Mark Pope's 5-Star Double Shot | Bat Cats Final Run | Will Stein Brewing a Monster

ROUND of SHOTS #139 - show date 6.7.2026

Roundtable featuring Drew Byous and Coach Ryan - hosted by Kevin Hale

Topics:
* Bat Cats 'Last Round' in Morgantown
* Coach Pope's 'Double Shot' of the week
* The Stein Effect: Brewing a Top-15 Monster
* Knicks 2-0: Pure 100-Proof Panic in San Antonio
* Final Shots & More!

@BigBlueNationD1 @TBrown_80 @DrewByousBBN @CoachRyanKY @kevinhale423


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Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:16

The Batcats drew them. Last week we've said it. Last Sunday, Morgantown Regional. You know, they got it to uh you know, we were watching it Sunday. They blew um was a three three-run lead late in the game, and then wound up losing. And then Monday the winner-take-all game. Um West Virginia uh took care of business and they moved on. But the the Cats, their season ended. Um one of quick stats. Finish my notes are right, finished the season 31 and 21. Sub 500 in the SEC, 13 and 7, uh, which we know the FCC is a freaking grinder. But Drew, uh, your take on the back end.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Yeah, it was unfortunate. Um, you know, last Sunday, I think going into the regional meet Coach Ryan, we've spoken a little bit through, you know, messages and stuff. And I know he follows baseball a lot closer than I do, but I think we were both, probably all of BBN, was shocked at the fact that they got out to a 2-0, you know, record in the regional, made it to the regional final, was like, oh my gosh, this team, team of destiny out here. Uh, but Coach Ryan, he always told me, like, you never know what can happen when the cats get in the bullpen. And uh, unfortunately, he was right. You know, Sunday night was unfortunate, three outs away to punch her ticket to the regional final, all hell broke loose, lost, go to Monday. Really kind of a stinker performance. Uh, bad start in the game, and then um put three up in what was it, the top of the eighth or top of the ninth to tie it up. And then uh, you know, fight to extras. You're like, hold on a second, here we go. And then uh all hell broke loose again, and West Virginia obviously knocks in a game-winning, uh, game-winning hit, and they moved on to the re or the super regionals and already have punched their ticket to Omaha. So it just it was unfortunate, it was heartbreaking. But um, like Coach Ryan's told me best, you know, the cats bullpen never seems to fail them.

SPEAKER_05 2:13

Ryan, jump in. Tell us what you got, feeling, thinking.

SPEAKER_03 2:16

Yeah, I mean, as Bruce said, um I I think the bullpen was was hot dog water. It was it was terrible. And that um, you know, and I have no clause to say that it's out. I've written it, it's it's everything. So um, I mean, I think some of it came down to what was going on with the staff. And I there is some managerial decisions, especially in in Omaha that uh or not Omaha, sorry, Morgantown, that I would have probably gone a little differently about. Um, I thought sometimes they were a little aggressive when they didn't necessarily need to be. And uh other times I thought that we were uh like like on uh Sunday, I thought we were just burning arms. That I was like, man, like with this coming in to us having to play Monday, like like I think I was telling Drew, I was like, this isn't good because there's not many guys out there that can one throw at a high level and even throw strikes, to be honest. Like there's guys that will literally throw it like behind it's almost feels like a miracle when they get a shot or a strike. Um, but the the biggest thing that that I took from it is I think that Nick Mention one has leveled up Kentucky baseball into a conversation that it never was in before. Even when we went to Omaha, I remember having to explain to a lot of people like how the tournament worked, how this meant, like uh why we couldn't throw the same pitcher three times in a row, that kind of thing. And and there's still a lot of knowledge that VBN has to get when it comes to baseball. But the the biggest thing that that I'm taking from it is Kentucky's no longer one of those sports where it just kind of stops after after basketball ends. That you know, now you've got Kenny Brooks cooking on the women's basketball side, and you've got um, you know, softball is unfortunate this year, but then you've got the the Benji own doing his thing with the baseball team, and people have really seemed to latch on to baseball here. And it's college baseball is great. I mean, it's exciting. If you've watched any of the tournaments, especially if you have no dog in the fight, these are great games. Um now if you have a dog in the fight like we did, it was nerve-wracking and um made you want to drink and everything. But the uh a drink a lot. But but I think that the biggest news coming out, there's there's two things that I think are major positives for Kentucky. One, Devin Burks coming back onto staff um this season is one of one of my favorite Wildcats of any sport of all time. Just the way he carries himself, does it the right way, uh, was a fantastic leader, was named Mr. Wildcat at the Cats Bees. Like Devin Burks is him when it comes to it. So I'm glad that he's in the locker room now, just from a continuity standpoint, because he's not that much older than these guys. And the other thing that I was glad to see is Hudson Brown's coming back.

SPEAKER_05 4:57

Um, and and I think that's he got with an injury too this season. Is that yeah? Did he because I know who's that who am I thinking of? Uh Tyler Bell. Bell. He messed up some time with this. I mean, there was some, I don't know if the right word was the team was decimated by injuries, uh, but they did have their fair share. And um, and again, got uh what a what a season. I mean, in a sense, and we know how the SEC, is there really a better college baseball conference than the SEC?

SPEAKER_03 5:24

No, I think the SEC, and I'm I've said this to like baseball people and haven't been shot necessarily, I haven't been yelled at. Um so I haven't been shot yet. But the uh I think the SEC is about equivalent to double-A baseball. And because when you look at MLB rosters on the MLB opening day, there were 78 SEC players on MLB opening rosters, and that's in the in the show. So that's not counting all the guys in the minor leagues, all that. And you know, you just you just gotta be so good to play pro anything, but especially pro baseball. And it it's unbelievable how many guys, like if you look at a team like 2024 LSU, like how many of those guys are in the league? Or like um, you go back to some of those Florida teams, how many of those guys ended up in the league? Like Auburn has had a ton in the league. It's just Mississippi State, like you can just go on and on and on and on. And before, like, probably like five years ago, really post-COVID, Kentucky never, ever, ever got those types of guys, like the the dudes. And and they've had them. Like they've had, you know, uh Ryan Reader was pretty good. Um, AJ Reed, obviously, some people are gonna get in the comments and say that, but he didn't do a ton in the pros. But um, you know, you got Ryan Waldsmith that was just called up to the Arizona Diamondbacks. You got Tyler Bell, who's gonna be a top 10 pick this year. You have a freshman shortstop dash quarterback potentially coming in that I think is gonna have a better baseball career than football career. Don't yell at me. But the uh I think he's just that good at at baseball. And I think that for what we're probably losing in Tyler Bell, if we can get him on to campus and and play the transfer portal right, because we did lose a few to the transfer portal. But uh, I think if we can play that right, then we'll be right in that conversation again next year. You just got to shore up pitching. And then when it comes down to rubber matches, Kentucky was like 0 for 9, I think, in in rubber matches, which is ridiculous. Like, I don't even know how that's possible, like mathematically, but it somehow is. And but and but if Kentucky can be a good thing.

SPEAKER_05 7:21

It clearly meant they likely lost the third game of the series. Yeah. Not necessarily.

SPEAKER_03 7:26

Yeah, I know. And it's it's it's crazy to me, like, like how they can do that because I uh, you know, that this team two years ago, when when they took that run to Omaha, was known just how they can just just crush teams, like and just crush their soul in the last inning or two. And it's just this team, you're sitting there, it'd be the eighth inning, and you're like, well, what's gonna happen now? Like that it's you're about to see something in baseball that looks like the sand lot out here that's gonna make you want to pound your head against a wall at Kentucky Crowd Park. But I think Nick Minzion saw the frustrations too. Like that, I don't think that he's hiding it. I think you can see it with some of the staff stuff he's already done. And I think that he knows that he needs to assemble some kind of bullpen this year that's that's a little better than that. And I mean, bullpen's are expensive, but hopefully with with Kentucky's newfound uh love for the Batcats, that there's some money there for NIL that they can compete with uh you know the vanities in the world.

SPEAKER_05 8:20

Uh Milan might have uh took some of that, but we you know that we'll we'll get to that in a moment. But you you just yeah you you brought up uh Hudson Brown, um Drew. I'm gonna just my notes here. Uh he did announce his return to uh the cats for next season on this past week. Um that's a big foundational P coming back, I think we'd we'd agree. And then former cats uh uh uh was it Devin you mentioned Devin Burks and Ryder Giles are joining the staff as well. Yeah. So all right, Drew, final take on the any last take on the Batcats.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

I was gonna ask Coach Ryan, he probably follows it closer than me. Uh, I haven't looked in a while, but I sometimes do. What's the latest with Ponatoski and like the the the draft projection and um you know with the MLB? Because obviously that's gonna be something that everybody's monitoring because it not only hurts a baseball program, but it could hurt, you know, potentially the football program. Have you researched at all or or heard or or seen anything about the latest and like where he's mocked and what he could do?

SPEAKER_03 9:23

Yeah, he's not gonna go past the third round. Um he had a he had a cross diamond throw, I think it was 106 mile an hour, um, which is a canon. It's an absolute canon. That's like Lie Day La Cruz stuff. And now I'm not saying he's Lie Day La Cruz, like calm down. Like, but it's it's one of those things, like he is gonna be enough of a draw at a high school where he's gonna get offered a lot a lot of money. Now, the question is is you're gonna have the old Kyler Murray question. Does he like football more? So that if he likes football more, that could actually be good for Mengeon because you're gonna get him at least on campus for a couple years. Um, but it's gonna be a substantial payday that he's gonna have to turn down for the MLB because I just I think he's a second rounder personally, but it there is no feasible world which he slips class three.

SPEAKER_01 10:10

Well, that's a good point, too. Like, what's the NIL package that you know Kentucky's had for him? And like what's the plan all along? I mean, we know the second that Kentucky hired Will Stein, you know, he wasn't even supposed to sign the papers. I think he signed them like 48 hours after because it was or no, it was like the next day because it was signing day. Um, so it seems like he wants to be here. What does that NIL package maybe from both sides look like with the baseball program and the football? You know, maybe he's just a kid that wants to go to school for three years, three to four years and play both. Um, that was I was really just wondering um, you know, what the latest was with his MLB draft status.

SPEAKER_03 10:47

Yeah, he's I mean, he he's he's a stud, like just no no pun intended there. But he um he he's a he's a very, very talented baseball player and can do he can play both sides of the ball pretty well in baseball. So it's it's one of those things where it's like, you know, would it be nice to have him here? Yes. Um, I just don't know how feasible that's gonna be. And it's gonna come down to the kid. Like, I have no scoop on it or anything. Um, I do know that wait a minute.

SPEAKER_05 11:13

What you don't have no scoop? What what what are you doing here tonight then?

SPEAKER_03 11:17

Uh uh I'm just a bum. I don't know. I'm just a bum that was my mouth.

SPEAKER_05 11:20

You'd be bumming with us tonight, I thought.

SPEAKER_03 11:22

But the um, I guess the scoop, which would be kind of obvious, would be you lose Tyler Bell, you're gonna gain a lot back there in NIL. So um that he was paid pretty handsomely in in NIL. Um, so you know, he's obviously gonna have the football quarterback payday coming, and then you add on the baseball NIL. I don't know what that looks like. Um, and it also depends on who drafts that you know that so like if the if getting drafted by the Yankees is a lot different than getting drafted by the Mars. So like I think that that's gonna play a factor too, because you'll see guys like Jackson Jelkin was drafted twice and still played at Kentucky. And you'll see guys well that where that will happen, and they just you know, something with the organization wasn't right. Like, I know one time Jelkin, I think it was out of high school, was drafted by the Dodgers, and he just kind of was like, Well, it's the Dodgers. Like, how like how do I make that roster as an 18-year? Like, so he kind of kind of looked at it that way. So, I mean, baseball, it's a business, and you know, baseball, if you do it right, you can play it for longer than any other sport, except like golf, but any other of the big four, you can play it the longest, and you can make probably well, not even probably, like it's undoubtable you can make the most money playing baseball, like that it's from just baseball, not endorsements or anything like that. Um, but I I think that getting Tonasowski here would he would be one of those you were talking, Kevin, about like the core pieces. He would be one even as a threshold. Gotcha.

SPEAKER_05 12:43

There was a comment. I mean, where's that comment at? I'll throw this at you, Ryan. Do you think Hendel comes back for Kentucky baseball next season? Tim, thanks for the question.

SPEAKER_03 12:51

Tim Caldwell. Um, let's see. I I don't know anything. I would venture on the side of yes. I'm venturing on the side of yes, but that's not coming from anywhere. That's just what would make the most sense for him would be to come back.

SPEAKER_05 13:04

You heard it from the coach. It's all that matters to us. Uh, what was this? Ponatoski posted on his story last weekend of him being on camps. What's the story there?

SPEAKER_01 13:15

I think just like uh taking a picture or something, uh posting it.

SPEAKER_03 13:18

Yeah, I think it was football because baseball wasn't even here.

SPEAKER_01 13:21

Yeah, I was gonna okay. Yeah, all right.

SPEAKER_05 13:23

That's baseball. Uh man, uh, you know, what what was another? Hold on. I saw a stat. I wrote down another stat. And coach, you can verify if this is correct. Where did I see? So of course I should be prepared. Uh um, is it did I maybe did I make my right make my notes correct in saying that uh Nick, Coach uh Mingion uh led the program to a score record fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance?

SPEAKER_03 13:52

You are correct.

SPEAKER_05 13:53

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:54

So that's kind of the thing too. Some people get a little bit uh sensitive uh when you when you kind of say that Nick Mingion's the goat at Kentucky. Um there's a lot of people that and and I think you know the name, Keith Madison is the one a lot of people say. Um and I'm not throwing shade Keith Madison's way or anything like that, but I think Nick Mingion, just with what he's done and what we've talked about to where he's elevated Kentucky baseball, he is, he is. And and that I think it's completely fair, and I understand the arguments, but you know, we're we're playing in game, we are playing in games that we never played in. And that's games that mean something in Mac.

SPEAKER_05 14:29

So that's when was the Omaha year? Three two, three years ago? 24. So two years ago. I mean, look for people who and we're gonna we'll get past baseball in a second, but the way the way the the whole uh play or the tournaments are laid out, you know, the regional stuff, um, to actually get because Omaha was it just eight teams, right? Yeah, it's eight. I mean, it it's it's a big deal to get the Omaha. It is it is a huge deal. And it is hard.

SPEAKER_03 14:58

I think that the and man, this is gonna fire up some Kentucky fans, but I think that winning the NCAA, winning the college world series is harder than winning any other NCAA team with the current format.

SPEAKER_05 15:10

With the current format, uh I can't argue that. Um I think basketball is probably the second hardest because it's just a one game, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:17

Well, because in football, too, talent talent 95% of the time is gonna win out. The best teams are gonna win out football the majority of the time.

SPEAKER_00 15:25

That's true.

SPEAKER_01 15:26

But basketball, like we've seen it. We're Kentucky fans, freaky shit happens. The next thing you know, you're going home. But baseball, like baseball is baseball too. Like it's one of the more just flukiest sports. Like you could hit a ground ball and you get to bad hop, and the next thing you know, two runs score, or a catcher drops the ball and it goes to the backstop and runners score. Like, like there's so many weird variables that can happen in baseball. Also, yeah, talent matters in baseball, but at the end of the day, like baseball is gonna baseball. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day.

SPEAKER_03 15:57

Um, baseball's really hard.

SPEAKER_05 15:59

Yeah, a lot of people how it's a very cerebral game, too.

SPEAKER_06 16:03

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_05 16:04

And and your the reaction, I mean, seriously, you you gotta be a freaking alien, which I'm a fan of aliens, uh, and the whole this whole disclosure happening, but you have to be a freaking alien almost to to be able to react in a split second on a 90 mile now or fastball or a freaking curb. I mean, yeah, it's it's it's crazy.

SPEAKER_03 16:27

I mean, you gotta have some stones to stand in the in the uh batter's box, too. Because I mean, think about if you're staring down Paul Skeens, who's got the nastiest slider in the world. That thing looks like it's coming straight at your face out of his hand, and it's not going slow.

SPEAKER_05 16:40

Yeah, not going slow. All right, that's uh the Kentucky baseball season, good season. Um, so all right, guys, let's move on to Kentucky basketball, men's basketball. What a massive week uh to be talking about Kentucky basketball. Uh obvious, probably, you know, if we're looking for a headline, uh, this might arguably have been the best week for Coach Pope, Mark Pope. I mean, I don't know, maybe. Uh, but nonetheless, he got his guy, uh, the Iowa State Transfer. Uh, so that's the immediate star. And then he got a future star um for class of 27, 2027. I didn't say the names. Drew, I turned to you, fill in the blanks, paint the picture, give us some color. What happened with Kentucky basketball this week?

SPEAKER_01 17:29

Yeah, so um, you know, last Sunday we were all freaking out. Thought thought a guy maybe was was turning towards Louisville. I I stayed kind of strong and saying I felt like Kentucky was was still in a good spot. I felt like it was a bunch of BS, but next thing you know, it was late Monday night, and the number one to three, depending on where you look, transport portal player, Milan Mom Chilevich, best shooter in college basketball, committed to Kentucky. Huge get um to round out the roster for the most part. There's still one spot. We'll see what happens. Um, but a massive get. Really, the last two weeks have been amazing for Pope. I mean, I know we touched on it last week, but you know, Malachi pulls his name out of the draft at the 11th hour. Um, huge, huge. That started turning the momentum. Milan commits, signed, deal done Monday night. And then here we are today. We all wake up drinking some coffee, some breakfast, brunch time, whatever. And I don't know where just a five-star top 10 guard, Ryan Hampton, commits, who's a very versatile guy. There was some scuttle butt that he could could reclass to the 26th class. That's not happening. He's staying in the 27th class. Um, but a very unique wing guy who can score at will, likes to get to the free throw line, kind of a three-level scorer, but he's still improving a lot. He still needs to improve a lot. That's why he's staying in the 27th class. I think it makes the most sense. Um, but by the time next year, I think he's gonna be a really good college player, gonna come in, be impactful scoring. And um, you know, just like what you said, Kevin. I I mean that I'm not ready to fully change the narrative and just be like, oh, Pope's Pope's just as good of a recruiter as Cal is. Um, but you know, the narrative he's not yet. Yeah, but but we're all the trajectory is now up in recruiting for Mark Pope. There's some momentum there. Credit to Mo Williams. Ryan Hampton talked about it. Mo Williams was the closer in that deal. So hey, that's why we brought Mo Williams and his staff. Good to see that. Mo Mo. Yep. Yeah, but just a huge week. Good for Mark Pope. Um, you know, we could use some more mini-man videos out there. I know Coach Ryan, he loves posting those, so keep those going. Um but just a lot of positives, two really good players. Milan, obviously, for this year, Ryan Hampton for next year to get the class started very early, which is a huge benefit. And the last thing, another top player in the class, um, you know, who's his cousin, Swagou, former LSU D tackle. But um, his son is um, you know, one of the top players in the country too. So potential, you know, teaming up at Kentucky as well. Um, but just you know, recruiting going well right now for Coach Pope and go win some basketball games, go continue to keep recruiting, and we'll see what happens.

SPEAKER_05 20:12

Uh all right, Coach Ron, jump in. What was your take on uh Coach Pope's week?

SPEAKER_03 20:17

What a week, man. The only better week Coach Pope had is when he took me to Malone's a couple weeks ago. But the uh we will talk about that in a minute, but yes, but the uh uh yeah, I mean the guy's kind of showed a new side of himself that some people are kind of referring to as dark pope, and and I think that's kind of funny.

SPEAKER_01 20:35

But the uh I think he's just I think he's just learning. Like this is now his third run at this. I think he's kind of because he didn't really get to dabble in these waters at BYU. Like, so he's kind of learning on the fly too. I think I think that's part of it too. He's he's seen and and he's seen enough BS, he's dealt with a lot of negativity, and I think he's now like F it. Like, you know, I gotta I gotta flex my guns a little bit, and finally, when guys are on the table to get done, I need to go get him done, but keep going.

SPEAKER_03 21:05

Instead of beach selfies from Costa Rica or wherever he was. So the uh the the thing the thing about it is with with Pope is um the guy's smart, man. Like like nobody is gonna tell you that Mark Pope is not smart. So like anybody that says otherwise is completely they just don't even know what they're talking about, and they're not really even worth having a conversation with because it's not gonna be objective. But the the thing with Pope is like he knows what he wants in the team, and I think last year he may have been guided as like, oh, I'm just gonna buy everything that's really expensive because I can get it. And and then he kind of looks back. Like, I still go back to that Michigan State game where he had that look on his face, and I was like, Oh my god, like he knows, he knows. And that I just don't think you have that with him this year. You know, you have him popping out the beards, you have him posting the many men stuff, like that. It's it's just a different side of him. And it's the side of him that we were seeing that first year. Side that we all got to know and love with having Pope as our coach. And then it was last year, it was like, What happened? Like, who is this guy? And then I think we're getting closer back to and I'm gonna give some credit too to Keegan Brown. Um, you know, obviously I was people were hard on him, I was one of them. Like, what exactly is it that he's doing? But it's obvious that it's made some sort of a difference because I mean when it comes down to it, and I know this is revisionist history, like I get it, but the I would rather have Milon than Tyrant Stokes for Mark Pope. And the reason why is because I think Mark Mark Pope has a much better chance, and I don't think Milon's anything has any characteristics like this, but I think that Mark Pope has a lot better chance of handling somebody like Milon who's mature and who's been in college basketball for a long time, rather than kind of playing the wild card on Stokes where you were kind of like, Man, like I hope he says this, like I I hope he doesn't say this, like the soak, and where it was just kind of so unpredictable. Like, I just think Pope was done with that. And I knew that he got him here because he had to, but I think if you were to give Mark Pope some truth serum right now, he would tell you that he really likes his roster going into next year. And and there's a lot there to like. I mean, especially with the way he plays, if Milan could even shoot at a you know, 75% of the clip he was shooting at, we're we're looking pretty good. And then, you know, Malachi obviously takes a step forward. Um, but but with Hampton, the thing I was I was glad to see, and I've been critical of this um for from my followers on there. Anybody can tell you, is that I like to see that Pope could close. And and I I was a big I went on my show and I said he almost needs somebody that's not even like a basketball guy that's like a like a Jordan Belfort sales type that's like no sign this paper right now. And and I I kind of like that it's it sort of starts to mute, not completely, but it sort of starts to mute the JMI discussions as to being like, okay, maybe JMI is not a hundred percent the issue here. Maybe it was just we just weren't used to recruiting this type of thing.

SPEAKER_01 23:58

I'll just say this. I never born into that narrative, by the way, but yeah, let's hold hold hold on a second, guys.

SPEAKER_05 24:03

Let's let's finish our narrative uh or takes with uh about Milan. Uh just making sure people know. I mean, obviously, we're talking and a lot of BBN is engaged, has been have been engaged with the whole Milan watch, the the sweepstakes, all all the all that craziness that went with it. But this is a kid, guys, that uh he's a six foot eight forward who recently withdrew his name from the NBA draft lottery. That was last week, yeah. Uh, and then once he did, he instantly became like the one of the top players in the port. Yeah, and you pointed out stats do matter. Um, he led the entire nation in three-point shooting last season, hitting like what some like close to almost 50 percent of his absurd. It was like I mean, does that none does that certify him as a elite like shooter, sniper? I mean, I mean, that's a pretty I mean, what was uh Reed Shepard? Reed had a great uh three-point percentage.

SPEAKER_00 25:01

Yeah, but it wasn't even close to the volume.

SPEAKER_05 25:03

It wasn't even close. No, it were right. It was because uh that's a good point. Because he's uh I'm looking at my stats sheet, seven and a half attempts per game. So he's getting shots off. Now, here's the one thing that I you know, is does this fit with Pope's system? Now we know Pope wants to play this high tempo, uh very heavy spacing offense. And guys, I mean, this is your architect or your the your prototype to have as a player in this system. Um, and then you know, well, let's stay with that because I want to get to the money part because evidently we spent a crazy amount of money for him, but based on today's NIL numbers. But uh Drew, uh, what does he really? How does he fit in this in Coach Pope's system?

SPEAKER_01 25:52

Yeah, I I wrote a piece on it when I was, you know, kind of breaking down the roster a little bit, but I know that's why I'm segue to you. Oh, thank you, thank you. Yeah, you're welcome. Um, but I I think when you I think that the whole way that he if you look at the starting five and in the four spot is up in the air, and it's gonna probably be up in the air until we get to to the regular season. Um, and that that could be Milan, um, or Milan could be the three. I prefer him at the three if I'm being honest. I I think if he's at the four, I I get a little bit worried with some rebounding and some interior defense and stuff. But I think in general, you got Zoom Diallo at the point guard. He's a fast athletic, downhill, attack the basket, you know, and and then you got Alex Wilkins as a combo guard, kind of on ball, off the ball, you know, unique scorer, facilitator. Um, those two guys are gonna put pressure on the defense, they're gonna get paint touches, they're gonna have guys come help over because of the the threat that they possess when they're getting downhill. They also look, they both might not be great shooters, but they're both capable shooters. Wilkins probably I wrote it in the piece that I wrote, but I think Wilkins is a lot better shooter than what his numbers possess. I mean, if you go watch his tape at Furman, the ball's always in his hands. I mean, Coach Ryan, you know from coaching, I know from playing, when the ball is always in your hand and you're having to create shots, it's also hard to shoot it when you're trying to create the shots all the time. Shooting is a lot easier when somebody's helping you, when somebody's feeding you, when somebody is is creating open looks for you to get open shots. So I think that's where it fits. You have two downhill combo, unique guards, you have a big Amalachai Marino. Guess what? You can't double team Marino if he gets going down low because the second you do, if the help's coming from Milan, well, you just gave up three points there. If you if they bring it from Zoom, well, then that's a quick skip pass. You get out to Zoom, that's a quick swing, or that's a quick skip pass to Milan. So there's so many ways to exploit it. I think he fits perfectly. I've said it before, I'll say it again. We saw a little bit of what we could expect when we had Kobe Brea, but I'll preface by saying Milan is a twice as good a shooter as Kobe Brea was. Now they're a little bit different. Milan's not as as athletic, as versatile, as like an on-ball ball handle, or those things as Kobe Brea was, but you're gonna see a lot of creativity, a lot of down screens, a lot of pin actions, a lot of staggers, a lot of flex, back cuts. You're gonna see a ton of stuff out of Milan. Then I think I I truly do believe, um, and some people have argued with me, but I think there's a different level of Milan's game than we've seen before, but he fits absolutely perfect with this roster of what it could be with was Zoom, Wilkins, Malachi is probably penciled in starters, Milan as well. And then I think just with the way Pope likes to play, I think it was a no-brainer. And I think that's why, yeah, Kentucky might have paid a lot of money, and people can argue that Lou, you know, Louisville had this or that, but the perfect fit, and Coach Ryan, we've talked about it before. The perfect fit in every single way possible: money, role, fit, opportunity, everything, brand, it was at Kentucky, and I'm just glad that it got done.

SPEAKER_05 28:54

Now you can argue that you know, Milan, his agent, his camp played this out to perfection, Ryan, because he goes, does his thing with the draft. He is at he's that talented, and but the feedback obviously made him uh you know go back to college, uh, college basketball. And then the amount of money that potentially I'm I'm hearing, I'm I'm seven, seven and a half million. All that you know, this was I I used to be an NBA fan back in the day, like huge fan. And then these crazy salaries, man, it just it it some of that is just a such a turnoff. I I I gravitated to, you know, that's the same with the NFL. I just gravitated to college sports because it just seemed uh pure. I don't know, pure. Maybe that's a right word. It's uh you you've got uh kids that really are trying to do something for themselves, better themselves to get to the next level. Well, that fucking next level is right now with these kids because all we've done, and I'm glad we got it. I do, uh, and I'm looking forward to the season, but objectively, with this whole NIL thing and the amount of money, all we've done is become a uh we're complicit to the this nonce, this crazy system where in due in in a very short time, guys, Ryan, there's gonna be players that are gonna be commanding seven figures regularly. I mean, which is just it's insane. But staying with uh um Milan and how he fits in and then the potential roster, go ahead, tell me.

SPEAKER_03 30:33

I think Milan is a prototypical player you'd want for Mark Pope. And then with and I I'm not trying to be cute when I say this, like I think you're gonna see a lot of zoom action ran with this roster because I think it's designed to run it. I think when you have Mark Pope truly running zoom action, which is what he really likes to run, um, that that you start to do things, and then you add in the flair of people forget that Malachi Moreno is a fantastic passer of the basketball.

SPEAKER_05 30:59

He uh and we can't downplay on we've got to acknowledge how huge it it was to have Moreno come back. Well, we'll get to that in a second, but stay with them. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_03 31:09

Yeah, and people forget how great of a passer he is. So the thing you're gonna see even on Zoom action is you could toss it into the post, and and Moreno, most likely at his size, is gonna command from a lot of teams, he's gonna command a double team, or at least he's gonna command a stunt towards the ball. And at that point, that's all the room Milan needs. That he he gets his shot off so quickly and he can get it off in so many different unorthodox ways that he just needs that step. So if you can make Milan's man stunt or get him into the zoom action somehow, it's gonna be really hard to guard him because you're you're gonna be behind a step. So you're either gonna have to foul him or you're gonna put up a lazy contest. So I think that a lot of the times you're you're gonna see teams, I think at first you're actually gonna see him draw quite a bit of fouls. And uh, but when I think the season progresses on, you're gonna see that chill off a little bit because people will take the philosophy of like, well, like if it's him that's gonna beat us, it's him. Because he he did have some non-impressive shows and and some big games last year. But I'm not I'm not concerned about that from a standpoint, like it was a different offense.

SPEAKER_05 32:15

That's hilarious. That's hilarious, but seriously, really uh thanks for hanging. Go ahead, sorry.

SPEAKER_03 32:22

But the uh the thing with with Milan is he will be the focus, and he he's like I was even thinking about this the other day, and like I was thinking, where does this put him in like the Lexington net rankings of wealth?

SPEAKER_05 32:33

And he's got the biggest he's his house, he's he's are you basically you're basically what you just said. He is he's coach Pope's next door neighbor. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 32:47

But I'm like, dude, I'm like, who because I was sitting there thinking in Lexington, I'm like, who's gonna make more money this year in less than coming on?

SPEAKER_05 32:55

And and it's not gonna happen. Wait a minute. That's a wait a minute. What that I gotta I can't let this last whoever might make more is the one paying them. Yeah, it it will he be on campus or will he will he have a uh a nice house on top of the hill?

SPEAKER_01 33:09

Oh yeah, he's probably got a nice rented property somewhere.

SPEAKER_03 33:12

Oh he's probably got one of those luxury condos downtown. Yeah, yeah, that's it. They used to have a snake to give to players, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 33:21

Well, according to Dan Isle, if you remember his little take not too long ago, you know, um, we gotta get back to playing paying the players. All right, let me let me uh there's a couple things. Let me share. All right, check this out. Uh, this is why I need a producer, like to be every freaking title on this show. What's going on here, Ryan?

SPEAKER_03 33:44

Uh yeah, that's that's my family right there. Uh that's that's me in the background with Coach Pope. Um I was, yeah, and this is that's my wife. Wifey, daughter, that's that's daughter, yes, future UK women's star. Yes, that's Pops. Pop and that is that's mom. That's mom.

SPEAKER_05 34:03

So you you get to what's the backstory on this for people who don't know?

SPEAKER_03 34:06

Okay, so Coach Pope was asking his um those questions, like when he was putting out the Twitter questions and everything. So I had this great idea because I work very close to a Chipotle and I eat a lot of Chipotle and Bert or eat. There's a difference. I eat a lot of Chipotle. I don't work at Chipotle. But I would I would eat too much if I worked there. But the um, so my theory in order to give Coach Pope the most best vibes he could possibly get next season is I needed to figure out what his burrito order was because I was gonna order the Mark Pope burrito every home game and every away game next season that I felt we needed to win. And uh then Pope hit me back and said he doesn't eat it Chipotle, he eats at Malone's and told me to come come for dinner. So um there there we are. And and we ran up, we ran up the bill pretty good on him. Um we did not uh not keep it cheap at all, but it was it was awesome. Uh like my my daughter there, she uh she absolutely thinks that Coach Pope's like the greatest person to ever walk planet earth now, and is talking about like wanting to go to see Coach Pope and and ask how he's doing regularly. So like I'm like, I guess he's doing fine.

SPEAKER_05 35:19

Let me pump the brakes there. Let's let's put something in back when it comes to Coach Mark. We've touched on the fact he's smart, clearly smart, because he he uh during school uh he was studying medicine, potentially going into the medical field. But this is uh we're we're talking about a I mean we know college sports, uh every level. I mean, it's it's cutthroat. And uh, but whether the truth is with with Pope is whether you like it or not, he is a genuinely good man, he's a good person, and that could be you know a fault. Uh that you know, but the the truth is is that if if what happened this past week turns into uh you know a nice run, uh a uh you know a good SEC season, um a deeper run into into the NCAA tournament because Terry's not here. Terry Brown, who uh it's TB3, that's the little narrative. He he his it's it's his take, but it's a stat. It's a real stat that every Kentucky basketball coat within three years gets to a final four. Three years. Every coat has gotten to a final four in one three years, the successful ones.

SPEAKER_01 36:33

It's the successful ones, right?

SPEAKER_05 36:35

Well, every coach, no, every coat got to a final four in three years. Now keep it Rup. Okay, we don't we can go past that. Let's let's go. Eddie uh Joe B Hall, final four and within three years. Eddie Sutton followed who followed him within three years. Now, granted, we know Eddie Sutton, that whole narrative, and which led us to get Rick, Coach Patino, three years. Um, first year, uh, they were he wasn't eligible. Uh, but he's with a roster of misfits, he still went 500 and closed out that season by beating LSU with Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Jackson, Stanley Roberts. All right, and then after Patino, Tubby, obviously, you know, we know Tubby won his first season, can argue it's Rick's guys, but Tubby's players will tell you Cameron Mills, Scott Patch. We were Rick's guys, but this was Tubby's team. So let's give Tubby his flowers. Tubby leaves. Uh, okay, Gillespie. We know that didn't work out. And he he got he was gone after two seasons. He was gone, and then we bring in Cal, and I'll say I'm I'm a Cal guy. The first 10 years of Cal's tenure here, magical, fucking magical. And you can argue that he should have won more titles. It's not easy to win titles, and he's relying on 18-year-old kids to do this, and they gave us so many exciting moments. And then, you know, he leaves, and now Coach Pope steps in. He's in year three. Again, every coach has won a final four or gotten to at least the final four within three years. Some have won championships, Cal Perry, Tubby, all won championships within three. So that's that TB three rule is that we need Coach Pope. If we're going to stay true to our our BBN's expectation, expectation, not just expectations, the whole narrative of the Kentucky basketball program. All of our coaches have success to a at least a final four within three seasons. And as TB said, if we don't, if Pope doesn't get this final, he's got to get a final four this season. If he doesn't get it, TB's argument, which is factual, if we're okay, we if we give Coach Pope the benefit of the doubt, after if he doesn't get a final four this season, then we've essentially lowered our standard. Fair foul, coach. I mean, yeah, uh, you're this is you're kind of new to this take, but what do you think?

SPEAKER_03 38:51

Yeah, I mean, it's it's uh no. I I've I've had run-ins with TB. Run-ins, not run-ins. I've I I've I've talked with TB. I've I've been on uh Cats Talk Wednesday. No, no, no. Hold on, hold on. Let me real quick.

SPEAKER_04 39:06

Eddie didn't make a phone. You Eddie didn't make did he? No, wait a minute.

SPEAKER_05 39:10

Hold on. All right, I'm um Aaron, thanks for doing it. He did he made a regional right. He made a regional. I don't think he did make a final four. All right, where's our stat guy? Where's Corey Price? When I need I need you to be my Corey Price, Drew. I know I don't pay you enough, but you know, we'll we'll we'll get that figured. So yeah, I don't know. Maybe uh did he? Yeah, we'll have to look about Eddie. But nonetheless, but the thing is Eddie Sutton, that whole debacle, the he lost L. Yeah, he did. Regent that was a regional final. You're right, Aaron. He didn't okay.

SPEAKER_03 39:41

So he's also a drunk.

SPEAKER_05 39:43

He was a drunk. Uh he cheated. They clearly sent cash to Chris Mills, though that whole debacle Dwayne, that everything for the record. And one thing for the record, Drew, uh, this was all before you're you were born. This was all before your parents even thought about you.

SPEAKER_03 40:00

And one thing I'll never forgive Eddie Sutton for is not telling Sean Sutton that we could not get Sean Kemp in trouble, that that's the one guy we could not get in trouble at the University of Kentucky because I need Sean Kemp, Kentucky dunk highlights, like anybody's business. Wow.

SPEAKER_05 40:16

Could you imagine a year or two, probably two, at least two years with Sean Kemp in a Kentucky? I mean, good gone. Come on. That that Kemp Google Sean Kemp, Ryan. Or uh he was a he was a man child in college. All right. The rain man. Rain man. All right. So let's um that so that's Milan. We we got we know potentially what we're looking at for the next year, uh up this upcoming season. And we'll we'll continue this whole narrative as uh as uh we get closer to season. But Ryan, let's go back to Ryan or Brian. Uh let me start with Drew. Drew, let's go back to Ryan Hampton, class of 2027. There was talk about him potentially reclassifying. I don't think that's gonna happen. Uh at least maybe his was his parents or something. One of his parents, maybe put it. RJ. Okay. So he is a uh by depending on your publications, uh, a five-star wing, um, top 10, top maybe close to top five, recruit nationally uh for the class of 2027. Um the history on this, uh, Drew is that Coach Pope extending an offer back in April. Hampton was in Lexington for an official visit this weekend. The staff clearly put on a a uh masterclass because he locked it in and uh committed before even leaving campus. So give us your uh let's dive into Ryan Hamter.

SPEAKER_01 41:39

Yeah, I I kind of touched on it earlier, but he he's a he's a 6'6 wing, two or three more than likely. Um, he loves to get to the free throw line. He's aggressive downhill, really good in transition, improving jump shot. It's not the best right now, but he but he's improving, he's working on it hard. Um, but he needed to probably stay in the 27th class. I'm glad he did now that he's coming to Kentucky because he's gonna be way more ready day one in the 27th class or or next year uh or two years from now than he would be next year. Um, still has some like strength to put on, some maturity to do in the basketball court. He get shot selections, not the best and and efficiency, those kinds of things, and like certain just stuff that you know basketball-wise, like wrong positioning or or all the you know, not proper spacing, those things. So he needs to mature more uh basketball-wise, but huge recruitment, huge commitment for Pope and staff. Um, and look, he you know, getting a guy that early can really help recruit some other guys. I touched on earlier, but Marcus Spears' son, Swaggoo, former D tackle at LSU, big media guy in the NFL space now, works on ESPN's NFL Live. His son, Marcus Spears Jr., another top five player in the country. Everybody links him going to LSU, but those two are blood cousins, they're best friends. Um, you know, I'm not saying Kentucky's in the in the lead for the recruitment now, but it definitely makes Kentucky a viable, legitimate option for Marcus Spears Jr. Um, if he doesn't want to go, you know, follow his dad, obviously different sports. His dad, Swagou, played football at LSU, but you know, he's a basketball player. But um, you know, having a guy like Hampton is huge because we saw it this past year. Kentucky had to create a whole new roster on a transfer portal, guys. They had no really freshmen coming in. I mean, Brayton Hawthorne, redshirt freshman, makes a boy.

SPEAKER_05 43:34

That's a that that's good. That's the knock on Pope right now, is that he's not getting the kids from high school.

SPEAKER_01 43:40

And you don't have to. I'll preface by saying you don't have to, but it makes it a whole lot easier when you at least have some stuff in your back pocket that are coming in instead of having to build an entire 14 15 min rotation and roster, and then half 75% of your teams out of the door, you have no freshmen coming in, and then it's like Oh my gosh, now I got to replace 11 guys on the team. You can do that, but it's very, very hard. It's very challenging. And it's probably not sustainable to keep doing that year after year. And also, this is Mark Pope's best freshman recruit he's had as well. So that's a huge positive sign. Hopefully, for him, now he he has a different mindset, a different approach going into recruitments that he hasn't had before. You now, when you're talking to other recruits, you say, Hey, we have Ryan Hampton in our bag. That helps shape rosters and recruiting classes. So it's just a positive in every single area. I think he's a really good basketball. I think he's going to project to being a really, really good basketball player. He's got immense potential and upside, and we'll we'll just see how it plays out. But it's it's huge in a lot of a ton of different areas. And um just happy for Pope and Staff that they got it done.

SPEAKER_05 44:48

Drew, in your opinion, in this coming season, the whole narrative for this season, who will be the biggest uh uh who will take the lead narrative uh when it comes to Kentuck or our our conversations? Will it be um Ryan Hampton or Coach Ryan?

SPEAKER_01 45:07

Uh probably coach Ryan. I'll mean that way. I'll give you the nine.

SPEAKER_05 45:11

This is this is what I want. And and for the record, Kyle Rando's my guy. I want I want I want I want to get to the point where Coach Ryan tells Kyle, I can't do your show, I'm doing Kevin's. That's a joke. We love Ryan. We love this is this is our thing because I get we share Drew. Yeah, Drew, I like to say Drew's my son, my roundup shot son, but then he's on um, you know, with Kyle. Uh uh and they're and how many nights are they you all doing? Two, three, yeah, when Wednesday night and then Saturday night. All right, and it's yeah, is that a real background behind you? Is that like legit?

SPEAKER_01 45:50

Yeah, I'm I'm at a I'm at a I've been dog sitting, house sitting all weekend, so I get to go home when I'm done with the show. Um, they're on their way home late at night, so I'm a different spot. Yeah, yeah, they got a nice crib, that's all I'll say there. Um nice, yeah, yeah. Nice, yeah, nice button too. Here, it's a very nice background. Yeah, move movie room over there. Uh I I'm living in a resort over here. I'll just I can tell. I'll say that.

SPEAKER_05 46:18

I mean, I was gonna I was getting ready to ask you what was that Airbnb rate you're hitting. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 46:22

Uh the house across the street.

SPEAKER_01 46:25

The house across the street, that's where uh Albert Poohs used to live too.

SPEAKER_00 46:29

So really.

SPEAKER_05 46:30

Oh well if you're if you're saying that then okay, then the house you're in is probably a multi-million dollar home. Some would say, yeah. Some would say like a realtor.

SPEAKER_01 46:40

We we could say because if Albert Poohs was is a neighbor, he's not living in a but who lives in that house now is our uh Marmall, the Cardinals head coach. So he bought the house from Albert. Oh, yeah, just some guy. Yeah, just random guy, random neighbor over there.

SPEAKER_05 46:55

You know, let me let's stay with I'm gonna I'm gonna pivot back to Milan. Uh our friend on this show, uh Dr. John Wong.

SPEAKER_03 47:04

That's my mentor right there.

SPEAKER_05 47:05

Is he really?

SPEAKER_03 47:07

He is. I uh I'm actually the one, he's kind of how I got started in sports media. Um okay. He gave me the opportunity, actually designed his book cover for name image murder. So yeah, Dr.

SPEAKER_05 47:19

Wong. I I he he he had a stretch doing the show with us, and schedule-wise, he he had to step away. But and Doc is is great. We love Doc. Um, always uh we'll support Doc.

SPEAKER_03 47:31

Let me uh yeah, he's getting some beat over today, though.

SPEAKER_05 47:34

He did this, he put out an article, and I want to sh I want to I want your old take. He he he put a uh there's an article, and you can check it out uh on his um wongswinings.com. Winings. We are BBN can be whiner. The old connection with fans fans has been lost. Players used to come to Kentucky because they wanted to be Wildcat. Fans embraced them because they represented Kentucky. Today players come because Kentucky assembled the most competitive financial pack. Now, doc, I love you long time that's an Asian thing, because I am Asian. Um, no, that's that's not the narrative right now. Um, this is where uh again I love doc, but um the when was seriously, when was the last time? Or let me I'm I'm I'm gonna ask this question, I'm gonna answer it first before I let you all talk. When was the last time Kentucky or players came to Kentucky because of the the name on the jersey? Um maybe like Trent Noah. Well, first of all, let's let's get this off the table. In-state players, that they're off the table, they're off the table because that's that's their dream. But look, when going back to Tino, so early 90s, late 80s, 90s, the the kids came because of Patino. And then uh Patino left. Tubby. Now Tubby was one that for the record, guys, I know this, I follow this. Tubby, great coach, just he wasn't the there there has to be a certain personality to lead this program, and I'll say it of I'll the the measuring sticks are Patino and Caliperi because there is equally a brand as Kentucked. So there nothing about BBN is going to intimidate them or cause them to lose sleep because Patino, Caliperi, they're gonna do things the way they want. Tubby comes in, wins a national championship. Thank you, Tubby, wins a national championship with Rick's players. You can argue that, but his players, Tubby's player, those players said it was Tubby's system that won it. And then Tubby leaves. We know about the Billy G two years. First year was actually not bad, second year, the and then Caliperi shows up. Players, if you again, doc. Um, nobody outside of the state of Kentucky is coming to Kentucky because of the name on the jersey. They during Cal's run, cow players came here strictly for Cal. Now, did they embrace Kentucky basketball, the school, the the campus, everything? Did they fall in love with Lexington? Probably. And then they, you know, they're they're part of our history. Um, but no, uh, the days of players uh representing Kentucky, the that that I mean, we're that's like decades old. And but and even now, guys, with the NIL, no, it it's it's safe to say it. Players are gonna go to the highest bidder. And if our school handed him a seven million plus for a season, I mean, okay, we got we got the guy, but there is gonna be expectation, and the expectation is that he he's gonna meet TB3 rule, he's gotta get to a final four. But staying with this doc narrative, Drew, what's your response to this?

SPEAKER_01 50:48

Yeah, I mean, I can't speak for players earlier than my time. Like, obviously, I I didn't, you know, I know a lot of former Kentucky players, but I don't know how their exact recruiting stories went. But I don't think players ever came here, anyways, to be Wildcats, like you said, Kevin. Well, in state, maybe in state is clear. But okay, 99% of the players that have came to Kentucky in my lifetime, they they wanted to play for John Caliperi. They wanted to play for, you know, we've only seen it for two years, and we don't have the elite of the elite players, but they wanted to play for Mark Pope. What happens is when they get to campus, then they fall in love with it. Carl Anthony Towns probably had no idea what Kentucky basketball was. And then um, you know, he gets here, plays for Cal. They have a great year, and now you see it all the time. He he loves he loves Kentucky, he still talks about Kentucky, he still reps Kentucky stuff. John Wall, the same way. Like he was put he was gonna go to Memphis with Cal, him and Boogie. They come to Korea. They're still they they they still rep Kentucky, they still talk about Kentucky. They fall in love with Kentucky while they get here, the same way that I've been saying it on here, on anywhere else, is we coach Pope can't try to recruit kids and sell them on Kentucky. That's gotta be like five percent of the recruitment. You gotta play the game, pay the money, get the guys here, then they will fall in love with Kentucky. And that's how that works. But we cannot try to sell kids in the day and age of 2026 about hey, we have, you know, screw the money, we're not worried about the money. This is Kentucky, these are the best fans. That doesn't recruit kids anymore. You're never gonna you're never gonna get 99% of the kids that that want to come here, go play the game, go give the kids the money, then they will fall in love. They will understand Kentucky, they will understand BBN, they will understand the media presence, they will understand the 20 plus thousand strong in rep arena, the the 75% sold-out crowd in Nashville in the SEC tournament or in a neutral side game against Gonzaga. Like, that's the stuff they can figure out when they get here. You don't need to sell those kids on that. High school, you can still do it a little bit in the portal, throw that shit to the side. Give them the give them the check, cash that thing, and then let them figure out what Kentucky is and what it's all about. That's my take. Kids don't come here to play for Kentucky, they come here to play for the coach or they come here to play for the money.

SPEAKER_05 53:10

Better the money and better themselves, potentially for a the next level.

SPEAKER_01 53:15

And while they're here, they will fall in love with it. And if they leave, like I'm telling you right now, Brandon Garrison going to Alabama, Jalen Lowe going to Georgetown, they might be great there. I guarantee you, next year at some point, it will hit them like damn, this isn't even close to Kentucky. Like this is not what I'm used to. And it will resonate with them. And and I'm sure one day some of them, all of them, whatever, they'll probably try to get back in the good graces of people in Kentucky because they know because it that's the stuff that matters. Like Kentucky is special, but it we cannot use that as a recruiting pitch 95% of the time in recruitments. Now it's gotta be hey, come play for me as a coach. I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do that. Here's your money, sign the paper, and then we'll let we'll let you naturally fall in love with Kentucky. That's the way that recruiting just is nowadays.

SPEAKER_05 54:02

Yeah, Ryan, we know Coach Pope's um offensive philosophy is exciting. I mean, it it's you know, he wants to he he he wants to uh put a hundred points on the board every game. Uh, who who what player wouldn't want to play for a coach that is offensive minded? Um, but again, in in fairness to Doc, and I just messed it, I sent him a text uh with the screenshot. Like, we're talking about you. If you're not busy, jump on right now. Um, but to piggyback off what Drew said and and John uh Doc's take, what's your feeling on um on uh or what would be your response to Doc?

SPEAKER_03 54:43

Yeah, I mean I think I mean I'm kind I'm kind of with Drew. I think you know, what what does a kid from let's say California have care about Kentucky? Like he doesn't even like he doesn't even know that this side of the country exists, like that it's like out of sight, out of mind.

SPEAKER_05 54:58

So that's I mean, unless they they like bourbon.

SPEAKER_03 55:02

Yeah, or but I mean if it's a high school recruit, that's probably a different conversation we need to have. But the the um the the thing with it is like I think the player that's gonna feel it the most, kind of what Drew was saying, like, oh, this isn't Kentucky, is actually there's two of them. It's Travis Perry, obviously he's going to his third school in three years, and then uh Jasper Johnson, both hometown, homegrown guys.

SPEAKER_05 55:23

I missed that memo. Where is so trap Perry left Omit? Yeah, he's going to Dayton. Oh, I didn't I did not catch that. Well, okay. So he got uh Okay, never mind, keep going.

SPEAKER_03 55:34

But like you gotta think, like from a standpoint too that um, you know, picture of of my parents were up there that that Cameron Mills lives next to them, and he he's the perfect embodiment of this. Cameron Mills has made a career basically out of being Cameron Mills, and that like that's that's not a knock on Cam or anything like that.

SPEAKER_05 55:54

That um, but you know, uh uh for the record, I'm on I'm gonna push back a little bit. Well, I'm a Cameron Mills guy, so uh what do you say there? Uh elaborate.

SPEAKER_03 56:04

I'm saying like that Cameron Mills because he put his time and Cameron would tell you this as well that because of the time he put in at Kentucky set him up for an amazing life in Lexington after basketball. And yeah, and I think that um good point, you know, you're gonna have guys now look at Khalil Whitney.

SPEAKER_01 56:21

He he played here until December, and he's even moved back here and found like opportunities and help to to help him get back and still playing with the TBT team and those things. Like, there's something special about being here, and and oh and for the record, I cannot wait till we get to the TBT.

SPEAKER_05 56:38

Uh but that'll be fun. That will be fun. I just wanted to say that, but keep going, Ryan. Yeah, no, go.

SPEAKER_03 56:42

Yeah, but I think you that it's gonna run into a thing where you know, I think school pride is is going down. You don't see even at the NBA level anymore, you don't really see like, well, I went to Kentucky, I went to UNC, I went to wherever. That you don't really see that as much, and they don't identify that way because you've got players that quite frankly, you know, I mean, and it's gonna get even worse, honestly, is you're gonna have guys that played the G League, then for three different college teams, and then played for this G League team, and then finally went to the pros. Like, what kind of connection is that person really gonna have to a place if you only were there for a very short amount of time? So, like, you know, that you can have that it's it's a little different now, I think, than it was with you know, the John Walls and everything like that. So, like John Wall came in, there was obviously probably some some incentives. That's not really breaking any kind of news. But the um when when he comes in, you know, that that he's gonna feel the love of the fan base a different way, I think, than somebody like Milan will. Because Milan, you know, that that number's been thrown out there. So everybody knows that Milan is a very rich man, and whether it's fair to Milan or not, that they're gonna say, Well, you make seven million dollars, I can say whatever I want to say about you. So I think you're gonna see some people, and and you know, that conversation was going around about how Kentucky fans were costing Kentucky players recruits, and I don't necessarily think that's a thousand percent true, especially when you're throwing around. Well, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_05 58:06

Hold on, Ryan. If you don't think it's a thousand percent, thousand percent true, do you think it's one hundred percent true? Because let's be honest, BBN, here here's the here's the thing we we are a part of the greatest, really, the greatest fan base ever. BBN ever. We we we um when it comes to uh the whole national narrative. If you're ESPN, if you're any freaking sports affiliate and you want numbers, you want a narrative, you want a story. Oh, what's gonna be Kentucky sports, basketball, football, but basketball. We are a basketball school for the record. We we're gonna get to football in a second. We're still a fucking basketball school. We are, yeah, and and the narrative will always be that Kentucky basketball it eats first when it comes to uh coverage, when it comes to a TV uh game. Who the numbers don't lie if there's a game on TV, if a Kentucky basketball, basketball, Kentucky men's basketball is on TV, you're talking literally millions, always millions of views, viewers, people, it's just who we are. That narrative is not gonna go away. Well, that narrative shouldn't go away. We can't let it go away. And that as a podcast host, as a fan, and you know, everything about Kentucky sports, the last couple years with uh with the basketball program, we have not been relevant, man. We we have the there's um yeah, actually, we've probably been more the the you know the the the butt of the joke uh when it comes to college basketball because of like last year, the the the a number that was put out there on what this roster was and we we saw where the season how this season played out. But you know, again, I I've I've shared this my take with uh with this show and with people is that I want I want us to get back to I want the basketball program to get back to well for selfish reason, I would love for us to get back to the um uh the uh platoon team. When that team showed up, you literally I'm watching a game and you can literally see the look on the face of the team they're playing. They're like, oh I was on staff with the team that played them. Oh yeah, oh well then you could. I mean, that I for selfish reasons, I want us to be at that stage where we walk into we our team gets on the floor, and the other school, the fans, already know that oh, we're just here to watch a beat down because it's Kentucky basketball. But that's not been the case. We we haven't been I've I've used this word relevant in uh uh but I'll almost say with it, we had not been as as we haven't been the force uh uh in college basketball since probably that platoon team. And um, you know, since that uh that season, clearly Cal's run kind of trended down, uh though that COVID season with Maxie and what Hagans, I would have loved to see that team in the NCAA tournament. That team that was actually one of my favorite teams. They were so good, so exciting. But we're I guess uh where I'm getting at is that no, the the this whole narrative that we it's been years since a Kentucky basketball team steps on the court and has already won the game.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:35

Yeah, yeah. And I think that that the whole thing, like I think that team was the greatest defensive team in the modern era of college basketball, and that there's not a particularly close second. Um but when when you look at as a as a whole, like Kentucky basketball, you know, like think about it. If you if you're 18 years old, what do you care that they won a championship in 1948 and 49? What do you care that they won a 51? What do you care that they won a 58? 78's even pushing it. Like maybe your parents weren't even alive at that point. That it's it's like, you know, that the history's there. They're looking at somebody that they look, and and you hear this with young people all the time, is they'll they'll put they put Yukon, like they talk about Yukon like how older people talk about UCLA.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:14

And it's but but with the kids with the kids, it is what have you done for me lately? That is the mentality. They want to see in the moment, and uh Hurley, Coach Hurley, UConn, he's killing it. Uh Todd Golden. You you can just kind of go through the Kentucky's not there. He's there, they're not part, we're not part of the storyline right now.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:35

No, and I but I think Kentucky can even get back there as well. That you know, that the Kentucky is is always, I mean, it's still Kentucky. That like it's a lot easier to do it here than it is a school like let's say, you know, Mississippi State.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:48

Like that it's North Eastern Kentucky.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:50

Oh or there, yeah, that's that's fair as well. But the uh but the uh yeah, it's it's you know, that you're playing a different sport like than some of these schools that even though the goal is to get the ball in the basket, you're doing it a very, very different way. And that I think at Kentucky that having somebody that that's creative and knows how to best utilize these resources, because Kentucky's seemingly got endless of them when it comes to basketball and do whatever you want, that you should be really only competing against like four schools and just with NIL budgets and stuff, just because you can you can outpay them. And you know, some of these other schools, like I think St. John's is gonna become less when Patino eventually eventually leaves that you know that Rapino is not gonna jump a bunch of money into a mediocre coach, like he sees his window as now. So that's why you're seeing St. John's get some of these guys, and um, you know, Kentucky's still always gonna be in the conversation. It does not matter if Mark Pope's the coach here, it does not matter if Billy Gillespie's the coach here, it does not matter if Cal Perry, they're always going to be in the conversation. And I agree. And it's it's one of those things where Pope, like, do I want it to work with Pope? Yes, I think that with Mark Pope, I think it would be the most fun it's ever been if it worked with Mark Pope. That I think people would be bouncing off the walls.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:06

If if a Kentucky, a former Kentucky player who won a national championship can show his ring and lead this program, what fan would not support that? Well, and just and personality too. And like he's just a he's a genuinely good guy, but at the same time, too. Uh, you know, this past week we saw stubble facial hair, Coach Pope. I don't know. I mean, was it was I could have sworn maybe on one of those clips there was some horns coming out. I mean, he's like a dark coach Pope. I mean, if we could get our coat to to not, I don't know, I'm I'm I'm being stupid here. If our coat, if Pope had that same like foot on your throat mentality as Tino or Calipari, I mean, that's that's that's who our coaches are.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:56

Rick Fettino would walk over Mark Pope's dead body to come back to Kentucky.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:00

Arguably.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:01

Um, and like he's just that much of a psycho, like that he's and and like that's not knocking Coach B. Like that's I I love Coach B, but that's and and and those first 10 years of Cal, it was the same exact way. Like there was no mercy, like over Kai. It was no, it was hardcore.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:20

Wait, here's you know, when it comes to Kentucky basketball, you you want to know this is my this is me as a Tucky basketball fan. I want to watch that game again, guys. Where what was it? Um there's a couple games. It actually, and it was both during that uh the platoon season. Go back and watch the UCLA game and the Kansas game from that season. You want to see a team that like basically punked out uh uh elite schools. UCLA is their their best one for the league. Kansas definitely was leaked. That those that our team that you that platoon team beat the shit out of them. They couldn't do anything. I mean, it was just not I mean the offensive talent on that team was like crazy, but the defense, oh my god, it was just it let me let me share this real quick, guys. So this was Matt Jones, Miss KSR, responding to Doc. Uh, this line of thought is ludicrous and hasn't been true since the 60s. This is Doc's talking about the players who want to play for the program. Outside of the in-state kids, right? People came to UK because it was the best opportunity for them, period. And fans still embrace them totally. Older people yearning for the good old days that never existed.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:39

Yeah. I mean, I don't disagree at all.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:41

No, I don't. I'm old, and uh, I'm he's right. No, the kids right now are all about uh the rule of NIL give whatever they can get, they're going to the highest bidder, probably majority of them. They gotta take care of themselves and their families and all that. We get that.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:59

Well, I could argue that's why Milan was so important because it was it was we gave all that money, and that you know, if somebody like Woolwell comes in with less of an offer, then it's an indictment on Pope.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:10

Yeah, exactly. So that's that's where I'll be like, well, here's the thing: did he did Milan come to Kentucky because of Coach Pope, or did he come to Kentucky because there was uh a seven, uh the number seven in the uh salary, the uh amount of money he was gonna make in the year.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:30

So what about seven million reasons why Milan came to Kentucky? Exactly.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:34

So I think he that's a lot see that's still that still to me he doesn't allow Coach Paul Coach Pope off the hook because we we've in past shows we have like gone at him as far as you know getting recruit uh high school players. He couldn't couldn't close down them the portal struggle, and then you got a guy who went the NBA route, done his thing, and then decided to come back, probably because he knew that he was going to have a huge hate. So again, he's is he wearing his is is he gonna be in Lexington in in in the next few months, whatever, because of the name on the front of the jersey or the amount of uh uh you know the amount of money it's in his uh checking account.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:20

Well, I don't know if he saw when they picked him up from the airport, his first stop was Paul Miller Ford to pick out a brand new car.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:25

So um what do you for real quick? What I I don't even know. I know we don't know the detail. Well we'll play along. And I want to hear people in the chat given this is this would be fun. This is just fun. What do you think the if you if you're this is hypothetical, everybody just is it's just fun. What do you think was the all the perk and Drew? I'll start with you, all the perks in Milot's contract that he's when he signed with that. What do you think? We know Paul Miller play a lot. You could be funny too. He he got two free tickets to the freaking movie theater every week, but whatever. So what do you think? What would you think? If you're if you were Milon and you said, I'll come, but all these what would be some of your what's Cujo doing?

SPEAKER_03 1:09:12

Well, I'll tell you what.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:13

I would hope you're right, go, go.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:16

I would hope that when I stepped down, I would be named executive residence in athletics, and I would get a million dollars a year, and that I would get 10 tickets to every UK baseball, football, and bids basketball home game, and that's not me chewing on hay or anything like that. But did they that got revolt, right? It did, yeah, it did. It did. Um, I know for a fact that um he got a country club membership as well.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:39

He is in uh Milan. Milan, Milan did, yeah. A country club is in what like what was golf or what's the golf, yeah. Golf. Okay, yeah, he's a golfer.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:49

Okay, I I get that. I mean it's but he's not the first one either. Colin Chandler had as well. Um so and but I think that uh you know that Milan probably saw and and you know it's not it's not hard. I painted this picture on on one of the other shows with those guys that um, you know, you can paint the picture pretty easy here. You can ride on a bus in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and stay in Motel 6, or you can come to Lexington, be very, very, very rich, by have a luxury car given to you, live wherever you want, and have a country.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:22

Be treated as a rock star, uh a BBN rock star.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:26

And now what he can do, as long as he doesn't burn any bridges, which players typically don't, um, he can come back. So, like, you know, let's say he comes to Kentucky, has the year we think he's gonna have, he'll be welcomed back with open arms until he's Dan Issel's age or even older. Like that it's it's it's one of those things that sticks with you. You know, they bring those guys out there to do that. Why? Like, there's there's a reason for that, and that is because Big Blue Nation takes in their own and and loves and that you don't you don't see that at any other school. Like, that is not normal, like at all.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:58

Well, I mean, in fairness, I I've seen like the Dukes and the Carolina. They they they're but that but they are elite like us, they're blue blood like us.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:09

I'm talking about like if you go to like Mizzou or BYU, or like somewhere like that, people like BYU, like Jim or for Death, that's completely different. But the like just some random guy that was on the 2010 team at BYU, like wouldn't be treated the same way. A lot of people probably wouldn't even know who he was, if we're being honest, as they would if somebody's like, oh look, there's Jared Pulsar. Like that, like that. It's it's different. And like you're able to, if you if you play it right, you're and you know, you want to kind of stay around the area. There's been tons of guys that have stayed around here. I mean, Willie Collie signs wanting to move back here, like that it they view it almost as home because of how the peep treat them. So, like I think you have to have so like kind of kind of going back to Doc, I think you have to have the the offer there. You have to, it's a completely different game. Like, you have to be strong with the offer. I actually think they need to be a little more strong-handed myself and tell kids like, look, here's the offer, like, sign it. I I think that part of this getting played by agents is part of Kentucky's own doing. Um, but I also think that at Kentucky, once they get here, they'll realize it's different. So, like Milan, like I guarantee you, he can already feel how different this is than Iowa State. And that doesn't mean that he has ill will towards Iowa State. It doesn't mean that he didn't enjoy his time there. What it means is he's like, oh shit, people are talking about basketball in June. Like at Iowa State, you're you're competing against people.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:32

People are talking about basketball while he's fucking asleep. That it's it's non-stop. Kentucky basketball, there is someone online 24 24-7. There is someone who will, I mean, in you know, the time we're awake, we're all a lot of Kentucky fans are shooting their shit and talking this, but seriously, while we're asleep tonight, we can go on act tomorrow morning and we'll see freaking BBN posting shit overnight because it's just who we are.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:03

It's we're it's awesome, and there's really no other fan base like no that you know, the only close one that to me, and it it's on a much, much smaller scale, but I'm talking about just like the intensity to it is actually Arkansas. I think Arkansas has some really intense fans. Um, obviously, they kind of has share the same thing that we do as not having a pro team in their state. Um, but it's not anywhere on the level of Kentucky. Kentucky's worldwide, and Arkansas is Arkansas. So, like that it and but yeah, just the BBN and whole, and even you know, football, baseball, whatever, they get behind everything. So, like it's it's crazy that I remember back on that that documentary they put out, uh, like right after Cal won the championship, I think it was called like six man or something like that. They had the they had the owner of of Oneness, the the shoe boo teeth downtown, uh on, and he was basically saying if he prints Kentucky on a shirt, it's gonna sell it. And I was like, that is absurd, but it's true, like it 100% is. Like, because I mean I'm guilty. Like, I'll see something with Kentucky, I'm like, oh, okay, like I'm gonna get that. Like I'm I'm as guilty as anything.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:05

So that I think why don't you pan your uh the camera around your room and tell us about how much you like Kentucky?

SPEAKER_03 1:14:13

Yeah, I like Kentucky quite a bit. A little bit. Oh good Lord. Yeah, got quite the uh quite the collection of uh just just randomness here. I'll pull out my one of my favorite things. It's actually right next to me here. Um I'm pretty sure there's only one of these in the world. And before you say, like, yes, it's a UK bucket, like I understand.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:34

Yes, I'm saying it's UK bucket because it's a fucking UK bucket. It's a sign I'm a bucket.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:41

Tyler Tyler Hero is signed by Tyler that I'm a bucket. So um I that I'm pretty proud of that. That's uh but um that yeah, it's just uh I've been collecting UK stuff since I was really little, obviously. And uh that it it's kind of built into a whole thing, and it's basically the entire upstairs of my house now. So and and what the sad part is like I don't know if this is sad or not, or maybe I need to have some sort of problem and need to seek help. But the um this isn't all of it. Like I have I have more in store. You're a hoarder.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:13

We get it. All right, you're gonna very much you're gonna show up on the History Channel one day w about uh or Vice Network or whatever those TLC, whatever those channels are, are the worst hoarder ever. And it was uh Coach Ryan and all his all Kentucky stuff too.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:29

Yeah, before I was even part of the media or even got into the coaching stuff or any of that, I I was a fan, obviously. And like I don't know, it it's kind of it's kind of cool now to have it come full circle and be able to, you know, kind of cover the team and and have found a small amount of success doing so. Um just because like I live and breathe it just like DVN did. So like I get it, I get it. So like it doesn't change a little bit once once you're on the other side of things. Absolutely, like it does. And anybody that tells you no is either hasn't been on the other side or is lying.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:03

Um, but it's still, man, like could you imagine Ryan, real quick for for a couple things. One, Drew, uh, we'll be back on in a second. Uh, evidently, the people where he's at, they got home earlier than he expected, and he's heading home now. He'll be on oh, this would have been great. Oh, wait, was he squatting? What was he doing? Like, was he at a home where he really shouldn't have been?

SPEAKER_03 1:16:26

I kind of thought the dog ate him for a second.

SPEAKER_05 1:16:28

I was maybe, yeah. So yeah, maybe sounded like a big dog. Uh, all right. So yeah, so Drew will be back in a few. Um let's uh where are we at? 10th with God. I really tried to done. I try to be done with this by nine within 90 minutes after we start, and it never freaking works because we're a bunch of BBN six. That's because we're yeah, we're just we like to talk, and and it's it's it's Kentucky sports, that's who we are. Let's go to Kentucky foot? You want to talk Kentucky football?

SPEAKER_03 1:17:02

Yeah, I talk Kentucky football.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:03

Yeah, good. What about you know, we give we we're giving uh Coach Pope his flowers on what he accomplished this past week, but what coach Stein, what Will Stein, Coach Ryan, has accomplished since he's been and then just this past week? This just player-wise, portal-wise, everything. I mean, he he's this is uh can this be a special season for us or what's going on?

SPEAKER_03 1:17:28

You know, the government has been reporting that they're gonna drop the alien files, and I think it's because of Will Stein. The guy's an absolute alien, and he I love it. And he's he's doing this at a level that I didn't think was possible at Kentucky. I thought that when we had Mark Stoops when we were going to the Citrus Bowls and Benny and Will Levis, I thought, hey, it's it's gonna happen. It's true. I know. And that's how Will Stein got here. Exactly.

unknown 1:17:57

There you go.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:59

But uh Oregon, outer space, same thing. But the uh when when it comes to Will Stein, like he's got me now thinking, like, because especially with India, Indiana got me reckless, is what's happened. So like used to if you would have looked at the.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:12

Well, you know what? Pa let's pump the brakes. I want to because this is your first time doing the show here. What let's let's give some flowers to Indiana football. What they did in in two seasons with uh a dominator. Oh, I mean, my god, a program that was uh basically a shit program. Really basically, yeah. Before uh you know, a three years ago, they were you know basement dwelling program, and they gotta they get a coach who brings in some of his former players in a program where this guy all he does is win. And what though that he's done in two years is amazing, but it also gives a blueprint on what other schools can do. Go.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:56

And that's what's getting me reckless because used to, I would have said, you know, all right, let's come in, let's go six and six, let's go seven and five. Like, and and I'm not trying to sound some type of way right now about Kentucky football. I am very well aware of what Kentucky football is, but like now I'm like playoffs are bust, man. Like, let's go. Like that it's you know, I'll Will Stein had that saying, like, if you're scared, go to church. And I kind of like that because I'm like, you know, you can sit here all you want and play. It used to drive me nuts when coaches would say that well, we just they have other resources and pony up and we can't do that. It's football, all right? Go out there, figure it out. And to me, what didn't make sense at the end of the stoop era was I'm like, you had it figured out. What happened? Because it was like, and with Will Stein, some people are like, Man, he doesn't know what he's like, he's young, he's just talking, like he's backing it up. So, like, anybody, especially if you look at the national stuff, that you don't see anybody just dumping on Will Stein right now, other than like Wolves fans, because I mean he's he's getting players that Kentucky, quite frankly, and I kind of said it earlier in baseball that Kentucky has no business getting. Like some of these graphics, and and I I tweet them out all the time, that they're absurd. Like that it's like finalists, Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn. Oh, and it's like, wonder where this kid's gonna go. He's from Alabama, and then he picks Kentucky. That's and it's like that's always been what do you do at that point? Like, the dudes, the dudes got it. He's an alien, he's a wizard, whatever you want to call him.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:23

That's uh, as a Kentucky fan, we're going back I I think many years when it comes to recruiting. You you would pay attention to the kids they they were trying to recruit. And there was a during the like Joker Phillips and even Rich Brooks era, and uh well, I'll take back stoops early on. You know, Kentucky was recruiting players, and you see the the other schools, and they were typically the MACL. Now Stoops took us to a new level to where what's going on? What why am I hearing this sound? I heard it's um and then Stoops took us to a level where recruiting-wise, he was getting uh Drew, he was getting he was rubbing shoulders with other SEC school, and for even better for worse, up until the time uh you know Stoops left, he was still recruiting at a deep at a pretty high level for Kentucky standards. But what is happening right now with Will Stein? Uh let me where is he at? All right, all right. You gonna do this all night, Brian?

SPEAKER_03 1:21:22

Lost my hearing. I'm kidding.

SPEAKER_05 1:21:24

So uh Ryan or Drew, um go what you know what Coach Stein has done this past week, Malachi Brown, Drew Williams, uh uh national publications right now, uh, top 10, top 15, uh with this roster. I mean, we six wins is six, seven, eight wins has been the norm for a lot of Kentucky football fans. Just get us into the you know, a ball game. We'll be happy. The that that narrative has changed with Stein. What did you see? What have you seen? What did you see this past week that again, uh, as a Kentucky fan, gives you your I want your take on what the future like you know holds for the football program, but also what he has done, not just for this coming season, but what what does that propel us um on uh down the road because of of you his his resume, his pedigree Stein, putting players in the league. I he's clearly got a a uh a connection with the with potential recruits.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:29

Yeah, I I mean obviously what he's doing in recruiting right now doesn't really help us for this upcoming year. You know, the roster is the roster.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:36

Fair, fair, fair.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:37

Um, yeah, I think in the future, like I don't I think it's unfair. Like, I I'm not gonna do it and be like the whole, you know, oh, it's playoff or bust, or if you don't make it to the playoffs, like you suck, or those things, because and I'm not saying that you guys are or anything. Um, it's it it's so it's so hard. Number one, it's hard to get there. Number two, it's really hard to do it at Kentucky. And I know we always want to compare what we just saw from Indiana, um, but it's really hard. And I I've talked about it before, you know, and recruiting is great, and obviously what he's doing is unbelievable, but it's still college football recruiting. And you know, I I would say probably half of these guys will hit, half of these guys won't hit. We won't ever even see them in a Kentucky uniform. They'll be transferring out, we'll be bringing transfers in and those things. So and and maybe I'm wrong in that, but that's just how it typically goes. You talk about a buzz kill.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:28

No, but but what he's doing. It's like that understoops, though. This that's the only thing is you were getting you were stuffing out two and three stars instead of four and five. Yeah, so like at that point, I'll take what's ever left over in the blender from the four and five stars.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:42

For the record, has he Stein hasn't gotten a through correct me? No, but I know I would a couple four.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:53

I would be shocked if it's not all said and done and Jake Narrod's not a five-star at the quarterback position, because usually they don't hand out a lot of five stars in like the junior and sophomore class. And then as the senior year goes on, you'll start to see more handed out. I think the way that he's performing, the way he did at Elite 11, um, and probably the season that he's had, he's still a young quarterback. That's the thing. He's the number two quarterback in the country. He's still a young quarterback. He he he didn't start on varsity, I don't think, until last year. I believe last year was his first year. Um, so I I would be shocked if when it's all said and done, if he doesn't come in as a five-star. Now, he could be a really highly regarded four-star, though. Um, but you know, five stars, four stars, whatever, this, that, it's pretty much the same thing. It's still blue chip prospects. You're seeing a lot of high-level three-star guys, too.

SPEAKER_05 1:24:44

Um for this, stay with me, stay with me here. Um, for the 2027 class, is it fair to say that he potentially has built a top 15 uh recruiting class? Before keep in mind, before his first official game in you know at Crogriff Hill, he he is this is what he's done so far.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:05

Yeah, we'll see if it ends that way. Um, there's still some schools out there that haven't quite got striking yet. Um, you know, I think right now they're around 10 on most national recruiting services. So with that, yeah, he might they might still be able to hold on to that top 15 spot. I I don't really know how many more recruits they'll get. They're over like they're around like 25, if I'm not wrong. Um, maybe they'll keep keep loading up if guys want to keep signing up and committee to play here. We also have to remember like none of these guys are signed yet, too. Some of these guys could flip to other schools we spot the other day. Uh uh a player flipped. Um, so I I don't I don't like to be the buzzkill of it. It's more of just the reality of like recruiting, you know, and and those things. And and let's say Kentucky does struggle a little bit this year. If you don't think that like Alabama and some of these schools aren't gonna try to come come pick these guys in December on signing day, then you're mistaken. Uh and I know Ohio State's already they've continued to keep pushes on Jake Narrot and stuff like that. They try to do it with Ponatoski late. Um, so it's just interesting. And like I've said, I mean, half of these guys will probably hit, half of them probably won't, and that that's just the way that recruiting is. And you it's it's more of hit or miss in football than it is in any other sport because there's so many guys, there's so many unique levels that these guys play at in high school and the competition levels and the camps and all these things. So but what he's doing is remarkable. I mean, I've never seen anything like it at this level at Kentucky football, and you just hope that like a good percentage of these guys hit, and some of them contribute as freshmen and they want to stick around or winning games, and then from there you go you go pick guys you want out of the portal, and that's that's when we can seriously have talks about like, oh shoot, Kentucky football, they're just as talented or near the top of the SEC. Will Stein, you know, has success and proves himself as like a legitimate, you know, good head football coach because you know he still hasn't won a game as a head coach, but he also hasn't lost one either. Um, so there's a lot of positive momentum. It's just we still gotta see. There's still so many question marks with what what's actually going on, what this team's even gonna play like, what the culture is gonna be like.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:18

No In fairness, in fairness, guys. Um, again, Will Stein has not coached a game yet. That will happen in September, but the the blueprint um changed dramatically with Kurt Signetti at IU. So all he's done is potentially created headache and sleepless nights for coaches who can't produce within a two-year window. Now, with now, what I'm hoping is that I mean not hoping, I mean, actually not even hoping. Uh well, what we're witnessing with Will Stein, what he's doing. I don't if there's a if there's a blueprint to mimic uh Kurt Sigma. Signetti. What Stein is doing. I mean, I I don't I mean, obviously, as a fan, we would love to win a national champ football national championship in two years. Um, but you know what? Right now, I I'm fucking pretty excited and thinking, you know, if Signetti can do it in two years, why can't we? Why not us? Why not?

SPEAKER_01 1:28:20

Well, the only thing is with that, too, is that that team also was primarily built at JMU and they came out.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:25

Fair. That's fair. And after they had won a champ, right? Didn't they win at they were really, really good though. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:33

Yeah. So that that's the only hard part. Like it's it's gonna be very hard to even think about doing in two years because Signetti already had two years with those guys for most of them. And then they hit a, you know, people, you know, people forget that Mendoza was not very good at Cal. And he just put together an all-time, you know, college football season and won the highest mid number one pick. But you know, he had to pluck guys from the portal too that came in and were great. You know, they had a starting lineman that started games at Notre Dame that came to Indiana, and he was huge for them last year and some other stuff. So it's just it's really hard to do. What Indiana did was so impressive, and I know I know we all want to compare it to it, but we that was uh full on one.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:15

If if you can step away from being a Kentucky fan, seriously. Yeah, it was look at what they did. It's fun, it is it is it's one of the greatest sports achievement college sports achievement in a in a two-year window from a program that you can't really like. They they were the all-time suckiest program in college football, right? Yeah, it yeah. So here you go.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:39

Who whose off-season would you rather have right now? Would you rather have Kentucky's, Florida's, or LSU's? Uh LSU. Really? Wait a minute. Say it again.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:47

Say that say that question again, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:29:49

So, like, whose off-season from this point of teams that got rid of their coach, right? Let's say Kentucky, LSU, and Florida. Whose off-season momentum would you like to have right now?

SPEAKER_05 1:29:58

I'm staying with Kentucky. Well, are you really thinking, or Drew, go ahead, say what?

SPEAKER_01 1:30:02

Yeah, I would take LSU because Lane's uh, I mean, he's a proven, he's a proven enough head coach. Is I know he wasn't the coach, but his team just made the college football semifinal. And look, at the end of the day, he's the head coach at LSU now. Like that, there's no more, there's very few schools that are better than that. And yeah, I know you're talking about momentum, but the trajectory of the program, I would be shocked if LSU does not get back to to being in the top in the sport in year one and moving forward. And I don't think that they had too bad of it an offseason. I mean, they got the number one portal quarterback. We tried to get him, and their receiving core is going to be nasty.

SPEAKER_05 1:30:39

Um, there's still some question marks down there, but we also and the other narrative, guys, is that LSU is a football school. Yeah, Kentucky is not a football school.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:49

So you know what else Lane Tiffan brings to town? The circus.

SPEAKER_00 1:30:52

Yes. Yeah, well, that too, he does. But you know what? It's like comparing Kentucky basketball to LSU basketball. Like it's just it's LSU football at this at the end.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:01

I don't think the gap's that big.

SPEAKER_00 1:31:02

You don't think what? Say it.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:04

I don't think the gap's that big right now. Four between between like LSU and Kentucky right now in football, with the way they're they're projecting, okay, yes, in football. I don't think that the gap is as wide as people may think because you know you've got Will Stein bringing in four stars. I mean, you we we see the schools he's competing against with these recruits.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:23

But my only thing would be Lane can get that to the top of the sport in like a snap of a finger.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:29

It's gonna we don't know if Will Stein can or not. Exactly.

SPEAKER_05 1:31:32

That's the fun part. And and keep in mind too, really, I don't know. I'm I'm asking this question because I don't. What is Kentucky's football NIL budget right now? Is it about four, thirty? What is it? I don't know. I would guess whatever it is, it's probably fair to say LSU's is higher, the better than it, you know, more than LSU spent LSU spent around 40 million dollars on their roster this upcoming LSU is capable of getting any play.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:57

And I'll just say this. I went to a game the year they won the natty in 2019. Me and my dad road trip down to hang out with one of his buddies. It was like words can't even describe the whole game day atmosphere, the environment.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:10

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I'm not gonna even try to say that all the fields are better fire.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:14

It was it was it it was like magical down there, like just it, and that's the thing. Like, that's when I say Lane Kiffin could snap a finger, and LSU is back to could absolutely snap a finger and it can go bad.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:28

And I can tell you that because I am one of the unfortunate souls that's a Raiders fan that had to had to deal with Lane Kiffin when Lane Kiffin was not that great. But you here's here's one thing about Lane Kiffin.

SPEAKER_05 1:32:40

Seriously, guys, this is a dude. If you're living, if you're a human being and you're just living life, this is a guy that is literally the epitome of falling forward in life. I mean, good god, every coaching gig that he's got, he's just like I mean, it's like the gods are like somehow maybe he's got something on the gods because the gods keep handing him good things, but he's he's flipped it around and he started to do a really good job.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:10

He is though era has helped him a lot. Seriously, what he did at Mississippi.

SPEAKER_05 1:33:16

I mean, Mississippi's what we should compare.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:19

We should compare Will Stein in Kentucky to. It's not a premier, it's not a historic, really premier SEC program. Len Kiffin, a unique individual, a lot of swag, a lot of firepower. Will Stein has some of that in him, some chippiness, some underdog. You bring an incredibly like unique play style. That's how you build up some of these programs. Len Kiffin doesn't have to do any of that LSU. Like it's LSU here. Here's your like what I was talking about with how the way Coach Pope should recruit. It's it's Kentucky. Here's the check, sign it, and then we go. With Kentucky, though, and Will Stein, it's got to be selling on the the play style, the the the underdog mentality, the uniqueness, the it's never been done here before. Like that the same way that Kiffin brought up Ole Miss is the same way that I hope Will Stein brings it because Lynn Kiffin was recruiting like an MF for at Ole Miss too. Like he was pulling in some legitimate four-star talents and some huge portal names as well. So I think that's a really good comparison as far as like what we can hope Will Stein could do at Kentucky is what Kiffin just sort of did at Ole Miss. Hopefully, if we're in the playoffs, though, he doesn't leave us before our first playoff game, though. I think he's showed he's valued that.

SPEAKER_05 1:34:29

Yeah. Well, you know, to you know, for um in our benefit, he's a Kentucky kid. You know, he's you know, I I don't, yeah, I would uh I mean yeah, I don't expect I expect him to eventually leave to bigger and brighter whatever, but he's he's he's here for the time being, and um I would say at least three three years, maybe. Um okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:54

But I'll say this if he leaves, if he leaves, that means something went right more than likely. And for me, I'm always like yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:35:03

We we would hope that's because he became he took our program to such an elite level that if that happens, I'll I'll never be the guy that completely criticizes him.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:14

I'll I'll tip my cap and say hell of a job, like go have fun at Alabama or Oregon if Dane Laney leaves or something like that. Like if he did something like that, if he brought us some incredible, you know, nine and three playoff bound team or something, and then decided to go to a bigger school or even go to the NFL, because I kind of worry with him a little bit in the NFL as a young offensive-minded guy, you know, certain teams with certain quarterbacks might want to take a chance at him with the offensive pedigree he has.

SPEAKER_05 1:35:43

Or I can take it even to another level, another like really big level. He is so good at Kentuck that when the aliens do when the disclosure happens, and for the record, Steven Spielberg, disclosure day happens next week. That's that will break every box office movie record. That movie for the record. But once disclosure happens, it will the aliens will want Roll Stein to go to another planet and coach their alien team. We need a retaliation alien, some odd stars. You're right. You're right. All right, good stuff. All right, that was Kentucky football. I mean, this is so so exciting. The football program right now. Basket well, basketball's exciting too. We're it's um we're in a good spot. We're in a good spot. Let's uh pivot. I'm I'm starting to wind this down, guys. We're two hours in. Appreciate you, appreciate people in the chat, Coach Ryan making his debut. One one of many, right? You will be back, sir. I'd love to come back. All the time. We'll we'll make it happen. Uh shifting gears to the NBA finals. Uh Kentucky DNA is part of the NBA finals, and Kentucky DNA might be dictating final. Coach Ryan, I'll start with you. What are you feeling, thinking? We got, I mean, as a Kentucky fan, I think every Kentucky basketball fans, for the most part, I think, take a little pride whenever there's a big time national game and you see former players playing. And this is what the NBA is offering right now. We got Kitar Carl Anthony Towns, we got De'Aaron Fox, who Calvin Johnson. Yeah, who anybody else on the Knicks? That was it. Okay. But go ahead, Coach Ryan, NBA finals.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:23

Uh so Drew Drew's wanting to laugh at me up there because I picked Spurs in seven, and then you got the you got them going back to New York down 2-0. But um you still have a chance. Yeah, with the NBA, I just didn't see it how anybody was gonna guard Wimby and Katz kind of shut me up. But the uh the the thing with with Kentucky people having that pride in the NBA, it it is cool. I I don't give it as much as other people do. Um if you were to ask me like which player that I'm tuning in to see the NBA finals for, the answer would not be any of the Kentuckys. It would be Victor Wimbanyama. And that that's um, you know, that like is it?

SPEAKER_05 1:38:03

Or to see the latest uh LeBron James flop uh yeah, flop fest. Flop. But the um well SGA is kind of doing that too.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:12

He does too. I've I I'm 100% with him. But the uh the thing with the NBA is like, yeah, it's cool, but like I kind of I'm kind of I'm kind of like you. Like I don't I watch and like, but I don't really care. Like if like to sound like I mean I don't I don't want to sound like a jerk, but you know that we had this this argument with with Wong talking about guys making seven million. So the NBA guys are making a hell of a lot more than and uh sometimes the the part that really soured me on the NBA just in general is the whole idea of tanking. And oh don't get me started on that. That I just view it as uncompetitive loser behavior, and that I just it's the it's also a disrespect to your fan.

SPEAKER_05 1:38:50

You have disrespectful to basketball. Your fans, uh, you have a fan base that whatever percentage is seasoned ticket holders and and are in it to you know supporting your your the the you know the team um in some cases unconditionally, and then during the season it gets to the point where I'm gonna show up to uh the money that uh as I've you know paid for tickets and given to uh this uh brand, I'm gonna show up and and I'm gonna see the the JV team play the majority of the game. Fuck that. I mean, good no. That's that uh I can't that's where and I know they've they're ch trying to change that because obviously the tanking is is too uh for draft purposes. Um and they're they've changed that. My take is that you you you just uh if you're gonna do the ping pong thing or the whatever the the ball thing is that every team has the same chance. So if if you're if you won the fucking national, you won the NBA title and you you're you're one of the balls and it lands on you and you get the first pick, congratulations. You get the first pick, but you know what? To the NBA, you know, on you know, unlike MLB. I don't think MBA will anyways NBA has a uh uh shit, what's the salary cap salary cap. So you you if you if you're going over that salary cap, you got to make an adjustment. Do you want to invest in the recruit or the draft pick, or do you trade him for something? You there's ways to do that. And and again, NBA, that's that where that's one of the turnoffs, is that if you're a if you're a fan and you you're investing in this team and you just literally watch your team purposely lose. I mean, is it that's integrity? That's that is the that's a a negative take on the integrity of the league.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:43

Obi Bryant would have literally punched somebody in the face if you told him to intentionally lose a basketball game. And like that's not me speaking figuratively. He would have punched somebody in the face if you told him to lose a basketball game. Michael Jordan would have punched somebody in the face if you told him to lose a basketball game. So like I just I I hate that it's gotten to that, but the um what when it comes to the NBA, it's just you know, the the style of play is so different. They play 82 games, they like there's just a lot going against it that makes it really a different game than college basketball is almost entirely. And I personally think college basketball's got a better product, but I think that the NBA right now, the best thing that could happen for them is happening, and that you know, you've got Wimby in the finals, he looks like he's the next guy, and then you've got what you've got too, guys, is that you've got teams right now, young team competing.

SPEAKER_05 1:41:34

Yep. The Thunder, uh Spurs, young, very young.

SPEAKER_03 1:41:40

And the Knicks being good is good for the league. It is.

SPEAKER_05 1:41:42

Actually, I mean, I mean, they've got a they tried to cheat when they got Ewing as the number one pick. Yeah, that was I I still think that was that was set up. Yeah. But they they didn't win a championship, right? Did they? No, they didn't. No, they made the final thing. No, no. This was a the Spurs that was Reggie, wasn't it? That was a but the Spurs and the Knicks actually played an NBA final. I want to say in the 90s. Late. It was 99.

SPEAKER_03 1:42:08

99.

SPEAKER_05 1:42:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:42:09

It was like when Tim Duncan was in like the second. Yeah, okay, all right. Which is a funny reason why Patino left to go to the Celtics is because he thought he was gonna get Tim Duncan.

SPEAKER_05 1:42:17

He did, and then he wound up settling for Mercer, right? He didn't get Duncan. Who did he get?

SPEAKER_03 1:42:22

Uh it was he had Mercer, Antoine Walker, Paul Pierce. I think that may have been it. He wasn't there very long.

SPEAKER_05 1:42:28

No, no, but but you can't that's why he left Kentucky. That's why he left. You know, you you were banking on getting Duncan. But who the hell would turn down being the president and coach of the boss itself? Not me. Nobody was playing. Nobody, nobody. All right, guys.

SPEAKER_01 1:42:45

Let's or Drew, or anything to add with No, I'm more of an NBA guy than than you guys are, probably, but um, no, it's been a good finals. You know, I I called it Knicks and six. Shout out to to the Irish Hammer. We we were on the same same note there. Um, but it's been a good series, it's probably wraps. Um, the Knicks are good. Cat's balling, he's probably the front runner for finals MVP right now, so that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_05 1:43:10

Um let me let me let me pause for you. You know, the Knicks are up 2-0, two road win. You you you really don't think this this series is gonna still get to about seven games because all the all the all the TV, all the money that's still left, all the gambling, all the betting. You don't see the Spurs can't win tomorrow night. I can tell you that. They're losing tomorrow night.

SPEAKER_00 1:43:34

No wins. Who's losing? The Knicks, no winning.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:37

Uh what? I'm telling you what. The Spurs can't win at home, they're not winning in the NBA Finals game in Madison Square Garden.

SPEAKER_03 1:43:44

Yeah, but you never played in a home game of Madison Square Garden where the nosebleeds cost twenty thousand dollars on the president's sitting court side. Like, I think the pressure is gonna be so high on those New York Knicks players. Now, Jalen Brunson doesn't appear to care, but you know, the guys that it's it's gonna take more than Jalen Brunson to beat the San Antonio Spurs. So that I think that I I don't know, I'm predicting a loss because and maybe I'm wrong again, and maybe I just need to shut up about the NBA. But the the thing that I that I'm seeing is is I think the pressure is almost gonna be so much, and it's been cooking like when you turn on first take or whatever tomorrow, that is all you're gonna hear. And I it's it's gonna be really hard for those mixed players to somehow stay in the moment and avoid the noise.

SPEAKER_05 1:44:26

Really hard for the record. My opinion, first take has nothing to do with has nothing better than this take, these take tonight. I'm joking. First takes you're right, you're right. No, we're we're hanging. All right, we're we are winding up, but I I gotta bring this up, guys. This was something that happened this past or over weekend. Let me let me pull up the graphic because it it just more if I do it. Uh-oh, here comes an SEC graphic. Oh, updated concessions. Let's go. I mean, honestly, I have to admit, I don't go to the game. I I'm one that I would rather watch on TV than X Gop. I'll leave that to you, kiddos, to go and report back to me. But when I honestly had no idea when you're seeing these prices, especially a domestic canned beer, they go from 10 to 5. You motherfuckers were charging us ten dollars for a five-dollar beer all the time. And then you're but what what is your take on the updated concession price?

SPEAKER_03 1:45:20

No, I'll just go just got 50% louder. Yeah, and better, and better.

SPEAKER_01 1:45:25

That's really it. Good on the concession people, whoever came up with that idea. Um they're gonna make more money off of it. Yeah, yeah. The beer tastes way way better at five dollars than it does at ten dollars too.

SPEAKER_03 1:45:38

So well, you know, if beers start happening at five dollars, beer start getting choved at five dollars.

SPEAKER_05 1:45:42

Yeah, good point. Because you want to like, oh, oh, I I I'm gonna that ten dollar beer, I'm gonna kind of drink it slow.

SPEAKER_00 1:45:49

Now you get two beers for the price of one.

SPEAKER_05 1:45:51

Yeah, because you want that ten dollar beer to last a little bit. Now that five dollar beer, I'm gonna drink two of those the same time that I did that once. So yeah, it does that.

SPEAKER_03 1:46:02

Alabama game is gonna be wide.

SPEAKER_05 1:46:04

Wait a minute. 20 ounce soda and water. And water? Water was seven dollars. What the fuck? A bottle of Masani. Yep, yeah. How did these people sleep?

SPEAKER_01 1:46:14

Well, it's not just Kentucky, though, it's every stadium in America. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_05 1:46:19

I tried to get the other 59 states and I couldn't get them in time. All right, guys, let's uh final shot. Final shot, Coach Ryan, you get to start. Final shot of the night. Whatever you want to purge, get out of your system, sport or non-sport related goo.

SPEAKER_03 1:46:37

My final shot of the night is that Lexington has got to do better with these potholes than these drivers. I mean, what on earth is going on? New Circle Road looks like a war zone. You could move into an apartment in some of these potholes. You have people vouching to be mayor, this, that, and the other. Just fix the damn road. Like, if you can fix the road for me, I'll be happy because I think that's what's causing a lot of these drivers. And I'm really tired of it taking ungodly amounts of time to go from one side of Lexington to another. So any of Lexington City officials are listening, do better.

SPEAKER_05 1:47:08

Oh man, it's funny you you said that's your uh final shot because my final shot is about kind of similar. I'll hold off. Drew, I'll start with you. What's your final shot?

SPEAKER_01 1:47:19

Yeah, I'm just happy that my final shot, I'm I'm gonna cheers the Mark Poe. Uh big, big last seven days, you know, just happy for the guy. Like, I'm I'm always critical of him all the time, you know, with certain things, but that's just because I'm passionate and and whatever. But like, good for him. You know, he's gotten a lot of heat over the last every everybody, you know, everybody's calling for his job and throwing him on the hot seat and giving him expectations and goes on vacation, puts out a nice mini min video, gets Malachi back, locks down Milan, gets a commit today. Like, you know, I don't know what the future holds, whether he wins or loses here, but like I'm just glad that like he's still he's still all the way locked in, he's still doing what he's gotta do, he's still you know working his tail off every day. Nobody wants to succeed more at Kentucky than Mark Pope. Nobody wants Mark Pope to succeed more at Kentucky than Mark Pope.

SPEAKER_05 1:48:12

Like more importantly, Drew, Mark Pope knows what it takes. What needs to needs to be uh what what he needs to do to be successful, to have that that that um that tag because he knows there's a there's a certain point you can't we won't settle for less than.

SPEAKER_01 1:48:31

Yeah, but I'm I'm just happy, like I'm happy for him. Like positive momentum, fan base is now excited again. You know, national people are starting to kind of get there and talk themselves in. There's there's there's momentum, he's having fun, he's playing into it, you know. The the the mini min videos, the the vacation pictures, all those things.

SPEAKER_05 1:48:49

So double face.

SPEAKER_01 1:48:51

I definitely did Mark Pope. Like, I'm just I'm I'm I'm happy for him, I'm happy for the trajectory that Kentucky basketball's on, but I always go back to it. You gotta win games, you gotta win games. So we'll we'll figure that out in November. But right now, the offseason was a shit show at the beginning. It slowly started getting there. He closed the offseason extremely strong, already off to a good start with the 27th class. So I'm just happy for him and uh praying, praying for success in the future and happiness for Mark Pope and success.

SPEAKER_05 1:49:22

So that's my can you imagine a scenario, guys, where BBN um was like 100% happy. We were we were totally satisfied with basketball, football, everything. Nothing does exist to complain about. If that was the case, we would I probably wouldn't even do these shows because I I can't do a show where everything is like everything is through a blue lens. I gotta give the counter, you know, take. Uh but my my final shot, guys. I live in here in Louisville, and there is a road uh down by you actually by U of L campus. There's a uh underpass that. uh is deemed the can opener. And what that is is that unfortunately truck drivers or just trucks, people driving trucks don't realize the uh height of the underpass. And literally it is the the can opener as it's known is because truck drivers drivers will go through there and the top of their trucks literally get seared off. So I I gotta share this. This is where am I? Okay. Check this out where you at ready can you hear? Oh do I have the sound?

SPEAKER_02 1:50:29

Oh wait a minute hold on god damn it where's my producer at oh that's me hold on let me let me get this oh there oh there it is ready let me do this go yeah you're seeing that right another victim for the old can opener in Louisville it's been a problem especially this week as I-65 shut down for the next two months yesterday alone can opener claimed four victims of semi trucks the can opener is notorious in Louisville it's a low clearance overpass and this is what happens when trucks try to go through because of the I-65 closure many people taking this alternate route and it doesn't work out. This morning photog Frank Stamper and I are back in command center here with a setup showing you some more uh traffic conditions as part of the closure stick with WDRB we'll have all the info you need all right that's enough of that but yeah can open when are we gonna get betting odds on um what how many victims the can opener claims a day because I'll bet.

SPEAKER_05 1:51:36

Because there there's a stretch here in Louisville or Louisville into uh Indiana where I-65 is shut down so a lot of uh drivers are gonna have to make way to to navigate yeah so there'll be several more truck that will uh get opened up the hard way uh all right I thought we were gonna have TB TB didn't make it but what was that comment?

SPEAKER_04 1:51:58

What am I seeing here?

SPEAKER_05 1:51:59

As a truck driver oh the one oh wait as a truck driver CBB 1981 says as a truck driver the ones doing this only follow a GPS and are non-English uh two two full glasses of vodka tonight I find that fine well CBB safe travel stay away from the can over don't if you're gonna well for if you're gonna go through the can over make your own video and share it with me we'll for for good stuff go viral coach Ryan thank you for hanging out with us um granted it took Drew to reach out to you I you probably would have ignored every attempt that I would have made because I'm not Drew you like Drew you've already said you professed your your your um support for Drew and we Drew's a good guy but seriously Ryan thank you yeah appreciate it it's been a pleasure guys love it anytime please accept this uh future invites because uh I love we love the vibe it's it's just Sunday night you know us winding down talking about something we we'd love we'd like to talk about so 100% it's done what you you do have your own podcast plug your stuff for the audio go yeah so you can find me at coach Ryan KY on Twitter it's where I post most of my stuff um I arrived for Columbia magazine.com about me in three more uh different publications as well um and then my show is the big blue ball show I put it out about once a week um I kind of do it when I feel like it sometimes I've got a buddy with me sometimes I just go so it it's uh if you can go on Spotify or app we'll find it appreciate you brother uh good stuff Drew always a pleasure my uh BBN son thank you and anytime anytime good stuff you got uh Ryan's show this week is it on schedule Ryan's always on what Wednesday night or is that just you doing my rando Ryan that's yeah yeah we have Wednesday and Saturday okay we share you right yeah exactly yeah I'm the middle man you are appreciate you all right for Ryan and Drew everyone in the chat thanks for hanging with us thanks for the comments again um if you like us please subscribe like to our page to these guys um good stuff we are here every Sunday night just winding it down talking Kentucky sports we sh wish everyone a good night and a good week go cats peace out we'll be back next Monday good night see ya good night guys