Speaker 1: It's time for coffee and company, fueled by Thornton's on
Speaker 1: Sports Talk seven nine day. Now here's Nick Coffee.
Speaker 2: All right, let's get it started at five o'clock hour
Speaker 2: here on a Friday afternoon as we get you set
Speaker 2: for the week, and it is coffee and company, and
Speaker 2: we are fueled by Thornton's here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Speaker 2: Take us with you wherever you go. Listen live on
Speaker 2: the AHA Radio app. Also listen live at seven ninety
Speaker 2: Louisville dot com. Also keep in mind anything that you
Speaker 2: may miss on the show, we'll have it up after
Speaker 2: the show with the podcast, and you know, just to
Speaker 2: kind of tell you where we've been today. We have
Speaker 2: talked you know, sports, like we typically do. But I
Speaker 2: will once again just reiterate something that I've mentioned at
Speaker 2: the start of each hour so far today and it's
Speaker 2: some personal news, I guess also you know, news guarding
Speaker 2: us in the station and I hear at Louisville. But
Speaker 2: as of let's see, let me make sure to get
Speaker 2: my dates right. I should probably get these dates correct
Speaker 2: before I, you know, start yapping. But two weeks from
Speaker 2: today will be my last show here on Sports Talk
Speaker 2: seven ninety I'm still saying it out loud makes it,
Speaker 2: I guess, seem more real, but also like, wait a second,
Speaker 2: really that that happened. But I've been given an opportunity
Speaker 2: to step in and take over for Tony Cruz on
Speaker 2: news Radio eight forty WHAS and host Kentucky Anda's morning
Speaker 2: news and join that incredible station that is, you know, legendary.
Speaker 2: So many legends have have been a part of it,
Speaker 2: some still are and I mean again, I just can't
Speaker 2: believe that it's happening, but it is, and I'm so excited.
Speaker 3: So I'll be moving to eight forty.
Speaker 2: On January, not January, June the second, and I will
Speaker 2: be starting every morning at five am and early early
Speaker 2: wake up call. But man, it's gonna be It's gonna
Speaker 2: be awesome. But I'll be uh hosting the show with
Speaker 2: a great group of professionals and broadcasters. Trying to think
Speaker 2: of all the words I can use to describe how
Speaker 2: great they are, because they are great. But Scott Fitzgerald
Speaker 2: is still going to be a part of the show
Speaker 2: like he has been for a long long time. He's
Speaker 2: he's the sports anchor and will also be a part
Speaker 2: of the show in other ways as well. And then
Speaker 2: a name you guys, I hope you remember, but John Alden,
Speaker 2: the company man, who really he was? I mean, he
Speaker 2: just got taken away from us, but he did leave
Speaker 2: us for you know, an earlier wake up call, but
Speaker 2: clearly a good move for him and a well deserved opportunity.
Speaker 2: He's been on the mornings at has for probably I
Speaker 2: guess about six months or so, so he and I
Speaker 2: will be reunited, and he's done a great job at
Speaker 2: adjusting to eight forty whas. And then of course John
Speaker 2: Shannon is our news anchor, which you will have you
Speaker 2: He'll have you updated with your news every thirty minutes.
Speaker 3: So that's the news.
Speaker 2: That's what I've mentioned here and there throughout the show.
Speaker 2: And I hate to, you know, make it all about
Speaker 2: me today, but if there is a day to do it,
Speaker 2: it's not so much so because I'm trying to be
Speaker 2: self serving, but you know, I want people to know
Speaker 2: one that let's make the most of these last couple
Speaker 2: of weeks here Coffee and Company on Sports Talk seven
Speaker 2: ninety fueled by Thornton's of course, but also you know,
Speaker 2: I want to be I'd be foolish not to use
Speaker 2: the platform here to tell everybody how thankful I am
Speaker 2: for them listening to me for you know, however long
Speaker 2: they've been doing it, maybe you're listening for the first time.
Speaker 2: If so, thank you, Glad to have you. But you know,
Speaker 2: being able to do this as long as I have,
Speaker 2: and it's not like I've been here thirty years, but
Speaker 2: to be able to say at any point that I
Speaker 2: had an opportunity to host a sports show on this
Speaker 2: station Sports Talk seven ninety still doesn't seem real at times,
Speaker 2: but it is. And I've been here for you know,
Speaker 2: I guess February of twenty twenty six would be a
Speaker 2: would be ten years for me as as a member
Speaker 2: of the iHeart Louisville team, So you know, it'll be
Speaker 2: under ten years, but not far from it when it's
Speaker 2: all said and done.
Speaker 3: And I think knowing that I'm that.
Speaker 2: I was going to be sharing this news this week
Speaker 2: really put me in a spot to where I reflected
Speaker 2: and I'm kind of happy to have it play out
Speaker 2: it in, you know, mentally for me the way that
Speaker 2: it did. And what I mean by that is that
Speaker 2: I do think I cherished every every moment I've had
Speaker 2: and I'm going to continue to do that over these
Speaker 2: last couple of weeks because just to have the opportunity
Speaker 2: on this station at any point, again I'm grateful for,
Speaker 2: but to be the host of three different time slots
Speaker 2: here on this station, the station that introduced me to
Speaker 2: what sports talk radio is as far as the format,
Speaker 2: you know, I remember hearing them talk about sports on
Speaker 2: the radio when I was in the car with my
Speaker 2: father and my mother at times when I was a kid,
Speaker 2: and it was probably Tony Cruz on Sports Talk eight
Speaker 2: forty or Lachlan maclain, and I just that was the
Speaker 2: first introduction for me that, oh wow, they talk about
Speaker 2: my cards on the radio.
Speaker 3: That's cool.
Speaker 2: Usually I just like, I usually just listened to, you know,
Speaker 2: the nineties country music that my mom would have on
Speaker 2: the radio and whatnot.
Speaker 3: So that was cool.
Speaker 2: And then when I got a little bit older, right
Speaker 2: around the time I was finishing high school, that's whenever
Speaker 2: I realized, you know what this is meaning not just
Speaker 2: talking sports and a news talk platform, but sports radio
Speaker 2: the culture of it. And I mean, and I don't
Speaker 2: say this just to feed his ego. Lord knows, we
Speaker 2: don't need to get Tony Vinetti's ego any bigger, But
Speaker 2: this would just put in perspective sort of the timeline
Speaker 2: for me. Tony Vinetti has made the transition from rock radio.
Speaker 2: You know, I guess legend or I mean, I wish
Speaker 2: I knew the party Venetti in those days, because it
Speaker 2: sounds like it was a lot of fun, but I
Speaker 2: was I was too young at that time, so a
Speaker 2: lot of people at that time. When I started listening
Speaker 2: to Tony on the afternoon Underdogs with Adam Neft, and
Speaker 2: that's the show that really hooked me.
Speaker 3: But I didn't know Tony was a rock guy.
Speaker 2: I just knew of him because he was the guy
Speaker 2: that you know, was entertaining and talking sports and he
Speaker 2: would yell at callers and yell at at him Neft
Speaker 2: and I found that to be, you know, just different
Speaker 2: and I liked it. So, you know, most people at
Speaker 2: that time, and maybe some people still to this day,
Speaker 2: when they think of Nettie, they think about his run
Speaker 2: in rock radio, But like, I never knew that. I
Speaker 2: just listened to him do sports and I loved it,
Speaker 2: So you know, I was hooked Joe By and Denny
Speaker 2: show that was different than obviously the Underdogs, But I
Speaker 2: mean hearing stories from Joe B and Denny and then
Speaker 2: that was when I really got introduced to Dave Jennings
Speaker 2: and also Tony Cruz, who not only was hosting, I
Speaker 2: mean he was doing mornings on has I Believe, and
Speaker 2: then he made the move to doing, you know, basically
Speaker 2: being the host and kind of quarterbacking the Joeby and
Speaker 2: Denny Show. And I mean I could listen to those
Speaker 2: stories for forever.
Speaker 3: And Joe B.
Speaker 2: Hall's I'm sorry. My high school basketball coach, Lee Barker,
Speaker 2: his father played for Joe B. Hall at Shepherdsville High
Speaker 2: School many many, many years ago. And I got to
Speaker 2: meet Joeby Hall when I was younger, and I just
Speaker 2: you know, I remember hearing him tell stories the one
Speaker 2: time I met him, and then listening to him on
Speaker 2: the radio, I get you know, I could listen to
Speaker 2: those guys tell stories all day, and then I would
Speaker 2: listen to Jim Rome and that really made me think, Okay,
Speaker 2: this is you know, for those who know what the
Speaker 2: Jim Rome Show is, I was a clone. I would
Speaker 2: say that I still am, but I don't listen as
Speaker 2: much anymore. And he's actually on at the same time.
Speaker 3: We are right now.
Speaker 2: But I really just loved everything about sports talk radio,
Speaker 2: never with any any thought that I could find a
Speaker 2: way to potentially do it, because I wouldn't have even
Speaker 2: known how you do that? How do you how do
Speaker 2: you get an opportunity to, you know, be on the
Speaker 2: radio talking sports like you know, how's that happen?
Speaker 3: How's that work?
Speaker 2: And I, honestly to this day still can't tell you
Speaker 2: really how you know. I can't give advice because I
Speaker 2: think it's everybody's story is different and it's really timing opportunity,
Speaker 2: and I've been certainly.
Speaker 3: Blessed with with that. But you know, I just I
Speaker 3: loved it.
Speaker 2: And then as I got older and had had kind
Speaker 2: of you know, settled into my life, worked in the
Speaker 2: software industry, and got married, my wife was pregnant and
Speaker 2: at the time, you know, I was, I was, you know,
Speaker 2: I had an opportunity that I'm very grateful to this
Speaker 2: day Dugan Ryan, who gave me a chance here in
Speaker 2: this market, first person ever put me on the radio,
Speaker 2: and I'm glad he did. And I'm sure it was
Speaker 2: awful at first, and I hope it's much better now.
Speaker 2: But that's I guess up to you guys to make
Speaker 2: that decision. But you know, I just it never ever became.
Speaker 2: It never in my mind in any point early on
Speaker 2: was something I'd be able to do and it would
Speaker 2: be my job, my career. It's how I provide for
Speaker 2: my family. And then to have that opportunity and it
Speaker 2: be at this station that introduced me to it that
Speaker 2: I care so much about is as I sit here today,
Speaker 2: May sixteenth, twenty twenty five, like it still doesn't seem real,
Speaker 2: but it was real and it was awesome, and I'm
Speaker 2: so grateful to have non plus years on this station.
Speaker 2: And I don't know if I if I left it
Speaker 2: in better hands than it was than before I arrived,
Speaker 2: but it was an honor and and.
Speaker 3: It will be the rest of the way.
Speaker 2: But it's also an honor to be given the opportunity
Speaker 2: to fill, you know, to try to fill the shoes
Speaker 2: of Tony Venetti and those that came before him in
Speaker 2: that position. I mean, hosting Kentucky and his morning news
Speaker 2: on news Radio eight forty whas is something that I
Speaker 2: would imagine most that ever get a chance to get
Speaker 2: into broadcasting, like it's got to be a dream scenario.
Speaker 2: Understandably so for a lot of people, and here I
Speaker 2: am with that opportunity. And you know, again I've said
Speaker 2: it many times throughout the show today, it kind of
Speaker 2: doesn't seem real, but it is, and I'm happy that
Speaker 2: it is in fact real. And I'm so thankful for
Speaker 2: everybody along the way that has been a part of
Speaker 2: this in some form of fashion, but also thankful to
Speaker 2: those who made this decision right meeting, those who have
Speaker 2: influence that you know, have a role in deciding what
Speaker 2: are we going to do when Tony Cruz rides off
Speaker 2: into the sunset to retire, and they decided that I
Speaker 2: was going to be a part of it, and that
Speaker 2: is something that I'm forever grateful for and I will
Speaker 2: do everything I can to make it work and you know,
Speaker 2: make it work and keep it successful like it has
Speaker 2: been for generations or die trying doing so. So thank
Speaker 2: you to Gus Allen, my boss, who's been a big
Speaker 2: part of this process for me certainly and really been
Speaker 2: instrumental in the whole thing here. But also others here
Speaker 2: at iHeart, some that are no longer with the companies,
Speaker 2: some that are still here, Christy Beebe, Michael Jordan, Nathan Nelson,
Speaker 2: Josh Everett, Kelly Carls.
Speaker 3: These are all people that.
Speaker 2: You know, at some time in my time here, they've
Speaker 2: had a say so, And you know who gets to
Speaker 2: do this, who gets these opportunities, And I'm forever gonna
Speaker 2: be grateful for them letting me have letting me have
Speaker 2: this opportunity. So again, I don't know what's gonna become
Speaker 2: of this time slot on seven ninety seven ninety's not
Speaker 2: going anywhere. Obviously, you still have your morning lineup and
Speaker 2: you know that's going to continue to be super successful
Speaker 2: and great with the KSR crew and Tom Leach and whatnot.
Speaker 2: And again, I don't have any clue what they're gonna do.
Speaker 2: I don't have any say so, you don't have any influence,
Speaker 2: but I will certainly keep you guys up to the
Speaker 2: date as best I can because I'm gonna care like
Speaker 2: I'm gonna you know, I'm gonna I mean, I don't
Speaker 2: have any I'm not entitled to anything by any means,
Speaker 2: but like it's hard for me to not like want
Speaker 2: to know and because it's part of me, and that's
Speaker 2: that's what really has kind of hit me in the
Speaker 2: last few days. As I knew we were gonna start
Speaker 2: in this public and talking about it and we were
Speaker 2: getting it finalized.
Speaker 3: Is that you know, anything you.
Speaker 1: Do for.
Speaker 2: Let's see, nine years and three months, anything you do
Speaker 2: for that amount of time, I don't care how old
Speaker 2: you are, that is an extended amount of time. No,
Speaker 2: Like it's a big that's a segment of your life,
Speaker 2: roughly a decade that like, no matter how old you live, like,
Speaker 2: that's something that is a substantial amount of time. And
Speaker 2: of all the things that I've done in my life
Speaker 2: other than be married to my wife and of course
Speaker 2: you know exist, being a sports talk radio host on
Speaker 2: this station is the longest thing I've ever done, and
Speaker 2: that makes me so fulfilled and grateful. So anyways, we've
Speaker 2: been all over the place today outside of that, but
Speaker 2: I do you know today was going to be the
Speaker 2: day where it gets mentioned a lot. And I'm sure
Speaker 2: if you listen to this show, hopefully for extended amount
Speaker 2: of time, like you know, you're thinking, shut the hell up, Nick,
Speaker 2: We get it, you told us. But you know, I'm
Speaker 2: coach to understand. The audience turns over every hour, so
Speaker 2: I'm sure each hour there have been folks that have
Speaker 2: been informed. And now you know, so going back to
Speaker 2: something that we did start with, that is the NBA
Speaker 2: draft decisions for a lot of players. And I don't
Speaker 2: I could be wrong, but I feel like like the
Speaker 2: players that you see that have and I guess maybe
Speaker 2: because the combine is wrapping up and you're going to
Speaker 2: get feedback after the fact, you're going to know, you know,
Speaker 2: did you really take advantage of being able to play
Speaker 2: in the NBA Draft combine by improving your stock or
Speaker 2: maybe did you get the realization that you're not quite ready?
Speaker 2: But all the lists that are out there, when it
Speaker 2: comes to players that are you know, still have still
Speaker 2: yet to decide. I mean, I feel like most of
Speaker 2: them know they're coming back. They're just you know, they're
Speaker 2: not in a rush because they've already hit the portal,
Speaker 2: meaning they have clearance to decide where they want to go.
Speaker 2: But we'll know soon enough as far as but you
Speaker 2: know what's going to happen. I mean guys like I mean,
Speaker 2: guys like r. J.
Speaker 3: Lewis, r J. Luis from Saint John's.
Speaker 2: I mean, I kind of forgot all about him, but
Speaker 2: he never committed anywhere and he hit the portal and
Speaker 2: you know, when it comes to his draft stock, I mean,
Speaker 2: I don't think it looks as if he's somebody that'll
Speaker 2: be taken really early, so you would think he'd come
Speaker 2: back to school and whoever gets him is getting an
Speaker 2: All American.
Speaker 3: Because that's what he was. So PJ.
Speaker 2: Haggerty, I don't, I mean, I don't think the I
Speaker 2: don't think that the NBA is really an option for
Speaker 2: him right now.
Speaker 3: But he's still available on the portal.
Speaker 2: So what I'm getting at is, you see these guys
Speaker 2: that have you know, yet to make a decision I
Speaker 2: guess officially, But isn't their decision kind of like already made. Again,
Speaker 2: they can do whatever they want. Nobody's going to force
Speaker 2: him to come back to college. But when you look
Speaker 2: at the otega Oway situation, we played the sound for
Speaker 2: you guys earlier.
Speaker 3: You've got those covering.
Speaker 2: The NBA Draft Combine on NBA TV, and it's a
Speaker 2: new element to how we cover college basketball in the
Speaker 2: offseason because it used to be like you really had
Speaker 2: no ability to even get a feel for what your
Speaker 2: stock was. You had to decide are you going to
Speaker 2: hire an agent and then go through the process to
Speaker 2: see what your stock is or are you going to
Speaker 2: just come back to college because you know you're not
Speaker 2: ready to risk it and take a chance on yourself.
Speaker 2: I mean, it was never it never made sense for
Speaker 2: the NCAA to limit these guys from being able to
Speaker 2: truly see what their draft stock is. Now you can
Speaker 2: hire an agent, Now you can go through this entire
Speaker 2: process and then make a decision. But now whenever they
Speaker 2: cover guys like o take away for Kentucky, I mean
Speaker 2: they're acknowledging that the opportunity that he's going to have
Speaker 2: in the league will be there for him probably next year,
Speaker 2: and that he might get drafted. But he'd be passing
Speaker 2: up on not just way more money to come back
Speaker 2: to college and play for Kentucky, he would be passing
Speaker 2: up on what could potentially be the biggest payday he
Speaker 2: will ever get as a basketball player. And that is
Speaker 2: not a knock on him in any way. Maybe he
Speaker 2: gets a max deal in the NBA or something like that,
Speaker 2: but if he's going to get what is reported, and
Speaker 2: I don't really believe any of the numbers as far
Speaker 2: as what they actually are, and this not a UK thing,
Speaker 2: it's just in general. When I hear three point something
Speaker 2: million for a guy like JT. Toppin who's came back
Speaker 2: to Texas Tech. Maybe he is getting that money. And
Speaker 2: I'm just a hater and I refuse to believe that
Speaker 2: somebody in college is getting that amount, But I just
Speaker 2: I think it makes sense to exaggerate the number. And
Speaker 2: more than anything it may, it makes sense to never
Speaker 2: be fully transparent unless you have to, because you can
Speaker 2: control your own narrative. Oh we got big money. These
Speaker 2: guys are making big money because we've got it. But
Speaker 2: like you never really know. And I think the narrative
Speaker 2: that's out there that oh wow, they got big bags
Speaker 2: of money and they're giving them out that helps the
Speaker 2: school be more appealing to said player or recruit. And
Speaker 2: I guess if you're a player, even if you're not
Speaker 2: getting three million, but you're getting one point five, maybe
Speaker 2: people thinking you're getting three million could benefit you because
Speaker 2: it'll just look like you got all the value. Or
Speaker 2: it could also make people think, like three million, that's
Speaker 2: what they paid for this guy when he has a
Speaker 2: bad game. So anyways, my point is this, I don't
Speaker 2: think many of these guys will even be tempted to
Speaker 2: go to the NBA because the safe and secure payday is.
Speaker 3: To come back to college.
Speaker 2: And that's usually what people do, right, Like, they'll make
Speaker 2: the decision that's best for them and their career, and
Speaker 2: a lot of times that includes monetary stuff, right like money.
Speaker 2: And I mean, some of these guys be foolish not
Speaker 2: to come back to college. So what I laid out
Speaker 2: for cause it has been a conversation about Otega Away's
Speaker 2: decision and I understand. I mean, it'd be a big
Speaker 2: deal if he decided not to come back, because it
Speaker 2: would be a game changer for Kentucky in a bad way.
Speaker 3: But there's all this talk about, you know, his decision,
Speaker 3: what will he do?
Speaker 2: And again, like I just think it's it's a no
Speaker 2: brainer that he's that he's going to come back, and
Speaker 2: you know, obviously that's a really good thing for Kentucky.
Speaker 2: And the only scenario where he doesn't come back, it's
Speaker 2: to me it would be like if we find out
Speaker 2: I don't know, whenever the deadline is that he decided
Speaker 2: to keep his name in the draft, it would have
Speaker 2: to be one of these three things. Right. One, he
Speaker 2: did get a guarantee that like he couldn't pass up
Speaker 2: from an NBA teen that said we're taking you here
Speaker 2: at like eighteen or lottery whatever. Maybe and I don't
Speaker 2: think that's realistic, but like that would probably be something
Speaker 2: that would make him say, yeah, I can't turn away this.
Speaker 3: I'm not coming back to Kentucky.
Speaker 2: Or you'd have to find out that he hates the
Speaker 2: college experience and that you know, he just doesn't enjoy it.
Speaker 3: It doesn't want to do it.
Speaker 2: But then again, even in a world where you didn't
Speaker 2: enjoy being the man at a place like Kentucky, where
Speaker 2: basketball matters a whole lot and you're living a great
Speaker 2: lifestyle and you know, by the way, you're a really
Speaker 2: good player, therefore you are benefiting from it in every way.
Speaker 2: Like even if you did for some reason, I would
Speaker 2: never understand hate that. I mean, wouldn't you do it
Speaker 2: for the amount of money they're going to pay you?
Speaker 3: Right? Like it just makes sense.
Speaker 2: So it would either be those two things are potentially
Speaker 2: a scenario where he realized he didn't hit the portal
Speaker 2: in time and he doesn't feel like his career will
Speaker 2: be beneficial to come back for anything other than money,
Speaker 2: meaning he's not real confident that Kentucky's going to be
Speaker 2: a good team and it might hurt his draft stock.
Speaker 2: But that's not to me, that's not realistic in any way.
Speaker 2: Who knows how good they're going to be. But oteke
Speaker 2: Away should be elevating his role, right He'll be playing
Speaker 2: alongside good players him and Jalen Lowe. It's a really
Speaker 2: good backcourt for Mark Pope next year. But also, like
Speaker 2: I was thinking to myself as an outsider, you know,
Speaker 2: I watched Kentucky basketball quite a bit, but I'm not
Speaker 2: a fan, But there was all this talk about Lamon
Speaker 2: Butler and Jackson Robbinson. Now look, those guys were good players,
Speaker 2: and they were always talked about because one they were good,
Speaker 2: but also their injury situation was always up in the air.
Speaker 2: But like I'm thinking, okayeah, those guys are good and
Speaker 2: you're better with them. But like the dude that you
Speaker 2: need to worry about more than anything potentially losing, Like
Speaker 2: if he gets heard would be o take away. He
Speaker 2: was mister consistent. He was one of the best players
Speaker 2: in the SEC. And he'll probably come back to Kentucky
Speaker 2: all by you know ball accounts. That's what he's gonna do,
Speaker 2: and he'll probably be one of the best players in
Speaker 2: the country, which again last I checked, that's a pretty
Speaker 2: good thing.
Speaker 3: So I'm sure you're If you're a.
Speaker 2: Kentucky fan, you know you don't want to get your
Speaker 2: hopes up because I guess anything could happen, but I
Speaker 2: would feel i'd feel safe that you you don't have.
Speaker 3: To you have anything to worry about.
Speaker 2: But that's easy for me to say, because again, I
Speaker 2: don't have any real care if Kentucky's good or not.
Speaker 3: I real quick.
Speaker 2: On the other side, I want to take a look
Speaker 2: at the updated list, because believe it or not, you
Speaker 2: know there there are good players left in the portal,
Speaker 2: some that aren't even going through the NBA process, And
Speaker 2: I mean Louis's got an opening, LOWISLLS got money.
Speaker 3: Other schools do too.
Speaker 2: But I feel like there's the dust has kind of
Speaker 2: settled to where despite there being some big names in
Speaker 2: the portal that could really change things for a team.
Speaker 2: I guess these guys are telling the truth whenever they
Speaker 2: say they're not focused on that at all, because they're
Speaker 2: focused on doing whatever they can to take advantage of
Speaker 2: the opportunity to show what they can do in front
Speaker 2: of the NBA. But once those guys make the decision,
Speaker 2: that is likely meaning they're coming back then it's going
Speaker 2: to turn up to where there's a whole new, real
Speaker 2: wave of portal pursuing, right, like really good pieces that
Speaker 2: have made it official. They're not going pro. And I'm
Speaker 2: sure there's many schools out there. They got some money left,
Speaker 2: they got a scholarship left, they're going to be trying
Speaker 2: to get some big pieces that could change the outlook
Speaker 2: for their upcoming season.
Speaker 3: So all right, quick break again.
Speaker 2: We're out a little bit early today for some baseball actions,
Speaker 2: so we'll make the most of what we have left.
Speaker 2: It's coffee and company or feel about Thornton's right here
Speaker 2: on Sports Talk seven to.
Speaker 1: Ninety now back to coffee and Company fueled by Sortins
Speaker 1: on Sports Talk seven to ninety eight.
Speaker 2: So I'm glad that somebody takes the time to do this,
Speaker 2: because there's all kinds of different post spring, entirely too
Speaker 2: early preseason. Even I suppose rankings for college football, it
Speaker 2: really depends upon it. Well, I guess at this point,
Speaker 2: I'm sure there's still some players available. However, I did
Speaker 2: see I think it might have been Brett McMurphy who
Speaker 2: said a coach told him that when it comes to
Speaker 2: players that are in the portal, like there's no good
Speaker 2: value left, and like all these guys that are in
Speaker 2: the portal for football, you know, they're kind of still
Speaker 2: there for a reason. But anyways, there's all kinds of
Speaker 2: different rankings out there, ESPN, CBS, on three, the Athletic,
Speaker 2: you know, all kinds of different college football outlets that
Speaker 2: put together these post spring summer rankings, and the industry
Speaker 2: composite takes all those into consideration and bonds an average,
Speaker 2: and Louisville comes in at number twenty. So, I mean,
Speaker 2: we'll see if that ends up being the AP coaches Paul,
Speaker 2: whatever it may be. And we all know that it
Speaker 2: really didn't matter with the college football playoff rankings being
Speaker 2: something that comes later in the year, and also it
Speaker 2: being you know, clearly what matters, the only thing that matters.
Speaker 2: We still will pay attention to where you're ranked in
Speaker 2: the AP, and we'll certainly get excited if there's that
Speaker 2: number next to your team's name, but you know, it's
Speaker 2: really doesn't mean a whole lot of anything, but you know,
Speaker 2: it is some level of a reference point to where
Speaker 2: objectively people view your team, and you know, to know
Speaker 2: that you're heading into year three and Jeff Bram I
Speaker 2: believe as clearly kept some met him going since he arrived.
Speaker 2: And now you're preseason top twenty in the eyes of
Speaker 2: those who cover the sport. That's a good place to
Speaker 2: be and football season will be here before you know.
Speaker 2: All right, it's coffee and company. Phil about Thorton's here
Speaker 2: on Sports Talk seven ninety. Thanks for hanging with us.
Speaker 2: We will be out a little early today. In fact,
Speaker 2: this is going to be our last segment, so I'm
Speaker 2: trying to put a little rapid fire together here to
Speaker 2: get to as much of what I wanted to get to.
Speaker 2: I did, as you could expect, not keep up with
Speaker 2: time as best I could, and then I found out
Speaker 2: we're out early because of some weather that has impacted
Speaker 2: the schedule of these baseball games. But I've spent a
Speaker 2: lot of time discussing, you know, the news that I'm
Speaker 2: moving on after this, after the end of this month,
Speaker 2: two weeks from the day, with my last show here
Speaker 2: on Sports Talk seven nineties, I make the move to
Speaker 2: News Ready wait forty whch has to take over for
Speaker 2: Tony Cruz. So if you missed me discussing that, I
Speaker 2: don't know what you missed out on but you can
Speaker 2: always go back and check it out on the podcast.
Speaker 2: But when it comes to the college basketball players that
Speaker 2: I guess technically are still college basketball players as of
Speaker 2: right now, but like the biggest names that are are
Speaker 2: kind of, you know, on the fence about what they
Speaker 2: want to do. These are guys that, like, for example,
Speaker 2: Cal at Arkansas, He's got two guys that are technically
Speaker 2: on the fence. They have not said for sure what
Speaker 2: they're doing, but like, if they decide to come back,
Speaker 2: it would be huge for Cal in a good way.
Speaker 2: If they decide to leave, it changes everything a do
Speaker 2: Thierro at Arkansas. I mean he's actually at times been
Speaker 2: been viewed to be a potential first rounder because of
Speaker 2: the draft being weekend, because he's got a lot to like.
Speaker 2: I mean, he's a very talented guys. I shouldn't have
Speaker 2: said it as if like the draft being weak is
Speaker 2: why he'd be a first rounder, but you know, he's
Speaker 2: borderline first round currently. And also Carter Knox, who was
Speaker 2: one of the best freshmen that played last year.
Speaker 3: And again these guys they might even be.
Speaker 2: Looked at to be potential top twenty picks but still
Speaker 2: decide to come back. To college because they one would
Speaker 2: make a lot of money, and maybe they do in
Speaker 2: fact believe, hey, I'll be in a better spot next
Speaker 2: year when it comes to my development. So I think
Speaker 2: there used to be just this notionable if you've been
Speaker 2: in college this long, either you're a really late bloomer
Speaker 2: or yeah, you weren't that good, because if you were,
Speaker 2: then you'd have already been in the NBA, which, by
Speaker 2: the way, if the Aarro stays.
Speaker 3: In the draft and.
Speaker 2: Doesn't go first round, same thing with Carter Knox, that
Speaker 2: would be the first time in how long that John
Speaker 2: Caliperi did not have a first round draft pick. I
Speaker 2: mean every year he was at Kentucky he had a
Speaker 2: first round draft pick. I feel like, probably not every
Speaker 2: year at Memphis, but more often than not at Memphis,
Speaker 2: I feel like he had a first round draft pick.
Speaker 2: And a lot of that has to do with that,
Speaker 2: you know, he's not going to be able to recruit
Speaker 2: at Arkansas the same level he did at Kentucky, and
Speaker 2: I just don't think, you know, he he's not needed
Speaker 2: really in any way like he used to be believed
Speaker 2: to be needed, if that makes sense. And let me
Speaker 2: explain certain guys would go to the NBA regardless that
Speaker 2: they played at Kentucky or they played it Duke or Kansas, whatever,
Speaker 2: because they're they're that good, they're that talented. They can
Speaker 2: even be bad for you. I mean Scalabissia was a
Speaker 2: first round pick for Kentucky. I mean, they'll they'll draft
Speaker 2: you based off your potential. Certainly, so you know, he
Speaker 2: was never needed. I think as much as maybe it was,
Speaker 2: it was believed. But certainly, if you want to get
Speaker 2: to the NBA as soon as possible and you are
Speaker 2: on that radar, I mean, hell, yeah, makes sense to
Speaker 2: go play for calla Kentucky. But over time, you know,
Speaker 2: I think you realized that he wasn't as big of
Speaker 2: a factor for most of these guys getting in the league.
Speaker 2: And now you know he's I mean, maybe he does
Speaker 2: have great success down the line at at Arkansas, but
Speaker 2: I I mean he's not gonna be able to sell
Speaker 2: and bring in as much talent as he did when
Speaker 2: he was selling Kentucky. And also, even if you are
Speaker 2: the game's changed guys stick around longer, guy's turned down
Speaker 2: the NBA to stay in college. Therefore, you building a
Speaker 2: team based mostly off of eighteen year olds, even if
Speaker 2: they're all great, like, that's not maybe the best the
Speaker 2: best rest. So looking at the most updated mock draft here,
Speaker 2: this is from NBA draft dot Net, which not one
Speaker 2: of the better ones, but it's the only one I
Speaker 2: could pull up that it's not behind a paywall right now,
Speaker 2: but right now when it looks the I mean technically
Speaker 2: the Yeah, Carter Knox has viewed to be a early
Speaker 2: second round same as same as Buerrero, so I guess
Speaker 2: that streak could potentially come to an end. But anyways,
Speaker 2: other players that are I guess still making a decision.
Speaker 2: You know, we take always mentioned, but I think he's
Speaker 2: coming back Alex Condon for Florida. I don't know where
Speaker 2: he is, but obviously he's a guy that if he
Speaker 2: does come back to Florida that changes things for them
Speaker 2: in a big way. But nobody is more I think
Speaker 2: sweating out a decision than Michigan because they've got Jaxe
Speaker 2: Lindenborg to transfer from UAB who is rated as the
Speaker 2: number one player in the portal by a lot of outlets,
Speaker 2: and he's been really impressive at at the NBA Draft combine,
Speaker 2: and I mean, let me see where his stock is currently,
Speaker 2: Cause again I know how talented he is. He's a
Speaker 2: really good player. I'm not a draft analyst by any means.
Speaker 2: I just played one on the radio at times. But
Speaker 2: you know, he's currently looked to be the twenty third
Speaker 2: pick by the Pacers. That to me is like the ultimate.
Speaker 2: If that's where you believe your range is, what do
Speaker 2: you do? Cause you are older, you've played in college
Speaker 2: for a long time. You know, will you be in
Speaker 2: that same position next year when the draft is much stronger? Right?
Speaker 1: Like?
Speaker 2: You may look at that in that position to say, yeah,
Speaker 2: there's a lot of money on the line here at Michigan.
Speaker 2: But if I take that money and then re enter
Speaker 2: the NBA draft next year while I still be in
Speaker 2: a position to have, you know, I mean that one
Speaker 2: would be tough if if I was that young man,
Speaker 2: especially knowing that he's played his whole career at UAB
Speaker 2: and then he's kind of starting all over with a
Speaker 2: coach that he clearly likes enough to have committed to
Speaker 2: that's Dusty May, but he's never actually he doesn't know
Speaker 2: how to be utilized. And then I guess the others
Speaker 2: that are still I mean PJ Haggerty, I guess is
Speaker 2: still out there, but it all it sounds like he's
Speaker 2: going to go to State. And then what I don't
Speaker 2: know is R. J. Luise again, the guy who was
Speaker 2: first team All American for Rick Patino at Saint John's
Speaker 2: and then he got benched in the second round and
Speaker 2: it became a story and he decided to hit the
Speaker 2: portal and he'll have a lot of suitors, but you know,
Speaker 2: I haven't heard anything about his his draft stock or
Speaker 2: any haven't heard anything about which schools may be in
Speaker 2: the mix if he does come back. And then another name,
Speaker 2: Jamiir Watkins of Florida State Louisville was linked to him
Speaker 2: at some point and I don't know if that's still
Speaker 2: the case or not. But if he does come back,
Speaker 2: he'll be a big addition for anybody, and I don't
Speaker 2: know who it'll be. But long story short, there's still
Speaker 2: gonna be some players to go get in the portal,
Speaker 2: and you know, Louisville certainly. I don't know about Kentucky,
Speaker 2: but Louisville has not only availability, but like they're going
Speaker 2: to have a real need now with James Scott gone unexpectedly,
Speaker 2: and then the eligibility of Khalifa still up in the air.
Speaker 1: All right.
Speaker 3: That'll do it for us. Have a good weekend everybody.
Speaker 2: Back to start what will be I guess the you know,
Speaker 2: two more weeks after this for me on seven ninety,
Speaker 2: so I'm gonna have some fun and really enjoy it.
Speaker 2: But again, have a good weekend. Thank you all for
Speaker 2: hanging out with us. Big thanks to Radio Rick Ryder
Speaker 2: as always, and we'll talk to you on Monday.