Kentucky wanted that game more than usen it wasn't even close.
That is Tennessee women's coach Kim Caldwell, after last night's Kentucky blowout win over the Lady Vaulls, Welcome to the Big Blue Insider, And just as last night, we talked about how well we might open the broadcast with this, but instead we're going to open the show with that. Last night, we were going to start talking off the top about the UK women's game, but that Oklahoma Kentucky
finished was so incredible that we led with that. Well tonight, I was going to lead with you know, Kentucky Auburn tomorrow, wild Cats are playing the top ranked team in the country. But after that blowout win last night, I thought Kentucky might win, but Tennessee was a slight favorite. Nobody, I mean nobody saw that coming what happened with the Cats and the vall. So we got comments from both sides
coming up. Also, we'll hear from Mark Pope as he told Tom Leach after the Oklahoma game that the and you know, I split time between TV and radio watching and listening to that game, but at one point one one of the TV guys said, this feels like an NCAA tournament game, and at this point in the season for bubble teams, they really are. And so Kentucky's fine. I don't know about Oklahoma obviously, but just the way it played, the frenetic pace and the level of play,
it was so good and exciting. So it did feel like an NCAA tournament game. So Pope alluded to that or actually referred directly to it with Tom Leach. Also, we'll hear from Rick Patina a little bit later on. His team is on the verge of winning a big East. But I bring him up because he weighed in on the Indiana coaching situation. I want Kentucky to play Indiana again. Maybe in the next coach will work something out with Mark Pope. Also, we'll talk a little baseball right now.
Through the miracle of digital technology, I am on SEC plus doing Kentucky hostter Baseball. You may have that on in the background or right in front of it. And Darren Hedrick's got it over on our sister station, wbul Dash two ninety eight point five. It's a weekend series for Hofstra. If you can't get out with Hofstra, if you can't get out. We'll have it for you on the streaming channel all week and long, me and my buddy Doug Flynn. So but back to the women's game.
Unbelievable from start to finish. It was an absolute beat down. Tennessee never responded. The Wildcats held the Lady Valls to nine points in the first quarter, led it twenty two to nine after one, and Kim Caldwell, the coach who has done a nice job there and coached at Marshall, this same crazy full court pressure system, a little bit
like what Patino ran here. Kenny Brooks had seen it before and was prepared for it when he coached at Virginia Tech and she was at Marshall, so his team was prepared for Tennessee was not prepared for what happened, and Calwell admitted that at the end of the first quarter in early second her team did not respond and that's when she said she knew they were really in trouble.
We haven't looked like this in a while. We haven't looked just kind of dead behind the eyes and defeated and just no resolve, no pushback. We haven't looked like that in a while. And when you play an effort based system, and you don't have effort, or you have one player that decides to take a playoff because they didn't like the result on the other end of the floor,
you're gonna get beat. And when you're playing a team like Kentucky, they're gonna find a way to score every single time on the one second that you take off to reflect in the last lay. And they did that to perfection.
I really liked that expression dead behind the eyes. That's really fascinating to me. You might think that last night's game was the Georgia Aymore Show, and she was fantastic as usual, but man, she got help from every I mean everybody contributed. Everybody who he put out there, who Brooks put out there, played incredibly well, including of course Clara Strack. One of the greatest games in the history of UK women's basketball, and we can say that because
she was perfect. She had twenty three points, fifteen rebounds, three block shots as she became the single season blocks leader, but she didn't miss a shot. She had a Christian Ladner game. She was eleven for eleven and one for one at the free throw line. I will tell you one of the reasons see hit some jump shots, but she was eleven for eleven because she kept cutting to the basket and beating her defender and getting great passes from Aymore and the rest of her teammates, and they
took advantage. Did Kentucky of that pressure by not just breaking it, but then attacking the basket. It's what Eddie Fogler did with South Carolina against Rick Patino. Foger had three great guards and he twice beat Patino in nineteen ninety seven because his guards would break the press and then they wouldn't just regroup and run their offense. They
had head right for the rim. Kentucky did last night so often, and I talked to George Amore asked her this question in the press conference about the fact that her skill set seems to lend itself to that wide open style, breaking the other team's defense using the entire ninety four feet.
The practice before this game, I was talking to Koch Chicks and was agreeing that this game is going to be fun, funny because they give us opportunities the start that they play, but we placed the emphasis on a team. You know, I wouldn't have been able to survive without Deja Lawrence Tonight or Tianni Key. The way that she was attacking their defense early in the first was a
turn set up. So I think this whole focus. You know, we knew that they were going to give us good looks, just to be patient and rap for the game started. Chris Brooks says, you know, they're going to give you opportunities. They want you to be uncertain about it, but we can take them and we can make them. So we were just really really confident with the looks we were going to get tonight.
So there you go. They prepared for it. Kenny Brush got his team ready. He's got good players, and they executed and they played like a group that's been together for more than just a few months. And Brooks talked after the game about the chemistry on this team, and that's one reason they just keep coming at you.
You know what they're They're resilient, they're fun, they come to work every day. This has probably been the least amount that I've raised my voice ever as a coach during the whole year, just because they get it, they understand it, they know what the assignment is, and they work extremely well together. And it's one of the things that we talked about. You know, as a as a group, we were trying to build chemistry, and we did it
all organically. You know, we didn't we didn't go anywhere with any excursions and you know, doing any of that stuff. We just let them hang with each other and the chemistry that they found first and foremost are great kids and they work, work, work.
I thought that was interesting when he said we did it organically. We didn't go anywhere. Basically, it didn't take any foreign trips or whatever. And it's not that he's putting those down, but it just makes it even more interesting and incredible that they played so well and that they are playing so well, the fact that you know, you can really bond, you can really build team chemistry with a trip to a foreign land or whatever. But he said, this group, these kids did it just by
hanging out. So now next up Sunday, South Carolina in Columbia, the tallest of tall tasks in the SEC, literally and figuratively, a big team in South Carolina. The Kentucky's got size, but this is a tough, strong, physical team and it's going to be the toughest test of the year so far. But what we saw last night tells you don't count this team out. And they also hit shots. They played
great defense, but they hit their shots. But the biggest thing was, and Darren Hedrick said this going into send it to me off their sitting on the air on the radio. I'll sit right next to him. Third quarter was vital because that's where Kentucky flopped against You couldn't hold a big lead. LSU killed him in the third quarter and that was that. Kentucky extended its lead in the third quarter last night and got to win over Tennessee. So we'll have it for you right here on Sunday
on six thirty WLAP. Now, Mark Pope talked to the media today. We pre record, of course, so I don't have any of that, but you'll see it all over the interweb. And I have a comment here as he talked to Tom Leach as I said earlier about how the Oklahoma game had a real NCAA tournament feel, and they made the team aware of that. They stressed that point pregame.
It closest where you get all season long to a first round NAA game planning against a great upon of a really terrific opponent that's coming off a huge win, that's feeling great about themselves, feel like maybe they turned the corner off after a little losing streak to just beat a top twenty five team, you know, on their home floor, So there's a little more juice there, even
though that's out the SCAA tournament. And then with us, with all the k awesome, it's just all the distraction of three guys having close ties to Oklahoma, our fourth guy playing against the former teammate from is a Dayton playing in a late game. You take all that weirdness and it gives you a sense of like the weirdness of a first round as a game, and and so,
and the game delivered all those things. It was a heroic effort by Oklahoma, and it was it was there was a ton of frustration throughout the game, and the weirdness of the fouls in the game and the rotation, and and I'm super proud that our guys got to experience that feel it. They were trying to have them pay very close attention to how they felt during the course of the game and then how they actually responded to finally come up with a window service well down the stretch.
Could you hear those Blue chants. Yeah, come on everywhere.
BBN is everywhere.
Man, It's awesome. Yeah, it's been not surprising, is it. BBN Blue gets in So all right? Coming up next, what's going on with the coaching situation up at EYEU too. Hi profile coaches from other schools way in on it, including a coach from one I use arch rivals. A little bit later on at the bottom of the hour, in fact, we'll hear from Shawn Woods, the Unforgettable Guard, and our number two. We're gonna hear from more of the football Cats, including Mark Stoops and our West End
bureau chief, Gary Moore. That's all I had here on the Big Moon Sider six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blon Sider. Coming up in just a few minutes. Sean Woods, the Unforgettable Guard. We visited him each and every week, and because we were preempted by UK basketball on Wednesday, we're talking to him today about tomorrow's game with Auburn, and of course the win over Oklahoma where the Wildcats appeared to play defense a little bit better
or a lot better at certain times. But if you followed, you know that Shawn who was a terrific defensive guard has been critical, you know, not in a terrible way, but concern let's say about Kentucky's defense. But last time we talked, he admitted they have gotten better. We'll see if he saw any more improvement against Oklahoma on Wednesday night.
Sean is an Indiana native. He was grew up a Kentucky fan because his grandmother lived here in Lexington, and he spent a lot of time as a kid in Lexington. So never really consider going You could have gone to a lot of places. People forget that about Sean. He was a highly touted guard coming into Kentucky and he
isn't unforgettable. But indi Enda is looking for a new basketball coach, Mike Woodson announcing a few days ago he'll be stepping down, heading for their second consecutive year without and then say tournament appearance, and they've lost six at their last seven. Woodson is sixty six years old. If the school had fired him, they would have owed him eight million, but they talked about it. He agreed to step down and take a one million dollar basically walk
away payment. Woodson makes four point two million a year. Don't know what they'll pay the next guy. Don't know who the next guy will be, but an interesting comment from Matt Paynter, he is the head coach at Purdue, one of, if not the arts rival of the Indiana Hoosiers, now that Kentucky's not playing Indiana, but that is one
of a handful of art rivals. And I guarantee you IU is the arts rival for Purdue because Indiana naturally the big state school, Purdue not necessarily the little brother, but it's kind of a niche program, if you will. And Painter is well respected among his peers, and several years ago, I would say about fifteen years ago, some thought he might be the next coach at Kentucky if
and when the job opened up. Didn't work out, obviously, but he is an excellent coach, well respected, and he actually weighed in on what's happening at IU talked about Indiana fans talked about the search for a new coach, and I thought it was interesting. I mean, that'd be like U of L's coach weighing in on the search if they had to have another one or a new coach at UK. And there was some interesting comments about are you and the fans.
I think you got to look at some of the common denominators here. More than anything, I think that's an important piece right here, like don't beat yourself, Like, don't beat yourself, like let's let's let's support somebody. I gotta try that out for once every now and then when.
It goes wrong, like whatever, you they produe.
Fans are happy about what just happened, Like like see a fan base isn't the people that tweet. A fan base is the people when you're bleeding, they support you.
Like they jump in and off.
They jump on and off things here way too much like support your coach man, support your players. Don't tweet negative things about them, like be supportive, like see how that works for you. But they build them up, like and they overdo things like quit overdoing it just accurately, like talk about what's actually happened, like don't like get like recruits in like that it's Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen.
Then they come out of here, well they're not Michael Jordan Scotty Pippen.
They're good college players, like and then they build it up and then they go, oh, what's wrong.
Oh they're part of it, but it's not their total fan base.
It's just that everyone has a bad percentage of their fan base now because of Twitter, and then we think that's their fan base.
It's not our fan base.
It's not their real fan base either, and so I think that's an important piece.
But it's hard for young people to hear all.
That and then go out and collectively play like, hey man, we're playing for you guys, but your dog is when we lose, and then we're the best when we win.
Well, we're somewhere.
In between, right, So, like, I think they need to learn from some of those things and support Scott Dolson and support the new coach and support the staff, but also kind of be grounded with everything.
Really interesting comments about the fan base, social media and how much can you apply what he said in Jai funeral to Kentucky fans really to fans everywhere football and basketball. So that's Matt Paynter, the head coach at Purdue, talking about the IU job. And by the way, Rick Patino weighed in on who he thinks he would go higher if he was the one making the decision.
Can I give you my pick?
Yeah?
Okay, So I'm gonna have some people upset at me if I was the ad in Indiana and am I friendly with this person? Yes I am. Do I have a lot of respect for this person, Yes I do. But I would immediately not even into you anybody else, and hire one of the premier coaches in all of college basketball, and that's Chris Beard.
Hmmm.
From moments, I wouldn't even think about another person. He's perfect for that job. He's a tough, hard nose. The years I was sitting out, I got friendly with him because he asked me to. He didn't know me, I didn't know him to come out and speak to his team. He was at a Texas Tech and I went out and spoke to him. But I watched two days two days of practice, and I always judge a coach by his practices, and I have to tell you that those are some of the best practices and meetings with his
team that have ever witnessed. So now I'm a gigantic fan of Cris Beard.
That was Patino talking on a Saint John's podcast, and I also found it interesting. We were talking a minute ago about the fans, Indiana fans, Purdue fans, whoever, UK fans. Well, Patino gave a large portion of credit to Saint John's fans who showed up, and if you saw any of the Yukon game in Madison Square Garden, he said, the
Saint John's fans helped carry them to the win. And while it is more of an advantage for Saint John's to play there, it's not a huge home court advantage because Yukon fans are everywhere and they can get to the garden fairly easily. But Patino said that night belonged to the Red Storm fans, and he compared them to the Big Blue Nation.
But our fans were there in a big weight. Well, I can assure you we had most of the fans tonight. We did not last year, but it was about seventy thirty this year. And they are a great fan base. I mean they are like Kentucky, the Kentucky of the East. They traveled great, they show up. But our fans were there in a big way tonight. And we're going to play next year's game in Cornoseca.
Carnaseca is where Saint John's plays its home games on campus. So yeah, he'd loved to get you U. Khan in his backyard, but he got him in the garden. And he got him good. You beat him. And now Patino's team just needs to beat Seaton Hall to be the
outright champion of the Big East. And the last time Saint John's was the outright champ teen eighty five when Walter Berry and Chris Mullen played for Luke Carnaseca and they came to the final four election and it is the only final four appearance in the histories in the history of Saint John's basketball. So Rick Patino getting it done.
And the guy who played for Rick Patino, Shawn Woods, is next year on six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blue and sider joining us now as he does every week, usually on Wednesdays, but we were bumped by a really good basketball game Wednesday night, so Shawn Woods joined us tonight here on the BBI. And before we talk about Kentucky Oklahoma, coach, I have got to talk to you about last night's Kentucky Tennessee women's game.
And let me start at the point. You, being a point guard but also a coach, what are your thoughts on Georgia Amore. She is a singular talent, isn't she at point for Kentucky.
Georgia Amore should be in the top five a player of the year, not just in the SEC, but in the country for what she's doing for her basketball team. And you know, first year here, her coach's first year here, and you know, got Kentucky was in third fourth place in the SEC knocked off Tennessee last night. I mean it wasn't even close. I don't know, I haven't been around for a long time, but I know when I was playing, we weren't beating Tennessee in pat Summers seams.
And just the fact that it's Tennessee, which is still one of the top you know ten programs in America. For them to come in here and we treat them like they were just a mid major team last night, wow, you know. And Georgia m Moore was just awesome. I mean, she's one of the prototype point guards in all of college basketball.
Yeah, we just had a SoundBite with her talking because I had asked her after the game about and she knew that style of play was coming because at Virginia Tech they played against it when Tennessee's coach was at Marshall. But that wide open pressing which you guys used under Patino but Kentucky was able to beat it last night because she negotiate, find the spots on the floor, find her teammates, and then they attacked the basket like I said Eddie Fogler's teams used to do. They didn't just
hang back and wait to run their offense. But it fits into her skill set kind of the way it fit your skill set when you were playing, no doubt about it.
I always wanted teams to press me, even though we lost the Arkansas at one time. Yeah, they if you go back. They took the one thing Nolan Richison did that Coach Patino didn't do, was we couldn't stop each other's offense, you know, with our press, So they took theirs off because I was just strippling through it, but we kept ours on. Yeah, and they kept throwing over the top time, they getting layups and things like that, because as we were coming up, they were going to
buy us. Well, with me and a player like George Amore, you want pressure because once you get through that initial trap, or even get by your man with that who's trying to trap, now it's wide open. You got numbers. And she was just going through it like nothing like no other. And she was making all the right plays either for herself, hitting teammates. And the good thing about Oppress is when you break it to score. They weren't just getting layups.
They were getting they were making shots, yeah, you know, making jump shots. And you know, not only did jorgea Amore have a great game, but you know UK's post player, you know, yeah, Oh my god, she's one of my favorite players too. I love her style play and she gives it everything she's got every single night. So I'll tell you what coaches got a team, and I don't want to if I'm everybody else in America besides probably Connecticut and maybe South Carolina. You know, even even Texas
is good. But I don't want to see this team in a one in a one game series in tournament. I really don't.
Yeah, And as Jodine used to say, Strack is just a sophomore as a coach. I had a comment from from Calwell. She described her team at the end of the first quarter beginning of the second, she was looking for a comeback and she kind of knew it wasn't gonna happen. She said, we were dead behind the eyes. I've never heard that expression you may have, but I thought that described it perfectly. I are passed a note to Darren Heddrick. He was doing radio, of course, and
I said, Tennessee body language is terrible. I don't know if you could see that on TV. But dead behind the eyes the way Kentucky.
I means, that means there's nothing less. That means you can't see you can't see the forgiven future, or you can't see a comeback. That's what that means. There's nothing in front of you. It's all over it.
Did you ever have to deal with that as a coach? You ever look at your team?
You know when your team doesn't have it, and Tennessee didn't have it, But you know, credit Kentucky for smacking them in the mouth and you know from the beginning and never let up.
Yeah. Yeah. Kenny Brooks also talked about the resilience of this team. Here, here's a good one for you. He said. Later on that, he said, Strack and Amore work so hard and care so much. He said, after every game, win or lose, win or lose, they text me about an hour later and they say, when are we watching film? He said, they'll do that tonight when when they go back to the to their apartment or room or whatever, they'll text me about looking at film tomorrow. So you
got to love that as a head coach. But he also said the chemistry on this team was organic. They didn't have to take a foreign trip, you know, and live with each other for a couple of weeks on the road to build chemistry. It just kind of happened. And you can't create that. He can't force that, can you.
No, you can't. But you know that's where he's got to give him, him and the staff some credit. They brought in and was able to get exactly what they needed, you know, in comparison to who they are, right and the style of play that he plays. And it's a lot like Mark, you know, like coach Pope. You know, same thing. You know, in recruiting, even if you do get a transfer, you got to get a transfer one that comes from a winning program, you know, that's used
to winning and have high stakes and accountability. Two, you got to get a player not because they were the best player on the team, a player that fits your style of play. And three, not only from a player and talent standpoint, you got to get it from a personality standpoint, What is this young lady or young man about? You know? Are they're about teams? You know, because in today's society, especially with college athletics, it's more about money
than what's what you know about pride about winning. And they did a great job both programs and selecting the right people for them and who they are and what their program and what they're trying to get out of
their program. So kudos to them. You know, I know it's players, but it's even more about, you know, really finding out who am I getting what type of you really got to do your homework on that more so than just getting a high school kid, because a high school kid you can mold into what you're trying to get to because you got older kids. Now, when you get a kid that transfers, you gotta understand, you gotta
get a character kid that is this gonna fit? You know, I can't make this fit because they're already setting their ways a little bit. So kudos to them from an evaluation standpoint. And man, is Kentucky women basketball rolling? I mean I get a kick out of watching them on TV because I don't miss but I'm kicking myself in the butt because I haven't been to a game yet. Really take in that atmosphere because this second to none, especially in the new Memorial Coliseum.
Yeah, it's fantastic. It did such a great job. There's a chance to host the nca tournament. That would really help. If they could somehow knock off South Carolina. That's a big order. But as we saw last night, Man, when this team's clicking and like you said, making shots, it's really fantastic. It's entertaining, and what a job Kenny Brooks has done with the team. Everybody thought they were just kind of predicted to finish at her near the bottom
of the SEC. Shawn Woods is my guess, the unforgettable guard who Jersey hangs in the raptors of rup. We'll come back and talk about the men's game, the men's team in just a minute. Here on the Big Blue and Sider six thirty WLAP Welcome back, We're talking to Sean Woods, the unforgettable guard. We talked about Kentucky's drubbing beat down biggest in UK basketball since nineteen eighty six, That the last time Kentucky beat Tennessee that badly has
been that long. But let's shift our attention to the men's game. They've got Auburn, top ranked Auburn coming up tomorrow. But let us first go back to that Oklahoma game and the job done well. First of all, Lamont Butler played, He came back and he only played twenty minutes sean between fousand, conditioning. But he made a difference, didn't he?
Yes, he did. You know. It's like any other team. You know, when your best player's presence is there, it boosts you up. You know, is he going to score a lot of points, you know, but what he does for this team spiritually and and and what doesn't show up on in the stat sheet is unbere I mean, it's just second to none. You know, he's just his presence, he says the stage. He's still a big time on
ball defender. He still creates havoc. You know. He kind of scared me a little bit, you know, because he wants to get in there and be like a little pinball machine big ball. But he's got to be careful. You know. He took that fall and jump right up. Boy. You know, if that reminded me of that reminded me of Muhammad Ali when he got knocked down by Joe Frasier. The first night, the first the first fight. Yeah, and he had so much pride even though he was weary.
He wanted to show the world and hey, you know what I'm saying, I can withstand this. And he did that as his team. That did a lot for his team, a lot for his team, even his coaches to be you know, I can only imagine, you know, Mark Mark Pope's heart was almost came through his mouth when he failed, but when he came back up, he was like, oh man, and everybody else on that staff felt the same way.
Yeah. Well, and then of course he'll take an away h And by the way, Butler talked to Jack Gibbons after the game about trying to help Otaga get going in the second half, and he hit him with a couple of assists, including that runout, that dunk that Otega had when they got behind the defense. But this is an offense. You wouldn't expect a guy to have to put a team on his back. But he did that, didn't they And that was one of the greatest efforts in a long time in UK basketball.
But that's what I was talking about about having special people and getting the right guys, you know what I mean. You know, Mark co has said, well, you're always a tough player, this and that, but he really doesn't match what I do. You know, he's not a really big time three point shooter. But guess what, because of his character in his fight, you know, he has it and he showed it last night. You know, from a pride
standpoint of just not letting his team lose. And two, he had a little little more extra inside of him because that's where he played, and he was playing against his roommate and his friends and things like that. And you know it took Butler to get him going because he didn't do anything in the first half. But that's where Butler, you know, comes into play. But man, it's
always put on the show. And I'm sure his shoulders are kind of hurting right now, but hey, he did what he needed to do to help this team win. And another thing, Dick, let's just take a step back for a minute. I got to give kudos to coach Pope, not onto him, but this team from the resilience standpoint of going through the trials and tribulations that they've been going through all year with injuries and so on, and so forth and to still be able to fight no
matter who has to step up. You know, it doesn't look pretty. They do have some mishaps with some personalities, you know what I'm say, and this and that, but man, are they the one thing you cannot you know what I'm saying, knock is their effort and their will to stay together and try to fight and win, whether they win or losing. You know, you go get one hundred ten percent out of these guys, and that's very, very refreshing.
He talked the postgame with Mark with Tom Leach and I had that this earlier on the show that that game last night had the feel of an NCA tournament game. And he told his guys going in. I thought this was a pretty interesting coaching move where he told the guy with everything, you're on the road, but Blue got in. You got you know, guys coming home, playing back in
their home state for their home their old team. Uh and with all the stakes right now, you know the Zala or his Oklahoma on the bubble Kentucky's seating another It going in had the feel of an NCA tournament game, didn't it?
Yes?
It did?
And every day to tell you what they're fighting for seeding. So yeah, every game, not just for Kentucky, right, you know what I'm saying, but for Oklahoma and everybody else in the SEC right now, So you know, I no fight, it's a swim fight. Every fight is very, very important. So kudos to Kentucky going on the road and getting going into a tough environment and get one because nothing's easy on the road in the SEC.
All right, you got to beat Auburn. Now you got them at home. But there's a top ranked team in the country. They have maybe the best player in the country and a coach who knows how to get it done. What kind of a shot do you give the Wildcats? Maybe without Jackson Robinson.
Again, I'll tell you what, man, you can't. When you think Kentucky's down, that's when they get you, you know what I'm saying. And then when you think they're they're finally getting it, then they you know what I'm saying, that they come up short. So you know, we know we're playing the number one team in the country. They've been battle tested all year long, and you know we know that the you know, the chances from a national standpoint is everybody thinks that you know they're going to
come in here and get us. But I'll tell you what, you never know this Kentucky team and the way they're fighting. You know, as long as they continue to make shots, they got a chance. You know, I just don't know defensively can they handle you know, Aubus jergernaut. But you know they're they're scoring the basketball, you know what I'm saying. And Billy Donovan always said, you know, good offense beats good defense any day of the week, or to score
bat zero zero. So that's why Kentucky always has a chance because they can put the ball in the bucket. But they're going against a team that's one of the toughest defensive teams, not only offensive teams, but one of the toughest defensive teams in America. And that's the reason why they're the number one team in America.
Do you have to be able to put it in a hole, but you do have to stop the other guys. That's how Kentucky beat Oklahoma. They got especially at the very end, got to stop Owen by the way, the shot that always threw in that beat Oklahoma. Ultimately, somebody last night told me, you know, reminded me of Sean Woods. How about that you shot against Duke.
It wasn't a big shot. It wasn't a big shot that.
Yeah, yeah, before I let you go, we have shamelessly plugged and happily so Shawn's work with the glycod that work online high school sports. They're all over the state really and uh, you've got coming up tonight. Even as we speak, you're working Henry Clay Frederick Douglas. It's a double hader for you. You and Chris Labarri.
Station, Bryan Station Douglas.
Oh, I know you got Henry Clay, Henry Clay, Henry Clay Douglas girls, and then Brian Station Douglas boys. And they're both district championship games. This is when it really gets fun, doesn't it.
I'll tell you what, there's nothing like Indiana, Kentucky high school basketball doing the state tournament time. And you know the other night, Wednesday night, there's always you know, legendary barn Burner between Henry Clay and Brant Station. Yeah and
braw Station got him. But you know the history of high school basketball around here, especially in Lexington, in this region, in this district is probably the toughest region in district in the state, just because it's from a competitive standpoint. And the interesting thing about tonight's game is especially on the boy's side. Douglas has beaten Brian's Station three times in a row, but less than five points. Every game is incide is five points or left. So it's gonna
be a very interesting game tonight. The only team that Douglas has lost too in the district is Henry Clay that got upset at Henry Clay two weeks ago. But Man Douglas and Murray Garbin, who's been the coach, has done a great job all year. Uh, there's the there's the the Auburn of the of high school basketball in this area. Then it's gonna be a jam packed, high
octang game between Brian Station and Douglas. And if you can't make it, make sure you watch it on television because you're gonna you're gonna see a heck of a game.
Dot Com, I'm g L I C O. D. You've worked with my man, Keith Elkins, You're working with Chrys Labar tonight. It's uh, it's it's it's really fun to see them again because yeah, early in my career. Uh, another radio station, we did two high school games a week on the radio. Nobody much does that around here anymore, but I'm glad that it's on the interweb. Uh. Have you seen Great Crossing much?
Yes? I have, Yes, I have. What are your thoughts, Well, they're the team that everybody thinks that, you know, whoever's coming out of election needs to be And I get that because you know, they got Marino and and their team has been pretty good. But I'll tell you you know, whoever wins this game tonight has them. I like their chances against Great Crossing simply because they're a big time pressing team. They wear you down, and they're not a spray to Marino. They you know, they'll go at him
a little bit. So you know, Great Crossing has their their work cut out. But you know they still got the X factor, which is number one big man in the country.
Yeah.
I saw five big men in the country.
I saw Moreno last year a young big man. And you know how big men develop a little bit later in their careers compared to perimeter players. But how much better is he this year, Sean than last year? Because they made the Sweet sixteen last year?
Oh, kudos better, you know what I mean. The only knock is they lost their point guard. Their point guard kind of quit on them a little bit. But they got a sophomore that's pretty good. That's kind of taking the rains a little bit. He's a lefty. He's gonna be a big time Division one prospect. So you know, you cannot, you can't, you know, take them for granted
just because they did lose their point guard. I'll tell you what, man, Douglas and Brain Station are so relentless defensively and they just keep you on comfortable with their pressure and their fast paced that that can give great crossing problems.
Hey, I've only got about a minute left, but I got to add your man, Patino. If they beat Seaton Hall, they win the Big East. I mean, is he the coach of the year.
He may be the coach of the decade. He's done this year. You know, I'm not surprised because I've lived it. You know, anybody else who's followed his career shouldn't be surprised either, because when has he ever failed, He's never failed as a coach.
He went to Europe and won a championship.
That's just who he is you know what I mean. But the one thing I can say about coaches and and and I couldn't get away with it, but I coached the way I was. I was coaching tall and I didn't think it was a bad way. You know, I love my kids dearly, but you know, I may have got a bad deal out of it. But there's you know, for the guy that's had one hundred percent graduation rate and so on and so forth, he has
stuck to the guns of what young men need. They need a leader, They need people to tell them the truth. And especially in athletics. What better place to grow as a young man to be an athletics. And he does a sugarcoat anything he tells him, just like what people like what you saw that one day in the locker room. Where do you come from? You know, life is bigger than just giving up, you know what I'm saying. And you know a la Kenny Anderson says basketball should be easy.
Life is hard. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. And coach Patino was was dead all with that. And that's the reason why the Saint John's Redman is probably the most dangerous team besides Houston, Okay in Auburn in America.
All right, well, I guarantee you they'll be seating all and they'll win the championships. So we'll talk about that next week with Shawn Woods, coach. I hope you're having fun tonight, have a great one. You two dick up next an hour number two, We've got UK football coming up, players and Mark Tookes and our Western Bureau chief Gary Moore. That's all ahead right here on the Big Blue and Ciders. Stay tuned for Iron number two on six thirty.
What do you like?
He sa, Welcome back to the Big Moe Sider coming up here, and our number two, our West Bureau chief, Gary Moore, joins us at the bottom of the hour. Usually have him on Wednesdays along with Sean Woods, but of course it was Kentucky basketball as you know, on Wednesday nights. So we're gonna visit with Gary here at the bottom of the hours. I said earlier, we're going
to talk a little football. And Mark Stoops earlier this week said there will be some sort of event around spring football, maybe not necessarily the classic traditional Blue White intersquad game, but there will be something that you the fans, we the media can attend, you know, like the fan day in the past, that could give us an opportunity to see what he's got. He's got to find out
as well. But I will advise you if and when that happens, and if you decide to come, probably won't be any TV on it, he said, but you never know. If you decide to check it out, have your phone pre arranged or your iPad, whatever you've got with Ucathletics dot com on the football roster site. Because there are so many new faces thirty one between the portal and the sinees, twenty portal transfers, and eleven freshmen coming in.
It's a new look for this team. Yeah, there's some people back from last year, but not a lot of starters, quite frankly, and guys that Stoops and company will be depending on heavily this year, including the offensive line. And you heard from a Shaazpete yesterday, the six eight, three hundred and twenty five pounds left tackle, Bull Blood and Navajo.
But one of the other guys that you're gonna hear from just as impressive in terms of an interview, is Josh Braun transfer from Arkansas, also played at Florida a veteran. This is his sixth year of college football, and had a chance to talk to him earlier this week. I did along with the Jeff Bacorrel, and you'll be impressed with what you hear. He sounds as mature as he is, and he sounds like a guy who's playing a lot
of college football. And they have spent a lot of time of the players getting to know each other, with everybody coming and going.
Oh, you know, it's just the day and age of college football that we live in. I mean, players are gonna leave, players are gonna come in. Every year it's gonna be a different groupe. And I think so far these past two months, we've done a good job of trying to come together in jail as an offensive line.
It definitely helps when we have older guys like Jagger Alex, just people who've been around the block who know how to essentially form an offensive line once the coaches bring the players in, but then it's up to us to jail and become an actual offensive line.
Jelling is the key though, for this position more than.
Any right, Yes, sir, I mean there's five players that make up the offensive line, and we got to act as one unit. We have to be of one mind.
And yet you're used to that, you know that. What's the challenge that happen?
Yeah, the challenge is just recreating a game scenario before we actually get to the season. And so when the bullets start flying week one, week two, you have to know how you're gonna handle it, and you have to have gone through it through workouts like we did today.
Walk throughs. You have to have high energy, high stress environments that you can work through as an offensive line to really come together and see how each part of the offensive line operates under pressure and how each guy responds to what we're being asked of.
So what are the workouts like today that you just need?
It was just a bunch of station work, agility, things of that nature. But it's really just right now, it's more the mental side of things, or trying to make it hard for us mentally, because you can only text abody so much. And I mean, they're building us into incredible athletes and so at a certain point, no matter what the workout is, they're gonna have as prepared and it's not gonna be as hard as it was when
we were eighteen nineteen freshman sophomores. So I was talking to Jail and Farmer today, I'm like, dude, I'm twenty four, Like I've been doing this six years. I can go through a workout like this and it's just like the thousand I've done before it. But for right now, what we're trying to do is get the mental side of it. How you attack each rep in the workout, how you attack you know you have a hard lift coming up, Say yesterday we had front squats. We knew we were
gonna have front squats. We knew it was gonna be hard. It's just how you attack the weight. Are you gonna let it be menacing? Are you gonna let it ta control of you? Are you going to take control of it?
The foundation of Stoops's success has been the big blue wall. It's been the run game, protecting a quarterback, all that, because it dictates the entire game. I know you guys are aware of.
That, arn'twer, Yes, sir. In the SEC games are won in the trenches, and if we want to have a successful season, it's up to the offensive line to set the standard for the team. And that's what we're working on right now. We want to be an offensive line that leads, and we don't want to hold back our team in any way.
So other than money, why why Kentucky?
What was it that kind of And.
I want to go play there?
Coach Wolford. So, Coach Wolford recruited me out of high school to South Carolina. We met. He actually told me yesterday that my name and his phone is still Josh Braun, twenty seventeen recruit. So we've known each other seven seven years. And so when I decided to get in the portal, he was interested. And I knew I wanted to play for a coach like Coach Wolford, one that will demand
your best every day. And I know he's gonna get the best out of me, and if I do what he asks of me, I will be successful.
And I know you guys will only been out in underwear, But.
How do you think this group could get together because you're bringing guys in from all over and you just trying to jail in a couple months to play.
Yeah, I mean that's the key. Like you said, we've been out here in underwear, and so whatever we can do to make our walkthroughs feel like a game scenario that's where we have to be focused on, and so Zach Calzada gets us out every Saturday to run routes. The sinners are snapping the airlines, doing indie and just things like that. The Saturday workouts where it's entirely optional.
If you have something, you don't have to go. But that's where we show the rest of the team that we mean this us and that's where the trust is formed. I know that we have running backs and wide receivers and tight ends who are gonna make the plays. We're gonna make the blocks, who are going to be selfless, and as an offensive line, that's that's important for us
because we're never going to touch the ball less. You're the center, and so when the skilled players also embrace the blocking role, and that where they're showing that through the walkthroughs, through the plays. We have trusted them and in turn, they trust in us, and that's where an offense is built.
That's Josh Brown likely the starting center this year for the Football Wildcats. He'll be snapping to Zach Calzada, transferring in from Incarnate Word also spend time at Auburn, at Texas A and M, and he will compete with cutter Bully likely will be the starter coming in. Here's some questions here from John Hale as well as yours. Surely John with a herold leader, and he started off by talking about what he likes about the Bush ham Dan offense.
Really the whole thing, you know, I know, you know, I want to answer the questions and check the boxes for the NFL scouts, and I think that his pro style offense does that. But I also think that it's it's what you need in the sec You need to be able to run the ball, you need to be able to take your shots. You need to be able to complete quick passes to be able to stay ahead of the sticks. And I believe that Coach Hampden's offense incorporates all of that and more a little bit.
About your personality being a little little wild maybe at times, or just how it manifests on the field. What do you like as a player out there?
Just that energy I leave for I mean, I'm passionate on the field, man, and you know I have to control it, you know, as a leader and as a quarterback, I have to make sure that I stay composed. But you know those are also when I'm on the field those ten guys, and those.
Are my guys.
So you know, I'm right or die with the guys that I'm on the field with. And you know I'm passionate and I want to win. That's the most important thing to me when I'm on the field.
How big is that leadership part? As the quarterback on an offense basically an hire a group outfall right now?
I think it's really important.
I mean, I've studied a lot of football, and I know that the best teams have quarterbacks that are selfless, leaders talented, and you know, I just I just try to do what I can to make sure that I check those boxes and that I'm doing what I can to continue to progress our team forwards.
How much you've embraced the Cuban missile nickname? I know that's part of your heritage obviously. How much of that is a part of it?
Yeah, that's me, man, the Cuban MISSI it is me.
Is growing up hearing that story from your grandparents. How how big was that in your life?
That influence?
Oh?
Man, that that was. It's gotten even more important to.
Me that the older that I get, Man, I think that you know, my family is a true representation of the American dream. You know, my grandparents faced a lot of prejudice back in Cube, but they had to leave with no money, everything taken from them, and all to give a better life to their children and grandchildren.
And my dad did a great job.
You know, college athlete doing really well in finance now and it's just as a man, I see it as my responsibility to continue that legacy and move forward.
This transfer class's kind of that kind of melting by me. You got a Cuban American quarterback, You've got a Navajole left tackle, You've got guys from all over the place out there is what's kind of like everybody bringing their own experience to this.
I mean that's the beauty of football anywhere you go. You know, it's football is a melting pot. It's a true team sport. All eleven guys matter, and all eleven guys come from different backgrounds, they go through different adversities, they've had different successes. But in this year that we have as a team, it's just we want to come together and you know, go for that common goal.
What's it like being yeah, the veteran or can share them the hillage?
Well, I still feel like, you know, I have a lot of my youth left in me. I know, being a twenty four year old quarterback in college isn't isn't the norm. And you know, I never would have thought that I would have played past you know, even five years. But you know, like I said, you know, my journey's had a lot of ups and downs and a lot
of adversities. I missed about a year and a half back in twenty twenty two and twenty three, and you know, for me, I just had to do what I could and it was a really long process to get back, you know, to the physical ability to play football again. So you know, I just think that I carry a lot of experiences with me and the guys that are open to that and to listening. You know, I love
sharing those experiences and what I've learned. And you know I also learned from the young kids too, So how does that work?
Oh man?
Everybody has different perspectives, you know, there's wisdom and everybody. So I just I'm never I feel like I'm never too old or too big to learn from anybody.
So one of his nicknames is the Cuban Missile, and that, of course is a reference to his grandparents who fled Canada. It was his dad's parents and they left after the Castro regime stripped his high school or as US educated father of his three pharmacies and most of the family wealth. And long story short, they basically left for Panama under the guise of a delayed honeymoon in nineteen sixty, settled there for six months and left for the US had
a little bit the clothes on their back. His parents resettled here and made a life for themselves, and that's why he appreciates does Calzada where he is now and what he has. Mortcomo Talkentucky football on the other side of the break here on the Big Blue Insider, or here from Mark Stoops in just a minute on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back coming up in just a few minutes, it's our West End Bureau chief Gary Moore will join us talk about a big weekend upcoming, including in the
Kentucky Auburn game. That's one you're gonna hear right here on six thirty WLAP. And a reminder, we know you're gonna listen to your radio, but we need you to know that if you watch the game and will not be on ESPN, will not be on the SEC network. Now it's going to be on ESPN's mothership, and that is ABC, which actually owns ESPN, but they're stepping in and basically bought the game from the worldwide leader. I still don't understand that they own ESPN, but they kind
of have to buy the game anyhow. Till one o'clock start. That means local coverage at ten thirty, network coverage at eleven thirty, and a tip off of Tom and Jack at one pm as the Cats take on Auburn. One of the last home games for Kentucky got LSU next Tuesday, and the Wildcats finish up at Missouri at the noon start one week from tomorrow. So the LSU is not great, but capable of beating anybody. Auburn, you know how good
they are Missouri, especially in Colombia. Man, you've got to just grind them out in the SEC, because right now you're playing for seating in both the SEC tournament and the NCAAs. So back to football. Mark Stoops at a news conference earlier this week, talked a lot, of course about the new faces, some specifics, some in general, and he was asked, right off the top after a year or two where guys who came through the portal quite frankly didn't perform the way Kentucky needed them to perform.
Stoops was asked why he feels good and he does about this year's crop of new faces.
Yeah, I think that's a very fair, you know, question and assessment. I don't think ever, you know, with the way we have worked this roster since I've been here, you know, things change and evolve, obviously, and you know, the ability to select the right teammates, to select the players that fit your program is always important. And when you're hitting on the portal, it's vitally important because you're
you're hitting free agency essentially. You know, with one year, guys are feeling a player to hit a certain position, to come in and start and compete in this league and fit our culture and you know, play at the level that you want to. It is difficult. I think we have to do a great job of selecting the right teammates, you know, and you have to have the right resources, you know, And I hate it's funny still
talking about that, but it is what it is. Right, you know, you have to have the resources and you know, I think as you have better resources, your selection could can be better, you know, and have the ability to get higher quality. And hopefully we did that.
All right resources you know what that means. That's nil and people don't like it. Going back to when he said you got a pony up. People don't seem to like it when Stoops talks about that, but he's being honest. And look, when you talk among yourselves, when you talk with your friends and fellow fans, whether a UK fan or not, about your favorite college team, that's up there.
Maybe at the top of your concerns, isn't it. Even if you talk about a specific player or a position group or whatever, your conversation is going to come back to niall, do we have enough money to go get somebody? Do we have enough money to compete with other schools? And then do we have enough money to keep them? Think about what happened in Miami with their basketball team that went to the Final four and everybody left because they han't got more money. That's the way it works
right now. Everybody who wanted freedom of movement and the players to share and this and that a lot of the people who are complaining that it wasn't happening. Are now complaining that it is happening because of the revolving dor nature of college athletics, and it hits football the worse because there are more players. So stupents just being honest there when he talks about resources, what do you
like to hear it or not? But he did sound the other day stronger, like he has stronger feelings about this team than he has in a while, and he feels again pretty good about the guys they brought.
I feel very good. Let me just say that about the thirty one guys that are in here in the twenty portal guys, I could not be more pleased. You know, obviously you know when they're coming in here during the recruiting process, you know very clear with them that we didn't meet our standards this past year, so basically, don't come into this program if you're not willing to do
those things. Couldn't be more pleased with what they've done thus far, you know, and just the attitude that they've had in the weight room, attacking the weight room the first segment. We just had our first fourth quarter program where we're really pushing them mentally and physically and you know, really pleased with where we're at. And the twenty portal guys and the eleven high school guys have been a great addition. So it's a start, but it's a good start.
It's so odd to me after all these years into you I'm sure to hear him talk about is thirty first of all thirty one new phases. That's a lot, even pre portal days, that's a lot. But of those thirty one, only eleven are true freshmen, our high school recruits. And it made me think about what Patino said the other day about his Saint John's team. And I don't know if he's losing more than three guys, but he mentioned three names, three of his best players, if not
the best players on the Saint John's team. And again it could be Patino hyperbole. He could mean it now and not mean it later. But he said, we're probably not even going to recruit high school kids because we're losing player A, B, and C and we need to replace them right away. And here's the thing. Back in the day, you wouldn't even think about that, but now you think about it because you can. Plus he's got
Mike Roppoli, the guy who made zillions of dollars. I think a couple different sports beverages that he sold to bigger companies, including I think he sold one to Coca Cola, and now he buys thoroughbred stock. He had last year's I think it was last year's Derby favorite till he scratched. But Mike Ropoli is probably the chief benefactor for Saint John's. So Patino said, you know, money should be no object. Now, that can't be the case for Stoops and most football programs,
but that's just where we are now. Twenty transfers coming through the portal, and assuming majority stay healthy, they will play vital roles in Kentucky football this year. When we come back, we'll hear from West Mvia chief Gary Moore. We were bumped on Wednesday, so we'll visit with him today. We will wrap up the week in sports right here on six WLAP. Welcome back to the Big Blue and Sider joining us now on Friday because we were bumped Wednesday by one heck of a basketball game. Is our
West End bureau chief. Gary Moore used to be our West Coast bureau chief when he was with Kalas Radio for years in LA. Now he's in the Louisville area and he joins us each and every week something's on his mind.
Well, we do two guys in a six pack every time we get together here. Hey, it's always for a good cause. We get bumped, especially for a game like that on Wednesday. Yeah, great stuff that we finally got to see. Once the SEC network cuts to it, Man, farm it off on one of the other chance that was anyway.
Well they did, But how about a split screen? Right?
Yeah, I'm not going to get the app. I'm not gonna get ESPN plus. Just fix it our first swig in the six pack, dick right now. Today up I sixty five in Indianapolis had the NFL Combine going on yet again. Another day for that guys basically competing against themselves in the combine. You get down two no quarterbacks facing jail break blitzes unless they've changed something since I've been watching it, or d Lineman trying to break through
doublin triple teams. Why do you take the combine seriously? Why should anybody take it seriously?
Two words? Pooka Nakua.
Two years ago, Pooka ran the thirty fourth slowest forty yard dash among receivers. But he ran the fastest gauntlet drill. That's where he catched seven passes across the field in real fast succession. Went from fifth round pick to the most productive rookie receiver in NFL history.
Not bad?
Well, why not take the combine seriously?
Okay?
Two words Anthony Richardson. In the same twenty twenty three combine, Colts owner Jim Rsay developed some sort of an odd man crush on the guy. Only played one full season in Florida. What a physical specimen you seen this guy?
Have you seen this broad jump? How about that vertical jump? Man? That was great? We got to get that guy.
So he goes number four overall, keeps getting the hell knocked out of him in real games.
Can't stay healthy.
And now now the colt are talking about an open quarterback competition air quotes this season. Maybe playing a lot of games like bo Nick started with sixty one games, maybe that helps out a little bit. Actual game film is still the best barometer, especially I think for quarterbacks. Jade and Daniels did not go to the Combine last year. How'd that work out?
Just curious? You know the game video that you're talking about it might have helped a little bit. How about the Florida Kentucky game, right, thank you? So it was a week after Richardson looked so good against Utah. Yes, but that was a good Kentucky team that went into Gainesville and made him look ordinary. And you know, yeah, he's got a great arm, he's got a lot of physical attributes. Yes, he's an NFL player, but he should
not have been drafted that highly. And they've had good luck with quarterbacks in in the past, not so much of this time.
A second swig, one more NFL thing for you, as one of these stockholders, are far more qualified to answer than most anybody else popping off about this. Your beloved Green Bay Packers, the legendary lords of Lambeau, have apparently asked the NFL to outlaw the tush push because they
can't stop it of our wives and girlfriends complaining. I'm not sure outside of petitioning to postpone, outside of petitioning to postpone games if the temperature goes below thirty two, because that's really uncomfortable and we all get running noses. I cannot think of a worse look for a team. How many RPMs. Is Lombardi doing in the grave? I ask, and more importantly did Gabriel. How do you feel as part owner of the pack?
Well, I'm a little embarrassed, obviously, But here's my first question. Didn't this used to be illegal? It used to be illegal to help a player. It's illegal now to pull somebody. But I do remember, I believe back in the day you couldn't push it. Remember when Reggie Bush or the winning head liner.
That's right, Yes, I got notre Dame exactly.
And people complained because they pushed him into the end. Now that's college ball, but otherwise there is no empirical evidence. Then it's a health hazard that anyone's getting injured. The Eagles happened to be really good at it because for so long Jason Kelsey was the blocker. But they've got a quarterback who can squat Gary six hundred pounds. It's hard to stop a QB when he's driving for the goal line like that. Somebody will figure out a way to stop it. Third swig in the six pack.
We'll gus talk college hoops tomorrow. None Bigger Number one Auburn at rup one o'clock ABC Television Network, Cats are pretty much at full strength at Oklahoma. I'm not sure what's going to be happening tomorrow. The crowd had better be at full volume though. Over here, Dick in Louisville and the U of L cards with the first of three final regular season games, all of them at home, all of them are winnable. Cal on Wednesday after this one,
and Stanford next Saturday. By the way, do you see who called the the Florida State Louisville game over here on Saturday?
Tom Brenneman. How about that?
On the CW. Tom is and he did a pretty decent job. You know, Tom is lucky to have a I think a job at well there's a deep drive into left over there where he's been doing a lot.
Of the ACC games on the CW.
Hadney, Yeah, he has, and I thought he did an okay job. By the way, Louisville's point guard, one of the nation's best, Chucky Hebburn is probably gonna be playing these last three games, probably into the playoff, into the March madness, with a chip on both shoulders because he was inexplicably not on the ballot for the Bob Coosey Award that goes to the best point guard in the nation ten finalists. He ain't won Chucky the heart and
soul of the best college comeback story this year. How ignorant is that a mission?
Now?
Very much so? Maybe whoever makes up the list was asleep, but to switch what clearly they were. Maybe they see him as more of an off guard. But he's a playmaker, he's dynamic. He again, he's one of those guys worth the price of admission. Yep. And yeah, you gotta think Louisville's done enough to merit the attention to at least have him on the list. Maybe you don't give him a trophy, but he does deserve consideration. There's no question
about that. That's a puzzler. And uh yeah, next team's up, they're gonna feel his wrath.
I'm pretty sure outside of Mark Sears, I can think of somebody who's done more for their team, yeah than.
Chucky, fourth Swig and the six back.
Besides the Cats in Auburn tomorrow, two other big ranked versus ranked teams on tap in the circular firing squad. That is, the twenty twenty five sec Number six Bama in Knoxville versus that number five Orange team that ukse whooped twice already and we'll do it again if we have to in the tournament. You hear that, Dawn n I seventy five four o'clock tomorrow at ESPN, then at a thirty in the SEC net number twelve A and M versus number three Florida. Give me the Gators and
the Tide in both of those two. By the way, speaking of Auburn, obviously Bruce Pearl one of the favorites for Coach of the Year, but I was thinking who else. Two guys come to mind really quickly, former Cats and Cards coach now doing a nice job reviving Saint John's Rick Matino of course, over here, Pat Kelsey for resurrecting U of l. Mark Pope, I think should get some votes for putting together that team out of the air. And Mark Byington done at Vandy, done a great job
resurrecting them as well. Who would you put on your short list?
I would marry yours quite frankly. And you know, people look at Auburn, it's loaded. They might now want to vote for Bruce Pearl because Auburn's making it look easy right now. But coaching is managing the program, running the program, putting everything together. There's a reason they play the way they do. It's not just running up and down the sideline screaming. He does a lot of that, but so does Patino, no question about it. But right now Pearl
is doing it in the toughest conference in America. I think Pope should be there if not for the fact that Kentucky has lost games. It should not have lost. Even though talk about this on the show last night, Vandy, that loss looked like a bad loss. Vandy on Wednesday Night one. It's nineteenth game on the road at A and M. So you know, but again, as you said, that's just the nature of the SEC. You were talking about the games coming up tomorrow. Tennessee Bama is really interesting.
Bama not good defensively, Tennessee is Bama no trouble scoring? Tennessee lots of trouble. I'm really curious to see this be a battle of wills. Who wins out and if anybody can slow down Florida it's A and M. But I'm like you, I like the Gators.
It'll be a couple of ball burners.
Yeah, Buddy six, I'm sorry. The Fitzwig two more to go.
Speaking of Patina, the more I watched that Redstorm Rising show on Vice, it's kind of like hard Knocks for Saint John's. Anyway, the more I'm thinking he might just take this team pretty far, even to the final four, and you know, if he gets there, obviously he knows how to win it, having done it twice. I would
not want to play the Johnnies anytime soon. And the one thing I've enjoyed watching on that show, and the great thing about it is it's not just behind the scenes stuff you get of the current team, but they flash back to some other moments in say Rick's career, as painful as some still are, a lot of people may have forgotten or don't even know what Rick went
through when he was at Providence. He experienced what no parents should ever have to go through the loss of a child, and he talked about that on this second episode yep, of course, and then then the latest one. He also talks about going through the catastrophic injury of Louisvill's Kevin Ware, which they recall in that episode when they were en route to the national championship in twenty thirteen, I tell you there's some emotional moments in this that
will kind of catch you off guard. And they showed some footage of when Louisville was in the twenty thirteen Championships. At that game, Dick, those Louisville uniforms have got to be the worst ones ever to be associated with a Natty. Remember those Adidas jersey that had the short sleeves. They all had short sleeves and the pants the shorts were just some kind of I don't know what sort of material or pattern that was, and yet they still won, So they had to be really good to wear that and win.
Yeah, it reminds of the denims that they won when he was here. Are yea and people now that bring back the denims. Back then, nobody liked the denims nobody, But I remember Patino on his radio show saying, you know, I don't want to hear anything else about it, like, okay, mom, you know that kind of stuff. But no, I agree
with you. I think the documentary series has been fascinating, and I will say with some pride, I produced a documentary way back in the day where he actually gave us all access for a couple of days and we followed him I set in on one of his staff meetings, and maybe it'll come up a little bit later. But what makes him really I think one of the best in the country is he leans on his staff, but he knows what he wants and he prepares his teams
so well. Cameron Mills told me once that patino scouting reports every game were like a small book, and Jim O'Brien was the assistant coach for the most part that prepared them. He said, Tubby, our scouting report was more like a pamphlet because Tubby was big on let's prepare for us, whereas Rick was obsessive about knowing everything about the other team. And he said this on the very first episode. Remember he said, I just I'm afraid we can lose every game. I'm paranoid we can lose every game.
So he obsesses about his opponent. Nobody does that better in my opinion, in college basketball, and.
No team will be in better shape right about that, and that will be a big difference maker come March when there's a lot of tired legs out there, and Rick knows how to get those guys and they.
Don't press Saint John doesn't press away Kentucky does, but they play a half court defense.
Away Kentucky did absolutely six and final swig on the six pack. Those of us bluegrass basketball fans of a certain age can recall it with a genuine love and appreciation for going to see Kentucky's first pro sports team champions, the nineteen seventy five.
Colonels of the ABA.
Bring this up because the Cats is Pau's latest issue has a nine thousand words story all about that team. Hall of Famer Dan Issel talks a lot about it, that great team that he was on with artists Gilmore and Louis Dan Peter, coach Huby Brown, and a great supporting cast winning it all and even later that year without it so they beat the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Rick Berry Freedom Hall, October eight seventy five.
Look it up.
It's a great read worthy tribute to my all time favorite pro hoops team, obviously one of the greatest pro basketball teams ever. And by the way, there's another great read about the Colonels if you haven't seen this book, one written by well, a guy who used to work on the paper used to work on at UK. The Colonel He was a former sports editor Gary West. Colonel's
trainer Pink Gordon our Pink Gardener. Gardner Gardner called the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association the real story of a team left behind. Can we get a camera shot of that?
Because that's right.
There, autograph copy, great great book about a great team.
You know, I remember the very first Colonel's game I ever attended, and I could not get over how fast it was. I had been to college games. It was my second year of college, so I've been to a lot of Kentucky games. I had seen UOL play growing up at the pro basketball and that's what the ABA is, you know, frided itself on was the energy, the three pointer of the red, white and blue ball. It was a spectacle. But it was really good basketball, it was.
And the Colonels that year, you're right, they beat in an exhibition. The following fall beat Golden State. John Y Brown offered to play them in a series right after because they were better than the NBA champion, which included Butch Beard and Rick Barry. Barry played in the ABA led the league in scoring. Butch Beard was an All American in Louisville, but Kentucky the Colonels were better, and oh it was so much fun going to their games.
Our Murrays Tigers team came up and played before the Colonel's Spurs game, real December of seventy five. My best friend, who was on the Murray High team, was six foot three.
He said, when we walked down.
The to the to the locker rooms, there were all the players heckling us on the way down.
These were the biggest humans I've ever seen. He said.
That's when I knew I had no future in pro basketball.
Yeah, going up because of these guys. Well through the years of gotten to know Lloyd Gardner, the trainer who, by the way, ended up with all the gear that's from my old jerseys, and then warm ups, and I remember Louis Dampier said he was in an autograph ABA autograph show up in Indianapolis and looked down. He was signing his own pants, signing an autograph for somebody for
the pants he used to wear. But you know, gotten to know Dan Insel, my very first college basketball hero, and got to know Louis so.
Should have never gotten rid of Dan, should have never gotten rid of Thissel that's why they didn't win the next year.
There was a complete leader, right team, and then it should have and should have joined the NBA. We'll come back with more with our west Ham bureau chief Gary Moore in just a minute here on the big moon side or six point thirty WLAP welcome back. We're talking with our west Ham bureau chief Gary Moore. He is presented two guys in a six pack now a couple of hot reads for him, Diana Tarassi. Gary, after twenty
four years, announced her retirement. And you could make the argument, and there have been many many Cheryl Miller swoops, just just so many great women players, but many believe she is the greatest of all the women players. She is certainly the most accomplished. Three time NCA champion, three time WNBA, six Olympic gold medals, multiple EuroLeague championships. And I love what she said, she said, I'm full that's why she's That's the greatest line I've ever heard from a retiring athlete.
Hard to argue that she's clearly the most accomplished, if not the greatest.
Well, she's the all time WNBA scoring career scoring writer. And if she's not number one, she's got to be in the top two or three, eleven time All Star that's what I was looking up. Six euro League championships because she played year round. Yeah, you go from the WNBA to go and play. They had some because the money was right and arguably a tougher league.
That's from that.
And retiring after what twenty four years is wow?
Quitter. She also had the greatest line I read where she and some other women players, female players and NBA greats were sitting around in a room for some reason. Now I know what it was during the Olympics. They were on a cruise ship. That's where they stayed. Yeah, and they were all sitting around and kind of talking smack to each other, and Draymond Green was there, and Tarassi said, Hey, Draymond, how does it feel to be the only person in the room who's never double teamed
my drop? Isn't that great? Yeah? Why not retire on that? Finally, the other night, I hope you got to see it. I hope you listen and got to see it. You
can find it on the innerweb. One of the greatest dunks you will ever see, and I mean savage tomahawk dunk from the NBA delivered by mister Shaden Sharp And the only thing that keeps you from fully appreciating this move was the fact that he might have been doing that here in election and for just a year, if not for that craziness that kept him in a Kentucky uniform. But off the court, you Kentucky fans still have a right to be bitter. I say yes. I say yes as well.
And you know, Dick, when I sometimes fantasize about going from my five foot ten stature to six foot something and dream about doing a dunk and having the elevation of a Darryl Griffith or David Thompson, that's exactly the kind of dunk I imagine in my dreams of doing. Now did we ever figure out what went on with him at UK? Was there a directive from his people air quotes not to play him?
Do we know?
Fairly? Apparently, because he at one point said he wanted to play, but you know, his handlers didn't think that was what was best for him. So yeah, I'd say, if you're still bitter, hang on to it.
Missed opportunity. Yep, that was That's a beautiful dunk. I've watched it about six or seven times since you gave me the heads up on that.
Yeah, fun every time. It's a beauty. You can follow Gary on Twitter already if you don't act, you got nothing better to do.
At nine to five five Gary, same fabulous joint you're found at Big Doingsider one.
See next week, Go cats, go cart my Thanks to Gary, thanks to Seawan Woods. That's a good night from the garage in Lexington.
Yeah, and you can forget about watching TV while you're eating.
I can't, oh.
Yeah, because it's dinner time.
Do you know what you do at dinner?
What you talk about?
Your day?
Was your day to day?
Did you have a good day to day or a bad day to day? What kind of day was it?
A don't.
See pacts.
Anything to.
Satta to lack.
The dipens
From tipting to the