It's time for coffee and Company fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day. Now here's Nick coffee.
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Hour number two here on a Monday afternoon Coffee and Company fueled by Thornton's here on Sports Talk seven ninety. Sign up if you haven't yet to become a member of the Refreshing Awards program at Thornton. She'll save money at the gas pump and you can take advantage of the frequency, which means you purchase certain items that are a part of the club, and every so often it's free.
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app and you'll be happy that you did. All right, If you want to join us on the show, five OO two five seventy nine hundred is the number if you want to giveus the call. Phone lines are now open if you want to react to you know, I mean, you can really take the show, not in any direction that you want. But I would assume that those that would be calling in would want to talk about what happened on Saturday level fans, obviously, I think trying to.
I think a lot of Louisville fans kind of know how they feel about this team and this season and what happens Saturday and even what happened against Duke and whatnot. But what I think is that you're either comfortable completely and you are fine with saying, you know, not a moral victory guy, but man, if this team could compete with Kentucky or Duke, then they're going to be really good.
And I think some people feel that way, but they feel uncomfortable talking about it, or like expressing that, or maybe they just feel uncomfortable internally because they're thinking, wait a second, why am I not angry? We lost by you know, eleven to Duke, and we lost by nearly double digits to Kentucky, and it's just, you know, I get it. So again, if you want to call in, you can five oh two five seven one seventy nine.
And we did have a text on the Ellen and Federal Credit Union text line at five O two six five three zero seven ninety that I've.
Heard this before and I get it.
But this person says, Nick, this is how programs like Louisville turn into De Paul. We end up finding satisfaction which is not being embarrassing, and we no longer even believe to have the same ceiling and heights that we once had. Sad well put and I think, well, one I disagree, I think you have. I mean, like De Paul didn't just wake up and become DePaul from one bad higher. I mean, and really De Paul was never Louisville.
I mean, for being honest, I know they had a great run, you know, long long ago, and I just you know, maybe I'm way off. And in fifteen years I'll feel like an even bigger dumb ass than I do today. But I just don't see a scenario where Louisville basketball whatever fall the way some of those programs have. I mean, we did it for two years, made a change, and you know, I think Pat Kelsey's gonna do well here. Now will he get you to final fours? You know,
nobody knows you can. You can choose to hope, you know, you can choose to believe that he will or believe that he won't. But the fact is only time will tell. But when you say you know, this is how you you know, this is how you you know your standard? Like I mean again, I go back to what I said earlier. What do you think can be done right now that could give you like a better game than what you saw on Saturday against Kentucky at Rupp Arena at their I mean, like.
You nobody can.
I don't think nobody should be happy, And like you know, and if you are happy, cool, and I want to I don't want to disrupt your happiness. But like I get it, there's no way losing ever feels like normal for Louisville basketball fans. But I just think context always matters, and and I just if I felt like I I mean, in fact, I try to be you know, try to be super genuine and tell you what I truly think and feel, and and understand that at times it may
be a consensus thing. And I understand at times people half you know, maybe half agree, and I realize sometimes I'm in the minority.
But I just can't. I can't.
I can't take the feeling that I get from this team losing games and then manufacture some kind of energy towards any player or any coach, because like I know that they're like, this is not ideal, and yeah, you know,
you can call it an excuse. I guess it is, but excuses are also just explanations, like you don't have to be happy about it, but like it does tell more like there's way, there's there's a lot more to this to this team's record being what it is than, like, you know, than than just the fact that they're losing games.
So anyways, when it comes to.
Just the stat line here, because I I felt like throughout that I watched a team play, you know, play a pretty good game, Like I felt like, you know, hey, the chuck he's playing really well, Terrence Severers is playing really well. Noah Waterman had some crucial mistakes here and there. Rain Smith you know, didn't shoot it as well from three as you know he can, but he also got a couple of timely buckets, did make a couple of threes. Javon Hadley was aggressive and you know, had to take
more shots than he's probably used to. But you know he gave you ten and six and was was was battling in there. So the more I look at the number, the more I kind of found myself thinking, yeah, like recreating that is going to be really hard, but you probably wouldn't have to recreate it to that level to beat a lot of teams. This was Kentucky at rup and I said it before the game. They're really good. They're good in a different way than Kentucky has usually been good.
Right.
Cali Perry did it to where you know they're out there just they could. Kentucky had talent at times to where they could just give you a C plus effort, but they had some dudes that a lot of teams don't have, including Louisville. I think Lowell lost some games where that wasn't the case and that made it even worse. But like, this Kentucky team is not is not gonna beat you because they just have some dudes that you simply can't, Like, you just can't match up with. I mean,
Butler looked like that on Saturday. But that's the best game of his career. And he'll never play a better game than that, not only because you know, he's not a thirty three point per game kind of guy, but like his numbers are insane. I mean, what a weird
ass stat line. Thirty three points, six assists, three rebounds in thirty two minutes, made every field goal, he took ten of ten overall, six of six from three, yet he was seven of twelve from the free throw on he left five points on the table at the free throw line that he you know, could have had thirty eight and he didn't miss a shot. Like credit to that guy. He's good, But like, you know, he's not
doing that every night. And you know, Kentucky, if they didn't, like let's just say they get eighteen from him, which of course would have been well above his average, that might not have been enough to beat Louisville. So you know, I wish they would have defended him a little bit better. But you know, like I think this Kentucky team will will still end up being you know, despite how tough the SEC is. I think they're gonna end up having a lot of wins and probably get a really really
good seed. So, you know, to know that Louisville was battling with him again doesn't mean you want doesn't mean you should be happy. But I just think context is always really really valuable. I mean, again, you can do with that what you will. But anybody reacting in a major way, really one side or the other because of you know, anybody you know reacting to these to the overall results as far as wins and losses, and not considering the injury situation.
I mean, that's just me. Do what you do. But like that's a huge part of it.
Now again, maybe if Pat Kelsey had a fully healthy team, this team would still have the record that they have. We'll never know, and we can, you know, lose our minds trying to, you know, guess what would have what would happen if they'd be healthy. But I'm also not gonna just say, Okay, well, hey it doesn't matter. Every loss is the same, no context because that's just not you know, that's just not how it works.
Now. If Pat Kelsey has three years here and.
They're all underwhelming and there's there's a big circumstance that that that led to them, you know, losing and not being as good, and it wasn't anything he really could control. You know, at the end of day, I don't think it's gonna matter now, He'll never fall far enough to where mean again, I still think this team has the ability to make the NAA Tournament. My biggest worry now and again I'm not saying that I guarantee you that.
But for those just now joining us, I am choosing to view the Duke game and the Kentucky game as growth, right, like there's something there. I'm not telling you to celebrate it. It still counts as a loss, and one of them was by eleven points, which who knows if that's even going to be viewed as a quality loss because it was.
On your home floor.
But you know, I'm hoping that you get through the tough, tough games here with Carolina coming up at the end of the year, and who else do you have? You got Carolina in Florida State, Like this is a by the way, this Saturday will be actually a really really good case study because they're going to play a Florida
State team that's not very good. They're eight and three, no wins to speak of, and you know, to be fair, I guess their losses aren't bad, but you know that's a team that, again, if you can beat West Virginia and Indiana, even if you have even though you had prior and you can compete with Duke and lead that game for thirty minutes plus, and you can give Kentucky the game you gave them on their home floor, then.
You should go beat Florida State.
So if they don't, then maybe I'll have the realization then they're like, all right, you know, I doubt it's gonna if they don't win that game. I don't think it's gonna because they didn't play hard. I don't think it's going to because you know, Pat Kelsey coached a terrible game. I just think it's going to be like, you know, you really have very little room for error, and you got to have to bring it every night.
You know, maybe not to the level that you did against Kentucky, but like the idea where two of your foremost important players, like both have off nights. Winning in that situation, I think it's just going to be tough. So I'm still I'm still of the belief that this team can can you know, and I don't think I'm crazy, Like I don't. I mean, again, losing to good teams
doesn't mean you're good. But again there's context there that if you can lose to Kentucky and yet compete with them the way you did for the majority of the game, then I don't think it's crazy to say you should be able to go be Florida State at their place, who's not been really good in a while.
You've got each hey you Caroline at home?
That one, I don't know, because Carolina has talent, but they've they've certainly been a little bit underwhelming as far as you know, big time wins.
Virginia they stink this year. Let's be real, they do.
So you know, I think we'll know mid early January, maybe mid January. Okay, did those really close wins? I'm sorry those really those those the losses to really good teams, some close, some not, Like was there any real value there or not? Like, you know, I'm choosing to think that there is, but I guess we'll find out, you know, once we get a little bit further on into the season.
I think you mentioned patience and more or less growth right with these early games and going in facing touch. That's such a tough schedule early on because I think it's hard for fans, and I'll speak for on behalf at least the toxic Twitter environment, because hey, it's me. I'm the problem on Twitter sometimes, So I just like that just to be clear.
You you on Twitter, as much as it may seem toxic to some like, you know, you have no control over it, and I don't want you to feel like you're you're you know, even if you had bad energy, oh yeah, it won't impact them, and if it did, then they got bigger problems, you realized.
I just hope I just have a weird way of thinking that the universe is going to reward me if I just complain about it too much. But I guess it's probably time to get out of that bubble. But I think it's gonna be hard for fans to pivot just because they were almost in the same situation as Kentucky. They got a new head coach that got away from their swaggy head coach.
So we're not feeling we're not at all the guy situation this year, Like everything changed when you became a team that only has seven guys, and that that doesn't mean that you can't evaluate it and be like upset, but like we're not in the same situation at all as them.
Well that we were, and it built up like I did.
You weren't with me on Friday because of the because of the schedule, But like that was my point. This this had a climax ahead of time, like new era coaches that are I mean it was rivalry, renewed coaches restarting rivalry. They're they're very likable, they play similar styles, they built brand new teams from scratch, and you know, just knowing that, like they're and they weren't they weren't. They mean they've lost Cresa. They did have clearly they
got Butler back in a major way. But like I just I wanted so badly it to be on better circumstances. But I'm also willing to say, because I know Kentucky fans hear this their own way. I'm also willing to say that even if Louisville was completely healthy. Had everybody doesn't.
Mean they would have won.
Yeah, it's the pivot to understanding that you are shorthanded, you're down to a seven man rotation. And I guess some people can look at it as a thirty thousand foot view that Kentucky gets a new head coach. It wasn't obviously, Mark Pope wasn't their first option, just like Pat Kelsey was a Louisville's first option. So in a way, they're kind of in the same boat, brand new coach.
Oh no, they would have been in the same boat, but this season they're not.
Yeah, but as everything's played out with injuries and stuff like that, and that hasn't hit Kentucky as much as
it had. Of course, they lost Butler and Cresa, and we can we can talk about Cresa, but like I think, just fans are just more expecting, Well, how come they get to do that with the first year head coach, and how come they get the look like world beaters and go out there and have a good game with Gonzaga, and have a good game with Clemson, have a good game with beating Duke and then we're struggling to beat some of those teams.
Just as well, but like the answer is obvious, so like you know, of.
Course, yeah, And that's why I think for a lot of the fans, some of the bad reactions, it's it's hard to pivot to that because we're not in the same injury situation for them, So now it becomes like you said, in another month.
But I don't I don't think it's a pivot. I think it's like I think, like, this is the first time I feel like.
We've really hit. Like I didn't think Kenny Payne ruining the program for two years was like bad luck.
Like I thought it sucked and I hated it, and it was, you know, like a product of really the whole thing from the beginning with Rick needing to be run out or at least was run out because like so you know, like I just looked at that as a product of like a lot of things, and you know, it needed to be changed, and it did after two years, like Louisville fans have felt like, oh my god, like
we can't catch a break. I've had more you know, scanned things to go through as a fan in a five year window than any fan will have of any other team. Like I get all that, but this year for me, I do feel like it's it's just terrible luck. But again, when I say that, there are some and I know you're not saying that, But when I say that, I know some people Kentucky fans probably think like I'm out here acting as if everything would be perfect if they were healthy.
I don't know that.
I mean, in fact, Jason Pryor, they clearly miss him, but like they became a better shooting team when he stopped playing because he shot in a game and maybe made one. Sure, So like, I just hate being robbed of knowing. And you know, yes, I'm having to find like that level of like because again I think a lot of us are wired the same way, but to different extremes. So I guess now I just and maybe it's me just wanting to be a Homer and wanting.
So badly for it to work out.
For Pat Kelsey, I don't think it's that way, But like, I feel the same energy that everybody does, just because the situation sucks and the results are not good. But I can't again, I can't manufacture any feeling towards any player or coach on this team because I think the guys that are playing like they weren't brought here to play thirty plus minutes a game. Yeah, these lineups, the lineup, the rotation that he has is not one that he
would have ever played with everybody healthy. And that doesn't mean that he's great and that everything would have been perfect had these injuries not happened. But like, I just don't have anywhere to direct like my frustration. I don't know if it's going to be great here long term, none of us do.
Well, we'll see, like you said, in a month, we'll see where we're at, Like you said, like the January fourteenth mark, we'll see where we're at once we get into like the softer part of our schedule and see how battle tested that they really are with this rotation.
And I'll be consistent then because and I'm glad you brought that up, because I think you know, as much as it may sound like, I'm giving these dudes in Pad a pass right now. If you mess around, start losing to teams like Syracuse in Virginia who we know aren't very good, Like, yeah, the injuries will still be a factor, but I think at that point you can say, no, we know you're better than what you're doing now, like why aren't you playing better? Why aren't you you know?
So I think it'll you know, we'll see. I'm hoping they can beat those teams. They should.
But I like where this conversation is going. I'm gonna go on.
I'm gonna take this to the other side because I think Austin, I hear a lot of myself in Austin when it comes to the emotion as a fan. And you know, maybe it's because I'm a little bit older, maybe because you know, I've had to you know, I've had to just you know, I've just changed. But this has been an interesting case study for me because.
A lot more mature than I am.
Well, yeah, you know, maybe I am.
I'm still cut my teeth in that that says a.
Lot about you if I'm a lot more mature than you, because I don't know if I'm known for my maturity. But anyways, we'll keep this conversation rolling along. Stick around. It's Nick Coffee, Austin Montgomery, Coffee in Company. Feel about Thornton's right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Now back to coffee and Company. Fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day.
That's right, it's Coffee and Company Old by Thornton's here on Sports Talk seven ninety. Appreciate you hanging out with us. If you did miss it over the weekend, I imagine you did not. But Miller Moss quarterback transfer, did commit to Louisville and by the end of the by the end of the let's see, Yeah, I'm gonna make sure I've got something of reference here. I'll get you updated as best I can as far as who's because Miller
Moss is and the only guy they've added. They've added a few other pieces that they feel really good about. But I was I was looking through the roster and the depth chart and the participation you just as far as like guys who did play last year, even if it was just on special teams, and you know, I
think you're gonna start to see guys. Well, put it this way, I think on the on the offensive line, they're gonna still recruit high school kids and they're gonna hope to develop them, but they're also probably gonna like be very dependent upon veterans in the portal on the old line, and sometimes it'll work out really well for you.
And then sometimes maybe you know it won't, but I think the quarterback position and the old line and really just in the try instance, you're gonna always see guys add a added to the roster.
From the portal.
But elsewhere I think it'll it'll depend upon, you know, did you get hit extra hard with you know, graduation at a certain position, like you know, and sometimes there's gonna be a lot of like for example, at running back, you don't need anybody in the portal a running back
like you just don't. I mean, unless, of course, you end up losing one of these two young stars, which I don't think you will, but you know, and at receiver, you know you need help a receiver, and they're recruiting some guys, but you don't need I mean, you've got Corey Bell, uh not Corey Bell, Chris Bell coming back. And I think he did have I think it's safe to say he had a big step up this past year. I mean, could have been better, and at times he
was struggling, but you know, he's a playmaker. He's a guy that you can I think you know you can rely on. And Colin Lacey, I mean we never even got to see him fully healthy and he really started to show what he can do. So, yeah, you're gonna still go look at receivers, You're gonna host some guys for visits. You're gonna bring guys. But it's not like, Okay, we got to go like we gotta go get a
guy who can be elite at that position. So you know, I'm still trying to figure out my comfort zone as far as balancing transfer portal talk and it being you know, somewhat interesting radio. But anytime you get a new quarterback, I think that's worth discussing. We did talk about it
in the in the three o'clock hour. He's a guy that Jeff Brom trusts and we know what he can do against Louisville, and that's not the only reason you bring him in, but nice to have that one kind of out of the way, if you know what I mean. Now you can kind of and I think Miller Moss is a guy that'll probably give you the ability to potentially bring in more weapons on offense. You know, obviously there's a way more factors than just that when it
comes to bringing in guys in the portal. But I'd say Jeff Brom and what he does as a play caller, and now having Miller Moss, a guy that you know, Jeff's clearly going to want to air it out and let this guy really get loose out there. That can only help you when it comes to being an intriguing destination for offensive players that are in the portal. All right, let's see five O two five seven seventy nine hundred is the number if you guys want to jump in and uh, we'd love to hear from you.
This text says Nick, hate to say it, Hate to say it.
Because I'm not a huge fan of you, but I think you put it perfectly well what I mean, I I mean I would have read that regardless.
But just jump this email find you well.
But this person goes on to say that nobody's happy with the way the season has gone as far as wins and losses, but this is really best possible scenario given what they have to work with. Yeah, and again, I know people hear it like how they want to hear it, and I knew that going in. So this person says, UK played seven. This is this is from Twitter. It says, imagine if Chucky got eighteen such a such a dumb maybe I don't think they may missed something or.
Out a typo.
But this says UK played seven guys twelve minutes or more. You play, you've all played seven guys twelve minutes are more pretty similar, Yeah, and you're you're completely losing seven
guys in the issue. I mean seven having seven guys available that like you like, you can't there's nobody on the The only guy that they have available now to put in the game that like is a scholarship player, somebody that you know, I don't know if he's so bad and proud, like, I don't know how he can't get more run like he can just push somebody around, run the floor, like, I don't know what makes him
so vulnerable. But you know, they don't want to play him, and I kind of wish they did at times, just to give some guys, you know, a little bit a little bit of a fresher, you know, fresher set of legs. But when you have seven guys and it's completely imbalanced, that's the issue. You can look, you can you can play seven guys, and you can play seven guys that that really fit with what you want to do, and that be your core rotation. The issue is seven guys
is one. You have very little room for foul trouble slight injury, like if Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards, it's both happened to get in foul trouble. One's hurt, one's in foul trouble fouls out. I guess you're letting rain Smith run the show. And look, that's why again people have selective hearing. When I tell you that Louisville's injuries were a factor, therefore, I kind of see some positives
in this despite it being a loss. People act like I'm saying that means that Louisville would have won if they were healthy. I never said that Kentucky's really good. Nobody said they weren't. Like that is such an example of selective hearing, as if I I mean when I said that, you know, they ended up getting thirty three points out of Butler. It wasn't a knock on him. It was again somebody with big blue bozo ears heard that and thought, hmmm, he's saying that the Kentucky got
lucky and they needed thirty three to beat Louisville. No, but like, that's not an ideal night for him and you won't count on that consistently, and you don't need that consistently. I also said, Louisville, you know twenty six from Chucky hepburn, Like, man, that's great, but damn, I don't know if you can rely on that, because that's a lot to expect out of somebody on a regular basis.
Like again, you have selective hearing. If you heard that reference of the thirty three points they got from Butler and you act like I said, that's why they won. I mean, it was a factor. The guy was great, sensational. So again, that's what I hate more about. I guess kind of my stance and how people view it is not that people disagree, and it's really not even that like people call me moral victory guy, because I really don't care.
What irritates me that I wish didn't irritate me as much.
As it does is those that hear me factoring in real explanations as to why I feel the way I feel despite this team losing, and people take that and use it as if I said Louisville would be the number one team in the country if nobody got hurt. Nobody said that. Not even again, people hear what they want to hear.
It.
It's what I hate about this more than anything, and I love everything else about for the most part, Like people hear what they want to hear, they get so triggered and just decide to form their own delusional takeaway from from somebody's thoughts. Like I don't think I've at any point acted like Kentucky was lucky or that. I mean I have I talked about the dust up near
the benches. No, like I mean, I you know, but in a way the rot like this, that's actually a tell because I know, in fact, like I was super quiet over the weekend for you know, a few different reasons on on social media, and I don't think anybody really missed me, but you know who did. Trolls of Kentucky fans who were dming me were yeah, and just you know, just being insulting, being a holes and all that. And that's I'm not like wanting sympathy. That's just how
this is. Like I know, I know where I'm at, But like, because I didn't give you what you wanted, you wanted tears and like you wanted me to hate my team. You wanted me to be questioning if Pat Kelsey's a good coach, you wanted me, you know, to be worried that Louisville was going to be terrible forever.
And you don't believe that after watching that game, because you know, you probably expected to have a better showing, and you you know, you know that I'm not way off as far as feeling like, hey, you know what, who knows how good this is going to end up being? But I still kind of, you know, like, I think Kentucky won't even admit it. They probably some of their fans would block out or pass out if they if
they thought of it. But I think Louisville earned some of their respect, not because you know, they think they're cute, but like Louisville came in there and played a pretty good game against Kentucky on their home, on their home floor, and you know, Kentucky shot fifty eight percent from the field.
And again when I say those things that they shot fifty eight percent from the field and fifty two percent from three and you know, beat Louisville and didn't cover, they take that as like an insult because I'm a Louisville fan, instead of just realizing, like damn Kentucky played well. I mean, in fact, it's a Louisville issue that Kentucky was able to shoot fifty eight percent from the field, like defend them better.
So it's just how this works.
But that was a very unintentional way of I think, kind of telling on yourself that like I'm not because I'm not giving you what you want, which is like melt down outrage you. Then hear me reference that your guy had thirty three and it's probably gonna be tough for him to ever play that good again. I didn't say it was luck. Dude had a phenomenal night, didn't miss a shot. Take that whichever way you want. Louisville might have lost to Kentucky by just as much or
more fully healthy. We'll never know, and that's not really relevant. But I'm just I mean to act as if there aren't real factors at play here. And I guess what triggered me here is that like to act like the seven individuals makes it equal.
No, I mean what happened here was.
Louisville did not have as much balance the top meaning the point guard spot, and at the true five spot they got a lot of guys that are kind of you know, tweeers that you can use as far as being versatile, but now you're kind of just stuck with all those guys to where you can't really counter somebody
who wants to go really really big. Obviously, you know Waterman's a big guy, but again, if you know ball and you watch and have vision, you can see he's not your traditional towering big same thing with James Scott, like you know, and that's an issue. Like if I'm Pat Kelsey, i would think, Okay, I'm not going to do that again. I'm not going to find myself because right now, prior, I mean, he would give you more size. He's more athletic, he's got good length, but prior wouldn't
fill that void. That void was. It was something we discussed before he ever got hurt.
You know. Even Khalifa is a guy that, yeah he's.
Big, but he's he's a finesse big. In fact, he's rare. He's a guy that is probably one of your best three point shooters and maybe your very best passer, but outside of that, you probably shouldn't expect a whole lot more from him. So like if I'm past, I'm playing against these kind of teams pretty regularly, right, like they can throw some big dudes at you that you don't like. You need to get one of those guys. And they
and I don't know how much they tried. Obviously they went after Jade and Quaintan's and he would have given them some more size and presents. But you know, he's not a towering big. He's or he is a big He's a eighteen year old kid. So you know what, I'll never know, and maybe I will find out at some point, but there's a big guy at Charleston.
And I don't know if it's if it's a visa issue, if it's.
Portal like, I don't know, but he did not I don't know if he didn't want to come with Pat, or Pat didn't want him to come, or if it was just something that couldn't be done. But there's a big guy for Chris Mack that is one of the
best bigs in the country. He was the player of the year in that league last year and he stayed at Charleston, and he would be and I'm again I'm sure there is an explanation, but he would be a perfect piece to this team and probably wouldn't be one of their I mean, I know Charleston's not this level, so you always have to kind of tone down what you would expect from somebody making that jump. But like he would, he would, he would help in a major way.
So you know, seven guys for Louisville, first of all, that isn't a lot. And honestly with Kentucky, yeah they played seven. Again, this is somebody just manufacturing the nut. Well I shouldn't say manufacturing, but you know, picking specific numbers to try to act like both teams were in the same spot. Kirk Crisa didn't play because he's hurt. Lamont Butler played thirty two minutes, so you had you know,
you had the guards you wanted. And if you chose not to play Garrison more than five minutes, I mean you still could have, but you know, or more than god, Garrison played a lot more than I thought. He played twenty four minutes. You know, you have the ability to put Perry out there. In fact, if I was Mark Pope, I would play Perry more. He knows more than I'll ever know about who he should play, because you know
he's the coach. But like Travis, Perry can can can take the minute you were giving Cresa, and I think give you more. That's just what I think of him as a player. So here I am taking the bait, chasing, you know, chasing this down the street when I probably shouldn't have. But like the seven players argument one, Louisville didn't have any other options other than walk ons. And if you choose to play seven guys twelve minutes and more than fine.
But like.
If I could pick only seven guys for Louisville, that's on the roster. Let's say everybody's healthy, including Khalifa, including Rogers. If I could pick the best seven man rotation, I'd still be able to claim that this team doesn't have a lot of depth, and that would be true, but it would I think, remove the excuse a little bit more from me as far as because it's not just the seven, it's it's you're playing lineups that he'd never
want to play. Now he has to play because of what's going on, and some of that is because of just bad luck with injuries, but also, you know, maybe he should have not tucked away those two scholarships. But I also think people have to consider who you sell. If everybody's healthy, who you getting with value in the portal that wants to come and be the eleventh man off the bench for Pat Kelsey in his first year at Louisville. Nobody like again. People hear that as me
making excuses. It's just it's an explanation. Doesn't mean things are gonna be great, doesn't mean everybody's perfect. I'm not really defending anybody. I'm just providing context in facts that I think make this make a little more sense.
I wasted a segment on that.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. No, we'll dive back in.
I don't waste anything, brother, Ye, we'll die.
Back in on the other side. Keep it lock right here on Sports Talk seven.
Ninety Now back to coffee and company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine.
Day, I'll give you an example of something you've heard me reference from time to time and.
Really for a while, is how easy it is to just get got on Twitter.
And I wouldn't have even thought to like, check this out because I don't really care, but it would be worth mentioning. On the show The Kentucky the Kentucky Football Program, Mark Steope says has found his quarterback. We talked about Miller Moss committing to louisvill over the weekend, and you know that's a big deal. I mean, anybody who's out there knowing that their future at quarterback is going to be in the hands of a transfer at least for the next season, you know who that is is a
big deal. Quarterbacks is a really important position. So I just assumed, Okay, yeah, this is legit, but like I'm not I'm not real Uh, I'm not real aware of who we got to look out for on Twitter in the big Blue Nation side. That's just going to be out here throwing up fake stuff to see if people fall for it.
So Duke quarterback.
Transfer Malik Murphy, he commit, well, he didn't commit to Kentucky, but there was a report that he was going to visit. And then somebody you know, just briefly changed their Twitter name to Malik Murphy, changed their picture, and like I didn't even think to like click on the profile, and sure enough I decided to because I you know, I wasn't super familiar with the guy and it's not a
real account. And like you've got people out here who run you know, blogs or you know, they have a pot like they have a they have a they have a digital following covering the team in some form of fashion, maybe as a fan or whatever. And like, because they knew he was visiting, it would make sense that a kid would maybe pop out a tweet saying, hey, I'm all in, and it was you know it was.
It was all fake.
So he is visiting, that's real, But he is not committed, and he's if you're a Kentucky fan. He had a good year for Duke and Manny Diaz. I don't know what the ceiling is for him, but he was a big time recruit coming out of high school, ended up going to Texas. He's from California and didn't didn't get it, I mean, kind of fell behind other quarterbacks at Texas.
Transferred to Duke this.
Past year and had a really really good, really good season for him. Completed sixty percent of his passes, twenty nine hundred yards, twenty six touchdowns, twelve interceptions. So if that's Mark Stoups's guy, you could certainly do a lot worse. But he's not a dual threat, which I think you'll probably see some people just making that assumption. But he's a guy that is gonna he's gonna hurt the opposing
defense in the pocket and the other quarterback. It looks like, according to Kasar, that that Kentucky's looking at bringing in as a kid who is transferring from Incarnate word I think is the name of the school, which, yes, that is a real school and they are lower level, but they've actually had they actually had a really real I mean they've they've they've been cranking out some high powered offenses and there have been some guys that have came
from that school and I think, like even Houston Baptist that have ended up really producing at a high level once they transfer up out of out of that program. But yeah, this kid Calzada, I think it's how you say that, Yeah, Kelzada. He is a former Texas A and M quarterback who you know, and I think you're gonna see this.
There's gonna be a lot.
Of different paths that guys take as college athletes. Now, you know, for example, these two guys that are visiting Kentucky, You've got a guy who started off at Texas, couldn't couldn't really do much, got a chance to show what he was as a starting quarterback at a slightly lower level, still power forward, but obviously Duke is not Texas and he was pretty good. So now he wants to to re enter the portal and see if he can get get another opportunity at a higher level program or maybe
one that just wants to pay him more money. Same thing here, this guy, and I think you, I mean, it sounds crazy, but at the quarterback position, I don't think anything's off the table as far as guys doing things that you know in a previous world, because we're in a new world now.
But guy's doing things that you just think like, huh wait what.
But the longer you sit like you just got to get out there and show what you can do, even if it's at a lower level, like the path to get on the field out of high school, not even you know, out of high school without playing at a different college first, you're still going to see that happen. But man, I think that's going to be really, really rare, because here's the thing. If you're unproven doesn't mean you're bad, but you just haven't been out there to show what
you can do. But now guys aren't really going to be able to get out there and show what they can do unless they're forced to do that, meaning there's no other options. And it's not because your coach thinks should stink. It's because you know, if you know, you know, it's your livelihood at State.
You need to win, and like it or not, you could have a.
Quarterback who had all the offers, had all of the juice coming out of high school, all the hype, five star whatever. If you don't go out there and bring in there's an available quarterback in the portal that is fine to compete and you can get him. Like you need to go do that, I mean taking you know, just saying okay.
Yup, you're up.
Because there's been some pushback about the Pierce Clarkson situation. I don't know if he's good enough to be the quarterback here long term. I haven't heard much that tells me that, like he's for sure is. But I also never want to act like I'm hearing that he's not
any good and that he's going to leave. But like, if you're Pierce Clarkson, you may be waiting forever to become the guy here unless there's unexpected things that play out, like you getting the nod because the transfer was a bum or you getting the opportunity.
Because the guy got hurt.
So I'm not asking Pierce Clarkson to leave by any means, but like I just think the quarter we've already seen a lot of change in the quarterback position as far as how coaches are going to go about getting a guy in to be the starter. I mean, they're going to use free agency the transfer portal unless they've got
a proven guy. And you can be really good and not proven and yet still have a tough time, Like when you don't have to start a first year quarterback who's never been a guy in that position, you're more likely than you're more likely to not do that. You're gonna you're gonna go get somebody else like Brock Vandergriff five star guy out of high school I believe, or maybe four star, but with to Georgia to play, he played behind some really good quarterbacks that didn't really prove
that he was any good or not. But there was not enough out there to show that he wasn't worth the hype and the recruiting momentum that he had. So then he goes to Kentucky. Well he kind of stunk. I mean, he wasn't the problem. He wasn't the biggest reason why. But he clearly is somebody they're willing to move on from. They did it before the season ended. They benched him for a true freshman, So I don't know.
It's it's a very interesting dynamic now because this this this path, it should no longer mean that you think, oh wow, this dude was a five star quarterback who signed with Texas A and M, and now he's an Incarnate Word. Like I'm sure many, I'm sure the majority still have that exact feeling when you hear that or
that same reaction. But I think you're gonna see guys do this because they just want to, Like, you're gonna have to kind of go do that in order to be the next guy in the portal, right, even though what you did at Incarnate Word isn't Kentucky or A and M where you were previously. Like, if you want coaches to say that's my guy for the next season, I have a hard time thinking you're gonna get that nod and get that approval unless there's no other options.
And that doesn't mean you're not a good player. It's just when coaches can use the portal and they all come. That's what's wild to me is that, Yeah, the playing field might have been a little bit more even maybe if everybody had to stick around, maintain their roster and you know, stick with the same guys every year, really show that they can develop players like I'm sure the good old days were are something these coaches really missed. But let's not act like these guys don't benefit from
it substantially as well. At times it's a it's a give and take kind of thing. And the bigger programs, let's be honest, the coaches who do in fact, when they complain, it becomes news because you know, they lead big time programs. Those hypocrites are the ones that actually benefit from it more than anybody, right like Lane Kiffin talking about how it's complete chaos. Lane Kiffin is gonna go out and build for the second straight season, probably
one of the best rosters from the portal. So, like, you know, they complain and they're going to But like the ones who you actually see making the news or making an article because of their comments about the new world, yeah, they may not like it, and they may be right when it comes to there needing to be more structure, but they're benefiting from it more than anybody.
So anyways, we are in a new world. There's no doubt about that.
All Right.
We got the five o'clock hour coming up next, one more hour of my therapy session.
I need this, I needed this.
I've been kind of just sulking thinking about what happens Saturday, because you know, I'm encouraged with this team still, but you never want to lose to anybody, especially your rival. But I've enjoyed kind of getting it all out, and we got one more hour to go, so stick around.
We'll have some fun. It's five o'clock. Don't go anywhere.
We're not that far from Christmas. We'll have some good vibes, so keep it lock right here on Sports Talk seven ninety s