2025-03-31- KSR - Hour 2

Summary

KSR - Hour 2 Summary (March 31, 2025)

Presented by iHeartPodcasts and Sports Talk 790 (WKRD-AM)

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1. Introduction and Opening Remarks

The second hour of Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) begins with Matt Jones welcoming listeners back. After a brief mention of sponsorships by T-Mobile and Stockton Mortgage, Matt transitions into the main content, setting the stage for a dynamic discussion on current Kentucky sports topics.

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2. Controversy Surrounding Ryan Morgan Wallen's SNL Appearance

Timestamp: [03:43] - [05:37]

The hosts delve into the recent controversy involving country music star Ryan Morgan Wallen, who walked off stage during his second appearance on Saturday Night Live.

• Matt Jones shares the incident:
  “He just zipped off. Didn't shake anybody's hand, didn't hug and just walked off.” ([04:05])

• Shannon The Dude adds observations about Wallen's departure:
  “He just walked out through the crowd, just walked past the camera.” ([04:41])

• Ryan Lemon speculates on Wallen's motives:
  “He's trying to beat the crowd, beat the traffic, get to the airport so he didn't get stuck in traffic.” ([05:01])

The hosts discuss public perception, with Matt expressing empathy towards Wallen:
"I think he has one of these personalities now where people will just criticize whatever he does." ([05:13])

Despite the backlash, Matt believes the incident might have been a personal choice unrelated to any conflict:
"I bet nobody was angry about it, but everyone is getting angry." ([05:29])

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3. Team Performance and Coaching Decisions

Timestamp: [05:37] - [15:19]

The conversation shifts to Kentucky's sports teams, focusing primarily on basketball and baseball performances, coaching strategies, and recruitment.

a. Kentucky Basketball's Season Evaluation

• Caller from Tyler ([05:43] - [12:20]) praises the team's progression despite obstacles:
  “If Pope could put together a team like that with little to no talent, the next season seems very promising.”

• Matt Jones evaluates the season positively, citing the Sweet 16 achievement:
  “If away comes back, like, now you have, like, returners. We had no returners.” ([06:29])

• Ryan Lemon emphasizes fan satisfaction with the season's outcome:
  “I think most 99% of the fans are ecstatic... they haven't been in six years.” ([07:35])

b. Recruitment and Scholarship Concerns

• Discussion about Kenny Brooks' Daughter:

  • Matt addresses concerns about Kenny Brooks not having his daughter on scholarship:
    “She's not on scholarship. I think that's an important difference.” ([02:21])

  • Shannon The Dude highlights fan frustrations about limited scholarship opportunities:
    “She has one year left... couldn't just give her one more season.” ([03:43])

• Caller Jay ([10:31] - [12:20]) debates the grading of the season, advocating for a higher grade due to the challenging schedule:
  “We played more Quad 1 teams than any other basketball except Auburn.”

• Matt Jones acknowledges the tough schedule and defends the coaching decisions:
  “Mark Pope knows exactly what he wants more than a lot of coaches who just say, I want the most talented and I'll figure it out.” ([39:16])

c. Cassidy Rose Situation and NCAA Policies

• Caller from Mike ([29:23] - [32:29]) discusses the controversy surrounding Cassidy Rose, comparing it to Travis Perry's potential future:
  “It's a business decision, but part of business is good PR.”

• Matt Jones and other hosts debate NCAA's role in treating athletes as employees to prevent such controversies:
  “If the NCAA would just agree to treat these dudes as employees, all of these things can happen.” ([17:08])

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4. Listener Calls and Interactive Discussions

Timestamp: [15:19] - [43:08]

The show is highly interactive, with multiple callers contributing their perspectives on various topics.

a. Team Evaluation and Fans' Expectations

• Caller on Team Performance ([05:43] - [12:20])
  Evaluates the season's success despite a tough schedule and anticipates a promising next season.

• Jay's Perspective on Recruitment ([10:31] - [14:51])
  Suggests restructuring the Lexington area into two regions to balance competition and enhance regional representation in the Sweet 16.

b. Personal Anecdotes and Light-hearted Segments

• Matt, Ryan, and Shannon share humorous stories about mishaps during events, including spills and accidents, adding a lighter tone to the show. For example:

  • Ryan spills chili cheese on his shirt after a game:
    “We littered the whole place.” ([35:39])

  • Drew Franklin narrates accidentally injuring a referee during an Ohio Valley wrestling match:
    “It's not ballet. So every now and then things happen like that.” ([34:17])

c. Recruitment Insights and Future Prospects

• Discussion on Upcoming Recruits ([38:31] - [41:05])
  Hosts analyze potential recruits like Reed Bailey from Davidson and discuss Kentucky's recruitment strategies, emphasizing the importance of targeted player roles over sheer talent.

• Caller Joey ([38:35] - [39:05]) questions Mark Pope's ability to secure top-tier talent post the loss of key recruits, leading to a discussion on the viability of future team composition.

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5. Sponsorship and Advertisements

Throughout the episode, sponsorship segments promote T-Mobile's offers and Stockton Mortgage's services, including:

• T-Mobile Advertisement ([00:00] - [01:27])
  Highlights T-Mobile's robust 5G network and offers up to $800 per line via prepaid card for switching.

• Stockton Mortgage Promotion ([01:27] - [01:57])
  Encourages listeners to consider Stockton Mortgage for their home loan needs, featuring a testimonial from Joshua about his positive experience.

• Cornbread Hemp Promotion ([01:35] - [02:15])
  Announces a special discount for KSR listeners with the code "B day" for 30% off orders at Cornbread Hemp.com.

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6. Closing Remarks and Upcoming Shows

As the episode nears its end, Matt announces his upcoming trip to Amsterdam and hints at "Drew Palooza" for the following week. The hosts wrap up with final caller interactions and light-hearted banter, maintaining an engaging and personable atmosphere.

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Notable Quotes

• Matt Jones on Ryan Morgan Wallen:
  “I think he has one of these personalities now where people will just criticize whatever he does.” ([05:13])

• Ryan Lemon on Team's Season:
  “If away comes back, like, now you have, like, returners. We had no returners.” ([06:29])

• Shannon The Dude on Recruitment:
  “He wants his fans to watch the show. It's pretty simple.” ([15:45])

• Caller on Cassidy Rose:
  “Cassidy is a model. I mean, she's just a role model. She's a Christian girl.” ([31:30])

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Conclusion

The second hour of KSR delivers an engaging mix of sports analysis, listener interaction, and light-hearted anecdotes. Key discussions revolve around team performances, coaching decisions, recruitment strategies, and recent controversies affecting both sports and public figures. The hosts maintain a balanced perspective, offering insightful commentary while fostering a sense of community among Kentucky sports enthusiasts.

Transcript

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[Drew Franklin]

Nmlsconsumeraccess.Org welcome to hour two of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones.

[Matt Jones]

Welcome back. Hour number two Kentucky Sports Radio 859-280-2287. I'm going to go to the phones here in just a second. Cornbread Hemp.com it is half off through the end of the final four. You buy one, get the second one half off. I'm talking full spectrum flower only hemp cbd. Yeah, I'm going to Amsterdam but I'm still taking my cornbread.

[Ryan Lemon]

Probably a good thing you will?

[Matt Jones]

Yes you can. Oh excuse me. This week KSR Red listeners receive 30% off all orders with the code B day.

[Ryan Lemon]

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[Matt Jones]

So as long as you go over $75 30% off. So that could be a big, a big benefit because it's their birthday. B day, B day from cornbread hemp.com Happy birthday to Cornbread Hemp with the.

[Shannon The Dude]

B day and Happy Birthday to Brandon Garrison today. So Cornbread and Brandon Grayson celebrating birthdays.

[Matt Jones]

One person writes, Matt, what about Kenny Brooks daughter is on the team. He didn't dismiss her. She's not on scholarship. I think that's a, that's an important, important difference.

[Ryan Lemon]

I mean, well, she has to be on scholarship next year.

[Matt Jones]

I guess I have. No, I mean, I don't. She wasn't on it this year.

[Drew Franklin]

What if he gives her that extra scholarship?

[Matt Jones]

Well, I mean, that would make people mad. I understand that, like, but I would be surprised that. But remember, this is the last year you can have Walcons. I think after this year, all players are on schol. They're giving their. The days of the walk on I think are about to end. So that's why they're adding up to 15 players. But they're getting rid of the walk on. So, you know, end of the day I just, I just want people to know this happens all the time. All the time. I can understand though, like, I have the same emotions of it's a kid from Kentucky. But you have to remember that like life, nothing in life is not a trade off. So just to give you another example, like, I'm a pro union guy. I'm a big union guy. So I, I'm always on the union side. But if the union asks for too much, you can end up ruining the business. Right. There's a pull. There's a push and a pull with all this stuff. Similarly, if you say she's from Kentucky so she should have to stay, there may be coaches who will recruit less Kentucky kids now. So there's a push and a pull here that Drew. You just always have to keep him.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah. And adding to the fans frustrations, it's that she has one year left. I mean, if she were freshman and he's like, I, you know, I need this spot for the next three years, it's one thing, but it's like, couldn't just give her one more season. I think that adds to it a lot.

[Matt Jones]

Also, people are mad at my cousin Ryan Morgan Wallen because he walked off stage at Saturday Night Live. Did you see that?

[Ryan Lemon]

No, I didn't see it.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, so he did Saturday Night Live, second time he's done it. Yeah, I didn't hear the performances, but I heard they were pretty good. But you know, at the end they all shake hands and like hug each other and like all that. He just, as soon as they said bye, he just zipped off. Didn't shake anybody's hand, didn't hug and just walked off. And then he posted a picture from his private jet, like, 30 minutes later that said, headed back to God's country, or thankful to go back to God's country or something like that. So people are interpreting it that he didn't get along. No one has said anything officially. I just think he has one of these personalities now where people will just criticize whatever he does. You know, he's in that world, unfortunately, was interesting.

[Shannon The Dude]

I wish the camera had followed him because he didn't even, like, walk off towards the back. He just walked out through the crowd, just walked past the camera.

[Matt Jones]

You don't see that a lot.

[Shannon The Dude]

Did you just go out the front door on the Broadway or whatever it is?

[Ryan Lemon]

For anybody who doubted you guys were related, we now have proof. He's trying to beat the crowd, beat the traffic, get to the airport so he didn't get stuck in traffic.

[Matt Jones]

You know what? I hadn't thought of that.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

See, we are blood kids.

[Drew Franklin]

You're doing the same today, right? When you're done, I want you to just walk out. Don't say bye to Ryan or Drew or me.

[Shannon The Dude]

Give me back to God God's country.

[Matt Jones]

Give me back to God's country. So anyway, but that's. That's the latest controversy. I think it's a bunch. I think it's nothing. I bet. I bet you, like, he just had to go. I bet you nobody was angry about it, but everyone is getting angry. You know what I mean? I bet you the. The people Saturday Night Live didn't care.

[Shannon The Dude]

Keenan kind of points and smiles like, there he goes. He didn't look like he was frustrated. Other ones just kept shaking hands and didn't really acknowledge it.

[Matt Jones]

I don't. It didn't feel like a big deal to me.

[Ryan Lemon]

Who.

[Matt Jones]

Who's up first? Shannon.

[Drew Franklin]

Tyler.

[Matt Jones]

Tyler. Go ahead, Tyler.

[Caller]

Hey, Matt. So, yeah, the. The loss to Tennessee, like, really broke my heart. But yes, I swear, with, With. With saying what Pope did with his first year, with all the obstacles he had in his way with the injuries and just being the SEC being so good, I mean, if he could. They could put together a team like that with little to no talent and, you know, had. Didn't. I mean, I'm. I'm. Next season seems very promising. I just. I can only imagine what he'll do when he's got a full.

[Matt Jones]

I wouldn't say there was no talent. I mean, I, I, you know, I appreciate call that. I didn't mean to say that. They had a lot of time. They didn't have a lot of athleticism, but I think they had a lot of talent. But.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yes.

[Matt Jones]

How could you not be promising? I mean, if. If away comes back, like, now you have, like, returners. We had no returners. He's building through freshmen. I think Chandler is going to be really good next year. Got. We've got some elite guys coming in now. Whether or not they're like superstar lead or not, we'll find out. But I don't know, Drew. I don't know how at the end of this first year, you could be anything but positive. There's one dude who pops up on my TikTok account. Who is that guy?

[Shannon The Dude]

Oh, the negative dude that first.

[Matt Jones]

The worst. There's no way that dude's a UK fan.

[Shannon The Dude]

No chance.

[Matt Jones]

There's no way. He just comes up and he's like, mark Pope stinks. We as Kentucky fans. And it's clear to me he's not a Kentucky fan. That's just a guy who's trying to get mentions. And I guess I'm playing into it, but I'm not giving his name. But you know what I'm talking about.

[Shannon The Dude]

Oh, I've seen him a lot. He's been saying, mark Pope won't work out here since, like, December.

[Matt Jones]

Young. He's like a younger African American guy, but I don't like him. He's. He's terrible.

[Shannon The Dude]

He's not one of those.

[Matt Jones]

I don't even think. Does he even live here? But my point is, besides him, how could anyone not feel optimistic? Ryan?

[Ryan Lemon]

I think most 99% of the fans are ecstatic. The season went the way it did this year. Considering what we started with and to get to a sweet 16 birth where we haven't been in six years, I think it meant a lot to people just to get. Bring that passion and joy back to Kentucky basketball. And Pope and these guys did it.

[Matt Jones]

One person writes. Matt, have you given up on the Reds yet?

[Shannon The Dude]

Close.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah, close.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, I'm hanging in there. I'm one.

[Drew Franklin]

They're wanting to try being a Brave fan.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Y'all haven't won a game yet, have you?

[Drew Franklin]

They think it's still spring training.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. I went to the game yesterday and, you know, I just have to hate some of our players. I don't like Ian Jabot because he blew that game. And he's. He's French. And then the candelario. His feet are made of lead. Like, he can't. He can't get a ball. He missed a tag. That was important. You know, Jacob Hootie Boosie. He. He ran into a double play, left Ellie on deck with the run. So, like, I was frustrating, but I do like going to the games. It was a nice day.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, the first five innings, both pitchers had perfect games. Going through first five innings, it was three up, three down. Three up, three down, going by quick. All sudden the sixth inning, then everybody starts corn.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, it was unfortunate. But you know what? I'm not giving up yet. But I'm kind of giving up.

[Shannon The Dude]

And so I love last Thursday.

[Matt Jones]

It's open day.

[Shannon The Dude]

Here we go here of the Reds. It is now Monday and it's.

[Ryan Lemon]

I' lasted four games.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I'm. I'm gonna give my tickets away probably for Tuesday and Wednesday's game on this show. So if you're. If you're listening, Tuesday, cool. Wednesday. But if you write me and ask for them, you will.

[Ryan Lemon]

They got the Rangers play Texas.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Shannon The Dude]

Kentucky baseball won a big Texas series.

[Matt Jones]

Kentucky beat Texas A and M, so they needed to win a series. They lost their first two series against ranked opponents. They won this one, so got back on track a little bit.

[Shannon The Dude]

Did you see the little bit of a controversy down there over the curfew? They were fighting because Minion went a little stall ball pulled out of Caliperi's trick.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Shannon The Dude]

Did you see past the 5:30 curfew where they can't play another inning?

[Matt Jones]

So if you can't start an inning after 5:30, which is odd to me, that's an odd rule. But like, basically Mingy own started.

[Shannon The Dude]

You know, he argued with the hump a little bit. Yeah. Guys were going slow.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. He basically just stall bald Shannon so they wouldn't have to play the ninth inning. So they won.

[Drew Franklin]

Hey, I'm totally fine with that. I think that's smart. It's a stupid rule. If they don't like it, they need to change the rule. Don't you agree?

[Matt Jones]

Is it, Is it? Is it? You think it's a bad rule? It is a bad rule.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Ryan Lemon]

It's a horrible rule. But it's gamemanship. He's trying to win an SEC game, gonna do whatever he can to win an SEC game.

[Shannon The Dude]

I get the rule if it's like 10pm but it's 4:30 local time at Texas A and M and they're like, we can't possibly play another inning.

[Drew Franklin]

And we just was the daylight savings time. Come on.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. I don't understand the rule. It doesn't make sense to me. We 5:30 is the arbitrary time. You can't Play another inning. That doesn't make sense. Who's next?

[Drew Franklin]

Mark.

[Matt Jones]

Mark. Go ahead, Mark. What's up?

[Caller]

Hey, not much. Hey, real quick. I want to start first. I want to congratulate Ray Crossing on the Sweet 16 win, Malachi Marino. But I also think it's time to switch Lexington area into two regions because their toughest games were against Brian Station and Douglas and the other games weren't nearly as close.

[Matt Jones]

That's okay.

[Caller]

I don't care.

[Matt Jones]

Lexington gets one region. We don't need. We don't need eight Lexington teams in the Sweet 16. The whole point of the Sweet 16 is to, you know, the SEC is harder than the Patriot League. That's the way it goes. But the whole point, the beauty of the sweet 16 is that people come from all over the state. If 12 of the 16 teams are from Lexington and Louisville, it's not as fun.

[Caller]

No, I'm only asking. It's only probably be two of them. Make it the Lexington area.

[Ryan Lemon]

Okay.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Caller]

If you can bring in Wilford County, I'll.

[Matt Jones]

Let's be running with you in Lexington. So there's only one team from the city, period.

[Caller]

I, I understand that. That's fine too. Hey, real quick, what was your grade on the season this year?

[Matt Jones]

It's an A. I'm an A. You know, I, I, I, I, I switched from A minus to A after the Illinois game. You know, the fact that the Tennessee game was never really competitive had me considering wavering back. But I'm gonna stay with an A. I think the post game press conference and the way these guys kind of brought back the sort of pride from the fans and stuff, I'm giving this an A. This is on and off the court. I think they did exactly what this fan base needed.

[Caller]

That's what I want to talk about. I'm going to give them a BB plus. I'm going to tell you why I'm gonna give him a B. A B plus. I think it's a good. It's a great start moving forward. But I think we were pretty fortunate in our scheduling this year. What we had. I looked at the other 16.

[Matt Jones]

What do you mean fortunate?

[Shannon The Dude]

We played one of the hardest.

[Matt Jones]

We played one of the hardest schedules in the country.

[Caller]

We had a lot of home games against good teams.

[Shannon The Dude]

Matt, what are you talking about?

[Ryan Lemon]

We played.

[Matt Jones]

We played more Quad 1 teams than any other basketball except Auburn. Yes, but we had to play them. We had to play those teams. Dude, let me ask you a question. When Mark Pope was hired, did you think with zero people on the roster and four weeks to put a roster together, we'd be in the Sweet 16 next year with our only commitments being Travis Perry and Trent May be in.

[Caller]

The sweet 16 also with nobody on his team at Michigan. It happens with the Portal.

[Matt Jones]

He did a great job. And you know what? Dusty Mays grade, he deserves.

[Caller]

Did a great job, man.

[Matt Jones]

He deserves an A. If you don't think, if you think this is a baby, then that means you had to have expected like an Elite Eight or a Final Four from this group.

[Caller]

I actually thought, I actually thought we were probably more as a C. It actually, I thought this season would be a C, honestly. But with the Portal, it makes it a lot.

[Matt Jones]

It can't be. Okay, I appreciate the call. It can't be A. You can't. If you thought it was going to be a C before even started, then this is better. Like, I don't know. I honestly don't know what people thought. I. I said for 15 years, the year after Caliperi leaves, we're gonna stink. And we didn't stink. We were good. And you're right. Dusty May did the same thing. Although Dusty May had people stay, we didn't. But you know what? He deserves an A too. Pat Kelsey deserves an A. I think Cal deserves an A for the postseason. I think his regular season stunk. But all these new coaches, the kid at the guy, BYU deserves an A. Like these new coaches did an amazing job.

[Shannon The Dude]

If he wants to give him a B, sure. I don't understand saying the schedule. They won more games against AP top 15 opponents that have ever been won in a single season at Kentucky. So that's a pretty difficult schedule. And they won those games by a record.

[Matt Jones]

What would our record have been if we played Louisville schedule? I mean, much better. It had been much better. Now we might have gotten a worse seed because of it because like them, we didn't get a lot of chances to play good teams. But our. I just don't know. There were four SEC teams in the Elite Eight, right? There were seven in the Sweet sixteen. There's two in the Final Four. You know there's going to be one.

[Shannon The Dude]

In the championship beat to the final four teams in the regular season.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I don't, I don't know. I mean, if you want to give me an A plot minus. Okay, I can even understand a B plus, but like a B, what in the world did you expect?

[Ryan Lemon]

We had some really, really good wins this season. I mean big time wins.

[Matt Jones]

I mean there's a good chance that the Team that wins a national championship, we will have beat. We beat them, right? Like, I don't know how you can be that upset. Core Physical therapy. If I wasn't going to Europe, we'd be getting a visit. I bet. So kort.com it's court physical therapy. There's no reason to be in pain like I have been. Although it's better this weekend. I think actually walking helped.

[Ryan Lemon]

You think it did?

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. I thought it would hurt.

[Ryan Lemon]

Loosen it up a little bit.

[Matt Jones]

Got me stressed around. And that's what you can do at court physical therapy. They'll move you, they'll groove you, and they'll make you to where you're not in pain. And insurance will pay for most of it. It's kort.com it's court.com court physical therapy. We'll take a break. I got one more final segment, then these guys will take your calls in the last two. It's ksr. This is Morgan Wallen. Which he was singing as he walked out the door.

[Ryan Lemon]

Didn't he have controversy the first time he went to Saturday Night Live? He got.

[Matt Jones]

But clearly they must like him. They invited him back and they invited, like, everybody's always, like, Saturday Night Live. So liberal. I mean, they had Shane Gillis hosting a couple weeks ago. They had this dude singing. I mean, like, they, you know, everybody's got to just chill out. Most people like each other. Y'all, that fight online all the time. You don't represent the world. I think sometimes people forget. Like, I think a lot of the people that I noticed when he was on there, there were a lot of liberals. Like, why you invite Morgan Wallet on? Well, because they want his fans to watch the show. It's pretty simple. Like, it's not like everybody just goes, where do you like Biden or not? If you don't, you can't come. And vice versa. Like, everybody just. Maybe he just wanted to go get ice cream. Like, everybody's. He walked out of there. Comes with their liberal agenda. Maybe he just was meeting a woman. I don't know. I mean, like, no. Nobody has any idea. And they just make these big judgments.

[Shannon The Dude]

I think Ron nailed it. It's. It's in both of your blood. You know, this is a big event. All these people are about to leave at once. I got to get out of this.

[Matt Jones]

Think about me. Like, think about how weird my behavior is sometimes. What if you like, you mean he didn't even stay in the arena during the game.

[Ryan Lemon]

Liberal you gave me. Is that.

[Matt Jones]

Cause he's in Indies. Indianapolis is a red state. No, it's because I got too nervous.

[Ryan Lemon]

At the Def Leppard concert. You gave me five songs and said we're out. That because they were all conservatives.

[Matt Jones]

I think they're British. I don't even know that that was. I don't know that was either. I just. It was time to.

[Ryan Lemon]

Time to go beat the traffic.

[Matt Jones]

That's right. We've been there a while and we.

[Ryan Lemon]

Did beat the traffic.

[Matt Jones]

859-280-2287 One person says, Matt, what if the Cassidy Rose situation were to happen to Travis Perry? How would you and everybody feel? It might. It might. And you know what? I love Travis Perry. But like, if the end of the day, this is a business and if you don't want this to happen, then what the NCAA needs to do is have contracts. Jay Billis said that the other day and he's exactly right. Sign these players to two year contracts and it's. And both sides have to deal with it. I'm for that. But that means the NCAA is going to have to see these dudes as employees, which means I have to give them workers comp. Which. Which means all this stuff, which the NCAA doesn't want to do. But here's the thing. If the NCA would just agree to treat these dudes as employees, all of these things can happen. Treat them as employees, let them collectively bargain, then you can set limitations on pay, then you can say, they have to stay so many years. Just do it. Like that's what you need to do. But they're so hesitant to do that because they don't want to pay workers comp. And I get that. But you know what? Get over it, right? You're making so much money.

[Ryan Lemon]

Like, get over seems to be like, that's the best answer of all the arguments I've heard. That's the best one.

[Matt Jones]

That's the best. J Bill has said it yesterday. He's exactly right. Sign two year deals if you want. Maybe you sign a kid to a three year deal, right? Maybe you only sign them to a one year deal. But like, let the market decide. Right now everybody's a free agent. Kevin Willard leaves Maryland. Like, how you gonna get mad at kids for transferring if Kevin Willard's gonna leave? At the same time, if the player's gonna leave, how are you gonna get mad at Kenny Brooks when he asked a player to leave? Like, this is just like, it's the business we're in and if you want to fix it, fix the business.

[Ryan Lemon]

You said it though. This one stinks. Just because who she is. She's from eastern Kentucky. She's a senior. She went through a lot of injuries. That's what I think. People are so upset about the entire story, not just the fact that he asked a player to leave, it's who he asked to leave.

[Matt Jones]

I get it. I totally get it. And I also. If I was her family, I'd be upset. If I was her, I'd be upset. I get it. But. But I also would say we've only heard one side of the story and. And this happens all the time. We're just taking it personal now because it's a Kentucky person.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah, definitely.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah. On the Perry comparison, I'm back to. I think so much of it is that she had one year left.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I think so, too.

[Shannon The Dude]

Like, it'd be fair to be like, look, three years, you're not going to play here. You should seek something else out. But it's like there's not just any way that you could keep that spot for one season.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, that's. That, that, that's a fair question. Who's up next?

[Drew Franklin]

Jay.

[Matt Jones]

Jay, Go ahead, Jay.

[Caller]

Yes, Matt. This question for you, Drew and.

[Matt Jones]

Ryan.

[Caller]

So do you think that Pope will put another. Do you think Pope will put another team, Another player on the team from Kentucky this year from the high school?

[Matt Jones]

Okay. This is why they don't do it, though. You know, I appreciate the call. Like, this is why. This is a perfect illustration of why this is hard. First of all, we already have two kids from Kentucky. We now have more kids from Kentucky on this roster than we've had in years. We're gonna have two freshmen coming in. And then we got two of us. We got four kids from Kentucky.

[Shannon The Dude]

Don't forget my walk on from Madisonville. Five if you count the walk ons.

[Matt Jones]

And then respectfully to the caller, are we going to take another kid from Kentucky? You can't just make it to.

[Ryan Lemon]

Do you.

[Matt Jones]

We just have kids. We already have two from this class and they're two of the best players that have ever come from this state. We should be happy about that. Not go well, will you take another one from Kentucky?

[Shannon The Dude]

I think some people just want us to be the Kentucky All Stars. Don't step outside the state to recruit.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I, you know, I understand. I get it. It used to bother me that Cal wouldn't reco recruit from Kentucky. Honestly, if you want to know, because I heard him say it. If you want to know why he didn't take just a kid from Kentucky. This is why he didn't want. His belief was I want the focus to be on the people playing, not people asking me who. Why that somebody else doesn't.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah. Why didn't Richie go play tonight and.

[Matt Jones]

We did was the big one? I. You know, I think he got so stubborn about Dante Allen because he was tired of people about asking him about Dante Allen, and he took it out on the kid. Unfortunately.

[Ryan Lemon]

I think you're right.

[Shannon The Dude]

Dante should have played for, though.

[Matt Jones]

Dante should have.

[Shannon The Dude]

Want to take anyone's heart away.

[Matt Jones]

Dante should have played more. But, like, this is what. This is the problem with this conversation.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah. You know, he took Dominique and Derek, but they didn't play till they were juniors, and they heard. We heard about that. Why aren't they playing more? Why aren't they playing more? Well, look who was ahead of them.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I mean, Derek was a top recruit, people. But Dominique talked in to take, and he had to go watch him at the state tournament and then decide to take him. And obviously it ended up working well for both those kids. But remember, they didn't. I mean, Dominic. Derek didn't really play to his junior year, and Dominique would do spot duty here and there.

[Shannon The Dude]

Derek was a recruiting win against Patino in Indiana, if I'm not mistaken. It was those three schools. You couldn't let a Kentucky kid go to one of those.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. So why do you expect Mr. Scoop to get a commitment in the next day or two?

[Ryan Lemon]

I think we'll have two.

[Matt Jones]

Don't be getting. Don't be getting people's hopes up. You think we'll have two commitments in this week? Yeah, but that's not the next day or two. Two commitments by the end of the week.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yes.

[Shannon The Dude]

Any more eyeball emojis or anything you got dialed up for. For online?

[Ryan Lemon]

Maybe later.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Well, we'll see. Two commitments in the next week. Says. Says Ryan Lemon. All right, you are going to take the last 30 minutes. I'll be doing the show from up there on Tuesday, and I'm. I'm out.

[Ryan Lemon]

Then you're off to Amsterdam.

[Matt Jones]

I'm off to. But I will be there Tuesday, Wednesday.

[Ryan Lemon]

Have a good trip, brother.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I will do my best. You. If you all got this. Drew week. Next week.

[Ryan Lemon]

Drew week.

[Shannon The Dude]

Drew Palooza. They're calling it Drew Palooza. I feel like that adds pressure to it calling Droop, especially since we're all gone.

[Ryan Lemon]

Even Mario, Shannon.

[Matt Jones]

Everyone's gone.

[Shannon The Dude]

I appreciate that, guys.

[Matt Jones]

Everyone.

[Shannon The Dude]

I just keep showing up to work.

[Matt Jones]

All right. Thank you all very much for. For listening. They're gonna still be here for the last 30 minutes, and I will see you tomorrow. This is Techie sports Radio. I will be safe. I got Mario riding with me. TJ Smith, personal injury attorney. Call tj. He'll make him pay.

[Drew Franklin]

Now more of Kentucky sports Radio, presented by Stockton Mortgage. Here's Matt Jones.

[Ryan Lemon]

This is Tiffany, right? Shannon.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. Tiffany was big back in the 80s.

[Ryan Lemon]

Oh, Tiffany or Debbie Gibson? You had to pick a side. Who you are. You're a Debbie Gibson person.

[Drew Franklin]

I don't know who Debbie Gibson is, so I'm a Tiffany guy, I guess.

[Ryan Lemon]

Who's Debbie Gibson?

[Drew Franklin]

Who's she?

[Ryan Lemon]

She was a big, teeny teenage bopper singer back in the same time. She had like, all the. The goody two shoe love song looks and lyrics. Tiffany was kind of the wild child.

[Drew Franklin]

Ah, she went.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah, she went to all these malls. Have you heard this?

[Shannon The Dude]

Never heard the name Debbie Gibson.

[Ryan Lemon]

Oh, she look her up.

[Drew Franklin]

But you know Tiffany, though, Drew. You know Tiffany, right?

[Ryan Lemon]

You know who Tiffany was?

[Shannon The Dude]

No.

[Drew Franklin]

No.

[Shannon The Dude]

Was I born when these people were still.

[Ryan Lemon]

This was in the 80s.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Shannon The Dude]

So why'd you have to pick a side between Tiffany and Debbie Gibson?

[Ryan Lemon]

I don't know.

[Drew Franklin]

Brittany versus Christina, right?

[Shannon The Dude]

Did they have beef?

[Ryan Lemon]

No, I don't think they had beef. I think it was just. Are you a Debbie Gibson fan? Are you a Tiffany fan? You had to pick a side, one or the other. I went with the wild child, Tiffany.

[Shannon The Dude]

We believe it list.

[Ryan Lemon]

I got a question for you, Drew. Is something blocking your path to home ownership?

[Shannon The Dude]

No, but if it were, what should I do?

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, who do you think could help you?

[Shannon The Dude]

I don't know. Can you tell me?

[Ryan Lemon]

Our friends at Stockton Mortgage are here.

[Shannon The Dude]

To help you, Drew.

[Ryan Lemon]

They can clear your home loan hurdles. Micaiah knows what's up. That's what it says here. Makai knows what's up. She said or he said. Stockton Mortgage went through every obstacle necessary to get my loan approved. Y'all are great. Find out how Stockton can help you get [e-mail] Stockton Mortgage NMLS 8259 Equal Housing Lender. All right, final four is set. We talked briefly about it with Matt when he was here. Got two SEC schools on one side of the bracket. Florida, Auburn, and you got Houston and Duke on the other side of the bracket. All four number one seeds made it to the championship. Who do you like and why?

[Shannon The Dude]

It's got to be Houston. It's the only one that doesn't really impact Kentucky or me. I don't know. A Houston fan. Heck, I think I like Houston now that they have Matthew Mitchell, but, you know, obviously we don't want Duke. I would want the tournament to be canceled before. I would want Duke to win. And then Kentucky's already been slipping in the SEC lately. I don't have, like, a lot of animosity towards Florida, Auburn, but I'd rather them not just add to their resume and the conference Kentucky's supposed to own. They've both been the better team the last couple years, even though Kentucky won the one meeting with Florida this year. But I don't like the thought of Florida getting another title. I guess between the two, you and I both like Bruce Pearl. A little part of me would be happy for Bruce, but I'd prefer the title to just stay in Texas, keep it, play it in San Antonio, keep it far away from me because I won't have to hear about it or worry about what it means for Kentucky. I just think that it'd be completely separate as opposed. The other three have a little bit of impact on how we feel.

[Ryan Lemon]

Shannon, what about you?

[Drew Franklin]

Well, in my bracket, I guess I only have one team left, and it was the team that I picked to win the championship, and it's Auburn. So I wouldn't mind Bruce Pearl getting a championship. I kind of like Bruce, and as long as it's not Duke, I'm fine with whatever happens, but I think Auburn wins.

[Shannon The Dude]

Auburn had a scare with Broom yesterday. That would have been awful. He ended up coming back something with.

[Drew Franklin]

His wrist and it kind of looked like he landed funny on his ankle, too.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah, very heroic entrance. They, like, followed him in from the back. Then he comes in and busts a three with his bum arm. But for a split second there, it looked like Auburn's title shots could have gone out the way with injury, which you don't want to see that with anyone. You want them to play it out and having all the one seeds. You want them to be at their best just for the sport. But that was a scary moment for Auburn fans yesterday.

[Ryan Lemon]

I'm kind of with Shannon. I'm kind of pulling for Auburn a little bit, you know, because I like Bruce Pearl. I've always liked Bruce Pearl from his days down back in Evansville. But you mentioned Matthew Mitch with Houston. He's posting pictures. It's kind of weird to see him in red. It is a little weird to see him with that red shirt on, a red hat on. I gotta admit, I was surprised.

[Shannon The Dude]

I thought he was happy in retirement, just being dad, being a family man, traveling, you know, he's got his winning tools business going on so I was surprised he got back into coaching. But you know, I'll be rooting for him. I'll be a Cougars fan from a distance. I always like Matthew Mitchell.

[Ryan Lemon]

Now we did get an invitation, all of us, to go play in the University of Tennessee basketball benefit golf scramble. It's a 14 hole scramble.

[Drew Franklin]

Why would they invite us?

[Shannon The Dude]

It's his final. It's his joke.

[Ryan Lemon]

They don't play in the fight, they don't play the final four.

[Drew Franklin]

So it's just a 14 hole completely. I was so bad. It went over my head so many times.

[Shannon The Dude]

I saw it at first. I did think we were invited to some kind of scramble. I was excited.

[Ryan Lemon]

859-280-2287 who we got? Shannon.

[Drew Franklin]

Rob.

[Ryan Lemon]

Rob. Go ahead, Rob.

[Caller]

Hey guys, good to talk to you on this coaching controversy. I'm a lexing kid, I've been here my whole life and probably about Ryan's age. Let these coaches coach, we hold them to a high standard and let them have their roster. And honestly, if we weren't at 15 scholarships this coming season, I would almost make an argument that Travis Perry needs to go. I know that ain't popular but we've got two great Kentucky kids coming in and you want to talk about a feel good story. We got Elvis Johnson's grandson and playing on this team next year. You know there's more Kentucky connections than just eastern Kentucky. What about Derek Anderson? I mean just, it goes down the list.

[Ryan Lemon]

Appreciate the phone call. Yeah, mentioned Alvis Johnson and I appreciate mention that. That's Jasper's grandpa. Legendary high school coach, administrator out of Harrisburg High School. But if you're, if you, if you are Travis Perry, you're looking okay. They're going to go get a top point guard in the portal. Chandler, Colin Chandler kind of passed me in the rotation at point guard. Jasper Johnson can play point guard. I guess he could look at the roster the way it is. Like hey man, my minutes may be limited, even more next year.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah, I haven't heard of anything about Perry wanting to leave. I think he's happy here even though he probably won't have a huge role next year. But if he did look around and take a step down a level you could understand where a guy with this record in points in high school and has been a scorer his whole life would want an opportunity to get more shots. But best I can tell is he's enjoyed it here even knowing what's coming up. I mean, you know he's limited a little defensively, but when they were so injured this year, he played some quality minutes for them.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, there was a time where they had to have him. Lamont Butler's hurt. Kirk Kreis is hurt. Thank goodness they had Travis Perry on that team last year.

[Shannon The Dude]

I mean, you go to Alabama and, yeah, they lost, but that's such a big ask for a freshman from Lyon County. Like, oh, here's Mark Sears, an All American who is impossible to guard, whether he's hot from three or flopping his way to the free throw line. And it didn't work out in the end, but for the circumstances he was thrown into, I thought he held his own pretty well.

[Ryan Lemon]

859-280-2287. Who's next? Shannon?

[Drew Franklin]

Mike.

[Ryan Lemon]

Mike. Go ahead, Mike.

[Caller]

Hey, guys, I'm calling about the Cassidy Roe deal. Actually, Cassidy is my cousin, so I have a pretty good knowledge of what's going on. Brooks did, in fact, tell Cassidy she was not on the team anymore. It wasn't her decision, it was his. And the thing that really upsets a lot of us is if you guys watch the games early on, early part of the season, Cassidy was the first guard off the bench. So it wasn't like she was just sitting down on the end of the bench waving the towel. Then Tyler kind of took some of her minutes and she moved to the second guard off the bench. She would come in, play point and move Georgia to the off guard. So it's not like she wasn't contributing at all. And if you saw the stuff that Brooks posted, you know, he actually had her on one of the post game interviews, called her the Princess of Kentucky, talked about how when she cried, her tears were blue. I know it's a business, but part of business is good pr. Cassidy is a model. I mean, she's just a role model. She's a Christian girl. She at the games. If you guys ever been to the games or anything, she stays until every fan that wants a picture with her gets one or an autograph. So, I mean, going into her senior year doing this, I mean, I just don't think it's acceptable at all. And her dad, her dad, Dodo Ro, I talked to him, actually. I texted with him when I was on hold with you guys, and he said he would be more than happy to come on the show and talk with you guys more about it.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, I appreciate, appreciate the phone call. And I think he's the reason why this is tough, because the kind of person she is and what she means to the people of Eastern Kentucky. I think that's what makes this decision. Even though, like he said himself, it's a business decision, makes it hard to swallow.

[Shannon The Dude]

I remember her taking a lot of charges this year. I know that just adds to people liking her even more. As we mentioned earlier on the bench, she seems to be the biggest cheerleader, the biggest coach on the bench. I think it's bad. Like the relative said there, I think it's a bad PR move by Brooks that he might not have expected to be the way the reaction is. So, I mean, if he, if he has the greatest portal class ever and fills all those spots with younger, more talented players, then you can go, you know what? It was a numbers game and it just stinks. But it just right now, without knowing what he has lined up, it seems like a big mistake by him.

[Ryan Lemon]

The A vision glass text machine, I guess is going to be my cell phone for the last two segments here. And somebody says, ask Shannon why he severely injured a referee during an OVC match this weekend.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I'll say, first of all, it's not the Ohio Valley Conference, it's Ohio Valley wrestling. Dude, this was a complete freak accident. I was telling you guys about this during the break, but during the main event Saturday at our big pay per view show, which was sold out and awesome, I threw one of the titles into the ring trying to break up the three count. I turned around and look up and the referee is just gushing blood out of the side of his head. Apparently the national title, when it was flying through the air, tilted in the air and caught the referee right on the side of the head and cut about a. I'd say about a 2 inch gap in his head. Like a gash in his head. Dude was bleeding all over the place. Bleeding all over the backstage. And sometimes those things happen to me. It's. It's not ballet. So every now and then things happen like that.

[Ryan Lemon]

You threw it at his head, did you, Shannon?

[Drew Franklin]

I threw it in the ring. I was trying to. Yeah, I was trying to hit him. I did. I wasn't necessarily trying to murder the guy, but it looked like a murder scene backstage and he had to get stitched up. So oops, it happens.

[Shannon The Dude]

What made a bigger mess, you splitting the referee's head over or Ryan Lemon at Lucas Oil Stadium? I know you mentioned this on the pre show, but I wanted to participate in the discussion since I saw the aftermath.

[Ryan Lemon]

And when I went to the back after this nice UK polo shirt, I was so proud of it. Wearing blue, wearing My logo. Despite what Piper was saying in Illinois. We walk over to the arena. Shannon and I get our chili cheese dog and chili cheese nachos.

[Drew Franklin]

First of all, we walked a mile cheese. We walked a full lap around the arena trying to find the media. By the time we had walked all the way around that place, we were hungry. And you wouldn't. You got what, a chili dog? Or was it chili cheese nachos?

[Ryan Lemon]

Chili cheese dog and chili cheese nachos. And in sure. In true Gary Lemon fashion, my dad spilt it all down my shirt. I mean, it was all over my shirt. It was so bad, I had to take the shirt off and throw it away. I couldn't wear it around. It was stained.

[Shannon The Dude]

I didn't know that part. I went to the. To the back after halftime to watch on tv. That was fun. And I noticed in the press conference, I guess where you were sitting, one of the chairs had chili dog stains.

[Ryan Lemon]

Oh, that was it.

[Shannon The Dude]

Is that where you were sitting or.

[Ryan Lemon]

Salt on Shannon's pretzel? We littered the whole place.

[Shannon The Dude]

Shannon came and sat by me and noticed the stain, and he was like, that was Ryan. At that point, I hadn't known anything about this. I'm like, what do you mean? That's Ryan.

[Ryan Lemon]

I had to walk around and had radio T shirt the rest of the night because I ruined my UK Polo.

[Drew Franklin]

I was convinced. I was convinced, Drew, we were going to get kicked out because there was nachos. All this is, by the way, the same room where they do like, the post game press conferences. And I look down, there's salt everywhere and there's nacho cheese and chips and chili all in the carpet. Like, somebody needs to bring us, like, a vacuum and a carpet machine cleaner. Otherwise we're going to get kicked out of here. It was a mess.

[Shannon The Dude]

What made you go chili cheese dog and chili cheese nachos. That alone, without spilling it is a move in itself.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, actually, I got it. So, Shannon, I could share the nachos.

[Drew Franklin]

We weren't sharing a hot dog.

[Ryan Lemon]

No, no. I ate the hot dog and got chili cheese nachos we could share. And then I spilled them all over the place.

[Shannon The Dude]

What is it with you and Indy? I've told this before, but I walked into Ten Roof one time before a Pacers game not even knowing you're there. And you are just absolutely covered in ranch.

[Ryan Lemon]

A whole bowl of ranch bowl.

[Shannon The Dude]

I mean, you're entirely covered. How do you know you had. Did you ask for more ranch to pour on yourself? And then it was either Indy or St. Louis. We go to the media room and we. You take a bite of food and you look at me and you lost a tooth at a NCAA tournament.

[Ryan Lemon]

You're right. Yeah. Maybe it's just the whole, the NCAA tournament thing, it does that to me. I had a poop tooth for like a week. Broke my tooth off.

[Shannon The Dude]

We are. We hadn't been in the building for 20 minutes and get the, whatever the media food was. And you look at me, it was.

[Ryan Lemon]

The fried ravioli that got me there in St. Louis.

[Drew Franklin]

How does fried ravioli break a tooth?

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, it was like a brick. A little small charcoal brick, I think it was.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, my God, you're such a treasure. We got to get you a bib next time.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, that's my dad. I. The apple didn't fall as far from that tree. All right, we'll take our final break, come back. Our final segment, you give us a call. 859-280-2287. Ryan, Drew and Shannon, we'll wrap it up. We come back here on Kentucky Sports Radio. Yeah, you're funny. You're really funny, Shannon. The whole, for people who don't know the whole commercial break, Drew and Shannon just laughed at me in my chili cheese covered UK polo and ended up in the trash can. This is like even before, like the second TV timeout.

[Drew Franklin]

No, it was, it was 10 minutes after we walked through the door. I look over and you're covered in half of what you're supposed to be eating.

[Shannon The Dude]

There's new info during the break too. He admitted that had it gotten on the under shirt, he was just going to wear it inside out around Lucas Oil.

[Ryan Lemon]

I thought about that. When I take this off at my undershirt is stained also because the grease seeping through. I have to turn it inside out and wear it. I thought I was gonna have to do that for my UK polo. Wear it inside out.

[Drew Franklin]

The visualization of you just walking around topless in the media area, that would have been the best. Kicked out quick, though.

[Ryan Lemon]

859-280-2287. Let's get a couple phone calls before we get out of here. Who we got?

[Drew Franklin]

Let's go to Joey.

[Ryan Lemon]

Joey, go ahead. Joey.

[Shannon The Dude]

Hi, guys.

[Caller]

How you doing?

[Matt Jones]

Good.

[Ryan Lemon]

Are you Joey?

[Shannon The Dude]

Can you hear me?

[Ryan Lemon]

Yes, sir. Go ahead.

[Caller]

I was talking about Pope.

[Ryan Lemon]

I was wanting to give him an.

[Caller]

A on the season, but one of my questions is, is he going to be able to get a big time talent? We've lost out on Wilson Dent Eagle staff. It's looking like a Mint. It's probably going to go to Louisville or Duke or do we need talent like that in his system?

[Ryan Lemon]

Do you think that's why?

[Caller]

Maybe we don't necessarily.

[Ryan Lemon]

We lose him.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Ryan Lemon]

Appreciate the phone call. That's the one big knock I think right now, Drew, can Pope go get the elite of the elite McDonald's All American one and done type guys?

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah, it'd been nice to get Caleb Wilson. You lose him to unc, you got Nate, you're in the mix, but probably unlikely you get him. Pope will eventually have to make a big splash with someone, but even if he doesn't like you, look at what he did this year. Like did anyone have Ortega o way doing what he did this year?

[Ryan Lemon]

Right.

[Shannon The Dude]

He went and got Oklahoma's sixth man that most of us, if we're being honest, had never heard of. He wasn't one of the big talked about transfer portal guys last season. Wasn't a lot of teams fighting over him. And he's second team all sec and it's probably going to be the face of your team next year. So yes, Pope needs to go out and get a big splash to prove he can do it. But at the same time, the way Pope operated, at least in that first year, is he went out and found exactly what he needed. Amari, Williams, Drexel, he got him pretty quickly. Wasn't a lot of attention on Amari in the portal, but he knew he needed a passing big that could, some defense that worked out pretty triple, double, fourth in history. Had a great season from start to finish. Wasn't perfect, but I mean to go out and Amari wasn't a big splash, nothing. We really celebrated and I think everyone loved Amar'e season. He should have been all sec. So you got to put a little faith in Pope after year one that he knows exactly what he wants to fit a system and can find the right guys, even if it may not be ranked as high as Dent, who's number one on a lot of lists. You lose him to ucla. Pope knows what he wants more than a lot of coaches who just say, I want the most talented and I'll figure it out. He's looking for very specific roles to bring together.

[Ryan Lemon]

Nobody mentions a Caden Lewis, but then I've got other people say he may be the best of all the incoming players is a Caden Lewis.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah, I mean he and Jasper Malachi, okay, they're not top 10, but those are still pretty big blue chip recruits. He came and got two of them from Kentucky. That helps. It was a Good start for his first recruiting cycle. Moving forward, he will need to eventually get some that aren't from Kentucky that are. That are big additions. But he also have to trust Pope and that he knows what he's looking for.

[Ryan Lemon]

We got time for one more, Shannon. Squeeze on one more before we get out of here.

[Drew Franklin]

Let's go to John.

[Ryan Lemon]

John, go ahead. Real quick. Yeah. Does anybody have any info on Reed Bailey from Davidson? Appreciate John. Matt's little synopsis he gave earlier that they're very much in the mix for him. There's a couple guys I think they're. They're like really on strong and feel good about, but now they'll have to determine which ones they want over the other guy. But I think that Davidson kids in the mix for sure.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah, Kentucky's been in contact right now. I mean, they cast such a wide net at this stage. It'll move quickly. But, you know, there's Zoom set up today. Zooms tomorrow. No one outside of a couple that you feel like we're good about. Like you saying magoons in a good position. Really, a lot of this can change on the fly. Probably will in the next couple days. We thought we were in a good spot with Dent. Could be even Trilly. And people that aren't even have Kentucky ties are saying, oh, my goodness, Kentucky threw quite a bag at him. Didn't expect UCLA to match. UCLA matches and he wants to stay home. So it's hard to know where they are exactly with Reed Bailey, but they've been in talks with him, you know, great.

[Ryan Lemon]

Also, Bar last year, they. They thought they really had him. And then, you know, at the last second, somebody comes in and out bids.

[Shannon The Dude]

Them that I thought was a done deal.

[Ryan Lemon]

I think it was a done deal for several years, for several days.

[Shannon The Dude]

And he just decided, or his agent decided, let's shop around, see if we can get more money. And it got to a price that Kentucky' Never mind. We're not going that high.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yep. All right. So Drew and Shannon, I will be studio tomorrow. Matt will be on location somewhere as he gets ready to head out of the country and go to Amsterdam for a couple days. And then Drew Palooza starts next week because I'm off. Shannon's off, Matt's off, Mario's off.

[Shannon The Dude]

What happened to the rule of three of us have to be on the show at the same time? Drew will be fine.

[Drew Franklin]

Rules are made to be broken, I think.

[Shannon The Dude]

Or I'll need some help for some voices. I'll need some calls. I'm going to spend this week. Kind of getting a game plan together. But it's going to be lonely if you'll be here.

[Drew Franklin]

I was going to say, if you get really desperate, or you can call Ryan and I, like, we'll chime in from a vacation. If you really need us, we'll be.

[Ryan Lemon]

On the beach with a margarita, sunscreen.

[Shannon The Dude]

On each other's back and doing God knows what in Panama City. I'll let you have your vacation. For Drew.

[Ryan Lemon]

For Shannon. I'm Ryan. Matt will be back tomorrow here on Kentucky Sports Radio. Goodbye.