WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:02.799 Welcome to the big New one. Sider Dick Gabriel with 2 00:00:02.799 --> 00:00:05.080 you on a Thursday and right off the top, let 3 00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:08.160 us remind you there is still time to get over 4 00:00:08.199 --> 00:00:11.320 to Kogerfield today or you could do it tomorrow, but 5 00:00:11.480 --> 00:00:13.759 be sure you can get over there if you would 6 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:17.199 and help Jagger Burton from the UK football team Trent 7 00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:22.079 Noah from UK basketball. They are spearheading an initiative to 8 00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:27.440 help LAX eighteen UK Sports and Campus Marketing to pull 9 00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:32.159 together donations of supplies for the victims of the recent 10 00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:35.960 tornadoes in our state. They're going to be there tonight 11 00:00:36.039 --> 00:00:39.560 till eight o'clock and then again tomorrow from eleven am 12 00:00:39.960 --> 00:00:44.439 to one pm. All donations will be directed toward tornado 13 00:00:44.520 --> 00:00:50.439 relief efforts in southern Kentucky. Rakes, shovels, trash bags, cleaning supplies, 14 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:56.719 paper goods, flashlights and lanners, lanterns, non perishable foods, and 15 00:00:56.759 --> 00:01:01.119 if you don't mind, including their pet food, dogs and cats. 16 00:01:01.159 --> 00:01:05.040 They're victims, not quite like humans, but they also need 17 00:01:05.079 --> 00:01:08.079 to be looked after in situations like this, So over 18 00:01:08.120 --> 00:01:12.400 at Cogerfield, the blue lot that runs alongside Alumni Drive, 19 00:01:12.920 --> 00:01:15.879 they will be there till eight o'clock tonight, then again 20 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:19.840 tomorrow from eleven am to one pm, all part of 21 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:26.120 tornado relief efforts in southern Kentucky. You heard this yesterday afternoon, 22 00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:28.000 after we'd already put our show to bed, of course, 23 00:01:28.359 --> 00:01:33.439 But Shake Gildess Alexander, the former Wildcat, is not only 24 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:36.599 the NBA scoring champ at thirty two point seven points 25 00:01:36.599 --> 00:01:39.760 per game, but he is the league's most valuable player 26 00:01:40.200 --> 00:01:42.840 and his team tonight takes on Minnesota in Game two 27 00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:46.920 of the Western Conference Finals. The Timberwolves led by Julius Randall, 28 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:51.799 of course, but SGA is having himself a season. He 29 00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:53.879 was great last year. Some thought he should have been 30 00:01:54.120 --> 00:01:57.480 the MVP last year, but he wins it this year. 31 00:01:58.040 --> 00:02:02.760 Seventy two straight games twenty or more points, fourth longest 32 00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:07.840 in NBA history. That kind of streak. Oscar Robertson did 33 00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:11.560 it last in nineteen sixty three and sixty four. Wilt 34 00:02:11.639 --> 00:02:16.120 Chamberlain had two streaks like that in the early sixties. 35 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:19.599 Just incredible. And now if they can win a championship 36 00:02:19.639 --> 00:02:24.360 Oklahoma City, Shay Gilgess Alexander would join a pretty impressive 37 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:27.960 list of people to lead the league in scoring be 38 00:02:28.039 --> 00:02:32.120 named the MVP and win an NBA title. He would 39 00:02:32.120 --> 00:02:34.120 be the first guy to do that since Steph Curry 40 00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:38.680 did it back during the twenty fourteen fifteen season. And 41 00:02:38.759 --> 00:02:42.960 you've got names like Bob Coosey, Bill Russell again, Chamberlain, 42 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:49.639 Willis Reed did it, Jabbar, Larry Bird, Magic, Michael Jordan, Shack, 43 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:53.479 Tim Duncan, and of course Lebron. Can you imagine six 44 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:56.840 six guard doing this. Most of those guys are bigs. 45 00:02:57.639 --> 00:03:01.080 This guy's a skinny six to six guard. It was 46 00:03:01.159 --> 00:03:04.360 so much fun to watch at Kentucky. Wasn't he so 47 00:03:05.879 --> 00:03:09.000 root for the ok City Thunder? But there's a Wildcat 48 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:11.599 on every team, a former Wildcat in all four of 49 00:03:11.680 --> 00:03:14.439 the NBA Final four team, So it's a fun time. 50 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:18.560 It's of course playoff time here in to be watching 51 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:22.039 the NBA. We need to also point out speaking of 52 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:24.800 former Wildcats, and then once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat. 53 00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:31.080 But dan Issel, Louis Dampier and their Kentucky Colonel's teammates 54 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:37.360 on this day fifty years ago, won the nineteen seventy 55 00:03:37.400 --> 00:03:42.560 five ABA Championship. They beat the wicked Indiana Pacers one ten, 56 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:46.800 one oh five in Game five in Freedom Hall, man 57 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:50.319 I hated the Pacers. I should because one year the 58 00:03:50.360 --> 00:03:52.680 Colonels were favored and the Pacers beat him in Game 59 00:03:52.759 --> 00:03:56.400 seven for the ABA title. Indiana was so good. Finally 60 00:03:56.879 --> 00:04:01.960 the Colonel's breakthrough under Hubie Brown and win the championship. 61 00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:05.319 Hubie Brown had been an assistant coach for the Milwaukee 62 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:09.639 Bucks team that won the NBA Championship back in the 63 00:04:09.639 --> 00:04:12.879 early seventies with a kid named leu Al Sinder, who 64 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:15.120 of course later was traded due to the Lakers and became 65 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:20.600 Kareem Abdul Jabbar. But John Y Brown hired him away, 66 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:23.199 thinking well, this guys had to win a championship, and 67 00:04:23.319 --> 00:04:26.360 he did. And about a year and a half ago, 68 00:04:26.360 --> 00:04:29.920 I had a chance to chat with dan Issel about 69 00:04:29.959 --> 00:04:32.120 what that meant to him, to be able to along 70 00:04:32.160 --> 00:04:36.040 with Louis and Hubie and artist Gilmour win the ABA title. 71 00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:39.879 You get, that's a special, special moment, I think for 72 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:43.399 all of us. Hubee says to this day it's the 73 00:04:43.439 --> 00:04:46.519 best team he ever coached. And you know that was 74 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:51.439 the only championship that Louie and I and artists won, 75 00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:55.959 so it's very special, and you know, it just makes 76 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:59.040 you wonder what would have happened if that team had 77 00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:02.399 stayed together and it had been one of the teams 78 00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:06.279 that went into the NBA at the time of the merger. 79 00:05:06.360 --> 00:05:12.759 But you know what, my my very favorite moment in 80 00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:14.000 my basketball career. 81 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:17.439 Yeah, you know, John Y. Brown a great business man, 82 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:19.759 there's no question. And you know I said it was 83 00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:23.120 a bad business deal, and you know that day it 84 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:26.120 might have been, but it lacked a little bit of forethought, 85 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:28.240 didn't it? Or was that too easy to say now 86 00:05:28.319 --> 00:05:31.800 because you know the NBA then surely isn't what it 87 00:05:31.879 --> 00:05:32.319 is now? 88 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:35.439 No, No, not even close. 89 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:36.600 People. 90 00:05:36.759 --> 00:05:41.079 Younger people will find this hard to imagine. But at 91 00:05:41.079 --> 00:05:45.399 that time and even later in a lot of markets, 92 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:50.360 major markets, the NBA Finals were on tape delay after 93 00:05:50.439 --> 00:05:56.319 the eleven o'clock news, So no, nothing close. And John did, 94 00:05:56.800 --> 00:06:00.279 John did make the right business decision at the time time. 95 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:05.399 But it would have been great if Kentucky had an 96 00:06:05.519 --> 00:06:06.720 NBA team today. 97 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:10.480 Dennis it was my first college basketball hero. It was 98 00:06:10.519 --> 00:06:13.920 so great to be able to eventually meet him, get 99 00:06:13.959 --> 00:06:16.040 to know him, become friendly with him. We chat on 100 00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:19.600 the radio every once in a while, and looking back 101 00:06:19.639 --> 00:06:22.319 on the ABA days with him, it was just a 102 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:25.000 lot of fun and yeah, hard to believe it was 103 00:06:25.079 --> 00:06:28.319 fifty years ago today and what a great team that was. 104 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:33.639 But they took four teams into the NBA from the ABA, 105 00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:36.000 and they had to pay up to be a part 106 00:06:36.040 --> 00:06:38.720 of it and sign a terrible deal where they couldn't 107 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:41.639 share in TV revenue for like twenty years or something 108 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:45.560 crazy like that. But the Nets and the Pacers and 109 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:49.120 the Nuggets and the Spurs did it, and now they've 110 00:06:49.160 --> 00:06:52.560 won championships. Well, the Pacers haven't won an NBA title yet, 111 00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:56.160 but they do have those three ABA titles from the 112 00:06:56.199 --> 00:06:59.000 early seventies, but the Colonels have the seventy five title 113 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:02.120 and we sell rated today. I sent him for Tom 114 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:05.120 Leach on The Leach Report earlier today, and one of 115 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:07.480 his guests, as he is each week generally on Thursday, 116 00:07:07.560 --> 00:07:11.199 is Jack Gibbons, Tom's broadcast partner, and I asked him 117 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:15.800 a follow up question to a topic they discussed last week. 118 00:07:16.279 --> 00:07:19.199 And I've talked about this on the show a little bit. 119 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:26.279 Otega Oway getting advice, getting some direction from NBA experts, 120 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:30.680 the people who are checking him out and talking to him, 121 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:34.240 trying him out. He's trying to decide does he keep 122 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:37.720 his name in the draft. And I've mentioned it several 123 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:40.800 times and a lot of people have. Antonio Reeves did 124 00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:43.639 this and was told, you know, you're either not going 125 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:45.319 to be drafted or you'll be way late in the 126 00:07:45.319 --> 00:07:48.560 second round. So he comes back to college armed with 127 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:52.439 the knowledge of what he needs to do to better 128 00:07:52.519 --> 00:07:58.600 himself for the NBA and it's not mutually exclusive. We 129 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:02.439 learned that, didn't we Antonio Reeves at the best season 130 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:06.639 of his college career his last year at Kentucky, and 131 00:08:06.920 --> 00:08:10.720 clearly it helped himself, but it helped the Wildcats enormously. 132 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:15.319 So if Alwa can do that kind of transition, imagine 133 00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:17.319 how much better he's going to be this coming season 134 00:08:17.319 --> 00:08:19.600 if he comes back to Kentucky. And I talked to 135 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:22.879 Jack about that, because you know, that kind of information 136 00:08:22.959 --> 00:08:26.800 and that kind of interaction with the NBA was not 137 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:30.240 only not available but against the rules back then when 138 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:33.440 Jack was playing. But just you think about Jack had 139 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:36.480 a brief career in the NBA because he was an 140 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:42.080 undersized forward and didn't develop himself as a guard, And 141 00:08:42.120 --> 00:08:44.320 had he known more about what he needed to do 142 00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:46.879 and how to do it, he would have spent a 143 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:49.120 lot longer in the NBA, and we talked about that 144 00:08:49.399 --> 00:08:50.320 a lot of times. 145 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:54.039 Our fans get all been out of shape because guys 146 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:57.200 go and they're going to test the waters. Then you 147 00:08:57.360 --> 00:09:00.440 start to worry and wonder and you know, get but 148 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:06.279 this is something that benefits these guys. I mean they know, 149 00:09:06.919 --> 00:09:10.720 and I think Oldway knows that he has a little 150 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:14.639 ways to go before he's ready for the league. But 151 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:18.759 like when I was at Kentucky, you get kind of 152 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:22.960 penciled into a spot and you get used to play 153 00:09:23.000 --> 00:09:27.200 in a certain system. And I worked really well in 154 00:09:27.240 --> 00:09:31.159 our system, but man, I would love to have had 155 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:35.320 these guys kind of tell me, Man, you got to 156 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:37.759 increase your ball handling. But I mean, yeah, you can 157 00:09:37.799 --> 00:09:40.960 shoot it if you jump all right for guys six 158 00:09:41.120 --> 00:09:44.879 five and playing against guys six eight, you jump all 159 00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:48.159 right and all of this stuff. But you know, at 160 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:50.519 your size six four sixty five, you're going to be 161 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:52.720 a point guard. You got to handle that ball. You 162 00:09:52.799 --> 00:09:54.320 got to get out on the floor and learn how 163 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:57.879 to defend these quicker players, which I had to try 164 00:09:57.919 --> 00:09:59.960 to do in the NBA. And believe me, when you 165 00:10:00.120 --> 00:10:02.480 doing it for a job and everybody's trying to make 166 00:10:02.519 --> 00:10:06.279 a living. It's a very difficult place to change your 167 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:10.519 whole style of play. So yeah, I think it's good. 168 00:10:10.559 --> 00:10:14.200 Old Wait, Well, hear some stuff that he won't hear 169 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:18.039 from his from his girlfriend, he won't hear from his parents, 170 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:21.360 he won't hear from all those people around him who 171 00:10:21.879 --> 00:10:25.080 are advising him. He'll hear some stuff that he really 172 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:28.399 needs to hear and hopefully that'll help him get better 173 00:10:28.440 --> 00:10:30.759 the rest of the summer and going into next season. 174 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:34.559 And that has got me really excited about seeing Otago away, 175 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:39.399 including his brand new teammates, but seeing Otaga Oway and 176 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:41.360 what he's going to do this season. I believe he'll 177 00:10:41.399 --> 00:10:44.000 be back, and most experts do, not that I'm an expert, 178 00:10:44.039 --> 00:10:45.879 but people who keep an eye on this sort of 179 00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:49.840 thing believe he'll come back. It makes more sense financially anyway. 180 00:10:49.879 --> 00:10:52.759 But can you imagine if he makes the same kind 181 00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:56.279 of leap and Antonio Reeves made with a college game, 182 00:10:56.519 --> 00:10:59.440 how much better he's going to be up next? What's 183 00:10:59.440 --> 00:11:01.919 going on in North Carolina with Bill Belichick? Well, that's 184 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:03.759 a great question. There's a new lead on that story, 185 00:11:03.799 --> 00:11:08.320 it seems every day, including the former coach of the 186 00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:14.679 Tar Heels Mack Brown implying that they have relaxed academic 187 00:11:14.759 --> 00:11:18.360 standards at North Carolina the Harvard of the South for 188 00:11:18.440 --> 00:11:20.559 Bill Belichick. We'll talk about that coming up at the 189 00:11:20.600 --> 00:11:23.360 bottom of the hour. Aaron Gershan of the Cat's Balls. 190 00:11:23.399 --> 00:11:27.279 Later on EKU coach Walt Wells and podcaster Vinnie Hardy 191 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:31.200 here on six point thirty WLAP Welcome back to the 192 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:33.159 Big blone Cider coming up in a few minutes, Aaron 193 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:36.039 Gershan of the Cats Balls. I mentioned North Carolina going 194 00:11:36.080 --> 00:11:39.840 into the break. Mack Brown appeared on Sirius XM radio 195 00:11:40.519 --> 00:11:44.039 on a podcast or radio show actually with Dusty devorceek 196 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:47.919 and Danny Canell and talked about why North Carolina has 197 00:11:47.960 --> 00:11:51.759 a chance to be successful quickly with Bill Belichick despite 198 00:11:51.799 --> 00:11:54.840 all the stuff that's going on with the girlfriend. And 199 00:11:55.240 --> 00:11:57.799 one of the things that Brown brought up, I'll play 200 00:11:57.840 --> 00:12:00.360 the comment for you in just a minute academic, and 201 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:03.440 he basically said they seem to have lowered the academic 202 00:12:03.519 --> 00:12:07.559 standards to help Belichick and reminded me instantly of two things. 203 00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:10.960 Number One, Notre Dame did this back in the eighties, 204 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:14.080 and it was when Lou Holtz was there, and it 205 00:12:14.200 --> 00:12:18.759 clearly helped Holtz with his recruiting, and then conversely, they 206 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:22.080 had a new chancellor come in, I think, and raised 207 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:24.600 the academic standards at Notre Dame back to where they 208 00:12:24.600 --> 00:12:29.320 had been over Holtz's strenuous objections, and that's when he left. 209 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:32.080 He won a national title and almost won another one 210 00:12:32.360 --> 00:12:36.799 at Notre Dame when they had lowered those academic standards, 211 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:40.120 but Ray re raised them or put him back, and 212 00:12:40.120 --> 00:12:41.919 that was it for Holtz. He took off, and as 213 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:44.600 you know, he lan landed at the South Carolina at 214 00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:48.200 one point. The other thing it reminded me of was 215 00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:51.919 the academic scandal at North Carolina a few years ago, 216 00:12:52.039 --> 00:12:56.320 when it was discovered that students all over campus, not 217 00:12:56.480 --> 00:13:02.360 just athletes, were basically enrolling in bogus courses where they 218 00:13:02.679 --> 00:13:07.080 hardly had to do anything in order to make good 219 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:11.519 grades and helped their GPA. Obviously, there were athletes involved, 220 00:13:11.960 --> 00:13:18.279 and people immediately assumed that these were classes created four athletes. No, 221 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:22.440 there were more non athletes in these classes than athletes. 222 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:26.080 But it was a real scandal. And this is a 223 00:13:26.120 --> 00:13:29.559 school that is clear, as I said before the break, 224 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:33.000 considered itself in an IVY League type of school, even 225 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:36.120 though it is a state institution, and look, it's a 226 00:13:36.120 --> 00:13:37.639 school with a lot of money, and it is a 227 00:13:37.639 --> 00:13:42.639 great institution academically. But they prostituted themselves, the powers that 228 00:13:42.759 --> 00:13:46.080 be at North Carolina, to get out from under that scandal, 229 00:13:47.559 --> 00:13:52.919 at least with regards to the NCAA, by admitting or 230 00:13:53.039 --> 00:13:58.720 basically saying, these classes or this class in particular, was 231 00:13:58.799 --> 00:14:02.240 part of our regular curriculum. That's how they get out 232 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:07.960 from under serious NCAA penalties. Because if they hadn't said that, 233 00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:10.519 then a lot of these athletes were going to be 234 00:14:10.840 --> 00:14:14.639 declared ineligible. Championship banners we're going to be taken down 235 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:17.480 and things like that. But in order to avoid that 236 00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:22.120 for their athletic department, the academic side of campus had 237 00:14:22.159 --> 00:14:27.440 to admit or forced itself to admit that, yeah, these 238 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:31.200 are bogus classes. This is part of what we are. 239 00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:36.759 It's not exactly the Harvard of the South. As I said, Now, 240 00:14:37.879 --> 00:14:41.639 if Belichick is going to benefit from academic standards that 241 00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:45.360 are lowered, well they're just going to shrug that off obviously, 242 00:14:46.120 --> 00:14:49.000 and I have to assume it's true. But keep in mind, 243 00:14:49.039 --> 00:14:51.600 now a lot of schools do that. There are ways 244 00:14:51.960 --> 00:14:54.639 to do this legally. In fact, this happens in the UK, 245 00:14:54.919 --> 00:14:58.440 believe it or not. And I say that without sincerity. 246 00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:02.559 There is a process, and it's not about athletics. Let 247 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:04.600 me be clear about that. I've had it explained to me. 248 00:15:05.399 --> 00:15:08.559 If you don't have the proper board scores essentially to 249 00:15:08.679 --> 00:15:11.639 get into the UK and a lot of other schools, 250 00:15:11.879 --> 00:15:15.720 you can appeal. There is an appeals process. But within 251 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:21.919 that process, athletics are not a factor. It's not like, hey, 252 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:23.600 we need to let this person in because he's a 253 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:27.000 great football player, she's a great basketball player. It's a 254 00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:31.919 case by case deal and a lot of kids are 255 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:35.279 allowed in when ordinarily they might not be, and a 256 00:15:35.320 --> 00:15:38.159 lot of them prosper. Some of them don't. But you 257 00:15:38.200 --> 00:15:39.639 know what, a lot of the kids you get in 258 00:15:39.799 --> 00:15:43.879 normally don't prosper either, So again, case by case. But 259 00:15:44.200 --> 00:15:47.759 I just find it interesting that Mac Brown freely spoke 260 00:15:47.799 --> 00:15:49.480 about this on Serious XM. 261 00:15:49.720 --> 00:15:52.720 It was time for me. North Carolina didn't have ni 262 00:15:52.840 --> 00:15:56.120 O money, and I said, we were kind of a 263 00:15:56.159 --> 00:16:01.080 slow bleed. We weren't able to recruit the top kids 264 00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:03.639 like we were when we first got there. So it 265 00:16:03.679 --> 00:16:05.440 was time for them, and it was time for me, 266 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:08.639 So it's kind of like a divorce. Everybody was ready, 267 00:16:09.759 --> 00:16:13.000 it's just who and how and how you split at 268 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:17.120 the end. So it was best for me to get out. 269 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:21.200 We always built programs on fit, and in our last 270 00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:23.240 couple of years there, we were having to get parents 271 00:16:23.240 --> 00:16:25.759 with money. We were trying to get kids over at 272 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:29.759 three point zero because that's who we could get. We 273 00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:33.320 signed twenty six players at North Carolina are next to 274 00:16:33.399 --> 00:16:36.000 last year high school players, and didn't pay them a penny, 275 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:41.519 so those kids I felt guilty. We even had Omaria 276 00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:45.519 and Hampton and he got offered a million plus to 277 00:16:45.600 --> 00:16:47.559 leave and he stayed for three hundred thousand. I told 278 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:51.120 him should leave because it was just crazy as you 279 00:16:51.159 --> 00:16:54.519 were looking at those things. As far as North Carolina 280 00:16:54.559 --> 00:16:57.919 and Bill Belichick, now he's arguably the best coach ever. 281 00:16:59.039 --> 00:17:03.080 They've committed money to it, they've helped them with academics, 282 00:17:03.559 --> 00:17:08.079 they've lowered those standards some so there's absolutely no reason 283 00:17:08.119 --> 00:17:14.200 that they shouldn't be successful. And anymore. They've changed the roster. 284 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:18.640 I think they've signed maybe sixty something new transfers, so 285 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:22.359 you've got chances to succeed at the highest level, and 286 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:24.839 I expect them to do that, and I'm proud for him. 287 00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:27.680 There's going to be pushback on that, you know there 288 00:17:27.720 --> 00:17:29.720 will be. We'll keep an eye out for it. But yeah, 289 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:33.839 that's Mac Brown. Courtesy of Sirius XM. One other note 290 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:37.880 about football. Jim Yersay has died. You may have seen this. 291 00:17:38.039 --> 00:17:41.079 He is the owner, was the owner of the Indianapolis Colts. 292 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:44.319 Only sixty five. He had had substance abuse issues in 293 00:17:44.359 --> 00:17:46.599 the past and don't know what the cause of death was. 294 00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:49.720 Way too young, sixty five, but I didn't know this. 295 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:54.720 He had assembled one of the greatest collections of valuable 296 00:17:54.839 --> 00:18:00.759 guitars in the world, guitars owned by David Gilmour, Bob Dylan, 297 00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:06.799 Kurt Cobain. And at one point he turned down one 298 00:18:07.319 --> 00:18:11.519 billion dollars that's billion with a B for his offer. 299 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:14.920 This was back in July of twenty twenty three. It 300 00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:18.680 was of course somebody in Dubai who offered to buy 301 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:21.319 it and then it would have been moved to Dubai, 302 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:27.240 but Hearsay turned him down. Can you imagine, because he 303 00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:30.480 wanted to exhibit the instruments to the public here in 304 00:18:30.519 --> 00:18:33.680 the US and he didn't need the money. He's a 305 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:37.519 rich guy owned the Colts. He was the owner when 306 00:18:37.559 --> 00:18:40.000 they took Peyton Manning got him a Super Bowl win. 307 00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:43.240 But yeah, Jim Ayersay, I didn't know this. I knew 308 00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:45.359 he had a band, but I didn't know he had 309 00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:49.400 that kind of collection of valuable guitars. But apparently guitar 310 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:53.599 aficionado's all over the world they knew about Jim Hearsay. 311 00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:56.200 No telling. Now what's going to happen to the collection. 312 00:18:56.880 --> 00:18:59.279 Aaron Gershan of the cash Balls is coming up next 313 00:18:59.640 --> 00:19:04.160 right here on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the 314 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:06.920 Big Blue Sider. Joining us now as he does each week, 315 00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:09.720 is Aaron Gershan of the Cats Pause part of the 316 00:19:09.720 --> 00:19:12.960 two four seven network, and Aaron, earlier today you were 317 00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:15.960 talking a lot of football. Let's talk a little basketball first, 318 00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:18.920 Mark Pope, and he had kind of led on in 319 00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:22.279 his news conference last week. He wasn't quite done with 320 00:19:22.319 --> 00:19:26.160 his roster, and sure enough he lands Brandon Hawthorne. You've 321 00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:28.160 written about him. What should we know? 322 00:19:29.759 --> 00:19:33.599 Yeah, I think, and I'm not trying to oversell it, 323 00:19:33.640 --> 00:19:36.720 but I think when you look at like a similar timeline, 324 00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:40.359 similar body, similar, Okay, how do we want this kid 325 00:19:40.359 --> 00:19:43.960 to project? I go and look at Adu Sierro. Deuciero 326 00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:47.119 was a very late riser in the I believe twenty 327 00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:49.720 twenty two high school class. He was a guy who 328 00:19:49.880 --> 00:19:52.680 his frame wasn't fully built out. He needed to add 329 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:56.319 a lot of weight, frankly, added a lot of strength, 330 00:19:56.359 --> 00:19:58.880 and he even I think grew two or three inches 331 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:02.359 from his freshman year here at UK to this past 332 00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:04.440 year at Arkansas. And we'll see if it's the NBA 333 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:08.400 or Arkansas for him next year. So that's what I 334 00:20:08.519 --> 00:20:10.839 kind of think of because Hawthorne's a kid that was 335 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:13.680 a three star prospect outside of the top one hundred 336 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:16.960 and fifty in two four, sevens or eight kings back 337 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:20.720 in December and November when he had initially signed with 338 00:20:20.839 --> 00:20:24.519 West Virginia, and as his body started filling out a 339 00:20:24.519 --> 00:20:26.720 little more, as he started to play even better on 340 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:29.240 the court, you know, he shot up to now where 341 00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:31.839 he's the thirty third best player in the country. Now 342 00:20:32.519 --> 00:20:34.960 is that, Yeah, he's the thirty third best player in 343 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:36.799 the country. But I don't think that's going to equate 344 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:39.559 itself on the court this year. I think I don't 345 00:20:39.559 --> 00:20:41.359 think you're going to see him play all too much. 346 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:43.599 I think there's going to be you know, a lot 347 00:20:43.640 --> 00:20:45.319 of work in that weight room, a lot of work 348 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:47.640 in the practice gym. He's going to be a big 349 00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:50.440 part of the practice a big part of scout team 350 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:53.440 in practices for Kentucky. But I don't expect to see 351 00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:56.480 him all that much unless injuries pile up or you know, 352 00:20:56.720 --> 00:20:58.880 Kentucky has a big lead or a big deficit and 353 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:02.599 they're kind of just rolling at the bench a little bit, 354 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:05.640 pretty similar to what a dude's role was here his 355 00:21:05.799 --> 00:21:08.599 freshman year. You know, Kentucky did have the injuries at 356 00:21:08.640 --> 00:21:11.319 the point guard positions and that forced him to play 357 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:13.480 a little bit that season. But you know, the plan 358 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:15.279 in that year was not for a dude to play much, 359 00:21:15.319 --> 00:21:17.799 and he didn't. I think they'll play even less than 360 00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:21.319 that if everything goes right at Kentucky. But he's a 361 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:23.680 guy you can definitely get excited about his future. I mean, 362 00:21:23.720 --> 00:21:26.599 he's six foot nine, may not be done growing quite yet. 363 00:21:26.680 --> 00:21:29.240 He's been a guard most of his high school career 364 00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:30.759 because he was six to five a year and a 365 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:33.839 half ago. So he's a guy who can play multiple positions. 366 00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:37.119 He's a seven foot three wings fan like similar I 367 00:21:37.160 --> 00:21:38.880 think a do also had a seven to three wings. 368 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:41.480 Spanner has one. So that's the guy I kind of 369 00:21:41.559 --> 00:21:44.039 compare him to. Will he be as good? I don't know. 370 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:46.680 Is it going to be a thing where he is 371 00:21:46.759 --> 00:21:48.599 not too happy about sitting on the bench all the 372 00:21:48.640 --> 00:21:52.119 year and he transfers out. Possibly it's it's college basketball 373 00:21:52.200 --> 00:21:54.720 and in twenty twenty five, But he's a guy who 374 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:57.519 can at least get excited about his future and his ceiling. 375 00:21:58.319 --> 00:22:00.720 I'm just not quite sure if at all he's going 376 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:02.799 to have that much of an impact on the court 377 00:22:02.880 --> 00:22:05.480 this year. But I think you're going to see that 378 00:22:05.640 --> 00:22:08.119 growth and body transformation every time you look at him, 379 00:22:08.160 --> 00:22:10.599 and that's what makes me really excited about his future. 380 00:22:10.599 --> 00:22:13.880 And to just add the thirty third best player in 381 00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:17.960 the country, yeah as your fourteenth man, like, sign you up. 382 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:19.920 Anyone should be signing up for that any day. 383 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:23.000 All Right, you've given us a lot to unpack. Let's 384 00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:24.759 start first of all with did you know how much 385 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:26.200 I like I do THEO? 386 00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:27.599 Yeah? 387 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:31.920 Sure I wish he had stayed here, but this kid, yeah, 388 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:33.839 he paralys them a lot, but he has not built 389 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:36.160 that way. As you mentioned, no needs to be in 390 00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:39.079 the weight room. From what I've read it's aid one 391 00:22:39.240 --> 00:22:44.720 seventy five, which means probably won seventy. But at this age, nutrition, 392 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:48.799 weight room coaching, they can put on good muscle pretty quickly. 393 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:51.119 So he has a bit of a string being. 394 00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:54.839 Right now, right, Yeah, no question about it. He definitely 395 00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:57.519 needs to add some weight, add some strength, and I'm 396 00:22:57.559 --> 00:23:00.559 sure that is the first thing. And really that's going 397 00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:02.599 to be just the main focus for him this whole 398 00:23:02.680 --> 00:23:06.519 season at Kentucky. And you know, again he's gonna, of course, 399 00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:09.279 he's gonna come in with the attitude of oh I belong, 400 00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:11.559 I'm going to compete for minutes. I just I don't 401 00:23:11.559 --> 00:23:14.720