eighty five to ninety percent for forty five or fifty plays, then you're going to be really, really well off on the defensive side of the ball.
One other thing to remember when we're totaling up plays, and this happened last year. When your defense scores or when your special team score, that beats your defense right back out on the field. Obviously in your offense doesn't get a chance to run more plays. So you're scoring points, but you're keeping your defense out there. But that's a
good problem to have. We're going to talk more football with Jeff Pecorrol on the other side of the break here on the Big moone Sider six thirty WLAP Welcome back. We're talking with Jeff Picorro the UK Sports Network. He is the color analyst for a couple of decades now calling Kentucky football, and Jeff, you and I have worked, as well as Tom Leach and our crew are engineers eight straight Bowl games. We have every reason to think
will work another one this year. The biggest question, and I'm sure in your role is color analysts as well as sports director Channel thirty six, how many games are they going to win?
Yeah?
I keep telling people. You and I talked about this down in Dallas. Chef was there for recC media days. I firmly believe the calendar works against Kentucky as much this year as any I've seen, and that is to say, so many tough games up front where they used to be able to kind of work into it. You know, on the other hand, if you can handle these challenges early, you're in great shape.
Right Yeah.
You know.
The one game that I point to says if Kentucky wins this game, they have a chance to win eight, nine, ten games, and that is Game two, thank you. That is a team that South Carolina that Kentucky is very simil one or two, but they've been able to have the upper hand until the last two years. Now South Carolina with Eli Drinkolyitch has really upped there recruiting. But
I still think that that's that's a game. And I always said in Mississippi State when they were always our other side as the West team, that will be played the Kentucky played. But I really think that game. Look, you're gonna know what you got going into Old Miss. If you're three and one, then you got a great shot at Old Miss. If you're two and two, okay, you've probably lost the game. You shouldn't. If you're one in three.
You know, now you better start battling down the hatches because you know, look, George is gonna be a tough game. It's here. You've got a boxer's chance, right, that's what you have to have. The one. And let me go back to one thing that you said, what excited me or what did I take out of that? They've got some quarterback that can run. Now they've got two got probably believe they're top two and I don't know, Bo is probably one A or one B or two whatever
you want to call him. But look, you've got two quarterbacks that are over six three and over two hundred and twenty five pounds and they can scamper around a little bit. One has got what fifteen college games under his belt, and one's got about fifteen packs on his belt. So it's going to be really interesting to see how that works out and how Bush tries to integrate the quarterbacks into the system or into the games. I should say.
I'm with you on South Carolina, and I just don't firmly believe yet in the game Cocks. I mean, you look at last year's schedule. They handle the teams they should have handled well but Tennessee spanked them. A Florida team that was not very good, frankly beat South Carolina, Florida team, Kentucky beat A and M spanked them. Missouri, the team you just talked about, beat them handily crushed Vanderbilt.
But Kentucky just laid an egg that night in November, yeah, and lost, And then the following week South Carolina, full of itself, loses the Clemson you know. So yeah, I think that's that's that. And as you said, Missouri is just getting better. I believe much more Missouri than I do in South Carolina, you know.
Yeah. Oh yeah, Look, and I said it wrong because I was talking about South st and said, Eli, drink whiz what you've done? Those are the two games that I always looked at. Oh yeah, but look, if you beat South Carolina and then even if you lose to Georgia, you're probably gonna be three and one right going into that contest. That's what I was trying to say. If you're two and two, so that means you've probably lost to South Carolina and Georgia and beaten the two teams
you're supposed to be, then that makes that old. This game almost and you know, if you don't win this, basically you're looking at you know, then you start going, okay, we may have a chance of deliberty, you know. And I know that's early, but like you said, the way this schedule is, you've got to get out of the gate. You've got one game to learn this Hampden offense. Uh and and really get it perfected. So you get to South Carolina.
Yeah, you know, and then after Old Miss you got Vandy. But uh, two years ago, Kentucky goes to Ole Miss and basically in a position to win the game, loses a last minute touchdown on a penalty. Uh. And yet Jeff, we we talked about it during the pregame show. That was one of the greatest pregame atmospheres and not even talking about the Grove, but that got everybody ready. That stadium was literally rocking. And yet Kentucky fought back after a mediocre first half and an injury to Will Levison,
came back and damn near won the game. So uh, yeah, it's it's a challenge, but uh, you know, like you said, that would be a pivotal game as well.
And it's probably gonna be on national television.
Yeah.
I mean if there three and one, or you know, if there four and oh or three and one, that game is going to be at noon on ABC. That's right, So that is going to be an awesome game.
Could be so much is going to depend on who plays quarterback. And I've been told that the battle for the starting job is probably closer than we think. But earlier today I felt like Bush Hampden was indicating that it was Brock's job to lose. Do you have that feeling? Yeah?
I do, I do. I think that here's the situation too. You've got really three guys in that room. Because bo Aley leaving and going to Charleston State and being able to start twelve games, yeah, and throw the way he did. You're not running the scout team. You're running a college team against really good teams. Charleton plays a tough schedule and he did really well. He looked different. He's a bigger, stronger kid. He still has the gun on his shoulder
if someone gets hurt. Before I was hoping Boe could get the job done, but by going out there and playing in twelve games, it changed his career projection. He could have gone to a probably one hundred different schools and started this year, but he wanted to come back to Kentucky because he knows this is where I want to make him. And I think he's he's look, nobody's happy being the backup, but in his mind, he'd rather be a backup here and get some playing time to
go somewhere else. And you got to hand it to a kid like that.
Yeah, no, I agree, and I did wonder about that. But yeah, he wanted to come back and compete with the job here, and he's much better equipped right now. I think he'll agree to compete. I think you've you just said that basically than he was before he was here. If we wrap this up with Jeff Bicoro the UK Sports Network. You mentioned the defensive line and Dion Walker. I thought he did a great job down in Dallas. He was you know, with us the media scrum. He
was fun, he was kind of funny. I thought he was kind of more business like in the breakout rooms, you know what I mean. But I think he was trying to be more professional for lack of a better term, you know what. You know what I'm saying.
Yeah, Look, he's bigger, stronger, faster than he's ever been. Yeah, I'm not worried about him. He's going to play. I think there's one key to the defense, and especially if Hayes doesn't play because of the injury, then I think a lot of it has to do with t Shawn Silver. If this kid can fulfill the promise that he has and the ability that he has inside of him, can coach get that out of him. If he's able to go in there and play forty plays a game like
he's shown flashes of and practice and stuff. And again, it hits people at different times. We always talk about Andre Woodson. The first two years he was here, he was a deer in headlights right, he was lost, and then all of a sudden his junior year, are like, who is this guy? And that's kind of what I helped because he's the biggest guy on the team almost. I mean, Silver is huge, and he's gonna have to
play a lot of snaps right over the center. And like I said, if he can show the five star ability that he had in high school, then this is going to be one heck of a defense.
He is Jeff Pcorrel. You can see him on WTVQ. You can also hear him on the UK radio network. End it's coming up fast as the Wildcats begin to open their football season, and follow Jeff on Twitter or ex at Jeff PACOROL.
Thank you sir, all right, buddy, have a great one.
Number two of Aaron gershin of the Catch Balls. More Kentucky football and basketball talk on the other side of the break here on the Big Moon Sider six thirty eight wlap, Welcome back to the Big Blue and Cider. Joining us now as he does each and every Monday, is Aaron Gershaan of the Catch Ball. Pretty soon, Aaron, you and Billie Religi and I will convene at a later hour after the coaches shows and the lineup of radio shows on Monday nights. It's not that far away.
Crazy right, just about four three weeks away, a couple of Monday shows away from being in the studio every Monday, so from the end of football and basketball season. So I'm really excited to at that going and excited to talk to you as always.
As a deal on Mondays.
Here it is the talking season, as Mark Stups likes to point out, and you were there in Dallas. We were off last week, so I didn't have much chance to chop that up with you. But you were at SEC Media Days. You were there today earlier at the kickoff luncheon when Mark Stuub said a lot of the same things he said. Didn't go quite into depth, of course, as he did in Dallas, but his message is I think overall when it comes to the fans. We'll get into the nil stuff in a minute. But how excited
he is about this particular team not quite bright. I don't want to say bragging about it, but you know, he made some point in comments a couple of years ago about his team that you know didn't quite come around, but he seems like he can't wait to get started with this one.
Yeah, I think we make a good point about making some comments. That was twenty twenty two when the team kind of they were really high expectations, not only from you know, here locally, but from a national perspective. I mean, they were finished at pick second in the East at STC Media Days down in Atlanta, had the third highest odds behind Vama and Georgia to win the entire conference. So I think that year he and the players probably and admittedly so didn't do a great job.
Of kind of not avoiding the hype.
Train per se. But I think this year they have a chip on their shoulder. The last two years have not gone how they wanted it to go. At all again, seven wins at Kentucky is something that used to be celebrated. Now it's it's a letdown, and that's good because it shows you how much this program has grown. But at some point you do have to try to go meet those expectations. And I think he said a lot of the same things where he thinks the depth is as
good as a spend. He made a point that he thinks he has the best blend of players and staff that he's had in his time here, and it's hard to disput that. I mean, we'll have to see just exactly what we get from bush Handen in the offense, but I think we've saw some positive things in the spring. I have heard, i mean glowing reviews of bush Handen just from STC media days talking to people that have played for him or or covered him. So we'll see how that goes. But yeah, he definitely is very high
on this team. He's trying not to say too too much and you know, put too much pressure on it, but you could tell he's ready to kind of roll that ball out there here.
Bush Hampden spoke today, so did Brad White. That who coordinators. We heard some of the comments from them earlier on the show. But what have you heard from those glowing reports? What have you heard from your your constituents about Bush Hamden?
Yeah, just that you know he's a he's a guy that players love playing for players coach is the first thing I heard.
But Brady Cook, the quarterback at the Zoo.
I asked him about Bush last or two weeks ago down in Dallas, and he said, you know, those last three games of the twenty two season, after Kentucky beat Mazury in Colombia, the colin Goodfellow games and took over the play calling for the last three regular season games and from there in Missouri. I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, but they average. I think it was close to thirty, if not more points per game. Brady cookedn't throw another pick the rest of the way.
Seven to zero touchdown interception ratio. He had two one hundred yard rushing games and he kind of took off and he said that, you know, Bush and him kind of went into that to those last three games, like, hey, we got nothing to lose, let's go out and.
You know, let's do it together.
Let's both have that attitude together, because at that point
in time, you know, there's a lot of calls. We were at that game in Missouri, Yeah, and there were a lot of fans wanting they were chanting the backup quarterbacks name, and they wanted the offensive coordinator and the offensive staff gutted and Eli drink Wood did got that offensive staff obviously, and you know, they obviously took off last year, but that kind of Brady talked about how that kind of served as a momentum booster going into what was a fantastic twenty twenty three season for him.
So I thought that was a pretty big deal to.
Hear the players seem to genuinely love them and think very highly of them, and we have obviously seen you know, he I think what's cool about Hampden is unlike you know, Cohen and Skangurella. There's there's some numbers that we've seen in college from him and what his offense has been able to do. We know he's had in a thousand yard rusher each year.
He's called plays. We know that he likes to run the ball.
He's had, you know, top twenty five rushing offenses almost every year. This year there were number six rushing offense at Boise State in the country, so we know what he likes to do. We have an idea where I think with you know, Skanguerrella and Cohen, it was more mystery to it and more NFL stuff where I think you're going to get a more you know, you'll have some of your pro concepts. I think it's going to be a more collegey offense if you will, and that's exciting.
You know what's so interesting to me, Aaron about I can't say all of college football, but I just this Kentucky program. The fan base is everybody loves to see the ball flying through the air, but what they love more is winning. And with stoops it's been because of his best teams, his better teams, the balance with between it's throwing and the run game. And as Hamden pointed out today that the fans who showed up at the luncheon seven straight seasons now at Kentucky with a thousand
yard rusher. I mean, when we start talking about streaks, you talk about Stoop's tenure. You talk about Bowl games seven straight, and of course the unspoken words are can they do it again this year? You know what I mean?
Yeah, I mean absolutely, and you know it is nothing to scoff that. I mean the bull streaks they have at eight I think is yes, only three in the SEC like it, right, I think it's Georgia and Alabama.
So I mean what.
They're doing, especially the place like Kentucky is incredible. And Mark steps is one of I think nineteen coaches. To be in the same spot in the SEC for twelve plus years, that's incredible stuff. But the last two years, especially that twenty I think the twenty two season is what bothers people the most because they were legit expectations. You had a quarterback that we've now learned should have been a first round pick. He had an excellent rookie year.
He's going to, I think, takeoff in Tennessee.
This year.
You had a great defense that played great for most of the year and you wasted it. You finished second in the conference because he couldn't block anyone and in the play calling was terrible, and you know, they struggled against Tennessee and some of those high temple offenses. So you had a game at Ole Miss you should have won, and then last year you just you go boat raced in some games. So you definitely need to go and
and try to punch back. It's going to be tough with this schedule, but I think it's I think with this schedule, if you can get to eight regular season wins and maybe go win that Bowl game. I mean that'd be a pretty huge accomplishment to win nine in your first year in the new look SEC and maybe try to even continue momentum.
Next year.
It's going to be the same SEC slate, just reverse home fields. So yeah, I mean, look, there's nothing to scoff at what they've done, you know, these last eight years, and that includes the last two being part of that Bowl history. But the fans want more.
You can't really you can't fault him too much.
What else jumped out of you from comments today? As I mentioned Stoop's comments, we've pretty much heard, but Brad White and Bush Hampden speaking to the fans today.
Yeah, I think that I liked what Bush Candon was saying about the quarterback room. I think there's a lot of good stuff in there with Brock, and I liked how he was talking about he's an old school throwback guy, and that's kind of the vibe we've kind of got talking to him, right. I also think it was very interesting that he pointed out Cutter Bowley as one of the more impressive freshmens he's ever worked with. I think
that's something to definitely take note of. I mean, look, hypothetically, Brock has a.
Great year, He's a fourth year senior.
He could help in the NFL draft with a week quarterback class, and they could be looking for a quarterback next year. I mean, in a perfect world, he's probably have Brock start for two. But if you don't get that perfect world, or Brock struggles and you're in a quarterback competition next year, like you know, that could be a guy. So I thought that was very very intriguing. I thought how we talked about maybe compensating some of the inexperience they haven't running back with Gavin Weinstatt and
some packages, that was interesting. So that's what I kind of took away from him. And then with Brad White, I mean, not much new. His defense is very much you know, outside of adding Jim and Dewis Jhonson for.
For Trevin Wallace, which.
Is obviously big, but you know, that's a plug and play situation.
He had some guys. You know, there wasn't too much.
I think the two things that he said that stood out to me were one talking about that cornerback position. He made a really good point about how Max Harrison had one rep in twenty three or in twenty two, which is obviously an awful one, and then he comes in twenty three and he's a second team All SEC guy, five picks. And now you go down to Dallas and he's projected to be a first team All SDC guy.
So it makes you feel maybe a little better about that competition they're having across the field, because at least there's more experience than that in those competitions and maybe
someone emerges. And then, you know, just talking about Dean Walker, I mean, there's not much to say, but you know, anytime you could hear your defense corners say this guy can be the best in the country at what he does, you know, and we all know it's there, but anytime the coaches talking about a player like that, because you you know, it's Kentucky at the end of the day. You don't hear that very much at Kentucky Football, So I thought those were the two big things from him.
But yeah, some intriguing stuff mixed in, and you know, we'll hear from all those guys a little bit more on Friday local media day here.
Yeah, it is a media day, Friday fan Day on Saturday. We'll come back and chat more with Aaron Gershan or the cash Balls in just a minute here on the Big Boon Sider six Servy Wlap Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider. It is game night. We mentioned this earlier, La mia Ya. You'll hear more from players a little bit later on. We already heard from some of them as they look ahead to tonight's battle with the Cards.
But in terms of Mark pope'stball Club, Aaron, we've had a chance to chat with some of these guys and we already knew their backstories, but talking about them with the guys coming in, you and I talked earlier after the luncheon. Today, I think I think this team is going to surprise some people pleasurely so, but more for defense than offense. And I think you agree with that.
Oh, I do think this will be a really good offensive team and should be at least They're gonna be nights where they frustrate the hell out of you because inevitably, threes are just not going to fall. I mean, even Alabama, who for my money, has been the best offensive program in college basketball the last four to five years, have nights like they did at Roperino to an extent where where they're relying on threes and balls, the ball doesn't
fall in and we lose. But I do think this team will be able to compensate for some of those off nights because they they're going to be able to defend unlike last year's group. I mean, you know, right off the bat, you have two defensive players the year winners for their conference A Marii Williams. When they wore three times. I understand it was in the you know, the CIA, but still three time defensive player of the Year in a conference.
That's crazy. It's unheard of.
I don't know if there's many people that have ever accomplished that in college basketball, to be honest with you. And then Lamont Butler, not only is he a defense the player of the year in the Mountain West last year that brought six teams to the tournament. But you know, he's played so many NCAA tournament games eleven and just the guy who he's not going to be faced by anything. And you know, some of the guys have talked about how he's been a real challenge to deal with in practice.
Kirk currisso was telling us, like he's telling Butler. Some says, hey, Q stop, like it's July here, like dude, chill, Yeah, Kirk, what a personality that guy's got.
But uh yeah.
And then you know, take always a guy that you know, you always talk about his defense a little bit before his offense, even though I think his offense is actually underrated. So Jackson Robinson's the guy who's gotten some shout about being, you know, kind of an underrated defender. Brandon Garrison, who was a shop walker at Oklahoma State last year. So there's there's a lot to like with the defensive upside, And unlike the cal Pariers, they're working on it in
the summer. So look, are they going to be a defensive juggernaut. I don't know about that, but I do think they're being overlooked a little bit in that realm. And that's partly because last year at the YU, their defense struggled. But I just think there's more depth here at Kentucky than he had at b YU.
Oh yeah, And people need to remember defense begets offense, especially the way Pope wants to play it. He wants to get out, transition and shoot threes. Guys pulling up shooting threes at the other end of the break. I think we're gonna get used to seeing that as we did during the Patino era, right.
Yeah, no doubt about it. They look they're going to take. I would love to know what the number of threes are going to take this year is going to be. I mean, I know BYU was second in the country last year, so it's gonna be up there. But yeah, and I think maybe one thing with you know, the defense that they're working on here. You know, if they're going to shoot a lot of threes, you've got to learn to defend them, right if you're going to be
practicing them. Last year, what was the I mean, we know the defense all around the pick and roll.
We can go on and on, but.
How many wide open threes did they give up? I mean or just didn't close out on shooters? I mean not closing. I know Golkie hits them York shots, but not closing out on him.
Cost the season.
So you know, got got to feel pretty good about where they're at at this point. And you know, I understand that, and they should kind of moderate expectitions in year one, but that's not how the team's approaching things.
Well.
I mean, we talked about how bad Kentucky was defensively last year. There's no way to sugarcoat it. It's so much fun to watch an offense, but trying to watch a team outscore somebody is maddening, especially at this level, and then with the talent level they had last year. But I firmly believe that because of their defense here, they'll be in virtually every game this year.
You know.
Now, like you said, can they score enough to win it? We'll find out, but they'll be in all of these games, right.
I do think unlike last year, they're going to be games where, you know, it felt like every time the offense had a bad night last year was a lot. I mean, outside of I'm trying to think of one. I feel the Arkansas game out there, and Arkansas was not a good team last year. As we know that was about the only game that comes to the top of mind where their offense just sunk and they were able to pull it out. I mean, Auburn, they didn't play great offensive lead, but Antonio Reeves did and kind
of carried it on that side. So Arkansas, they didn't play well offensively at all. They had twenty four points a halftime and they got a Gerty win out of that. Outside of that, they didn't do it all of last season, where I think this year again, with the style play they're gonna play, they're inevitablely going to have a game or two.
Where they just don't score. Like when you.
Rely on the three, it shows you sometimes and we've seen it again with Alabama, We've seen it with other teams that played.
To that style. We thought with YU in.
The nca Tournament last year unfortunately for them, But I do think there's enough defensive prowess to compensate and pick up some Gerty wins, which this team struggled to pick up last year.
You know, one of the players really intrigues me, and maybe it's because I got a chance to go to England for the first time a couple of years ago, was Amari Williams from not Aham, England, and that is, you know, the Sheriff of Nottingham kind of thing, which I I. England's a big country. Well, London's huge, England's not all that big. But Nottingham is two hours from London, so when you think about players from England, you would assume they come from the major metropolitan cities. But he
went to a high school on a farm. It's actually known over there as a college. But anyhow, his trip serpentine as it is, from Nottingham, England, through London to Drexel and now Kentucky. I think this whole team is interesting like that, you know what I mean.
Yeah, there are definitely a lot of cool stories, and you know, that's what you kind of get to with an older team, you know, got to have some season to them and some stories. But yeah, again I'm Marty Williams. I didn't actually I didn't put that together any was from England, but that he.
Was two hours he told us that Sunday.
Yeah, yeah, I wasn't. Yeah, I guess that wasn't there when he said that. But that's that is wild that that's there. But you know, again, you're talking about a three times. I love all have to go researcher one day. How many guys in college basketball history won their Defensive Player of the Year award three times?
And like the last in this era.
You know, obviously probably happened maybe earlier in college basketball and guys would stay four years all the time, but like nowadays, like he's saying, I mean, I get it, it's not a great conference, but still to do it three times as well. So yeah, I think he's a guy that probably getting overlooked because he was the very first one they signed, so he's kind of got forgotten
a little bit. I asked him about you joining an empty roster, and he kind of talked about how a lot of the guys that Pop sold him on here are sitting in the locker room. So you know, he's definitely a fascinating one. He's going to be their starting center. But also with the way that they play offense, which is very fast, take, I would assume the big thoughs like Amari, Brendan Garrison, they're gonna be rotating a lot. I mean, it's gonna be interesting to see what the
minute distribution is. But Amari, I think him and Lamont are your two defensive anchors on there, and you know, front and backboard respectively. And you know, he's a big part of what they're going to do because if he if he struggles with the physicality, uh in the SEC about how they didn't really let him be all that physical in.
The CIA at times. So if he he.
Struggles with that, it'll hurt the trajectory of this team. But you know, if he if he doesn't, which I don't, I don't think he willed too much, he's going to be He's huge for this team. He's simply been overlooked.
Huge. Literally he's seven feet tall. Yeah, so he'll be automatically one of the biggest players in the Southeastern Conference. And he's already got the skills and the instincts.
And that's the difference between a big fifth year in a in a big freshman like you know, nothing against Aaron Bradshaw, but the kid was scrawnie and you can kind of tell was going to need to put on some muscle right where this kid the muscle's there, the body's there. He kind of looked, you know, he kind of looks like some of the centers that Tennessee has had over the years. That have given Kentucky sid So, yeah, definitely you could. He's definitely a guy I think is
being criminally underlooked. And you know, I really do. I've thought it for a while now, like, yeah, just because he was the first one. So and Lamon Fallow is another one. I think those two guys, because you know they don't have insane shooting numbers, they're getting overlooked. But don't overlook it when defense has been the killer for this team for several years now.
You are correct, sir. He is Aaron Gershawn. He covers the Wildcats baseball, football basketball for the cast Balls. Follow him on x at a Gershwan ninety nine and pretty soon he and Billy Rutledge and I will be coming your way on the Statewide Show at ATM this in time. But that's not for a few more weeks. So for now, thank you, sir, and we'll talk to.
You soon anytime. Appreciate it.
More football and basketball chatter on the other side of the break here on the Big Blue Siders six thirty w Welcome back to the Big Blue and Sider. As I mentioned, it is game night. Do you know that if you're a Kentucky basketball fan because tonight laugh of Melia coming up at nine o'clock. It's a tough start, but thank you television. Tough start for us older people, but if you're a UK basketball fan, you don't care because anytime the Cats and the Cards tip it off,
it's going to be fun. And based on the way both teams have been playing, this should be a good game. And Twany Beckham, the general manager who put this team together, he said it best when he was recruiting guys to come play, asking them to come play. Once he got him signed up, he told him this is not an exhibition game. It is not just a celebrity game. We're playing to win it because hey, who doesn't want a
million dollars to split up? So the Cats have been playing well, the Wildcats known as La famie is you know, and the Cards have been playing well. And because U OFL fans bought more tickets, they're going to play it in Freedom Hall tonight, which is cool, not the Young Center, but good old Freedom Hall. I got to think as well, there were Kentucky fans who bought tickets, so maybe the game would come to Freedom Hall. But for the most part, UK fans did well they put good crowds into rupp Arena.
I don't know that the court is going to matter. It's just that probably more UK fans obviously when it comes to the game here in rupp Aerena. But you can watch it. I don't know if there's any radio on this at all, but it's going to be on one of the Fox Sports channels, so you can check it out. As we mentioned earlier, we got a chance to talk to several of the players yesterday morning. They gave up some of their Sunday morning to come talk
to us about playing in this series. For coach Tyler Eulis, who talked to us about making decisions now as a head coach as opposed to a point guard.
It honestly feels basically the same. I feel like I'm making the same type of decisions, same type of adjustments. You know, Coles pretty good at let me pretty much do whatever I wanted on the court and make decisions. So you know, for me, it's you know, drawing up the players in the huddle that I'm struggling with right now.
How tough has it been there? Even at the sideline, You can't go in and make the past.
You want.
I haven't played in about, you know, five plus years now, so you know, I'm pretty used to it. And you know, it's a lot of fun just being with these guys and you know, trying to you know, put them in a position and you know they're doing great, you know, making me look good.
One of the things we asked all the players about, especially the head coach, is why is this particular Kentucky team, this amalgamation, if you will, former Wildcats plus one? Why are they playing so well?
I mean, these guys are professionals. I feel like everyone has something to prove, even though we've all played at the highest level. You know, these guys are coming here to you know, finish you know, things that we didn't get to finish while we play here at Kentucky. You know, it's just a good opportunity for us to you know, showcase you know who they are still as players, you know, just try to come together and win games.
The twins are back playing together, Aaron and Andrew Harrison. And Andrew talked about or rather Aaron, yeah, I can tell them apart when they tell us who too. But Aaron talked about the fact that this team has been meshing and playing so well together.
Ah, I think it's a it's pretty easy for us. Most of the guys here. We we aren't out here trying to prove anything individually. We aren't really trying to We're not playing against each other where you know, we all respect each other.
We all know that.
You know, we've all.
Of us has been through so much basketball wise, and we can't really accomplish anything individually. So I think that being professional and having a team like this that's everyone's played at a high level before makes it very easy.
One of the guys who's been playing exceedingly well, of course, Eric Bledshoe, who's had a long pro career. He talked about the fact that these guys have come together and they're playing as one.
Think we've been playing great everybody, you know for the little time we've been together. How we jeal you know, came together and got that team coaraderie. I think it's awesome.
So why do you think you've meshed so well so quickly?
I think just the person they got on the team. Everybody unselfish, want to win. Everybody had awesome careers. So we at this point in our career where you know, we want to just come back and have fun and you know, just play for each other.
One of the guys who played multiple times against the Louisville Cardinals was Willie Caley Stein. He was not a one and done. He could have been, but decided to stick around for three seasons, and he talked about the fact that he and his former teammates and guys and who were just part of the family have been playing well together.
We've been playing like we've been together for ten years. I don't know, it's actually kind of incredible how we're gelling and such a short period of time. I feel like everybody's pretty much bought in to the common goal and like nobody Carris who scores all the points or who does what. It's just like go out here and try to, you know, beat people as as much as
we can before like that ending hits. I think that's like the whole goal is like get up as much as you can, so like maybe almost impossible for them to have like a twenty point swing or you know, they's I'm not saying it's impossible, it's possible. We've seen it, but you know, the better but the better the odds are.
Why do you think you guys are messed so well so quickly.
Uh.
I mean we're all we're all from the cal Araa, So you know, that's what we had to do when we're here. It's quick. You gotta you gotta figure it out quick. So you know, we got the bootprint for that. There's a lot of dinners, a lot of like, you know, just being around each other and and doing things outside of the gym. You know, me and Nate and BC golf a lot. And so now we was out there and you get to you know, kind of know guys on the different planes.
I mentioned Tyler Eulis and Beckham, the general manager who appointed Tyler the head coach, told us what he thought of the job the former UK point guard is doing.
Tyler's doing an amazing job. I mean, he's of course an incredible basketball mind. He lays so well to these players and just the way he gets his message through the way he's very pays attention to detail with the guys and the other teams that we play. I'm just having a great time to sit back watching him do what he do. I mean at talents. I think he's got a long, long journey in his coaching career.
The plan is for Tyler Ulis to join John Caliperi in Arkansas, though he posted on I think it was Instagram that if anybody has anything that might keep him here in town, he would stay. But he is a professional head coach in the making. Willie Callstein talked about playing for Tyler as a head coach.
Yeah, no, I think that was always in the cars. Honestly, He's always been a great coret general and like he can talk to anybody in the room, so that, like I feel like that's important as a head coach, being able to kind of know how to coach different guys, different playing styles, different personalities, and he's one of those guys that can talk in any room. So he speaks the language of both sides, and so like him crossing number to that coaching side is going to be easy.
Nate Cistina, the former Kentucky big Man who did not get to play in the NCA tournament unfortunately because of COVID, is part of this rivalry. He talked about Tyler Ewis as the head coach.
Absolutely from the jump it's been you know, ty told us that he hasn't lost. It's important that he maintains this, and you know, especially in the coaching world, this is great bragging rights for him.
We talked to Cistina just before he was going out to play golf with Willie Carley Stein. He said that coming back and being a part of this is pretty much what he expected.
Absolutely. I mean, Kentucky basketball fans are I'm sure you guys are well aware. If crazy is the right word, well maybe just you know, enthusiastic.
There.
I think the best college basketball fans in the world and some of the best basketball fans in the world even as a pro. I mean, this is a tournament that's been put together for how many years and they're packing gyms out. There was eleven thousand tickets or something sold out. So first summer basketball in Kentucky to have, you know, eleven twelve thousand people is big time.
Andrew Harrison, the twin who was the point guard, remember Aaron the shooter. Andrew the point guard, told us that he believed and this these are my words, the secret sauce, if you will. One of the unexpected pleasures that this team has realized is Ennis Cantor's brother Karim, who has played maybe as well as anybody on this team.
No one really expected him to do what he's doing. But I'll played against him and I know how good he was, so I know people are going to be sleeping on him a little bit, just based off the other names on the roster. But as you can see, he's a really good player. We could really depend on them to score and stuff, and we need him too, so happy to have him on a team.
Yeah, Cannor played well for Xavier and he's been playing well for for me. I Canner talked about the fact that while he didn't play at Kentucky and play against U of L, he knows about rivalries and he's happy to be a part of this one.
Yeah, I'm very excited about it. I have heard enough stories for it to feel real. I'm glad I could be a part of it. You know, I've played a couple of rivary games in college play for Xavier, and I rivaly with Cincinnati, you know, Blue versus Red Blue Or is read here, So I'm glad I'm on the right side of the rivaly here. Yeah, I'm excited. I mean, both teams got talent. I think it's gonna be a fun game. I hope we can be on the winning side.
There will be a great crowd tonight, both sides. You know, blue gets in. It's Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. So yeah, it's going to be I think probably split down the middle, might be a little more towards U of L. But I think it'll be sort of a fifty to fifty deal. And in fact, the way the crowd, the way the fans have embraced this lite for me a team is something that Andrew Harrison said has made their return to the Bluegrass so special.
Honestly, it's just like none I've ever seen before. You come here, you get so much love. I mean, I haven't been here in eight years. So when you come back here and get a lot of love, get a lot of know, just memories, You're just happy.
Man.
You realize how much fun you had when you were here. You don't really appreciate it when you're here. When you come back, you really get a chance to appreciate and look of look at all the stuff that you did accomplish and with the guys you really grew up great bond into it.
So you heard earlier from twenty Beckham, the general manager who put this team together, and one of the things that has pleased him, along with the way his ball club has been playing, is the way the fans have turned out embraced this team, and he's enjoyed seeing the way his players have responded to the crowd.
You know, looking on the guys faces, and you know when they run out of the tunnel and see all the fans in the Roperena or just even around town. You know, the dinners we've had just been down in the public. You could just tell these guys I've missed that, and so I'm just thankful that these guys are back in the joint.
Those are some of the guys on the La Familla Ball Club who will play tonight against those Louisville Cardinals. We'll have more of the Big Blue Insider coming up on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider, final segment of our program, Gonna Shift you back from basketball to football. Mark Stoops and his coordinators speaking at today's kickoff luncheon over at Kroger Field, where the Wildcats will start their season very soon against Southern Myss jump
right into SEC players. Jeff Percoro pointed out with South Carolina Georgia. It is a typically tough schedule, but as I said, it's when do the games come up? You know. Again, the calendar I think is working against Kentucky and it's just lucky to draw a luck at the computer. But this is going to be a challenge. But if they're up to it, this could be a really special season, especially looking down at those last couple of weeks going to Texas and then playing the Louisville Cardinals. But what
some of the comments earlier today reference the offense. Mark Stoops talking about the fact that he wants more tempo, which means more plays and that was a problem last year as.
We progressed, as we start recruiting impact players, you know, guys like that that need touches. You know. One of the conversations Bush and I talk about now is number one. Yeah, the urgent to get plays off faster. I mean, there's no secret. Heck, before Liam, you know we made a change or anything like that, we were talking about that because I didn't like it last year. I didn't like the fact that we're always getting down to one, two, three, four seconds left on the place and playclock to get
plays off. We have playmakers that we have to get ball now, you get them a variety of ways. And we're all a team, right. Defense needs to get some three and outs, we've got to get field positioned in special teams. Offense has to get first downs. The more first downs you get, the more plays you get off the more guys are going to touch the ball.
Bush Hampden of course coming in as the OC, bringing a new offense and this is important now new terminology, and believe it or not, Stoops toyed with the idea of having Hamden convert to the terminology that Kentucky was already using. This is like a second language for these players. And keep in mind now that the guys on offense we've had to learn new terminology each of the last three years. At least the guys who played earlier under
Liam Cohen recognized what he was bringing back. But this is the fourth offense change in the last four year, really five for five. So anyhow, Stoops decided that no, we're gonna let Hamden bring in his terminology because of the new rules which allow the coaches to work with the players. As Jeff and I talked here in July, so the players had much more time to learn the terminology, and Stoops pointed out it was really better for the OC because he's going to be making decisions under fire.
The biggest thing was is I wanted him. I wanted Bush to be comfortable making those plays because when that pressure is on, your habits are going to come straight to the surface, and his terminology, his plant call, on his comfort level. I want it to be with him.
That to me makes a lot of sense, quite frankly. So when they talked about offense, they talked about, of course, to start quarterbacks. As Tom Leech asked Bush Hamden about the quarterbacks not so much Rock vanderg group, but about the room itself.
I also believe this. I think there's three other guys in the room that have a lot to offer as well. And you know, Cutter Bowley, the freshman we brought in, is as talented as a freshman as I've been around. Gavin Wims out of transfer as a big six, four to two and thirty pound player, and bo Allen's really done a nice job taking the next step as well. So excited about the competition throughout the offense, but certainly at that position.
My pal Jeremy Jarman more than once on this show has talked about the fact that he believes there will be and there is right now a real battle for the quarterback job. And in fact, on the UK Sports Network podcast that he and I recorded late last week you can find it online right now, Jeremy talked about just that there is talent in that QB room, as Hamden just said, but it does look like Brock Vandergriff
will be the starter this year. I mean, he could be beaten out or you know, if he doesn't stay healthy all that stuff. But Bush Hampden spoke glowingly of Brock Vandergriff.
It made it sound as though it was his job to lose. I really feel this about Brock. I mean, he's an old school throwback type player and he's a guy that this is really important to him. From a leadership standpoint. I think that was always the starting point anytime you have a guy that's coming in as a transfer and the expectations how he can mesh with the rest of the team. I think he's done a tremendous He's a player that's got a really nice skill set,
can run it, can throw it. We're certainly excited about him continuing to take the next step.
Lots of talent in that QB room, but lots of talent in the running backs room, and that is a huge question mark, as Hamden pointed out, and he knows this because he's done his homework. It's a Kentucky program that has relied heavily and importantly on talented running backs for the last at least seven years.
These guys have had seven straight years of a thousand yard rusher, and being in this conference, you know the physicality that they've played with upfront and what the backs have done. And so certainly a lot of decisions have been made in the offseason. Again, one thing with us even taking Gavin Wimsat was him supplementing some of the runs. So we'd like to hand the ball off close to thirty times a game. We're always thinking about, Okay, how many times is this guy going to carry it in?
That guy again, We've got a bunch of backs that we think can be successful at this level, and we're excited to get him going.
That's Kentucky's new OC Bush Hampden. Now they've got the veteran Brad White coming back. On defense, he admitted he's got a lot of depth. He's got returning athletes, guys he knows he can count on. But he lost Trevin Wallace, the talented linebacker who left after his third year and now is with the Carolina Panthers. But he's got a guy who steps in for Trevin, and not many programs can say that they've got a former All American who came through the portal to step right into his starting job.
Jam and Dumas Johnson at inside linebacker. Watch for him. You'll see him right Away's number two from Hyattsville, Maryland, but was a Georgia Bulldog, lost his starting job because of injury and couldn't quite Georgia just recruited over him. So he was looking for a better opportunity. Found it in Lexington and Brad White is glad.
He did with trevn in a third round draft pick and needing to to sort of bolster that inside back of room and to be able to bring Pop in. Uh brings a lot of sec game experience. He's his short era of quickness and his strength and his strike. It's it's really unique and it's special. And then he's surrounded by guys in that room. Like de Eric Jackson, who have been in this system a long time, so they can act like translators as he's sort of processing through our defensive terminology.
White and Stoops talked about the depths coming back on defense, but they also talked about the fact that they are not satisfied. We're just trying to do the same things they've done each and every year. There have to be some tweaks every single year.
You have to go back and you have to look and say, okay, listen, what tweaks can we make If if you just sit there and say, we're going to be stagnant and we're going to just keep doing the same thing over and over. Offenses are too good and you know, systems are too good, so we have to have small weeks in there. I think the guys have adjusted well to those. We've been able to work on some of those newer things throughout the summer, but also understanding, hey,
what are we at the core? How can we play fast and letting those guys play fast and physical?
All right? That I'll do it. Thanks to my guest Jeff Picore Aaron Gershawan. Tomorrow we'll talk more about what happens tonight with me. That's it. Good night from the garage in Lexington. Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? Joey, have you ever been in a in a Turkish prison
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