Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) — Hour 1

Date: November 6, 2025
Hosts: Ryan Lemond, Drew Franklin, Shannon “The Dude”
Matt Jones is off for the day

Overview

This episode of Kentucky Sports Radio delivers a classic “Matt out of the office” show, with plenty of candid banter between Ryan, Drew, and Shannon covering Kentucky sports, especially UK basketball’s early-season performance, football playoff updates, and a heavy dose of Kentucky life and humor. The hosts invite listeners to share their takes and revisit the “starting five” lineup discussion for the men’s basketball team. Besides sports, there’s playful conversation about getting older, organizing life via to-do lists, and engaging with the KSR community through texts and calls.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Getting Old and Staying Organized

• The crew opens with light-hearted self-deprecation about age, memory lapses, and the necessity of to-do lists as they get older.
  • Ryan: “It’s no secret I’m the old guy on the show. I mean, I’m almost 60.” (01:04)
  • Drew admits to increasingly depending on his phone’s reminders and to-do lists (01:35–04:14).
  • Both joke about needing reminders for basic tasks, like getting gas in the morning.

Notable Quote

• Ryan: “I had to give myself a note to remind me to get gas on the way to work this morning. I was on empty last night. I had to write myself and put it in my calendar.” (02:41)

2. NBA/UK Basketball Talk: Bronny Dunked on by Wemby

• The pre-show featured a viral highlight: Victor Wembanyama dunking on Bronny James.
  • Ryan: “Mario is just getting embarrassed because Bronny got ‘Oh, no!’ on his head last night by Victor Wembanyama.” (04:39)
  • Drew: “I don’t know why he jumped with Wemby. ... Mario is in a bad place today.” (05:12)
  • The hosts riff on the moment, comparing the photo to Colin Chandler’s leaping ability—a segue into UK players.

3. “Alien” Exercise: Picking UK’s Starting Five Based Only on Current Games

(Segment Starts: 06:05)

• Listener Prompt: Imagine you’re an alien who just landed and only saw the Purdue, Georgetown, and Nichols games. Who are your starting five?
  • Drew’s picks: Oweh, Aberdeen, Diabate, (edge to) Garrison over Marino due to free-throw shooting, and a wavering fifth spot between Trent Noah and others. (06:44–08:07)
  • Shannon’s picks: Oweh, Colin Chandler, Garrison, Diabate, and Jasper Johnson. (08:08)
  • Ryan: Similar, but he prefers Jasper and Malachi as part of his five, with Chandler as the first off the bench (08:44–09:11).

Key Points

• Trent Noah and Cam Williams: Concerns over cold shooting starts (“I’m worried there’s been a little bit of a jinx on that... surely it’ll level out.” – Drew, 09:25)
• Team Offense: Complaints that the offense becomes stagnant when there’s no true point guard; shooters need better ball movement to get going.

Notable Quote

• Drew: “In that first half we saw when they weren’t moving the ball and they were sitting around looking at each other, they just took turns chucking up threes. And that’s not gonna help them at all.” (09:45)

4. Free Throw and Shooting Woes

(Segment Starts: 09:56)

• Jack Givens’ insight: In practice, shooters play loose, but in games, they “try to aim” like golfers overthinking a shot (Ryan relaying, 09:56–10:21).
• Multiple hosts voice optimism that the team’s shooters, especially Cam Williams, will bounce back.
• Chandler is better as a two-guard than the primary initiator—needs to play off the ball (17:57–18:43).

Notable Quote

• Shannon: “Defensively, you held Nichols to 15 points... but then the flip side of that, the ugly part was the offense... the bad shooting, free throws too have got to improve. That was pretty ugly.” (18:48)

5. Injury & Roster Updates

• Trent Noah’s ankle:
  • Was in a boot but “very active at halftime,” likely just a precaution. Unlikely to be out long (11:09–12:21).
• Jalen Lowe:
  • Hosts hope he plays before the Louisville game. He’s been ramping up but may not be fully cleared. (12:25–13:06)
• Other injuries: OTEGA’s extended summer boot-wearing as an example that boots are now common, precautionary measures.

6. Listener Engagement & Text Responses

(Segment Starts: 15:38)

• Alien lineup continues:
  • Listeners suggest a small-ball lineup: Aberdeen, Johnson, Chandler, Oweh, and Diabate (16:00–16:13).
  • Another joke: “If I’m an alien, I’m asking to put that super tall guy named Mark Pope in the starting five.” (17:28)
• Jasper Johnson’s usage:
  • “The Jasper experience: a little messy, but it’s been fun.” (16:13)
  • His dad, Dennis, sitting alone at the top of the arena becomes an anecdote (16:51).

7. Tyron Stokes Situation (Recruiting Talk)

(Starts: 20:45)

• Five-star prospect Tyron Stokes leaves school under ambiguous circumstances; rumored discipline or team fit issues.
  • Drew: “If it is something... really getting in trouble, you’re gonna have to... scale, how good at basketball are you and what could you potentially do to our culture.” (22:51)
  • Pope has shown willingness to “shake recruits' hands” and walk away if they’re not a fit for the program.

8. UK Women’s Sports Update

• UK Women’s Basketball: Facing Monmouth tonight at Memorial Coliseum. It’s Girl Scout Day; Girl Scouts in uniform get in free (23:09–23:39).
• Volleyball ticket updates and general praise for team progress.

9. High School Football Playoffs Rant

(Starts: 28:53)

• Hosts deep dive into local high school football playoff seeding, especially focusing on Drew’s alma mater, Madisonville Maroons.
  • Drew feels Madisonville is being “hosed” by the playoff system, being forced to play on the road despite a great record.
  • Extended comedic rant and local pride ensues, including debate on playoff seeding logic and the “Apollo loss problem.” (29:44–36:25)
• Madisonville’s football alumni and regional rivalries get frequent shoutouts.
• Lighthearted references to Madisonville native “Bosco France” (musician) and local UK basketball standouts like Zach Tow and Frank Ramsey (32:28–33:33).

Notable Quote

• Drew: “They are obviously trying to cheat us, our football success. ... I don’t care if they put the Chiefs in front of us. Three weeks from now, Madisonville is going to keep rolling.” (31:02)

10. Listener Calls: Playoffs and More

(Selected Timestamps: 25:02, 36:35)

• Callers weigh in on football playoff seeding (Jay, 39:27), Henderson/Madisonville rivalries, and Kentucky nostalgia.
• “Truth” caller shares stories about Madisonville’s football history, reminisces about great athletes, and delivers light-hearted trash talk (36:35–38:39).
• Small fact-checking spat: Roger Bird is actually from Corbin, not Henderson (42:21).

11. Random/Light-Hearted Moments

• Tony Romo “strange noise” audio is played and debated for comedic effect (43:09–44:22).
• Announcement that Cash Daniel will join for Hour 2, promising deeper football talk.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ryan (on aging and reminders):
  “I had to give myself a note to remind me to get gas on the way to work this morning. … I was on empty last night. I had to write myself and put it in my calendar.” (02:41)

• Drew (on team shooting woes):
  “I’m worried there’s been a little bit of a jinx on that. … But surely that will level out.” (09:25)

• Shannon (on Nichols game):
  “Defensively, you held Nichols to 15 points... but... the ugly part was the offense... the bad shooting, free throws too have got to improve.” (18:48)

• Drew (on hometown football frustration):
  “They're obviously trying to cheat us, our football success. … I don't care if they put the Chiefs in front of us. Three weeks from now, Madisonville is going to keep rolling.” (31:02)

Key Timestamps for Segment Reference

• 00:37 – Show open; banter about aging and reminders
• 04:39 – Discussion of Wembanyama dunking on Bronny James
• 06:05 – “Alien” exercise: picking UK basketball’s starting five
• 09:56 – Deep dive into UK’s shooting and offensive struggles
• 11:09 – Trent Noah’s injury status; boot talk
• 15:38 – Listener texts and alternative lineups
• 20:45 – Tyron Stokes recruiting situation
• 23:09 – UK women’s sports updates; Girl Scout Day
• 28:53 – High school football playoff rants; Madisonville Maroons
• 36:35 – Listener “Truth” calls in: history and trash talk
• 39:27 – Callers discuss playoff seeding confusion
• 43:09 – Tony Romo “weird audio” segment
• 44:22 – Preview of Cash Daniel joining for Hour 2

Tone & Language

The episode maintains its trademark blend of Kentucky warmth, dry wit, local pride, and honest sports discussion. Candid, playful, sometimes self-deprecating—the hosts are unmistakably themselves, modeling how sports conversation in Kentucky can be as much about feeling connected and informed as it is about box scores and statistics.

Summary

This hour of KSR—hosted by Ryan, Drew, and Shannon sans Matt—delivers Kentucky basketball analysis, injury updates, and community-sourced debates about starting lineups and coaching decisions. Off-the-court, the show treads into local high school football, lighthearted rivalries, and the challenges of growing older. Full of recognizable Kentucky character and humor, the episode is both a source of fan insight and an affectionate snapshot of UK-centric life, with listener calls and local issues woven throughout.

End of Hour 1 summary.