But they'll have pre game coverage around four to forty five, so about forty well, I guess about forty minutes left here before we wrap it up, and we're going to use our time wisely and check in with the one and only mister Ken Spencer from WHAS eleven who joins us here on Sports Talk seven ninety Kent.
How are we doing, brother Jego? Thanksgiving?
Man, I had a great had a great Thanksgiving. Did the smoke the turkey for the first time?
Nice?
And uh man, just really really pleased with how that came out.
Were you going into it like worry you were going to mess it up?
Because I feel like there's a lot of pressure, a lot of lot especially if it's the first time it's Thanksgiving. I mean I feel like I would just I wouldn't even have the courage to try it.
Yeah, look like nobody ever says for the most part at Thanksgiving, nobody ever says, you know what, the bird is my favorite part of the meal. Very true, but the bird is still the centerpiece of the meal, and so that needs to be it needs to be right, yep.
And it just can't be back.
Yeah, it just can't. Just can't be bad. So I went into it. Yeah, I felt a little a little bit of pressure, but I was excited. I didn't want a Christmas vacation situation that'll be bad where the thing basically blows up. But no, it ended up turned out good. Uh. My dad, who is over the age of seventy, he sat at the table and he said, and and and by the way, and I've said this to somebody, it's
he's the most honest person that I know. He has looked at He looked at my mother and I one time after Christmas and he goes, be honest, was this year all's best effort?
So he wasn't joking that's great. No, that's actually really good. That that's that's straight out of the movie is But that is.
One hundred percent. He's the guy. He's the dad that after like a sporting event or an athletic event that I was in, even like it when I did really, really well, he was the guy waiting on, so why didn't you do this? What happened? What happened there? So he looked at me after he had it and he said, son, he goes, that's the best turkey I've ever had.
Oh, that's something you'll remember forever, not only the pressure of delivering on Thanksgiving, but making the old man proud. It doesn't get much better than that. I'm getting getting emotional here. That's awesome. And I'm also if my wife's not listening, which I don't think she is, she's not off work yet, I'm going to steal that line for Christmas morning because that is I mean, that is well done. I'll have to tell her I'm joking pretty quickly before she hits me. But that's good stuff.
By the way, it wasn't our best effort that.
Year, and you got better from it. That's just somebody just trying to you know, continuous improvement, just letting you know, hey, you could do better. And you know when your dad challenges you and your mother too, then you know, hey, he's being honest and.
We can do better. So good stuff.
Glad to hear you guys had a good Thanksgiving. I'll just jump right in here with Louisville basketball. What do you think makes the most sense for Pat Kelsey moving forward? I don't know if there is a simple, something something simple that you can implement to try to, you know, disguise and make up for what you're losing without having case in pryor you haven't had Corn Johnson for a while, but still knowing he's not coming.
Back at all. Trey Ouray's out as well.
I mean, the injuries have really started to pile up for Pat Kelsey to wear. I think what he wants to do makes sense as far as how the roster was built, but I think it's gonna be really tough to do it more than anything, just because you don't have the depth, and depth was going to be a big piece to how you can get into what you
wanted to do. After watching what happened on Tuesday night against a really good Old Miss team and they couldn't buy a bucket, I wouldn't be shocked if he's trying to maybe not reinvent himself and become a totally different team, but maybe trying to find something they can do to generate better looks than what they're getting right now. Just
I guess your thoughts on Louisville hoops moving forward. I still think they could be competitive, but man, it's hard to not notice just how thin they are.
Yeah, I think the one thing that maybe stands out to me and you saw it predominantly maybe in the second half against Old Miss, and you know, it's like what buttons can you push? You know, especially without a case in prior, it's not like you can change up and say like, Okay, we're just gonna go and we're gonna live in the paint, We're gonna live in the post, because you don't have anybody really like that, and so you you almost got to continue with the same playing style.
But I would almost like try and And the bad part about it is is you have Duke coming up, you have Kentucky coming up, like you have tough games coming up. But I would almost try to unlock Canai Rus. I'm with you. I think he's a I think he's a freshman and he I think he has tons of upside what I like about him and I and I think I've seen it and you know, really like the last couple of games, he's got some grit to him, or it appears that he's got some grit to me.
He's got some energy about him that's a little different. I mean, he's not casing with the energy, but he could be somebody that if he's playing well, he could bring some some juice. That is clearly not there with casin out.
Yeah, and and so like I like, I like him and that, and I think you have to just try to you know, what these injuries have done, in my mind is it's just forced you to hit the fast forward button on his development.
Yep.
And so I think for them, that's what they that's what they have to do, because even when Cason Pryor was was in there, and obviously he wasn't in there against Old Miss. The thing that has really bothered this team. And like it's not like it's just this team. I mean we've seen it against you know, with other teams as well, but those teams that are really physical and get in your face. I think it's really bothered this offense.
And that was.
Tennessee to a t. That was Oklahoma in the Battle for Atlantis Championship game, and obviously that's a that's a team like Old Miss, and so you know they're not they're just not getting those open shots and when they're and when they're uncomfortable. I just don't like the way that it's flowing right now. And that's the biggest thing I think that they have.
To correct, no doubt about it.
Two really good coaches Rick Barnes and Chris Beard, but also the way they coach in their style sort of their DNA. It may be the worst possible matchup for what Pat Kelsey wants to do, especially when you're short handed like they were the other night. So you're right, no flow, I mean, the flow is just not really there. And it was nice to see against West Virginia whenever it wasn't played at such a fast pace like the Indiana game, they were able to kind of settle in.
And you know, Caseon Pryor is a guy in the half court where he takes a lot of threes and he doesn't make him a lot, but he's also just a he's a tough matchups. He's a long, athletic guy. They can you know, I don't know if he's great at one thing, but he's pretty good at a lot of things.
And I was really surprised. I should have been a little.
Bit more aware of him bringing more than what is just on the stat sheet. He's a guy that they clearly rely on a lot for energy, leadership. He's got a lot of confidence about him, and I'm with you, I think can I rus despite being a freshman, if he could get going, he could get some confidence, he could he could help a little bit, maybe maybe more than just a little bit when it comes to those kind of things. What do you make of Terrence Edwards.
I think he he's a good player and that has been proven it at James Madison, despite that not being this level of basketball. But I think he could have been a nice complimentary piece to your system. But I feel like now that you're short handed, you're not getting Cora and Johnson back. I don't know if you're gonna, you know, make a whole lot of changes to what
you're doing. But I feel like he's the He's one of the guys that you could look at and say, Okay, we we could get something out of this if we make some adjustments, if we have a very age you know, we've if we deviate a little bit from what we typically want to do. But he's just really has not got it going. There's some games where his numbers are
are decent, but you know, you mentioned comfortable. I just feel like he's the one guy that I don't really know, of any point this year in the regular season, he's been comfortable at all.
I think sometimes when you get especially in this in this transfer portal world, and Pat Kelsey's really big about trying to point out like the back of somebody's bubblecup cards. Right. Yeah, Terrence Edwards obviously produced you know, really really nice numbers at James Madison, but that was in a different style than what they're playing now, So I think it there
has to be a little give and take. So I think early in the season it's it's Terrence Edwards trying to fit into Pat Kelsey's style, and I don't think that's necessarily really worked for Terrence Edwards. I don't think he you know, you just mentioned it, like he just doesn't look comfortable in that there at all. I think it may be time, especially with these injuries, it may be time to like try to meld those two things together to try to maximize what Terrence Edwards Junior is.
And so it's not just Edwards just trying to fit into this style. It's like, Okay, what do we need to do to make sure you're comfortable and that you can get we can get you in some into some of your spots ye that you really like, instead of you just trying to force the issue because that's not working and I think that there has to be maybe a little bit of give and take there going forward for for Louiselle to have the kind of success that would like to help.
I don't think you could have said it better as far as realizing, Okay, we can't be so much dependent upon Hey, this is what we're doing, and everybody just play the role. Now, I think you have to look at guys individually and realize you're so shorthanded. If there's something there that maybe wouldn't come out in what we want to do. As far as our style, we could make some adjustments to where just try to because I still think you're you know, you're thin, and I don't
know what the ceiling is for this team. It's certainly not as high as it was before case In Pryor got hurt. But I still think there's some some good players. You just got to you know, Pat Kelsey's learning about these guys. He hasn't coached them until this season, and now he's probably gonna have to do things in a way he wasn't planning on because the injuries, and of course that's not something you can you can prepare for.
Now on the Kentucky side, sticking with hoops, Mark Pope suffers his first loss on the road at Clemson, a close game I saw some similarities with with Clemson as far as you know, trying to slow it down, not give Pope in Kentucky as many possessions as they want, really just be physical. And you know, it worked out.
Kentucky could have easily won that game. But just I guess your observations after seeing for the first time this team, you know, play well in stretches, but really not you know, just not not not going to win for the first time.
You know, I think that game, honestly, Nick, comes down to the first half. You know, they go into the locker room. I think, if I remember correctly, I believe Clemson was up seven going into the locker room in that but they were I think they were out rebounding Kentucky by like twenty year or something, you know what I mean, Like the number was like unbelievable, just how
much Clemson was dominating the glass in that game. But Mark Pope as a head coach has never been in that situation before, and outside of Kerkkrisa, there's nobody on that roster that's been in that situation. Before you're ranked fourth in the country. You're going into another Power five opponent's house with a good record, made a good run in the NCAA Tournament last year, obviously a lot a
lot of new pieces. None of those guys on that roster has ever been in that situation before, where you are even in a Power five house, you are massively hunted. And I don't think that anybody on that roster other than Kirkkriesa when he was at Arizona, has had that kind of a target on their back. Now, Mark Pope did when he was a player, but not as a head coach. Like, I just feel like they had to like learn in that moment, and they did and they took an ol.
Yeah, it's like, look and that'll be good for him. Honestly different Now, Yeah, I mean I think that's in a way. I mean, you don't want to lose, but I think not only knowing that, you know, you were the hunted and they stormed the court. I mean, that has nothing to do with the game. But I feel like these that's part of the experience for these players to where they you know, I'm sure they realize they're at Kentucky. It's one of the best programs in the
history of the sport. It's much different than anywhere these guys have been. But I feel like the court storming is a small element to where they have to realize, Okay, there's a responsibility here, like we were a big deal if they beat us. So let's I mean not to say that they'll get better from it, but I feel like that is an added layer to them kind of realize sing where they are.
That makes sense, Yeah.
It's all part of the process. It's all part of that learning process. Like, look, you know, you're not at certain places anymore, you know, like you're you are at Kentucky when you go into the gym, they do look at that differently. And it's not just being at Kentucky.
You know, like the number four to the left of their name going into that game, like for Clemson or for anybody else in that spot, like that's a big deal, like you want to get that win, and so you know they're they're they're coming at you a little bit different. And you know when Jackson Robinson, you know, yeah he had a number next to his name, but it was never that high, you know what I mean, Like at
BYU last year. So none of those guys have had to try to experience that, you know, and so Amari Williams he's never had to experience that. You know, he has he has now and you got to know, hey, whatever the mind was, because in that first half, you know, for for a large part of that, I think Clemson just kind of out worked them, beat them in all the fifty fifth balls and on the glass and stuff
like that. And like you know, on a night when your shots aren't going down, which they really weren't, you've got to do all the little things and Clemson was doing the little things better than Kentucky was, which is the reason why Clems had got to win that night.
Kids Been Sir of WHS eleven is our guest joining us here on Sports Talk seven ninety. We'll switch gears here to football and keep it on the Kentucky side just because of the developing news in the portal.
Not a big shock to see guys.
Wanting to move on really under any circumstance, because that's just where we are.
But dan Keye a local product.
His father played at Kentucky and he's been a very good receiver for them, but he's decided to leave that was announced yesterday. Now Barry and Brown and obviously some of these guys that are transferring. It sounds like maybe not only was not a shock to the staff, but maybe they weren't bummed to see them leave.
But still, when you were.
Coming off such a tough season and it ended as badly as it did, you know, it's expected for fans to kind of see this is just another sign that the sky is falling. What's the best case scenario here for Mark Stupid heading into next year? Because I really you know, maybe he does go out on the portal and they kill it. He claimed that they have resources in a good spot, maybe better than they ever have.
But I feel like the momentum for Mark stoops to Kentucky is at a low that I really didn't know possible.
Yeah, and when it comes to when they say they have way better resources and they're better served now than what they were in the past, proof will be in the pudding on that because remember was it a year ago? Was it a year and a half ago with a pony up comment that he made?
Yeah, last season like that didn't work out well for him. It haunts him, know it went that went.
Horrible so you know that he's not going to say that again, and so like, what was he going to say, you know, when he was asked about that. Of course he's going to say, yeah, no, it's it's everything's great,
you know. It's like, so I would imagine that here's what I would say about this, you know, And this is more of like an indicator of, in my opinion, what this really looked like within that program in the last couple weeks of the season generally at this point, and you've seen it at Louisville, right, Like, the players that are in the portal or announcing their portal are players that were seldom used during the season, and when you're seldom used, then you can really think about your future.
The Kentucky players that are in the portal are there two starting wide receivers and a few other guys. But let's just circle into the wide receivers. They just played a game on Saturday. They're already making decisions on the portal this week. Now, Man, you know that these things were already in the in the works way before that, which lets me know that it's the same thing I think everybody kind of thought, like these kids in that UK locker room. Were just ready for this season to be over.
Yeah, I mean that's I think they've played.
I think they came out against Louisville, and Louisville again deserves credit for, you know, coming ready to play and taking advantage of mistakes. But I don't think it's crazy to say that the Kentucky played their worst game of the season and it might not have been closed And I'm not clearly I'm not taking anything away from Louisville, but I don't mean they were so checked out in a game that usually, even if they aren't great or good,
even they typically come ready to play. It just seems as if things are in a bad way, and You're right, the timing of that makes it seem as if these guys have probably been ready for the season to be over for a long time.
Now.
What did you make of the Vince Marrow to Louisville stuff. I mean, I have no inside information at all. I just have a hard time seeing that there was ever really any legitimacy to him, you know, pondering should I stay at Kentucky or should I.
Go to Louisville.
Louisville wouldn't be able to and would be foolish to pay him one point three million dollars like he makes a Kentucky clearly a really good recruiter. But I just I don't know if that was all made up. I don't know if that was some kind of an attempt to make people appreciate him.
I don't know.
I just it became a big deal on Sunday, and so much so that he, you know, did come on our airwaves here on on on seven ninety with KSR and and and said that it's not happening. But like, I just I didn't look at that as a oh, at least we're not losing the big dog.
I looked at that as like, what, this is just weird. This is another sign that things are just off.
Yeah, here's here's what I think you said.
You said like you knew something of it. You're going to be careful what you say. That's what you said, Ken that that's just how I'm reading it.
Well, let me just say this, I don't I don't think any part of that was real.
Yeah, I mean either and because it doesn't make any sense on either side.
I mean just from what I know, Like, I don't think any anything there was real.
I mean that that would be the most likely scenario as far as I saw it. But you know, the Internet can make people believe anything. You're right about that, brother, Yeah, I mean, I just I never I could. I mean, I was trying to think, okay, like if he's a really good recruiter and he's trying to find a landing spot, but you know he's loyal to Stoops, he has been, he makes a lot of money.
I just I don't.
I mean, I think it's one of the many times where his name has been floated out there and it became something out and there probably was really you know, nothing there all right, last question for you when it comes to the Louisville side of things. They finished the season getting the Governor's cut back and Jeff Bram is
losing some players in the portal. But I still feel like so far, most of the guys that there's been guys last year and even maybe this year, that they probably aren't thinking, okay, we hope they leave.
But I think so far.
Most of the guys who've left the program for Louisville and in the portal last year or as of now, within the last few days, it's been guys that you know, like Kewan Brown. I think he's a solid running back, but it makes total sense for him to leave. Same thing for Maurice Turner, same thing for some of these receivers that hit the Portol yesterday. So you know, I feel like when it comes to roster management, you know, the goal is to try to keep the guys that
you know are going to have options elsewhere. Try to keep those guys happy, Go get players that are available, bring in some young freshmen that you think could eventually be really good. I don't know if you're ever going to get as lucky as you did with Isaac Brown
and Duke Watson. But I just feel like Jeff Brown right now as it stands, and he hasn't put a class together yet, so we shall see, But I feel like he's a good example of a coach that has done a pretty decent job at adjusting to sort of what this new world.
Is well about, first off, outside of outside of honestly, and this is my opinion, and who knows, you know, what his status is moving forward, Like I think, I think deep down, like Mason Rieger hurts.
Yes, that's you're no, You're absolutely right about that. When I forgot about that. He's you know, he didn't play this year, so it's out a sight out of mind.
But no, you are absolutely right. He was good last year.
And and by the way, like let's let's be honest, like I think Ashton Jealotti's numbers were down this year because he was hurt, like not not Jelattie hurt, I mean, but but Reger on the other side, I.
Know they benefited both from being out there and at times, you if you didn't know the press clippings, as they say at Tom's last year, you have thought Mason Riger was the guy that everybody was talking about through the NFL.
That's not a shot at Ashton, but Breag was he walk on initially.
I don't know if he was a walk on, but I know this, like he popped off the page and he popped off the screen last year when he finally got healthy. You know, he when he really started playing, like you could just tell a massive difference in that defense like he made. He was a he was a difference maker. Now, everybody else that we've seen to go in the portal so far are little to seldom use guys. So it makes total sense for those guys to go
in the to go in the portal. You know, Lowell's class yesterday it ends up being fifteen deep, which you know, I said this on the news last night. I said, you know, ten years ago, that's a small class, and
you're almost asking, like what's wrong. But with the portal now and the things that you have to navigate, it's smart to go that because it then it gives you plenty of room to be able to navigate because and you know, there's a lot of people that won't, but like a quarter to a half of the class that Louisville just signed, at some point in their career will end up in the portal. Yep.
Just that's just a fact. And it won't be anybody's fault. That's just that's just the new world.
Just just a new world and what it is. Yeah, it has nothing against it has nothing against Jeff Brohmer or Louisville or anything like that. I mean, And that's and that's all of the classes that we've that we've talked about, and so this is this is his plan on how to navigate the new world of college athletics. And so, but like even the guys that have stayed. I mean, I you know, Brown was asked after the game on Saturday about, you know, his comfort level of
being able to keep Isaac Brown. Well, you know, Brown was like, I think he really wants to stay this and this like what are you what are you going to say at that point? Right? Like, you don't And and one one of the things that we've kind of found out is like there there's no guarantees on your roster until May. So obviously, you know, Louisville wants to desperately the guys like Isaac Brown and Duke Watson that you know, a list could go on and on and
Callin Lacy who announced that that he's coming back. But man, you don't. I don't think you truly feel comfortable until until May, and you don't know who's gonna come call him.
Yep, it's uh, it's it's a lot different than it was just four or five years ago.
And uh, you're right.
I mean, I'm happy to see Colin Lacey has decided to come back and put it out there. And there's been nothing that that that indicates that that Watson or Brown are are are on their way out.
But you know, in any moment.
It can change, and losing guys who are really talented would be a big bummer. But I don't I don't know if we're ever gonna have a guy that leaves to where you can deep down and say, man, I just this is you know, maybe there are some certain circumstances, but to be honest with you, the uh, the one guy would be Dane Key, right, Like that's the connections
there and his success. I mean, he guess Kentucky being bad makes it to where he would want to have, you know, a good finish to his career elsewhere.
But yeah, the portal has has changed everything.
Think about Dane Key, Like, I think he caught forty seven ball this year for seven hundred and fifteen yards if I remember correctly, in a couple of touchdowns. I've read it on the news. That's that's why I know. But like you can go to another spot and be more highlighted, like let's you know, and put up maybe similar numbers, maybe a little better numbers. Maybe your touchdowns are better and be highlighted to give you a chance
for the NFL. Or maybe if he doesn't think like deep down, he's an NFL wide receiver, which you know, at this at this level, all those kids think they're NFL wide receivers that this is your opportunity to go and really get paid. But either way, you've got to go to a spot that you feel really, really good about. And in that case, like I don't blame them all the people that they've had jump in the portal for them in the last couple of days. Like in my opinion, he's the only one that hurts them.
Yep, And it would be you know, him deciding to stay would really just be a gift. It would be a very selfless thing to do. And I don't blame the kid at all for trying to maximize me. You've got to look out for yourself. That's that's life. But can't we are We are, I got a run. I appreciate you making time for us. You are the best. We missed you last week with the holidays, so we'll do it again next week. And I'm proud of you for that. Turkey brother, Okay, just know that can't wait.
Take care of it. It's kid, Spencer whas eleven?
All right.
I love that we timed it out this way because right now what we can do is we can just take our I mean, we can say goodbye to you coming up in about about a minute, right Austin, and then from there we'll hand it off to the crew that is calling this this basketball game. But yeah, I will say this before we wrap it up, and I know we got to run. Bill Belichick has interviewed for the North Carolina head coaching job. Not the Panthers because they have a coach. I'm talking about North Carolina where
they just got rid of Mac Brown. Going from Mac Brown to Bill. I mean, I don't know if he's gonna take the job or if he wants it or whatever, but Carolina going from Mac Brown to Bill Belichick, why don't you just play your games at a nursing home. I mean, come on, now, is that.
A bad joke. Well, he's been around I did listen. I know he's been dating younger women. Yeah, you want to go check out that God's Country. Yeah that could be. Maybe that's why he's interesting.
Yeah, maybe he's interested in the college game because he you know, he's been hanging with the young folks and you know that that could be.
That could make it make sense. But we got to run good stuff.
We'll be back at it tomorrow for a feel good Friday right here on Sports Talk seven ninety Yes, Sir,