2025-04-22- KSR - Hour 1

Summary

KSR Podcast Episode Summary: "Hour 1" – April 22, 2025

Host: Matt Jones
Co-hosts: Ryan Lemond and Drew Franklin
Release Date: April 22, 2025
Duration: Approximately 38 minutes
Sponsor: Stockton Mortgage, TJ Smith Law Office

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1. Introduction and Earth Day Greetings (01:05 – 01:53)

Matt Jones opens the show by wishing listeners a Happy Earth Day, prompting a brief discussion on how each co-host celebrates the occasion.

• Matt Jones (01:14): "What do you do on Earth Day? Plant a tree. Are you all going to plant a tree somewhere?"
• Drew Franklin (01:18): "I'm still digging up my yard for moles. That's how I'm celebrating Earth day."

They encourage listeners to engage through phone calls and text messages, mentioning platforms like Clark's Pump and Shop and Vision Auto Glass.

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2. Recent Passing of the Pope and Conclave Speculations (01:53 – 06:04)

The conversation shifts to the somber news of the Pope's passing at age 88, exploring the implications of this event.

• Matt Jones (01:53): "We didn't get to talk about that yesterday. I didn't expect to start with someone dying, but rest in peace to the pope who passed away at 88."
• Ryan Lemond (02:50): "There was a short guy. And they're not very long."

They humorously speculate about the conclave process, likening it to political maneuvering and movie scenarios.

• Matt Jones (05:11): "You get to choose your name, too. Yes, you get to choose your name because his name was not Francis. He chose it."
• Ryan Lemond (05:55): "Pope Shadrach, Meshak, and Abednego would be good for you."

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3. Kentucky Basketball Updates and NIL Discussions (06:04 – 41:43)

A. Denzel Aberdeen's Commitment (06:04 – 07:45)

Matt introduces the significant recruitment of Denzel Aberdeen from Florida, highlighting his previous performance and potential impact on the Kentucky basketball team.

• Drew Franklin (07:45): "I like the addition because he can back up Walter Clayton at point guard so he can do some ball handling behind Jalen Lowe."

B. NIL Payroll Insights (07:45 – 12:00)

The hosts delve into Kentucky's substantial investment in their roster, speculating the team may have the highest NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) payroll in the country.

• Matt Jones (07:22): "Jeff Goodman says Kentucky has spent more money on their roster than any team in the country, over $10 million."
• Ryan Lemond (10:33): "We all thought BYU would spend the most money because they've been throwing around a lot of it, too."

Mentions of Club Blue's financial struggles under John Calipari versus current success under Pope emphasize the administration's effective fundraising strategies.

• Matt Jones (12:00): "If Pope had come back, we always argue, would this have happened? He wouldn't have had any money."

C. Team Roster Strength and Future Prospects (12:00 – 21:06)

A comprehensive analysis of the team's depth, versatility, and potential to reach the Final Four is discussed.

• Matt Jones (13:13): "We got at least one and maybe two of everything."
• Drew Franklin (15:23): "That could be your handling gets a little better."

D. Predictions for Rising Stars (21:06 – 22:53)

The hosts predict emerging talents who could replicate last year’s surprising performances.

• Drew Franklin (21:09): "I think the surprise next year for me is going to be the kid from Tulane, Cam Williams."
• Ryan Lemond (22:07): "I still think Colin Chandler is going to blow people away next year."

E. Defensive Improvements and Versatility (22:53 – 41:43)

Focus on the team's enhanced defensive capabilities and positional flexibility, attributing these improvements to Coach Pope's strategies.

• Matt Jones (18:02): "Much better defensively. Like, we got like five guys who can guard."
• Ryan Lemond (20:30): "Diabate, he was guarding a lot of the smaller twos and threes at Alabama."

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4. Listener Calls and Community Engagement (41:43 – 37:03)

A. Pickleball and Bamboo Socks Enthusiasm (41:43 – 33:46)

A humorous segment arises from discussions about pickleball and the surprising discovery of bamboo socks, which spark excitement among the hosts and listeners.

• Matt Jones (28:58): "They have bamboo socks, which are the best socks of my life."
• Ryan Lemond (29:05): "I want to try them now."

B. Coaching Updates: Sean Woods and Scott County (36:02 – 37:06)

Updates on Sean Woods’ return to coaching at Scott County receive positive reactions.

• Ryan Lemond (36:02): "I'm just glad he's back in coaching. That's his passion."
• Drew Franklin (36:17): "Scott County, they were one of the premier high schools in the state for Billy Hicks."

C. Kentucky Derby and Local Sports (31:24 – 33:08)

Discussion about the Kentucky Derby, including listener’s favorite horses and the integration of local sports events into the community spirit.

• Caller Roy (31:38): "I think he's gonna do something."
• Drew Franklin (33:02): "Race for the Crown. All six episodes are up for getting you in the Kentucky Derby spirit."

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5. Product Highlights and Sponsorships (33:46 – 35:09)

Promotion of Cornbread Hemp’s new pure-infused seltzer is enthusiastically discussed, highlighting its flavors and health benefits.

• Matt Jones (33:31): "Cornbread Hemp has launched their first pure infused seltzer."
• Ryan Lemond (34:27): "I had the raspberry limeade. It was good."

Additionally, the benefits of bamboo socks are reiterated, with mentions of Bombas and their charitable initiatives.

• Matt Jones (35:09): "They give one pair to the homeless."
• Drew Franklin (35:22): "I wear Bombas. That's their big thing."

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6. Closing Discussions and Final Thoughts (35:09 – End)

The hosts reflect on the integration of entertainment within sports broadcasting, referencing Lee Corso’s philosophy about sports being a vehicle for entertainment.

• Matt Jones (41:53): "This radio show is in the entertainment business. UK sports is the vehicle."

They wrap up by acknowledging the diverse interests of their listeners, from bamboo socks to high-stakes sports discussions, emphasizing the show's role in blending sports updates with engaging community conversations.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Matt Jones (01:14): "What do you do on Earth Day? Plant a tree."
• Ryan Lemond (05:55): "Pope Shadrach, Meshak, and Abednego would be good for you."
• Matt Jones (07:22): "Jeff Goodman says Kentucky has spent more money on their roster than any team in the country, over $10 million."
• Matt Jones (13:13): "We got at least one and maybe two of everything."
• Drew Franklin (21:09): "I think the surprise next year for me is going to be the kid from Tulane, Cam Williams."
• Matt Jones (28:58): "They have bamboo socks, which are the best socks of my life."
• Matt Jones (35:09): "They give one pair to the homeless."
• Matt Jones (41:53): "This radio show is in the entertainment business. UK sports is the vehicle."

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Conclusion

This episode of KSR, hosted by Matt Jones and his team, offers a comprehensive blend of serious sports analysis and lighthearted community interactions. From discussing the implications of the Pope’s passing to deep dives into Kentucky basketball's recruitment and NIL strategies, the hosts provide valuable insights for enthusiasts. Additionally, segments on bamboo socks and local events like the Kentucky Derby add an engaging and relatable dimension to the show, making it a well-rounded listen for sports and community fans alike.

Transcript

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[Comedy Off Broadway Announcer]

Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington welcomes Dustin Nickerson April 17th through the 19th. Then catch the hilarious siblings Leah and Andrew Rudick April 24th through the 26th. And from Dublin, Ireland, it's David Nyhuel May 2nd and 3rd. Comedy Off Broadway opened in downtown Lexington in 1987 and they're still bringing the best in stand up comedy to the area 38 years later. Call 859-271-joke or visit comedyoffbroadway.com Comedy Off.

[Matt Jones]

Broad this is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones.

Welcome everyone, Kentucky Sports Radio Tuesday, April 22nd. I'm Matt Jones. It is Earth Day. It's Earth Day. Earth day.

[Ryan Lemond]

What do you do on Earth Day?

[Matt Jones]

Plant a tree. Are you all going to plant a tree somewhere?

[Drew Franklin]

I'm still digging up my yard for moles. That's how I'm celebrating Earth day.

[Matt Jones]

So happy Earth Day to everyone. Take care of the planet and give us a shout on the Clark's Pump and shop phone line. We will take calls today. 859-280-2287. A Vision Auto Glass text machine is 772-774-5254. Had great texts all day during the show yesterday and last night. Nice to hear from everybody and the this this edition sponsored by TJ Smith law office. Call tj. I'll make them pay. We are here at the KS Bar and Grill where you can come have lunch. It's a beautiful day. We're getting our little tarp out here taken off this week and then we'll have the patio.

[Ryan Lemond]

Nice.

[Matt Jones]

We got people here. We got people from Russell County, E Town, Somerset, Scott county, all here today for my first show back. And you are honoring the pope, it looks like. Yeah, but we didn't get to talk about that yesterday. I didn't expect to start with someone dying, but rest in peace to the pope who passed away at 88 and you're wearing a Pope T shirt.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah. Jack's given tees, made these T shirts where Father Jim. I was sicko. Sicko. Presented a Pope jersey to the Pope. And so they made a T shirt out of it. Was one of the coolest pictures I've seen. So kind of, you know, RIP So you just.

[Matt Jones]

You're wearing. You're wearing it out. Well, good. Yeah. So Pope passes away, which is very sad. 88 years old. I. You know, I don't have a pope ranking system because I don't. I don't know a lot of Popes. I remember when I was a kid, it was Pope John Paul ii.

[Ryan Lemond]

Oh, yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Felt like he was Pope for a long, long time. And then. Wasn't there somebody else before this one? It was.

[Ryan Lemond]

There was a short guy. And they're not very long.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. He didn't stay very long.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

And then they've had this one for a while. Seems like a good fella. Very compassionate. But he died right after JD Vance talked to him. Yes. Like, JD Vance sees him. He talking about a KSR curse. JD Vance curse. He dies, like, right after it. And now we get a conclave, which. We've seen the movie, and we know what happens.

[Ryan Lemond]

All the politicking that goes on in the conclave starting already. All the cardinals got to start. I think they're all arriving. They're. They're not all there years, like, so.

[Matt Jones]

They come for the funeral, and then does the conclave start right after?

[Ryan Lemond]

I think right after that.

[Matt Jones]

So what happens in the interim? What. What if they need a pope in the interim?

[Ryan Lemond]

Probably have assistant pope, vice pope. Vice pope.

[Matt Jones]

You think there's an assistant pope?

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah, we got an Andrew Hague that stands up and says, I now I'm in charge.

[Matt Jones]

Andrew what?

[Ryan Lemond]

Hague. Hague?

[Matt Jones]

Are you talking about that dude during when Reagan was president?

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Again, how do you know things? Like, literally, I asked you yesterday one through five, and you said seven, and now you're mention. And I don't even think his name was Andrew Hay.

[Ryan Lemond]

Was Alexander. Alexander Hay.

[Matt Jones]

But for people who don't remember, like, President Reagan got shot.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yep.

[Matt Jones]

And George Bush was like, out of the country or something. And I think it was Alexander. He stood up and go, I'm the president. And he wasn't. He wasn't. And everybody was like, hey, dude, chill. You're not the president.

[Ryan Lemond]

But they got one of the cardinals back there probably doing that right now. I am in charge right now.

[Matt Jones]

So have you seen?

[Drew Franklin]

Did you see? Well, I watched it during the final four. I saw I watched you recently during the final. Well, I mentioned this while you're gone, but Duke was up so big, I turned on Conclave, then switched it back.

[Matt Jones]

Did you like it?

[Drew Franklin]

It was a good movie. Rip to the Pope, but I would actually like to be locked in with all the boys, like, voting for something like, we can't leave. We're all in there together till we. Yeah, you know, whatever we're deciding, I think that would be kind of fun.

[Matt Jones]

They already have odds online, Shannon. You can. You can bet on it. Which seems. Which seems to me to be. I'm not Catholic, but it seems to be sacrilegious if you're betting on who's going to be the Pope. First of all, how would you know? Like this. Like, who out there has been studying the draft tape of all the cardinals?

[Ryan Lemond]

They got a plan.

[Matt Jones]

They got somebody a mixtape I need to watch.

They're going to have a combine where they all sit there and go, all right, let me see your prayer time.

[Drew Franklin]

Should we do a fade this and.

[Matt Jones]

Make our picks only on DraftKings? The Crown is yours.

The crown is yours. Literally. Literally. The crown will be yours on DraftKings. Well, I didn't expect to start with the Pope today, but rip to the Pope. I like this Pope. And good luck to whoever. By the way, you get to choose your name, too. Yes, you get to choose your name because his name was not Francis. He chose it.

[Ryan Lemond]

Right.

[Matt Jones]

So the new one gets to just choose their name, which is kind of exciting.

[Ryan Lemond]

It is kind of exciting.

[Matt Jones]

Like, like, you didn't like the name.

[Ryan Lemond]

You got, change it.

[Matt Jones]

Like, what would your name be like if you were Pope Matt. What were you going to call yourself?

Well, I mean, you need people from the Bible, right?

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

So I'd be. Well, I mean, Matt. Matthew.

Matthew.

[Ryan Lemond]

Matthew.

[Matt Jones]

I think I'd be Pope. Pope Matthew. I'd just be like, what I got was good.

[Drew Franklin]

Pope Andrew. It's pretty easy.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. What did you get? Ryan. There's no Ryan, no Chet.

[Ryan Lemond]

Pope Shadrach, Mesak and Abednego would be good for you. Yeah, that'd be a good one.

[Matt Jones]

Pope, dude.

[Drew Franklin]

Shannon the Pope.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, Shannon, the Pope is a good one. All right, so let's get back to non pope related talk yesterday. As soon as we got off the show. Kentucky, right after the show, gets Denzel Aberdeen. He commits from Florida. He was the sixth man on their team last year. One of those, you know, they had like four great guards, and he was one of them. When he. He averaged, I think, what. How many what do you average for the year?

[Drew Franklin]

Like seven.

[Matt Jones]

But when he started, he had some guys he started. He averaged 14 right in those games. So he is not your classic like definite three point shooter, which was kind of what I thought they would get. But he is a guy who can shoot, get to the basket. Really good defender, I think could end up being like our quote unquote lockdown defender when they want to guard somebody on the outside, you know. Surprising leaves the national championship team where people thought he would start to stay in conference. Florida fans are mad. Like when we go down to the Swamp, if we. I think we go there next year, he's going to get booed out of the gym. But a great pickup. And reports are UK basketball. Drew is now done with recruiting. I haven't gotten the call saying Pope's ready to come on yet, so I'm not going to confirm. But still yet maybe done.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, it seems they're. They're done with the portal. I guess there's a high school player they're still considering for.

[Matt Jones]

But that would be like as a developmental guy. He's like Brandon Hawthorne. He's from Beckley, West Virginia, which you may remember is Sex Town from my friends. What are you looking at me? I've told the story a hundred.

[Ryan Lemond]

It was Beckley meet up.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, that's where they would meet up. His girlfriend. But anyway, you like. Do you like the Denzel Aberdeen pickup?

[Drew Franklin]

I like the addition because he can. He. He backed up Walter Clayton at point guard so he can do some ball handling behind Jalen Lowe. Really good defensively. I did a big thorough breakdown of all his stats yesterday as you mentioned, when he actually started because they were very crowded with Elijah Martin. Walter Clayton wasn't taking their minutes, but he shot 41% from three and had 15 points a game in the 5sec starts. But my favorite part of anything is Florida fans didn't want to lose him. It seems a lot of them on Twitter, they're very angry. I got on their message boards this. They're not just mad at him for going across conference, they genuinely wanted him to be a big piece next season. So they're. The fact that it hurt them tells me what kind of important.

[Matt Jones]

What's interesting to me is he probably was going to start for Florida coming off a national title and I'm not sure he's going to start here. Right. I think he might be the sixth man here because I. Jalen Lowe's going to start at point guard and always going to play and I just can't imagine that Jasper Johnson came here not to start. So I kind of think he's coming here to be the sixth man when he might have started at Florida. Which gets me the second point, which is Jeff Goodman says Kentucky has spent more money on their roster than any team in the country, over $10 million. Thinks we're going to end up with the highest nil payroll. Now, of course, you can never confirm that, but I think that surprised some people. Are you. So first of all, do you like the Aberdeen pickup? And then are you surprised we might have the biggest nil?

[Ryan Lemond]

I really like the Aberdeen pickup. And, you know, just in the national championship game, he was on the floor for the final four or five minutes when they made their big comeback. You know, he was that vital of a player. And I agree with you. I don't think he'll start, but he's so comfortable coming off the bench now as a six man, maybe that's kind of appealing to him. Maybe he wants to be that guy to come off the bench and provide us.

[Matt Jones]

And I think Kentucky was like, they wanted to wrap this up. Yeah. You know, they didn't want. Because the portal closes today. We talked about how there was this endless supply of salmon, but the supply ends today. And I think the thought was, okay, maybe we get the kid from Kansas. Maybe we get. But, like, we know we get this kid, so let's just do it. $12 million saying our payroll could be 10 to $12 million. Couple interesting things to me about that. I knew Kentucky would be competitive with NIL funds, but when I was. I had one. I did one call when I was in the Netherlands about recruiting, and I talked to a person and I said, this was before we had gotten Jaylen Low. Right. And so I was like, you know, we can't. We're not getting people. Do we have the money to compete? And the person said to me, the money is fine. And they said it like, don't even worry about it. Which makes me think, Drew, they must, like, in this nil world, say Kentucky's not going to be second, which is, I think, good, maybe a little surprising.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, we all thought BYU would spend the most money because they've been throwing around a lot of it, too. And even Chicken Town down there with Cal and Tyson, I thought they'd be among the tops. But now everyone, Louisville, Louisville's been a lot too early. They're sitting around, they got. They overpaid for three guys right away.

[Matt Jones]

Michigan has got a lot, too.

[Drew Franklin]

But it shouldn't be too surprising. I'm sure Joe Craft has been a big part of this, but I didn't expect people to be saying number one overall and over, you know, 10 to 15 million dollars is what they're spending. That's wild.

[Matt Jones]

Now, I'm not. I have no idea. And I mean this. I have no idea who's giving the money. I'm going to assume the crafts are a big part of it, but I do not know that for certain. Here's what I do know. When two years ago, when John Calipari was here, the money was gone. Like, they were not able to raise money. Part of the reason when they launched Club Blue. It has gone extremely well since, but it was a complete disaster when it first started in terms of the. The money being raised. Because, remember, we did that. The whole story about the commercial and all that stuff. And if nothing else, Pope has made it to where these people want to give money. So if Cal had come back, we always argue, well, would this have happened? Would this have happened? He wouldn't have had any money. He got money at Arkansas, and we got money here with him leaving. But I don't think that would have happened if they were at the same place.

[Ryan Lemond]

It's an amazing 180 going from nothing, and now they've got money coming out their wazoo. And I think you're right. I think Pope is a big reason why I think they believe in him. He's got these boosters back on board, and that's why the money is going to be there. Now, if they needed to recruit these.

[Matt Jones]

Kids, and this might be the last year where that matters. That way, we might have a completely different system next year where it's revenue sharing. The money goes down. You actually have to get ads, by the way. I think that's a system that will help Kentucky as well, because we actually have local businesses now doing endorsement deals. But Kentucky. Now, how good is the roster, in your opinion? Is it a. Is this a Final four roster?

[Drew Franklin]

I think so.

[Ryan Lemond]

Part of it.

[Drew Franklin]

I wondered if it was just me being too excited and, you know, being a fan. But then just reading the Internet yesterday, I mean, there's been some new rankings come out where they're top five. There's been some accounts I really trust, some national accounts, say Kentucky. If Mark Pope can make all these pieces fit, this will be the best roster in college basketball. So I already thought it because I've liked all the additions, especially assuming quite as gets healthy, but seeing people who are just completely objective and don't have a care in the world about who's the best. Them saying Kentucky is going to be a leader. That gets me even more excited.

[Matt Jones]

Here's what I like about. Here's how I know our fans like it. I said Kentucky would be top five to eight next year, and people were mad at me. They didn't think that was high enough. By the way, if we're number one, guess what? That also is top five.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yes, it is.

[Matt Jones]

Okay. I mean, number one is in the top five to eight. Here. Here's why I like the lineup. We got at least one and maybe two of everything.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yep.

[Matt Jones]

Okay. Last year we had, we. I think we had all of the starting pieces to be really good, but we really didn't have a second line that could do it next year. Our second team is also very good. So what, in my opinion, you want to win in March? What do you need? You need guards who can go get you a shot down the stretch. We have Jalen Lowe, we have Otega away and we might maybe Jasper Johnson is that too. Right. You need guys who can shoot. We have nine different guys who in their career have shown the ability to shoot threes. Okay. You gotta have. You got to protect the rim. We got tons of size, right? Garrison, the, the Croatian kid, you know, Malachi Moreno, they got a ton of size. You need physical toughness. That's something we didn't have last year. That's why you go get diabotic. Right. Brandon Garrison can be a tough guy if he wants to be. And then you get. You need role players who can come in, nail the corner three. That's that Cam Williams kid from, from Tulane. I think they have everything they need. The only, my only question is, do you have a star? Star? Do you have Walter Clayton Jr. Do you have Cooper flag? You know, Houston, we're built like Houston was last year in some ways. And there was a couple times when you watch Houston where it was like they need a bucket and it's not 100% sure who's going to go get it, but that's the only weakness. I don't even know if it's a weakness. That's my only concern. Because otherwise you got. You got 12 guys, maybe 13 guys that can play. And to me, I don't know how you can't love that.

[Drew Franklin]

So it might be preseason All American.

[Matt Jones]

He might be.

[Drew Franklin]

So that could be your handling gets a little better.

[Matt Jones]

If his three point shooting gets better, he's an all American. His three point shooting needs to be a little bit more consistent. But if he gets it, he's an All American.

[Ryan Lemond]

So does that having, you know, all this depth to it, each spot, all the right pieces, does that overcome not having a star in your mind?

[Matt Jones]

I'm not saying we don't have a star. I'm saying I'm just not 100% sure who, who it will be. But you got everything you want.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yep.

[Matt Jones]

I don't know if we're preseason number one. Purdue is going to be really good because they got the one kid coming back. Houston will be good. You know, all of our rivals like Louisville is going to be good. Arkansas is going to be good. BYU is not a rival. But the Pope thing, they're going to be good. But I love where we are. The SEC will not be as good as it was last year. It'll still be really. But it's not going to be what it was last year. So Drew, I like where, like where we stand. Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

And like you're 11, 12 and 13 is probably going to be Marino, a McDonald's all American. Travis Perry who had to start games last year and Trent. I mean those guys were outside of Marino. Those two were playing quality minutes on last year's team. And they might be sitting at the end of the big.

[Matt Jones]

It's gonna be three dudes from Kentucky that we know. At least two of them have played already when we had to. So I It remind me of 20. Not look, 2015 had a ton more top end NBA talent. But you remember who the 11th and 12th man were? Dominique Hawkins and Derrick Willis. Both of whom ended up having really good careers at Kentucky. So kind of reminds me of that a little bit. 859-2280, 2287 we're going to take a break. We're here at KS Bar. It's Kentucky Sports Radio. Welcome back Kentucky Sports Radio. What? They're handing out pickleball paddles where the.

Lovable slugger filled for the bats game coming up this week.

What day?

I'd have to go back and listen. But I mean, why do you care? You're not gonna go get them?

No, I want to go and take them all and break them. That's what I would like.

You know your boy Ryan got into pickleball while you were gone.

I heard. I didn't want to talk about. I'm already disappointed in him enough.

[Ryan Lemond]

I. I didn't want to admit that to you, sir, but.

[Matt Jones]

Did you enjoy it?

[Ryan Lemond]

Yes.

[Matt Jones]

Okay. I did.

[Ryan Lemond]

Shannon ran me all over the court.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, you played with Shane?

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah, he was. He taught me how to play first.

[Drew Franklin]

Time we ever played part of their bros week.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, well, you know, it's fine. I'm gonna let you all do it enough and then I'll play once and beat you all and make you all retire. It'll be a loser leaves town matchup. If I be up. Shannon, if I beat you, you have to quit.

Okay.

If you beat me, then I have to play. How's that?

Oh, okay. I like that you have.

You like.

You have to play like once a week. You have to join a league.

Yeah. I think you give me 10 minutes to warm up, I'll beat you.

You might, but just because I'm used to. But, like, I'm good. I'm just telling you.

I could see that you have. You have hand eye coordination. So I could see you being.

Ryan could not move. You know, for a guy that's a stolen base leader at Kentucky Wesleyan, you.

Can let him say that about you. You can't move.

[Ryan Lemond]

I was sore for three days after we played pickleball. Yes.

[Matt Jones]

You pulled your groin playing pickleball.

[Ryan Lemond]

Shannon's running me all over the court. Yes.

[Matt Jones]

Those people that come into the bar and tell me they play pickle.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

They don't pull their groin.

[Ryan Lemond]

Well, I don't exercise at all.

[Matt Jones]

You need to.

You need to. Have you thought about that? You're like 73. Isn't it time to get a little bit of exercise?

[Ryan Lemond]

Probably. That's why I think pickleball is the answer.

[Matt Jones]

Well, apparently not one person on text machine writes, matt, in what ways will our team be better next year? And in what ways will they be worse? I mean, obviously this is a guess because we don't know, but. But we're going to be. I think I feel very confident saying, drew, we're going to be much better defensively. Much better defensively. Like, we got like five guys who can guard. Last year we had like one and a half or two. Maybe we have to Count Amari. 3. But in general, much better defensively, much tougher. If you're going to say, what are we going to be worse, we're probably not going to be quite as good shooting threes. We're going to be. You know, that team, when they got hot, could make a ton of threes. This team probably takes a step back in threes. More athletic, more defense, Better defense. That's the way I would look at it.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I love that Pope. I think when he got to the sec, he looked around like, whoa, this league's different.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

He knew he had to go out and get Physical and add defense. I think they finished just outside the top 50 last year, but at one point they're outside the top 100, but he obviously made that a priority. They have several guys that can guard. They could even have a five. That's all defense. And to knock on everything. They're going to be healthier, hopefully, because I can't imagine it, having a team anything like last year. That was just unfortunate luck.

[Matt Jones]

Well, that's probably why you got 13 players. I also think you're going to have something that's going to be great, which is they're going to be able to switch at almost every position. Yes. You know what I mean? Like, like, think about last year, okay. If Andrew Carr gets switched on a point guard, you're dead. You're just. You're dead. If Lamont Butler gets switched on a center, you're dead. Now, it doesn't happen a ton, but it could. You. You're going to have a lot of guys who can switch at every position. I think it'll make it to where we're much better defensively.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah. Diabate, he was guarding a lot of the smaller twos and threes at Alabama.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. And Brandon Garrison is not the greatest at that, but he can do it.

[Drew Franklin]

He was awesome. Because he did.

[Matt Jones]

You're exactly right.

[Drew Franklin]

He was getting really comparisons, at least for a night.

[Matt Jones]

So I think that that versatility is also going to be. Going to be big. Who's up first?

Doug.

Doug. How are you, Doug?

[Drew Franklin]

I'm doing great, Matt. I've got a question for. For all of you guys.

[Matt Jones]

Okay.

[Drew Franklin]

You know, I think everybody would agree that last year, Ortega always was the surprise of the team.

[Matt Jones]

No doubt. Definitely the surprise. Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay, looking at the lineup, everybody we've got on the team now, who is next year's Ortega or way?

[Matt Jones]

Well, I think the surprise next year for me is going to be the kid from Tulane, Cam Williams. I think he's going to be. I think people are penciling him in. When you look at people, they're saying he's Ansley Almanor. I've had people tell me that's an NBA athlete. Now, that doesn't mean he's an NBA player. He's going to have. But like, he is a top level athlete. Ansley was, you know, Mario's favorite player, but he wasn't a top level athlete. I think that guy's going to be a dude. He's going to have some games where he comes in and you go, oh, wait a minute, what about this kid? So that's my pick for that.

[Drew Franklin]

I agree with him a lot. I don't think we're talking about him enough. Part of it because he was the first to commit. We were still in the tournament, but he's in the NBA conversation. He's still young, very athletic. But for my pick, and I won't say it'd be quite the OA season, but I still think Colin Chandler is going to blow people away next year.

[Matt Jones]

I would love it.

[Drew Franklin]

I don't know where we didn't mention.

[Matt Jones]

Him as a starter, but maybe it was not crazy.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, once that. Once he flipped that switch. It was a little late in the year, but we saw the potential as the season ended. Now he's going to have a whole summer. Remember last year he spent the summer just doing conditioning. I mean, he was out there without a basketball for a lot of it. Just getting acclimated with basketball again. I think he's due for a big breakout sophomore season.

[Ryan Lemond]

I'm going to go with Yellow Vic, the Croatian sensation.

[Matt Jones]

So that's how you say it.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah. Yellow Vic.

[Matt Jones]

All right.

[Drew Franklin]

I've been impressed with his name. We had practice.

[Ryan Lemond]

We had practice.

[Drew Franklin]

You said diabate just a minute ago.

[Matt Jones]

You know. How do you know anything about yellow?

[Ryan Lemond]

I don't.

[Matt Jones]

So why are you impressed with it?

[Ryan Lemond]

Oh, I thought you meant about his name. I make sure we got his name right. Well, you know, I actually watched the video clips.

[Matt Jones]

It was a minute and a half.

[Ryan Lemond]

You look fantastic to me. Six, nine. Guy a little older can shoot.

[Matt Jones]

We can make you look great playing pickleball with a minute and a half of like.

I will say he played. Someone told me. And I didn't see it, but someone told me he played like last night in his pro league. And there were some people online who watched it.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah? What'd they say?

[Matt Jones]

And he had like 18 points.

[Ryan Lemond]

Oh, backed up.

[Matt Jones]

So maybe we should look up Drew and see if they're playing.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay. Betamax.

[Matt Jones]

And maybe we could even watch it at the bar, have a yellow pitch.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm sure they're at a casino somewhere playing. That's what they do.

[Matt Jones]

Look and see if they play because I think he played like a night or two. That might be completely made up. I don't know, but somebody told me. We'll be right back. Ksr, TJ Smith, personal injury attorney. Call tj.

He'll make him pay. Now more of Kentucky Sports Radio, presented by Stockton Mortgage. Here's Matt Jones.

Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio 8592802287 Text Machine 7745254. One person writes. Matt, is there a timeline on Jaden Quaintance return? Last I heard, it was maybe the first month. I've heard, like, four different things. So I'm gonna wait and see what Pope says, because I. I've heard people say, be ready to start the season. I was originally told start of SEC play. So I, you know, I'm gonna wait and see. I assume they went and got diabate in part because you gotta wait and you don't know what Quaintance is gonna be. But. But. So I don't know when he gets healthy.

[Ryan Lemond]

I mean, he's a stud.

[Matt Jones]

He's the.

[Ryan Lemond]

He's the guy that could be our superstar if and when he gets healthy.

[Matt Jones]

One person writes. Matt, you said right before you went on your trip or at the beginning of the year, you were going to try to read 52 books this year for each week. One for each week. Where are you on it? I am. I just finished my 13th book last night, so I think I'm a little behind. I think by the end of April, if I was going to keep it to where you'd want to be, you'd want to have read, what, 17? And I'm. I'll have probably by the end of April, 14 or 15. So I'm a little behind. But the summer's the time to catch up, right? So I think I can. I think I can just get you.

[Ryan Lemond]

Some of those are, like, just 50 pages long.

[Matt Jones]

I don't. Why would I want to cheat doing it for myself? So, like, why would I want to cheat myself?

[Ryan Lemond]

What was the philosopher. You said you guys read. You were reading Spinoza.

[Matt Jones]

Spinoza just catch up on his reading.

[Ryan Lemond]

Can you count those? Can you count those for your.

[Matt Jones]

Those are hard to read. Like, philosophy books are the ones that would take the long. Yeah, it's like fiction. That would be the quickest. All right, so I found.

[Drew Franklin]

I found the news for our friends at Mega Super Bet.

[Matt Jones]

That's the Supermax Betamax. Their website says Super Bet, which the team's name is.

[Drew Franklin]

Super Bet right there. Super Bet.

[Matt Jones]

Okay.

[Drew Franklin]

I like it. All right, again, the crown is yours. So they played last night. Fourth consecutive win for Mega Super Bet.

[Matt Jones]

That sounds like something if you were, like, in a foreign country and, like, they had come in here for Mega.

[Drew Franklin]

Super Bet, you know, so Bogo Legup Markovich led. Led Super Vet with double.

[Matt Jones]

Double.

[Drew Franklin]

But right behind him in the second paragraph from the game write up is our boy Andrea yellow with 18 points and eight rebounds. They're moving on to the round of 29 in the league.

[Matt Jones]

But no, that's not the round. Promise.

[Drew Franklin]

I don't know how that round of.

[Matt Jones]

29, how that works, but they play.

[Drew Franklin]

On Monday in the round of 29. They're hosting SC Derby. Heard of them at the Student Sea Skin Center.

[Matt Jones]

Student center, yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

But yes, he did play and played well. He's.

[Matt Jones]

What time they play Monday?

[Drew Franklin]

So they play at 8:00 at Stickinski Center. Time.

[Matt Jones]

That'd be like 2:00pm here.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, we're doing the math.

[Matt Jones]

All right, so here's what I want to do. I say, Drew, I'm putting you in charge of this, okay? You have to figure out if this is possible. If you can find a way to get that game. I'll pay for it.

[Drew Franklin]

No, no, we'll go dark side of the Internet. It'll be free.

[Matt Jones]

Well, we'll watch it here Monday at 2pm we'll have a little mini Super Betamax thing. Monique's looking at me. Well, it won't be that many people, I promise. Don't worry about it. It won't be that many people. But we'll. We'll watch it here.

[Drew Franklin]

Wear pink.

[Matt Jones]

Wear pink.

[Drew Franklin]

We'll super bet on the game.

[Matt Jones]

I know people have to work and stuff, so you might not be able to come, but, like, even if it's just the three of us, we'll watch it, we can live stream and I mean, I don't think they'll come after us. So look and see if. Max, if we can get the mega Super Betamax game.

[Drew Franklin]

While Monique's listening, she can dial up her favorite Croatian recipes for the menu.

[Matt Jones]

Monique, do you have Croatian recipes?

[Drew Franklin]

She's loving this.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Do you know any Croatian recipes? Never been. Yeah, they do a lot of fish. They do a lot of like calamari and stuff because they're on the ocean.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay, so.

[Matt Jones]

So anyway, we'll work it out.

[Drew Franklin]

I'll find a way. I'm good at the Internet.

[Matt Jones]

Speaking of, of, of, you know, Europe, I have found. And I need somebody to help me find them here. I have found my new perfect socks.

[Ryan Lemond]

Oh, really?

[Matt Jones]

All right, so what, what when you buy socks, what are they usually made of? What are the choice? Cotton is the main one.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Shannon, you. What else? Like silk?

Some people, those are called stockings.

I mean, I don't usually.

Cotton. I would say cotton's probably wool in the winter.

[Ryan Lemond]

Wool.

[Matt Jones]

Okay. So I was walking through Altmar was. I was waiting to try to get to the soccer game and they have a market on set. The whole downtown of the city shuts down and has a market. That's kind of also why I went there, because it's, like, known as the best market in the walked. All kinds of great stuff. They have the food, like, strudel. Like, what do you call it? With the waffle. Waffle. The point is, it's like. It's. It's good. All right.

Doing a great job explaining.

I'm doing a great job. But anyway, I was at this place, and this woman goes, do you want socks? And I thought, well, that's a weird thing to ask me. She said, these are the best socks in the world. They're made of bamboo. Whoa.

[Ryan Lemond]

That sound comfortable.

[Matt Jones]

See, you're shaking your head. They're made of bamboo. And I was like, you know, I didn't come here for socks. I'm probably okay. She said. And she had a very sincere look on her face.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

She said, I promise you, these socks will be the best purchase of your life. Well, when somebody says that, Shannon.

Gotta get talking about socks.

I was like, how much are they? $7 for two. Two pairs?

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah. I said, you know what?

[Matt Jones]

If they're gonna be the best socks of my life and you get two of them and I get two pairs and you have $7 and I had $7. I said, you know what? I'm gonna get them. Best socks of my life.

[Ryan Lemond]

Well, I want to try them now.

[Matt Jones]

Best socks in my life. Here's why. No. You know I get blisters when I walk a lot.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

No blisters. Thin, so not like cotton. All thick, thin. No blisters. Water. Like, they don't get wet. Like, you don't sweat. Right. And then they don't stink. I could walk all day, walk all over town, take them off. They didn't smell. I could wear them for multiple days. Still didn't smell. And my feet can stink. I know that if things are not going. Didn't smell, I now have to find. And they had, like, no brand. But I'm. Now I gotta find where I can get bamboo socks here. I will not buy. I'm wearing cotton socks right now. I'll not buy another pair of cotton socks if I can find bamboo. I didn't even know that was a thing. I thought bamboo was, like, sticks. But. But it's. It's. It's socks.

[Ryan Lemond]

Are they like dress socks? Like a little pile?

[Matt Jones]

No, no, they. Well, you can get whatever you want. I had, like, little ankle socks, but you could get whatever you want.

[Ryan Lemond]

Wear Them so we can see them tomorrow.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I have to wash them. They. I did wear them, like, a lot, so I have to wash them. But. But bamboo socks. That's my little advice.

They do exist in America, so you can find them. There's companies.

Are they $7 for two pairs?

No, they're 49.

49.

[Drew Franklin]

You got a deal.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. What a bar. She told you. Should have bought a lot more.

4940 for a four pack.

They're 49.

Yeah. Trump, you should have. You should have gotten a lot more while you were there.

No, I should have.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

So I'm all in on bamboo socks. Just a little piece of advice.

[Drew Franklin]

I think Ryan needs to get a pair. I've seen your socks. Your little piggies are hanging out at the end of them. Maybe we'll get you a pair of.

[Matt Jones]

They didn't wear. They didn't. I didn't sweat. They didn't stink. They did. I didn't have any blisters.

[Ryan Lemond]

This lady was like the sock angel there.

[Matt Jones]

Yes.

[Ryan Lemond]

She told you.

[Matt Jones]

Thank you.

[Ryan Lemond]

The best purchase of your life.

[Matt Jones]

And she was right. Who's next?

Let's go to Kentucky Joe.

Oh, goodness. 859-280-2287. Go ahead, Kentucky Joe.

[G]

I'll say Happy Tuesday, y'all. It's been a good show. They talking about bamboo stock, UK basketball.

[Matt Jones]

Yes.

[G]

I got something. Something's coming up and I think. I think you're all going to talk about soon. Called the Kentucky Derby.

[Matt Jones]

I've heard of it.

[G]

I'm. I'm waiting for that to happen this year.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, the Kentucky Derby is happening. It's the first Saturday in May, same time as is every year. Who's your horse this year, Joe? I like Brad Cox.

[G]

I think he's gonna. He's gonna do something.

[Matt Jones]

That's not a horse, though. That's a person. Who. Which horse do you like?

[G]

That's what I'm saying. I'm talking about Tapping Street.

[Matt Jones]

Tap It Street. There was a horse named Tap It?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

So I guess that's. Its dad is Tappet Street.

[G]

No, it's. It's under his fire. Is he fired a bunch of good, good winners.

[Matt Jones]

So it's called Tapit. All right, hang on. It's called Tapit street, but it's not related to Tappett.

[G]

Right, Right.

[Matt Jones]

I know that feels like that. Should I just. Can I just call my horse Secretariat Street.

[Drew Franklin]

I like it.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[G]

Yeah, I guess so.

[Matt Jones]

All right. On speaker. And you. You got. I love you, but you can't when you're on speaker. I can't hear you, and it's very muffled, so next time. I love you, Joe, but you gotta take us off speaker. But go ahead.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. The Netflix show came out today.

[Ryan Lemond]

It's right.

[Drew Franklin]

Race for the Crown. All six episodes are up for getting you in the Kentucky Derby spirit. I'm gonna be watching that tonight.

[Matt Jones]

Carrie. Bruce just wrote me and says bamboo is a game changer. Socks, clothing. Once you wear bamboo, it changes everything.

[Ryan Lemond]

So they have, like, bamboo underwear.

[Matt Jones]

I don't know how to go into the underwear.

I just wore this shirt. Yeah, they're good. Bamboo shirts are good. How about sheets? Bamboo sheets? Do you have any of those?

I don't. Maybe. Maybe I just changed my whole life into bamboo.

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

What about stocking bamboo after you promoted on this show?

[Matt Jones]

I'm just saying it was very, very good.

[Ryan Lemond]

If anybody sells it. Yeah. Here in Kentucky, they're about to get whammed.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Wham.

[Ryan Lemond]

Slam. Whams like slam.

[Matt Jones]

They're about to get wham.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

All right. Well, hey, folks, big news is here. Cornbread Hemp has launched their first pure infused seltzer.

[Drew Franklin]

Had one last night.

[Matt Jones]

I did, too.

Hey, the watermelons, were they good? They look delicious. Yeah, the Watermelon Salty Watermelon porch in Louisville. And I didn't drink it because it said, you know, this will help relax you. And I didn't know if I needed.

[Drew Franklin]

To buy mine at Liquor Barn.

[Matt Jones]

Well, they came to me, but so. So Cornbread Hemp, they have only 5 grams of sugar, 30 calories. They're the perfect way to kick back with friends or enjoy a relaxing evening to yourself. Blueberry breeze, salted watermelon, peach iced tea or raspberry limeade.

[Ryan Lemond]

That's what I had, the raspberry limeade.

[Matt Jones]

Did you? So you all had them?

[Ryan Lemond]

We took one, Shannon. I had one down at the beach.

[Matt Jones]

Well, you had one. Yeah. You had.

Did you like it?

[Ryan Lemond]

It was good. I would drink it again. I want to try the. The peach iced tea, though.

[Matt Jones]

So Cornbread Hemp. You can learn more@cornbread hemp.com or try them in your local stores. It is the Cornbread Hemp Seltzer. They. I came home and I had, like, four things of them on my porch. I will try one at some point.

[Ryan Lemond]

Bring it with your bamboo socks.

[Drew Franklin]

I'll take some free ones.

[Matt Jones]

All right.

[Drew Franklin]

It really was good, though, the salted watermelon.

[Matt Jones]

We'll take a break. Be right back. This Kentucky sports radio. I wish I'd. I wish I'd gotten Some bamboo socks to sell because it feels like a lot of people are going to get them. And a lot of you all apparently have bamboo sheets.

[Ryan Lemond]

That. I've heard that as a thing. I've not heard bamboo. Bamboo clothing, though.

[Matt Jones]

So Bombus. I think they used to advertise on this show. Apparently if you buy bamboo socks from them, they give. They give. They sell you one and then give one pair to the homeless.

[Ryan Lemond]

That's kind of cool.

[Matt Jones]

That seems like a very nice. Very nice.

[Drew Franklin]

I wear bombas. That's their big thing. They might have started on Shark Tank, too.

[Matt Jones]

Bamboo sheets, though, are not cheap. They're kind of expensive.

[Ryan Lemond]

We said the socks here in America were expensive.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, well, they weren't in Alkmaar, so. So, you know, I'm sure you can.

[Ryan Lemond]

Get them on Amazon.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I mean, you can get anything on Amazon. Sean woods hired his Scott county coach from an unforgettable to now the coach at Scott County. You know, Sean was on a bunch of our shows last year. This had kind of been something people been talking about. But were you. Are you surprised? Your former TV colleague, Sean.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah, I think my buddy Alan Cutler broke the story last night, and it was. I'm just glad he's back in coaching. I mean, that's his passion. That's his love. He wants to get back in coaching. Took a year off. Kind of did a lot of media stuff. So, you know, if he gets his foot back in the door. Scott county, why not? So good. Good for him.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I think he'll be good at that. Like Ryan said, we know he'd been wanting to get back into coaching for a while. We've had a little bit of a Great Crossing dynasty around here lately. I think he'll bring Scott.

[Matt Jones]

Scott County's probably like, we don't want to keep having this great Crossing thing, you know. They won state, didn't they?

[Ryan Lemond]

Yes, they did.

[Matt Jones]

So, I mean, Scott county probably wants. You're wearing a Great Crossing Church.

[Ryan Lemond]

He works for Jake. Great Crossing.

[Matt Jones]

Okay. So you're. They're probably wanting to, you know, say, hey, we got to get back to where we are. Yeah, we are. Scott County.

[Drew Franklin]

They were one of the premier high schools in the state for Billy Hicks.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah, the Billy Hicks run was legendary. Won a couple state titles, had a couple Mr. Basketballs. So, you know, that's a tradition.

[Matt Jones]

Rich school are the best Scott county players of all time. Scott something. Scott was Rick Jones. Rick Jones. That's right. Rick.

Scott Hunley. Yeah.

That's why I got him confused. Yes.

[Drew Franklin]

What About Bud Mackey was a sad story. He was really good.

[Matt Jones]

Didn't Rick Jones. So, yeah, Shannon, Rick Jones and Scott Hunley went to Vandy, right?

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Jones got dismissed for, I think, some kind of charge, marijuana charge or something, but he didn't last long there. But he was great, though. While he was.

[Ryan Lemond]

Mackey, in my opinion, is the best high school kid that's ever played in this area. When he was really. He was in the same class as what?

[Matt Jones]

Like, hang on. That's a strong statement.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

So you saying better than Jack Given?

[Ryan Lemond]

I think, if I'm not mistaken, better than James. Yes. He was in the same class with, like, Shelvin Mack, Scotty Hobson, maybe Darius Miller. There was a bunch of guys in the NBA. Bud Mackey was better than all of them.

[Matt Jones]

So you think Bud Mackie was better than any player in this area ever for.

[Ryan Lemond]

For the last 25 years? I don't. I don't want to disparage Jack Givens or Dirk Minnafield, but Bud Mackey was awesome.

[Matt Jones]

Wow.

[Ryan Lemond]

He played in that one game where they played O.J. mayo. And who was the other dude that he ended up playing with in the NBA? From O.J. mayo. And he's the best person. No, Billy Wagner. Billy.

[Matt Jones]

Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. I do remember what you talking about. He went to Indiana.

[Ryan Lemond]

Right. But no, he got. Got in trouble, went to jail, never played his senior year, lost his scholarship to Indiana.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. But he was. That's where he was gonna go.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Kelvin Sampson, 859-280-2287. Who's up next?

Roy.

And good luck to Sean Woods. Hope it. Hope it goes well, Roy. Go ahead, Roy.

[H]

Yeah, everybody is going on about how much money Kentucky spent to get that kid from Florida. Well, how about Nate of Mint? How much did Tennessee pay for him? How much did North Carolina pay for the kid that wanted to come to Kentucky? And different ones. So, yeah, the game. And that's the way.

[Matt Jones]

That's exactly right.

[H]

And in my opinion, I think this kid from Florida, I'd rather have him any day than Nate A. Mint, because the. The kid from Alabama that transferred will shut him down when we play.

[Matt Jones]

All right, I appreciate the call. We do have to transfer our mindset for a minute. This call caller's exactly right. This idea that, like, you paid a lot of money for that kid as a put down needs to go away. Right? So, I mean, whether you like it or not, this is where college sports are. So if the Cincinnati Reds in four years, which they won't, but if they do decide to make Ellie De La Cruz the highest paid player in BAS baseball. Good. That's what we need. We want to keep him, right? So to me, Drew, I'm taking the view you've had for years. It ain't my money, right? And if it's not my money and we don't have a cap now, we may have a cap one day, at which point then how much you're being paid is a different thing. But for now, if you don't have a cap, what do I care? It's not my money. It's kind of like people who get mad at how much money Mark Stoops makes. Is Mark Stoops worth nine point whatever? Well, maybe not, but it's not my money, right? So what, like, on some level with these players, what do I care if they're. If they're playing well on the court?

[Drew Franklin]

Once this class is complete, we move on to the summer and the season. I will not have one single thought about what any of them are making. Like, some Florida fans say, you overpay for Aberdeen. Okay, I don't care. He's on the team. I'm going to root for him. Outside of, like a problem where you way overpay and there's drama within the team that can hurt you, I don't care what any of them are making, how much it costs, how much. Oh, you overpay. Underpay. I'm. I want them to win games.

[Matt Jones]

I've been told, and I don't know if this is true because I think all the numbers are inflated and we're all guessing, but I've been told that last year's team made somewhere between 4 to 5 million total. Let's just assume that's correct. Did you think they played less hard because of that? Did you enjoy them less because of that? Do you think they loved the jersey less because of that? I don't know. I thought that team in many ways loved playing for Kentucky as much as any team has in a number of years. So what difference does it make?

[Ryan Lemond]

I totally agree with you that that money factored zero in what that team did last year. I can assume it could do the same this year.

[Matt Jones]

Now, that may not always happen. Go ask Tennessee about their quarterback and how that worked out. But if you get the right kids, I think it has to make a difference.

[Ryan Lemond]

That's why I think Pope is so good about his roster construction. It's a new element for us to get used to. They constructs his roster that way with the right Kids and the right pieces.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. Not one point during last year's season did I think, oh, he's getting this and he's getting that, or he's not, you know, overpaid. He's underpaid. Didn't have one thought about Nil outside of liking their Clark's Pump and Shop commercial during the season.

[Matt Jones]

Shannon. I think it's probably fair to say that since I've come back, we've talked. I mean, yesterday I went over, what, 15 topics.

Yeah.

Today I led with basketball and recruiting. I would say 10 times as many texts about the bamboo socks. See, as any other subject.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Everybody's got an opinion on it.

That's exactly right.

Yeah.

So, like, that's the kind of thing, you know, people. Lee Corso. We talked about Lee Corso retired. I'm stealing this quote from Lee Corso. I heard Lee Corso say it 10 years ago. And then Herb street brought it up again when he retired. Lee Corso said to Kirk Herbstreet as advice once, we are not in the football business. We are in the entertainment business, and football is our vehicle.

[Ryan Lemond]

That's right.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

And I was like, that's exactly right. Exactly right. This radio show is in the entertainment business. UK sports is the vehicle. And that includes occasionally talking about bamboo socks, which everybody wants to talk about. Yes. I wonder if we could Google search bamboo socks.

[Drew Franklin]

It's very high.

[Matt Jones]

You think they're gonna go up?

[Drew Franklin]

I looked at Paris.

[Matt Jones]

We will take a break and be right back. Come back a little football and some more basketball. It's ksr.