Welcome to the Big Blue Insider Day. Gabriel with you on April Fool's Day. That's right, April first, and we should still be talking about Kentucky basketball. But you know, of course that the season ended prematurely in the minds of many, in the minds of most. We'll talk about that tonight. We'll also hear from the players here from Mark Stoops and Cameron Mills is going to join us at the bottom of the hour. He will be here in the garage to talk of course about high school
basketball and UK basketball in the sweet sixteen. But I keep reminding myself that preseason, me, media, people, fans, we all tried to figure out what this team would do, where it would go, how it would finish, and what might be as satisfying ending to this year given the misery in their quotes of the last two or three seasons. And I think we all kind of agreed that if this team could break even in the SEC and win
an NCAA tournament game. Now, once we saw how good this team could be, Hey, they beat Duke, right, they beat Florida, right, final four teams. Now the ceiling rises, the floor rises, everything grows, Expectations and hopes and all that, and I've kind of adjusted myself to where when this team was at its best, I thought this team could get to the second weekend. Then the injuries started to come. So now if we backtrack, and if I had told you when you were trying to figure out your expectations
and your hopes for this team, realistic hopes. And I know that's a fluid term in the Big Blue Nation, really in all the sports, But if I told you going in, Okay, you've got this roster capable of winning any game it's in. But for significant stretches of the season, you will be without your three of your top four perimeter players. You'll be without Lamont Butler, You'll be without Jackson Robinson, You'll be without Kerr Kriesa. Okay, Butler will
come back, but he won't be one hundred percent. The other two will not. So that means there are going to be times when Otago Olway has to play the point, or the freshman Colin Chandler comes in. And if I had told you that first of the year, you would have what you know, what about Travis Perry, Well, he got hurt. Now Chandler of course started really showing what he's going to be toward the end of the year. But you didn't know that because he was coming off a two
year mission. So if I told you all that, oh, by the way, you're seven foot center, he's going to have to play a little point forward, you would have thought, Man, if this team can be five hundred, that would be outstanding. And what we saw was outstanding, and the way they got there, to me, I still can't get over it. And I was, I know, I'm always pessing a miss going into the nca tournament Sometimes, I mean, you know, some of the teams you can't help but think they're
gonna kick butt. But going into this tournament, I liked their draw up until Tennessee. I picked wins and everybody did up until Tennessee. And we had that debate for several days about a team that's beating a team twice beating them a third time, and there were stats that said, more often than not by a significant margin, the team that won the first two will win the next the third game, that's fine, but I think in the NCAA
tournament a lot of that goes out the window. And I do think that Tennessee was probably a better team this year than Kentucky. It just was. But Kentucky was better on those first two nights. Tennessee helped by jacking up forty five threes. They lost their minds trying to beat Kentucky at its own game. I still can't believe that Rick Barnes let that happen. And again, if you
listen to me, thank you. You know I'm not one who puts everything on a coach and worships a coach, and oh, you know, the coach can do anything, knows all, sees, all does all no. But in a game like that, I've got to think that Barnes could have and should have pulled his team together, said, fellas, we're not a great three point shooting team. Knock it off, just like John Caliperry should have done that against West Virginia back in twenty ten against that one to three to one, guys,
stick to the game plan. That's not the game plan, stop jacking up threes. Otherwise he would have won a national title with that team. But the next time they played Tennessee, and again Kentucky was never a full strength. The balls didn't help him like that, and Kentucky still won but this day Tennessee was better. Tennessee just beat Kentucky on the boards physically. That had so much to do with why Kentucky lost that game, and that's been
a problem all year rebounding. So maybe the kid from Julane who comes through the portal will be a big help there. Malachi Moreno should be a big help there. Got to see him in the Sweet sixteen. I'll give you two thumbs up on him. And I'm a little prejudiced or a little biased because he does go to Great Crossing where my daughter has interacted with him for
a couple of years. Now. She's a special needs teacher and Moreno and his buddies, his teammates and other kids come to her class and help her with the kids, you know, pushing wheelchairs and things like that. So and they do it voluntarily, they like doing it. So anyhow, it's going to be fun to see how they come together next year. But now he've got a sneak preview of what kind of offense they run, and now I
think Pope more than likely. And now I don't know what was his mindset when it came to when and how he taught defense this year, but they were a late it, weren't they But once they did, they locked it down and they were so much better. It was phenomenal, how much better they were defensively. The key is crafting
another roster the way he did it. And he's got more time now, clearly, but the way he did it this time, pulling this team together, meeting the needs of what he had to have to run his stuff, his offense, his defense, but also the personality, the meshing that went on. He got such great guys, He got the right guys. Could have used one more, maybe two, but given how
little time he had to do it. And so after the game, you may have heard little bits and pieces of this, but I'm gonna share a couple of comments with you. The players were asked first question, and I think it was a student from Indiana University asked about being a part of Kentucky basketball with Mark Poemm. We'll start with you.
I'll say it's incredible, man. We were you know, we came in nobody, not knowing each other, you know, really no coaching staff, and you know we built something that was you know, really great, really inspiring you know for other people, you know, just even to play at Kentucky as a dream come true for myself and a lot of us guys up here. So we're really grateful for him to bring us here and able to experience something that you know, we we may have not experienced before
before this year. And I really just really grateful, honestly.
Kobe, Yeah, I say, I think the University of Kentucky is in great hands. Like I mean, just to see what he's done this year, his first year, and not only that, but he's a life changer, you know, to like to just our group. I feel like he's helped has grown so much off the court and on the court, and it's going to be really special to see what he continues to do for this team and for his own university.
Andrew, Yeah, I just definitely agree with what those guys said. I think a lot of us never, you know, even just one year ago, even thought that we'd be at Kentucky. So for Coach Pope to believe in everybody who is on the team, you know, believing myself is really special for for all of us. And it's pretty you know, super proud of the team and and everybody. This season, we were able to make history at the mecca of
college basketball. And so for us to uh, you know, be able to come in here and coach Pope's first year and be able to do that has been you know, nothing short of amazing, and I'm super excited to see for the next you know, ten fifteen years, what kind of dim and run coach Coach Pope can start back here.
So those are the players on the podium after the loss to Tennessee. And there was the next question I believe came from Darryl Bird. Darryl always asked really interesting questions. But Daryl, of course has been here from day one with his team, and he took them back to one first got here and then asked them, with the season behind them, to reflect on what it was like to be a part of UK basketball from day one.
And start with you, Yeah, it's certainly very difficult. Don't wanna untie my shoes, don't want to take off this jersey, you know, definitely shout out a BBN and and all of the fans. It's like nowhere I've ever experienced, and really have just had the most fun playing basketball this season, and you know, I really appreciate them welcoming all of us in with with open arms and really caring about all of us more than than just a basketball player
and being a fan. They really you know, you're welcome into the Kentucky family and it's a family for a reason. So definitely is is an amazing experience that you know right now, But as we continue to get older, just look back and be more and more proud as time goes on.
Kobe, Yeah, I don't know who's in charge of the jerseys and all that, but they're gonna go through some trouble to get mine. It's still like, it's still surreal every time, you know, I walk in the locker room and I'm able to put this jersey on, just just from everything I've dealt with, everything I've been through, where I come from. Just to be able to put it on,
it's just super special. And then you know, just to have my brothers and you know, we were all strangers when we first got here and we didn't have a lot of time to really to bond and get to know each other, and you know, make this possible what
we just did. So like we're all a big family now and BBN has made an amazing they made this dream like a reality for real for me, Like just ever since I stepped into campus, everybody's greeting me with open arms, and they've been amazing to me and my family, and it's been everything I've wanted to be in more so, I'm just happy with my experience here for sure.
Yeah, this is is just a special place where it was special people around.
It, you know, the whole program.
You know, the fans, they're out there, you know every day, even when I first got here just you know, just greeting me with love and greeting everybody with love. It was the first time we people were coming up to our dorm and getting autographs and stuff like that. So it was kind of surreal when we got here. The you know, the fan love, but you know, just the bond that we were able to create this year was
just amazing. You know, in one year, usually don't get teams that are able to you know, really get connected like that.
Usually it's like two or three years.
But you know, we we kind of bonded really quick. You know, this coach Pope brought some really good guys that I'll call brothers for the rest of my life.
And I'm really just.
Really grateful that God gave me this opportunity.
To be around these people.
And as you probably heard on the Mark Pope Show, Tom Leach talked about it again. This morning, these guys went back to the hotel or back to the dorm. I wouldn't entirely sure where they were, but they got together. They kind of drifted into the same room later that evening and sat and talked and reminisced and shared stories about the season. And they didn't break up until six am.
And this is gonna sound a little odd, but I flashed on a documentary I just watched on the making of We Are the World, the video that that you know, that was back in the eighties, but I happened to watch the video and one of the last parts of that video was somebody retelling the story when everybody left, they all kind of left a little at a time, and finally they were just a, you know, a Quincy Jones and I can't remember who else, but all the
artists were gone except for one. And they heard a sound in the sound studio and they walked in and it was Diana Ross and she was weeping. She was crying, and she said, I just don't want this to be over. It was such a special experience and it had to feel the same way for these guys. I just don't want this to be over same way for the UK fans. But imagine being one of the ballplayers and knowing this is it. You know we're never gonna play together again
as a team, This entire team. Every team goes through that, but imagine what this team went through. Hi, my name is nice to Meetia. Where are you. Oh you're the guy from Drexel. Oh, okay, you're the guy from Fairleigh Dickinson. All right, good to Mitia. Let's go play. Let's go see what we can do. And they did up Next with it from Mark Stoops, his team scrimmaged over the weekend.
Back in a minute on the Big Boon Sider and a little bit later on Cameron Mills joins us here in the garage six point thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Bluon Sider. Coming up in a few minutes. Cameron Mills joins us here in the garage. The chaos will ensue, but seriously, we will talk to Cameron about
this year. Cameron, of course, part of our pregame coverage of Kentucky basketball on the UK network, and he and I, along with Jody Dummling and Greg Stottomeyer worked the boys Sweet sixteen this past week, so Cameron got a good look at so many of the great teams in the state of Kentucky, including the eventual champion, Great Crossing. He
and Greg worked the championship game featuring future Wildcat. Now I guess I don't know if he's signed yet, but his high school career is over, so now he's a Kentucky Wildcat. Malachi Moreno, whose high school career ended on the same court where he will begin his college career, and it's coming up fast. So that comes up here, coming up fast as well. At the bottom of the hour,
Mark Stoops and his team worked on Saturday. We get a chance to watch them practice tomorrow, so I'll be reporting on what I saw, you know, I mean, what can I tell, But I'm going to watch the quarterbacks. You better know that. However, Stoops after the scrimmage on Saturday wasn't specific about names that he wasn't going to be or what happened within the scrimmage, but somebody said what group stood out? And he said the D line, which I guess is to be expected.
You know, if I gave a shout out to any would probably be defensive line. I think you know that group is you know, really the defense in general is flying around and this time of year, you know, traditionally defense is a little bit ahead anyway. But they're playing really hard. It's a very united group and playing very tough, and so I appreciate their effort for sure.
Naturally, somebody asked about quarterbacks. Again, no names, but stoops like what he saw.
You know, I'm not going to talk about any individual. I think they're you know, during the spring, They're each going to have their moments, you know. And what I like is I feel like we got better the last you know, several practices early on coming off spring break and having that early practice is going to be a little rough at times. But I feel like these last two practices in particular, were making some jumps.
I will tell you is during spring break, I bumped into a Kentucky assistant and I just said, a's it going. We were chit chatting. At at one point he mentioned to me that he liked and this was not the O line. I can't stress that enough, but he said he liked what he saw in the old lineman the guys who have transferred in. They look good, they're athletic, They've got a chance to really be good. I'm not going to tell exactly what he said, but he was
incredibly optimistic. Now it's got to happen. They got to got and put in the work, and Stoop said, that's happening right now.
I love what I'm seeing as far as the question that you're asked from the leadership, from the effort, you know, from the continuity, we have big bodies. You know, they're working very hard, and I love the group. You know, we're definitely you know, making progress, and as long as they keep that same attitude and work ethic, you know, will be significantly improved. And you know that's the goal across the board. But again, I just like where they're at, you know, I like I like the group. I like
coach them. They take coaching, and they're working really hard.
We still don't know yet what is going to happen with the open practice for the fans or won't be a spring game per se, but there will be something on the last day of spring practice. So obviously we'll let you know as soon as we know one other note about UK baseball. You may have seen this on social media, but Tyler Bell is the SEC Freshman of the Week. This is one of the weeks where the
Wildcats play on Thursday. Generally in the past, now generally it was in the past it was the last week of the season when teams played Thursday through Saturday, but that happens now a lot because of TV. So it's Kentucky's turn this week and the Thursday game will be on the SEC Network. Friday Saturday will be on SEC Plus with Yours Truly and Doug Flynn. The Wildcats play Ole Miss, coming in a team that a couple of years ago won the national championship and has been struggling
ever since. But you got to expect anything and everything when an SEC team comes to town. And think about that. If you're an A and M fan, your team was number one in the country preseason, how excited were you? And it just fell off the edge of the earth and Kentucky, which had been struggling a bit, went into college station and took two out of three. Tyler Bell was one of the big reasons he had a great weekend. He had multiple hits all three games, a total of
eight for the series. He had won base hit in the midweek game, so nine all week long, in seventeen at bats in College Station, at the double in each game. Homered Saturday during a four to four performance, drove in seven and it was unbelievable the way Kentucky just kept coming back, coming back, and he was a huge part of it. So was bad and pitching. Kentucky's pitching wasn't much better. So it had to be that kind of
weekend where the offense came through, and it did. And Tyler Bell right now, he's only hitting three forty seven true freshman, leads a team in doubles, has five home runs, leads to the team in RBI, has stolen five bags, and pretty good defensively too. So Wildcats need more of that when the Rebels come to town. Up next, Cameron Mills of the UK and net Work. We're back in just a minute on six thirty WLAP Welcome back to
the Big Blue Insider and joining us now. I spent much of last week with Cameron Mills because we worked the Sweet sixteen together the high school version while the
NCAA tournament was going on. We will talk about both So let us start with your beloved Wildcats, and you are, as well as being a veteran of the Sweet sixteen as a player, also a Wildcat, but also a teammate of Mark Pope, and you are an unabashed fan and you made no bones about that as you worked a pregame show with Dave Fan and a friend and all that.
Oh Mark, yeah, Mark Yeah, I mean cut you back your teammates, of course.
But I talked in the opening segments tonight about the fact that I do believe this team surpassed the expectations of most Kentucky fans back in the summer, but once the season began, I said, the ceiling was elevated. The floor was elevated because the team, the team played so well. Oh you know, I know you don't like playing on it.
The death sentence floors, yes, or the broken leg floors.
We've talked about it, but no. I mean, once we saw what they were capable of doing, and then we all started thinking, hum, you know, but then the injuries occur. It was that kind of year. There were so many ups and downs, and somebody pointed out to me within a week span they never won two straight games. You know, they win a game, lose a game, win a couple, then going into the next week.
Once I mean we got into SEC play, maybe and I'm saying that once we got SEC played, that happened.
But if they'll never put together a long winning streak.
No, I know, well, they definitely didn't put together I don't think six games in a row. And that's kind of to me personally, like, i't what part of the season you're in. That's kind of like indicator number one you can do it. Yeah, even though yeah, no, I think. I think because you've got to put together six games, you're on the tournament and I don't care if you're playing Little Sisters of Marcia at the beginning the season, exhibition, whatever. You got to put six games a row into six
games in a row together. But I'm not saying a team couldn't do it otherwise.
Let me back yeah, let me back up a little bit. If I had told you your your basketball knowledge, Yeah, going into the season, all right, they're going to do X y Z, but at some point they will be without the services of three of their top four perimeter players, two of them forever, one of them off and off. I gotta think you would have adjusted your expectations. Am I right?
I have I think a logical person wonder yes. But and I say this with respect, BBN is not logically true.
What families is well true?
And look, my, my, My total experience since I was zero has been BBN. So I've I have no I have no expectation or h or or.
You know, I should I should take that back, because I'm sure a lot of fan bases when it comes to askabab whatever, I look, if.
You're outside the blue bloods of Carolina, Duke Kentucky, Kansas formerly Indiana, who I'm living out at U c l A. Yeah, I think I think Louisville belongs in there. Yeah, I don't know. I mean you could have like what Florida had a couple of years. What they may have this year where you know, all of a sudden they jump up and but remember Billy Donovan left Florida because he's like, nobody cares, we want two back to backs, nobody cares.
Everybody was worried about football. Even even in my press conferences, I'm getting asked with the football team, what is this? I would have left too, well, and that's why I like, what's funny is? And I get and I always completely changed this and I have to just my expectations for because I look at the kid from New Mexico and New Mexico State Dent is it Dent? And I'm thinking, okay, it was apparently it was down to us in UCLA, and I'm like, okay, this is a no brainer. I mean,
what Cronin is a great coach. He definitely comes from the Rick Patino school of coach ology. But over here, if that's what Didn't wants, you know, you know, it depends on what d it wants. But over here you've got a guy that actually played for coach and is far surpassed Cronan as far as in his first year. What Cronin has done in his completeness at UCLA, I think unless and I'm like, okay, so a no brainer.
And then someone reminded me or someone that video I was watching it was mentioning oh and they were saying, well, yeah, in UCLA is not going to have you know, as far as nil, they're not going to have what what Kentucky has. And I was in there thinking, well, number one, why wouldn't UCLA have it? But At the same time, UCLA is one of those schools where, even though I would consider them a blue blood, what have they done recently,
I mean consistently recently. And I was shocked when he went to UCLA because I've been I've been told, and I say, I've been told. This is not inside information. I think I saw it on a public forum. But like, apparently, you know, our nil money this year is obscene. I don't know if that's true, but I would. I was shocked that he didn't come here. So I just I just think as far as the expectations of what Kentucky does or what Kentucky did this year, and I have
to it's hard for me. I have to separate my biasness because I know I am biased towards Mark Sure, and because I don't care what teammate. I mean, you take the teammates I had that I didn't like, which at the time, which now I love. But now but look, when I was a freshmen, I was being hazed by by Roger Groase and Tony Dalk. I mean, you know when Antoine walk Girls one of my least favorite people on earth, when I played with him. Now, I just
every time I see him. It's a bear hug and I love him to death.
Was it Ane the one who told you his camraon you.
Just need to leave you just no, no, no no no no no no, you are underplane what he said? Oh you are you? You are censoring what he said. Antoine is the one to help listen this.
No.
I love this story because because Antoine was so and he'll tell you now, and that's what I love. That's my favorite part of watching my teammates, including myself, grow old. Yes, is because like God, we were arrogant, mother he just.
We just I mean yeah.
And then the documentary documentary that we did on the ninety sixteen, I mean, the guys even admitted, now there's the time they were in their you know, they're in their forties and there even menu man, we were so men. We thought we were the Beatles. I remember Walter saying that we thought we were the Beatles, and I'm like, yeah, yeah, we did. We didn't realize we did, but maybe we realized we did. But Antoine was the most like the Beatles. Well, and here's the thing is what I told this is
what I told people. I tell people to say because a lot of times in in my ministry stuff, I'm talking about humility and different between confidence and and arrogance, and why humility draws people to you and and cockiness or arrogance expels people from you. So I tell people all the time the story about how you know, I thought, I know we're getting off topic here, but this is this is what we do. So I don't I don't feel bad. But I thought that during my time at UK,
I was the outlier. Chep was an outlier too, Mark was an outlier, right that, uh that the three of us and I thought, you know, we're going to you know, our faith is important to us, Our faith should make us be different.
And then because of your faith. So what you're saying, what you felt like an outlier because you're of your faith.
Yes, I know what I'm saying. I thought we were outliers because of our behavior and our and I and and I think our faith is what motivating motivator. Yeah,
well so motivated our behavior. But anyway, I'm going so off topic here, I'm sorry, But anyway, so, but Antoine was the guy who I thought I would compare myself to arrogance wise, not basketball, there's no reason to do that whatsoever, but arrogance, because I would tell myself, okay, so like if I felt like, or imagine in my head that I had treated a fan less than an equal, which there were moments where I was told that I had, not by the fan, but by my people, you know
what I mean, like the people that should have told me that, right, my accountability people. I would just brush it off as you don't know what you're talking about. Let's go home and hang out with a guy named Antoine Walker and you tell me if you think I'm cocky.
But that's not what you're supposed to do.
I mean, comparing yourself to another human being. Again, in in my world, you know you don't do that. You compare yourself to Christ and you see where you bounce out, how how you bounce out with that, and then that proves, oh, well,
here's your shortcomings. But Antoine was the one that I always compared myself to when it came to arrogance, because God, I mean he he and Coach p Even We're in Cincinnati and the two of them are having a yelling I mean they're yelling at each other at a team meeting. We're watching film at a team yelling at each other. Coach Pte ends it by saying, you will never be as big as me.
I've heard about that. You will never be I am huge. It was will never be as biddy.
I mean the old team is like it's a cross between do we laugh or do we cry? I mean, well, what do we do here? This is the I mean, because no one has ever yelled at coach P and now Coach P'm back and he ends it with you'll never be as big as me.
Anyway, just the fact that Antoine would he listen that kind of response, well from Rick Bettino. Now and I'm thinking ahead.
To the Scions, which which was this was Antoine's freshman year. That was antoine senior year. A right, I'm sorry, sophomore year.
Do you remember what was said in the huddle when when Antoine was benched?
Nothing was said?
So why did he mention him?
Oh?
Oh it wasn't It wasn't so much. Oh okay, yeah, I see you. Sam. My recollection of that was you've got me part of this is your fault. Now you've got me in middle eight stories here, it's what I do. That's what I do, which is you're doing it to me is not helping this this segment. I thought you No, I haven't even told it yet. Remember you asked me about all right, so let me finish that. So what
do you so? So we're playing pick up immemorial hit for his freshman year, my freshman year before the season starts. Neither of us have had a freshman year. We're doing preseason conditions. We're playing pick up and I got to play. I got to play with the guys. And I only say that because when I took my official visit to Georgia, the walk Ons never played. We're never allowed. I mean they were treated like like, I mean, just terrible and that,
and that, honestly is what turned me off from Georgia. Now, I didn't want to go there anyway, but I did take an official visit and I'm sitting there like I'm not turning down an SEC scholarship. Look, I want to go to Kentucky. If they don't want me, then I gotta go here. And the one thing that I kept going back to is but I'm embarrassed at how they're treating their walk on. Wow, and this was before I was a walk on. So I'm gonna I mean it's just I mean they were and it's not just that
they didn't let them play pick up. They just mocked them. Wow, it was embarrassing. I mean I was. I was embarrassed for the program at that point. And what I love about is eventually Tubby would be there next. And I promise you that crap wasn't going on then. Right, So we're playing pickup, and I, of all people, it's a game point, right, it's we would always play to eleven. Now, there were no threes, right, so it was just points, eleven points and there were no twos. Everything's a point.
It's like ten, ten, ten, nine, something like that. And somehow I get the ball the ball. Look, it's not like I didn't get a steal. The ball bounced to me. I picked it up at on my defensive end, right around free throw line. And I'm leading the break. Now I shouldn't be leading the break my senior year, I shouldn't have been leading the break. But I was leading the break. And Antoine was with me on the break because probably because he was snowbirding. But it's me, it's
me and him. It's two on one, right, and so and I remember who's on defense. It didn't matter. It ultimately didn't matter anyway, because as I reached a three point line on other end of the court, somehow I bounced the ball off my off both knees, one foot and it just trails out of bounce. So we've got a chance to win the game, and I blow it, and I blow it Antoine immediately, and of course the next possession they come back, they score, they win, and
Antoine's just furious. So he's cussing me out out on the court. And as he leaves, oh no, this happened in the locker room. So he's cussed me on the court. That was the last game we played. We get in the locker room. He is still on fire, I mean still just just yelling and and I'm like, dude, this is like twenty minutes ago. Now I didn't say it because I'm only going to say a thing to him. But so he finally turns to me in the middle
of locker room and this this thing. Everyone's still around, we all had it, we'd all showered, everybody's getting their clothes back on to go to the Lodger class or whatever. He is just still and he finally looks at me and says Cam. And I don't even know if he called me Cam. He may have called me, he may have called me another name. You look right now, get all your crap, put it together and leave. You are off this team, and I don't want to see you back in here. And I am such a nube because
I'm a freshman. I'm looking around at like Walt Tony, like can he do this?
Is this?
Am? I am? I off the team? And I swear to you it is my Every time I see Antoine, I bring it up every time I've ever told me that. I swear I've told you that story. Thousands you told me.
You've told me he told you you should leave, but you not in that context.
Oh he threw me off the team. You are terrible. You are the word. You have no business being here. You need to get your and get out of here right now and don't come back. And I'm like, I don't know what to do. I just don't know what to do. And now and now that man, because of life and circumstances which a lot of people would look at as bad, which they were, but overall they have humbled that guy. And now of all my teammates other than maybe Shep and Mark and the guys that I
was close to because of our faith. I mean, Antoine is the guy that I'm like, Man, I just want to hang out with Antoine because he is so humbled and.
We all do some of us do it very in different ways.
Yes, and for different reasons. Yes, but man, you hit your forties almost fifties now for all of us. When we had our ninety six autograph session a few weeks ago, the first question is we sat down and started talking to each other. Is all right? Who turns fifty first? And Anthy goes, I'm already fifty. Wow, yeah, all right to take a We got that? Well, yeah, that's right. Eight more stories I'm in the middle of here.
Gamera Mills in the garage. Up next on six thirty w l A P. He's giggling already, Camera Mills here in the garage. What was said?
This is our our times on show time. All right, I'll save the gratitude for later.
Okay, great, Uh, anyway, let's wrap real quickly the Antoine Walker portion of our program. What was said in the huddle issue this?
Yeah, I don't know that anyone has because what I SEC Tournament nineteen ninety six. We're playing Mississippi State and Antoine does not play the second half.
I don't people think Patino threw the game on purpose.
Well, I will tell you this, I don't know that he didn't throw it on purpose, because there's no guarantee that you take Antoline out that we still don't win. That's right, he didn't throw it on purpose. But what he did do is admit in our documentary not to bring it up twice in a row, that I knew
we needed a loss. Yeah, he said that. He said that, And this is why go to people all the time and say, I don't think you all understand the benefits of a late season loss, especially if you've run off as we did twenty six in a row, exactly back to the arrogance, arrogance hubility thing.
Yeah, so he kind of pounced on this opportunity.
Maybe, Yes, that's what it is. He had been Antoine and him had been button heads all year, back to the you'll never be bigger than me comment, which was earlier that season. And and so I don't remember what Antoine said. I don't remember that it was something Antoine said in the huddle, and that's probably that, that's probably what happened. But because you're saying that makes me believe, because you know, you remember stuff that I don't remember,
even though I was actually in the huddle. I was overwhelmed with a lot of things. Oh yeah, but what I what my My my remembrance of that was Antoine was Jack and shots was playing outside the game plan and Coach had just had enough. That's my recollection of it. I'm sure in a timeout Coach was just letting him have it, and Antoine may have just, you know, just blew him off or something, and Coach might have said
that's it and just said him. What I love is that recently coach did the same thing with a star at Saint Josh. Sure, and there's a different, different response from the kid now and and now that that apparently I don't know, sure not, but based on a graphic I saw on YouTube that kid may we may be interested in him because he's in the transfer portal, which will be It seems that would seem awkward for coach being coached in March's relationship.
And if he were, if he was a problem child of Saint John's.
Well, here's the question. Here's the question though, here's the question though, was he or was it something in the moment, I would say.
Probably watching this documentary series.
Oh yeah, how is that?
By the way, excellent?
I got to watch that. I have to I have to wait till season goes.
Yes, and combine the insights you can glean from that with your personal It's.
Like that one thing. I'd love to hear what you have said, that one thing they released of him in the locker room. Oh yes, and everybody. I'm getting text from people saying was he really this bad? And I was like, hang on, let me watch it. I'm like, bad, this is I'd run through a brick. Waf this dude, because this dude. Number one, he's right, yeah. Number two he is saying it in an amazing way. And number three, that's l like coach Patina that his diet Coach Patino.
That is nothing I told you. I told that was my coach.
I told her about Seawan Wood's story about when he and I were in the locker room after they had won an nca tournament game in rough and one of the UFL players hollered over at him, Hey, coach, what times a bust leave and Sean ducked just instinctively flinched, like, oh then he felt, I felt so bad for the guy. He was gonna get it both barrels, and he said. Rick Patino looked up and said, now about fifteen.
Minutes, I know it's just like so for what Yeah, it's like.
And Sean almost made it sound like, you know, he was relieved for the kid, But then he thought, wait a minute.
Yeah, that's not fair. Yeah, that's you don't get to play for him, this version of him, because none of the rest of us did.
And what's the funniest thing to me was that version of Rick Bettino also won a national title at Louisville.
That and look he's easier, and look.
And Mike well a one one of Saint John's with better shooters.
May still win one at Saint Johns.
Might he might? I mean what I mean, if you saw them lose, you could you knew why they couldn't hit a shot when.
They had to three years he's been there or two?
Yeah?
Three two three? No, I think he's three two. He's not been there long, and he's already he's already got them right on the version of the Final four.
So Cammeron Mills is in the garage. We have many more stories to go. We will so many talk more about the wildcast, but I just needed to put a bow on the Antoine Walker affair. We'll talk about the Sweet sixteen high school tournament because Cam got a great.
That's what we said.
We were going to talk sure why we will future Wildcat I like Ti Marino, All of that ahead coming up on the big womside around six thirty w lap.
Any such such statuta anything, do anything only.
Welcome back to the Big Moon Saturday. I number two here in the garage with Cameron Mills. He is here to talk UK basketball and the high schools the Sweet sixteen. Cam and I worked it for the khs A radio network. Believe it or not, we got off on a little tangent.
Little in the first two segments. It took me two segments.
We did touch on on Mark Pope and his team and the first cameraon part of our pregame coverage on the UK radio network. But now that team, you know, is off in the ethernet. It's it's you know, the guys have come and gone.
Which is just sad it is, But because this team. I'll say, it's real quick, so we don't get from another changent to me not knowing what's going to happen in the future, but thinking, I know this team is a not as not as important in the UK lore. But what we had this year, this is this is unforgettables too. Yeah.
Yeah, because from whatever happens now in a good way in the Mark Pope era, they stand on their shoulders. That's exactly an the way that team came together, that's exactly. And I was so moved when Mark Pope was talking on his last Coaches show the year about the fact that these guys went from the media interviews, from the from the table, the big table, which I think you may have gotten to do.
I got to do.
Once, or the locker room or whatever, back to the either the hotel or the doing whatever. They didn't break up until six am. They sat around just talking telling stories until.
Six as fellas just wait for twenty years to go by, and those stories are not going to go away, and you will tell them over and over and over again.
But the fact that they just didn't want they want to leave this season, didn't want to leave each other.
And you know, what Mark said this during one of his coaches shows mid season maybe even no, I think it was right as we started sec play and this wasn't something he said, Well he did say it on air, but he also said it, you know after as he was kind of mingling before he left, because but he definitely on air, which was I mean, he almost got teary eyed mid season just saying, I can't believe we're already here.
Yeah. I don't want to too fast.
I don't. I mean, I don't want this season to end. And it was because it was in context of these guys, because you imagine how much research can you put in. And I'm not talking about film, I'm talking about did I recruit any cancers? Did I recruit any is I recruiting any disruptors? Or any guys on this team not going to get it?
Yea.
And not only were there no bad eggs, I mean these guys that this was eggs Benedict that we got. I mean these guys, these thank you, These guys, I mean they're just good to And here's how I knew they were good dudes my very first day.
And you get to go to practice a lot.
So that's where this is. So I'm at practice, my very first practice, maybe the second time I've seen Mark since he became coach, showed up to practice in the capacity of my JMI job of doing these practice reports that I did all season, which was funny because Mark thought. Mark was like, now listen, I know you have to be unbiased, and I'm like, no, I don't. I said. First of all, I said, Mark, I can't be unbiased with you. I just can't. I mean, I mean, I am going to root for you. I mean I was
reading for you your Utah Valley, you know. And so I show up and he sees me and immediately we're getting ready to have, you know, pre pre practice huddle. Immediately says hey Cam, because I'm sitting on the sidelines, Hey Cam, come here. So he brings me over, puts his arm around me, introduces me to the team, points to the two ninety six ninety eight banners, say guys, this guy is partly responsible for those that one which ninety six and all wasn't but.
Still were there.
I was there.
I was there.
I had a uniform on, but I did not sweat, not even a warm up. So East pointed that one pointed and goes and he's definitely responsible in part again for that one. And so yeah, not any of them. And so I had some some more very kind things to say about me in front of the team, and and then I walked back. They start practice after practice, with the exception of the guys I already knew Derbyshire and Horne walk on. Yeah, Which that's my meeting absolutely
the entire team, every every new player. Oh, when Travis and Trent, I had met Travis and Trent, and but they came over anyway. So they all came over one by one and and introduced themselves to me. I know who these guys are. I followed their recruiting or off the portal or in Trent's cases, you know, recruiting from South Carolina. And I've never I've never experienced that. And this is this is not a slight in any of Cal's teams, because in part they were freshmen, and I did.
I wouldn't have done that as a freshman. I was I was terrified. I mean, why would you, why would you? Whoever you are sitting over here in the middle of practice as a guest. You don't even know my name, And I don't think you want to. And it wasn't like I was I was being rude. It was like I just they don't care about who I am, and so I wouldn't. Never, as a senior, I wouldn't do that. I should have, but I didn't. And these guys came over and entered, I mean again, as as men. I
to eye contact, heads up, hand extended. My name's Andrew Carr. Nice to meet you or no. Actually, what most of them said was it's an honor to meet you. And they emphasized honor because Mark had made such a big deal about those banners, and as already and all year had been Hey, look this is this is not about winning the SEC. This is not about going to sweet sixteen. We're here this year to hang a banner.
Oh listen, I heard and witnessed some of these guys when they found out who Jack Gibbons is and what he.
Accomplished, you know, And so when you're a freshman and you're here only only to put in your year to get to the league, yep, And look, they don't owe us anything. They don't. I'm gonna take former players and I'm actually gonna amend that they actually do. They don't know us anything in the time other than the respect of knowing that in part this building that they're practicing in, sure, the arena that they're going to play.
In, those scoculation of fans, those.
Twenty two thousand idiots, and I say that respectfully, idiots BBN that are going to show up and treat you like gods for this year. That's in part because we've kept it going. Did it started? We kept it joing. Absolutely, that's what they think.
That's what I loved about this team as a media member, but someone who grew up in the state of Kentucky, these it was such a unique situation and that these guys had begun. We all know they had begun their careers. But the exception to the freshmen and at other schools where basketball would be what are you doing tonight? I want to go to the game? You know, all right, let's go for the first half or whatever. Compared to foreign to me that thought exactly compared to what they
dropped into. Well, what I absolutely loved was because they were connoisseurs of the game, of the culture of college basketball, they had such an app and at all fairness, no incoming freshmen could ever have that kind of appreciation except for a kid who grew up in the state of Kentucky. But that's going to be.
Rare, well, you know, or even the occasional Jeff Shepherd, wh grew up in Peachtree City, Georgia, who had the appreciation of Kentucky basketball.
Wa And why was that? Do you remember?
He told? You know what, it's funny.
And Sean Woods, whose grandmother lived here, Shawn had lived here, so that was Sean spent childhood here.
Shep had no connection here at all, and yet but he there is a reason. And he told it recently actually to me, not just to me. He was he was he was preaching at a he was preaching at a church here in Lexington for a men's group. And it's the church that my mom and dad go to. And so my dad, who never does this, my dad called me and said, hey, would you would you go with me? And which was awesome because it was like, I mean, it's like, hey, I want to go here, SHEP,
I want you to go with me here? Shep. It's like okay. So we went and and Shep actually told that story of how he went from because I didn't know this like I just studied grew up in Peach Tree City. He actually grew up in like southeast Georgia, like down near the like on the coast, and I guess somewhere outside of Savannah and so and then they
moved to Peach Tree City. But my understanding of him telling the story was that his love for Kentucky basketball was not when he was in Peachtree City, was when he was in this other town in southern Georgia. And and that was what we're talking about. When he's five years old that time. I don't know what happened. I cannot remember the details his story, but something and there is a story, is there's something happened, and something happened is in like he he may have watched us play on TV.
Or something to get him back on the show and ask him he's not hard.
Well, he is hard to get back on a show, but he's not. He's not hard to get ahold of. He works here, he works here in town, but he does work here.
Well. Just stories like that always fascinated me.
So we were the only reason I do the show is to tell stories.
That's true, and you do it so well, all right, Cameron Mills. He's in the garage. I would disagree with Kentucky basketball. After the break here on six Welcome back to the Big Moon Sider Dick Gabriel. Cameron Mills in the garage talking Kentucky basketball. We've looked back on this last season somewhat. Uh, truth be told, Cameron did not watch the Tennessee game. I know you've seen highlights. I went back and watched it because I watched.
Like a like a fifteen minute you know, on those things where well, we were we.
Were busy working the boys high school tournament, which we'll talk about shortly.
It's hard to watch the last game of any season unless it's the game it is.
Uh. And I almost felt better in that they didn't lose on a last second shot. I know that sounds odd, No it doesn't, but Tennessee, you would It would have been heartbreaking.
It would have more so more so than this was buttend. Yeah, and not to finish you since, but Tennessee went out there improved. Well, here's what Tennessee did. They went out there and took their vengeance.
Yes, what they did they did, uh, And that's that's the thing.
They came out much more focused much more ready to play and with a chip on their shoulder because we had shown them after two games that we were a better team. They didn't believe it. They came out and improved it in that moment that they were the better team.
Somebody em on me and said that they were more ready to play, and that's Mark Pope's fault. Now, I yeah, I don't go with that.
Well, no, it is Mark's Pope's fault in that he beat this team twice this year. That's coach Pub's fault.
Yeah, but there is that emotional edge, which is a great advantage.
And you know, it's funny. I have arguments with people who say, you know, because I talk about billboard material, do not give your opponent billboard.
Material, board material whatever.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right, billboard would be Yeah, it'd be different thing billtimboard material. Don't give him anything to add motivation to what you can do. And I people say, look, if you have to have added motivation to play a college basketball game, I'm like, okay, then you've never played a college game. You probably never played a game in your life because you don't understand how this works psychologically.
Yeah, I agree, you you.
Got I mean, coach p was a master at it. I think he made stuff up sometimes.
You know what they said about you all, you know it was the master Michael Jordan.
See.
And that's the point. Yeah, that's a great point.
If the best player of all time needed add a motivation exactly, why wouldn't the idiots in college need it exactly?
And the best example of that came at the expense of a former Louisville player. I don't know if you ever know this story. The Bradford Smith was playing for the Washington I think they were still the Bullets back then. They and for whatever reason, Michael Jordan had it in his mind. I think he had one good game against Michael Jordan, and Jordan had put it in his own mind that this guy was was smack talking about that game, which he wasn't. So the next time he faced him,
he just made mincemeat out of it. Was talking to him about it throughout the game, and le Bradford Smith was like, what did I do? What did I say?
You know?
There are so many great and and I love watching them because man, they just Kobe was the same way where Bryant, Oh yeah of course, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Cobe Cobe. Oh absolutely, I mean he would he. I mean, the worst thing you could do is open up your mouth to them. Just leave them alone and let the sleep.
And clearly Kentucky this was not a smack talk thing, but it was Tennessee all they heard about going in. Well, Kentucky beat him twice.
Do you remember this would have been under Tubby when we played Duke at Duke and I actually actually wasn't it do?
Yeah?
And this was team turmoil, that's right. And Rashad Caruth Jay Williams up in the first half, yes, and what is he remember Jay Williams number one player of the year that year in college basketball and we were supposed to lose that game and we were killing them. Rashaw Caruth specifically killing Jay Williams in that first half, and I mean about five minutes left in the half. He hast has had his way with Jay. And you can
see it so many times. He's Jawn to Jay and I and I'm I am wincing at home watching the game and I'm like, dude, dude, just stop it. No mean wanted to just stop it. That second half came out and Jay Williams destroyed the team, and I'm like, that is for Shaka's fault.
Yeah, you do not you know what else he did?
You do not open your mouth against careers.
Not only did that during the game, but during warm ups he kept throwing in and I didn't know what was happening because I was there, but I was up in the boonies, up in the rafters, and I could see him warming up, and it was in front of the Duke bench and he kept throwing in three pointers like two or three steps beyond the arc. I uh huh, yeah, And each time he would turn to Skrzyzewski. Should have recruited me, bang see, that should have should have taken me.
You know, that's just that that I just realized. I should have known that it extended through the game. So now let us bring it back.
Well, let me real quick and this will be relevant to this year's teams. Okay, so this back talking before the Tennessee game, was there, well number one, there was? When was it Ziggler? When Ziggler was here right for the because Tennessee played their preliminary game, preliminary games, first round games here. Did you not see the picture of Ziggler flipping off a picture of him. I mean it's like it's like one of his teammates took it of him flipping off the UK logo back in the hallway
at RUP. You didn't see that. Yeah, not only that, but then apparently the UK then this is our fault. The Tennessee players were basically saying that in the first two games, yeah, that we we That wasn't you know that? First of all, that's not and I'm paraphrasing, that's not Kentucky, right, They played out of their minds and we didn't play well, and we're a better team than them. Our response, and I'm not gonna mention which Kentucky which Kentucky players said this,
but it made me cringe. A reporter asked them about those comments, and he said that's cute, and I'm like, oh my.
God, oh dude, yeah, let's just just shut up.
I don't understand this generations, and I hate to be the old man here, but just just here's here's here's how you become a national champion. In part. Every team you play, they can talk all the trash they want. Your response always is, look, they're a great team and we've got to play our best basketball. Tonight.
Yeah, I mean, I I that can't be your on core. I need I need why because you got to meet force with.
Four No, you do not smack for is scoreboard.
That's what I'm saying, I know. I mean by playing your best, your best in and that's all you need and they're coming to you with everything that God, you gotta do the same thing.
Yeah, oh yeah, absolutely.
Now, uh, that might involve a little bit of attitude on the court, Brandon attitude, but that doesn't mean you talk it agreed. Brandon Garrison is up the line every now and then steps over it.
You know.
Well, I think sometimes what he does is Oklahoma game stands out where he just gets so excited, yes, and gets so pumped that, yeah, it kind of spills over sometimes. But I would argue that getting excited, getting pumped is fine, but don't let us spill over.
Going back to your team, your ninety sixteen, which was in my mind, the greatest team in the history of modern dating back to of course.
Yeah absolutely, yeah.
Sorry.
Somebody asked me, like to rank the championships of Kentucky and I put ninety eight dead last, and they thought, really, I'm like, yes, no one outside the team, even the diehard Kentucky fans truly expected us to do anything.
That Anyhow, there was a nasty streak in that ninety sixteen I mean.
But it wasn't a trash talking streak, no.
No, but it was because you all were the Beatles, you know, Walter and all of them. Well, you know, and if you guys had the confidence, you knew how good you were.
But remember, it was the reason we felt we were treated like the Beatles. Wasn't our UK fans because they're showing up no matter what, because they're just amazing. It's when the other team. Look. Caliperry noted this, and the and the media just got tired of hearing of it. I don't care. He's right. It is a super Bowl
when Kentucky shows Sure it is. And it's still yeah, under the Gillespie era, it was still a super Bowl because and as they weren't playing that team, the Fantom Show were not necessarily because oh Mississippi State or Ole miss whoever, or Gardener, No, it's not. They're playing the tradition of Kentucky basketball.
That's right. And as you all said in the dock, and the same thing happened with this Kentucky team just not as much. But no, you guys would show up on somebody else's court and we're gonna beat you, and you said it as well, we're gonna beat you and there's nothing you can do about it. But now this Kentucky team this year wasn't good enough to do that, right, But here's the thing.
You got to aspire to that, yes, and and we did and we were able to and I think in part, look, talking trash comes comes solely from insecurity, solely from insecurity. If you know you're the better team, then just prove you're the better team.
There you go.
I mean, look, we literally had chance in high school. And I wasn't a part of him because I was playing ball, but it was it was basically and this was a student section, but they're their their their disrespectful chant was to have this rhyming thing where it was like, hey you talking about the other fans over there? Hey you over there to forward there it is check it out.
That was it.
That was it. That was all it was, and it was because that's all that matters.
Yeah, I loved Alan Edwards talking about how I was really was talking about ninety eighteen, but I'm sure they did in ninety six where they'd all be standing next to the opponents on the free throw line and someone would look up and say, God, you guys are still pressing no matter what the score.
And uh and and ila, yep, I told you the story where a guy in this my senior year, we had runned in through their offense so many times they could and they yeah, and he's like doubled over, exhausted, and I'm standing up fresh as a dazy, which for me was crazy, but that's all due to Cutch FTEENO coach Smith, And I mean he's just exhausted because we ran them through their defense so many times that they could not get a shot. And he's like, you'll know
our place better than we do. And I'm sitting there like, yeah, we studied him for three days.
Yeah. Well, and again, Pope can get to that.
It's non intentional.
That's right.
You disrespect them by outplaying, That's right.
We'll take it right. Come back and talk more Kentucky basketball with camera Mills here in the garage on six thirty wlap. Welcome back to the garage. Camera Mills is here. He popped on down the street and we're talking Kentucky basketball. Coming up in a few minutes, we'll talk about the boys sweet sixteen and future Wildcat Malachai Moreno. But as we kind of put a bowl on this season, we don't know right now. We know some of the portal traffic and things like that. But Pope's got to uh,
not necessarily rebuild, but just kind of reconfigureous team. I mean, there are a lot of openings on this roster.
Yeah, I was gonna say he's got a not rebuild in the sense of this is a rebuilding year because at Kentucky.
But it's not an empty it's not a blank got to rebuild. It's not a blank slate. He's got that we know of Chandler, Noah Harry coming back. He's got the three freshmen coming in.
Three freshmen with now, I mean a lot of freshmen experience that they that not that they that they shouldn't have gotten, not that they didn't deserve true if that makes sense, but that they were lucky to get because of Lamont's injuries.
Yeah, because of circumstance. And tonight nine pm you can watch Malechi Moreno and the McDonald's all American. Oh yeah, yeah, but we'll double back to him in a moment. What do you think Mark Pope learned this year putting a team together that will serve him next year because he's had to coach and put a roster together at Kentucky.
He never had to do this in Jutah Valley State or bring him up right, Well, I hadn't thought about that, and that being the case, it just just one more We're so freaking lucky to have this guy that he did that in first of all, not only that he did that, that he was able to hit the road, make evaluations, decide who he wanted not just basketball wise, but headspace wise, and banned with wise who's best for my offense? He did that seven days behind every other
coaching division at least. And that's where look, and I never had a problem with Cali Perry anything he did other than greatest night of college basketball or Kentucky history when they got six guys drafted. That that rubbed me wrong.
That was his first what about we don't care about the SEC champion.
I don't care about this SEC champions. I mean, I look, I know fans do, and I want if we're going to go, we better win. But okay, we don't hang banners for SEC championship games, So explain to me how it really matters. So anyway, the the fact that he was able to do that, calib Perry left a week after he say he was gonna stay basically, and now we got to go hire a coach. That takes what a week? Then we got to go that coach has to get here, do his press conference, hire his staff.
That's that has to get to work as a team. Let's evaluate who we want, who's in the portal. Then we gotta go get them, get who we want and then have our secondary options, our tertiary options, and then put together this team and then in one year get them to understand he infigures offense, he and coach Brooks defense and just and then gel them. I mean, this was his learning year, right, and it seems to me
he hates to test. Yes, I mean, so I'm not saying he didn't learn things from last year, because that's that's to me, that's what a Mark Pope would do in his genius is you learn from your past. I mean, I know it's a simple thing to say, but a lot of people, including myself sometimes don't do that. So I think, I think there's a lot and I think, and this is what I love. And I wanted to tweet this the night of the of the Tennessee loss, but I wasn't one hundred percent sure it was happening,
because how would I know. But I wanted to tweet something to the fact of And I did this, you know, to the guys, to the team. They're never gonna read. It doesn't matter, but thank you all for giving us a year that we fairly fairly should never have expected. And uh. And then I wanted to add on there uh something to Mark, which again that would have been for just you know, I could have texted Mark and said this if I wanted to, but but I believed at the time, and I just knew this was true.
The next day after Tennessee loss, maybe even that night he was on the phone with portal. Sure, yeah, didn't take And and to be fair to a lot of college coaches, this is this is look I want. I wanted the portal, but we got to fix the portal because we cannot have h we can't have guys just every year. I mean, it's just there's there's Basically, it's it's what Kentucky fans were frustrated by under Cali Perry. I don't feel like we ever get to know these players.
No one's going to get to know their players. Which is it ultimately well, I guess it would be in partly important college basketball. But you just can't have the free for all because here's the deal, the coaches. The reason I wanted, the reason I wanted the portal to exist is I wanted the players to have the freedom to move the way the coaches do. However, the coaches aren't changing schools every year, correct, So the players need to have one free transfer and then after that, Yes,
now you're sitting out a year. I agree because the curR thing. And I get why chrisa. I get I'm surprised to going back to a team he's already been to, right, But and I get why because he's probably feeling because the first thing we think is, oh, you don't like us. It becomes high it becomes playground stuff you don't you don't like, you didn't like it here? But no, I mean, it's it's all right. Look at coach. Look who coach
is going to go? Get off the portal, Am I gonna and then we got freshman that got playing time this year that we're in his position. Am I going to be the point guard next year?
Right?
He's got to be looking at that and saying, I don't know now. In the old days, that was and it still is a good thing, but we don't see anymore. The old days, you'd have a player that said, Okay, if I want to be the guy next year, I better be in the gym every day this summer. And now you can just say I'll find a team that will now.
Where I will be somebody who likes me, or someone who will.
Play me more, or someone who, yeah, like me more. Is your coach better not like you? He better love you, but he shouldn't like you? Oh wow, Well, I mean you think coach p liked me? No, first of all, I thought he hates I just.
Don't see Mark Polpe coaching that.
Well. Oh no, No, it's not a matter of how you know. It's what I'm saying. It's not a matter of how the coach coaches you. It's a matter of how you feel about how the coach coaches you. So again, I thought, and I told you this off air, a few minutes ago. I truly this is this is not exaggeration, Okay, I truly thought that this Italian from New York was
gonna kill me in my sleep one night. I mean he was so angry at me sometimes in practice, and I had to learn, as we all had to learn that the genius of Rick Patino is that he will scuer you in thirty seconds, undress you in thirty seconds, which is particularly hard when you're in the locker room after a shower and you're already undressed, and then he undresses you more in front of your teammates. And let me look, it is hard to take that. I mean,
you just no choice. Well, there's a choice. You can quit, which I tried to five times my freshman year. But you learned very quickly. The genius of Rick Patino is that he has no doghouse, which means one memory. Oh my gosh, it's so short.
Yeah.
Now, some stuff comes up later, but it's not about you. It's about another player in that sense. But he has no doghouse, and the moment he's done yelling at you, he will forget about it. Yeah, and expects this is the more important part. Expects you to forget about it. Learn the lesson here here the message. Don't worry about how it was said, because how it was said is not intentional. It might be intentional, but it's not personal.
Camera Mills in the garage. When we come back, we will talk about future Wildcat, Malachi Moreno and others as we wrap up this Kentucky basketball season. I mean, it never fully is wrapped up, but it just ended a little too soon for us for our liking. But oh yes, yeah, but there's more to come on the Big Boone Sider six thirty. Welcome back to the garage where we find Camera Mills of the UK network, the ex Wildcat. Well, once a wildcat, always a wildcat. But I'm just wonder
when that's right wandering down the street. So, as promised, we will talk about Malachi Moreno and the yeah scene. I've been to the Sweet sixteen off and off for the last many years. Haven't had a chance to work it in so long. You have been a part of the radio network now two. That's amazing.
I think so too.
I thought this one was particularly good because there was a dearth of blowouts. There were a couple, I'm sure dearth yes, not many. Uh so, not a plethora, correct, there you go another good one.
The opposite of a player, correct, because the three of me goes let's that's true.
But one of the players that that of course we all eyeballed. And you worked the championship game with Greg Stottleman.
I worked like three of his games.
You sure did, crossing, well, you and I did. One of them, that's right. Was was Malchi Moreno, who I believe has improved from last year to this massively. All right, tell me why? Massively?
He's stronger, he's smarter around the basket, still with some things to work on. Which stupid thing?
Smarter? How how do you see that?
Well, one of the things I wanted so so. First of all, he can shoot from the outside.
Oh yeah, free.
And it was just that he hit a three, because really he's only taken three all year, eleven all year only hit Maybe it can be right three for eleven, trust me, okay, all right, you would know. But in sweet sixteen he shows up good and and you I think you had just interview him because I think it's one of the games we called. Maybe it's just early in the first quarter and the ball's rotated he's coming
back trailing, his man hadn't picked him up. His man's way down in the lane where he expected Malachi to be, and and the ball swings. Malachi doesn't have a dude within twenty feet of him, and he's at the top of the key and without hesitating or even thinking about it, catches shoots splash money. I mean, just you know, so he's improved that, so he is stronger, and this, this is what I like. Now, this is one thing that
he still can improve on. But I noticed a big difference in this particular part from last year this year, and that is he's not trying to block every shot. Because if you go up as a as a seven foot one playing playing a bunch of guys that are six foot one at the most six foot five, I think maybe it's a field day in your mind. Especially it's a field day. I can block any show anybody comes in this lane. I got this right. But what he didn't understand, and I make this part of what
he didn't understand last year. What I presumed to understand is that dude, you're seven foot one, you don't have to even block a shot without massively affecting.
To show yourself.
Walk on the court.
That's right. And you know what, that's what happened with Bowling Green and those kids had made a living and did a superb job of getting to the championship game by getting to the rim.
Yes, by straight long, straight line drives, which they used that all the time. And I was sorry and my stupid I say, what do you mean straight long drive? Well it means you go buy your mane, you go right to the basket. Well we called we called that body to body like when you're when you're going against the defender. What most people do before they learned this this lesson is you drive you in order to get
by your man on a one on one move. You wind up because you don't want to draw charge or because it's not just innate, and you you drive, you angle yep, and then try to turn back to the basket. No, no, you go you rub your shoulder directly off their shoulder and they're in jail now and you're done. The game's over.
So that's that's how they got to the championship game.
Oh my gosh, nobody could stop them until now they know in their head, if we get to the lane, we got another problem. We can have our man in jail behind us, but we've got we got somebody else in front of us. And Malachi just I mean he picked his moments like, look, if if he had to block a shot and could block a shot, he not only blocked it, he volleyballed into the backboard.
Kept it alive.
He had I mean, he had seven blocks in the first half of one of the games. I think you wound up with seven for the game because they didn't eat. There's altered twice as many that and not just and and then affected the mentality of the whole game because I every game I called guy, the ball would get in the lane, and and however I got in the lane, whether it was passed, whether it was you know, fumbled and then an offensive got picked it up, or whether
it was passing the lane. And almost every time ninety percent of the time, the guys wouldn't even look at the basket because they knew what was standing behind them. So it was like, all right, well we got the ball in the lane. So here's the difference. So when you've got somebody like Malachi and the ball gets in the lane, the defense doesn't collapse, right, So when the
defense doesn't collapse. Doesn't do you a lot of good to get in the lane unless you're gonna get a shot, and you're not gonna get a good shot because you're afraid it might get pitched three feet out of bounds or three rows out of bounds. And so I think he needs I think he can needs to continue learn about that. You do not have to block every shot. Now, next year it'll be different, but at this level, dude,
just just stand back there. And the other thing is in the same vein, is that a lot of times, even this year, he would go after shots he had no chance of blocking. And the problem with that is is that that puts you in a poor position of rebounding the ball. And Malachi obviously gathered up the line's
share of the rebounds that were available. So there were so many times when I saw him pursue a ball and that puts him out of the lane or out of position when that shot because they knew you were back there, there was a little chance that shot was going in anyway, right, And I know in the game
you don't want to take that chance. I get it, But they're throwing up bad shots because you're standing there, so if you go up and try to block it, well, Now the biggest rebounding factor in this game is not in a position to rebound, and it happened so many times and not only.
Lost to Lion County last year in a semi final.
There's the improvement. I just so, I think that's smarter. Now again, it's still an issue, but I think it's smarter. Here's the best thing about Malachi. And I don't know if this is an improvement because I think this is just who the Merinos are because Michael his brother, Yes, exact same way, excellent player, Yes, oh yeah, he went went to the Sweet sixteen final final game two years in a row and lost. I mean I fill a kinship with him for that reason. Two of the kindest,
nicest young people I think I've ever met. Malachi in particular, was frustrating as a You'll be proud of me as a media member because we could not get him postgame interviews, you know that kind of stuff. Could not get him talking about himself. No, he will not talk about himself. I mean, he's got this thing he kept saying, and I kept I got tired of hearing this. Everybody everybody's got to eat. Yeah, I want to feed everybody.
And that they ran their offense.
Oh yeah, Malachi didn't need the ball in his hands because because what I think, what Malachi knew is number one. I don't think he cared and and his coach even said this, and I truly believe this is true for Malachi. I don't care if I scored zero points, get zero rebounds, zero sists, do nothing. I want my team to win.
And what did he do the moment the game was over. He celebrated on the court briefly with his with his team. Yeah.
I didn't catch this because we were still wrapping up.
Oh you were stilling there this right? Yeah, he ran, I mean sprinted right past me and climbed up and there were stairs, but climbed up and celebrated.
And with the students.
With the students, I posted a photo.
What's funny is is that we saw that happening. I at the time, when I looked up, I didn't see Malachi. Now, I had no doubt Malachi was on his way, because that, of course is something Malachi would do.
But I've never seen that. I've never in the sweet sixteen, I've seen I've seen kids celebrate with people. I've seen you know, I've never seen it seen a kid. I've seen a kid go for his parents. I thought that's what he was doing. No, he was in the middle of the student body.
You're the one that told me, and you know this because of Kate, my daughter, is that that team and the key members of that team, Malachi and Dawson.
Then thank you.
See I forget, forgot what do they what?
What?
What?
What is one of their what is one of their hobbies?
Hobbies? Are activities?
Same thing?
Well, I know that that they help out with my daughter's special children.
That is their thing.
Yeah right, and I'm saying so, but anyway, activity.
My lack of vocabulary at the perfect time fails me sometimes. But you show me that picture of and you said that that that those dudes will go into Kate's special needs class and just hang out with the guys or hang out with the students, And I'm like, come on, man, stop being so perfect. I mean, just top it, because I mean one other thing that I noticed he did I know, we don't, we got plenty of time, is that there's a little guy, little little dude on their team.
I mean I swear to you he is not more than three foot five, skinny, gotta be a freshman, might even be in fifth grade, don't know. He got in one of the blowouts, got his shot made a three, yes, and Maliki about imploded. I mean, just it's gonna make me cry, I know, because he just went nuts. And then after the game, Sorry so stupid, I'm crying about this. But after the game, Malick I ran up this little kid and folded in him half like a sandwich and just held him and was so excited about it.
That was so great.
He's just he's just a sweet dude. Now, all right, he's gonna have to get angry.
He is.
He will, all right, draw those tears. Thanks for coming by. We hope you enjoyed it. Camn'll be back sometime into their future. That's a good night from the garage and election.
M bat Statutapenn doing anything to back out such SAPs them from time to tiptating to the