Speaker 1: Welcome to the Big Blue and sider Dick Gabriel with
Speaker 1: you on an NCAA tournament Thursday. Hope you are already
Speaker 1: on your way with your bracket. I had Louisville beating Creighton,
Speaker 1: did not see really what was looking like a blowout
Speaker 1: for the longest time coming. So I'm already down one
Speaker 1: in my bracketing. But man, Louisville went cold, Creighton got hot.
Speaker 1: Louisville's perimeter defense turned really soft, and a big kid
Speaker 1: in the middle for Creighton is really really good and
Speaker 1: it's going to be interesting now to see him go
Speaker 1: up against Broom, the former Moorhead State Eagle now playing
Speaker 1: for Auburn. So yeah, not a great start for Louisville,
Speaker 1: but a great year, I mean, considering everything UO L
Speaker 1: had gone through the past couple of years, you know,
Speaker 1: just alongside Kentucky's rise, both of those fan bases having
Speaker 1: a lot of fun. And there were a lot of
Speaker 1: UL fans who were going nuts when Louisville cut it
Speaker 1: to what a four point game in the first half,
Speaker 1: But then Creighton spurted and then really that was it
Speaker 1: that they really just had no answers for them defensively,
Speaker 1: So season over, but I was in a text chain
Speaker 1: with my brother and a couple of friends and they
Speaker 1: still admitted they had a lot of fun this year.
Speaker 1: I don't think anybody, anybody in the Louisville fan base
Speaker 1: expected this to happen so soon, just like I think
Speaker 1: a lot of Kentucky fans probably deep down didn't think
Speaker 1: Mark Polk could generate this kind of excitement. They were optimistic,
Speaker 1: they were hopeful, still are. But I don't know that
Speaker 1: anybody expected this season for UK to go as it has,
Speaker 1: nor has anybody in the U OFL camp I think
Speaker 1: thought of a go immediately this way. Did you really
Speaker 1: think Kentucky could be a three seed when the season began?
Speaker 1: Did you really think Kentucky could rack up the quality
Speaker 1: wins it did? And yeah, there were some games that
Speaker 1: should never have lost Georgia Vanderbilt, games like that, played
Speaker 1: terribly against Ohio State up in New York. But the
Speaker 1: quality wins, the quad ones that has put Kentucky in
Speaker 1: a position that it is now. I don't think anybody
Speaker 1: saw that coming. So that's a tomorrow thing. Is the
Speaker 1: Wildcats play at seven o'clock. As you know, tomorrow night
Speaker 1: you'll hear it right here on six point thirty WLAP. Also,
Speaker 1: UK women open up play tomorrow in Lexington at Historic
Speaker 1: Memorial Coliseum. And I, for the life of me, and
Speaker 1: I've been here forever, I cannot recall NCA tournaments happening
Speaker 1: at both locations. And they probably have this written down
Speaker 1: somewhere and I haven't seen it, but I gotta think
Speaker 1: this is the first time that the women's tournament has
Speaker 1: been going on on campus and the men's tournament, even
Speaker 1: with the Wildcats not in it. They haven't been able
Speaker 1: to play at home for you know, since the mid
Speaker 1: eighties in the NCA tournament. But for them to be
Speaker 1: going on simultaneously basically is just in credible. But that's
Speaker 1: a credit to the UK women. I mean, the men's
Speaker 1: tournament for this season was set, you know, more than
Speaker 1: a couple of years ago. But you earn your way
Speaker 1: in women's basketball to hosting, you really have to. They
Speaker 1: tried to go to neutral sites and nobody showed, so
Speaker 1: they you know, it's a disadvantage of course for the
Speaker 1: teams on the road, but you just don't want to
Speaker 1: play in front of these empty in the middle of
Speaker 1: these empty barns, in front of nobody, so they've gone
Speaker 1: to the home courts for the women's game, but if
Speaker 1: it keeps growing in popularity, he may go back to
Speaker 1: neutral sites. Anyhow, Kentucky earned its way to hosting, and
Speaker 1: the Cats take on Liberty tomorrow at noon. Darren Hedrick's
Speaker 1: going to join us a little bit later on give
Speaker 1: us a scouting report on both teams, but his pregame
Speaker 1: show begins at eleven forty five a tip off set
Speaker 1: for noon. Yeah, it's gonna be on ESPN, but we
Speaker 1: invite you to listen to it right here on six thirty.
Speaker 1: WLAP and the coach and players for both teams for
Speaker 1: all the time. Team's really spoke today to the media,
Speaker 1: and Georgia Aymore, a veteran of NCA action thanks to
Speaker 1: her stay at Virginia Tech with Kenny Brooks, was excited
Speaker 1: to be going into the tournament with a brand new team.
Speaker 2: What it's exciting to be with this group, as Deja mentioned, like,
Speaker 2: it's his second year in the tournament, and it's exciting
Speaker 2: because the group we have and the coach we have.
Speaker 2: But all the girls are ready to take this experience
Speaker 2: and make the absolute most of it because it's not
Speaker 2: very often that you get put in in a position.
Speaker 1: Like this, so she is the X factor. Clearly, when
Speaker 1: Liberty's coaches sat down to drop a game plan, you
Speaker 1: got to start with Georgia Aymore. There's no question about that.
Speaker 1: You cannot let her get hot. She scored forty three
Speaker 1: against Oklahoma. But she distributes the ball, she guards, she
Speaker 1: controls tempo. But again, Kentucky a terrific defensive team with
Speaker 1: the defensive player of the Year and Clara Strack who
Speaker 1: blocks a lot of shots. You know, and it's going
Speaker 1: to be important for Tiani Key to stay out of
Speaker 1: foul trouble because she is the physical presence on that
Speaker 1: front line. Kenny Brooks obviously knows all that, but he
Speaker 1: also knows how to bring a team into the tournament.
Speaker 1: He brought Virginia Tech to the Final four one year,
Speaker 1: and as he pointed out today, basically experience preparing a
Speaker 1: tournament team before he got the lection in is helping
Speaker 1: him now. But he thought he'd have a pretty good
Speaker 1: ball club.
Speaker 3: Women's basketball has gotten to the point where parody is
Speaker 3: real and you can look at it and we're a
Speaker 3: four seed, and you know, Liberty is a thirteen seed.
Speaker 3: They're not. They're a good basketball team. You're not a
Speaker 3: thirteen seed if you won twenty six games or whatever
Speaker 3: it is. They're a good basketball team and they can
Speaker 3: come in here and they can beat you. And so
Speaker 3: you have to lock in and focus.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 3: Leading up to today, we've tried to just have a
Speaker 3: great practice, you know, don't worry about anything else, just
Speaker 3: have a great practice today. And I told him that
Speaker 3: at this point, you can't be good, because good can
Speaker 3: get you sent home. You have to be great every day, practice,
Speaker 3: media session. You got to be great and everything that
Speaker 3: you do at this point so that you can advance.
Speaker 3: And I think that's something that we've learned from our
Speaker 3: experiences in the past.
Speaker 1: And because of that experience, he knows that any advantage
Speaker 1: that the Big Blue Nation can give his team will
Speaker 1: be vital and much appreciated.
Speaker 3: We've developed a relationship with Big Blue Nation. I think
Speaker 3: that they really like what we do. It's a fun
Speaker 3: style of basketball. They'll come out and supported us, and
Speaker 3: they've made us better. And I've often said a fan
Speaker 3: base can make a good team great, and so we
Speaker 3: need Big Blue Nation to come out, come out.
Speaker 5: And be loud.
Speaker 3: We're going to need every bit of it. We say
Speaker 3: home court advantage is at least worth eight points, and
Speaker 3: we're going to need every one of them against Liberty
Speaker 3: because they're a good basketball team, very unique in what
Speaker 3: they run and how they run. It is very different
Speaker 3: than what we've seen the last seventeen or eighteen games,
Speaker 3: and so we're going to need that extra oof to
Speaker 3: get us over the top.
Speaker 1: And as I said earlier, will learn more about Liberty
Speaker 1: from Darren Hedrick when he joins us here at the
Speaker 1: bottom of the hour. Well, also talk tom Kentucky Baseball
Speaker 1: as a wildcasts head into the weekend series with the
Speaker 1: Auburn Tigers. So Auburn basketball fans have a chance to
Speaker 1: slip over to KPP this weekend catch a little baseball
Speaker 1: as well. I've got to think that that will happen.
Speaker 1: You'll see that orange and blue over at Kentucky Proud Park.
Speaker 1: As you know probably by now we pre record. I
Speaker 1: can't help you with scores from the other games from
Speaker 1: earlier today, but you know, coming up at about ten
Speaker 1: minutes to seven, you've got Tennessee and Wafferd the Terriers
Speaker 1: of Wafford. But at seven to ten on CBS, you've
Speaker 1: got that Arkansas Kansas matchup. That is going to be fascinating.
Speaker 1: And for some reason, people keep talking about Self versus Caliperi.
Speaker 1: You know, they forget that, or at least I didn't see.
Speaker 1: When I first saw the guys, the talking heads talking
Speaker 1: about the matchup, nobody mentioned the fact that these guys
Speaker 1: beat each other for national titles. Self beat Calipari when
Speaker 1: he was in Memphis for a national title, and that
Speaker 1: was a game Calipari's team should have won, I could have,
Speaker 1: but should have won. Calibreria should have multiple national titles.
Speaker 1: He should have at least two, maybe three a Kentucky,
Speaker 1: but the one he did get came at the expense
Speaker 1: of Bill Self Andrik Patino, but Bill self. So anyhow,
Speaker 1: it's a fascinating matchup. I've got Kansas winning now, and
Speaker 1: I just don't buy into Arkansas yet. But Kansas hasn't
Speaker 1: impressed me, hasn't impressed many. You know, it's underachieved, really,
Speaker 1: and that's why it's a seventh seed right now. Up next,
Speaker 1: a couple of anniversary dates are near either came or
Speaker 1: on the way, and I wanted to get in. One
Speaker 1: involves the Wildcats and their trip to the National Championship
Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy eight. It's a big day in the
Speaker 1: history of UK basketball, a big anniversary date. But also
Speaker 1: there's another anniversary date in the history of show business
Speaker 1: lash baseball that's coming up on six point thirty WLAP
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Big Moonsider. Coming up, we will
Speaker 1: preview both the UK men and the women getting started
Speaker 1: in the nca tournament. And as you know in rupp Arena,
Speaker 1: the NCAA Tournament happening. Kentucky of course is not involved
Speaker 1: in those games, but maybe Auburn plays its way through
Speaker 1: and there will be Auburn basketball fans in the baseball
Speaker 1: park this weekend because the baseball Wildcats take on Auburn
Speaker 1: as well. We will have those for you on SEC
Speaker 1: plus the first two games Doug Flynn and yours truly.
Speaker 1: Then the Mothership moves in with Sunday's game. I would imagine, Oh,
Speaker 1: you were going to be pretty well tied up all
Speaker 1: weekend with basketball. But if you want to check out
Speaker 1: the baseball you can find it now. I wanted to
Speaker 1: bring up a couple of anniversary dates today. I have
Speaker 1: to be honest, I missed one yesterday. I found out
Speaker 1: later on in the day once we were done putting
Speaker 1: the show together, that it was the anniversary of the
Speaker 1: game in nineteen seventy eight, which of course was a
Speaker 1: national chairchampionship year for the basketball Wildcats. That it was
Speaker 1: on that date that Kentucky beat Michigan State and Magic
Speaker 1: Johnson in Dayton, Ohio, where the first force happening and
Speaker 1: also where Kentucky had to upset Indiana four years prior.
Speaker 1: But it was such an incredible game because you talk
Speaker 1: about tenths low scoring. Fifty two to forty nine. Was
Speaker 1: the final halftime, Kentucky's down twenty seven to twenty two,
Speaker 1: and Kentucky was struggling. Michigan State had a really good team, obviously,
Speaker 1: so during a time out, Leonard Hamilton, Joe Bee's assistant
Speaker 1: at the time, suggested that Kentucky put Rick Roby in
Speaker 1: the high post and run Kyle Masey off him as
Speaker 1: a screen or a pick, and Michigan State would either
Speaker 1: have to let him shoot or go through it and
Speaker 1: foul him. And that's what happened, and Kyle ends up
Speaker 1: hitting ten of eleven from the free throw line, locked
Speaker 1: up the game. You remember him missing one. I actually
Speaker 1: worked the game for UK's campus radio station at the time, WBKY.
Speaker 1: I got to broadcast of that game. Not many people listen,
Speaker 1: but no, I'll listen to k would of course, but yeah,
Speaker 1: basely ends up at eighteen points. Kentucky sixteen of eighteen
Speaker 1: from the free throw line, only scored fifty nine or
Speaker 1: fifty two rather and Michigan State scored forty nine. Was
Speaker 1: five of seven from the line. Greg Kelser had a
Speaker 1: double double nineteen and thirteen. Magic scored only six points,
Speaker 1: two of ten from the field in thirty nine minutes,
Speaker 1: five assists, but he had four fouls a couple of steals,
Speaker 1: but Johnson also turned it over six times, which I
Speaker 1: thought was interesting. Jack gibbns at fourteen for the Wildcats.
Speaker 1: He had seven boards, six to twelve from outside, and
Speaker 1: Mike Phillips had ten points for Kentucky. Played thirty minutes,
Speaker 1: which was a lot for Jane for Mike because Joe
Speaker 1: be always liked to have James Lee on the floor
Speaker 1: for defense as well, but this just happened to favor
Speaker 1: Mike Phillips in that game. So yeah, it was fun
Speaker 1: to watch, and we all knew about Magic, we all
Speaker 1: knew how good he was we'd heard about this kid,
Speaker 1: this freshman, and of course they going to win it
Speaker 1: next year. But that was a huge win. On March eighteenth,
Speaker 1: actually two days ago, was the anniversary in Dayton, Ohio,
Speaker 1: where Kentucky had beaten Indiana upset that Bob Night team
Speaker 1: four years prior. Of course, that's where the First Four unfolded,
Speaker 1: and unfolds every year in Dayton. But I always think
Speaker 1: about that UK Michigan State game and how close Kentucky
Speaker 1: came to not getting to the final four. But a
Speaker 1: big thanks from the BBN to Leonard Hamilton for making
Speaker 1: that suggestion and to Joe Hall for being smart enough
Speaker 1: to listen. All Right, there's another anniversary coming up, and
Speaker 1: I'm sharing this with you today because March twenty fourth,
Speaker 1: it's going to be Monday, and that's our state wide
Speaker 1: Monday show, so I won't have the chance to get
Speaker 1: into this topic on our Monday show. March twenty fourth
Speaker 1: was the first time that Abbot and Costello's Who's On
Speaker 1: First Routine aired on radio in nineteen thirty eight. I'm
Speaker 1: gonna play some of that for you here, and most
Speaker 1: of you, I'm sure heard some or all of Who's
Speaker 1: On First? But interestingly, it's a wordplay sketch, and there
Speaker 1: are several others that are similar to Who's On First.
Speaker 1: There's one called I Work on Watt Street or Who
Speaker 1: Died Dyed? You know, which is the business owner whose
Speaker 1: name was who and he would die clothing things like that,
Speaker 1: And so they tweaked it Abbit and Costelle in fact,
Speaker 1: but Abbott worked this routine with another partner prior to
Speaker 1: taming up with Costello in nineteen thirty six, and they
Speaker 1: kept working on it and working on it, and they
Speaker 1: did it on vaudeville stages through nineteen thirty seven, and
Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty eight they became part of the Kate
Speaker 1: Smith Our radio program and on March twenty fourth of
Speaker 1: nineteen thirty eight they first performed it for a national
Speaker 1: radio audience. And they you know, polished it through the years,
Speaker 1: but it just caught on, as you well know. And
Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty six, a gold record of Who's On
Speaker 1: First went into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and
Speaker 1: Museum in Cooperstown, and they've got a video plays continuously
Speaker 1: on screens at the Hall of Fame. If you've ever
Speaker 1: been to the Hall of Fame, it's it's fantastic. I
Speaker 1: finally got a chance to go there a few years ago.
Speaker 1: But this is part of Who's on first? With Abin
Speaker 1: and Costello on the Saint.
Speaker 6: Louis te we had that who's on first? What's on second?
Speaker 6: I don't know's on third?
Speaker 7: That's what I want to find out.
Speaker 6: I want you to tell me the names and the
Speaker 6: fellows on a Saint Louis team. I'm telling you who's
Speaker 6: on first, what's on second?
Speaker 7: I don't know he's on third?
Speaker 5: You know the fellow's name?
Speaker 6: Now, on the Saint Louis team, we have who's on first,
Speaker 6: what's on second? I don't know's on third. That's what
Speaker 6: I want to find out. I want you to tell
Speaker 6: me the names and the fellows on a Saint Louis team.
Speaker 7: I'm telling you who's on first, what's on second? I
Speaker 7: don't know he's on third. You know the fellow's names?
Speaker 6: Yes?
Speaker 7: Well, then who's playing first?
Speaker 6: Yeah?
Speaker 7: I mean the fellow's name on first base?
Speaker 6: Who the fellow player first base for Saint Louis? Who
Speaker 6: the guy on first base? Who is on first? Who
Speaker 6: are he asking me for? I'm not asking you. I'm
Speaker 6: telling you who is on first I'm asking you who's
Speaker 6: on first? That's the man's name, that's whose name? Yes,
Speaker 6: We'll go ahead and tell me who the guy on.
Speaker 7: First, the first base?
Speaker 6: Who is on first? How you got a first basement
Speaker 6: on first?
Speaker 8: Second rate?
Speaker 6: Then?
Speaker 7: Who's playing first? Absolutely?
Speaker 6: When you pay off the first basement every month?
Speaker 7: Who gets them on every dollar of it?
Speaker 6: Why not?
Speaker 7: The man's entitled Lewis who is Yes? So who gets it?
Speaker 7: Why shouldn't he? Sometimes his wife comes down and collects it?
Speaker 7: Who's way?
Speaker 2: Yes?
Speaker 7: After all a man earns it? Who does? Absolutely?
Speaker 6: Well, I'm trying to find outice, what's the guy's name
Speaker 6: on first base?
Speaker 7: No? No, what is on second base?
Speaker 6: I'm not asking you who's on seconds?
Speaker 7: On first? That's what I'm trying to find out.
Speaker 6: Don't change the players. I'm not changing nobody. What's the
Speaker 6: guy's name on first base?
Speaker 7: What's the guy's name on second base?
Speaker 6: I am not asking you who's on seconds?
Speaker 7: On first? I don't know he's on third.
Speaker 6: We're not talking about him.
Speaker 7: How did I get on third base? You mentioned his name?
Speaker 6: If I mentioned a third basems name, who did I
Speaker 6: say is playing third? Oh?
Speaker 7: Who's playing first? Stay off of first with it. What
Speaker 7: do you want me to do?
Speaker 6: Now?
Speaker 7: What's the guy's name on third base? What's on second?
Speaker 6: I'm not asking you who's on second, who's on first?
Speaker 7: I don't know he's on third? That I go back
Speaker 7: on third again? But I can't change their names?
Speaker 6: Will you please stay on third base?
Speaker 7: Miss the blood Hurst? Now what is it? You want
Speaker 7: to know?
Speaker 6: What is the fellest name on third base? What is
Speaker 6: the fellaw's name on second base? I'm not asking you
Speaker 6: who's on second, who's on first?
Speaker 7: I don't know third base? You got an outfield post?
Speaker 6: Sure, Saint Louis has gotta put out the absolutely the
Speaker 6: left field his name?
Speaker 7: Why?
Speaker 6: I don't know?
Speaker 7: I just stood, I asked, well, I.
Speaker 6: Just got I tell you, then tell me who's playing
Speaker 6: left field?
Speaker 7: Who is playing first? Stay out here your field?
Speaker 1: How much?
Speaker 7: Say the names out here? I want to know what's
Speaker 7: the fellest name in left field? What is on second?
Speaker 7: I'm not asking you who's on second? Is on first?
Speaker 7: I don't know third base? I tell you take it easy, man,
Speaker 7: and do that field his name?
Speaker 5: Why?
Speaker 6: Because oh he's center field? He said, will you pick
Speaker 6: up your hat? Fees picking up your hat and stopped this.
Speaker 7: Yes, minute. You gotta pitch on a team.
Speaker 6: Wouldn't this be a fine team without a picture?
Speaker 7: I don't know. Tell me the picture's name tomorrow. You
Speaker 7: don't want to tell me to day. I'm telling your man,
Speaker 7: and go ahead. Tomorrow?
Speaker 1: What time?
Speaker 7: What time? What? What time?
Speaker 6: Tomorrow?
Speaker 7: You're gonna tell me who's pitching, who is not pitching?
Speaker 7: Who is a great?
Speaker 6: Do you?
Speaker 5: All round?
Speaker 7: You say who's on? First?
Speaker 6: Ye?
Speaker 7: Come up here and ask. I want to know what's
Speaker 7: the picture's name?
Speaker 3: What's on?
Speaker 8: Second? I know who is?
Speaker 7: You Gotta catch it? Yes, catch his name today? Today,
Speaker 7: and tomorrow's pitching. Now you've got it.
Speaker 1: That's all.
Speaker 7: Saint Louis has got a couple of days on a team.
Speaker 7: But I can help that, all right. What do you
Speaker 7: want me to do? Gotta catcher? Yes, I'm a good
Speaker 7: catcher too, you know.
Speaker 6: I know that I would like to play for the
Speaker 6: Saint Louis team, though I might range that I would
Speaker 6: like to catch. Now I'm being a good catcher. Tomorrow's
Speaker 6: pitching on the team, and I'm catching.
Speaker 7: Yes, camaraw throws the ball, and.
Speaker 6: The guy up bunch the ball. Yes, now when he
Speaker 6: bunts the ball. Me being a good catcher. I want
Speaker 6: to throw the guy out at first base. So I
Speaker 6: pick up the ball and throw at the hole. Now
Speaker 6: that's the first thing you've said, right, I don't even
Speaker 6: know what.
Speaker 7: I'm talking about. Well, that's all you have to do
Speaker 7: is to throw out the first back. Now, who's got naturally?
Speaker 7: Who has naturally? Naturally? Naturally? Okay?
Speaker 6: You got?
Speaker 7: I pick up the ball and I throw.
Speaker 6: It the next right now you're don't you throw the
Speaker 6: ball the first base?
Speaker 7: Then who gets naturally? Okay, I throw a.
Speaker 6: Ball the actually done? You throw it the whole naturally?
Speaker 6: That's see it that way.
Speaker 7: That's what I say. You did not.
Speaker 6: I said, I throw the ball to naturally?
Speaker 7: You don't you throw it to who naturally?
Speaker 6: Yes, So I throw the ball to the first base
Speaker 6: and naturally gets Oh, you throw the ball the first
Speaker 6: base and who gets naturally?
Speaker 7: That's swear I'm saying.
Speaker 6: You're not saying, excuse me, folks, all right, I'm sorry, Frank,
Speaker 6: I throw the ball to throw the whole next stually
Speaker 6: will say it that way.
Speaker 7: I swear, I'm saying, get excited. Now, don't I throw
Speaker 7: the ball at first base? And who gets it?
Speaker 8: He ain't better get.
Speaker 7: It all right, now, don't get excited take it either.
Speaker 6: Now, I throw the ball at first base, whoever just
Speaker 6: drops the ball for the guy runs a second who
Speaker 6: picks up the ball and throws it the what what
Speaker 6: flows it? I don't know, I don't know, throws it
Speaker 6: back to tomorrow.
Speaker 7: A triple playing.
Speaker 6: It could be another guy gets something that's a low
Speaker 6: flight ball to because why I don't know. He's on
Speaker 6: third and I don't care, I said, I don't care.
Speaker 6: Oh that's our shortstop here.
Speaker 1: Like practically everything, you can find it on YouTube. That's
Speaker 1: courtesy Universal Television. And we'll come back and talk more
Speaker 1: in save basketball in just a minute. Here are the
Speaker 1: Big Balloon Sider six. Welcome back to the Big Bonsider.
Speaker 1: Joining us now from up in Cincinnati is Richard Skinner
Speaker 1: from Local twelve TV. We're gonna talk a little bit
Speaker 1: of reds here in a minute. It mangles with Skinny.
Speaker 1: I know that you don't cover as much maybe you
Speaker 1: do cover as much basketball. We don't get to see
Speaker 1: you down here as much. But what's been your take
Speaker 1: from up down the interstate or up the interstate on
Speaker 1: what's been happening with Kentucky basketball this year?
Speaker 8: Yeah, for foods closure to serve. You know, I'm a
Speaker 8: Kentucky greg nineteen eighty five. My wife is as well,
Speaker 8: my youngest daughters as well. My only start to play
Speaker 8: golf at NKU. She screwed up anyway. It's so yeah,
Speaker 8: so I'm pretty vested in what happens. It's been fun.
Speaker 6: It's been.
Speaker 8: It's been strangely fun. And I see that with a
Speaker 8: ten loss Kentucky team, right, you know, all those years
Speaker 8: of handing of ten loss tugby and all that stuff,
Speaker 8: and you know, it's it's just funny how things have
Speaker 8: changed with ten losses being acceptible. And it is because
Speaker 8: the sec before it shorter. I remember looking at it
Speaker 8: and we all do this, right, You're like, that's a win,
Speaker 8: that's a loss, that's a win, that's a loss, and
Speaker 8: I that's I could come up with those twelve wins
Speaker 8: at best in the best case scenario. You know, did
Speaker 8: I expect him to lose to Georgia. No, But then
Speaker 8: again I put it around for they might be Aubert
Speaker 8: and home late year. So it's been. It's been strangely fun.
Speaker 8: And right now though you're holding your breath just because
Speaker 8: of how banged up they are. That's that's the problem.
Speaker 6: Job.
Speaker 8: I I love Laman Butler since I saw him play
Speaker 8: at San Diego State. I think he's a great player.
Speaker 9: And as a.
Speaker 8: High school coach myself, he's the guy. Go, you give
Speaker 8: me one guy to start a team with, I'm taking
Speaker 8: that dude when he's healthy. And so you just got
Speaker 8: to cross your fingers he gets his way through this
Speaker 8: because you just don't know what that shoulder. When does
Speaker 8: it pop out? When does it not pop out?
Speaker 1: Yeah, And you know, I've talked to a couple of
Speaker 1: people over the last few days about the fact that
Speaker 1: clearly he is a terrific on ball defender, but that
Speaker 1: enables teammates. You know, point guards make everybody better on offense.
Speaker 1: But he also makes everybody better on defense, doesn't he?
Speaker 8: Oh, no question, Because listen, if you can't get into
Speaker 8: your actions the way you want to get into your actions,
Speaker 8: especially with a shot clock, that's really difficult. If suddenly
Speaker 8: you look up and you're at ten and some dude
Speaker 8: who doesn't have a chance to do anything in isolation
Speaker 8: situations has the ball in his hands, that offense is
Speaker 8: messed up at that point, and that's what he does.
Speaker 8: So well, he just he makes you run your offense
Speaker 8: to the people that you don't want to run your
Speaker 8: offense through. And to your point, yeah, he's great on
Speaker 8: the offensive side. I think he was on the defensive side,
Speaker 8: and that's where you just stats don't really measure that
Speaker 8: a lot of times.
Speaker 1: No, you're right, you know, And of course this is
Speaker 1: I think a pressure situation. No one's really talking about
Speaker 1: the fact that, you know, the naysayers when Pope was hired, Well,
Speaker 1: he's never won an NCAA tournament game. Right now, especially
Speaker 1: with this one, you've got to have mont Butler healthy
Speaker 1: because Troy is a dangerous team and in order for
Speaker 1: Kentucky to make Mark Pope a winner for the first
Speaker 1: time in postseason, I think this is a tough point.
Speaker 8: Yeah. I don't think there's dangerous as Oakland, and it's
Speaker 8: easy to say that in retrospect, but NKU is in
Speaker 8: their league. So I saw Open a couple of times.
Speaker 8: I didn't see him in person, uh at Oakland, but
Speaker 8: I saw him in person here in Northern Kentucky. Yeah,
Speaker 8: and they were dangerous, I mean because they could shoot
Speaker 8: the three right and not just the kids knocked all
Speaker 8: the shots down last but they also had the townshen
Speaker 8: kids who's now at Arizona as a starter on a
Speaker 8: really good Arizona team. I mean they were good, So
Speaker 8: they were dangerous. I don't think Troy is quite as dangerous.
Speaker 8: They're they're they're they're numbers. Defensively, they only give up
Speaker 8: sixty three points a game that they rank high and
Speaker 8: fewest points allowed. But if you look at their defensive
Speaker 8: metric from Ken Tom, it's not great. It's not awful.
Speaker 8: I mean it's it's pretty good, and they're ninety eighth
Speaker 8: overall in Ken Pom. And I just don't think there's
Speaker 8: dangerous Oakland. But to your point, I mean right or wrong,
Speaker 8: Mark doesn't have this hanging around his neck, the losing
Speaker 8: of to a fourteen seed and losing to a Saint Peter's.
Speaker 8: But to your point, he has a thing hanging around
Speaker 8: his neck. Have never won an NCAA tournament game, But
Speaker 8: I don't think those players feel that pressure. Mean what,
Speaker 8: but's been to a Final four for to say, you know,
Speaker 8: you got some dudes on that team that have done
Speaker 8: been there, done that. Not a lot, but you have
Speaker 8: some And so yeah, I just this game, last year's
Speaker 8: game really it did as a fan and as a grad,
Speaker 8: it scared me this game not quite as much. Now
Speaker 8: you get to the next round, whether Xavier or Texas
Speaker 8: or Xavier or Illinois, that scares me.
Speaker 1: Yeah, no question. And Xavier coming back, I mean, you know,
Speaker 1: there were people who wondered if Xavier would get in
Speaker 1: and made the most and you could have made the
Speaker 1: argument against Texas getting in, but of course had the
Speaker 1: sec resume. But that was a wild one last night.
Speaker 8: It was crazy. And I have a guy I do
Speaker 8: a podcast with. He does another podcast with a kid
Speaker 8: named Paul Fritcher and Paul Paul really knows his basketball.
Speaker 8: And Paul does a separate podcast his own where he
Speaker 8: talked to a guy from Texas I think for I
Speaker 8: think he covers I think he's with on three and
Speaker 8: covers Texas Texas sports, and he asked him about Texas's team.
Speaker 8: He goes, man, there's just so talent. Is is ridiculous. He goes,
Speaker 8: but it just reminds me literally of an AAU team
Speaker 8: where he just rolled the balls out and go, And
Speaker 8: that's kind of what it looked like in clenchtein. Yeah,
Speaker 8: and that's why Xavier was able to come back and
Speaker 8: beat them. I don't think Xavier's better than I think.
Speaker 8: I think Texas is roster. You give me Texas's roster.
Speaker 8: I ain't losing sixteen games of those guys. I'm just not.
Speaker 8: They're really really good. But yeah, it was a crazy comeback.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 8: The guy Jerome Hunter, who's really a low block big
Speaker 8: four make three threes. John hug Lee who is huge,
Speaker 8: who comes off their bench. He's seven foot like two
Speaker 8: Hudred and seventy Kinds's just a monster. He makes a three.
Speaker 8: I mean, guys who don't make shots and don't even
Speaker 8: take those shots made those shots to help Xavier come back.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Well it's all about obviously making shots, which loops
Speaker 1: us back to Kentucky and Kobe Brea. I mean it
Speaker 1: seems like as he goes so go to Wildcats. When
Speaker 1: it comes to shooting. You knew about him when he
Speaker 1: came to Kentucky and now he's playing defense. Well he
Speaker 1: has to, But I do think that other than the
Speaker 1: Mott Butler, he might be the key.
Speaker 8: Yeah. It's weird because there's games where you look and
Speaker 8: he gets it in spots where you think he's gonna
Speaker 8: shoot it from and he should shoot it from and
Speaker 8: it just doesn't. And then there's games where he goes
Speaker 8: for four or five threes, and those are the games
Speaker 8: where Kentucky usually rolls. So hopefully he understands that, hey man,
Speaker 8: your job is to shoot, and you're a good shooter,
Speaker 8: and you know what, it's okay if you miss one
Speaker 8: or two because you're gonna make a bunch, but you
Speaker 8: can't pass up shots. And yes, I wish I could
Speaker 8: go back and probably do that metrically and look at
Speaker 8: games where he didn't make a three or took you know,
Speaker 8: fewer than two or three threes and see if those
Speaker 8: were losses they feel like they were. And maybe when
Speaker 8: Jackson Robinson was around, maybe you could get away with that.
Speaker 8: You can't get away with that now. I mean, you
Speaker 8: got to be the shooter. You're the guy.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's amazing. If I had told you back in August,
Speaker 1: all right, Mark Poe put his team together, but at
Speaker 1: the time that they really need to be good down
Speaker 1: the stretch, you're gonna be missing three of your top
Speaker 1: four perimeter players.
Speaker 10: Uh.
Speaker 1: When you look at it that way, Skinny, it's just unbelievable.
Speaker 8: Isn't it.
Speaker 4: It is?
Speaker 8: And I mean you know, the the Kentucky kids have
Speaker 8: done really well. You know, Perry's done great. I think
Speaker 8: Noah's going to be really really good eventually. You know,
Speaker 8: he's he's he's what freshman used to be. He's like, oh,
Speaker 8: I can see it. It's not there yet, but it's coming.
Speaker 8: And Yeah, to that point, it was like, Okay, you're
Speaker 8: taking Kentucky kids because they're Kentucky kids. Well, you know,
Speaker 8: those guys have actually sailed you out at times this year.
Speaker 8: They can play and they bailed you out at times.
Speaker 8: And to your point, yeah, I would have never thought
Speaker 8: when I looked at that roster and what he's had
Speaker 8: to deal with injury wise, that they be where they are.
Speaker 8: It's pretty amazing.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and Colin Chandler might be the best of the three.
Speaker 8: Right. No, that's you talk about scratching the surface. I
Speaker 8: mean you talk about a guy he doesn't play for
Speaker 8: a couple years because of the mission trip and maybe
Speaker 8: he got some shots up as he was, you know,
Speaker 8: as he was doing his mission trip, but probably not
Speaker 8: a lot of shots and not regularly, and then to
Speaker 8: come in and play high level Division one basketball, that's
Speaker 8: a big ask. I mean there's times I watched games
Speaker 8: and my wife. I drive my life crazy because I
Speaker 8: coached the game as it's going on, and there's times
Speaker 8: I just yell at the TV get him out. He
Speaker 8: can't play, and down the stretch you're like Cooley cow
Speaker 8: This dude's got a chance to be pretty good. It's
Speaker 8: not there yet, and I should be tased with him too.
Speaker 8: He was on a mission trip, man. Remember that at
Speaker 8: all times he hasn't played for two years.
Speaker 1: Well, you actually coach the game and most coaches aren't patient,
Speaker 1: So that's okay. Richard Skinner my guest from Local twelve
Speaker 1: TV up in Cincinnati. We'll talk about the Bengals on
Speaker 1: the other side of the break here on six thirty
Speaker 1: WLAP Welcome back. Richard Skinner of Local twelve up in
Speaker 1: Cincinnati is my guest. We've talked about the basketball Cats.
Speaker 1: Richard doesn't cover them regularly, so he can just sit
Speaker 1: back and be a fan of Root, but he does
Speaker 1: cover the Cincinnati Bengals and Skinny half a billion dollars
Speaker 1: invested in three players. First of all, I never thought
Speaker 1: i'd see today. Secondly, how do they plan on paying
Speaker 1: for defense? Because they've got a leg up on offense. Man.
Speaker 8: Yeah, they still need they still need probably an edge
Speaker 8: rusher to go with Trey Hendrickson. And that's the most
Speaker 8: fluid thing of all is whether you know they can
Speaker 8: extend Tray where that goes. Daneil Hunter got thirty five
Speaker 8: million dollars last night. Trey's a better player than Daniel Hunter.
Speaker 8: This is an interesting circumstance. I'll circle back to your
Speaker 8: offense here in a second. You know, Max Crosby got
Speaker 8: thirty five milis on average Anye old value, and Trey
Speaker 8: Henderson's every bit is good, if not better. I can't
Speaker 8: tell he's better than Miles Garrett, and Miles Garrett's on
Speaker 8: a plant done to himself. But Tray's production is darn
Speaker 8: close to Miles gear. So they let Trey try to
Speaker 8: seek a trade, and Trey found a couple of teams
Speaker 8: that were willing to pay him what he wanted, but
Speaker 8: they weren't willing to give the Bengals what they wanted.
Speaker 8: And I don't blame the Bengals. I'm not giving Trey
Speaker 8: Hendrickson away. He is under contract this year. He's way
Speaker 8: underpaid this year, but he's under contract. And so now
Speaker 8: they're back at the bargaining table. Can you get an
Speaker 8: extension done? I don't think you can get it done
Speaker 8: in Max Crosby Daniel Hunter thirty five million dollar range.
Speaker 8: I don't even know if you can get it north
Speaker 8: to thirty million dollars if you're the Bengals. So is
Speaker 8: Trey willing to take an extension for just to shade
Speaker 8: under thirty million dollars. That's where we're at with this.
Speaker 8: And if he doesn't, and if they don't, and I
Speaker 8: don't blame him for asking what he's gonna ask for.
Speaker 8: I don't blame the Bengals for saying thanks, but no thanks,
Speaker 8: you're under contract. It'll be fascinating to see what he does.
Speaker 8: I mean, they took a huge distraction away by signing
Speaker 8: t Higgins and Jamars, and I always thought they'd get
Speaker 8: Jamar done. I wasn't so sure about Tea. I thought
Speaker 8: a t went north to thirty million dollars, the Bengals
Speaker 8: would walk. If the Bengals went under twenty seven million dollars,
Speaker 8: Tea would balk. And they went about twenty eight and
Speaker 8: change and it worked out well for both. And Jamar
Speaker 8: helped with that. Where they have the same agent and
Speaker 8: the agent basically said, Jamar's not signing if you ain't
Speaker 8: signing him, and so it worked just kind of a
Speaker 8: packaged deal. But to your point on the defense, I
Speaker 8: mean they need another edge rusher they could use. They got.
Speaker 8: They signed a defensive tackle from Green Bay, T J. Slayton,
Speaker 8: and he's a good run stopper, but they don't have
Speaker 8: much pass rush juice inside. They re signed DJ Hill.
Speaker 8: They probably will draft one by the end of Day two,
Speaker 8: maybe even in the first round. Same for edge rusher.
Speaker 8: But you know, they need a linebacker. They're probably gonna
Speaker 8: cut Jermaine Pratt, who was a starter. They signed Orrin
Speaker 8: Burks from Philly who's more of a third linebacker, backup
Speaker 8: world guy. They could use some help. Still, it's safe.
Speaker 8: So yeah, there's some pieces on defense that don't fit.
Speaker 8: But I will say this, I mean, they lost a
Speaker 8: lot of wonky games last year by one score, and
Speaker 8: some of it was defense related, no question. I mean
Speaker 8: the defense didn't get done, but the offense also didn't
Speaker 8: get it done a couple of times where they could
Speaker 8: have closed out a game, get a couple of first down,
Speaker 8: take it down the field of score. And that sounds
Speaker 8: odd because the offense was great last season. I mean
Speaker 8: they lost five games when they scored thirty three points
Speaker 8: or more. That doesn't happen in the NFL. He lose
Speaker 8: one or two, you don't lose five. So yeah, defensively,
Speaker 8: they still need help. I think they really believe Alan
Speaker 8: Golden will be a difference maker ors defensive coordator. Overt
Speaker 8: loui Anarumo. I'm not so sure, and this is not
Speaker 8: a knock on out. I think Lou was a really
Speaker 8: good coach. I think he got scapegoaded. It's part of
Speaker 8: the business, right, I Mean, when teams go sideways, somebody
Speaker 8: pays the price. In this case, Lou Anarumo paid the price.
Speaker 8: But I think they're really banking on how's the difference maker? Well,
Speaker 8: you better hope he is right now. Based on what
Speaker 8: you got on paper.
Speaker 1: Lou was one of the hot coaches in the country
Speaker 1: for a while. Yeah, and then the next thing, you know,
Speaker 1: like you said, he was catching all the blame. We're
Speaker 1: talking to Richard Skinn Local twelve TV up in Cincinnati.
Speaker 1: The Bengals have spent a ton of money and now Skinny, uh,
Speaker 1: it's it's gonna be. There's always pressure, but now the
Speaker 1: pressure to produce is different than any that this franchise
Speaker 1: has ever encountered because of the money they're spending.
Speaker 8: Am I right, yeah, no question, And talking about on
Speaker 8: my podcast the other day, and my podcast partner kind
Speaker 8: of hosts it, and you know, we have a nice conversation.
Speaker 8: But he said, he goes, He asked, you know, how's
Speaker 8: Joe Burrow hail this pressure? And I kind of looked
Speaker 8: at him sideways as we do on YouTube. You don't
Speaker 8: think Joe Burrow hasn't handled this kind of pressure before.
Speaker 8: It's all Joe Burrow does is handle pressure. Yeah, he's
Speaker 8: really good at that. But I will say to your
Speaker 8: point on pressure, it now really falls on Zach Tam
Speaker 8: I think exactly a good coach. I too, I think
Speaker 8: he's a really good coach. People you know in this
Speaker 8: marketplace are a lot of times anti Zach because they
Speaker 8: feel like, hey, you should lose ever with Joe Burrow
Speaker 8: as your quarterback. But uh, there's another admit, Like I said,
Speaker 8: the defense and all that, but you know this is
Speaker 8: this is probably a make or break playoff here for Zach.
Speaker 8: You went to a super Bowl, you went to an
Speaker 8: AFC championship game, and you missed the playoffs two straight
Speaker 8: years with the healthy Joe Burrow. And so you know
Speaker 8: you fired a defensive coordinator that's allowed you know that
Speaker 8: that's that's the fall guy for right now. Guess where
Speaker 8: the next fall guy is. It's you, And that's where
Speaker 8: the pressure will come in.
Speaker 1: That is very true, and it just there's nothing like it, man,
Speaker 1: the pressure on the quarterback in the NFL, the head coach, uh,
Speaker 1: you know, not college. That's a different story, but it's
Speaker 1: off the charge. Yes, yes, But yeah, before I let
Speaker 1: you go, I got to ask you about the Reds.
Speaker 6: Uh.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I love the hiring you and I talked about
Speaker 1: it after they hired Tito. But the moves he's made,
Speaker 1: including you know, basically telling his star player, you know
Speaker 1: it's my way. We're not gonna screw it. We're not
Speaker 1: screwing around anymore. Uh. And and I got to think
Speaker 1: that Reds fans, I don't know, you know better than
Speaker 1: I do. Are are there expectations a little too lofty
Speaker 1: now with the managing change, because that's something else in
Speaker 1: sports that never changes.
Speaker 8: I don't think they are. And granted you can argue,
Speaker 8: you know, you didn't do a lot to add to
Speaker 8: the roster, right. But the but but the part of
Speaker 8: where they're where they've been over the last couple of
Speaker 8: years is you're anticipating and you can't expect, but anticipating
Speaker 8: that your young players blossom. Ellie Day La Cruz has
Speaker 8: blossomed well. Matt McClean didn't play last year, and I
Speaker 8: could argue Matt McLean's every bit as important as Eli
Speaker 8: Da La Cruz. Now, Ellie's a unicorn in a lot
Speaker 8: of ways. But Matt McLean is a really good player
Speaker 8: all around. I mean, he's a forty double ten, triple
Speaker 8: twenty homer, top of the lineup, guy that's gonna score
Speaker 8: you one hundred and ten runs when he's healthy and
Speaker 8: play a really good second base. They really believe in
Speaker 8: Christian I do too, and Christian in GROSSI on strand
Speaker 8: if you look at his number from college that the miners,
Speaker 8: when he came up in twenty twenty three and raked
Speaker 8: at the end of the year, and then last year
Speaker 8: he's dealing with a rist issue and you know he
Speaker 8: didn't get early on everybody's want to rhyme, and you
Speaker 8: find out what he's basically playing with a broken risk.
Speaker 8: And so while they didn't add to the roster. Primary
Speaker 8: they did add Austin Hayes, who was an All Star
Speaker 8: in twenty twenty three with Baltimore and been played hurt
Speaker 8: last year with Philly and Baltimore, and he's had a
Speaker 8: pretty good spring. I think this whole rebuild has always been, Hey,
Speaker 8: weren't counting on these young guys, and so I think
Speaker 8: this is the year to find out are they for
Speaker 8: real or not? And I do think the pitching staff
Speaker 8: is for real. Hunter Green is a dude. Nick Widolo
Speaker 8: when he's healthy, I'm not so sure he's not better
Speaker 8: than Hunter Ding when he's healthy. Now he hasn't been
Speaker 8: very healthy. That's a problem. Andrew Abbott just came back
Speaker 8: into the other day, so he's back. They won't have
Speaker 8: Red Louder probably to start the season. He's a first
Speaker 8: round draft pick in twenty twenty three out of way
Speaker 8: for us. But he's a guy Chase Burns into miners,
Speaker 8: isn't guy. I mean, they've got a bunch of good
Speaker 8: young arms, and so they do this I think the
Speaker 8: right way. Now you're just going, Okay, we like what
Speaker 8: we got, Let's see these guys blossom. And I think
Speaker 8: that's where this year is is let's see what you got.
Speaker 8: And I know people probably don't want to hear that
Speaker 8: because I know there's Reds fans in your area too,
Speaker 8: But I think that's where this rebuild has always been.
Speaker 8: It hasn't been spen spen spin. It's been and see,
Speaker 8: we got the young guys and then okay, maybe you
Speaker 8: spend or you have to figure out a way to
Speaker 8: replace before.
Speaker 1: I let you go. It bothers me every year no
Speaker 1: end that baseball no longer opens in Cincinnati and baseball
Speaker 1: is the game of tradition. How do people up there
Speaker 1: feel about it? Are they over it? Or does it
Speaker 1: bug them every year? Yeah?
Speaker 8: I know I think they're over It's funny you say
Speaker 8: that because I thought about that the other day when
Speaker 8: I woke up at five to forty five am to
Speaker 8: watch the Cubs Dodgers myself, I'm like, I gotta I
Speaker 8: gotta see the first game of the year. It was
Speaker 8: pretty awesome. I mean, based on Joe Hey and the
Speaker 8: pitchers and I think it was a five or six
Speaker 8: Japanese players in that game for both teams that went back.
Speaker 8: They thought it was actually pretty cool. And yeah, what
Speaker 8: I like to say you still be the opening game, sure,
Speaker 8: but they still let them open at home every year.
Speaker 8: I think that's still a big deal. Everybody now opens
Speaker 8: basically on the same day other than that early series
Speaker 8: when they play an international game. And to your point,
Speaker 8: I do I think people are over it. I think
Speaker 8: it was a It was It was one of those
Speaker 8: ones that everybody was kicked for a while and then
Speaker 8: you know, time passes, you are okay, You're still opening
Speaker 8: at home. Philly Market Parade is still a big deal.
Speaker 8: Opening Gay is still a big deal. Whether you go
Speaker 8: to the game or not. It's still a holiday in Cincinnati,
Speaker 8: and everybody take treat it as such. So yeah, I
Speaker 8: think people have gotten over that.
Speaker 1: As long as it's still a holiday in Cincinnati. That
Speaker 1: that makes me feel better. And you know, I'm more
Speaker 1: of a Cardinals fan than a Reds fan, but I
Speaker 1: do the Reds and uh I oh man, and not
Speaker 1: just not opening in Cincinnati but opening on the other
Speaker 1: side of the world. But I know a lot of
Speaker 1: people got up and watched, you know. But anyhow, we
Speaker 1: need to we need to get over things like that,
Speaker 1: I suppose, but it's just hard sometimes. By the way,
Speaker 1: I didn't ask you who do you have winning winning
Speaker 1: this thing? Could you go chalk in the final four?
Speaker 8: I did to some degree. I got Wisconsin, Houston, Michigan State,
Speaker 8: and Florida, and I got Florida winning it all to
Speaker 8: all burned down the stretch just flummexed me because man,
Speaker 8: when they played Kentucky on that Saturday, I thought they
Speaker 8: were unbeatable. I really did. And then I get, you know,
Speaker 8: a couple of the losses, like you clinched the conference
Speaker 8: by then, and they lost the next game, and they lost
Speaker 8: Alabama on the last second shot.
Speaker 9: That happens.
Speaker 8: But then the SEC tournam I didn't think they looked great.
Speaker 8: Ok So they kind of me me scratching my head
Speaker 8: a little bit. I do think Saint John's is great.
Speaker 8: The probut for Saint John's is, if you go by
Speaker 8: Ken Palm Metrics, the last whatever twenty five national champs
Speaker 8: have been top forty offense, top twenty five, and defense,
Speaker 8: well they're number one defense, They're sixty fis in offense.
Speaker 8: But I also have Rick Patino. When I can scratch
Speaker 8: that out and go, I mean, they got Rich pet
Speaker 8: He's the best coaching college basketball history in my opinion.
Speaker 8: Oh so you have to factor that into it.
Speaker 1: That series has been great with Bettino. That series. I've
Speaker 1: loved every minute of it. Hey, Skinny, thank you so much.
Speaker 1: Local twelve Richard Skinner, he is a guy you need
Speaker 1: to follow on ex or Twitter or whatever. Thank you
Speaker 1: so much, have a great turn on you.
Speaker 8: But thanks take care.
Speaker 1: I re Number two is next, starting with Darren Hedrick
Speaker 1: on six thirty wlap.
Speaker 5: Everything anything, any such tact taking the.
Speaker 11: Showing anything, do anything, welcome back.
Speaker 1: Joining us now on the celebrity headline is mister Darren Headrick,
Speaker 1: radio voice of UK women's Wildcat basketball team and the
Speaker 1: baseball Cats. This is a busy time of year for Darren.
Speaker 1: Let me start with basketball, Darren, how about Kenny Brooks
Speaker 1: Coach of the year. That's not too shabby.
Speaker 10: Oh, you talk about a man that deserves it. It's
Speaker 10: funny to think that he's been named national coach of
Speaker 10: the Year by two different mediums and yet he was
Speaker 10: not the coach of the year in the SEC that
Speaker 10: with the Vick Schaefer of Texas. So but what a
Speaker 10: job he's done rebuilding this program. You know, he only
Speaker 10: had a couple of months to put that roster together
Speaker 10: and to see what they've pulled off, and hosting an
Speaker 10: NCAA tournament first two rounds just a phenomenal effort. And
Speaker 10: it has been such a pleasure working with him and
Speaker 10: so proud and excited for him.
Speaker 1: I know you're a little bit biased, but is his
Speaker 1: team playing its best basketball when it needs to the most?
Speaker 9: You know what, I have to think they are.
Speaker 10: You'd like to see a little more production from Amelia Hassett.
Speaker 10: I'd like to see her her shot a little more,
Speaker 10: but you Dejah Lawrence is such a threat from beyond
Speaker 10: the arc. Keanni Key brings the energy and the physicality,
Speaker 10: and uh strack and and Amore certainly have turned their
Speaker 10: games up to another level. I really like where this
Speaker 10: team is, and they made it through the grind and
Speaker 10: and grueling sec and I think they're going to be
Speaker 10: refreshed and excited when they hit the floor tomorrow against
Speaker 10: UH against Liberty.
Speaker 1: Yeah, which is in historic Memorial Coliseum. We'll have it
Speaker 1: for you right here. But UH, you can still I
Speaker 1: think you can still get a ticket if if you hustle.
Speaker 1: But the uh, the the making of shots is everything.
Speaker 1: As we found out last night in the men's term
Speaker 1: a Xavier got hot against Texas, but uh boy, Georgia
Speaker 1: amore second team All American man when when she's knocking
Speaker 1: down shots, is one of the coaches that that uh
Speaker 1: may face it, She'll he'll, She'll keep you up at night,
Speaker 1: night after night. She has been so much fun to watch.
Speaker 9: Yeah, no question about it.
Speaker 10: She really is the heart and soul of this team.
Speaker 10: And you know, I've heard him describe tianni key is
Speaker 10: that a role similar to the glue as sug plann
Speaker 10: as we like to call him. But George is the
Speaker 10: heart and soul and when she's making shots, it just
Speaker 10: opens up the floor to so many things. And it's
Speaker 10: why she's, you know, eleven dimes away from setting a
Speaker 10: new program record for assists that has stood for over
Speaker 10: forty years now going back to Patti Joe Hedges and
Speaker 10: just a phenomenal talent. She's going to play in the
Speaker 10: w when she's done in Kentucky and with her college career,
Speaker 10: and it has been just an absolute pleasure to watch her.
Speaker 10: She if you were paying to come see the cat,
Speaker 10: she's worth every penny.
Speaker 1: Well, you mentioned Tiani And as far as frontline players go,
Speaker 1: of course, Kentucky block shots like nobody's business. But man,
Speaker 1: I just love the way Key sticks from there and
Speaker 1: just battles. Yeah, I would love to see a little
Speaker 1: bit more of that from some of the other kids,
Speaker 1: because I feel like when Towany's not on the floor,
Speaker 1: they really lose so much of that. Do you see
Speaker 1: it the same way.
Speaker 10: Yeah, she's a lot of the energy. She brings so
Speaker 10: much to the table, and I'm like you, I love
Speaker 10: the way she gets in there in battles. The biggest
Speaker 10: thing that she's trying to learn right now is to
Speaker 10: keep that same energy and that same level of physicality
Speaker 10: but defending and playing without fouling.
Speaker 9: Because they need her on the floor.
Speaker 4: They have to have her.
Speaker 9: She just makes them different. She's able to bring the
Speaker 9: ball up the floor, She's able.
Speaker 10: To block shots like Clara Strack, and obviously she's a
Speaker 10: tenacious rebounder and scorer, and so yeah, they've got to
Speaker 10: have her on the court. And you know, she's been
Speaker 10: doing better down the stretch with limiting the fouls, but
Speaker 10: against Oklahoma and the SEC tournament that reared its head again,
Speaker 10: and so she's she's got to continue to improve in
Speaker 10: that area well.
Speaker 1: And Mark Polk talked about this, and it holds true
Speaker 1: in a women's tournament too. You've got officials who have
Speaker 1: you know, worked all year and then probably deserve to
Speaker 1: be working NCA tournament, but they haven't seen your team play.
Speaker 1: And you know, and again there's no such thing as
Speaker 1: SEC referees or this conference referees, right, but they come
Speaker 1: from you know, different parts of the country, and a
Speaker 1: foul you know over here might not be a foul
Speaker 1: over there. So they really got to work at adjusting.
Speaker 1: The players have to adjust, don't they.
Speaker 10: I think that's the one x factor that worries all
Speaker 10: coaches because you're coming out of a league that is
Speaker 10: known for its physicality. It's just like you know, bowling ball, football,
Speaker 10: rugby style basketball and the s SEC, and you go
Speaker 10: to some of these other conferences, like the ACC, it's different.
Speaker 9: It's more what I would.
Speaker 10: Describe as maybe pretty basketball finite instead of the physics. Yeah,
Speaker 10: it's finesse, and not to say it's not as good,
Speaker 10: it's just a different style. And yeah, I think that's
Speaker 10: one thing that might serve Coach Brooks's teams well, as
Speaker 10: he does play more of an ACC style and they've
Speaker 10: had to adapt to the physicality in the SEC. But
Speaker 10: you know, I remember back in twenty twenty two when
Speaker 10: they won the SEC tournament and then they got upset
Speaker 10: by Princeton and the NCAA tournament in Bloomington. They were
Speaker 10: frustrated by the whistle because they were guarding physically and
Speaker 10: the officials wouldn't let him do that against Princeton, and
Speaker 10: they got in some foul trouble. And you know, you
Speaker 10: just have to be able to contain the emotions and
Speaker 10: like coach says, you have to adapt to the flow
Speaker 10: of the game.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And you mentioned Hassett as well. And when she's on,
Speaker 1: I mean, she gives them that extra threat from the outside.
Speaker 1: She's not afraid to get in there and mix it
Speaker 1: up either. But she has been a little bit up
Speaker 1: and down, hasn't she.
Speaker 10: Yeah, And she was playing out a position this year
Speaker 10: and it's out of necessity because of the injuries to
Speaker 10: Parova and Obie. But she is somebody that's not afraid
Speaker 10: to get in there and mix it up. But like
Speaker 10: you know, we've talked about, we'd like to see her
Speaker 10: get those three point shots off a little more consistently
Speaker 10: and make those because it just opens up everything when
Speaker 10: they have to come out and guard her too. But
Speaker 10: you know, the one thing about Amelia that gets kind
Speaker 10: of lost, Dick is her ability to rebound. Oh yeah,
Speaker 10: she just finds the basketball and that's gonna be key
Speaker 10: against Liberty because Liberty is twenty three and oh this
Speaker 10: year when they out rebound your opponent or their opponent, wow,
Speaker 10: So Kentucky has got to crash the boards and take
Speaker 10: care of business on the glass in this matchup.
Speaker 1: Hats It is deceptively tall. I'm not sure how long
Speaker 1: she is, because next to stract, nobody's long. But when
Speaker 1: you interview Hassen and you have done coach, you're usually
Speaker 1: sitting and you're a tall guy. But when you see
Speaker 1: Hasset in among the other players, she's kind of deceptively big,
Speaker 1: isn't she? She is?
Speaker 9: You know, it's kind of funny.
Speaker 10: I was telling a friend of mine not long ago,
Speaker 10: I'm used to feeling small around the baseball team because
Speaker 10: Nick MinJe On typically has pitchers that are six four
Speaker 10: six' five and. Higher and but with this women's, team you,
Speaker 10: know you go up and talk To silva Or shack
Speaker 10: Or key Or, Hassett i'm looking up at him When
Speaker 10: i'm talking to, him and that's that's you, know that's
Speaker 10: part of the reason why they've been so good this.
Speaker 10: Year it's that wise and it plays and it's why
Speaker 10: they've blocked so many.
Speaker 1: Shots anything else we should know About.
Speaker 10: Liberty liberty is going to shoot three. Pointers they've got
Speaker 10: three players that have made at least forty threes this.
Speaker 10: Year their star, player, though is going to be a
Speaker 10: great matchup For clara Strak. Bella smuda is a six
Speaker 10: to six red shirt. Senior she's their leading, scorer leading.
Speaker 10: Rebounder she was The CONFERENCE Usa most Valuable player in the,
Speaker 10: tournament and she was the first team selection out OF.
Speaker 10: Cusa so it's going to be interesting to see the
Speaker 10: challenge there Of strack Against, smoota because The liberty is
Speaker 10: going to shoot threes and then try to work the
Speaker 10: ball inside The. Smootha So kentucky's going to have to
Speaker 10: face a balanced attack against The.
Speaker 1: Flames noon tip, tomorrow eleven forty five, pregame, right.
Speaker 10: That's, right we'll be on an eleven forty. Five we'll
Speaker 10: chat with Coach brooks and we'll get this party started.
Speaker 1: Tomorrow all, right let's talk in baseball on the other
Speaker 1: side of the break here on six THIRTY Wlap Welcome.
Speaker 1: Back we're talking With Darren, hedrick radio voice of THE
Speaker 1: uk women's basketball team and the Baseball. Wildcats they've got
Speaker 1: a big. Series they're all big now in THE, sec
Speaker 1: as we all. Know But auburn coming to. Town it's
Speaker 1: gonna be weird seeing The auburn basketball, fans a lot
Speaker 1: of Them i'm sure can't up for, hoops going to
Speaker 1: make their way over to the. Ballpark but coming off
Speaker 1: a weird loss To Murray, state and it's happened once
Speaker 1: in a while With nick Min jones, teams but that
Speaker 1: was a head. SCRATCHER i think we'll all.
Speaker 10: Agree, Yeah AND i think it was not so much
Speaker 10: that they lost To Murray state because LET'S i, mean you,
Speaker 10: know tip your cap to The. Racers that's a good
Speaker 10: program Under Dan. Skirka they won thirty seven games last.
Speaker 10: Year THEY i think it's been thirty wins or more
Speaker 10: in four straight. Seasons so that's a good. Program so
Speaker 10: it wasn't so much the loss to The racers on
Speaker 10: A tuesday.
Speaker 9: Night but it was how they. Lost, yeah just you,
Speaker 9: know mental mistakes and we are so used to.
Speaker 10: Seeing nick Min jones teams play fundamentally sound. Baseball you
Speaker 10: had to Beat kentucky in prior years under coach benjeone
Speaker 10: because they didn't beat. Themselves and you, know you look
Speaker 10: Back tuesday, nine and it WAS i think there were nine.
Speaker 10: Strikeouts six of them were. Looking pitchers were struggling to
Speaker 10: finish at bats when they got the two, strikes and
Speaker 10: then the base. Running so you, know you just look
Speaker 10: at some facets of the game that we're used to
Speaker 10: Seeing kentucky excel, at and that's Where Murray state took their.
Speaker 10: Advantage and it's stuff that this team is continuing to
Speaker 10: try to clean up and and improve on as they
Speaker 10: really dive into league.
Speaker 1: Play, yeah and we've got to remember this is a new.
Speaker 1: Team this is a different team some faces from last.
Speaker 1: Year but you, know guys are figuring things out and
Speaker 1: some of those, mistakes the base running. Mistakes brooks gets
Speaker 1: nailed off second, base, right. McCoy these are, veterans but
Speaker 1: they were being. Aggressive they just had to pick better,
Speaker 1: spots didn't.
Speaker 10: They, yeah and you also think about the Way kentucky
Speaker 10: is aggressive on the.
Speaker 9: Bases they also had two guys.
Speaker 10: Thrown out at, home that's, right and lost by, run
Speaker 10: and you know that's the thing That kentucky's going to.
Speaker 10: Do they're going to be aggressive and they're going to
Speaker 10: force teams to make a. Play and that's where you
Speaker 10: just Credit Murray state for making the plays because you
Speaker 10: know their throws, home we're right on the money to
Speaker 10: get those. Runners so but, yeah you're you're.
Speaker 9: Right it's a new.
Speaker 10: Team there's a lot of new, faces and some of
Speaker 10: them have settled. In i've been really impressed with how
Speaker 10: Steady Luke. Lawrence, yeah and his bat is heating up.
Speaker 10: Now he's he's strung together some really good. Games Sean
Speaker 10: montoya is dangerous in the top of the, lineup you,
Speaker 10: know and and and, Look Tyler, ball he's a. Freshman
Speaker 10: you're going to have some nights where he looks like a.
Speaker 10: Freshman you're going to have some knights where you, think,
Speaker 10: man he's probably the best short stop in THE. Stc,
Speaker 10: so you, know IT'S i think it's one of those.
Speaker 10: Things it's almost like a plane trying to take off
Speaker 10: in the Win. Dick you, know it's a little touch and.
Speaker 10: Go they'll touch the ground and then take some mayor
Speaker 10: and then to the ground and take some. Air and
Speaker 10: what you hope is is you get deeper Into april
Speaker 10: and may the plane takes off and you're soaring so
Speaker 10: and that's what they're trying to.
Speaker 1: Do by the, way for those of you who might
Speaker 1: have missed The Murray state, Game Tyler bell in a
Speaker 1: rough night hit by a pitch right below the, knee
Speaker 1: went down like he was, shot and then collided with
Speaker 1: a teammate as they were trying to make a play
Speaker 1: on a softly hit ball in the infield and took
Speaker 1: him a while to get. Up that had to be
Speaker 1: the most physical game he's ever.
Speaker 10: Played, oh no, question he was beat, up you, know
Speaker 10: the way he was able to get up after taking
Speaker 10: that hit by. Pitch we initially thought it might have
Speaker 10: been on the ankle on the side of the, flag
Speaker 10: and then when the trainer got out, there it looked,
Speaker 10: like well maybe it was more towards the kneecap or
Speaker 10: the shen but, regardless.
Speaker 4: That her.
Speaker 9: For him to get up and.
Speaker 10: Continue and, then like you, said the collision With harris
Speaker 10: just shows the toughness that that young man.
Speaker 1: Possesses, yeah, yeah but like you, said worth the price of.
Speaker 1: Admission we're talking To Darren hedrick radio voice of the
Speaker 1: Baseball cats taking On, auburn a team with a head
Speaker 1: coach who really knows is. PITCHING i haven't had a
Speaker 1: chance to dive Into auburn, yet but it's a conference
Speaker 1: it's a conference, Series, Darren so you know it's going
Speaker 1: to be.
Speaker 10: Tough, yeah no question About and like you, say the
Speaker 10: one thing THAT i know about Butch thompson's teams is
Speaker 10: they can.
Speaker 9: Pitch they've always been able to.
Speaker 10: Pitch now last year they went through some struggles in that,
Speaker 10: category but it looks like they've bounced back nicely this.
Speaker 10: Year it is going to be interesting to see If
Speaker 10: Ike irish plays this. Weekend he missed the series Against
Speaker 10: vanderbilt last week with an. Injury apparently it didn't Affect
Speaker 10: auburn that much because they won the series With, vanderbilt
Speaker 10: but he is a big bat in their, lineup so
Speaker 10: it'll be interesting to see if he's back this. Weekend
Speaker 10: but it's a Good auburn. Team you, know they're number
Speaker 10: sixteen in the. Country they're coming off that series went Over,
Speaker 10: vanderbilt so they're feeling. Good and you, know, Look Nick
Speaker 10: minjeon said it earlier this, week And i'll say it TO.
Speaker 9: BBN i know.
Speaker 10: They're going to Play friday night at the same time
Speaker 10: as The men are playing In. Milwaukee but this team
Speaker 10: needs you At Kentucky Proud park because there's a lot
Speaker 10: Of auburn fans that are going to be In, lexington
Speaker 10: and you, know we don't want to see that ballpark
Speaker 10: blue and. Orange so get out to the ballpark and
Speaker 10: help support These.
Speaker 9: Wildcats and so.
Speaker 1: Far the weather's, cooperated crowds have been pretty. Good BUT
Speaker 1: i want to see what it looks like if and
Speaker 1: When Kentucky baseball becomes a regular. Thing fans have been.
Speaker 1: Incredible seventy five hundred show, up yeah for The Super,
Speaker 1: regional But i'd like to see it become the kind
Speaker 1: of thing where just almost inherently people uptime to go
Speaker 1: to the, ballpark you know WHAT i.
Speaker 10: Mean, Yeah, well and the great, thing the exciting. Thing
Speaker 10: and believe, me this team has noticed.
Speaker 9: That even For.
Speaker 10: February and Early, march when the weather's not all that great,
Speaker 10: outside it's, cold and you're playing these early games against
Speaker 10: teams that maybe aren't as marquis as An auburn Or
Speaker 10: fantasy so, on we've still seen great. CROWDS i remember
Speaker 10: some games In february some Sunny tuesday afternoon games where you,
Speaker 10: know they had twenty five hundred to three thousand in the,
Speaker 10: ballpark which is fantastic For. February so you, KNOW i
Speaker 10: Think Big Blue nation is excited about this team and
Speaker 10: this program and look forward to seeing how it goes
Speaker 10: later in the.
Speaker 1: Spring, yeah BEFORE i let you, go everybody makes that.
Speaker 1: BRACKETS i know you saw or try to project how
Speaker 1: far the women would. Go that's your. Job what about the?
Speaker 1: Guys how far do you Have kentucky? Going and who
Speaker 1: do you like in the final?
Speaker 10: Four you know, what in my final, Four i've kind
Speaker 10: of gone back and. FORTH i Have auburn making the final.
Speaker 10: Four i've Got duke in the final, four or you know,
Speaker 10: WHAT i ALMOST i sat there and really thought About
Speaker 10: Saint john's really because that, REGION i feel like they
Speaker 10: have an opportunity in that region to make it coming
Speaker 10: out of the of the region With, KENTUCKY i still
Speaker 10: feel Like houston's the team to beat in that. Region
Speaker 10: if If kentucky matches up With, tennessee, boy that's the
Speaker 10: third time those two teams will have played that you,
Speaker 10: know worry me a little, bit, Right and so you,
Speaker 10: KNOW i Think kentucky can get, there and if they
Speaker 10: get Past, TENNESSEE i think they can make a really deep.
Speaker 10: Run so but the other matchup that scares me For
Speaker 10: kentucky's in the second, round Potentially. Dick That illinois team
Speaker 10: is really. Good they're, physical they're. Fast they played not
Speaker 10: the same, style but a similar style To. Kentucky but
Speaker 10: If illinois gets out and make, shots that could be
Speaker 10: a tough matchup for the CAT i, agree.
Speaker 1: Honestly auburn kind of shook me a, little losing three
Speaker 1: or four down the, stretch but they were tough. Games
Speaker 1: But i've actually Got Michigan state coming. OUT i just
Speaker 1: didn't want to pick All chalk in the Final. Flourid
Speaker 1: it may, happen BUT i do Think Michigan state is
Speaker 1: the toughest right up there With Saint. John's BUT i
Speaker 1: Think Michigan state Versus auburn is more. FEASIBLE i just
Speaker 1: Think florida is really, good and as well As Saint
Speaker 1: john's is, playing it's gonna be tough even For Riock
Speaker 1: patino to beat That florida team With clayton in the
Speaker 1: back court and all those front line. Guys but that
Speaker 1: has been a hell of a story With patino And
Speaker 1: Saint john's and they start them off In. Providence of,
Speaker 1: course you, know don't tell. Me you, know they've GOT
Speaker 1: tv in mind when they do, that and that's, fine
Speaker 1: just admit, it you. Know, yeah but THE sec got
Speaker 1: off to a stumbling start last, night Although texas was
Speaker 1: the weakest team coming. In so, anyway it's always. Fun
Speaker 1: and again you've Got Darren hedrick on the call FOR
Speaker 1: uk women's basketball noon tip tomorrow With liberty twelve eleven
Speaker 1: forty five. Pregame and now are you working Baseball saturday
Speaker 1: bouncing back and forth or?
Speaker 10: What, No i'll just focus on the women's tournament this.
Speaker 10: Weekend i'll be with them this, weekend And Andrew capus
Speaker 10: will have baseball and you, know we'll see from. There,
Speaker 10: yep We're i'm either going to be At spokane Or College.
Speaker 1: Station catch your, Steamer Trunk. Rady he Is Darren, headrick
Speaker 1: and we will see you at the ballgame and at the. Ballpark,
Speaker 1: Sir thank, YOU.
Speaker 9: Pg thanks my, friend always a.
Speaker 1: Pleasure up, next FORMER uk basketball Assistant Doug. Barnes we'll
Speaker 1: talk in ze hoops here on six THIRTY Wlap welcome
Speaker 1: back to the big lewin sider joining us now as
Speaker 1: a guy who's been on the show many, times But,
Speaker 1: Doug Doug barnes has been a. While doug is a
Speaker 1: FORMER uk, assistant also coached small college In, arkansas but
Speaker 1: coach at Oh miss H and this has got to
Speaker 1: be one of your favorite times a. YEAR i, know, right.
Speaker 4: Yeah it, Is, dick and you know it's, uh you,
Speaker 4: KNOW i FORTUNATELY i get to watch a lot of basketball,
Speaker 4: stuff but this is makes it more, exciting yes for.
Speaker 9: Sure.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well let me ask you about THE sec, because
Speaker 1: AS i, said you coached At, kentucky you coached it'll
Speaker 1: miss uh under At murphy and the league was good
Speaker 1: when you were. In it had its ups and. Downs
Speaker 1: but what did you, Make, doug of the way the
Speaker 1: league just exploded on the scene this. Year two new
Speaker 1: teams but still all but two teams get in THE Ncaa.
Speaker 1: Tournament what was your take on?
Speaker 6: That?
Speaker 4: Well, uh, well the YEAR i, said oh miss uh
Speaker 4: it had a good. Line he, said you, know we
Speaker 4: were a good team and a great. League, yeah and
Speaker 4: then and we got of, course we got tired and.
Speaker 4: Stuff but the bottom line is That i've never seen.
Speaker 4: It anything can be prayer to this year. Stuff you,
Speaker 4: know you, three there's three or four really pretty good,
Speaker 4: teams are one or two real good and three or
Speaker 4: four good. Teams But i've never seen this many that
Speaker 4: and that are that strong the. Teams i'm not sure
Speaker 4: anybody else has.
Speaker 1: Either why do you think this? Happened how do you
Speaker 1: think it? Happened, well you.
Speaker 6: Know.
Speaker 4: It goes back several years WHEN i can't remember all
Speaker 4: the names, involved but you, know THE sec decided that
Speaker 4: they really needed to upgrade the the basketball and you,
Speaker 4: know they hired a commission for basketball Than may and,
Speaker 4: ANYWAY i think that may have had something to do with.
Speaker 4: It but the main thing IS i think these schools realized, that,
Speaker 4: uh you, know there's money we, made and they they
Speaker 4: the bottom line, is they just hired some really good, coaches,
Speaker 4: uh in the last three for, years and that's made
Speaker 4: all the. Difference i've never seen the coaches be as
Speaker 4: strong as as this group. Is they, ah you, know
Speaker 4: and and and then also really you, know upgrade the
Speaker 4: facilities and all those things to go with. It but,
Speaker 4: uh it's it's obvious that they made all the schools
Speaker 4: made a commitment to degrade it and of course that's
Speaker 4: made it tougher ON uk because it's it's tougher to
Speaker 4: dominate the, now that's for.
Speaker 1: Sure, well when you worked At Old, miss as you,
Speaker 1: said which has since put a bunch of money in its,
Speaker 1: facilities when YOU i don't know how often you get
Speaker 1: a chance to see him ON, tv but when you
Speaker 1: do tune, in what are your thoughts having worked in
Speaker 1: the old, place.
Speaker 4: There's a there's a lot of, difference of, Course. DICK
Speaker 4: i go right back when When.
Speaker 8: Georgia it was just.
Speaker 9: Horrible oh, YEAH i don't remember. BACK i do like
Speaker 9: a rodeo place and.
Speaker 4: And it was.
Speaker 1: Depressing georgia's place was.
Speaker 4: Depressing oh moment you.
Speaker 1: Walk.
Speaker 4: Yeah and but, however you KNOW i, DID i did. Coaching,
Speaker 4: well ACTUALLY i get ten years in the N ai
Speaker 4: level right and, well, WELL i can't say anything because
Speaker 4: our facility was at that time about thirty years, old
Speaker 4: and uh it's still. There So i've did in some
Speaker 4: real bad. Ones but you expect different when you go
Speaker 4: to THE, sec that's for.
Speaker 1: Sure, Yeah but they just they just didn't really care
Speaker 1: for the longest. Time AND i have a. Theory can
Speaker 1: you tell, me because again you've worked in several different.
Speaker 1: Places BUT i think When March madness got so popular
Speaker 1: it has grown through the. Years it could be descended.
Speaker 1: Rellas it could be the fact THAT espn made a
Speaker 1: run at, it which FORCED cbs to cut a deal
Speaker 1: WITH tbs and and you, know borrow some of their
Speaker 1: channel partner, up so all the games now are ON.
Speaker 1: Tv it just got so. BIG i firmly believe that
Speaker 1: school administrators watched some of these mid majors with great
Speaker 1: runs and a lot of, fun and the alumni got,
Speaker 1: excited And i'm wondering if they were, Thinking, hey why
Speaker 1: isn't that, us you, know and they started looking at
Speaker 1: their coaches and their, facilities why can't we do? That
Speaker 1: and pretty soon it became, evident as you, said they
Speaker 1: had some coaches that were okay but not, great and you,
Speaker 1: know they weren't being really paid ahoic of a. Lot
Speaker 1: SO i really think that might be where it. Started
Speaker 1: does that make, Sense that makes any sense to?
Speaker 4: You, WELL i think that's probably one of the prime
Speaker 4: reasons well AT tv over the. YEARS i remember WHEN
Speaker 4: espn just kind of started and they would have like
Speaker 4: one one game of one game of. WEEK i, know
Speaker 4: it's hard to remember it. Stuff BUT i don't think
Speaker 4: it's a question with the the all the well the
Speaker 4: hoof law Around march madness and then those teams that
Speaker 4: that uh you, know get they get in and make a. Upset,
Speaker 4: yes and and you know those those college presidents and
Speaker 4: probably the boards see all that see what it. Does
Speaker 4: AND i think that's kind of where it, started uh, from,
Speaker 4: uh the importance and how you could take advantage of
Speaker 4: as far as promoting your. University SO i think he
Speaker 4: could be. RIGHT i think that has had a lot.
Speaker 6: To do with.
Speaker 1: It and of course now schools are having to make
Speaker 1: a different kind of commitment with N I l and
Speaker 1: the portal and all. That we'll, uh we'll come back to.
Speaker 1: That but how much have you been able to follow The?
Speaker 1: Wildcats you're in and out of, town but you still
Speaker 1: got the business interest here with pop A locke and all.
Speaker 1: That but what do you think of not just the
Speaker 1: job That Mark pope has, Done, doug but as a
Speaker 1: former head, coach as an assistant, coach you guy who's
Speaker 1: been on the road, recruiting having to put a team
Speaker 1: together the Way pope and his staff. Did they cobbled
Speaker 1: this team together literally at the last minute at a
Speaker 1: place where Like, kentucky where you know the. Expectations what
Speaker 1: do you think of how they've done?
Speaker 4: That, WELL i think it's remarkable from the fact, that you,
Speaker 4: know because of the. Circumstances in other, words you, know
Speaker 4: with Coach Cali perry not leaving till you, know after
Speaker 4: the final four and all that that they're you, know
Speaker 4: they're already some other coaches hired and all this other.
Speaker 4: Stuff but here you got the coach coming in and
Speaker 4: a place where they didn't leave any players except maybe
Speaker 4: one that they signed and so and the way things
Speaker 4: are today was the transfer. Portal you, know we're really
Speaker 4: late in getting into the transfer. Portal Uh AND i
Speaker 4: think they did a remarkable job of attracting the talents
Speaker 4: as they. Did AND i think the job the Coach
Speaker 4: pope and his staff has done is is basically. Remarkable
Speaker 4: and it's been a strange year because Of at times
Speaker 4: they were one of the best teams in the. Country
Speaker 4: if you look at, it you know this this team
Speaker 4: beat two number one, seeds you, know in the, tournament
Speaker 4: and the number two seeds they beat. Twice they Beat
Speaker 4: louisville and they beat Good. ZAGA i mean and that's
Speaker 4: a remarkable record of any, year SO i, think and
Speaker 4: just like anything else that was your, seasons you, know the,
Speaker 4: injuries it's really has for the negative part that is
Speaker 4: really hurt hurt The. CAT i don't Think i've ever
Speaker 4: seen any team ever lose two point, guards let alone.
Speaker 4: Three yeah you, no, No i've Seen.
Speaker 1: WELL i take that back one year WHEN i Covered,
Speaker 1: Transylvania Donnie lane lost two point, guards but he didn't lose.
Speaker 1: Three so that's. Amazing, yeah THE.
Speaker 4: U and the other thing is the point. GUARD i,
Speaker 4: mean there's certain positions you can lose that hurt, you
Speaker 4: but but the point guard runs your offense and that's
Speaker 4: that's where it's it's it's so so. Important SO I
Speaker 4: i you, know the good, news it looks Like butler's,
Speaker 4: uh you, know semi, back Uh and it just makes
Speaker 4: a lot of difference to have, that to have him
Speaker 4: at that point, guard that's for. Sure and uh uh you,
Speaker 4: KNOW i think The cats could make a. Run it
Speaker 4: kind of, depends you, know on the draws and uh.
Speaker 4: Uh the the disadvantage of having a uh in the
Speaker 4: NUB A, tournament they, SAID i don't think a lot
Speaker 4: of fans realize is that you you play on A
Speaker 4: thursday and then you turn, around you got one day
Speaker 4: to prepare for the next. Game and that that and
Speaker 4: that's where your draw can make a. Difference not so
Speaker 4: much how tough they, are but maybe you're running into two,
Speaker 4: different entirely different. Styles, uh and you've got a day
Speaker 4: to prepare for.
Speaker 1: It and, UH.
Speaker 4: I give you a good. Example Remember black With Coach
Speaker 4: patino's year where they got to you got to set
Speaker 4: with A West. Virginia, yes, uh because they you, know
Speaker 4: we played that we had one day to prepare and
Speaker 4: they threw that one three one at, us and, uh
Speaker 4: you know we. Did we didn't have a clue what to.
Speaker 1: Do and that was actually caliperi ye're not A patino.
Speaker 4: Year, yeah, yeah you're, right it Is cali the first.
Speaker 4: Year so, anyway it's that makes a difference that a
Speaker 4: lot of times people don't. Discuss is you that one
Speaker 4: having one day to prepare for somebody and he served.
Speaker 4: Something if the offense is a little, different the defense
Speaker 4: is a little, different it kind of gives them an.
Speaker 4: Advantage you, know.
Speaker 1: It's funny you bring that up because one of the
Speaker 1: players told me something interesting about that. Season, uh let
Speaker 1: me take a. Break i'll come back and we'll talk about.
Speaker 1: That on the other. Side here on The Big Moon,
Speaker 1: sider we're talking To Doug, barnes FORMER uk. Assistant we're
Speaker 1: back in just a minute on six THIRTY Wlap welcome.
Speaker 1: Back we're talking With Doug, barnes FORMER uk. Assistant you
Speaker 1: might have remembered. Him we used to DO tv shows,
Speaker 1: Together doug and me and the guys AT kyt From Rupp.
Speaker 1: Arena we had a lot of fun doing that back
Speaker 1: in the. Day but we're, talking of course about The
Speaker 1: wildcats and THE nca, Tournament and just before the, Break
Speaker 1: doug brought up When West virginia Upset Cali perry's first team.
Speaker 1: Image for my, money it still might have been his
Speaker 1: best team With wall And cousins And bledsoe And patterson
Speaker 1: and all. Them. Uh but one of The Mark, krebs
Speaker 1: told me you were talking about How West virginia threw
Speaker 1: that one three one At. Kentucky, Well crebs told, me he,
Speaker 1: goes we had a good plan for, That AND i
Speaker 1: said what? Happened and because you remember everybody stood outside
Speaker 1: jacking of, threes he, said people just lost their. Minds
Speaker 1: and directly to your, point they had probably a couple
Speaker 1: hours to work on, it didn't they instead of a
Speaker 1: couple of days to really drill it into. Them you,
Speaker 1: know these are the weak, spots these are the good.
Speaker 1: Point do, this don't do. That but you have to
Speaker 1: adjust at tournament, time don't.
Speaker 4: You, yeah and you just have one day to do,
Speaker 4: yeah or less than a. Day and that's where having
Speaker 4: a real veteran team and don't you, Know i'm not
Speaker 4: talking about with the, portals but, okay you people have
Speaker 4: been with your two or three years and that's what
Speaker 4: helped in the tournament because if you've got if you've
Speaker 4: got matched up with someone that is doing something a
Speaker 4: full court press or a one through one traft or,
Speaker 4: whatever you had people that'd been in your system where
Speaker 4: you're just, reviewing you're not having to kind of start, over,
Speaker 4: Right and that's the reason that it's been a factor
Speaker 4: in THE cbe tournament that a lot of times people
Speaker 4: don't talk.
Speaker 1: ABOUT i know how much you love, basketball it's. OBVIOUS i,
Speaker 1: mean it was your. Career you've got a second career
Speaker 1: as a, businessman very. Successful but could you imagine and
Speaker 1: IF i guess you've probably spent some time maybe not
Speaker 1: thinking about what it must be like today for the,
Speaker 1: coaches the, administrator for coaches to have kids come to
Speaker 1: them and, say, uh, YEAH i need another fifty grand
Speaker 1: to play in This bowl game or something like, that
Speaker 1: and guys Like Jay wright And Nick saban leaving because of.
Speaker 1: That what do you make of all that as a
Speaker 1: as a Former, Foresson.
Speaker 4: Well first of, All i'm so grateful That i'm not.
Speaker 4: Coaching AND i tell PEOPLE i, remember you, know because
Speaker 4: at THE nai level and we had very, little very little.
Speaker 4: Money BUT i remember the ISSUES i. HAD i had
Speaker 4: one really good player at THE otis AND i had
Speaker 4: issues WHEN i got the oldest in the pair of,
Speaker 4: shoes let alone getting getting paid about effort and stuff.
Speaker 4: THAT i tell, You i'm kind of amazed that the
Speaker 4: coaches do as well as they have done under those.
Speaker 4: Circumstances when it all started, HAPPENING i, thought oh my,
Speaker 4: gosh YOU i have all kinds of, trouble And i'm
Speaker 4: sure they've had trouble that we haven't. Seen But i'm
Speaker 4: amazed to this work as well as it has to be, Honest.
Speaker 1: WELL i think something has to be, done something has
Speaker 1: to change because you've got too many. KIDS i, Mean
Speaker 1: i'm all for, uh you, know freedom for the, players
Speaker 1: but a kid who's played five or six years for
Speaker 1: five or six, teams that's just that's just isn't, right is?
Speaker 6: It?
Speaker 4: No, no it's it's kind of like. Anything you, know
Speaker 4: it's kind of swing and you know the nil it's you,
Speaker 4: know it just goes all the way, over you, know
Speaker 4: so it's got to swing by and come. Under AND
Speaker 4: i understand, that BUT i don't understand it's all the
Speaker 4: legal implications that the DOUBLE a is going through. It
Speaker 4: SO i think some of that's going to come up.
Speaker 4: ABOUT i think this is coming, SUMMER i. Think and,
Speaker 4: uh it's it's kind of like free agency without any.
Speaker 4: Rule yeah, yeah and, uh And i'm not sure it's
Speaker 4: good for the young man stuff really to uh, well you,
Speaker 4: know if you're twenty years old or twenty one years
Speaker 4: old or, Whatever, yeah you get you, know fifty thousand
Speaker 4: or five hundred thousand or. Whatever you, know it's that
Speaker 4: won't happen in your life, AGAIN i assure. You So
Speaker 4: i'm surprised that there's not been more problems with it
Speaker 4: in their.
Speaker 1: Heads. Really, yeah and you know you can't blame kids
Speaker 1: for for wanting to get what they can when they. Can,
Speaker 1: uh they got families to, help and, uh you, know you,
Speaker 1: know and it's it's been crazy for, many many, years
Speaker 1: and The Ed obannon case kind of triggered. It and you,
Speaker 1: know if the powers would be within THE, ncaa, whatever
Speaker 1: the schools or, whatever the committees or whatever fought that
Speaker 1: for so, long if they had just come around on,
Speaker 1: THAT i don't know that any of this would have been.
Speaker 1: Happening AND i don't know how deep you went on,
Speaker 1: that but, uh they just fought so long to keep
Speaker 1: the kids under lock and. Key and now the pendulum
Speaker 1: has swung the other way in a in a huge,
Speaker 1: way AND i don't know who's going to swinging.
Speaker 4: Back you, Know, WELL i think you have a good.
Speaker 4: POINT i think THE c double a and, uh you,
Speaker 4: know the issue, is, uh you, know these, kids so
Speaker 4: many of them don't have. Money of COURSE i went
Speaker 4: through that with THE ni level and, so but there
Speaker 4: could have, been uh you, know where they could be
Speaker 4: compensated FOR i don't, know a couple of thousands or
Speaker 4: whatever h to take care of. It but by but
Speaker 4: not doing, that it made. It it started really looking.
Speaker 4: Bad and, UH i, AGREE i never thought about. It
Speaker 4: it's CASE i forgot about that. Case but if they've
Speaker 4: done that at that, time it's probably when it swung
Speaker 4: so far this other.
Speaker 1: Direction, well it is a weird time in all of college.
Speaker 1: Athletics quite, FRANKLY i know you're happier being a fan right.
Speaker 1: Now that, said who do you like in the? Tournament are?
Speaker 1: You are you big on THE sec putting at least
Speaker 1: a couple of teams in the final?
Speaker 4: Four, well you, know going through the bracket and, EVERYTHING
Speaker 4: i think it's going to be. Interesting they have to
Speaker 4: see if THE sec performs like everybody thinks it's going.
Speaker 4: To you, know of course the easily got ready so
Speaker 4: high and you know there are they're out of conference.
Speaker 4: SCHEDULES i, mean they're winning percentage just what was in the,
Speaker 4: eighties wasn't. It, Yeah and, uh AND i think it's,
Speaker 4: legit but it'd be interesting to see it and trying
Speaker 4: to come. Up of, COURSE i know those people in
Speaker 4: THE sec are just go ahead to play somebody. Else,
Speaker 4: yeah but at the same, TIME i was surprised if
Speaker 4: it didn't come up at least being, strong maybe not
Speaker 4: as strong as what people anticipating and then trying to
Speaker 4: come up with a dark horse is kind of.
Speaker 1: Tough BUT i.
Speaker 4: DO i do Think Saint john's has kind of come.
Speaker 4: Up you, know we Coached patino with his, experience it's
Speaker 4: kind of come up with one of those. Teams and
Speaker 4: maybe Maybe Michigan Port LOUISVILLE i. GOT i THOUGHT i
Speaker 4: got a real tough. Draw uh as far as the first,
Speaker 4: game did, You.
Speaker 1: I'll tell you what the Job patino's done this, YEAR i,
Speaker 1: mean it's it's really. ENTERTAINING i don't know if you've
Speaker 1: seen any of the the reality series On Saint, john's but,
Speaker 1: yeah it's it's it's Classic, patino isn't It.
Speaker 6: It?
Speaker 4: Is and ist isn't it remarkable that he.
Speaker 1: Has the?
Speaker 4: Energy but it TAKES i, mean it takes a lot of. Energy,
Speaker 4: uh you, know in your. Seventies, uh you, Know i'm
Speaker 4: close to the eighty, now but that that's that's just
Speaker 4: remarkable that you can tell he kind of thrives on you,
Speaker 4: think and and, uh you, know he's just remarkable how
Speaker 4: he's able to get these young men to buy into
Speaker 4: the program. Stuff, uh and you, KNOW i think it's
Speaker 4: good for basketball obviously for basketball In New.
Speaker 1: York, yeah, yeah big, time big.
Speaker 4: Time BUT i would say that'd be one of the
Speaker 4: dark horses they could get take a place of one
Speaker 4: of THE scc. Schools SO i think it'll. Be it's
Speaker 4: going to be an interesting two, weeks that's for.
Speaker 1: Sure he Is Doug, barnes Former kentucky assistant coach At
Speaker 1: Ole miss coach at the small college level quite successfully In,
Speaker 1: arkansas and now A kentucky fan. Coach thank you so.
Speaker 1: Much you will talk again.
Speaker 4: Soon all, right, Thanks, peck appreciate.
Speaker 1: It that's going to do. It no show tomorrow, night of,
Speaker 1: course because OF uk. BASKETBALL i got the women at,
Speaker 1: noon you got the man at. Seven we'll have it right.
Speaker 1: Here that said good night from the garage In.
Speaker 7: Lexington what is the fullest name on third? Base what
Speaker 7: is the fellaw's name on? Second? By i'm not asking
Speaker 7: you who's that? Second who's on? FIRST i don't know
Speaker 7: third h.
Speaker 12: Bat out such statuta anything doing anything sat out such
Speaker 12: change attacks from tapetting
Speaker 1: To the