Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 2

Date: February 17, 2026
Hosts: Matt Jones, Ryan Lemond, Drew Franklin, Shannon The Dude
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts and Sports Talk 790 (WKRD-AM)

Episode Overview

Hour 2 of KSR features the crew diving into the latest news and views around UK (University of Kentucky), with signature conversations about officiating in college basketball, listeners’ favorite “Ryanisms,” recruiting rumors, wild stats from UK baseball, buzzy UK basketball roster discussion (with a focus on Jasper Johnson’s future), and a heartfelt tribute to acting legend Robert Duvall. The team also unpacks the recent viral interview moment where Barack Obama seemingly comments on aliens, and provides predictions for the UK vs. Georgia basketball game. As always, the show is lively, irreverent, and full of sharp (and occasionally sentimental) Kentucky wit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Memorable Home Court Whistles & “Ryanisms”

• (03:17–03:55)
  • Listener texts say the best “home whistle” isn’t at Kansas but at Clay County on Friday nights.
  • Ryan is teased for his quirky statement, “People are human sometimes.”
    • Quote:
      • Drew: “People are humans sometimes.”
      • Matt: “Put it on shirts.”
      • Shannon: “Put [it] on a T-shirt.” (03:53)

2. Tyron Stokes & UK Basketball Recruiting

• (03:57–04:18)

  • Rumor dispelled: The report that UK recruit Tyron Stokes is “leaning back” towards Kentucky is denied by the source.

• Recruiting & JMI/GM Discussions:

  • Tyron Stokes saga leads to broader talk about recruiting, JMI (UK’s marketing partner), and the still-unfilled GM position for UK basketball.

3. Wild UK Baseball Stats

• (04:18–04:59)
  • “Worldwide Todd Harris” shares: UK baseball led SEC in stolen bases last year with 133; they already have 23 in the first three games of this season. If pace kept: “They would steal 437,” nearly triple last year’s total.
    • Quote:
      • Matt: “If they were to keep on this pace…they would steal 437.” (04:45)
      • Ryan: “Oh, my goodness.” (04:50)

4. Legendary Allen Fieldhouse Officiating

• (05:10–05:51)
  • Matt and Drew recall the 2016 Kentucky-Kansas game, where Kansas shot an astronomical 47 free throws.
    • Quote:
      • Matt: “Kansas shot 47 free throws…they had 31 free throws in the last nine and a half minutes of the second half plus overtime…” (05:10–05:21)

5. Obama’s “Aliens are Real” Soundbite

• (05:51–11:25)

  • Obama, on a podcast, seems to say “aliens are real,” then backtracks in a later interview. The KSR crew is incredulous at the lack of follow-up by the podcast interviewer.

    • Notable Exchange:
      • Matt: “When he starts that sentence with ‘they’re…’ how does my man not follow up?” (07:15)
      • Shannon: “How are you just gonna say ‘they’re real’ and not…explain?” (07:43)
      • Matt: “That might be the worst interview I’ve ever heard.” (08:01)

  • Shannon’s POV: Obama is backtracking after saying too much; Matt counters that Obama clarified he meant “life exists somewhere, but not here.”

    • Quote:
      • Matt: “That is, for your side, one of the strongest pieces of evidence I’ve seen. But…you should be madder at that journalist than anybody.” (11:08)

6. Robert Duvall Tribute

• (11:36–15:22, 21:43–22:09, 28:22–29:47, 34:53–35:25, 36:34–37:09, 42:54–44:04)
  • News of legendary actor Robert Duvall’s death is met with deep respect and reminiscence.
    • Matt lauds Duvall’s performance in The Apostle as “one of the best underrated movies of all time...the only movie I have ever seen that gets evangelical Southern Christianity right.” (12:20)
    • The team lists Duvall’s best films (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The Apostle, Lonesome Dove, The Natural, Days of Thunder, Thank You For Smoking, Sling Blade, Secondhand Lions, Four Christmases, Gone in 60 Seconds, Crazy Heart, Tender Mercies, To Kill a Mockingbird).
    • Listeners call in to praise “Secondhand Lions” and recommend lesser-known films (The Great Santini).
    • The “rule of threes” in celebrity deaths arises—who will be the third famous loss this week?

7. UK Basketball: Jasper Johnson’s Future / Roster Management

• Listener Call & Segment:

  • Caller urges UK to prioritize keeping Jasper Johnson, a Lexington native, as Kentucky’s next potential star.
    • Quote:
      • Caller: “We gotta keep that kid. If he puts some muscle on…he could be huge for us next year.” (16:45)

• Ryan's ‘Pulpit Stance’:

  • Ryan is passionate about Johnson’s value and worries about his future with the team, hinting a last-second booster intervention was needed to get him last year.

    • Quote:
      • Ryan: “It took a last second Hail Mary from a booster to get him to come here last year. There’s going to be teams coming after that kid. Kentucky should do everything they can to keep him.” (23:02)

  • Matt & Drew push back, dissecting on-court performance, NIL realities, and recruiting strategy:

    • Matt: “…he cannot guard. He loses his man…He scores, but he gives up just as much as he scores, if not more.” (31:59–32:29)
    • Drew: “You pay him to be a backup guard you hope takes a big jump. But if Alabama gets back in the picture and they’re throwing him a big bag…you need to be ready to say we can’t match that.” (34:09)

• Broader Roster/NIL/Gm Issues:

  • The program still hasn’t hired a GM to oversee NIL/roster management.
  • UK allegedly overpaid for some players (e.g., Aberdeen) and mismanaged money for others.
    • Quote:
      • Drew: “It’s not a big secret that the money management in the roster building wasn’t the best…” (25:52)

8. Jerome Tang Fired at Kansas State

• (44:04–47:27)

  • Jerome Tang, who famously said “we had more dudes than they had” after beating UK, has been fired “for cause” by Kansas State. The crew is skeptical this will hold up legally and sees it as a cautionary tale about making quick coaching hires/extensions.

    • Quote:
      • Matt: “They are firing him for cause…using it as a for-cause firing to try to not pay him $18 million…I’m going to make you a prediction right now…Kansas State is losing that case.” (44:59)

9. Looking Ahead: UK vs. Georgia Basketball Predictions

• (48:04–49:35)
  • Hosts predict a UK win, but a close game; none pick Kentucky to cover the spread.
    • Quotes:
      • Ryan: “They win but don’t cover…81-75.”
      • Shannon: “85-78.”
      • Drew: “84-79.”
      • Matt: “…it’s going to be a lot closer than we want it to be…82-78.” (48:32–49:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “People are human sometimes.” (Ryan, 03:43)
  Dovetailed into a running joke about printing it on shirts.
• “That might be the worst interview I’ve ever heard. You have the former president saying yes, they’re real— and you don’t follow up.” (Matt Jones on Obama/aliens, 08:01)
• “You pay him to be a backup guard you hope takes a big jump. But if…they’re throwing him a big bag…I think you need to be ready to say we can’t match that.” (Drew Franklin on Jasper Johnson’s NIL future, 34:09)
• “If he scores 50, but the guy he’s guarding scores 70, we haven’t gained anything.” (Caller Steve, quoting Adolph Rupp, 37:18)
• On Robert Duvall:
  • Matt: “His performance as a guy who’s kind of torn between good and bad…is unbelievable.” (12:20)
• On Kansas State’s firing of Jerome Tang:
  • Matt: “If that’s for cause, then anything’s for cause.” (46:41)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:17 — Start of Hour 2, “best home whistle”/Ryanism banter
• 05:51 — Obama “aliens are real” podcast discussion
• 11:36 — Robert Duvall’s passing and tribute
• 16:01 — Caller on Secondhand Lions and Jasper Johnson recruiting plea
• 23:02 — Ryan on Jasper Johnson’s future, “pulpit stance”
• 24:25–25:52 — UK’s NIL money mismanagement/GM vacancy
• 28:22 — Discussion of Crazy Heart and Robert Duvall’s musical side
• 31:59–34:09 — Matt’s critique of playing Kentucky kids; Drew’s stance on NIL bidding for Jasper Johnson
• 44:04 — Jerome Tang fired at Kansas State; “dudes” comment discussion
• 48:04 — Game predictions for UK vs. Georgia

Overall Tone & Style

The episode features classic KSR interplay: quick-witted, playful jabs coupled with earnest debate on UK sports, roster management, and recruiting. Reminiscence and humor surface repeatedly, especially when discussing Kentucky culture or pop culture (Duvall, Obama). Listener interaction is highlighted through text machine comments and lively call-ins. Insightful, opinionated, and peppered with running inside jokes, the hour is a mix of sharp sports talk, Kentucky nostalgia, and a touch of national news pop commentary.