2026-06-02 KSR - Hour 1

Summary

Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 1

Date: June 2, 2026
Host: Drew Franklin (filling in for Matt Jones), with Billy Rutledge, Shannon the Dude, and Mario
Podcast Network: iHeartPodcasts and Sports Talk 790

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Episode Overview

This hour of KSR is a fast-paced, celebratory show centered on two primary topics: the Kentucky Wildcats’ huge basketball transfer portal win with the addition of Milan Momcilovich, and a hard-fought but ultimately heartbreaking loss for Kentucky baseball in the Morgantown Regional. With Matt Jones out for a medical procedure, Drew Franklin leads a panel of regulars and callers eager to analyze Mark Pope's roster, commiserate over baseball's tough exit, and indulge in classic KSR banter.

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1. Main Theme – Celebration: Momcilovich Joins Kentucky

The dominant thread is Kentucky basketball’s successful recruitment of Milan Momcilovich—labeled "the best shooter in college basketball" and “the best player in the transfer portal.” Panelists and callers break down what his commitment means for Mark Pope’s system, speculate on lineups, and vent the pent-up anxieties from a tense off-season and drawn-out recruitment process.

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2. Roundtable Banter: Food, Sugar Rushes & Nicknames

• Mario arrives with a plate of M&M’s and mistakenly brings Mike and Ike’s instead of jelly beans to honor the Momcilovich (M&M) and Malachi Marino (also M&M) commitments (04:16-05:24).
• Jokes about Mario’s sugar-induced energy: “The Mario crash is going to come hard in about 15 minutes. I feel it.” – Drew Franklin (06:46)
• Nickname talk for Momcilovich:
  • Shannon: “Can I get you to call Momcilovich ‘Mommy’? Will you call him Mommy?” (12:03)
  • Drew: “I ain’t calling no grown man Mommy.” (12:05)
  • “Maybe go with Milan, or Jelly Bean, or Mike and Ike. Let’s all be honest…” (12:27)

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3. Key Discussion Points & Insights

A. The Impact and Fit of Milan Momcilovich (03:36–13:13)

• Why he’s such a big deal:
  • “After the baseball outcome, around 10 o’clock, Momcilovich made it official: he will be a Kentucky Wildcat.” – Drew (03:36)
  • “We finally got one. We got the best player in the transfer portal. The best player, really? The best one.” – Mario (05:39)
• His stats and fit:
  • “Averaged about 17 a game, more importantly shot 48.7% from three.” – Drew (07:14)
  • “He fits Mark Pope’s system, Billy—he’s not super athletic, but, you know, he has skill, high basketball IQ, can really shoot it.” – Mario (06:35)
• Roster construction and implications:
  • “With a guy like Milan, this has the potential to get to that 'video game offense'... He’ll have the ultimate green light.” – Billy (08:55)
  • “I feel like now this looks like a Mark Pope team. Like we can finally evaluate him.” – Drew (09:16)
• Replacing missed targets with a better fit:
  • “We missed out on Stokes, but I’m not gonna lie, Drew. I kind of prefer this guy over Stokes... Outside of basketball, I think this guy’s the perfect fit.” – Mario (10:07)
  • “As far as immediate impact on this upcoming team, Momcilovich is a better fit. They needed shooting.” – Drew (10:29)

Notable Quotes:

• "Last year he led the country with 136 three-pointers. That would have been a UK record if he had done it in Lexington." – Drew (08:55)
• “If you can't beat them, see if he'll join your team.” – Shannon (11:27)

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B. Kentucky Fan Anxiety & Instant Reaction (13:13–15:27)

• Anxieties about potentially losing Momcilovich:
  • “At any point, did you think they lost him? Did you hold strong?” – Drew (13:09)
  • “With a lot of these recruits, just tell me when they decide where they’re going… experts say four different schools.” – Shannon (14:47)
• The tempo of transfer portal culture: Many panelists express skepticism about “crystal ball” predictions and urge patience.

Notable Quote:

• “He had so much in front of him. You have to pick Kentucky. It's the obvious choice.” – Drew (13:53)

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C. Callers' Takes & UK Roster Projections

1. Caller Elijah/JQ2526 (20:16–21:57)

• “Going into the SEC, potential to be top 10 in the country. … It just did not make sense [for Milan not] to pick Kentucky.” (20:36–21:09)
• Bold prediction: “Jamal [Crawford], come on down!... He will be an assistant coach this year.” (21:25–21:57)

2. Caller Andy (22:47–24:52, 45:26–46:29)

• “I wanted Momcilovich more than I wanted Stokes… He can make everyone else on the team better.” (22:47)
• Shares update on his personal health, says he will visit KSR in-person.
• Offers thoughts on lineup configurations and suggests offense-forward lineups, “I’d rather go down scoring 90 something points a game…” (46:14)

3. Caller William (45:26–46:29)

• Gives Drew kudos for best nicknaming work: “Is Wayne Brady going to have to Momchilovich” (45:26)
• Emphasizes the importance of offensive firepower in the likely starting group.

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D. Kentucky Baseball's Wild Regional & Season Recap (27:54–39:33)

• Adam Luckett joins from the road with in-depth insight:
  • “I think you could probably say that's like the most gut-wrenching loss in program history.” (28:33)
  • Recounts the emotional swing after UK lost in inexplicable fashion on Sunday night, only to fight valiantly again in Monday’s elimination game.
  • Gives behind-the-scenes color on crowd brouhaha and West Virginia's “Country Roads” celebrations (30:43).
  • Explains the season’s “complicated” arc: starting pitcher success, bullpen struggles, key injuries, and how close UK came to a super regional (33:53–36:16).
  • Looks ahead: “Number one, retention… Number two, it’s the pitching. How do they build out the pitching?” (36:25)
  • Offers some local flavor on Morgantown: “The hospitality was fantastic. The baseball stadium… a very nice facility… but not much time to adventure.” (38:10)
• Panel’s post-mortem:
  • Expressing jealousy at WVU’s full-throated “Country Roads” tradition, wonders why Kentucky can’t similarly embrace “Dumas Walker.” (43:09–44:06)

Notable Quote:

• “Complicated. It’s a complicated season for a lot of reasons. You’ll never believe this, Drew, but a Kentucky Athletics team had a bunch of injuries…” – Adam Luckett (33:53)

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E. Panel Speculation: Lineups, Offense, and Roster Depth

• Lots of intrigue about how Pope will deploy the “logjam at forward” now with Momcilovich in the mix (47:02–47:58).
• “Minute distribution is going to be another hot topic this year with Mark Pope…” – Billy (47:44)
• Consensus that the offense will have a totally new look with Momcilovich’s shooting gravity opening the floor for others.

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4. Notable and Memorable Moments

• Mario’s confusion at the gas station:
  • “I picked up the Mike and Mikes, and I thought those were jelly beans... Could you imagine if I went on video with… I don’t think anybody would notice.” (04:25)
• The “Mommy” nickname debate:
  • “I ain’t calling no grown man mommy.” – Drew (12:05)
  • “Maybe we can get it to happen… I want Tom [Leach] at least one point to just yell out ‘Mommy for three—Jelly bean!’” – Shannon (12:07–12:15)
• Country Roads vs. Dumas Walker:
  • “We don’t embrace it like they embrace ‘Country Roads.’ … That’s the closest thing we have to a tradition. Let’s lean into it.” – Shannon (43:37–44:29)

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5. Important Segment Timestamps

• [03:36] – Momcilovich commitment celebration & meaning
• [04:16–05:24] – Mario’s M&Ms and “jelly bean” debacle
• [06:35] – Momcilovich’s fit in Pope’s system
• [08:55] – Three-point shooting and impact on Kentucky’s records
• [11:21] – The villain to hero arc for Momcilovich
• [13:13] – Did anyone lose faith in the commitment?
• [22:47] – Caller Andy on why Momcilovich is a better fit than Stokes
• [28:33] – Adam Luckett unpacks UK baseball's gut-wrenching loss and season (Segment with Adam runs until 39:33)
• [43:09] – Panel envies West Virginia’s unified “Country Roads” tradition; Dumas Walker discussion
• [47:02] – Breaking down future lineups and roles

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6. Tone & Style

• Upbeat, energetic, and playful yet authentic, with the KSR crew displaying their characteristic banter and good-natured ribbing.
• Mix of passionate analysis and light-hearted nonsense (running jokes, food, callers’ wild predictions).
• Deep love for Kentucky sports balanced with self-aware, sometimes sarcastic, commentary about fanbase anxieties.

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7. Takeaways for Listeners

• Kentucky basketball’s potentially transformative offseason now feels complete with the acquisition of an elite shooter who fits Mark Pope’s preferred, offense-first system.
• Though the baseball team fell just short, there’s admiration for their resilience and heartbreak for how close they came.
• The KSR show remains a place where fandom, food, inside jokes, and lively sports analysis all mingle—now with an eye toward what’s next for Mark Pope, the new roster, and UK athletics.

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For more fan reactions, deep dives, and sports talk from the heart of Big Blue Nation, tune in to KSR Monday through Friday, 10–noon.

Transcript

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[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

hey guys, lady Luck here.

[Drew Franklin]

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[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

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[Drew Franklin]

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[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

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[Drew Franklin]

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[Billy Rutledge]

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[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

What's up y'? All? Summer's got a different tempo. Everything's a little looser, brighter.

[Billy Rutledge]

One plan turns into another.

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

You hear something, you stay a little longer. Next thing you know, you're somewhere you didn't plan to be.

[Drew Franklin]

It's those in between moments.

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

That's where the ideas hit. Conversations stretch out. Little memories sneak up on you. Sometimes it's just about what's in your hand. That color, that chill. The new Tropical Butterfly Refresher from Starbucks Starbucks Guava and Passion fruit flavors with mango pineapple flavored pearls. Yeah, that feels like summer before you even taste it.

[Drew Franklin]

Funny how one small stop becomes the

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

best part of the day. Start your summer rhythm with Starbucks. Try the new Tropical Butterfly Refresher from

[Drew Franklin]

Starbucks Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington welcomes

[Billy Rutledge]

comedian, podcaster, author and actress Zarna Garg. June 5th and 6th. Then from the Moon Tower Comedy Festival, catch Dean Stanfield June 12th and 13th and don't miss AGT finalist and club favorite Josh Blue June 18th through the 20th.

[Drew Franklin]

For tickets to all Comedy Off Broadway

[Billy Rutledge]

shows, call 859271 joke or visit comedyoffbroadway.com

[Drew Franklin]

Comedy Off Broadway welcome in to Kentucky Sports Radio. I am Not Matt Jones. I am Drew Franklin filling in for Matt today. He's off the next couple days. Gonna go take care of himself. Billy said he's got a little medical procedure, but nothing too big, but needed to step away for a couple shows. And that's all right because I'm here to fill in. Billy sitting in with me. I'm looking at Shannon, the dude on this screen in front of me. This is new. Shannon, how's it going?

[Shannon the Dude]

Oh, man, it's going great. I love that hat you got on there, too. The pinstripe baseball, Kentucky hat.

[Nespresso Advertiser]

Old school.

[Drew Franklin]

I thought it would bring me some luck last night. It did not. That is on our list of topics, for sure. The baseball game. I've got a lot going on. Some happiness that followed the baseball game that we'll lead with. And Mario's joining us for what's up? What's up, Melis? He brought lots of enthusiasm today, as always. We are presented by TJ Smith. Billy, if you call tj, what will he make them do?

[Billy Rutledge]

He will make them pay.

[Drew Franklin]

I love that. If you want to call us, give us a call on the Clark's Pump and Shop phone line at 859-280-2287. We want to hear from you about the baseball game and about the big news of the morning. Milan Momcilovic is a well team. That's right, guys. We did it. We did it, everybody. It went a little longer than we really wanted. We got a little impatient there as a fan, fan base. But last night, after the baseball outcome, around 10 o'. Clock. Mom, Chillovich made it official. He will be a Kentucky Wildcat. And Mario just walked into the studio as we're starting and handed me a big plate of M and M's. Thank you, Mario. I didn't eat breakfast. These are great. I assume this is for Momcilovich, maybe Malachi Marino.

[Mario]

Yeah, both of those guys.

[Shannon the Dude]

Where's the jelly beans, though? You gotta have jelly beans, too.

[Mario]

Yeah, the jelly beans. I got a little bit confused with the jelly.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, let's talk about that.

[Mario]

Yeah, so I. I went to the gas station. That's where I stopped. Got the M M's. And I'm like, we got the M M's. We got to get the jelly beans. Of course. And I picked up the mic, the Mike and Mike's, and I thought those were jelly beans. Billy, I'm. I'm so glad you stopped me before I made the video, because could you imagine if I went on the video with. With. I don't Think anybody would notice if I had my.

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

My.

[Billy Rutledge]

Well, yeah, Drew, he's. He's filming a video in the kitchen. I'm grabbing a bottle of water and I go in there and he's going, we got him. We got the jelly. Have to inform him that Mike and Ikes are not jelly beans.

[Drew Franklin]

While I love close enough, can we. Can we call them jelly beans?

[Shannon the Dude]

Like a pill shaped jelly bean? It's close enough, but I think a lot of the jelly bean has to do with the shape of it, so not quite. Nice try, though. The effort.

[Drew Franklin]

I love the effort. I mean, Eminem's. You nailed it. It's perfect. Many men. Malachi Marino. Yeah, Momcilovich, this is perfect. As I said, I didn't breakfast. My coffee tastes like it has Frank's Red Hot in it. So that's not going well. So I really appreciate the M and M's, of course, but the Mike and Ike's a little bit of a whiff there.

[Mario]

Yeah, I messed up with the Mike and Ikes, but we. We got the. The main thing is that we got the player. That's. That's the most important thing. We got the player, Billy. We got the player.

[Billy Rutledge]

And the enthusiasm that you showed this morning, I think many in big blue nation are showing a rough rocky summer, man.

[Mario]

A lot of, you know, Kentucky fans calling it whiffs here and there. We finally got one. We got the best player in the transfer portal. The best player. The best player, really? The best one.

[Drew Franklin]

Who gave him all this sugar? Just so you all know, you know, Mario is normally on the air. He usually sleepwalks in here most mornings. Matt's like, are you okay, Mario? You're not talking to anyone. What did you. You night?

[Shannon the Dude]

What's going on?

[Mario]

I'm really not a morning person, man. When I found out the news, I got out the shower. That's kind of where I got the alerts. And I was like, is this real? Like, like, no, no, this can't be real. Because I was. I was like, we actually doing this, man. We got the best player in the portal and it's time to celebrate. I wish the Banner boys was here, but they're actually back at home. I would have paid them a visit, but, man, I feel good. I don't know about you guys. I feel really good.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, after the show, you can take them your mic and I, because I don't need those. I don't know that I've had a mic and I could 40.

[Billy Rutledge]

He must have had several before the show started.

[Drew Franklin]

I Think maybe I shouldn't have Sugar Rush.

[Billy Rutledge]

He might crash by the second. I'm good.

[Mario]

I'm good, man.

[Billy Rutledge]

Not only the best player in the portal, the best shooter in college basketball last year.

[Mario]

And he fits Mark Pope's system, Billy. He fit. This is the perfect guy you could get. He's not like, you know, super athletic, but, you know, he has skill, high basketball iq, can really shoot it. It's a perfect guy to put in Mark Pope's system.

[Drew Franklin]

The Mario crash is going to come hard in about 15 minutes. I feel it. He's just 11:30.

[Billy Rutledge]

Maybe we'll see it.

[Drew Franklin]

I got to confess something with, you know, just having Shannon and Billy as my guests and Sugar Rush Mario over here. I didn't listen to the pre show this morning. I don't miss a pre show, but I didn't want it to get in my head since I, you know, you two are my only co hosts here. I didn't want to kind of repeat what you've done.

[Shannon the Dude]

So now you do you, buddy. You do you. It's all good. We got a different list, different audience here. You know, this has got several other affiliates. So we're good. We're good.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, I just wanted to apologize that I missed it, but we're going to get right to it. Milan Momcilovich, he's a cat. The pride of Powake Wisconsin, I think we call it, as we all know, played at Iowa State last year, averaged about 17 a game, but more importantly, shot 48.7 from three. The best shooter in college basketball, as Mario said, the best available player in the transfer portal. He's number three overall in the transfer portal of everyone. So just a huge get for Mark Pope. I mean, we've talked about this, Billy, over and over and over. Even before he withdrew his name from the draft. This was the dream. For a while it was Marino and Momcilovich. But when Marino came back to Kentucky on that Sunday, it's been all Momcilovich watch lately. And last night, so excited to get it done. 10:00 clock on a Monday, wasn't quite ready for it. I'm honestly about to go to bed. I might have had a few watching baseball, and then suddenly it's like, well, got to clock in and go to work. We did a 30 minute rapid reaction on KSR's YouTube channel. Go check that out. But regardless of timing, it's a done deal, Billy.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah, interesting timing. I think Nick Mingion was happy about that timing too, as our attention is a little bit diverted at this point. But I mean I'm excited for Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins but let's be honest, they're not three point shooters and this team desperately needed three point shooting or Cam Williams was going to have a pretty big load on his shoulders this year. And now mom Silovich comes in and really seems to fit Mark Pope's system. A guy that can play the three or most likely the stretch four. Something we they did not have last year with Modi Abate. So we've talked about video game like offenses for what over two years now and I don't think we've really seen it. I mean at times Amari Williams in that first year team with Kobe Bray looked good but this has the potential to get to that video game like offense. With a guy like Milan.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, he'll have the ultimate green light. Last year he led the country with 136 three pointers. That would have been a UK record if he had done it in Lexington. We'll get more on the UK records there because I think some of them might be in jeopardy. He took seven and a half a game. That's a couple more than Kobe Braya did. So I know Kentucky used Kobe in the, in the recruitment. Look what you can do. But also probably going to get a lot more looking forward to all that. As we all know, it's the piece Mark Pope needed and I feel like now this looks like a Mark Pope team. Like we can finally evaluate him. Last year we all know probably overcorrected with defense a little bit. This is more like his first year but maybe with maybe a little more talent. Hopefully injuries don't pop their head up. But I think this is the year we can really judge Mark Pope because this seems like the offense or the really the whole makeup of the team that he'll want to run with. Malachi, who can step out a little bit. You got some, some especially Zoom Diallo at point guard I think hold up in the sec and then of course you got your shooter.

[Billy Rutledge]

Well especially injuries at the point guard spot. It just seems to be Kentucky's been snake bitten there. But this is a guy with a lot of experience. Beat Kentucky in the last game of the season in the NCAA tournament and now Mario can come in and be that leader for Mark Pope that he desperately needed. Definitely after some misses in the recruiting cycle.

[Mario]

You guys talk about it all the time. The Kentucky needs a stud. They need a star. Ain't a player. You finally got your stuff. We missed out on Stokes, but I'm not gonna lie to you, Drew. I kind of prefer this guy over Stokes. I kind of do, man. I kind of do. I like Stokes, but I think Stokes is a lot to handle, you know, outside of basketball. I think this guy's the perfect fit. Perfect fit for Kentucky.

[Drew Franklin]

It's easy to say now when we get Momcilovich and didn't get Stokes, but I said that before Stokes. I wanted Stokes. Stokes came with a lot more. Like he could be the number one all overall pick. Pope kind of needs that for the brand. Pope needs to show he can recruit in high school. Getting Stokes would have done that. You don't get him. I think as far as immediate impact on this upcoming team, Momcilovich is a better fit. They need to shoot.

[Mario]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Stokes came with extra stuff that Momcilovich doesn't have and would have been big for Pope and showing he can do it in recruiting. But as far as, you know, filling in the last puzzle piece, I don't think there's any question Momcilovich is a better get. You know, there's. You can nitpick a little bit. Defense, rebounding. But overall, the three point shooting is exactly what Pope needed. Shannon, we mentioned that, you know, he was kind of the villain in the NCAA tournament. What do you have? 20 points? Four, five threes. He hit that three where Marino fell down in the corner and he's just kind of like standing over him as he shoots it.

[Billy Rutledge]

Moment.

[Drew Franklin]

I think it's going to be. We're all just moving on from that, right? I think bygone.

[Mario]

He's on this team now.

[Shannon the Dude]

As I was telling Billy in the pre show, we're taking the approach, if you can't beat them, see if he'll join your team. And that's what we got. And this kind of feels like always last second shot in the tournament, you know, Mark Pope. There was so much negativity all. Well, I mean, I should really say all summer long, I guess, all spring after the season ended. And now I think that we've got a lot more optimism going into the. The offseason now with. With him joining the team. I was also telling Billy Drew that, you know, Tom Leach and I were talking off the air, and I was like, you got to say his name a lot. You need to, like, shorten his name. Tom, can I get you to call Momcilovich mommy? Will you call him mommy?

[Drew Franklin]

I ain't calling no grown man mommy

[Shannon the Dude]

saying, like, maybe we can get it to happen. Like, I want Tom. At least at one Point to just yell out mommy for three Jelly bean.

[Mario]

I don't know.

[Drew Franklin]

Mike and Ike

[Shannon the Dude]

trying to make it happen here.

[Drew Franklin]

I think Tom might need to shorten a little bit. Maybe go with Milan. I don't know, Billy. Mommy, that's. That's kind of. I'm kind of cringing just at the thought of us yelling mommy as he. As he nails another three point.

[Billy Rutledge]

The DraftKings. Odds are high that Tom Leach is going to utter mommy in Mom Silver. Mommy squami. I know.

[Shannon the Dude]

Don't do it. Tom Hart will.

[Billy Rutledge]

I know. Ryan will.

[Mario]

Yeah, it's kind of weird. I walked in this morning and one of our sales reps, Brandon, he asked me, he's like, how's your mom? I was like, why are you asking my mom? She's fine. Like what? He's like, how's mom, Silovich? And I kind of felt weird. I was like, okay, that was kind of weird.

[Billy Rutledge]

That's Brandon for you right there.

[Drew Franklin]

I think we'll go with Milan, if anything. Or Jelly Bean or Mike and Ike. Let's all be honest. Did it. You know, as this went on, we were a little impatient. I'll raise my hand. I was impatient. Kentucky fan base as a whole. We were impatient.

[Mario]

You saw what I said in the group chat.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, yeah, I'm aware. You know, KS Board. We love KS Board. I've been on there. Nonsense. Our thread waiting for him has like 120 pages. It was, you know, the fan base. We were. We were hurting there for a little while when realistically, nothing really changed. I mean, sure, we overreacted, I guess. People say Cam Williams unfollowed him. And then there's news that Louisville's in the mix, but Kentucky was the presumed leader since he pulled from the draft. Some people even said it could be Monday, but for some reason we still panicked a little bit. So I'm just going to put all of you on the spot. Did it at any point you think they lost him? Did you hold strong? I'll go first. I thought like 90% getting him. By Monday afternoon, I was around 68, 70, 60 round. It dropped. But I never gave up. I genuinely thought he had so much in front of him. You have to pick Kentucky. It's the obvious choice. But did any of you all. Mario, I know you did, but want to confess to giving up?

[Billy Rutledge]

Well, yeah, because, I mean, the Banner boys went over three and we thought we had those guys locked up. Right. I mean, there is a real perception thing going on here with Mark Pope late in the recruiting process here. He needed another guy. He had to get mom Silovich for really this off season to go positively before his third and very important year. So after so many misses on guys that we expected to drew, I just gotten to a point where I'm like, just tell me when they commit.

[Mario]

Where were you, Billy? When. When he put the news out that he committed.

[Billy Rutledge]

What's that, last night?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, probably sitting right here.

[Billy Rutledge]

I was the baseball bro. I actually didn't have to run baseball last night, so I got to enjoy an adult beverage and watch the game, but I was sitting at home, Mario getting ready to go to sleep.

[Mario]

Cool, cool, cool.

[Drew Franklin]

We'll get into baseball next. Shannon, did you give up at any point?

[Shannon the Dude]

You know, I'm just to the point with a lot of these recruits where. Just tell me when they decide where they're going, because you listen to all these experts, and then they say four different schools, and then at any given moment, they'll say that they're going to a different school every day. You know, we heard Jeff Goodman talk about that. You know, it could be Louisville. Oh, it's Kentucky. No, it's St. John's you know, so I didn't really know what the thing. I thought that he would probably go to Kentucky just because they needed him probably the most, and he could probably get the most playing time by going to Kentucky and probably the most nil money. So it just. It made sense for Kentucky to be the school that he picked.

[Billy Rutledge]

The money is crazy.

[Mario]

Yeah, the money is crazy. I'll tell you one thing, the Louisville fans. I haven't. I haven't heard a lot of Louisville talk. Louisville fans are really quiet right about now.

[Drew Franklin]

I saw a few online like, oh, he's not a good fit. Oh, Kentucky fans over yet. Shut up.

[Mario]

Real quiet.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm not. I'm not here for that. We're celebrating. Maybe they made us a little more uncomfortable than we should have been over the weekend, but it's a done deal. Milan Momcilovich is a Cat second team all big 12 player last year when we saw in UK's final game of the season. But now he's coming to join us, completing Mark Pope's roster, and we think it's a good one. We'll talk a lot more about that coming up as I fill in for Matt here on ksr. I'm really excited to be sitting in front of this board. I don't know what any of these buttons do. I'm definitely not going to push him, Billy, but I can. I can see like calls. Yeah, yeah, I see Shannon. Is that like I've been thrown off Shannon. There's like, it looks like a face behind you in that window. Is someone just staring at you? It's.

[Shannon the Dude]

Oh, that's. That's Rihanna. That's. That's a picture of Rihanna that's hanging up outside in the hallway.

[Drew Franklin]

It's been creeping me out since I can at you.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah, that's Rihanna doing out there.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, maybe she'll call in or just step in there in the room with you. But we want to hear from you. 859-280-2287. Come talk about Momcilovich with us. We're celebrating. We got Mike and Ikes. We got Eminem's. We'll get into baseball a little bit. But it's mostly a celebration of Momcilovich. We'll be right.

[America 250 Announcer]

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[Shannon the Dude]

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[Drew Franklin]

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[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

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[Drew Franklin]

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[Billy Rutledge]

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[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

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[Billy Rutledge]

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[Drew Franklin]

Beautiful. Welcome back. Ksr. Drew Franklin and from Matt Jones with Billy Rutledge. Shannon, the dude we made Mario, go take a walk. Just. He had too much energy. I mean, we're excited. That was a lot. That was a lot to take.

[Shannon the Dude]

Shot out of a cannon this morning.

[Drew Franklin]

Shannon playing the hits. We haven't done this in a while. The Leanne Robins commitment. This used to be for every commitment. Shannon, thanks for going back in the vault. Let's let it play a little bit.

[Shannon the Dude]

There you go. I mean, we're keeping her alive, really. We're keeping her career going. When's the last time you thought about Leanne Rhymes?

[Drew Franklin]

Probably last time you played this year. In a commitment.

[Mario]

Exactly.

[Drew Franklin]

We need. We need somebody that'll go the distance, someone with staying power and that what it says.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Hey, he could be a 5, 5 and 5 candidate. There's some staying power.

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm looking at the phone lines. They look very active. I want to get to some of these right now as we celebrate. We'll get to baseball in just a minute, and we're going to check in with Adam Luckett, who I think moved to Morgantown. He was there so long, I think he just lives at that stadium. But hopefully he's been able to leave and he's on his way back. Wherever he is, we'll check in with him because he was there for. For all of it as we get into baseball. But right now, I want to knock out some of these phone calls. I don't want to keep these people waiting. They've been on and it's pretty cool that I can see it. Never been able to do this before in front of this fancy screen. Shannon, is Elijah JQ25.26. Should we start there?

[Shannon the Dude]

I think that to this is. Is that you, JQ26?

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

I am.

[Drew Franklin]

Here, take your lap.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah, have at it.

[Drew Franklin]

What's up, Elijah?

[Caller Andy]

Yup.

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

Yup. I'm very excited. I'm so excited. We got Milan I. Our squad, I would say, going into the SEC has the potential to be a top 10 in the. In the country. I really am just excited right now about our team. Oh, my God, we look so nice.

[Shannon the Dude]

No surprise though, right? Because you called this a week ago like you're not surprised. You knew was going to happen.

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

I. I am not surprised that he is at Kentucky. I have been confident this entire time. While I got the timing wrong.

[Caller Andy]

Oh.

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

I've been confident the entire time this is going to be us. It just did not make sense with. No, go ahead, go ahead.

[Drew Franklin]

At no point were you worried just a little bit when the, when the timeline stretched on into Monday evening.

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

I wouldn't say I was worried at all. Like, just look at the fit

[Caller Andy]

to

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

the fit at Kentucky. It just did not make any sense.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, let's heat check you before we let you go. Do you have any, any more scoop or predictions for what's next with Kentucky? I don't mean to put you on the spot, but you're hot right now. What else do you have for us?

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

You know what the next steps are. Jamal, come on down.

[Drew Franklin]

Could Jamal come on down?

[Mario]

Is that Scooter?

[Drew Franklin]

Are you calling Jamal Crawford to take that job now that he's not working the NBA playoffs anymore?

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

Is he not working the NBA finals?

[Drew Franklin]

NBC doesn't have it. It's all espn. So he's off work. The Western Conference final was his last obligations.

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and say he's gonna. He will be an assistant coach this year. Yeah.

[Shannon the Dude]

All right.

[Drew Franklin]

We appreciate the call. Yeah, we appreciate the call. JQ25 26/Elijah. Good to hear from you. And, yeah, maybe that's the next step. Shannon, you know, he's been busy doing his, his, you know, sit with Reggie Miller going over all the NBA playoff stuff. But NBC doesn't have any of the finals, so he's. He's free to do whatever he wants this summer.

[Shannon the Dude]

If you're going to get them, now's the time you would. So maybe GQ 2526 causes shot again. We'll see what happens.

[Drew Franklin]

But wouldn't. Wouldn't that be something if Pope got Momcilovich and then Jamal Crawford this week? That'd be good one for all the haters.

[Billy Rutledge]

That'd be a huge win. But he's also a good broadcaster. I enjoyed him on the call. He was. He did really good. I feel like JQ25 26 has got a little Billy. Our sports in them. They just said talk confidently and act like you know what's going on.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, look where it got you. You're sitting here.

[Billy Rutledge]

Biggest show in the state. Here I am yapping with us.

[Drew Franklin]

Let's get another call in. Andy's been on a while. What's up, Andy?

[Caller Andy]

Hey. Hey, Drew. What's up, guys? Yeah, I have been. Anybody that talks to me on a daily basis just knows that I was. I'm kind of with you guys. I wanted Montielovich more than I wanted Stokes. I mean, I was hoping we get at least one of them. But the thing is with Manchilovich, he can make everyone else on the team better. And I don't know if you can say that. So, so much for Stokes. I mean, until it's like, you know, Kobe Bryant was in year one. You take Lamont Butler, who came from San Diego State, and his three point percentage went up by three or four points when he came to Kentucky. And I think in part that was because you had guys like Kobe Brya and Ansley Allen Arthur and be spot up Sooners. And I think the same thing can be said, you know, with like Trent. No, I think we might get a year one Trent Noah instead of a year two Trent Noah now that you got Montilovich and you know, you can spread the floor drive. There's just numerous things that you're going to be able to do and I'm just. I'm just thrilled about it. My. I've not been excited, optimistic about the basketball program probably since the beginning of this past year before everything kind of went to pieces. And I. I'm just. I'm here for it. Coming to Lexington tomorrow. First time I've really been able to come to Lexington without any medical obligations in a long time. So I'm probably going to pop into Yalls bowling league and have a few beers tomorrow night before I come to the show Thursday morning.

[Drew Franklin]

Please do. We'd love to see you there.

[Caller Andy]

It's Thursday's her birthday, so I'm coming up tomorrow and we're gonna kind of hang out for a couple days, but.

[Drew Franklin]

All right. Yeah, Thursday shows at the bar. Make sure everybody joins us. Andy, we got it. Before you go, I got a couple questions for you. One, how are you holding up? I know a lot of listeners know you and have been concerned about you. You're doing okay?

[Caller Andy]

Yeah, I'm doing good. I recovered nicely from the surgery. They said it was a big bulky tumor. They went in there and got it out, so I think the beer can flow quite easily tomorrow now. They did, but they did get all the tumor, so.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay, well, good dealers.

[Caller Andy]

Cancer free right now. It's just that I. I've still Got to meet with people and have checkups and things like that to, you know, find out, you know, precautions on it, not coming back and all that type of stuff.

[Drew Franklin]

All right, well, we've been thinking about you. Quickly, one more question for you. What do you think about the best team in baseball, the Atlanta Braves. Shannon and I get to brag on them enough. So let's take our victory lap here.

[Caller Andy]

40 and 20. And I gotta make a confession or two actually. Before the season, I was really down on the Walt Wildfire. I wanted to not, not hire within. And I kind of threw a little spit about it. And I was dead wrong. And I am guilty of even a week ago complaining about Acuna, even when as far as suggesting that maybe we should look into trading Acuna just because of the name value, because he hasn't. He's been injured and not really produced in about three years. It seems like as soon as I said that, he called fire and he has been going crazy.

[Drew Franklin]

We love him. That's. That's my. Maybe the highlight of my life. But we appreciate the call, Andy. Go Braves.

[Shannon the Dude]

Yeah. Yeah. You know, I went to the Braves Reds game, game three. The Braves were playing guys that I didn't even know were on the team. Their catcher was a guy who looked to be about 4 foot 7. His last name was Trump. Not Trump, Trump. Like who is this guy? Like the umpire was bigger than he was. He was our catcher. So I think we were just, you know, just letting the Reds have one on game three on Sunday. So. But yeah. Have you been up to the great American ballpark yet this year, Drew?

[Drew Franklin]

Not yet. I couldn't go this weekend, baby. Duties keep me pretty busy. But I was tuned in. Yeah, I was also tuned in to the. Our other favorite baseball team last night. Let's just go ahead and get into that briefly. Yeah, cats went down 6, 5. Showed some life there. What were the five one in the 8th inning. Then they had a four run 8th inner with two outs. They went single, single. Then Hudson Brown hit a three run shot and then what was it? Ethan Hindle followed it with back to back jacks to tie it up. Showed a little life there. But then in the end, West Virginia got him in the bottom of the 10th. I thought the bullpen actually held up pretty well there in the ninth. You know, that's been a big part of the problem all year. But they gave us some hope there.

[Billy Rutledge]

What a crazy regional. Excited to hear Adam Luckett talk about it a little bit on the other side of this break.

[Drew Franklin]

We're going to call Adam now. He should be driving back from Morgantown. He'll tell us all about it. But this is Drew Franklin filling in from Matt on ksr. Welcome back to ksr. Drew Franklin with Billy Rutledge. Shannon the dude, it's Mike and Ikes. We're having a good time celebrating Milan Momcilovich, but we also have to focus on what wasn't as fun last night moments before Milan saved us with some good news. And to help us break down the Kentucky baseball game, we have Adam Luckett on the phone. Adam was in Morgantown for all the games. Adam is likely on the road now. Or maybe Adam, do you just live in Morgantown,

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

Drew? I am on. I don't even know what this highway is called. I just got out of Morgantown probably about 30 minutes ago on day 28. I was happy to leave.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, I felt like you were there forever. You even got kicked out of a hotel because you were staying there so long. It felt like all of those baseball games were the longest sporting events ever played. So you're in the, in the press box there. But we appreciate your coverage. I want to start with Sunday. We all know the heartbreak that that was when Kentucky was three outs from, from going and clinching it without a loss. How stunned did the Kentucky dugout and just really the whole atmosphere seem with that outcome on in Sunday night's game?

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

Yeah, I mean, I think you could probably say that's like the most gut wrenching loss in program history. Like you're on the verge of making a super regional and out of nowhere you're going to host and you have a path to Omaha and then it just gets ripped right from underneath you. Nick Mingyone, basically, there was a unique moment in that game, Drew. Like when Kentucky leaves the dugout in any game, they kind of go to the outfield and they have like a team meeting before they leave the field or go to the locker room, whatever, their home or away. So the team is walking towards the outfield and you could just see the body language. It's down, obviously. And you know, the place is going absolutely berserk. They're in the ballpark. And I look up and Nick Mingion starts sprinting towards his team. And then he gives him like a kind of a fiery, inspired message, it looks like. And then in the press conference, he basically like him and Tyler Bell was just, that's over. We're going to play a baseball game tomorrow. We're flushing it. We're going to be ready to play So I do have to credit them for really kind of bouncing back and getting past that as best they could. And they gave themselves a chance to win in a spot where I think a lot of people thought, that's really going to get away from them, but it didn't. They hung in there, had another chance to win, came up short, but overall, just a tough one. And it goes both ways. That's the win. West Virginia, like, that's a win where you take the pictures and you plaster them on your facility while you plaster around the stadium. But on the other side of that, Kentucky is thinking, man, we missed a golden opportunity. And that one, it's going to sting for a while. Hudson Brown said after the game. You know, I'm gonna forget about this. This loss, but it ain't gonna happen tomorrow. Like, so that was a tough one.

[Caller Andy]

And.

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

But. And so they'll have to come back. And it was kind of a situation where you felt like they had a chance to steal something, because a lot of times these tournaments, as we know, you get in the dance, you never know when it's gonna open up. It opened up here for Kentucky, and they were just. They got it to the very edge, and they couldn't get it over the cliff.

[Drew Franklin]

We all saw that atmosphere on tv. Lots of crowd shots. They were. Espn, did a good job. Look like Kentucky had a decent turnout. Was there anything that you saw around to tell us about that maybe we not have. Might not have seen on TV from that wild atmosphere the whole weekend?

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

Yeah, the. I believe it was the Saturday game. So Kentucky. When Kentucky beat West Virginia. Yeah, it was that game. First inning, they get to the starter, starters pulled. There's an absolute masterclass going on by Steve Sabins, the Western West Virginia head coach, where he, you know, they go to the mound, they say he's injured. Sabins walks all the way to the bullpen in right field. When I say walks, he's not like half walking, half jogging, walks. Just kind of delaying, trying to buy time for his reliever to get warmed up. While all of that is going on, there is an absolute brouhaha going on between some Kentucky folks in West Virginia. Folks and law enforcement did get involved there. It was a interesting, interesting moment there in the stadium. The both sides are kind of going back and forth and a good crowd. There was a lot of moments, I think, for Kentucky to cheer, and that stadium got quiet multiple times, and you could feel the nervous energy in that place. It was just. Unfortunately for Kentucky, they could not finish the deal in the late innings.

[Drew Franklin]

Why does that Guzman guy seem to hate us? It's. It's two years in a row. I mean, of all people to come up to the plate there, to put it away in the bottom of the 10th. Where is he a villain? And is West Virginia arrival now? We kind of. We really got into that.

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

Yeah. I wrote last night that there's kind of like these random Kentucky just killers. Like Trey Burton obviously was like the first one that came to mind. Like that guy scoring six touchdowns. What's going on here? He's. He's on the list. I mean, there's been plenty in basketball you could go like these random guys that just. Absolutely. Just kill us in games. And this guy's. The next one just. Just goes unconscious when he plays Kentucky. And to me, Drew, the game really was. You know, you give up that single in the. In the 10th, three, two count, second batter. You go back to the night before. That's when the inning kind of got unraveled. Error. Nia Blackhawk gets a second batter. Walk, loses them on a walk. Jack Bennett, 3, 2 count, loses that guy on the walk. And at both times, it felt like, oh, they might be in trouble here. And that's exactly what happened. It was. It wasn't just Guzman. It was like Guzman and Carson Kelly was like, I don't know, one of these guys. It feels like it's going to get a knock here. And that's exactly what happened. And you got to tip your caps to him. These events, your best players got to be. Got to be stars for you to advance in West Virginia. Throughout the lineup, the lineup struggled, I thought, but outside of Guzman and Carson Kelly, those two were consistent throughout all the meetings with Kentucky, and they ended up making the difference. I mean, it felt like anytime Guzman got on, he scored a run. And I think Kelly hit three home runs, and he only had 13 home runs on a season entering that. That weekend. And all three home runs in the region, I believe, came against Kentucky. It was just an unfortunate state because West Virginia just made a couple more plays in Kentucky did.

[Drew Franklin]

Big picture. Kentucky ends the season 33 and 23. They went 13 and 17 in the SEC. They were a bubble team. But then, as we all know, you get three outs from hosting the supers. What's your opinion on the season as a whole? If you were going to grade this team, you don't have to give an actual grade, but just what's your takeaway from the entire year?

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

Complicated. It's a complicated season for a lot of reasons. You'll never believe this Drew, but a Kentucky Athletics team had a bunch of injuries and had to fight through that all season. Tyler Bell first, I mean the first, I think it was the second inning of the first game. He injures his non throwing shoulder on just like a routine diving play. It was and it was kind of like started what was going to be a year full of injuries. Nate Harris right when he's starting to get going, you felt like an SEC play. He's got a shoulder injury he has to miss. He has to miss three starts. Braxton Van Cleave is on fire at the end of the year. Arkansas shortstop shoulder tackles him run into second base and he has to have a facial surgery. So you had all of these injuries that they had to fight through all year but also you had a starting rotation. You thought Jelkin hits this could be really good. And Jelkin did more than hit. He became one of the best starters in the sec. So the one thing Kentucky had kind of been missing this whole time during this mingy home run is a legitimate frontline weekend starter and they had it this year with Jelkin. But they didn't have the what they typically had was just two good top pitchers and a in good arms in the bullpen. A reliable bullpen situation. The bullpen never came together. It was a huge flaw for this team all season long and it got exposed as we saw in big moments in in a lot in they were 09 in rubber match games at the end of the year. If they go go four and five or five and four in those games, not only are they playing next weekend, they they hope they just hosted and they got a chance to be an Omaha team if they just figured I was out. A lot of it was bullpen. The pitching plan did not come together. You had some star power. Bell's going to be probably a top 10 pick in July and you had some other guys really step up with Hudson Brown and Ethan Hindle have really big years but you just could not put it together. And there was times where the pitching held up and it felt like they could never find the key hit or they couldn't make the routine play on defense in some big spots. And it was just that same kind of thing over and over again. So it was just a complicated season. I think you've got to give them a lot of credit for holding on to the rope, staying in the fight and grinding through the ups and downs. I think that's why they never got swept and ultimately that's why that made the tournament, and it was almost why they almost advanced to a super regional. So at the end of the day, again, complicated

[Drew Franklin]

to get back to Omaha. What does Nick Mingion need to do this off season? What should he prioritize to, you know, put a better product out there next year and take the next step?

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

Number one, retention. Keep Ratchet, Main, Cleave, keep Ethan Hindle, keep Hudson Brown. All of those guys, to me, Drew, are like potential. All SEC type guys for you. So that's number one. Keep them and you, you've got a chance to have a pretty good lineup I think, next year. Number two, and Jason Tarnish, I believe, has your eligibility left. So those. That's four real deal guys that they could have bring back. Number two, it's the pitching. How do they, how do they build out the pitching? Because they're gonna.

[Caller Andy]

They lose.

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

They might lose. Junkin sounds like he, you know, he could possibly come back at an extra year of eligibility, but he's got to make a decision. And then you've got Harris and Cleaver there, but what do you do with them? Because this year wasn't great. And then you've got to totally rebuild the bullpen now. Adcock's gone, Jack Bennett's gone. Those are your top two arms. So how do you rebuild the bullpen and how do you attack it in the portal? You're going to have to go out and probably get at least a starter. Those starters cost a lot of money in the portal. Kentucky, they've got some cash, but they're not exactly, exactly flush with cash on the baseball side, specifically when they're competing with SEC teams for players. West Virginia, they had two pitchers who were all Big 12 last year. This year that were kind of deep, that were D2 transfers. So for Kentucky, can you find like a lower school guy? Can you find a couple arms there to really boost up the bullpen? I think if you can do that and you get some retention in the lineup, this team's got a chance. But they're going to have to find some gyms in the bullpen and possibly one starter to really have the year. I think people want, want them to have next year.

[Drew Franklin]

Last thing I know, it felt like you were probably in a press box the entire time you were in Morgantown, but did you get to step out on the town at all? Any. Anything you enjoyed in Morgantown, maybe get your hands on a pepperoni roll or whatever else they have there in West Virginia?

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

I did not get to have a pepperoni roll. I really did enjoy Morgantown. The hospitality was fantastic. The baseball stadium, just how they set had it set up was very nice facility but not much, not much time to adventure out get out of the stadium after midnight. Drew. I compared it to this. This was like covering four game Saturday night games, ESPN special at Kroger Field four nights in a row. That's what I was doing every night. I felt like I was a Bill Murray and groundhog snake. I felt like I was going to cover a night game at Kroger Field. I wasn't getting to sleep till three in the morning. I'm up at nine. Getting in the blog minds and going to work. It just felt like never ending. So I did enjoy my time in Morgantown, but it was a lot of hours spent in my hotel room at my desk and spent in Kendrick family ballpark. Press box closed it down a few times. I even made friends like I'm calling people by the first names like I've seen them forever. That work in West Virginia. It was one of those. It was one of those crazy weeks.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, I know those 3am Press box nights at Kroger Field. I'm looking forward to doing those this this fall with you and enjoy or enjoy. Stay safe on the rest of your trip. Get home to your family. I know you've been writing them letters and you miss them and I'm glad you're not a permanent resident of Morgantown because we need you back in Kentucky. But thanks for all your coverage. I know that was a lot of hard work.

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

Thanks guys. I'll talk to y' all later.

[Drew Franklin]

All right. That was Adam Luckett, KSR's baseball beat writer, who as I said, spent a lot of time in Morgantown. Also watching from home, I felt like Tom Hart just talked to me for four days. I don't know how dialed in you all were. I tweeted last night I Tom Hart. I heard more of him than I heard of my own thoughts in my head. So it was. It was a long weekend to be a Kentucky baseball fan, but a fun one. We'll get back on the Milan Momcilovic beat. Celebrating that coming up after this. We also have full phone banks you can add to it. Give us a call at 20. Wait, 859-280-2287. Whoa, a little stutter there got thrown off. I will be right back.

[America 250 Announcer]

This is KSR this July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration at america250.org

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[Drew Franklin]

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[Drew Franklin]

Welcome back to Kentucky Sports Radio Drew Franklin with Billy Rutledge and Shannon the Dude Just had a good conversation with Adam Luckett about UK baseball's season ending loss last night and the season as a whole. Thank you to Adam for joining in. We got full phone calls. I'm going to get to those in just a second. But first, guys, can we confess something about the baseball game? Yeah, what's that? You know I don't like West Virginia. I've had some fun times there, but overall, not really a fan. Their Country Road celebration kind of looked awesome. I'll say It. I mean, I wish we had something like that. I hated that we were in that moment and that we lost. Don't. Don't get this twisted. I'm all Kentucky, and I was in pain, but watching them seeing Country Roads, I was like, all right, I'm a little jealous of what they're doing.

[Shannon the Dude]

We got Dumas Walker, though. We don't Country Road. We could all join hands and seeing. Let's all go down to do this, Walker.

[Drew Franklin]

I know. I listen. I have ski in my fridge at home. I love slawing my burger as much as anyone. I get it, but. Was that the Kentucky Headhunters?

[Shannon the Dude]

That's right. Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

I don't have a bad word to say about him. I love Dumas Walker. I don't know if it packs. You know, we play it after everything. Win, loss, baseball, football, soccer. We don't really. Here's the sway.

[Shannon the Dude]

We don't embrace it like they embrace Country Roads. Country Roads is just a song. But then when you get everybody swaying back and forth and they're all hugging all over each other and they're all singing out loud. If we did that to do Ms. Walker, we can make it just as cool, but we don't embrace it. That's the difference.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, Kentucky. And just. We need to lean into it.

[Billy Rutledge]

They have their song. It's my old Kentucky home. Right? People get emotional and they'll sway back and forth, but Doomas Walker comes on at the end of every win.

[Shannon the Dude]

Everybody leaves, though. Everybody's like, let's get out of here. You know, we don't sing in unison like they do at West Virginia.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay, so you're saying we have our song, we're just not embracing it? Yes.

[Shannon the Dude]

I mean, I'm with it. Look, they made John Denver look cool. All right? John Denver, of all people. So if they can do that with John Denver, we can do it with the Kentucky Headhunters. We just gotta get everybody on the same page to do it. That's the problem.

[Billy Rutledge]

Let's join arms and sing. Let's go down to Dumas.

[Shannon the Dude]

Look, that's the closest thing we have to a tradition. Let's lean into it.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. We can bring it on out to my baby and me. I guess while they were doing that, I even tweeted, like, that looks like fun. When's the last time we had fun? And then moments later, Momcilovich comes through and saved us. So at least we had that. But I had to. If I may pay them one compliment, the Country Roads thing looked pretty good. I wish they didn't have that opportunity. I was even ready to tweet country roads, take them back home, get out of here. But they ended up being two years

[Billy Rutledge]

in a row, Drew, right? I mean, they knocked him out last year in the region final.

[Drew Franklin]

So we have Kevin Knox. Kevin.

[Billy Rutledge]

That's right. Still have Kevin Knox and Glass Half Full. I mean, you've made four region finals in a row now that the only team in the SEC to do that for UK baseball.

[Drew Franklin]

And we knocked him out of the basketball tournament several times, including that one year that Dexter Miles, I think it was his name. He said he was going to hand Kentucky their first loss and then he proceeded to score zero points and barely got off the bench with our nearly undefeated team. Let's get some of these phone calls. William, I can see the clocks here. It looks like you've been on a long time. Sorry to keep you waiting. What's up?

[Lady Luck / Caller Elijah]

Hey, no worries. Drew waited about three weeks to call in and give you some kudos and I'm glad to do it after the commitment, but is Wayne Brady going to have to Mom Chillovich might be some of your all time best work. And I didn't want that to go unrecognized because it kind of flew by when you all were bringing him up a few weeks ago. You know, for as far as the lineup like I think last year, you know, Pope, as we all saw, tried to revert and completely went really tried to go defensive based on his first year in the SEC to compete. And we saw how well that worked out. I really want to see a lineup with Moreno and then Momcilovich at the 4, Cam at the 3 and then Wilson and Diallo and just kind of let them see what they can do. I know it may not be a great defensive team, but I'd rather go down score 90 something points a game and hopefully we can revert more back to our first season or an offense of what we thought Pope was going to be given, given the Montilovich commitment and hopefully we see some of him at the four, but otherwise that's pretty much all I got and appreciate what you guys are doing.

[Drew Franklin]

We appreciate the call. Yeah, it's fun to play the roster game here. I like the one he picked there, but there's kind of a log jam at forward. A lot of different ways guys play. You know, Cam and Braden Hawthorne are mostly a 3. Momcilovich played the 3 and 4 at Iowa State. You know, they had some injuries, he bounced back and forth. Then who knows what Ngai will be how many minutes he'll get, and he's a four. And then Justin McBride, we've seen a lot of him, so there's a. There's a lot of forwards there where you can shuffle them up. You can play kind of a more of a defensive lineup maybe with some guys. Or as he said, if you put Cam Williams and mom Chilovich out there, I mean, that could. That could light up some scoreboards.

[Billy Rutledge]

And where is Braden Hawthorne and all this? Right? I mean, Jack Givens calling him the best player in practice last year at times. So, I mean, that's really exciting and where he'll fit in. But this, you know, Mom Silovich just gives you a lot of opportunity to play with the lineups like that, to give different looks. I think if you didn't have him, you'd be very, you know, forced into what the lineup would be. Now you have a lot of possibilities,

[Drew Franklin]

and I think it's impossible to predict. I mean, Diallo and Wilkins are your starting backcourt. Reynolds, your starting center. Momcilovich is starting. So it's basically that group of Williams, Njai, McBride and even Hawthorne. I think they're going to be battling out for where they can fit in. Heck, it might change throughout the year, who knows? But those that. That group's pretty unpredictable, whereas the other four spots seem locked up.

[Billy Rutledge]

Yeah, you probably start with Cam because he's got the experience, but then once he leaves the game, maybe Monsilovich can go to the three and you could put one of those guys in at the four. You know, minute distribution is going to be another hot topic this year with Mark Pope, so we'll see how that plays out.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, a lot of options there. All that matters is, you know, Pope's getting back to what he wants to do. The 33 is a game Milan took, like, I think, eight at Iowa State last year. You want 18? How about you take all 30 yourself? He is going to be the focal point of the offense.

[Billy Rutledge]

Green light, baby.

[Drew Franklin]

And, you know, he'll make everyone better. I think Wilkinson, but the way he'll space the floor. Wilkins and Zoom, they're more drivers. It's going to help them. Marino. It's going to help everyone. So really excited about that pickup. I was going to get to more phone calls. We're getting close to the hard break, so we'll do more after the break. Also got a few other topics to talk about, like squirrels. Y' all excited to talk about some squirrels?

[Billy Rutledge]

What about squirrels?

[Drew Franklin]

I got a squirrel question. It's very important. It's been weighing on me a couple days.

[Billy Rutledge]

You're at war with the squirrel right now, aren't you?

[Drew Franklin]

Well, there's a plot twist in my in my squirrel squirrel war. But we also have a lot more Momcilovich talk. Give us a call. 859-28-0287. We'll be right back. This is KSR.

[America 250 Announcer]

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