KSR – Hour 2 (September 30, 2025): Summary

Main Theme

Hour 2 of this KSR episode brings a warm, nostalgic, and insightful conversation about Kentucky basketball’s rich past and vibrant present. Hosted by Drew Franklin alongside Ryan Lemon, Richie Farmer (UK basketball legend), and Buck Stivers, the show weaves together stories from Richie’s playing days, memories of rural Kentucky basketball culture, and candid takes on the new era under Coach Mark Pope. The hour spotlights old-school tales, the love of the Kentucky fan base, and a look at today’s Wildcats—all served with the friendly, humorous, and sometimes self-deprecating style that defines KSR.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Richie Farmer’s High School Glory Days (03:42–07:15)

• Box Scores from the '80s: Drew revisits vintage numbers, highlighting classic Clay County battles—Richie vs. Scott Bowley.
  • “Clay County won 62 to 56. Richie had 19. Scott Bowley had 12.” – Drew Franklin (03:59)
  • On Bobby Keith’s coaching: “He liked his five... occasionally would have one guy if someone got in foul trouble.” – Richie Farmer (04:50)
• Team Roles & Coaching: Buck reflects on how Clay County found stability and identity once Richie’s class came through, with the team’s big men always playing physical roles.
  • “He may not be able to jump over a sheet of paper, but he'd get every rebound.” – Richie Farmer (05:30)
  • Old-school rebounding drills: “They would put that thing over the rim... and you talk about people where... that was nothing but a reboundin’ drill.” – Buck Stivers (05:57)

2. Richie's Commitment to Kentucky & Decision Process (06:19–11:38)

• Reliving Commitment Day:
  • The crew plays Richie’s old commitment clip:
    • “...In the end, after discussion with my parents and Coach Keith, I've decided that it is in my best interest to further my academic and athletic career at the University of Kentucky.” – Young Richie Farmer [TV archive] (06:47)
• Recruitment Stories: Richie shares about LSU’s pitch; Coach Dale Brown landed a helicopter in his yard, promising him a backcourt with Chris Jackson and bigs like Shaq.
  • “He came in with his coaching staff, and, I mean, he sat down and he stayed for probably an hour or better...” – Richie Farmer (07:45)
  • “Shaq and I, we were friends. We got along... But anything other than Kentucky to me... wouldn't have been okay with me.” – Richie Farmer (10:31)
• Rooted in Kentucky: Discussion of how the local community would’ve reacted if Richie had left the state, and the weight of state pride.

3. NIL & Changing Landscape (11:38–12:42)

• Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) Era:
  • Debating which past Cats would have thrived most under current NCAA NIL rules—Richie named in the same breath as Davis, Wall, and Rex Chapman.
    • “If Richie Farmer played in this day and age... he would have been a millionaire.” – Ryan Lemon (11:59)
  • Richie’s take: “Would have been unbelievable. Made a lot of money.” (12:20)
• Broader Changes in College Sports:
  • Buck notes: “Just the last few years? I mean, you can gamble on anything... I never thought when I was a kid, you know, that everybody would be promoting, you know, gambling.” (12:42)

4. Comedy, Nostalgia, and KSR Camaraderie (13:09–16:45)

• Shannon the Dude’s Man Cave Predictions (13:21–16:45):
  • Crew banters about what oddball memorabilia they'll find when they visit producer Shannon’s home studio tomorrow. Guesses include stolen Phoenix Hill Tavern items, framed Richie Farmer jersey, wrestling memorabilia (Undertaker), Funko Pops, garden hose puns, and a Fazoli’s breadstick-scented candle.
    • “He likes the Braves. He’s growing pumpkins. Award winning pumpkins.” – Richie Farmer (15:43)
    • “You’re not gonna see a bunch of hoes in there.” – Drew Franklin (15:53)
    • “I’ll have that [Fazoli’s candle] lit tomorrow in the man cave.” – Shannon the Dude (16:41)

5. Small-Town Kentucky, Fan Stories & Skin Cancer Awareness (17:13–21:11)

• Sponsor Read with Humor: Ryan fumbles through the pronunciation of ‘squamous’ (skin cancer type), leading to a round of friendly ribbing and spelling bee antics. (17:13–18:31)
• Avision Glass Text Machine: Discussion of neglected sponsor phone, more good-natured sarcasm about contract obligations, and a quick-hot topic:
  • “Ask Buck who’d win a game of horseshoes, him or Richie.”—Listener text (19:28)
  • Buck, confident: “Probably me.” (19:33)
  • Richie: “Buck and I would always take on all comers... it should be competitive. But he’s good.” (19:42)

6. Epic Clay County Tales: The Firebird Story (20:08–21:13)

• Buck recounts a memory of Richie’s first car, racing a Cutlass on the way to church, blowing a radiator hose, and being forced to pack water from the creek.
  • “We was running close to 150, and that thing blowed, and it blowed a radiator hose off of it.” – Buck Stivers (20:32)
  • Richie: “It was the other guy... driving a Cutlass Supreme. Buck said, ‘Let’s see what it’ll do.’” (21:17)

7. The Depth of Kentucky Basketball Fandom (22:01–24:29)

• Caller Bart Shares the Fan Experience: “I grew up in Lexington and Louisville... my family is just a huge Kentucky basketball fan. In fact, they’re probably listening this morning... [to Richie] Thanks for all these stories and all the great memories and truly appreciate it.” (22:14)
  • Richie’s heartfelt response on “living the dream” and Kentucky’s basketball fanaticism:
    • “...I was the kid... three, two, one, Kyle Macy goes up. There was no three at that time... that was Kentucky basketball for me growing up... In Eastern Kentucky, when the Cats played, they rolled the streets up.” (22:34)
  • Buck: “My wedding was held up because the UK game was on.” (23:57)

8. Transition: The Mark Pope Era and Current Team Outlook (24:31–35:29)

• Excitement for Mark Pope: Richie recounts uncertainty at Pope’s hiring, but praises his analytical mind, appealing offense, and his ability to restore pride in Kentucky.
  • “At first I thought, ‘What? Mark Pope?’ But... the more I thought about it, the more it started to make sense... He’s one of the great young coaches out there.” – Richie Farmer (29:12)
  • “He gets them to understand what it means to play at Kentucky... I think that had been kind of lost over the course of several years.” (30:28)
• Signature Win: Duke:
  • “We needed a marquee win like that... and it just all worked out to perfection. I think that was maybe a sign of things to come.” – Richie Farmer (32:13)
• Trent Noah & Kentucky-born Players:
  • Richie's big on Trent Noah ("been hearing great things about the way he’s shooting the basketball... looking forward to seeing him get a chance to play") and praises the relentless homegrown work ethic (33:16–34:39).
  • Buck: Rare to "go from not really liking a player to loving a player" after seeing Noah send Clay County home in the regional finals (33:45).
• Travis Perry’s Transfer to Ole Miss:
  • Richie is supportive but saddened: “I hated to see him leave... I'd like to see it work out, and I like everything to... go kind of like a storybook. But it don't always work out that way.” (35:29)
  • “With NIL now... this is real money people are talking about... I think he had a real opportunity both financially and then I think you'll have a greater chance to play there this coming year with where we are.” (36:09)
  • “He's good enough to play in this league...” (37:07)

9. Pope’s Coaching Style: Conditioning & Discipline (39:06–40:59)

• Story about Mark Pope running players for being “only” on time, reminiscent of Rick Pitino’s practices.
  • “Directly from him... He called it wildcat time, and it was 15 minutes early. If he said nine o’clock, you were there at a quarter till.” – Richie Farmer (39:14, 39:46)
  • Farmer on Derek Miller lapping him at practice: “He would push me around the track. I mean, it was unbelievable. I mean, he ran 4:40 miles... That’s crazy times.” (39:58)

10. Basketball & Football Forward Look (41:39–44:12)

• Richie and Buck preview basketball practice (“Just a chance to get to see what some of those guys can do... excited about that.” – Richie Farmer, 41:39).
• Short football discussion; Buck half-jokingly gives a Kentucky-over-Georgia pick but admits “probably won't bet on them.”
  • “If you're a defensive coach [Stoops]... you have to hold people if you're defensive... Like, if you hold somebody to zero and you score a point, you win.” – Buck Stivers (43:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Kentucky fandom:
  “In Eastern Kentucky, when the Cats played, they rolled the streets up and turned. It was all about the Cats. And if they lost, my goodness, everybody was in a bad mood until we won again.” – Richie Farmer (22:34)

• On NIL potential for former stars:
  “If Richie Farmer played in this day and age of NIL... he would have been a millionaire.” – Ryan Lemon (11:59)
  “Would have been unbelievable. Made a lot of money.” – Richie Farmer (12:20)

• On Shaq, commitment, and 'what could have been':
  “That was the largest human being on earth... He’s not just tall. He’s probably 7'1” but he’s just so big... just an awesome guy." – Richie Farmer (09:47, about Shaq)

• On Mark Pope’s offense and culture:
  “When you play here, it’s magical and it means something. And it means something to these people. I think he’s been able to make people buy into that again.” – Richie Farmer (30:28)

• On changing times:
  “Look at how things have changed, though, right now. What’s been thrown in the mix just... just the last few years? I mean, you can gamble on anything...” – Buck Stivers (12:42)

• On hometown pride and rural basketball:
  “Everybody knew their role... [Coach Bobby Keith] develop them into what he needed them to be. And by the time they were seniors...” – Buck Stivers (05:00)

• On Clay County wedding priorities:
  “My wedding was held up because the UK game was on.” – Buck Stivers (23:57)

• On betting and football realities:
  “I might as well predict us to win. You know, I probably won’t bet on them.” – Buck Stivers (42:59)

Important Timestamps

• 03:42 – Throwback to 1980s Kentucky High School basketball
• 06:19 – Richie's UK commitment story and decision-making
• 11:38 – NIL discussion, gambling, and the evolution of college sports
• 13:21 – Shannon the Dude Man Cave guessing game (comic relief)
• 17:13 – Skin cancer PSA and Kentucky small-town stories
• 20:08 – Firebird street racing story
• 22:01 – Caller Bart’s tribute; Richie’s reflection on Kentucky fandom
• 24:31 – Looking ahead: Mark Pope era, new Cats, excitement for the program
• 29:12 – Richie’s evolving view on Mark Pope hire
• 32:13 – Triumph over Duke under Pope
• 33:16 – Local player love: Trent Noah, Travis Perry
• 39:06 – Mark Pope’s discipline and practice methods
• 42:59 – Kentucky vs. Georgia football pick/laughs

Tone & Style

The episode radiates KSR’s signature mix of Kentucky pride, storytelling, lighthearted humor, and true sports passion. It’s as much barbershop as sports talk—casual, folksy, and rich with anecdotes and running jokes, but always with genuine affection for UK and its culture.

Takeaways

• Legacy ties and community matter: The love and reverence for Kentucky basketball binds generations, whether reminiscing about the ‘80s or the current transfer portal/NIL era.
• Adaptation and balance: Both Richie and Buck show appreciation for the changes in the game and candidly assess new challenges while never losing their blue-blood perspective.
• Coach Pope optimism: Skepticism at hiring gave way to widespread buy-in, fueled by signs of renewed culture and big on-court moments.
• Comedy and camaraderie: The hosts’ playful roasting, recurring jokes about sponsors, man caves, and pumpkins make the show appealing even to casual listeners.

For fans, alumni, and those who love a good Kentucky story, this hour is a celebration of the program’s heart, history, and hope for the future.