It's time for coffee and company, Fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine.
Day, Holy crap, I don't know who the hell we think when we.
Are get off our show, idiot.
The kids are playing or trail off your countures are.
Screwing it up.
Gold Play Inner Murals, Brother, gold Play Inner Murals.
They're supposed to be mature adults, but they're really not.
Who's the kid here? Who's the kid here? Are you kidding me?
Now?
Here's nick coffee?
Alright, let's get it started here on a very very cold Thursday afternoon, sun's out, little deceiving. Usually when the sun is out, it does add a little. It probably makes you not feel as cold if it's the same temperature, but like gloomy and dark. But man, I'm telling you, it is freezing outside. So I'm very I'm very happy to be in a nice, warm and cozy studio here at our Louisville four Street Live Studios. In fact, you hear that noise? Can you? Can you hear that? Austin?
That noise? Is it coming throughly? Need probably to take the jacket off at some point because whenever I'm moving around, you know, that's just excess background noise, and we don't need that. That's not professional, and we're we do things very professional around here.
It's so cold outside that you're wearing a jacket inside.
Yes, and I don't have any interest in taking it off, but for the sake of the show, and because I'm such professional and I won't sacrifice sound quality, I probably will. I'll lose the coat and I should be good because it's actually pretty toasty in here. But I feel like maybe all of it depending upon if the and so far we haven't had an issue. And you may not know about this because this is the first time we've
really experienced the winter weather when we're working together. But the heat in the studios and really the ac as well, it's all like programmed within a cloud. Like people who don't, who don't even in this state, have control over the and it's not like they're in here messing with this, but like it's it's controlled through like corporate and you can I'm sure I know there's people here that can mess with it. But like if I was to go try to adjust thermistat in the studio, it would tell
me to like contact the master controller. So what happens is whenever you do have heat on, even if it's said at like seventy two, which I think would be pretty hot, the heat that comes off of everything in this studio. How many TVs we got in here, No, Joe, We've got there's literally probably six TVs in there. Is there is six TVs in this studio right now. I've got three huge monitors in front of me, and then this massive board that looks like a spaceship in front
of me that puts off so much heat. So you add the natural heat coming from everything in here along with the heat within the you know, the thermostat. I had to tell people like, look, it's gonna be eighty degrees in here if you all mess with the heat. So so far, so far, so good. But I know there'll be one day where I come in and it's like a sauna in here. But right now, like I'm still thawing out because it's just it's just that cold outside.
So during the summer it sucks because I know what you're talking. Oh yeah, it's really already hot in there, and it doesn't matter if you can change thermostat or not.
Actually, now that you.
Remember that, I feel I feel like when we first got here to these new studios at four Street, that you were allowed to like everyone, Oh yeah, you can mess with it.
Yeah.
I think I think that they just kind of put a cabasho on that and made sure where is only like one person because everybody has their different comfort levels.
Corporate, corporate, always trying to bring us down, right, course, it's just just in the act, Corporate America. What do you know, we can't control our own our own temperature because they got to, you know, they got to have control over it. Yeah, anyway, so I can control you. They can't. They can try, but actually they probably could. I'll just live in a world where I tell myself I've got all the control, all the power, and you know, I know that I don't, but I'll just live as
if as if I do. Now speaking of that, I have no control over this, and I'm going to try not to really get into it because anytime I start talking about it, I just probably end up going down a path that maybe will get me in trouble. But we will be very brief today. I mean I shouldn't say very brief, but we're out of here with like four forty five or something. Yeah, that's what I was told. Yeah, so Shorter showed today, which is no fun for anybody.
But you know, out of my control, there's a basketball game that's going to be played, and I believe this will be like the last one we have to worry about a basketball game getting in the way of our afternoon show. But you know, I don't know out of
my control above my pay grade. So I'm just gonna use the time they give me here on a Thursday afternoon, and we've got a lot to squeeze in in about an hour and forty five minutes coming up here, that's right, coming up here, three forty five ish, three forty ish. We'll bring in the one and only doctor Eric McElroy,
pro Ream Physical Therapy. Our weekly conversation with Doctor McElroy, And this is a really needed conversation because if there's anybody that can give us some type of you know, maybe not answers or timetable, but like can explain what's
going on with these injuries with Louisville basketball. I can't think of a year where Louisville basketball has had a situation like this where you've, what seven games into the season, eight games into the season, whatever it is, You're already down two players for the year, and these were guys that were going to play a lot. And I feel
like you don't really know exactly. With Coren, you have no clue what you really lost because he only played in two games with Case and you knew what you lost and then you really saw it play out on Tuesday night. But I think if these were guys that like had played here three or four years, it would have been a little bit different. So but still, you know, this team is basically playing with seven scholarship players right now,
and that's not ideal. So there's at least one guy that could make a return, and that's Cater Treray and I hope that he will. I assume he will, but you really just never know. It's something you just have to wait and see. But also there's a couple of other players that have been sitting out due to an injury and the plan was for them not to play. And I'll just tell you, I don't think you're going to see Kobe Rodgers or Ali Khalifa end up playing
this season. But I guess my question to doctor mclroy will be, you know, if in fact they you know, if in fact they wanted to do that and they were trying to make that happen, you know with the
recovery process, like is that is that doable? So again there's no I mean, even if he does have a lot of information, because of course pro rehab is very very much connected with U of L Athletics, there's certain things they're not going to tell us, and they shouldn't because they're not they're not supposed to and we're not
entitled every little bit of information. But when it comes to the injury situation, I know doctor McElroy can at least provide something that most people can as far as just you know what's going on and what the realistic timetable is for cater and then you know, I've always felt like Ali Khalifa could could have played this year, and it was always a plan to like, you know, you don't. You may not need him as much. He can get it, he can have surgery and he can
get in shape. But I think the surgery happened later than most people realize to where I'm not even sure if that's possible. So anyways, we'll get to that coming up here around a three forty and then at four h five, will bring in our man, mister Kent Spencer from w h AS eleven. We haven't talked to Ken in a couple of weeks. We weren't able to do it last week because of the holidays, So really looking forward to chatting with him a little bit later on.
But I will say before we dive in here, I'm kind of glad we have a shorter show today because I've been a little distracted in the last hour or so because I received a phone call and it's just been something I can't share. I can't stop thinking about it. But I was offered a job that I'm having a really tough time deciding what I want to do, what yes and I don't. I probably should have given you a heads up before I just started talking about this on the show.
Like a job, like a role, something like a new role, A job.
A new I mean, I mean, not a career change, but you know, a job that I'm gonna I don't know what I'm gonna do, but I got to. I got to call it about one forty five, and it was somebody who is in charge of a very very important role, very important position that they have, and they called me to ask me if I would be willing h to be the head coach of my son's four year old basketball team. I was signed up to be
an assistant coach. Oh, and I guess the head coach is backed has not you know, if you backed out, he's not able to do it. But they've asked me if I'm willing to be the head coach. And there's a lot of responsibility there. Luckily it is. It is a situation where I can do both. I can do
this job and the other. But then again, like schedule, like you know, I would have to have practice at least at like seven o'clock whenever we have practice, And I don't know if parents want to bring their kids out at seven o'clock for a practice on a weeknight. But you know, if you want to succeed, you do. Yeah, I mean, And the only thing that's making me really struggle over a decision is that, like it wouldn't be that big of a deal because at four years old,
like they're not really playing basketball. I mean they are, but they're not Like I think this league is set up to where like everybody gets to shoot like a free throw and they run around. I mean it's very
early stages of like just introducing what basketball is. Yeah, so it's not like it would be a lot of work, but like I don't know if I'd be able to find the balance of like really coaching them up and then maybe like making kids cry or you know, like I'm going to learn a lot about myself as a parent, because I've already learned a lot about myself when it comes to just being a dad of kids that play sports.
But I mean, my son's four years old, Like he's played his first year of first season of flag football, he played, uh, he's played t ball now for a couple of years, and that's been fun. But you know, I always feel like I'm I'm misrepresenting when I say that I have a kid that plays sports, but you know I do, Like, you know, it's just when I was young, we didn't start playing sports until I was
like six. I mean, he's he's at four, and after this year, he'll I mean he'll be in he'll be going into his fifth birthday, not even five yet, where he's already played t ball, football, and basketball, which is great. So in all seriousness, I just I worry, like, you know, well, parents get mad if I don't let their let their kids play, Like I don't know. Yeah, that's tough. Yeah, And I'm a really competitive person. And it came out briefly whenever I was at his flag football games this year.
They had one game where it was really close back and forth, and you know, the refs were incompetent. And even though I had like the awareness of Okay, it's a four year old flag football game, let's calm down, but like I was yellow that the zebra's out there, and like I'm thinking, what are you doing. You're gonna, You're gonna You're gonna make a fool yourself. You're a lunatic.
Well now you gotta watch it because you'll get ejected. Yeah, Like what if I showed up to their games on Saturday mornings in a suit like like I was like I was Rick Fatino or something. So I have a hard time saying no because they don't have a coach. They've asked me I would be able to do it, and for me to say no, and like, Mason, know that somebody you know that I that I had the
chance to be the assistant. And I said, you know, I had a chance to be the head coach, and I said no, Like I would just feel bad like saying no, like why not they need somebody. It'd be different if I was applying for it. In gunning for the job. It was a phone call because they knew that I was on the list of somebody that was willing to be an assistant coach if they wanted me, if they needed me. And then the call today comes in and they're like, you know, we need you to be the head coach.
So oh well, what what? What is this a program you're going to be inheriting? Are they a winning team? Is this gonna be like taking over like the Browns? No clue, this is gonna be like it's gonna be They're they're hiring you to write the ship in that organization.
Cause I would get with my I'm a program I'm a program builder. Yeah, mean that's kind of more like I'm not you know, it's not necessarily about winning championships. It's about coming in and cleaning up a program. That's I mean, like Kenny Payne, he was broken when he got here, right it was he inherited such a toxic situation. Maybe that's maybe that's what I'm walking into. In fact, what I'm what I'll be walking into is probably a
bunch of kids who were playing basketball for the first time. Uh, and it really can I mean, God bless the kids or the parents or the parents and coaches. Well, I guess the coach is who are also parents that have that I've seen coach my kids baseball team, my kids
flag football team. Because in all honesty, I love all the I've gotten to know a lot of the kids and their parents that that Moose has played sports with, and uh, you know, I kind of know what it's like to be a you know, a team dad, team mom, that kind of stuff. Me and my wife. Uh, but really, the head coaches the biggest part of their gig is babysitting, like just trying to keep the kids from getting distracted, because we're talking about four and five year olds. So
I probably, well, I don't know. I had to tell them my schedule because like, if it's an issue to where I have to be there at a certain time certain days, then you know, I may not be able to, uh to make it work. That's a commitment. Yeah, it is a commitment, and I don't want to let them down, and I don't I'm not gonna do it half assed, right like I'm gonna, I'm gonna if I'm if I'm gonna decide to do it. You know, we're gonna we're gonna be winners, and we're gonna work hard and we're
gonna have fun. And uh, you know, I'll probably call him back after the show today and say I've given him some thought and I'm gonna do it.
Yeah, talk to your agent, you see, if you can get up first of all, get a no trade clause in there.
So what if I what if I went to Christy are are higher up here, our boss, yeah, and was like, hey, can you would you mind putting something in writing. I just need to make sure you guys are are cool with me taking a secondary job while still working here, because in fact, that is part of the agreement here. If I was ever going to get work outside of of iHeart that is you know in in I think it's mostly just in like broadcasting stuff. Uh, or maybe it's you know, I think actually don't think it is
anything else. If you have any other like employer, they need to just be aware of it and may have to like sign off on something. So what if I went there. I was like, Hey, I don't want to stress you out because I know, like you think i'm the best, but I think I'm gonna take a secondary job. It won't it won't distract, and she'd probably think, like, what are you talking about, Like maybe you're more money, like you can't do this, and I'm like, well, in fact,
it's my kids four year old basketball team. She'd probably laugh for a minute and then tell me to get the hell out of her office. That's that's probably what what would happen. So anyways, picking up picking up more gigs.
When you're when you're coaching, well, it seems nowadays like when you're like when you're a coach at any other level, you know how they have like the the iPads on the sideline. Oh, whenever you got to go sit down, go look at what you did when you're coaching kids, or you think the punishment is you don't get an iPad on the sideline. Now you just kind of take the iPad away.
Oh man, I think the the threat and I shouldn't call it that, but it's kind of what it was when it comes to trying to get the kids. Because there were kids who were out there grabbing flags, playing well, and then we get to like the fourth quarter and they're just like, yeah, I think I want to go lay down on the grass. I'm done playing, And like, those are things you just deal with whenever you have
kids that are that young playing sports. And what we would do to try to get them motivated to, you know, keep playing, is that you won't get your snack after the game because every after every game you did something from the concession stands like that. That was a good motivator. I'll got to motivate anybody, motivate me. I'll try to figure out some way I can can maybe motivate motivate these young kids. But anyways, I wanted to start with basketball today because I really feel like it's been an
absolute roller coaster so far for fans this season. And if you think about it, I would I would. I would assume you would agree because you had such a high going into the Tennessee game, right it's the new era. You've already started. Want to know, you knew you had a big test. I thought they did a great job promoting the white out, That crowd was great. They really just never really there was never a big moment for
them to get into it. So it was such a high and then you really got let down because it was tough to see your first test a team that you really hadn't seen challenged at all, and then they came out and they got worked. Which, by the way, Tennessee's probably going to be the number one team in the country given the way the acc SEC Challenge played out, So that's not a bad loss. But at that moment, you went from being super excited like here we go, we're kind of back, and then you're like, oh, this
may not be good. And then you play a bunch of a couple of a couple of dud teams that you just know you're going to beat, and you covered. You beat them by a lot. I think you didn't cover against Winthrop, but you did against beller Man, And we just knew going in that you weren't going to learn a whole lot, right, Like whatever happened in those games wasn't going to tell you how much better you got from the Tennessee beat down, So the test was
going to be okay. When you get to the Bahamas and you start to play really competitive games against good teams in the Battle for Atlantis, where do you stand? And then sure enough you came out and you beat the hell out of Indiana, and then you turned around and won a close overtime game and with Chucky Hepburn really just taken over to get the win against West Virginia. And I was ecstatic to see this team win that game where it wasn't played at the way they wanted
it to be played. They got comfortable in the half court and were able to grind it out and beat West Virginia. And even though they lost to Oklahoma, I was still feeling very good about this team. And then you find out Cason Pryor's injury is significant, he's out for the year. Korn Johnson, he's not going to return at all, and then you get your butts kicked by Old Miss to where like it's just been a complete roller coaster so far, and I uh, I mean, I
don't know what happens moving forward. I don't know if we should really tone you know, tone down expectations. I don't think saying the tournament is still something you could do is crazy, but I do understand if you're someone that just wants to, I guess, prepare for the worst. Hope for the best. You're just thinking, Okay, I'm going to assume we're not a tournament team and if they get there, then great. And if that's your mindset, I
get it. But if you're somebody that just thinks you know, this team is doomed and they're gonna lose to everybody, I mean, you may be right, but I don't. I don't think that that. I don't. I don't think we've seen enough to know or even feel like that would be the likely outcome for this team. So it's just
it's tough. Man. Everything about Tuesday sucked just because the bad news you got the two days prior to that with Casein and of course coryn and then you could just tell, man, they weren't making shots, and I feel I don't they did quit at all. I mean, they kept fighting, and they kept shooting a bunch of shots to try to get him to fall, and it just it didn't work out and you got you got beat pretty bad. So at least you've got Duke coming up next, right,
and like that's gonna like it? And let me I will give you some positive news here. And I'm not trying to be funny. I'm being being serious. I don't know if you guys would view this as a piece of good news or not, but I do. Duke's coming in and they are not coming off of a loss. Duke will likely win on Sunday, and I hope it
doesn't get ugly. But for what it's worth, and it may not be much, I would rather have Duke coming in off of a win rather than coming off of a losscause then they'll be hungry, then they'll have something to prove. I mean, maybe Louisville sneaks up on this Duke team and they end up, you know, coming out flat meeting Duke, and Louisville can knock down some shots. I mean, again, I have no clue what we we're
gonna get on Sunday. But given the most recent result and the first time we saw this team without Case and Pryor's it's, you know, it's concerning to say the least. Now that was their first chance to kind of see, all right, let's try to do what we want to do, knowing where this shorthanded, and see how it works out, kind of like against Tennessee. If you remember they were trying. You know, Tennessee was able to completely get them out of what they wanted to do. And Louisville was didn't
have any answers. And when you got to the Bahamas, when you played Oklahoma, same thing, and also West Virginia is what I meant to say, But against West Virginia, you were much more comfortable playing that style, right. You let Chuckie Hupburn run the show. He was able to really just kind of, you know, take over the game. He was the best player on the floor. So maybe we see on Sunday a competitive game more so than people are expecting, and maybe, you know, maybe we see
a new wrinkle. Maybe Pat Kelsey has decided to really adjust some things as far as what they're trying to get into, because as we discussed yesterday, I'm not against the city at all that he wants to run long term, but I think with the lack of bodies like you don't even have, you can't even really try to be who you wanted to be because you don't have enough players. Because if you're gonna do the same thing and you're just playing a lot of these guys so much more
minutes because there's no there's no depth anymore. I mean, that's not a good recipe for what you want to do actually working out for you. So we'll see what happens against Duke. But if you saw how bad the ACC looked in the sec ACC Challenge, even without the guys that are you know, that are injured, you should still be able to get many wins in this league. That is, I mean, you know, even worse than I thought. All right, quick break, we'll come back on the other side.
We'll also talk some football stuff. Because everybody seemingly is hopping into the portal, I still haven't seen anybody from Louisville yet that I'm like, oh man, this is gonna kill us. On the Kentucky side, not exactly, they've lost like all their good players, and I don't think Stoops
is going anywhere. But if he doesn't have a good run here in the portal like at all, and there's no moment me and him at all as far as like what they did to improve the situation, maybe he goes to Mitch Barnfhart and says, look, can we meet in the middle. Will you buy me out? Like not the full amount, because I doubt he does that because
who would. But if they're going to be terrible and like there's nothing but negative, toxic noise about him being the coach, and it's quite clear everybody wishes he wasn't the coach. Maybe that is enough to where you say, okay, I'm not walking for nothing, but like give me sixty percent of the buyout. Who knows. What I do know is we'll be back on the other side. So don't go anywhere. It's cofee and company. Feel about Thortons right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Now back to Coffee and Company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day, a little.
Bit of change of plans here. We've got a late scratch here for the show. Eric mclauray gonna join us tomorrow. That works better with his schedule, which is okay because two guests when we have a short show anyways, I mean, that's not enough of me. And that's what you guys are here for, right You want more of this. I hope you can sense sarcasm to guest one show, you guess one show in an hour and forty five minutes. I mean that's I think there's one issue there. As
good as those guests are, that's not enough. That's not enough me and that's again, I hope that's why you're here. But if not, just you know, don't tell me that. Let my ego. I just believe that you that you're you know you're here because you just want nothing but hot takes from the one and only Nick Coffee. That's me. The name the other voice you hear the other name here part of the show is Austin Montgomery. I just took a bow. I hope you saw that, did you? Yeah?
I didn't see it, but I believe you.
I was kind of leaning in my chair. I kind of want to feed your ego a little bit more. Because there's been a been some rumbling around the office how people really liked your Jay Williams interview yesterday?
Really?
Yeah, I've had like two people come up and said, man, that was a good interview. How would I had at least two or three people come up to me so mentioned how how was Jay Williams? And it sounded like it They asked, are Nick and him friends might as well be?
I mean, we have talked since the interview and we seem to be pretty friendly with one another. But yeah, so I'm glad you said that, not because like you know I wanted you to gas me up or anything like that, but I I thought it went fine, Like I'm glad we did it. I thought it was a good conversation. He was pretty much what I would have would pretty much what I expected. I didn't I wasn't
going to be contentious or anything like that. But the amount of people who were like, wow, that was great, really good job, and I'm like, well, thank you, but like, like, I don't feel like I did anything that I don't
typically do. But I guess Jay Williams is a big enough name, and I will say this, I kind of forgot or maybe it just wasn't really on my radar that for a long time, he was one of those guys that, like, no matter what they were talking about, if you turned on ESPN television, he was on TV. I mean he did the I mean he was on Get Up for a long time. He shifted from college
basketball coverage to doing strictly NBA. So you know, we've had other big guests on the show before, and he certainly is a big name and got a lot of people are familiar with. But you know, I guess that's probably a big factors like that they assumed, Wow, that's such a big get, and then you know I didn't bomb, So maybe the bar is low as far as expectations like, hey, you did a good job, like you didn't you didn't
suck at the interview. So well, thank you and thank you all for for listening, and thank you to those who have provided some good feedback. And if you missed it yesterday, you can go check out go check out the podcast. All right, So if you want to join us on the show, you can five O two five seven seventy nine hundred is the number. If you want to give us a call. You can also text in on the LLEN and Federal Credit Union text line five oh two six five three zero seven ninety. So just
some updates really quickly here. As far as the transfer portal for Louisville, Uh, there have been a couple of guys that hit the portal, and this is where it just becomes uncomfortable because there's not anybody that has hit the portal that I'm thinking, oh, hell yeah, get them the hell out of here there, and that they don't belong,
they stink. I want them out of Louisville today. But there are certain guys where I'm like, okay, whatever, And then there's certain there's other guys, like, for example, Kewan Brown, the running back. I think he's really good, really talented. He'll end up, I think, having a lot of success wherever he goes. Not sure what level it'll be, but he's a good running back that I don't really want
to see leave. But I totally understand why he is. Again, you're talking about two guys in front of him that maybe you're starting running backs to just about any school in the country next year, given the momentum they have coming off of a true freshman season, and they're both playing together here at Louisville, so it makes total sense that he's leading. But he's somebody that you know, I really liked and would have loved to have seen him
stick around. But again, I'm not in any way bitter about it, because I totally totally understand the other names. Brady Allen, if you remember, he's the quarterback who transferred in from Purdue with Jeff, was a really highly regarded quarterback out of high school, and it really has never never really worked out. He couldn't really crack the rotation here at all. And I say rotation like they play a bunch of quarterbacks. He really couldn't climb the depth chart.
I mean Harrison Bailey coming in and being like a journeyman that had played football for many years at different schools and could never latch. I mean, he had a lot of talent coming in high school. Harrison was a five star quarterback, but he was at Tennessee, then at UNLV and then end up at U of L. And I think he walked on initially the fact that he was ahead of Brady Allen, and then even when Evan Conley was here last year, he was ahead of Brady Allen.
It kind of like you knew going into this cycle, right this end of the season where the portal opens up, you knew one of the two was going to transfer, and that is either Brady Allen or Pierce Clarkson. And now we know Brady Allen is. Pierce Clarkson has not entered the portal. I don't suspect that he will leave, but if he does, I mean I'm not gonna be surprised. That's just where we are. And I've not heard that
he has been like super impressive in any way. But I've also not heard that like Oh yeah, this kid stinks. He can't play. It's just you know, in practice in the reps that he gets and even when he's been in the game at times, you know, it just doesn't really you know, there's not a whole lot there that you can can judge one way or the other. Now, we'll say one time he did get in the game against one of these bums they played in the first two weeks, whether it be Jacksonville State or Austin p
and the communication in the headset wasn't working. So that was a factor in why it was kind of a
botched series for him out there. But I still see people occasionally saying, really, we're going to go back to the portal, why not hand it hand it over to Pierce Clarkson, And I I just think those people are living in the previous world and not understanding that, like, that's just a risk you don't need to take, right, Like, that's a risk that you don't have to take, just handing it off to a guy who hasn't proven anything when you know you can go get quarterbacks in the portal.
It just it would be it would be irresponsible not to go and hit the portal for a quarterback, and you're not going to say, okay, well, Pierce is our starters, so let's go get a quarterback who like isn't good that's in the portal. Like, no, you're gonna go get
the best guy possible. And if Pierce doesn't like who you get and feels like he doesn't want to compete, he has every right to leave, or if he wants to stick around and say, Okay, look, I'm gonna work my ass off, continue to get better, and you can bring in whoever you want. I'm going to compete and I'm going to go try to win the job. So you know, I I just know that if Pierce does transfer, and a disclaimer, I don't have a clue what he's
going to do. I don't even bring this up to like insinuate that I think he's going to I'm just going to tell you, like any other player, anybody entering the portal, for the most part, is not really a big shock anymore because that's just where we are. But I can sense that if he does go to the portal, Pierce, there'll be people acting like somebody screwed up and did something wrong. And I just don't see that at all. So I mean, I'm not going to run through the
entire list of players that have hit the portal. I mean, we talked a lot about him yesterday and I'd say those are the two biggest names as of right now that have hit the portal since since we talked yesterday. Now on the Kentucky side, Dane Key, that news broke yesterday that he hit the portal and he's leaving. And then Barry and Brown earlier today within about an hour, about an hour ago, he also announced that he's going
to enter the transfer portal. And these two guys, I think when it comes to talent, and I know some will say, well, no, Barry and Brown, he drops the ball. He's and you can tell yourself whatever you want. That guy has ability and talent that I think any school would want him and they could find some use for him. I mean, he's a guy that on special teams as a return man, like you don't kick to him because
he'll make you pay for it. And he doesn't even get kicked to that often in his last you know, couple of seasons, but when he does, he tends to make you pay for it. He's a special, special guy. When it comes to talent. Now, I have no clue if the guy has like off the field issues or I mean, I don't think he's been suspended or arrested, but people act like he was. And I look, this may just be Kentucky fans disappointed in him because he got a lot of money through NIL and had some
drops and maybe didn't play well enough. Same thing with Dion Walker. But Vince Merrill was on KSR earlier this week and made the comment about how they started prioritizing talent and not necessarily prioritizing character as much as they used to, and I'm paraphrasing. He said something close to that, And Seal Brown was on with us a couple days ag and I thought he made a really good point that if you're winning, nobody says that. Now maybe you and I will say this. Even when Kentucky was in
the last couple of years, they were really underwhelming. In the second year of will Evis, they lost at home to Vandy, and really, you know, that was one of those years where they beat Louisville and they kind of could disguise their underperforming season a little bit, right, Like they go into the portal or they go into the off season with a little momentum because they beat their
rival once again. They did the last two years, and I think Kentucky fans knew that they were taking slight steps backwards in twenty twenty two, in twenty twenty three, and then this year you took a massive step back and we're an embarrassment. So, you know, it sounds like the issues with as far as like locker room culture, that kind of stuff has been a problem since the downward slide started for them, but this year it kind
of really blew up. So my, you know, guys going to the concession stand during a game like that's insane as far as like where everybody's heads is collectively as a pro. So what Ceel Brown said that I thought was great is that, like, you know, that's a that's a cop out, like if things are, if you're winning, then you probably don't even bring that up. You don't use that as an excuse as to why you've got to go fix things. Because again, when it comes to
talent one, your roster was not a problem. Maybe on the old line you weren't good enough at times. Your quarterback clearly wasn't as good as you needed him to be but like you aren't. You didn't go one in seven because you just don't have good players? So what did they? And they know that they haven't. There's enough awareness on the UK football staff, I suppose to where they realize they can't just claim we don't have any
good players. They realize that even if they don't have the Georgia rosters or the Old Miss rosters, which they don't, they still should have been way better than they were. So they blame it on well, you know, these guys were good players, but now we gotta you know, they actually were bad. They were bad apples and we got
to go get good guys. And maybe they're maybe they're telling the truth, but I do believe that like these guys, it's not like you know, it's almost to me it kind of sounds a little bit like Kenny Payinne, Like Kenny Payne acted as if he inherited guys that were on parole that like you just never know, like they might you know that they're just scumback people like you wouldn't know. It's broken. These guys are like and it
was such a nonsense. So I'm not saying that Mark Stoops is acting like these guys are the worst and their criminals. But if you are looking at the Kentucky football season in twenty twenty five and you and you are of the belief that Barrian Brown is one of these guys that was basically going to be told he needed to leave anyway, you got bigger problems than you realize.
Because if your coach can't make it work with a guy that talented, that you're probably not going to be able to get very often because he's that talented, Like you got issues. So they did sign a decent class yesterday, but that just doesn't matter like it used to. There's still value there, but you can't sell to your fans if you're Mark Stoops that we're we're gonna really coach these guys up and when they're juniors, then we'll really be rolling because I'm going to develop them. That That's
not how it works anymore. You can develop players, but they got to play or they're gonna leave. They gotta make money or they're gonna leave. And if you roll out true freshman, because you know that's where you're these are the guys you're rolling with next year. Good luck competing when you have a loaded schedule once again. Now, dan Key was not somebody that I don't that that that was a bad apple. As far as I know, he's a he's a good locker room guy, good kid.
I mean, he's not a kid, he's girl man. But him leaving and it makes total sense. But I just didn't really think about it until I saw just how devastating it was for Kentucky fans. I mean, that's a guy who from Lexington, his father played there. He's good, he's been your leading receiver for three straight years, and he's walking away. Kentucky fans know that he's probably making the right decision, Like you don't blame him at all, But man, doesn't that really tell you how bad things are?
Is that a local kid dad played there again, He's he's probably gonna be remembered for a long time because he was a big time recruit and he's good, and he is just having to walk away from his hometown program where he's a legacy player because he just can't with you know, he can't realistically look in the mirror and say, yeah, let's run it back. I want to play in an offense that Mark Stoops is the head coach for again, like he just doesn't make any sense.
So I kind of feel like that was like such a devastating blow, as well as Stoops not doing his Coaches show last night to where I just can't imagine
him like I take him at his word. I think him saying that, you know, I know some people don't want me here, but I'm going back to work and you know, we're going to go get players and you know, kind of a almost like an I wouldn't say arrogant, but I heard a little bit of his press conference yesterday and it was essentially like, you know, people can calm down, We're going to be a good football team again. And it's like, well, okay, but based off what like
you don't have any momentum right now. It's clearly it would have you done for me lately. And the way Stoops was able to build and succeed, you know, for the Kentucky standard, that's not where we are anymore. This is a new world and he's clearly it obvious that he doesn't like this new stuff, like he doesn't like the new aspects of college football coaching where you have to raise money and you've got to manage egos and
personalities and balance the budget. That kind of stuff. You got to re recruit players that are that you know, you didn't used to have to do that. You would you transfers used to be somewhat of a surprise. Now it's not that at all. You got to be babysitting guys egos, maybe around the clock, because if you're not, then they're gonna feel as if you don't appreciate them, and they know that they hit the portal, they're gonna
get the phone calls from other schools. So I just I still don't think there's a scenario where Stoops is not the coach next year. But if you really strike out and like if he can't do anything as far as roster management or maybe like coaching changes on his staff and there's really nothing that he could sell that'll that'll get fans at least believing five percent of what he's saying as far as they're going to be better
next year. Maybe it's just such a toxic situation where he's so miserable that he does say, Okay, look I'm not walking for nothing, but but give me an offer and I'll and I'll get the hell out of here because I clearly overstayed my welcome, which, to be honest with you, it would be kind of sad because he did something at Kentucky that nobody ever did. He brought them out of the bottom tier of power football for a good run, and he's the most winningst coach they've
ever had. Like I never have ever believed that he's done as much as sometimes they think that he has done. But clearly for Kentucky, he's the best coach they've ever had, and he did things that nobody thought possible. So I kind of, you know, the scenario where it doesn't in ugly, I think is if he really does bounce back in a major way and they're a lot better next year. And I just don't think there's much evidence to tell you that that's gonna happen. So I kind of feel
like it's going to be an ugly departure. And I don't whose fault is that, though, I mean, it's his fault for not getting it done. It's it's his fault for falling off a cliff essentially as far as you know, being able to do with that job needs you to do. But it's Barnard's fault like Stoops had like a you know, I don't even know what a standard buyout is, but like he had walking away from the amount of money
that he would be owed. It would be irresponsible for him, as somebody who has children in a family, like who was walking away from forty four million dollars guaranteed if you if you know, if they fire you. So not that I'm losing sleep over it, but I just think this is gonna this has a much better likelihood of ending ugly rather it be you know, this offseason or next. I mean, maybe he does get it turned around and they're really good. I doubt it, but I mean, I
it's just crazy. I don't I can't imagine two three years ago, probably two years ago, it is probably the best way to put it, that we would see the most likely scenario for Stoops being that like he's just sticking around, because who would walk away from that? And yet all the fans want him gone and think he stinks like that. You know, we're not that far removed from somebody at the Herald Leader writing an article that the statue for Mark Stoops should have already been built.
I mean, we're not that far removed from that being how Mark Stoops was talked about. Now it is seemingly a dumpster fire according to their fans, and they don't seem to have much belief that like it's going to get better. They just they want have gone. And you know, I get it, but Alby stays because I you know, I'd like for Kentucky to have to sit with him being a bad coach for a while so we can start collecting more Governor's Cup wins and extend this this
league that we already have. Now, all right, quick Break, we'll come back on the other side. Man. Only two ACC teams won games in the ACC SEC Challenge. BARF, barf. That's not good.
Now.
Again, as I've said throughout, I'm choosing in the moment this season to look at that as a positive for Louisville because it means that they could potentially, even though they're shorthanded, win more games than they typically would in this league. But we shall see, quick Break don't go anywhere. It's coffee and company, and we are about Thorton's right
here on Sports Talk seven ninety. I'm going to have to start making the first segment of the show fifteen minutes because if I don't, it just makes it to where we've got very few, very little time, I should say in the second and third segment. I mean, we've made some progress with clock management, but when you've got seven minute commercial breaks, it makes a little bit a
little bit tough. So sorry about that. Well, we want to have a whole lot of time here, and we already have a short show as it is, but we are going to be talking on the other side here at about four or five with the kN Spencer from WHAS eleven. Looking forward to catching up with him. So the only two teams that won in the ACC SEC Challenge from the ACC side, Clemson of course, beat Kentucky. You love to see it. Also, last night, Duke outlasted Auburn,
and it's a weird game. I mean, it's a great basketball game, but it was a weird game as far as how I felt afterwards, because I still feel like Auburn is the best team in the country. That's not a knock at Duke. That's a really good win and they needed it because, you know, Duke had played some good teams up been. You know, they played a lot of good teams so far, but they hadn't they hadn't broken through. I mean, last night they beat Auburn, who I believe was number one. In fact, they still are
number one in the Knpom. And other than that, they played two decent teams or actually, no, I'm sorry, they played two really good teams Kentucky and Kansas and lost both those games. They're winning against Arizona doesn't look as good now because Arizona's kind of been exposed as a fraud. But no, Duke winning last night was big for them, and it's big for the AEC because Carolina, you know, they lost last night at home to Alabama, a really
good Alabama team. But like Carolina and Duke are gonna be the two teams that have the best chance to be really good in the ACC this year. Right, And as I just mentioned, Duke finally got a breakthrough win. They were competitive and they're good, but when they played the really good teams, they came up short until their win last night. I mean, North Carolina right now, they're four and four? Are you is your mic on?
No?
It isn't. It wasn't. No, I'm hearing some like music coming from somewhere. Really, I swear I'm hearing like I'm hearing the music from the you were playing on the regioint is it still on? No, I can hear it in my headphone, so something's playing. But anyways, you still hear it? Not now I did, but I don't. I don't hear it as we speak, but I did until you just did something. But anyways, what was the same
with Carolina? Yeah, they're four and four now, have lost three in a row, and I mean, I still think Carolina deserves the benefit of the doubt as far as being a good team. But you know, the good the times they've played good teams they've lost. They lost to Kansas, Auburn, Michigan State, and Alabama. None of those are like are
like bad losses. But if the best of your league is going to play teams that are in the top tier of the country and they're continuously losing, I mean, you don't even have like an elite team to prop you up. Duke, I think can still be that because they did beat Auburn last night and that's a huge win. And I think Duke will only get better. And I'm starting to kind of think that John Shire might be like a really good coach. I mean, I think we
all kind of don't want Duke to win. Duke's one of those programs you either are a fan for reasons I would never know, or you just kind of prefer that they lose. So that's kind of how I am. But with Shier, you know, this will be a big year for him because he does have a really talented roster with young freshmen, and they've done a good job at building in the portal with like veterans around him that you don't need to go be superstars, but just be experienced guys that can really mix in with your
young talent. So you know, the ACC stinks. I mean, that's I'd hate to say that, but like it's I don't know how you can look at anything that's happened so far this season and act as if the ACC is even close to as good as the SEC, the Big Twelve, and maybe the Big Ten. I would say the gap between the Big Ten and the ACC is not is not that big. But I think people are telling on themselves when they say, well, we'll see when
they get to the Elite eight later this year. Well, okay, who do you think is going to make the Elite eight from the ACC? Right now? From what you've seen, and I know it's early and things change. North Carolina State made the final four last year. Like, I get it, But if that's really what you're clinging to to, like try to dunk on people who were acknowledging the obvious that the ACC's fallen so far as a basketball Like, I think it's pretty telling us is that you're in denial.
I mean NC State having a losing record and making the tournament because they won your conference is not the flex you think it is. Give them credit. They got hot, Big Burns was working, Kevin Keats was on a roll, but I mean Kenny Payne almost beat them in the AEC tournament. So like, if that's what yo, will we put a team in the final four? There wasn't even any good Well that speaks more so to like the randomness of the tournament than it does anything else. So again,
that's not where you want to be. Your conference taking massive steps back. But this year, I think it could be a positive for Louisville if they can be competitive in the games against really good teams, and they haven't done that yet. They got worked against Ole Miss, they got blown out by Tennessee. The Bahamas was a good
experience all around. But when you play Duke, and you play Carolina and you play Kentucky all by the way in the next few weeks, I hope you win, but man I really, more than anything, keep it competitive to where you're not gonna have your resume take a huge hit and then just go beat these bad teams in the ACC and that's how you could potentially find a patch of the tournament. But we'll see quick break, we'll
come back on the other side. We've got Ken Spencer from WHAS eleven joining us at the top of the hour here, so stick around on Sports Talk seven ninety