2025-05-22 - BBI

tornadoes in our state. They're going to be there tonight till eight o'clock and then again tomorrow from eleven am to one pm. All donations will be directed toward tornado relief efforts in southern Kentucky. Rakes, shovels, trash bags, cleaning supplies, paper goods, flashlights and lanners, lanterns, non perishable foods, and if you don't mind, including their pet food, dogs and cats.

They're victims, not quite like humans, but they also need to be looked after in situations like this, So over at Cogerfield, the blue lot that runs alongside Alumni Drive, they will be there till eight o'clock tonight, then again tomorrow from eleven am to one pm, all part of

tornado relief efforts in southern Kentucky. You heard this yesterday afternoon, after we'd already put our show to bed, of course, But Shake Gildess Alexander, the former Wildcat, is not only the NBA scoring champ at thirty two point seven points per game, but he is the league's most valuable player and his team tonight takes on Minnesota in Game two of the Western Conference Finals. The Timberwolves led by Julius Randall, of course, but SGA is having himself a season. He

was great last year. Some thought he should have been the MVP last year, but he wins it this year. Seventy two straight games twenty or more points, fourth longest in NBA history. That kind of streak. Oscar Robertson did it last in nineteen sixty three and sixty four. Wilt Chamberlain had two streaks like that in the early sixties.

Just incredible. And now if they can win a championship Oklahoma City, Shay Gilgess Alexander would join a pretty impressive list of people to lead the league in scoring be named the MVP and win an NBA title. He would be the first guy to do that since Steph Curry did it back during the twenty fourteen fifteen season. And you've got names like Bob Coosey, Bill Russell again, Chamberlain, Willis Reed did it, Jabbar, Larry Bird, Magic, Michael Jordan, Shack,

Tim Duncan, and of course Lebron. Can you imagine six six guard doing this. Most of those guys are bigs. This guy's a skinny six to six guard. It was so much fun to watch at Kentucky. Wasn't he so root for the ok City Thunder? But there's a Wildcat on every team, a former Wildcat in all four of the NBA Final four team, So it's a fun time. It's of course playoff time here in to be watching the NBA. We need to also point out speaking of former Wildcats, and then once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat.

But dan Issel, Louis Dampier and their Kentucky Colonel's teammates on this day fifty years ago, won the nineteen seventy five ABA Championship. They beat the wicked Indiana Pacers one ten, one oh five in Game five in Freedom Hall, man I hated the Pacers. I should because one year the Colonels were favored and the Pacers beat him in Game seven for the ABA title. Indiana was so good. Finally the Colonel's breakthrough under Hubie Brown and win the championship.

Hubie Brown had been an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks team that won the NBA Championship back in the early seventies with a kid named leu Al Sinder, who of course later was traded due to the Lakers and became Kareem Abdul Jabbar. But John Y Brown hired him away, thinking well, this guys had to win a championship, and

he did. And about a year and a half ago, I had a chance to chat with dan Issel about what that meant to him, to be able to along with Louis and Hubie and artist Gilmour win the ABA title.

But they took four teams into the NBA from the ABA, and they had to pay up to be a part of it and sign a terrible deal where they couldn't share in TV revenue for like twenty years or something crazy like that. But the Nets and the Pacers and the Nuggets and the Spurs did it, and now they've won championships. Well, the Pacers haven't won an NBA title yet, but they do have those three ABA titles from the early seventies, but the Colonels have the seventy five title

and we sell rated today. I sent him for Tom Leach on The Leach Report earlier today, and one of his guests, as he is each week generally on Thursday, is Jack Gibbons, Tom's broadcast partner, and I asked him a follow up question to a topic they discussed last week. And I've talked about this on the show a little bit. Otega Oway getting advice, getting some direction from NBA experts, the people who are checking him out and talking to him, trying him out. He's trying to decide does he keep

his name in the draft. And I've mentioned it several times and a lot of people have. Antonio Reeves did this and was told, you know, you're either not going to be drafted or you'll be way late in the second round. So he comes back to college armed with the knowledge of what he needs to do to better

himself for the NBA and it's not mutually exclusive. We learned that, didn't we Antonio Reeves at the best season of his college career his last year at Kentucky, and clearly it helped himself, but it helped the Wildcats enormously. So if Alwa can do that kind of transition, imagine how much better he's going to be this coming season

if he comes back to Kentucky. And I talked to Jack about that, because you know, that kind of information and that kind of interaction with the NBA was not only not available but against the rules back then when

Jack was playing. But just you think about Jack had a brief career in the NBA because he was an undersized forward and didn't develop himself as a guard, And had he known more about what he needed to do and how to do it, he would have spent a lot longer in the NBA, and we talked about that a lot of times.

in a certain system. And I worked really well in our system, but man, I would love to have had these guys kind of tell me, Man, you got to increase your ball handling. But I mean, yeah, you can shoot it if you jump all right for guys six five and playing against guys six eight, you jump all right and all of this stuff. But you know, at your size six four sixty five, you're going to be

a point guard. You got to handle that ball. You got to get out on the floor and learn how to defend these quicker players, which I had to try to do in the NBA. And believe me, when you doing it for a job and everybody's trying to make a living. It's a very difficult place to change your whole style of play. So yeah, I think it's good. Old Wait, Well, hear some stuff that he won't hear from his from his girlfriend, he won't hear from his parents, he won't hear from all those people around him who

are advising him. He'll hear some stuff that he really needs to hear and hopefully that'll help him get better the rest of the summer and going into next season.

going on in North Carolina with Bill Belichick? Well, that's a great question. There's a new lead on that story, it seems every day, including the former coach of the Tar Heels Mack Brown implying that they have relaxed academic standards at North Carolina the Harvard of the South for Bill Belichick. We'll talk about that coming up at the bottom of the hour. Aaron Gershan of the Cat's Balls.

Later on EKU coach Walt Wells and podcaster Vinnie Hardy here on six point thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big blone Cider coming up in a few minutes, Aaron Gershan of the Cats Balls. I mentioned North Carolina going into the break. Mack Brown appeared on Sirius XM radio on a podcast or radio show actually with Dusty devorceek and Danny Canell and talked about why North Carolina has a chance to be successful quickly with Bill Belichick despite

all the stuff that's going on with the girlfriend. And one of the things that Brown brought up, I'll play the comment for you in just a minute academic, and he basically said they seem to have lowered the academic standards to help Belichick and reminded me instantly of two things.

Number One, Notre Dame did this back in the eighties, and it was when Lou Holtz was there, and it clearly helped Holtz with his recruiting, and then conversely, they had a new chancellor come in, I think, and raised the academic standards at Notre Dame back to where they had been over Holtz's strenuous objections, and that's when he left. He won a national title and almost won another one at Notre Dame when they had lowered those academic standards, but Ray re raised them or put him back, and

that was it for Holtz. He took off, and as you know, he lan landed at the South Carolina at one point. The other thing it reminded me of was the academic scandal at North Carolina a few years ago, when it was discovered that students all over campus, not just athletes, were basically enrolling in bogus courses where they hardly had to do anything in order to make good grades and helped their GPA. Obviously, there were athletes involved,

and people immediately assumed that these were classes created four athletes. No, there were more non athletes in these classes than athletes. But it was a real scandal. And this is a school that is clear, as I said before the break, considered itself in an IVY League type of school, even though it is a state institution, and look, it's a school with a lot of money, and it is a

great institution academically. But they prostituted themselves, the powers that be at North Carolina, to get out from under that scandal, at least with regards to the NCAA, by admitting or basically saying, these classes or this class in particular, was part of our regular curriculum. That's how they get out from under serious NCAA penalties. Because if they hadn't said that, then a lot of these athletes were going to be declared ineligible. Championship banners we're going to be taken down

and things like that. But in order to avoid that for their athletic department, the academic side of campus had to admit or forced itself to admit that, yeah, these are bogus classes. This is part of what we are. It's not exactly the Harvard of the South. As I said, Now, if Belichick is going to benefit from academic standards that are lowered, well they're just going to shrug that off obviously, and I have to assume it's true. But keep in mind, now a lot of schools do that. There are ways

to do this legally. In fact, this happens in the UK, believe it or not. And I say that without sincerity. There is a process, and it's not about athletics. Let me be clear about that. I've had it explained to me. If you don't have the proper board scores essentially to get into the UK and a lot of other schools, you can appeal. There is an appeals process. But within that process, athletics are not a factor. It's not like, hey, we need to let this person in because he's a

great football player, she's a great basketball player. It's a case by case deal and a lot of kids are allowed in when ordinarily they might not be, and a lot of them prosper. Some of them don't. But you know what, a lot of the kids you get in normally don't prosper either, So again, case by case. But I just find it interesting that Mac Brown freely spoke about this on Serious XM.

with money. We were trying to get kids over at three point zero because that's who we could get. We signed twenty six players at North Carolina are next to last year high school players, and didn't pay them a penny, so those kids I felt guilty. We even had Omaria and Hampton and he got offered a million plus to leave and he stayed for three hundred thousand. I told him should leave because it was just crazy as you

were looking at those things. As far as North Carolina and Bill Belichick, now he's arguably the best coach ever. They've committed money to it, they've helped them with academics, they've lowered those standards some so there's absolutely no reason that they shouldn't be successful. And anymore. They've changed the roster. I think they've signed maybe sixty something new transfers, so you've got chances to succeed at the highest level, and I expect them to do that, and I'm proud for him.

He had assembled one of the greatest collections of valuable guitars in the world, guitars owned by David Gilmour, Bob Dylan, Kurt Cobain. And at one point he turned down one billion dollars that's billion with a B for his offer. This was back in July of twenty twenty three. It was of course somebody in Dubai who offered to buy it and then it would have been moved to Dubai, but Hearsay turned him down. Can you imagine, because he wanted to exhibit the instruments to the public here in

the US and he didn't need the money. He's a rich guy owned the Colts. He was the owner when they took Peyton Manning got him a Super Bowl win. But yeah, Jim Ayersay, I didn't know this. I knew he had a band, but I didn't know he had that kind of collection of valuable guitars. But apparently guitar aficionado's all over the world they knew about Jim Hearsay. No telling. Now what's going to happen to the collection. Aaron Gershan of the cash Balls is coming up next

right here on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big Blue Sider. Joining us now as he does each week, is Aaron Gershan of the Cats Pause part of the two four seven network, and Aaron, earlier today you were talking a lot of football. Let's talk a little basketball first, Mark Pope, and he had kind of led on in his news conference last week. He wasn't quite done with his roster, and sure enough he lands Brandon Hawthorne. You've written about him. What should we know?

year at Arkansas. And we'll see if it's the NBA or Arkansas for him next year. So that's what I kind of think of because Hawthorne's a kid that was a three star prospect outside of the top one hundred and fifty in two four, sevens or eight kings back in December and November when he had initially signed with West Virginia, and as his body started filling out a little more, as he started to play even better on the court, you know, he shot up to now where

he's the thirty third best player in the country. Now is that, Yeah, he's the thirty third best player in the country. But I don't think that's going to equate itself on the court this year. I think I don't think you're going to see him play all too much. I think there's going to be you know, a lot of work in that weight room, a lot of work in the practice gym. He's going to be a big part of the practice a big part of scout team

in practices for Kentucky. But I don't expect to see him all that much unless injuries pile up or you know, Kentucky has a big lead or a big deficit and they're kind of just rolling at the bench a little bit, pretty similar to what a dude's role was here his freshman year. You know, Kentucky did have the injuries at the point guard positions and that forced him to play a little bit that season. But you know, the plan in that year was not for a dude to play much,

and he didn't. I think they'll play even less than that if everything goes right at Kentucky. But he's a guy you can definitely get excited about his future. I mean, he's six foot nine, may not be done growing quite yet. He's been a guard most of his high school career because he was six to five a year and a half ago. So he's a guy who can play multiple positions. He's a seven foot three wings fan like similar I think a do also had a seven to three wings.

Spanner has one. So that's the guy I kind of compare him to. Will he be as good? I don't know. Is it going to be a thing where he is not too happy about sitting on the bench all the year and he transfers out. Possibly it's it's college basketball and in twenty twenty five, But he's a guy who can at least get excited about his future and his ceiling. I'm just not quite sure if at all he's going to have that much of an impact on the court

this year. But I think you're going to see that growth and body transformation every time you look at him, and that's what makes me really excited about his future. And to just add the thirty third best player in the country, yeah as your fourteenth man, like, sign you up. Anyone should be signing up for that any day.

this roster is. So yeah, he's definitely got work to do in that gym, and he's not quite ready yet. But you know, he also he comes from this Huntington Press, he comes from this program. He's from Beckley, West Virginia, but played his last year. I think just as last year.

It could be two years at Huntington Prep and at the school that's developed Andrew Wiggins, Keldon Johnson obviously former Cat Darren Peterson the number one player in this twenty five class, setting the campus, played there for a year before transferring to a different prep school like Thomas Bryant a center for the Pacers now, but to Indiana. Miles Bridge is not.

he's trying to do that. Of course you can't really do that, but you do wonder about will this young man and time will tell if he has the patience it takes now to do what he wants to do.

high school all time leading scorer in the state. You know, he went one and done here because the playing he didn't see the pass two enough playing time and he played his minute last year and getting four or five starts is probably more than what Hawthorne is going to play this coming year. Yet Perry had enough and went, you know, to another SEC school. And so you can't ever rule that out, especially when you look at how

Kentucky's roster's built. Not only would the death on this year's roster, but go look at who's go look at next year Kentucky and again guys are going to portal. There might be draft decisions, but the only two guys for sure who are off the after this year will be Denzel Aberdeen who's entering his senior year. And then if Otega's oway is back, he's entering his senior year.

As long as the health stuff is say okay, we'll be the lottery pick he's expected to be since he you know, he was just simply ineligible for the draft this year or his age. So that's another spot. You know, obviously guys could portal out. You know, maybe Brendan Garrison establishes himself as a pro. He wasn't McDonald's all American. It's in there, so you know there's going to be

other roster movement for sure. But I mean he tases not only a monster to get over as far as Duth goes this year, but just on paper for next year. So we'll see, you know what his attitude is about it. But you know he clearly you got to give him credit for accepting the challenge this year because you go look at his FI finalists. If you picked he obviously picked Kentucky, so you know, he picked the school at

where he wasn't gonna play much. But he also could have picked Duke or it would have been the same story. But then you know, West Virginia has a new coach and they're still needing some bodies there. Virginia Tech has been really bad the last couple of years. They definitely would have played a top thirty five prospect right away and then coming down year with the coach on the

hot seat. So you know, those three schools he demply could have played right away, but he opted to develop and have the Kentucky grand attactually his name, So you got to give him credit for at least going in knowing what's ahead of them.

it's probably. That but you, know still again finally be enough to play this year unless they're.

always something else you got to. Do.

Ball so it's really getting a feel of What bush hand and remember this Is handen's first time kind of helping hand pick. Players last, year he got here After, kentucky the most of their portal work was already. DONE i, ACTUALLY i don't even know if they added another offensive player in the portal after spring ball last, year or

at least not off the top of my. HEAD i THINK i know they had A Dj, waller but that was a. Corner so really the first time For bush to hand pick some guys and really get guys he feels are good fits for his. Offense so shouldn't get a feel of that for, sure and you can read about it there and then just kind of get his perspective on some of these new guys that maybe they don't like talking. To are like talking about after a spring practice to get on those video reels for the

players to eat. Up so you, know that was the focus For, bush and then same With. Brad when you look at their unit defensive, line it's, just, look we've been used To Dean, WALKER kV soxson, Nine Trayvon ripko for years and all those guys are now. Gone you, know you do bring Back Khalil saunders And Josiah, hayes but otherwise it's the whole new room there so getting

the feel for what he kind of expects. There it's different in terms of you, know you look at THEIR d line on, paper it's a lot smaller than it was last, year but a lot, quicker a lot you, know maybe makes you, more it just gives You i'm losing track of the Words i'm coming, for but, versatile that's What i'm looking. FOR i think you could be more versatile with mixing guys in and out and how you, attack you, know how you get to the, quarterback how

you get in the. Backfield it's going to be you could do it in a vrid of ways where you kind of knew you were kind of just relying on pure strength and size with the last couple of Groups sea line, Lives so you, know digging into that a, bit you, know talking about the outside linebacker and inside linebacker, rooms like the depth is. Thin just trying to get the trust level on the guys who are going to be playing a lot there and then you know the secondary that bring a lot, back so you, know good

to have continuity. There and there are a lot of

guys you know on this. Roster you, Know Willie rodriguez on offense is the one everyone talks, about but you go look at some of the freshmen who played well last year now as, possible there's a lot of them were on special, teams but they're gonna be key defensive players this, year Like Cam dooley And, Inquise she's got so h you, know trying to get a feel of a lot of newness because, honestly not only the not only do the fans need, It FRANKLY i need it

because there's just so much new about this.

or issues they had in the receiver's. Room you, know to, me it's not exactly a do over For bush Ham. Dan But i'm wondering will we get a more accurate picture of what his offense would look like, here you know WHAT i.

not even on anyone's. Radar same With Jamury macklin adding him to the, mix and obviously he does have history with Bush, handen but still that was the guy that was already. Here the running backs were all you, know in place that were in. Place we're all already, Here so he had no say on that roster offensively last. Year then you mix in the issues they had on the offensive line that he, inherited and and all the injuries that no one can prepare. For so it was

just a really sticky situation for him last. Year you, KNOW i think people can, say, oh you could say the same About Rich, skangarillo but that was there was some real play calling issues there were last, Year i'm Not i'm not sure it was really down to play. CALLING i think it was just a lack Of jimmy's And. Joe's so now this year where you add all these transfers that you had a big role in helping bring

here and, say, yeah they fit in my. System And i'm sure you know and you'll read why he Thinks Zach calsata was the right guy for him like, that that's a that's on bush hand and. Shoulders now Now i'm judging. Him now it now comes down, To, okay if this offense doesn't, improve not as only on, scoops of, course it's on it's on bush hand a bit, too and it'll be on the players. Also but hopefully it doesn't come to. That hopefully it just kind of works

out and there's a study. Improvement but you, know you go look at What hamden did At Boise, state and they had the number six rushing off in the. COUNTRY i know they had ash And GenZ and the quarterback from ark who's now At Arkansas, green but still you don't do that without some help from your offense. Coordinator he had a really good he had a thousand yard

rushier and every. Year he'd been the coordinator up until last, year and then what he did at the end of the year At missouri when he took over play calling With Brady. Cook AND i talked To Brady cook AT sec media days last summer and he kind of credited hand and for being the guy that turned his college career.

and be much better than they were a year. Ago so, yeah definitely still plenty of question. Marks there's more questions and answers on this team as a. Whole that's why you know they're probably when we go down or when THE sec votes on the, ballots AND i Guess july In, Atlanta i'm Expecting kentucky to be fifteenth or sixteenth on those just because there's so much.

or three. Years alabama, obviously Between saban retiring and even before he, retired they started to look more, human, like, uh those programs always going to be, there but like the chance to have a year Like South carolina had last, year What missouri has done the last two, years like that's there For kentucky. Still they just gotta find the right.

Players they got to coach. Better, honestly it sounds it sounds, elementary but it's, true like they just need to do the little things better and get what they need and they have a chance to be like A Missouri South carolina and be in the mix every year in THE. Sec, well AND i think that's what they were.

Out but there's a lot that can happen between now and. Then Aaron groshan will keep an eye on. It thank, you. Sir we're talking next.

offense our special. Teams AND i thought we had a really good spring. Practice SO i was really after watching the, film sitting down and evaluating the. Players we just got out of school this past, week SO i just got grades, Today so we're sitting there going through all, that which looks like it's been quite honestly like it's gonna be the highest semester.

some inexperience and we've got to continue to do. That we added some pieces into portal here the last two or three weeks and now we're getting ready For tuesday After Memorial day to get them all back and get them going in summer school and working out and training and getting ready for this.

know just don't have a great football team over. There uh, then but we do get A scs team coming Into Bailey zaffi's old, Team Houston christians before he went To, Western so, uh you, know we get them coming in before we head over To, marshall and so you, KNOW i think we can you, know survive some things and get. Going and then the four game we go straight into conference play down At West, georgia who's probably the most

improved team in the. Conference and so we're gonna find out real quick where we are those week two and. Four and AND i like our football. TEAM i, like LIKE i, SAID i like where we're at right, now knock on wood and not a lot of major, injuries so we should be. Okay uh coming, Back we've just got to see how these young people developed and we get you, KNOW i just met with our coaching staff.

YESTERDAY i gave them. Off they're off for the next four or five, days and, UH i just met With the last THING i said was the, guys we have to do a great job developing this summer and how we can develop. Them and you know that we've got to have great plans and because they are, young and we got to understand that they are young and be patient with. Them but we also got to they gotta go be ready to.

like this. Year this coming. Year you opened up early in the year With West georgia a conference, game and you were impressive in that, win which tells, me coach that your guys were able to refocus within a span of a few, days which MEANT i felt like you had pretty good leadership on that ball club to be able to put those losses behind you and jump right into conference play with a good, win you, know and if you, can if you can duplicate that this, year that's a great that's a great.

have to fight. Through and you, know we try to tell, them like, listen we want to win those games more than, anything like and we don't play any game on our schedule to. Lose but that doesn't affect our, goals which are to be undefeated At Roy Kids, stadium win THE Uac conference and and then go to playoffs and win a national. Championship that has no effect on that. Whatsoever, right there's so the only if we, win it has a positive, effect but if we, lose it has no

effect on. It so don't you, KNOW i get, it it's important all, that but it's a long. Season you have to fight through all. THAT i, mean it's hard to go undefeated in the season wherever you're AT, sec you, Know big, ten, anywhere it's hard TO i, mean look At Ohio, state they went it last year they lost To. Michigan everybody thought it was, devastating, right and they put it. Behind you have to snap and clear and go to the next one because and that's what life, is to

be honest with. You but but we have, to you, know understand that and have a. Maturity AND i think you're.

Right the leadership on our football team last, year the seniors that we, had especially out of those twenty, four there was sixteen of them that had been, here you, know four or five, years and that makes a difference because they, are you, know guys that have been through the whole, program the whole, system the whole time we were, here AND i think that made a difference and gave them a sense of pride and they played with that, pride you, know from The Tarleton state game all.

eku team coming? UP i know it's just the, spring but when you look at the experienced guys coming, Back Jeremiah, bailey Gave Fletcher, Veto, Tisday Jeheim, ward those are some special players on. Defense there's no.

a lot of guys that had played last. Year AND i thought we made a great improvement in our defense last. Year you, KNOW i Thought Jake, johnson our defensive, coordinator did a great, job AND i just think we had the opportunity to build on that and become a better. Defense, YES i like where our defense. IS i like our Secondary, uh you, know you got veto back, there Jaheem ward

is a really good. Player we picked up a young man THAT i think is gonna be a group player for us in the portal From Cumberland university Named Derek. Taylor you, KNOW i think as we, Continued Caden smith from Uh Taylor county has really come on as a freshman.

Linebacker and he played a little bit last, year probably GOT i don't, know a couple of hundred snaps and now he's you, know he looks looks to be a. Guy you, know he's got to go through camp and win that job out, Right BUT i mean he's learning how to play the. Position Braden sullivan and the list goes. ON i think we've got enough talent on that side of the ball and experience that we. Should you, know

that's that's who's gonna have to carry us early. On they're gonna have to do, that and you, know and it's no easy task first, game you. KNOW i, mean you, Know, jeff he's gonna have all these big deep shots drawn up and then crossing the route deep crossers and play action. Pasts he's gonna have all the trick. Plays you, Know it's LIKE i told him, YESTERDAY i, said if y'all Think jef's gonna take it easy on, us y'all. Crazy he's just trying to score one hundred and fifty on.

Us and AND i, said so we we, better you, know make sure we know what we're doing and ready to.

and that's okay as part of. IT i mean both of both our tackles went to THE, cfl and our center is is uh got HIS nba and is working For Eceland. Hole, now, yeah, Yeah john will be very very. SUCCESSFUL i promise you.

go on to THE nfl and THE. Cfl and that's been, happening as you well know coach for decades under way back under Coach kid and there have been a lot of colonels who have gone on to successful pro careers and now in this day and, age AND i gotta, HELL i gotta think this is such a plus for you guys at THE fcs level to show, kids, look you know you can play at this. Level the pros are going to see. You they're gonna find. You with, technology with the, internet everything's ON tv, now you know

you're gonna get your. SHOT i got to, think is that even an issue anymore to try to convince.

know All conference. Player he's In virginia, now Freshman All, americans true freshman that we started at guard after The western game and maybe Freshman All american is gone off to, produce and so you, know you just you, know those are the things you can't. Control and you, know everybody asked, me how do you handle? That, well you just you do everything you can to keep. Them you hope that they want to, stay and if they, don't then you wish them good. Luck can you better have somebody else

to replace? Them and that that's the hardest part, now is maintaining those like our Safety Mike Smith i'm sure everybody in the country came after him last, year but he stayed because he KNEW i have one year. LEFT i can't risk. It i've been noticed. HERE i mean we've had you, know the last three, years we've had all thirty two teams at one of our fall, practices our training camp, practices we've had we've had them here at all thirty two teams here at least three times

in the. Fall and because they know what you, know what's coming out of here now, again and they know what's come out of here in the past with Coach kid And Coach hood and all, them and so you, know they just keep coming and looking, in you, know quite, FRANKLY i mean geographics help. Us we're thirty miles south OF uk who always has, guys and so they're, LIKE i better not better not you, know know about the guys At eastern BECAUSE i know they've got some players down,

there and we'll have some this. Year But Mike staateen did That Peyton collins had opportunities to. Leave was shocked he didn't get picked up in THE, nfl but he had multiple opportunities in THE ufl and THE, cfl and so he chose THE cfl and he's up THE SUCs one right, now along With Vincent monland who's At. Montreal and then we Got Willie taylor who played FOR us three years, ago who's you, know won A ufl, championship so you, know and then we've got other guys on

The titans And jaguars and here we. Go but but it's it's you, know it's a credit to our football, coaches you, know our assistant coaches recruiting and getting out and developing that, talent finding the, talent developing the. Talent but it's also a credit to those young men that stayed and believes in what we're, doing you. Know and the big thing that they can't see is the benefits of staying somewhere and having the success they had and then being able to come back and come back and come.

Back not that those other guys can't come back, either but you, know when you stick around and finish, something there's a sense of accomplishment and those are the things that we're, losing uh in this portal. Era and you, know it is what it, is AND i know it's not you, know everybody wants to talk about tampering and there is coaches At. TAMPA i know, that but really it's these. Agents like we lost we lost our guys due to. Agents, yeah and neither one of our those

two guys had met their. Agents what's it's just A dm and, hey, YEAH i can get. You this amount of money is if you go into portal nuts and you, know if a kid didn't have great, means, yeah you, know what's he gonna? Say you, know, yeah people in our town that support it and help us with our N il colective and things like. That but we don't have it like you, Know kentucky has, it or we don't have it Like pursue Or virginia or. Wherever we don't have the record that they're going to. Have, YEAH i,

mean it's just where it's. At and so you, know that's, what in my, opinion the problem with, it because for every one of those two guys that want To virginia or, produce there's another fifteen guys that don't go. Anywhere, yeah and he's aged to preach out to.

Is you're not happy every day of your, life you know WHAT i. Mean so what are you gonna? Do are you gonna? Quit or you gonna fight through? It you, know you better make sure you're in a place that you feel like you can fight through, it and you're fighting through it for the right cause and for the right, things and you know some of the and then they get these guys call and, say, HEY i can jump this in your lap one hundred thousand. Dollars, well who

isn't gonna try to take advantage of? That and then when they, don't they'll blame it. Up they'll blame they'll tell them the truth and, say, oh you're just not that Good i'm. Sorry, Yeah and what's The what's these eighteen to twenty two year olds are finding out is not everybody in.

FOR i, mean if you're in A DIVISION i, school let's just say you're At. Kentucky you've got all the, food you've, got all, this you've got all, That you've got your, money you got, this you're getting your ref, share you're getting all these. Things, right whether you're the best player or the worst, player you're getting all those. Things and you jump into portals to find something better and it's not. Better, Right how are you who's going to help you deal with? THAT i, mean because you're

still young. NOW i hope your, PARENTS i hope a, COACH i hope somebody. Does but what if they. Don't what if those you, know we know there's plenty of kids that don't have that. Available what's going to start happening to those?

killing it's killing coaches because you don't ever. Stop you, know maybe it used to be a time you could go out and you, work you, know you do your day's work and then you take off and hit the golf course and or you, know go see your kids play baseball or whatever it. Is and now it's you, know official. Visits, yep da da. Da now you got to have aficial visits for high school kids because you got to get, them like, now earlier than Than. December

now it's got to be In. May and you, know it's just when does it.

Aaron gershawn And Jalen, witlow the FORMER uk. Quarterback, vinnie how's your spring?

and you, Know AARON i talked about this last. Night he thought it was kind of complete maybe After aberdeen and you, know we thought they were. Done and to get a kid with this much upside and seemilarly the right mindset of you, know you saw the, quote IF i can come in and, play, Fine if, Not I'll i'll work and you, know contribute next. Year if he comes in with that, mindset you've got that ability as the fifteenth man on your. Bench, YEAH i, mean you gotta love.

this right after a rich and. Lost their college career is, over and this is what they're saying about the opportunity that they had At. Kentucky it's just. Unbelievable it was, priceless, absolutely and it's not. Fake you, know they're not forced or being pushed to say, it and you, know let, me let me get this queue and say WHAT i need to say right. Now, no they just went into that on their, own.

the old days because football has been a little. Wobbi we'll talk about football here in a, minute but there's so much energy now about basketball coming off this past, season plus the brand new, roster and it's it's kind of old, school isn't.

to win those. Five but if if they went to me, realistically if they went four and one or five and zero in those, five where you knew they were going to be. Good the rest of the year based on how they did in those five, games and that's it's kind of back to that for me as far as the excitement looking forward to, it the. Expectations matter of, fact you, Know indiana's coming back on the. SCHEDULE i about.

Basketball that's really. Weird and they've been through several coaches and it just hasn't reignited.

a little bit of? Football this is a big question mark season coming up and a lot of people think it's going to be pivotal For Mark stoops in terms of his stay At. Kentucky do you think it's going to be that? DRAMATIC i think it could.

they're talking positive About. Kentucky, oh as far as this year for, me it's kind of it's kind of like you, know you you you have a, diagnosis you get some, tests rent and you're waiting to see what the results, are and that that. Nervousness, OH i hope it's good, news but you know it could be bad news health. Wise it's kind of Where i'm, at a very small portion of me thinks where they could prove everybody wrong and you, know get the bad taste out of their

mouth and win seven eight. Games and then there's part of me that, Thinks, god this is it's been trending them the wrong way for a.

Future you, know it's just it's harder and harder on The kentuckys of the, world you, know those Those South carolina And, missouri those teams sort of in the middle of the, pack you know What i'm saying.

was what forty three when that. Happened so, yeah that's you, know that's a that's a good bit of time between ten wins.

Awry so trying to get back to the way they were for those that are, there and then acclimating all the new guys into, hey this is the way it has to. Be it's a lot that's going to have to go on and you, know go smoothly for it to translate into the.

and give them a chance to build depth at. Quarterback but he gets hurt and now the next, thing you, know it's it's juco transfers and and, uh you, know try portal transfer stuff like, that and they haven't been able to break that. Cycle you, know do you think that's a real? Problem BUT i mean it does happen across the, country doesn't.

there's a correlation. THERE i do, Believe, gabe and we we haven't seen continuity from. Either that's, True.

taste the whole team four and. Eight nobody likes, that but as an old, line specifically when The South carolina game happened and exposed them and we saw what we saw the rest of the, year no doubt they want to prove that that's not who they.

him On twitter At Vinnie. Hardy thank, you, sir good talking to.