Welcome to the Big Blue and Sider Dick Gabrielle with you Tuesday edition of our program. Ordinarily this is a men's basketball night, but Kentucky Vanderbilt moved to Tomorrow night thanks television. So the Cats and the Doors go at it at seven o'clock.
We'll have it for you right here with Tom.
Leach and Jack Gibbons. Our local coverage at four point thirty, Network coverage at five thirty, and the Commodorees and Wildcats tip off as Kentucky looks for revenge over a Vandy team that beat the Wildcats down in Nashville earlier this year, and that was a game that saw Kentucky fall behind by fourteen and a half time played horribly down in Nashville, came came back, took the lead, had a seven point lead in the second half, and then lost seventy four to sixty nine.
Sound familiar.
Wildcats came back against Texas, took a lead and then let go of that and fell to the Longhorns. Holser to at least two games, and the Georgia game will also factor in to me.
On selection Sunday.
No matter what happens, and it may be a rough day for Wildcat fans, given the fact that it doesn't look good for Butler and Robinson coming back anytime soon, if at all.
So it might be a day when Kentucky gets a bid.
Assuming it does, Wildcats are gonna have to win some more to get a bid to the NCAA Tournament. But even if and when they do, you're gonna wonder what might have happened if not for the.
Injuries, but also the games that got away.
Even if those games don't get away, they might still make it no problem minus Jackson Robinson and Lamont Butler. But the losses to Georgia, Vandy and Texas I think will haunt this team. I don't know that it's gonna be able to recover enough to go on a run so they can shrug off those losses. And as for the injuries themselves, well, Mark Pope didn't sound real optimistic last night. He was upbeat but basically said it's status quo.
For Lamont, he's actually moving pretty well. He still has a practice done a live play. But for him, it's just a matter of how far along does he have to get where he can actually take a hit in the game. That's the biggest question for him, and that's you know, that's gonna be a little bit of a guessing game. We'll try and get him just some live stuff in practice over the next week or so. For Jack's you know, he hasn't uh, he still hasn't done
anything with his right hand. He's he's done a ton of left hand shooting and and probably unsurprisingly he's making a lot of shots left handed. So I am actually pushing him to just just tie up the right wrist man, just get that thing safe in a in a big cast, and let's go just play lefty on Wednesday. I'm not sure he's he's prepared to do that. Yeah, that's where we're in negotiations right now, trying to figure out. So those guys are working really hard to try and get better.
That was Mark Pope on the Mark Pope Shows to Tom Leach, and I honestly believe the left handed talk with Robinson was strictly tongue in cheek. So now Kentucky, with virtually the same lineup that it put on the floor against Texas, will have to try to knock off this Vandy team, which has been kind of a giant killer all year long. In the SEC seventeen and eight overall, Vandy on or nca bubble. So Vandy's going to be playing its butt off in Lexington against the team it's
already beaten. Doors are five and seven in the league, and if it makes a run in the SEC tournament, doesn't have to win it. Vandy could make the NCAA Tournament because of course you've got an opportunity in the Southeastern Conference for quad one wins. I'll tell you a
bad loss for Vandy. They lost at Oklahoma, which is not a great team, ninety seven to sixty seven, and then lost to Florida, top ranked team on the road, eighty six to seventy five, but came back and beat Texas, same team to just beat Kentucky in Nashville eighty six to seventy eight. Due respect to Texas, it's not a real good team. It's got a great player in Johnson, but it's not a great team. Andandy also lost to Auburn in Nashville and Tennessee in Knoxville, and I saw
the end of that game. Bandy had a sixteen point lead against the Tennessee team that has a hard time scoring, as you know, but Tennessee allowed Tennessee to come all the way back and win at eighty one to seventy six. So the Cats and the Doors tomorrow night, and it's another must win for Kent. Tell you got to protect the home court now period to make the tournament and to get the best possible seed, because that's what you're playing for now in postseason play. You're playing to get
the best possible slot in the SEC tournament. Remember, it's a new format now in the SEC attorney thanks to the two new teams, So you've got to protect yourself there. And then of course if you can get the NCAAs and get the best possible slot. While we're talking about the SEC, what are the big ten in the SEC
up to When it comes to the college football Playoff? Well, remember last year there were the heat of negotiations over the future of the College Football Playoff and in the end, executives from the ten FBS leagues and Notre Dame sign that memo of understanding which basically gave control the college football's two richest conferences, and everybody kind of bracing themselves
for what happens next. Momentum now they say, is building to further expand the playoff to fourteen or sixteen teams and assign multiple automatic qualifiers per league, maybe as many as four for the SEC and the Big Ten, and then finalize a scheduling arrangement that, of course, will bring
in gazillions of bucks from its various TV partners. But a playoff format change just might clear the way for the SEC to make that long discussed move to play nine regular season conference games, and it says here, according to a story on ya Yahoo, it could trigger all four power leagues to overhaul their conference championship weekend and
as I mean, do away with conference championship games. I don't know that the TV networks would allow that, but the power brokers, the most powerful conferences, clearly throwing their weight around when it comes to the college football playoff. And I'm good with any of this if it ultimately leads the college football breaking away doing its own thing
and leaving everybody else alone. So maybe we can get back to sanity when it comes to geographical alignment in the conferences, because nobody, nobody likes what is happening with teams going east coast to West coast and back and forth, and traditional geographic rivalries disappearing ridiculous. I so like the idea. It would take some doing of giving football whatever freedom needs, whatever or leeway at once, because look, fans will come
for college football. I mean, it'll be like the Mini NFL or the NFL Junior, NFL Light NFL two point zero, whatever. But it makes too much sense to pass whatever legislation you need to pass to see to it that maybe
the PAC twelve comes all the way back. How about the Ohio Valley Conference showing some sanity, and I would be willing to hazard any kind of guess that university presidents and ads would love it if their teams win possible, could go back to bus rides instead of plane trips and spare that expense.
They got to find.
Ways to spare expense these days. So instead of having your team fly from coast to coast, or from Michigan to Florida and back, stay closer to home. It makes too much sense. So you gotta wonder if it's ever gonna happen. You Eric from Mark pop Up. Next, we're gonna hear from Kenny Brooks. He talked on his radio show last night about one of the top players in the country wearing Kentucky blue and white Georgia amore and just about how talented players kind of set the tone
the best talented players do for their teammates. A little bit later on David siske Off Catch Illustrated, it'll break down the UK Texas and talk about what the Wildcats have to look forward to this year. David, of course, with the Rivals Network, we're also gonna hear in a few minutes from Greg Stottlemyer, the voice of the EKAU Colonels, and coming up in hour number two, Jeff Picoro of SEC Plus will join us here on a Big Blon Sider six thirty wlap. Welcome back to the Big Bloon Sider.
Coming up in just a few minutes, we'll chat with Greg Stottlemeyer, the radio voice of the EKU Colonels, who tonight, coming up at seven o'clock, have a huge conference game Atlantic Sun conference game with Lipscomb over in Richmond. You can see it on ESPN Plus, you can hear it on a one hundred point seven FM, and obviously Greg getting ready for the game right now. It's pre recorded, but EKU is on a real heater seven game win streak and This is a big one. Don't know that
Eastern is going to win. It won't the regular season championship, but heading into tournament play, it is one of the hottest teams right now in the country under aw Hamilton. So Greg will tell us what's going on with the Colonels. In our next hour, David Sisk from KATS Illustrated, we'll talk about the basketball Wildcats. We're also going to talk to Jeff Percoro about the UK women. Jeff and Christy on Sunday work the Kentucky Georgia game and the Wildcats
blew out the Lady Bulldogs. This was after the loss to Texas that saw Kentucky hang in there for a while and then just then the Longhorns eased away and made it a rout. This is maybe I think it is the best team in the country, Texas, which has beaten both South Carolina and LSU. And if you got to see the game, either in person I was courtside or on TV and listening to Darren hedrick Man, Texas is good under head coach Vick Schaeffer. It just had
Kentucky out manned. It's a reminder I kept thinking about there are a couple of players who injured preseason for the Wildcats, which is why Kentucky is not a deep team. It is talented, but not super deep. But still Kentucky could do a lot of damage in the postseason. And when you have a player like Georgia Amoor, anything's possible.
And now I didn't have the greatest of games against the Longhorns, but you had to know Texas was going to tailor its defense around stopping Georgia Amore, keeping her from getting any kind of decent look.
At the basket. They succeeded.
She bounced back obviously against Georgia all due respect, but against Texas, I mean against yeah.
Against Georgia.
Georgia Aymore planninggaint Georgia against Texas, she was five or sixteen, missed all three of her three point shots, five turnovers. If you're into plus minus, she was minus eighteen at fourteen points, but just couldn't play her game and Texas saw too that.
But when you've got.
Talent like that, I mean elite talent, that's what happens. Georgia struggling this year, and Georgia Aymore bounced back with twenty one seven assists, only two turnovers plus minus was twenty nine and his three out of six three pointers. She is one of the best players in the country.
And the other day we had Jenna Liftin from the Kentucky Colonel on the show and she wrote about what was it a couple of days ago, the fact that Georgia took her place in women's basketball history, became just the third d one player in women's basketball with twenty three hundred points and eight hundred career assists. And when you look at the other names, I mean just to be the third player period, but the most.
Recent to do that. How about Caitlin Clark.
Obviously the Iowa superstar and Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu did it finishing up her career. In twenty twenty, she was AP Player of the Year, Nasmith College Player of the Year, and of course both players Clark and Ionescu, were first overall in their respective draft classes. Amore twice this year has been named the Ann Myers Drysdale National Player of the Week. At Kentucky. Yeah, little low Kentucky really helping to put them on the map. I don't know that
she'll be named Player of the Year. It could be the kid from Texas Madison Booker, probably Juju Watkins from Southern cal She's a real superstar. But I'll be extremely surprised if Aymore is not at least a second team All American playing the way she is in the toughest league in America. And you know, she had that forty three point game that really made headlines. She's on the Naismith College Player of the Year mid season team, the Wooden Award mid Season team, on a lot.
Of watch lists. Pretty incredible.
And Kenny Brooks was talking about her last night on his show with Darren Hedrick. And he's a guy, of course, who had a lot of success at James Madison and at All Star players there that he helped develop at Virginia Tech as well. Probably his best player that he's ever coached. It's not Georgia Aymore, believe it or not, at least not yet, so Elizabeth Kittley. At Virginia Tech. She was a two time All American, actually three time All American, three time ACC Player of the Year, three time All.
Defensive Team in the ACC, Freshman of the Year. Just an incredible talent.
But like Georgia, Aymore worked her buttle and that carried over to her teammates, and Kenny Brooks talked about that last night.
I've been very fortunate where my best players have always been the hardest working players. And you know, and you know I've since James Madison all the way to Virginia Tech when we were successful and now here. When your best player is your hardest working player, everyone's going to follow suit. You know, when the kids see Georgia, you know, in the gym, they're gonna be like, we'll have Georgia in the gym that I need to get in the gym.
And you look at Clara Strake. Clara Strack watched Lyz Kitley and she was like, Okay, well, Lyz Kitley got extra shots in. I'm going to get extra shots in. And it just continues on and on and on. For me, it started way back when, and you know when I had Tamra Young at James Madison University and she was the first WNBA draft pick I ever had. She went number seven overall from James Madison and it was because of those kind of workouts.
She does it.
She did it, and you know, Don Evans saw her do it. So many of the great players were doing it that now it just becomes tradition and it's something that we hang her hat on.
In her story in The Kentucky Colonel, Jenna wrote that the world was sunned, the basketball world was stunned when Georgia left Virginia Tech. I don't know, and I'm not picking on Jenna, but I do wonder if that was truly the case, because they have such a great relationship Amore in Kenny Brooks, and really, when the word came out Georgia Aymore's leaving Georgia Virginia Tech, I'm sure a lot of people were surprised until they heard she's following
Kenny Brooks to Kentucky. And given their relationship, and anybody who followed that team in that league had to have known of their relationship. And Kenny Brooks and George Amore talk about that all the time. How they can, you know,
finish each other's sentences, read each other's minds. So I think when a player as established as Amore does transfer, that's one thing, but to follow the coach, and he talked last night Brooks did about how he helps work with Georgia Amore on drills for Kentucky and then drills for the WNBA, helping her prepare for a pro career. So it is a great relationship, but minus Georgia aymore
this year. All due respect to the rest of the players, and of course Claire's track transferred as well from Tech you know at Kentucky's not anywhere close to what it is right now. It's been pretty amazing and a lot of fun. I will say, to follow UK women's basketball this year. All right, we'll take a break, come back, talk about those EKU Colonels. Top of hour number two. David Sisk breaks down what he saw and the Wildcats lost to Texas and where they need to improve moving
forward given their injuries. And then Jeff Picoro will talk with us a little bit as well here on the Big Blue Sider six thirty wlier. Joining us now in our celebrity hoighline is a long time friend of mine, friend of the show, and the longtime radio voice of the EKU Colonels, mister Greg Stottlemeyer. And he's got a big game coming up tonight it is Lipskin, which starts in just a few minutes seven pm.
But we got to talk Greg about EKU man.
There were struggles early the Colonels arguably are the hottest team in the country.
What's going on over there.
They've really played hard, and they've played together. They moved the basketball, and they've hit shots. I mean, if you go back and look, they've won seven in a row, all in the conference. And in that win streak, they're scoring eighty six and a half points a game. They're hitting forty five percent from three, they're assisting on over half of their makes. And you know, we can make a complicated game simple, or it's really a simple game.
Hit shots. If you hit shots, you normally win. And they're hitting shots, which they weren't earlier in the year. They buffed their free through percentage. They're up with well above eighty percent over the last sixteen games, and they're doing it without their leading score the last two games. Who injured a knee a little bit over a week ago.
You know, watching some of these games on ESPN Plus, I saw the Austin p game down in Clarksville, a winnable game if not for shots that just wouldn't fall. The Stets and loss in Richmond by one point. Again, shots just weren't falling. And you posted a stat on Twitter or X if you will, just the other day about how great shooting has led to this streak. And it's really remarkable, isn't it.
It really is. I mean you look at when they outshoot an opponent this year, they're twelve and one. When they get out shot, they're four and ten. Aw Hamilton's been at Eastern for seven years now.
He's when he.
Does not when his team doesn't get out shot Dick, he's ninety three and ten. So again, that's the simplicity the stat that tells you the most.
Right.
Rebounding is important, turnovers are important, all that kind of thing, pace of play, but it gets down to the making shots. And again, I when they lost George Kimball to the knee injury. Over these last three games, other guys have stepped up. Mayor Wall of six to eight sophomore is a transfer from College at Charleston. He's once he's had his opportunity. He's averaged twelve and a half points over the last five games. He's over the last couple of games,
he's hit over half of his three point shots. And they've found open three point shooters, and their three point shooters.
Have had good have had good run Now that.
Said, Lipscombe probably the best team in the conference overall, picked to win the preseason veteran team back. So this will be a really really tough one on what is Eku's senior night in the regular season.
And yet Eastern wins add Lipscomb down in Nashville a couple of weeks ago.
How did that happen?
Shot the ball well, just kind of had a great defensive game plan. The guy that they lost to the injury, Kimball and will not play, we don't expect in this game. He had a great game defensively and offensively. It wasn't Lipscomb's night. They're really good point guard or not point guard, but two guard. It was one of seven from the field, only had two points and ek you just really they jumped out on him early, kept the lead, repelled every comeback that the Bisons had, and I think it was
game plan. It was execution of the game plan from the walk through on over to tip off. And it'll be interesting to see if they can keep it going because they've kind of positioned themselves they hold their destiny from here on out to the end of the regular season. The only team that they don't have a tiebreaker over is North Alabama, who's really good too. It's North Alabama Lipscomb tied for first and EKU is one of two teams a game back. So I didn't see this coming
three weeks ago, I'll be very honest about it. And it's been a pleasant surprise to see what they've done and to keep it going. Who knows, but they're solidly in the postseason tournament. Obviously, you know in a one big, one bid league, you want to be playing well in February, end of March.
Talking to Greg Stottlemeyer, the radio voice, and you can also see him on her least here, I'm on ESPN Plus coverage of EKU basketball coming up tonight at seven. It's Lipscomb and the Colonels over at Baptist Health Arena. You mentioned Aw Hamilton. I really enjoy talking to ad of course, you know it kind of and you've been around for a while. Makes Fielo when you've covered his
high school team. But it's just been interesting watching him develop into one of the hot young coaches in the country. And man, that energy is infectious, isn't it.
It really is? And you know you can have energy, but is your energy genuine, and his energy is genuine. He's a genuine person, and I think when you combine that with what he can do as a coach and make the right decisions on the sidelines, it's a good combination. He's got that record well above five hundred. He's had a year where he got again, like most mid majors, he got hit by the transfer of portal. His top
two guards went to Florida Atlantic and to Evansville. But he goes down and finds Kimball, who's a really good Division two player. Last year he's emerging to the guy where in all likelihood he'll be a P five guy potentially, And yet he's been able to navigate that situation with the nil now. Obviously at the mid major level now it's just it's almost where you have to retool every year now, and so are the p fives, but they're
doing it with the nil money to get who they want. Meanwhile, at the mid major level, you have to do something different. I'll give you an example. Dick Stetson, who who wont ika? You won the regular season? Last year Stetson won the tournament, all five of their starters playing somewhere else Wow. Yeah, Wow, Miami Liberty, Middle Tennessee, Utah State, and col State's Bakersfield.
I think.
And there's three players, three players that were starters last year, good players in the Atlantic Sun all playing at Utah State. Gives you an example of what's going on. And you know we can and I know you cover the SEC and you can go to Jenni brew Green played at Eastern at Auburn. I can go on and on and on, Trey King from Lexington who went out to Iowa State and had a good career. It's the lay of the land nowadays.
Do you think that all this movement, I mean, the changes are always afoot, but I do wonder how much influence there will be to change the transfer rule that restricts somewhat player movement. You know how many times you know you've got kids who played for five schools in five years. That's crazy, you know, And people say, well, you can't do it. They'll challenge it in court like
Pavia did at Vanderbilt. But there's got to be some way for the pendulum to swing back closer to a system where it protects schools a little bit, don't you think.
I think so.
At least some kind of contractual framework to where you have to give a year or two and I love and AW made an interesting point to me. We were talking pregame once and he said, what's lost here is when these kids go to the portal. Let's say the season's.
Over in mid Mark.
You're in the portal, all of a sudden, you're not in a structured environment for a while, a month or two or three. Then you get to your new school. Now you've got to learn everything over. You lose two, three, four months, whatever the timeframe is of development of development. And so the dollar seems to trump the smart thing about the development of some players wherever they play the next season, whether it's at the same school or beyond EKU.
On Senior Night, Will honor Tayte Blanton de Bonte Blant. We call him KTA on the air. I mean he's he's going to leave EKU five years number two in points, number nine are rebounds number five and assists. Aw told a story on the post game the other night. He said, I was I have my prepper, my whole spiel ready on our exit interview after the season. He does it with every player where you have to prove on what do you think? And he said I was ready to try to explain why I think he should come back
and play at Eku. He said, coach, you don't need to do that. I like it here. I want the legacy here. I want ten years from now. And he told me t Tate Lant did on postgame he was our player a game the other night. He said, I want to be able to tell my kids in ten or twelve years, I played here.
I did this.
So I like that loyalty. You hope that the loyalty versus the money counter will balance like a scale, right, the scales of justice that somewhere will find the middle ground, because not the portal is good. And I understand, Hey, if you were given one hundred and fifty thousand dollars for your work when you were in college at where it's the Kentucky Colonel, you probably would have gone somewhere else too, right, yep, yeah, right, So I understand it.
I'm right, but you've got to think long term. And I worry about the handlers and the hangers on those kinds of things and how that impacts things. So I'm kind of glad that I'm on the on the back end of my career in college athletics, because I do I'm old school. I'm miss the old days in a way.
You know, when it comes to the handlers as we come up against a break, Tubby Smith had the best comment about that kind of thing. And this was well before the Portal and NIO, but he was talking about, you know, the phenom kinds of kids who are destined or people think are destined for the riches of the NBA, he said, and they're oftentimes surrounded.
By the handlers and the hangers on.
And he said about the handlers, Tubby said, they hear the jingle, and I thought, man, that's a perfect way to describe it. They think they hear the jingle the coins in the pocket, and then you can't get rid of them. Everything goes sour. So Greg Stottlemeyer is my guess. He is the radio and TV voice of the EKU Colonels, who are coming up on a huge game with Lipscombs tonight over in Richmond. We'll come back and talk more basketball and a little football with Greg Haro on six
thirty WLAP. Welcome back. We're talking with Greg Stottlemeyer. He is a TV and radio voice of the EKU Colonels. We'd love it if you stay with us, but if you'd like to listen, go to one hundred point seven FM. Can also watch it on ESPN Plus as the Colonels take on Lipscomb, trying to extend their seven game winning streak, and man have they been hot. And Greg and I talked about shooting earlier, and I know that aw Aw Hamilton head coach. He's a little bit like well Polpe
or Patino whoever. He likes us three pointers. But does everybody have the green light?
Greg?
Yeah, everybody does, and they've just moved the ball better to find the guys with the green light. They're hitting nine point nine three is a game take about twenty eight. They've raised their average up to almost thirty six percent from three, and so they're.
Doing really well.
And you got guys that are somewhat of a little bit of a defensive liability on the defensive end. But Ekau's done a good job of finding those shooters and you're getting value out of like for instance, Turner, butuntery. The five to eleven Junior uses Kentucky mister Basketball from Bowling Green.
He also by the way.
He set the school record. He's hit thirty seven foul shots.
In a row.
He's fifty one to fifty three this year from the foul line. He's shooting forty two percent from three. And there's a kid out of Cincinnati that was injured last year with a knee injury, and Jackson Holt he's he's really getting going lately. He's hit thirteen of his last twenty two over the last three games from three, and so e Ka used to become a tough guard because of the ability to move that ball around and find
the shooters. And then you've got Blanton, who we talked about before the break, who has had back to back double doubles, where with the starting point guard being out day by day with this knee injury, he's had two point assists double doubles here recently, which is great for a guy that's your number two all time scores. We'll see though lips and stuff. Dick I ran the numbers on there. They have four starters who have played and started every game and in their careers they've scored almost
fifty two hundred points on the button. They have a thousand assists, so that's a very veteran team coached by Lenny Acuff, who was at Alabama Huntsville for a long time and is a really really good coach.
Oh yeah, it'll be it'll be.
Oh yeah, really good guy and a great guy too.
Well, you know, looking at good guy.
To talk to.
The Colonel's last time out in overtime, they protected streak with a win over Queens out of Charlotte, North Carolina and Ika. You hit thirteen of twenty six from the arc and they win it even though Butchery didn't have a great game. I keep seeing all kinds of video and stuff about him on Instagram, but he wasn't the sharpest that night. But yeah, you mentioned Blanton had twenty three points in tenni assists and other guys coming through with double digit numbers. Has that been the way of.
The Colonels here in this winning streak They kind of spread things out a little.
Bit, it really has.
They've spread it out.
Lanton's taken on a new role, almost like a point forward at times, and he's so good in the medium range, and so the double and triple teams that were coming at him early in the season. As he's become more of an assist guy, it's opened up for him to do his work in the medium range area, you know, left or right of the of the of the foul lane,
but inside the three point line. The biggest concern, if I was gonna look at the glass half empty, is you're not going to continue to shoot every night the way they've shot here over this oh during the wind streak and so there, and they're down a guy who is number five in the country in steel. So Kimball was leading the conference all year He's been top five in the country all year long before he got injured in steel. So you lose a really good on bold defender.
And at the end because the a Sun moves their tournament up a little earlier than a lot of school a lot of conferences, it's a weird scheduling thing, and I don't know, it's tough. You play six games in the last fourteen days of the regular season. Wow, So the one to night will be the third game. So
you're playing they're playing Thursday, Saturday. Tonight's Tuesday. They go to Bellermant on Thursday, then they fly to Florida and play games on Monday and Wednesday, and then the tournament would start the next Monday for the top eight seeds. So you know you're cun You're kind of in the end, the end of the year, you really are.
Thankfully Bellam is not too far away. And with all due respect this guy the downboard. The Knights have been struggling this year, but you can't overlook them.
You can't overlook anybody.
I mean, they took they took Queen Stover times should have won the game. I mean that three wins coming into their game tonight, and they've been in a lot of games.
Yep.
So and he's gonna be pulling his hair out. He's a little fiery on the bench anyway, if you've never watched team so yeah, the reperees have to bring a little chapstick.
Let's just say, well, he's a guy wh knows how to win championships. A couple of minutes left with Greg Stottlemyer, the radio and TV voice of the EKU Colonels, who take on Lipscomb tonight in a key matchup.
Uh in the a Sun have you enjoyed? I know, I know you again, you're like me.
Traditionally, you wish the OVC had held together with the traditional matchups E KU and Western Kentucky and Morehead and all that. But have you enjoyed the a sun.
It's a yes and no thing for me. I'll just be brutally honest about it. I like getting off a bus in Florida rather than Mater in Illinois.
Right.
Oh yeah, So so the weather's nice. I missed the radio guys that that you got to know in the in the Ohio Valley Conference. But again I'm coming. I'm coming from the old days of Murray and Belmont and Jacksonville State and and Eastern and Moorhead and on and on, right and so so the operational part of it's a little tougher that the Florida schools aren't as basketball centric as far as outside the court, the operation, the things you and I have to put up with, So that
parts a little bit more of a challenge. But on the over it's always nice to have a change, even like in football and the United Athletic Conference, going to Texas and Utah, just going to different places, seeing different programs. It's nice for a change. But I think you're on board with me. I mean, everybody thinks is there any way after all this stuff shakes out and the p
fours do what they do, especially with football. Is there any way to get college athletics back to more regional regionalization. I don't know how you do it, but that needs to happen.
I'll tell you what they need to do, and they won't.
And these aren't the only guys who have said it, but I first heard Rick Pattino say it.
I'll say a Chip Kelly say, before you leave UCLA.
Let football do its own thing and leave everybody else alone. You allow, you know, the EKA using order to go back to the traditional geographically skewed conference setups.
Let football do their own thing.
If they want to have an AFC NFC type setup, that's fine, but then leave all the other sports men and women are like, leave them alone to go back to traditional matchups. That to me, greg makes the most sense. I'm not in that you know arena, so I don't know how to make it work, but there are a lot of people smarter than I who could figure it out.
Does that make sense?
We've all said that. I know Steve Cotton over at Marshall has said the same thing. Eastern Western Middle we all ought to be playing every year. We all agree, but how it's easy to say it, but how do you do it?
Yeah, but they get paid a lot of money, brother to figure that out. It is e KU.
The hashtag is most exciting forty minutes in sports, and the Colonels play after that label, don't they.
Greg, They do.
Sometimes it's forty five or fifty minutes, but they do it.
It's good.
And you know, I don't know if you've been over since they renovated and they're done with two phases of the three. They've really done a good job of keeping the character of an arena that was built nearly sixties, but really going to get more and more fan friendly and it's really nice. I think they've done a great job of renovating and it'll be even better after the third phase with a new seating being put in the layover after the end.
Of this season.
Yeah, it's always been a great place to watch, but it's much more fan friendly now, I think, and a.
Great place to watch great basketball. It can't be there tonight. It's about to get started, but Greg Stottlemeyer has it for you on TV and radio. Thank you, Greg, best of luck down the road.
Good talking to you. I'll see you over at the State tournament.
Yep.
In fact, I'll be pitching in for the girls Sweet sixteen along with mister Stottlemeyer helping out with radio coverage. We'll tell you more about that coming up in a few days, but for now, that's the end of our number one. Coming up next, David Sisk of Katz Illustrated part of the Rivals Network, will tell us all about the basketball wiutcatch. He kept a close eye on them, and Jeff Picoro of SEC plus he and Christy Thomas
work the Kentucky Georgia game. We'll talk to Jeff about the women's team as it heads down the stretch into postseason play. That's all I had here on the Big doing Sider six point thirty.
W olupiat.
Tact Tact.
Then welcome back to the Big Blue and Cider joining us now. As a guy who's been a guest on our show many many times, you read his work and Cats Illustrated part of the Rivals Network, David Sisk coach.
David's by the way, as a guy who.
Former uybl Travelers coach, writes basketball recruiting for UK and North Carolina and breaks video down on Twitter and uh coach, you had some interesting posts after the Texas game, which is understandable, of course, but I thought really interesting is one of your latest was about the fact that teams are fitting and all teams do this figure out how to guard the other guy, and they know that Otega Oway might be the only wildcad who can get downhill.
How does that affect the way teams are guarding Kentucky.
Well, they're going underscreens, they are gaping him and playing off and uh, you know, besides that, now, I think there's a big difference in having once you were out on the floor then twos and I'm talking about when you're backcourt perimeter players. So if you've got Jack some Robinson and uh Kobe Brea, it's on a court together, you know, it gets harder to uh to help on a guy like Oway who can get downhill. But if you, uh, you've only got the one shooter out there, then you
can really get into a guy like Brea. And that's what they're doing, and they're really playing no touch on him and uh face guarding and not letting him have the outside shots, not let him have the catch. But you know, you take away then and uh, they're just playing under him. And and and going under the screens, and when you've got the five guys out there, then really put the ball in the basket. It gets tougher to spend all that. But uh, I'm gonna be honest
with right now. I mean Travis Perry and uh and and uh Trentonoa. They're they're gonna have to earn the other teams respect to be able to score. So teams are just getting up in them and say, okay, let's see if you can beat us off to dribble, you know, so the help doesn't come from the other spots, and they just they don't think that they can beat them
one on one. So then uh, you when you do that, you can uh you know, you can play off a way and you can uh you know, you just cirly got that one guy who can really get by you and then you're not happy and you don't have to worry about kicking out to the other shooters and things like that. So it uh, it just makes it easier right now to guard the whole team and and uh you don't have to worry about guys getting to the
whole end shooting things like that. So players are one dimensional, so uh, I think what you saw from Texas is what you're gonna see some Vanderbilt a lot tomorrow night.
Yeah, no doubt.
And uh it's it's frustrating, I know, or Kentucky fans, uh bray. I had probably his worst game as a Wildcat, although I really thought I had seen David in other games. I thought i'd seen him do a better job of going to the rim when when you're right, teams are not. Do not let him touch the ball.
You know they're holding him all that.
But he said to develop other parts of his game, and I thought he was really coming along with that, or am I imagining that?
Well, I'm looking at his numbers right here. As we do this, you get old like me and you can't remember stuff you'll see one day.
I'm probably older than you are.
If you look at if you look at at Perea, sixty three of his ninety one makes have been by three one hundred and forty three out of one hundred and ninety nine attempts thee. So you know, we're twenty five games in and he's only attempted sixty six pointers on a year, so about three a game. So here's the whole thing. Uh, it's not to the point where you're saying, Okay, we're not going to let you have the two or something like that, or we're not gonna
take that away. The thing is the teams are saying, okay, number one, we're going to get up in you. We're going to deny the catch. We're going to pressure you not only to take away the three, but we just don't think you can go by us.
Yep.
So, and it goes back to what you were saying, Well, I goo old way right now. The way roster is is the only guy who can get downhill, and the other guy like that is Ansley. I'mna uh. He's kind of the same way, you know, and more of a catch and shoot guy rather than Bray because Bray can put the ball on the floor and get the three off the drib ver. Eminar's more of a catch shoe guy. So that's just what they're saying. We're going to get out in you and we're going to deny you to catch.
We're going to test every three and if you get biased good, we don't think you can.
Yeah. Right.
And conversely, I thought Texas did a good job, and other teams will seek to do this. You talked about Perry and Noah earning the respect by making plays defensively. Teams of course will go at them and isolate and make them guard something they didn't have to do much of in high school.
Right. Yeah, And if you look at if you look at Kentucky right now, and you you go to those players defensively and hang on, I'm going to click on that Travis Perry as far as and I'm going by having Mayakawa here, his defensive percentiles, defensive impact percentile, he's in the seventh percentile, one being as low as you can get, one hundred being as good as you could get. So you know, he's in the seventh percentile defensively. So according to that, only six players out of one hundred
really are going to have a lesser impact defensively. And you know, if you get into uh, if you get into Noah and I'm gonna pull that up here, uh, that's going to be uh, that's going to be pretty similar. I don't have that number right in front of you here in the second, but it's going to be pretty similar. So you know. But but the thing about Perry is is the size too, because when you go back to the Texas game. Uh Trey Johnson was sixty, so you know he could just go and get the ball and
go over it. But at least Noah does have a little bit of size. It's not going to be the quickness going a perimeter, but you could see, you know in the Texas game. You know when you take when you take Mark and you take Johnson both they're really both very talented offense with the ball. So they were just kind of taking turn. Okay, if we can't get to look against uh Noah, we'll attack uh, you know,
we'll attack Perry and vice versa. And they were doing it well, you know, two really long time well not long time, but to really good guards marsmen doing it a long time. Whereas uh Johnson, you know, leading this. He's seen scoring in the freshman so you know, those guys are pretty legit.
Yeah, and it's not fair of us to expect you know, no you know, I mean, come on, but again, it's just looking we're looking at what to expect down the stretch here.
You know, say this, We're not blad I promise you this the kids not I'm blast. I'm glad you said it, but it's not fair. I mean, you've got you've got guys really and really like when Noah, Noah really didn't figure much into the into the game plan really until the Vanderbilt games there. That's when when players started getting hurt. And I was at the game and I'm like, Wow, he's the man. He's get big minutes. He's not even played. Yeah,
and you know Perry's you know, minutes have extended. So you're talking about freshmen who are developmental players, and that's the whole thing. And they've been thrust into roles now and honestly they're not physically ready because they're guys who are going to take two or three years of development. They're going to reach their MAC that's right. So, like you say, they're being thrown into situations right now and just trying to make the best out of it.
People need to remember Mark Pope's comments about those kids and Colin Chandler early in the year, preseason, early on people of course one of the Kentucky boys get you know, when they weren't really needed because the injury situation wasn't what it is now, and his comments were all skewed toward they're going to help us in the future. They're learning every day, you know, we're feeding them, you know, they're trying to drink out of a fire hose all
that stuff. But it was all pointed toward the future. Well then suddenly the future became now, isn't it.
Yeah, I did. And you know, your hope is, you know, with rose colored glasses and blue colored glasses, that if you could get Butler and Robinson back healthy, and well, we just don't know, and I don't think anybody does. Really Shoulders just a tough thing. And the thing is is he going to be able to play through it? Not favor it? Talking about Butler and then Robinson's you know, you're you're you're looking at the rest of a shooter.
So those are tough situations. But what I was going to say is if the hope is that if they could get back healthy, all of a sudden, you've got two players there who've been asked to do a lot that they wouldn't have to have kind of grown up, you know, on a job, and yeah, you know, really might give you more effective depth if you can be healthy than's what you would have had a month ago.
So you know, if they could, these guys can come back that are injured may be a good thing in a long term, you know, got two or three years down the road, but twenty twenty five.
Yeah, And you know, when you listen to Pope trying to read between the line when he said I'm heartbroken for Jackson, first thing I.
Thought was he won't be back, you know.
But they're they're you know, they're they're stopping short of that, and you're right, well.
I'm sorry, I mean right, but I think that's the case. Anyway. You hardly ever say if a player's injured it's long term. They never say up front, hardly that they're done, you know, So it's uh, you know, like you say, you kind of hold your breath, but we just we don't know right now.
No, uh, And it's clearly a different team, I know.
But as they like to say, everybody's dealing with injuries, but not everybody has a team that was put together like this cobble together almost like a jigsaw puzzle by Mark Pope and his staff and guys were recruited for specific needs, and then they recruited depth to go along with them.
But yeah, you know, the point.
Guard depth is shot, and you know you've got your top three point guards Sideline. I remember when that happened to Tube Smith at Minnesota. You had a really good team and lost every one of his point guards, and that was that. You know, it's just it's hard to lose that obviously that coach on the floor, isn't it?
It is, and you know it's the most important position out there. And the problem is, like you said, the injuries have hit at one spot, so you're down your first Did Butler? People forget about Chris? He was their second part?
Yeah?
Oh, then you move. You know what happened as soon as Butler got moved? But what did they do? Jackson Robinson to the point. Yeah, Now Jackson Robinson's at the point. Now you've got You've got Perry, and you know you're asking Amari Williams to do a lot and you know, I had some clips there, you know, late in the game where I believe Kentucky may have been really tired and and you're you're you're asking some of these guys to just do Yeoman's work and to do a lot.
And so now I know this a lot and from coaching experience, if you had a guy who played point some and handled the ball, but he did your scoring, or he might be your best defender and all that right, you try to take him off the ball as much as you can, just to let him rest because of a pressure can really wear you down. And now here you are with you know, you're asking Marii Williams to handle, you know, and so that takes even more out you know,
of the tank. But like you said, you hit him all at once at one position and that's the one that really runs it. And the statement I've made is Kentucky is the way this team's been built. Some of the parts equal to and the system. And they don't or systematic players. They don't have that great one on one player. They don't have the guy it's going to be lottery pick, first round pick. They don't have that.
They don't create. They get theirselves open and they play off the system, and uh, that's what works for them. And when you know, you start taking a couple of parts out of that, like you say that jigsaw puzzle, and all of a sudden you don't have a corner piece and you can't find your piece in the middle, and you know, it messes the whole thing up. That's kind of what you're looking at now.
It's exactly right. We're talking with David Sisk.
He is you see his work in Cats Illustrated part of the Rivals. Now we're welcome back and talk more Kentucky basketball in just a minute here on the Big boone Sider.
Six thirty WLA. Welcome back.
We're talking with David Sisk of Cats Illustrated part of the Rivals Network. And you see his work on Twitter as well, breaking down video U and you posted a couple of clips the free the missed free throw of the rebound to Texas in particular, as one know those things.
I don't care who's out of the lineup or who's in. You can't let that happen, can you? No?
And then I'm telling you what and this, I've got out of coaching last May after thirty years, and yeah, I did. I did this the first year I've not coached. It's nineteen ninety three.
Wow.
And just going back last year and a year before, just thinking about how many times we got into players on the high school level after we told them and told them and told them. When the foul shot goes up number one and you're on the bottom, you line up at the top of your space, close to the goal on top I think you can get and then as soon as the balls were released, you step up the paint into him. And that's that's just you know, it's it's really as as basic as it gets, basically
fundamentals it gets. And and if you watch what they did, you know, Williams went just looked up and box out and I don't know, maybe Trade Johnson's good shoot, he just granted he was gonna make it, but he he he goes under a rim and the big that Texas had, he really didn't even have to fight for that rebound. They had that kick and he just had to Actually
the player behind him knocked it. Lows went to Johnson and then Johnson, you know, flols and flings one up and it goes off the backboard and then Texas big guy just grabs it and dunks it right off the backboard. And so but but in Will's fairness, in fairness to him, I mean, he's the engine that makes this thing go. He's far the best player that they've got. They asked
him to do more than anybody else. But you know, even after he didn't block that out and there was another situation where Trey Johnson had got about two or three rebounds. The rest of the Kentucky guys and just stand it, yep. I mean they're there to paint and they just relax, stand straight up and watch, and you know, it look like Williams is fighting off a swarm of bees by hisself in there. Know, he's trying to He's trying to take care of two or three guys and
the rest of them are watching. You know, we blame Williams stepping up on that rebound. Then he didn't have any help once the once it got past that.
They need more nastiness, you know, and they had they had acknowledged earlier in the year when we hear the talk about us being soft. Uh, that might have come back to haunt them a little bit. But they could use some Jamal mcglore in there, couldn't they.
Yeah, And you know they really I think you can do it sporadically. I think by this time of year good. But if you look at them and you know they'll say you've got to be nasty and all that, you'll look and they don't have a game where they defend well or they played well. They's clear whatever and else they see, that's what it was, that's what it took. But the bottom line is it didn't. It doesn't happen consistently of them. It's like a team that can't shoot.
You know, they may have that one game where they shoot the ball well, but you know they're probably not going to keep it up for several games in a row. So it is what it is, and this is not I mean, if you look at these guys, know, Amnor is not a physical guy. He's built that way. And I still say car is really deemed up. Oh yeah, you know his back turning. He's not been the same since he went down all that back and he's just not as active. That was the other guy that could
be fiscal with Williams. Pray's not physical, Robinson's not physical, O way is uh, Butler is. Butler's not playing And you know Perry's not a physical player. I think Trent noan time will Bee and he plays hard, but he is, uh, you know, he's not up for that physically yet. So you know that's a lot of you know, you get it and you get it and spurts from different spots.
Yeah, yeah, but you got to have it. You know you got you can't win without it.
Yeah, you do, you do, and I'll give exactly. You know, I watched arkansall and trying to think who they were playing Texas A and M, and it wasn't pretty ball. And I wouldn't want my team really to play like either one of them, just to be honest. We I mean, I drew like Kentucky style playing style in the way
they do much better. But man, you look at those guys and they've just got grown men who are physical and defend and go rebound, and their headhunters and you know, you like to have a little bit of a minx, but you know, Kentucky just you know, over as a whole, just they're not built that way.
Gotcha.
He is David Sisk and he is built for basketball. You can follow him on Twitter at coach David Cis. See his work and catch illustrated. When we come back next time and visit, coach, we'll talk a little bit about North Carolina.
They got a rough one. You think Kentucky fans are struggling. What if you North Carolina fan? But for now, thanks coach, We'll talk to you again.
Well, you know, no, it's not totally doom and glue. You know they could win. They got six way out. I'm not saying it's doom good they I think they could could split. You know, I think Alabama and Auburn's gonna be tough. It's gonna be tough at Missouri, but Vanderbilt is one that could go either way. I've seen a couple of people that I really trust on their analytics and they've got just about a one or two
point games of all night. So it's it's gonna Wednesday night. Rather, it's gonna be Uh, it's gonna be a battle.
Yes it will, and you will hear it right here, up next Jeff Piicorrol in the UK Network and SEC Plus here on six thirty w l AP Joining us now in our celebrity hotline.
Is alone time friend in college.
You know him as the TV voice of UK Women's basketball. Jeff Piicarel and Christy Thomas on SEC Plus. In fact, Jeff Row, you did your last answer. I cannot believe that regular season is almost over?
Isn't it just crazy? Yeah, you have a You have less than two weeks before the season ends for the women and the postseason starts it's nuts.
You work the blowout the other night of Georgia. This Kentucky team lost to a really good Texas team. We'll talk about that in a minute, but what did you see in that Georgia game that has you excited about the postseason?
Well, you know, they had been so dependent on Georgia Amore this year, and deservedly so. I mean, she could start for any team, and I'm talking Texas or Yukon or South Carolina too. I mean, she's an All American guard for a reason, unbelievable player, but so dependent on her and really Claristrack and it's been kind of a two headed monster. But what I've liked is the emergence, especially over the last probably six to eight games, of
Tianni te She's a fantastic player. Sister was an unbelievable player Tennessee. Tianni's is really starting to come into her own. Got her tenth double double in the season, fourteen points the career. I had fourteen rebounds in that game against Georgia. It's just given her another given the team another dimension. And then the second part of that is Amelia Hassett, the other Australian on the team. When she's shooting like she did in the Georgia game, it just opens everything
up for people haven't seen a play. She's kind of like what you would see in the NBA with a Durant or Novinskia, a taller player six almost six y five, but shoots a three and can also rebound. And when she shoots, it just gives Strack more room inside. So that's what I like about this team is those players are really starting to come on here at the end of the year.
You don't think of Hassett as being that tall because she spends so much time out in the perimeter, loves the corner threes and things like that, But then when she's inside grabbing rebounds and Proban needs to do more of that, you realize how big she is.
Yeah, and she's really a streaky shooter. If she you know, she hit the first shot of the game, was a three pointer, and next thing you know, she's what was she four of seven? I think for the game for three a lot like Kobe Bray is for the guys. If he hits his first shot, look out. If she hits her first shot, lookout. And she did the other day, and it just led to you know, a lot of open looks underneath.
She had been in a little bit of a slump recently, and some of that was because Kenny Brook said she was under the weather, but apparently her confidence was sagging a little bit. Man, she busted out against Georgia, didn't she?
She did?
And you know the other thing I think with that is she I don't think has played as much as the five starters or have been asked to play this year because of the injuries that Kentucky's had. This is really a team that goes seven deep and that's it. Yeah, and it's a decided to drop off. And I don't mean that in a bad way, but we're talking elite players and you know there's one or two on the
bench and then it's a drop off. And that's something that you know, Kenny wasn't going to have when he got the team together, but two huge losses before the season even started with injuries has has really called his team down to seven or eight players. So I think that some of that, you know, wear and tear, and then the other thing I think that that's kind of hurt them and especially Clara and Amelia, is the physicality
of the SEC. And it's something we've heard a lot of coaches talk about and both the guys and the women's game, but it's something that I really think has to be looked at.
It.
It's the only problem that I have in the SEC with the officiating is and I don't know how to stop this. And I asked Kenny Brooks this and shoot around the other day and he said, Jeff, if you can figure it out, please tell me, because I can't. Is every team South Care, every really good team has got big eggs that are massive, And what I mean is six four six ' five and you know, big body, and they just run down the court and they run
Claire Strack is set in the paint. Texas's young lady is guys every bit of six four sixty five and every bit of probably two hundred and thirty pounds, and she just barrels in there and runs right into you. And it knocked Claire back, and then Claire regains her stance, and then they just put their shoulder down and ram into you. And they allow that to happen. And then if a defender does the arm bar, which you put your arm out, you know, and four arm kind of
shot they call that a foul. If you use your hands, they usually let you touch one time, but if you use your hands out in front of your body, they ram you once. The second time it's going to be a foul. So that to me is the only thing. Because I love doing women's basketball. People go, do you like doing women's backlocks? I love it. It's actual game.
You can watch plays, you can see them. It's not just let's go one on one, you know, move aside out and let's you know, the guy's game is so much about just the athleticism of one or two guys on the team. And the girls play team basketball, and I think it's a blast to watch. But that's the one thing I think that needs to be fick.
Yeah, I agree with you, and I was, you know, I think the coaches, if they could get together and decide on how they want the games to be called, if you can get any kind of quorum that.
Way, good luck with that.
And more to your point, I do like the description of the two different styles of play. The men's game is much more vertical. The women's game is more horizontal, yeah, which which means you know, passing and the extra pass and things like that. Getting back to the wild game, you mentioned Georgia Amore, and yeah, she is absolutely worth the price for admission. But Tiani key Inside you mentioned
her right off the top. I really wish there were more of the Kentucky front liners who've played with her kind of swag, you know what I mean. I mean she when she's in there, You've seen it. How many times she's like, this is my space, you know, I'm I'm here for the basketball, Get out of my way.
I love seeing that.
Yeah, and you know, Dick, I think it's probably because she's played some with her big sister growing up, probably who was a force, you know, down low too, and her mother, both her mom and her sister are even taller than she is, and she's every bit of six four.
So but yeah, she just plays the game. And again when you watch when you watch Connecticut South Carolina, you know LSU, they play with that you know, Iowa when Caitlyn was there, they play with that swagger that you know that you know that you see from really good teams, and she has that. And and again this is his Kenny's first year, and you know he's he's going to get the two players back. He's got one of the top ten recruits in the whole country coming in next season.
I think that he's he's mastered what he's done, but he he has to figure out how to get a little more physical too, because his game isn't that style and that's not the way they played basketball, you know, in the in the ac.
Yeah, exactly, you know, and now you've got you saw how good Texas was, uh, and now the other and came back not just beat LSU, but had to come from behind to do it. But yeah, you mentioned the big they had, but they've also got you know, Booker, I mean, they've got so many talented players. And I think it underscored exactly what you were just referring to the fact that Kentucky's a little out man because of
the two key players who are out injured. I kept watching that Texas game thinking how much could those two kids on the bench have really helped Kentucky?
You know what I mean?
Yeah, because you know that game was a very close game. Kentucky had the lead in the second quarter and then you got I think it was a second or third foul. Yeah, and so Clara has to go out and now you get a little smaller and still if they don't hit that three pointer right at the end of the half, you know, it's a four point game, and then our five point game, and then it goes to eight and halftime, right, and then you know they just they just worry out
in the second half. But you know the amazing thing that when you when you look at athleticism across the board, Texas, the South Carolinas. But now it used to be one or two teams, right, it was always Connecticut and maybe Notre Dame and maybe. But you've got UCLA who got beat by USC. You've got South Carolina, oh, by the way, got trounced, you know, in their last game at home. They've lost, you know, a couple of games in a row.
And just the athleticism of the women's game has really taken a turn because you're just these kids are getting it's the same as football, and I look at football, the kids are just bigger, stronger and faster, and now these women are bigger, stronger and faster and there's more album.
Yeah, I was about to say there were only two or three elite teams because it didn't seem like there were that many elite players. You know, and now they're all over the place and it's going to make for an interesting SEC tournament, to say the least. Jeff picrrols, my guess we'll come back and talk more in just a minute. You're on the Big Blue and Sider six thirty WLAP Welcome back. We're talking with Jeff Picarel. He is the TV voice of UK women's basketball and SEC
Plus along with Christy Thomas. Before I get off women's basketball, just one or two more. What is it about Kenny Brooks? I mean good, another good hire by Mitch Barnhardt. He had a proven track record, of course, first to James Madison, then at Virginia Tech, took that program.
To the final four.
But you've watched his team's practice, You've seen the shoot arounds, you've done the games. What is it about his ball clubs that makes him so effective?
You know, it's very interesting. In practice he delegates authority. Let's you know, his assistant coaches coach. But he gets this point across without yelling and screaming and cussing. It's he has a stare to the girls, and they you know, and they but I think that and again I think you almost have to be a little different when you're coaching a woman or a young lady than you are
a boy or a man. And he comes across really well because look, and this is in all sports and in all sexas there are players you can yell and scream at and there's some that you can't. But he gets this point across, and he's like the basketball whisperer. I mean, he'll pull someone and just say a couple of things to him and they understand. He's just gets along so well. And maybe it's because he has all girls, you know, his as his children, and but he he
just they really respond to him and his style. Uh and and not taking anything away from Gino or Pat when she was, you know, coaching in a live how you know, fire and Brimstone. He's completely different. But he gets this point across and and I think he understands what he's looking for in an athlete. And he said, I didn't go out and just get ten women to come in here and fill out a roster. I got the players that could play my style of play and and and come in here and be successful.
Yeah.
And he had to do almost exactly what Mark Pope did.
Yeah.
Yeah, And rebuilding.
Yeah, he could go out and he went out and got a your aymore.
What's be huge?
Well and again she said, and he said I was going to the moon. I'd go play for him on the moon.
Yeah.
And that's and you and I have talked about this with coaches. How many coaches have moved on and the players would say, I are when they graduate, you hear such great things from the former players. I would give I would give anything to go back and get one more year playing for ex coach. And that's the way it is with him. And in Georgia said it. We
didn't take a second. He said, I'm going to Kentucky and I and before he got got asked, because I'm going, yeah, you know, that's that's the kind of coach you want to have, and that that's the respect that he gives them. And really with Georgia and and and the rest of the women, practice starts. Let's say it's a ten o'clock practice. If you're there at nine forty five, you're late because
everybody else is already there and they're working. You know, they're working before or practice starts with assistant coaches and just getting shots up and every single practice i've been to has been like that. I set up a interview that I did with Claire a couple of weeks ago, and we get there and we're doing the interview and then all of a sudden, we hear ball bouncing and there's somebody out there shooting. You know, So you know, one of the players, And that's just the way they are.
They they respect him and and love playing for him.
I heard him talking on his radio show last night about how and this is not an accident, you know. I think it's it's it's a tribute to the way he and a lot of guys recruit this way. He said, my best players have been my hardest workers. And then other players will see, hey, George's out there getting up some extra shots. Maybe I need to go out and get up extra shots.
And it's not a given.
You know, generally a great player is a hard worker. But everybody knows. So I'm sure you played with guys who wasted their talent because it didn't he really put in the work, weren't as good as they could have been. But the fact that he's able to recruit and develop, identify and develop these kids who are great players, and as great as they can be because they work hard. I think that's a that's an element of coaching that's overlooked, you know what I mean.
Yeah, And you know, I got to be in Cincinnati with Joey Vato, and Joey was not a guy that was a raw, raw guy. He wasn't like Scott Rowland that would grab guys and say here's what we're doing. He would very suddenly say, Dick, do you want to get better? I'll be at the hitting cage at two o'clock. Well, we don't have to be here for three, I know, but I'm here too. Yeah, And next thing you know, there's three guys there. The next thing you know, there's
five guys there. And that's the way it is here. When when they're out there early, you know who's out there early, strak aymore as it key. It's the best players that are out there, and then the other one kind of followed their lead. And that's what you have to have. Bob Huggins told me this years and years ago. I want to get to a point where the players are coaching each other. And once you get that, then you've got them. And that's Georgia Amore is his coach
on the floor, she tells him what to do. Sometimes you'll see during a game where there's a foul and she'll run over to the bench when they're shooting free throws and be telling him and showing him on a you know, a race board, here's I think this will work, and he'll.
Say, Okay, do it.
You know.
All of that said, what do you think this team can do as thin as it is relatively speaking in the postseason.
Well, I think the key here, Dick is going to be they have to win one of the three big games they have left, which is LSU, Tennessee, and South Carolina. If they win one of those games, I think they're sured the double buy And if they get the double by that would do wonders for their legs. And I'm talking about the SEC Tournament because I really think that you have to, especially with how good college basketball has become on the women's side, they have to get a
high seed. So if they can get to Saturday, that would be huge. So if they could, if they could not have to play a game until it would that be Thursday or Friday, would be monstrous. If they could get to Saturday, which is the semi finals. That would be monstrous for them. They're right now, they're a four seed and they have a two game cushion over Old Myth. So but Old Myth has the tiebreaker because that was the one game that you're looking at, going, how did
they lose that game? And they don't lose that, they're really in the cat bird seats, so they got to be you know, Tennessee's probably the one, but you never know. South Carolina's not playing great. You got LSU here and all the rest of the games, the three games they have left here sold out.
So Tennessee's off the dangerous so as we know, and you know, we keep hearing this, and it is true that with the men's league, you know, it's going to be tougher to win the SEC tournament maybe than winning the NCAA tournament. Yes, because you're playing every night. The teams are so tough.
I got to think it's similar with the women's game, too, isn't it.
Yeah, Yeah, that's why I said you got to get that double bye, because you don't because it's just you have to play so hard. You can't coast in any of these games. I mean, you know, look Kentucky lost to Georgia on the men's side. Who would have thought that. Nope, you know, in the game the other night against Texas. Now, the one thing the boys have to do. The guys have to get healthy.
I mean, that's all.
If they're healthy, they got you know, but you got what you got with the women's team. And again I think the double bye would would really help them.
Is Jeff Pecorol. Follow him on Twitter at Jeff Pecorol.
Thank you, Sarah. Next time we'll talk some football.
All right, Bud.
Thanks and that'll do it.
Thanks to my guests Jeff Piccoro, David Sisk and Greg Stottlemeyer. And a reminder, Tomorrow night is Kentucky basketball as the Wildcats take on those Vanderbilt Commoners. You will hear it right here. Hope will coverage at four thirty, needwork at five point thirty, Tom and Jackie the call at seven to catch.
And the common origin rupp Arena.
That's your right to stay warm, everybody. Good night from the Fridger Garage in Lexington.
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