Kentucky Sports Radio

If there’s one thing Kentucky fans love more than their teams, it’s the stuff they can buy to support them. KSR wants to see your odd and unique UK memorabilia. No, not just your run of the mill UK flag or t-shirt collection. We want the weird stuff. Have a stuffed Wildcat eating a cardinal? Send it in. A portrait of John Calipari made entirely of popcorn? Send it in. The odder, the better.

A lot of you have sent in some pictures of awesome articles of clothing once owned by UK players. Let’s start with Sterling Peck, who owns Ralph Beard’s letterman sweater. In his own words:

Hey Tyler, just wanted to share that I have Ralph Beard’s letter-man sweater from 1947. Back about five years ago, me and my friend would save up our money and try to find crazy stuff like this, meeting some awesome old players like Vernon Hatton and Cliff Hagan along the way. We found a guy named Will who knew some of the older players. He had a huge basement full of old UK basketball stuff and was trying to sell the majority of it. So we called him up and went over there, and it was the craziest collection of UK stuff I’ve ever seen, including Kenny Walker’s shorts and Kyle Macy’s shoes. But this was maybe the coolest thing he had, and he was willing to sell it to me.

Before Beard passed away, he auctioned off a lot of his UK stuff in New York in 2002, and somehow Will found out about it, and got some of it. I’ve always admired Ralph Beard’s story. Even through the point shaving scandal, you could tell he was a very good, decent man. I’ve thought about selling some of the other UK things I have now because of money, but I’m not ever going to get rid of this one! Gotta preserve the history.

Now, Rick Robey’s tube socks, which are owned by Garris Sullivan. Writes his nephew, Donald Cherry:

My uncle Garris Sullivan operated Young’s department store in Russell Springs, KY in 1978 when Rick Robey visited. He recently shared this photo with me from that time. Autographed Rick Robey tube socks from 1978. $2.00 price sticker still on the socks.

Think you can do better? Send us a picture of your unique “UK junk” along with the story behind it and we’ll post the best ones on the website. Email pictures to tylerthompson@kentuckysportsradio.com with the subject heading “Kentucky Pickers.”

When Matt and I heard Charles Ramsey will be in Stanville, Kentucky tomorrow, we knew what to do. It was a dead giveaway. Dead giveaway. So, we dropped our McDonald’s and called up the Eric C. Conn law office, the host of Ramsey’s appearance, and asked if we can show up with our radio equipment and salsa music. They agreed.

Ramsey will be our guest on Kentucky Sports Radio radio from 11:15 to 11:45 for #AskAnythingFriday. To top it all off, a statue of Ramsey will be unveiled at the Floyd Co. ceremony in his honor. The statue will be donated to a museum in Cleveland, unless they accept our offer to buy it.

It’s gonna be some mo’ KSR up in that house.

The writing has been on the wall since Mark Stoops got to Kentucky – he’s going to make an impact, and he’s working to do it as fast as he can. Another roadsign in the Stoops path to success here at UK is the recruiting success. ESPN now has UK’s 2014 football recuriting class at #22 … at least for now. Keep in mind there is plenty of time until that ever-tumultuous National Signing Day.

However, Drew Barker’s addition to what is looking to be a marquis class for the Wildcats was a huge boost. It is obviously worth noting that there are only 7 players currently committed for this class. The SEC currently has 10 teams in the Top 25, with Kentucky being the 9th of the 10 ranked, beating out only Vanderbilt. (The article differs from ESPN’s actual list here.) Still, this is a great sign for the future.

Picture by KSR listener Steve Meyer

If you didn’t hear this morning’s Kentucky Sports Radio, you really missed out. UK Hoops head coach Matthew Mitchell joined Matt and Ryan in-studio to host both hours, and as usual, he absolutely killed it. If Mitchell ever wants to retire from coaching, he definitely has a future in radio.

How good was he? Here are some teasers:

– He described how he wants his wife, Jenna, to give birth to their baby on the Rupp Arena floor during Midnight Madness

– He picked on Ryan

– He treats us to a little Hall & Oates and suggests that Calipari join him as dressing like the duo and performing at Big Blue Madness

– “Baby Bop’s got the big butt!”

– So much more…it’s so good, I might listen to it again.

LISTEN TO KENTUCKY SPORTS RADIO

Over the past five years, John Calipari has developed a reputation as the best recruiter in the nation. Since coming to Kentucky, he’s pulled in the number one class five years in a row. But, how big is the gap between Cal and the rest of the pack? I decided to put some cold hard numbers behind Cal’s case as the best coach to get players ready for the NBA.

I started with the top eight coaches still in the game: John Calipari, Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Bill Self, Billy Donovan, Tom Izzo, Rick Pitino and Jim Boeheim. This group includes the coaches who over the past decade have gotten the most 5 star talent to come to their school and who are still coaching at that school (thus no Ben Howland). I looked up all of the 5-star recruits they’ve brought in during the past decade and how each of those recruits fared in the NBA Draft (or, if they went undrafted). Picking 5 star talent is not a perfect indicator, as their are obviously differences between a player ranked #1 and those ranked #20 (where 5 star rankings usually end). But it is the best indicator of elite status and the players that most all of the top programs focus on recruiting. Because the 2013 draft hasn’t happened yet, I excluded the 2012 class, and developed a point system to determine which coach is most successful in getting players to the league.

The NBA Prep Point System

0 = Undrafted
1 = Drafted in the second round
2 = Drafted in the first round
3 = Lottery pick
4 = Top 5
5 = Number one pick

SIS = Still in school
D-2013 = Declared for 2013 draft

Why the different levels? I awarded zero points to players that came in as 5-stars and left school without being drafted. To me, that shows a lack of preparation by their coach for the league. This could also include players who were not drafted, but signed with a team later on.

I awarded one point to players who were drafted in the second round, since they do not receive guaranteed contracts. Two points go to players drafted in the first round, but not in the lottery, since those players receive guaranteed multi-year contracts. Three points to players selected in the lottery, or picks one through fourteen, and four points to player picked in the top five. The money payout for the top five picks is significantly more than the rest of the lottery picks, as is the pressure to go pro if that’s your projection. I awarded five points to players who went first because of the notoriety and money that comes with it, as well as the bragging rights that go to the school. I took the average of the players’ NBA Prep rank and assigned them to each coach. That number shows, on average, where each five-star recruit that plays for that coach goes in the NBA Draft.

The results

1. John Calipari, Kentucky/Memphis

Not surprisingly, Cal came out on top, in both his time at Kentucky, and the average of his two tenures at Memphis and UK. What Cal did at Memphis was impressive; on average, the five-star recruits he brought in went somewhere between picks 14-30, but what he is doing at Kentucky is astounding. Not only does Cal have the most five-star recruits in the past decade, he also has the most five-star recruits in the league, and the highest-ranked in the draft. That means five star recruits that come to UK under Calipari are ON AVERAGE PICKED IN THE LOTTERY. That is remarkable.

Keep in mind that Patrick Patterson was not included because he was technically a Tubby Smith/Billy Gillispie recruit, and Nerlens Noel and Archie Goodwin aren’t eligible because the 2013 draft hasn’t happened yet. If those numbers were included (with Patterson going in lottery and presumably Noel being the first pick), Calipari’s score would rise.

2. Roy Williams, North Carolina

On average, Roy Williams’ five-star recruits are drafted just outside the lottery, likely between picks 20-25. Cal and Roy are by far the two most successful coaches in getting their players to the league, and from there, it is a big dropoff.

3. Billy Donovan, Florida

Considering that Billy Donovan’s most successful NBA players were actually four-stars (Al Horford, Joakim Noah), his NBA Prep rank was still pretty high, thanks in large part to Bradley Beal. Donovan doesn’t land a lot of five-star recruits, but when he does, he succeeds in getting them to the league, on average in the second round.

4. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke

Coach K’s most successful NBA player is the one that went to the draft after one year (Kyrie Irving), which throws a little salt on his anti-one-and-done stance. The players that do stick around for a few years at Duke end up going from the mid-first round to early second, which would give him a higher average if Demarcus Nelson, Greg Paulus, and Brian Zoubek hadn’t gone undrafted.

T5. Bill Self, Kansas

* JR Giddens was recruited to Kansas by Roy Williams, but Bill Self persuaded him to stay when he was hired. Dave Padgett was also a member of Kansas 2003 class, but transferred to Louisville after his freshman year.

Bill Self came to Kansas in 2003 after Roy Williams left for North Carolina, and really hit his stride in 2005 with the Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, and Julian Wright class. Sherron Collins going undrafted hurt his rank, but Xavier Henry helped boost it, as will Andrew Wiggins. But on the whole, the performance of Bill Self with top players is surprisingly disappointing.

T5. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse

Boeheim’s early five-stars weren’t drafted, which really hurt his average. The rest of his five-stars have all gone in the first round, with Jonny Flynn being his highest five-star player drafted since Carmelo Anthony, at #6. Since Anthony was from the class of 2002, he was not included in the study.

7. Tom Izzo, Michigan State

Izzo has a reputation for recruiting three or four year players, which is reflected in his NBA Prep rankings. His only five-star player drafted was Shannon Brown, way back in 2003.

8. Rick Pitino, Louisville

Rick Pitino’s five-star recruits have been all over the place, with four going undrafted, one going late in the lottery, and Derrick Caracter barely squeaking into the second round in 2010.

Conclusion: The Kentucky Effect is a fact

Based on these numbers, John Calipari is not only the best recruiter in college basketball, he’s also the most successful when it comes to getting his players drafted. On average during his time at UK, he has turned five-star recruits into lottery picks. Even more, he’s helped several four-star recruits get there as well. Also these numbers seem to me to send a message to elite 5 star high school recruits. If you are in that group and want to be a high NBA Draft pick, Kentucky and North Carolina, based on track record, are the clear and obvious choices as destinations. My guess is that most schools don’t show these numbers to incoming players, but if I were John Calipari (and secondarily Roy Williams), I think I would. It is clear UK, followed by UNC, are the best places for the best of the best to reach the NBA.

Julius Mays just wrapped up his workout in Brooklyn today and Coach Cal couldn’t be more proud of the way his former guard performed in front of NBA personnel. Cal tweeted, “Just got done watching Julius Mays at the Nets’ combine. Julius played really well — and he played point guard! Julius had 18 points and six assists in just two 12-minute quarters. He played so well that people are probably wondering why I didn’t play him at point guard. Couldn’t be more proud of Julius.”

So now the only question is, WHY DIDN’T YOU PLAY HIM AT POINT GUARD?!!!

Just kidding. Good for Julius and we look forward to following him wherever he ends up.

Cats.

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, Anthony Davis has been invited to the Team USA mini-camp in late July in Las Vegas. Davis got a last minute chance to play for Team USA in the London Olympics last summer, and made the most of his opportunity, impressing the coaches and players so much that Coach K has invited him back for a mini-camp.

In case you missed it yesterday, Coach K announced he will return to coach Team USA in the World Cup of Basketball in Madrid in 2014 and the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro. During the press conference announcing his return, Coach K said that the staff is really going to focus on developing the best talent into the best team, which they haven’t had time to do in the past.

Hopefully, we’ll see plenty more former Cats on those rosters.

In case you forgot, here are some of Anthony’s highlights from last summer:

Hello, friends. I hope you’re well. You’ve got something on your mouth. No, the other side. No, higher. Not that high. Over to the right. No, my right. There. You got it. Is that motor oil? You’re so weird.

Friends, as we all know by now, the only thing worth talking about these days is our beloved Cats’ chances in the upcoming NBA Draft, of which it’s expected that fan fave Nerlens Noel may be headed to the pros before all of his draft class colleagues. Good for him. The NBA Draft, of course, is a traditionally giant affair which begins with the NBA Draft Lottery, which determines the order by which the to-be-drafted players will be picked. It’s one of the more interesting sports lottery drafts, to be sure, but it’s not the only one. Today let’s look at our list of Other Famous Drafts & Lotteries. Because really, why not? You don’t have to if you don’t want to. Feel free to just sit around looking out the window some more waiting for October. It’s a free country. As always, gang, have a great weekend and I’ll see you here again next week.

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The NBA Draft Lottery

What you should know: It’s like bingo for millionaires where you can win people.

This year: For the second time in three years, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have the number one pick in the NBA draft, and they’re expected to choose former UK Wildcat center Nerlens Noel. This brief respite from crippling depression, along with the opening of a new Quizno’s over by the bus station, is the only thing keeping citizens of Cleveland going until June.

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The Canadian Football Draft

What you should know: You know how, in movies sometimes, studios can’t use the names of actual football teams because they’re copyrighted, and so they make up a bunch of silly names that sound like they could kinda be football teams? That’s what every team in the Canadian Football League sounds like.

This year: The first pick of the CFL draft was Linden Gaydosh by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Gaydosh, as you likely know, formerly played for the Calgary Dinos and less than a week after being the first pick in the CFL draft he signed with the Carolina Panthers. The illustrious second pick of the CFL draft was Andy Mulumba to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers even though Mulumba had already signed with the Green Bay Packers. The tenth pick in the CFL draft was by an Ottowa team that doesn’t even have a name yet. This is how hilarious Canadian football is.

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Steven Gorsh’s Fantasy Baseball Draft Lottery

What you should know: Steven Gorsh founded his fantasy baseball league on Yahoo in 2010 and has been trying to discourage his brother-in-law Gary from being in it every year since because Gary never pays his dues.

This year: Gorsh’s Draft Lottery was held in his office workroom on March 22. He sent out an email asking if anyone would like to do it by conference call, but no one responded, so he just did it by himself. Everyone’s very excited about it now, but in a month and a half no one except Gorsh is going to care about this league at all, and he will constantly complain about it to his wife, who thinks he’s stupid.

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The Altoona, Pennsylvania Holiday Bowl Summer Bowling League Draft Lottery

What you should know: Last year the Holiday Bowl co-ed league  consisted of eight teams. League members in good standing continue to receive up to ten per cent off nachos and free refills for soft drinks ONLY.

This year: From the official league rules, please note that during the 2013 Summer Bowling League season teams must consist of four (4) players, with the minimum legal lineup consisting of two (2) eligible players of which two (2) must be from the team’s current roster. Also, whoever is urinating of the sink in the men’s restroom in the back corner next to the entrance to Shimmers Karaoke needs to stop; if you have any information on this issue please see Bill.

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The Delaware Lottery

What you should know: One out of every six instant scratch-off game tickets is a winner! Try new “Jumbo Bucks” or “Icy Hot 7’s” today!

This year:  Multi-win Lotto” numbers for May 22 were 07 12 15 16 17 29. The Mega Millions winning number was 02 15 17 48 55. Please play responsibly.

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Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”

What you should know: You do not want to win “The Lottery.”

This year: Bill Hutchinson drew the winning slip in the first round of the lottery, with his wife Tessie ultimately taking the grand prize, which she did not think was fair. Old Man Warner still thinks it is.

Julius Mays will see a familiar face in the crowd this morning as he works out in front of NBA GMs at the Nets’ combine; John Calipari is in the building to see his former shooting guard. Coach Cal made the Thursday morning trip to Brooklyn to watch Mays work out with other second round hopefuls in the five-on-five drills in the Barclays Center. The session is getting underway right about now.

John Calipari chatted with the Cleveland Plain Dealer last night about Nerlens Noel and what the Cavs will be getting if they draft him No. 1. Of course, Cal encouraged the Cavs to draft Nerlens first overall, but he also spoke highly of the Cavs GM and the job he’s done in Cleveland:

“They haven’t made mistakes,” Calipari said in a telephone interview on Wednesday, one day after the Cavs won the lottery to earn the No. 1 pick for the second time in three years. “If they pick him, in all likelihood, history tells you something: It’s not a mistake, which means it’s good for my kid.

“Chris Grant has been in our building more than any other GM. That’s no disrespect to any other GM. That’s just a fact. He and his staff are very thorough in what they’ve done. That’s why I say I hope he gets drafted by them.”

Cal was also asked about how Nerlens compares to Anthony Davis:

Asked to compare Noel and Davis, Calipari said, ”They’re just different. Anthony had more guard skills than Nerlens would have. Their shot blocking is about the same. Nerlens is more of a four/five, where Anthony could play some three. Nerlens could guard a three, but he’s not going to play that position. Anthony, if he had to, could play the three.”

And the interview wasn’t complete until he made his push for Nerlens to go No. 1:

“My hope is they take Nerlens because they do their research and say, ‘We need that shot blocker behind what we have. … We know he’s going to gain 40 pounds. We know the trajectory.’ They know where he was at the beginning of the year and they know how much he improved because they were here. They saw it. I don’t have to explain anything to Chris.”

You can read more from Cal’s conversation with the newspaper here.

It’s Matthew Mitchell time in the bluegrass!

Get to your radio devices immediately.

Join in on the fun by calling (502) 571-1080.

Listen to Kentucky Sports Radio

KSR Affiliate List

WAIN (93.9 fm) Columbia
WHIR (1230 am) Danville
WCLU (1490 am) Glasgow
WJKY (1060 am) Jamestown
WLAP (630 am) Lexington
WFMW (730 am) Madisonville
WFTM (1240 am) Maysville
WKYM (101.7 fm) Monticello
WMSK (101.3 fm) Morganfield
WKJK (1080 am) Louisville
WKYH (600 am) Paintsville
WLSI (900 am) Pikeville
WPRT (960 am) Prestonsburg
WSFC (1240 am) Somerset
WTCW (920 am) Whitesburg
WBTH (1400 am) Williamson, WV

On Delay…

WBGN (1340 am) Bowling Green 3-5 pm
WKFC (101.9 fm) London 6-8 pm
WLBQ (1570 am) Morgantown 3-5 pm
WRIL (106.3 fm) Middlesboro Thur 8-10 pm
WKYQ (1560 am) Paducah 5-7 pm

A source tells KSR that UK fans’ favorite reporter, CBSSports.com’s Jeff Goodman has been offered a job by ESPN to join Andy Katz as their lead college basketball reporter. The source tells KSR that Goodman would write for the website and join Katz as the main sideline presence for college basketball games on the network. Katz is looking at expanding his role with ESPN and Goodman could become the face you see the most when watching college basketball on the network. If Goodman takes the job, it could be especially interesting to see what happens with UK’s relationship with the network as we all know about Calipari and Goodman’s difficulties in the past.

I have not heard if Goodman will take the job and when I sought him out for comment, I was unable to reach him. More Jeff Goodman possibly? The Big Blue Nation cant wait….

The excitement surrounding Mark Stoops and the football program is really amazing, considering where the program dipped at the end of the Joker Phillips era.  Recruiting has been a boom, which is always a good place to start.  It seems the right assistant hires were made, and there is a new passion from the fanbase surrounding the program.  But moreso in football than in basketball, there is a rigid hierarchy in the SEC standings that tends to follow a similar trend year after year after year.  And Kentucky has unfortunately been on the wrong side of that hierarchy for a long time.  For example, here is where each team in the SEC has finished in their division over the last 10 SEASONS.  Missouri and Texas A&M were left out of this breakdown:

EAST DIVISION
Georgia: 1, 1, 3, 2, 2, 1, 3, 1, 2, 1
Florida: 2, 3, 2, 1, 1, 3, 1, 3, 3, 3
Tennessee: 6, 6, 4, 3, 5, 2, 2, 5, 1, 2
South Carolina: 3, 2, 1, 5, 4, 5, 5, 2, 4, 4
Kentucky: 7, 5, 5, 4, 6, 4, 4, 6, 5, 5
Vanderbilt: 4, 4, 6, 6, 3, 6, 6, 4, 6, 6

WEST DIVISION
LSU: 2, 1, 3, 2, 3, 1, 3, 1, 2, 1
Alabama: 1, 2, 4, 1, 1, 5, 4, 3, 3, 5
Auburn: 7, 4, 1, 5, 5, 2, 2, 2, 1, 3
Arkansas: 6, 3, 2, 4, 4, 3, 1, 4, 4, 4
Ole Miss: 5, 6, 6, 3, 2, 6, 5, 6, 5, 2
Mississippi State: 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 4, 6, 5, 6, 6

Let’s take the East Division first.  Consider that in 5 of the 10 seasons, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee have finished 1-2-3 in some order.  Half of the seasons, the top half of the division have been occupied by the same 3 teams.  Florida and Georgia have finished in the Top 3 in the conference in ALL 10 SEASONS.  In fact, Florida and Georgia have both been in the top 3 of the SEC East division EVERY YEAR since 1997.  And when you take Vanderbilt and Kentucky, in their 20 seasons combined, they have finished 3rd or better in the conference ONCE.  In those 20 seasons, that is 5 combined head coaches amongst the schools.  Multiple men have tried and failed to bring those 2 schools out of the East Division cellar.  Now, in the last 3 years, South Carolina has replaced Tennessee as the 3rd power in the division, but that hasn’t meant much upward mobility from UK and VU.

In the West, LSU has roamed the top of the league for the entire 10 year stretch, finishing in the Top 3 every year.  Alabama has certainly stabilized over the last 5 years with no end in sight.  Auburn and Arkansas have generally lingered in the middle of the division (besides Auburn’s national champion year) and then the Mississippi schools sit at the bottom of the division nearly every year.  What’s amazing is people think Dan Mullen has done a fantastic job at Mississippi State but they have never finished above 4th in that division.

What about recruiting?  Where has each school finished in the recruiting rankings within the conference over the last 6 years?

Alabama: 1, 1, 3, 2, 1, 1
LSU: 5, 3, 4, 4, 2, 3
Florida: 3, 2, 9, 1, 10, 4
Georgia: 4, 6, 2, 7, 3, 2
Auburn: 7, 4, 1, 3, 6, 5
South Carolina: 10, 5, 6, 8, 5, 8
Tennessee: 12, 10, 5, 6, 4, 9
Ole Miss: 6, 14, 8, 7, 10, 7
Mississippi St: 9, 7, 11, 5, 10, 8
Arkansas: 11, 8, 7, 9, 9, 6
Kentucky: 14, 11, 10, 11, 11, 11
Vanderbilt: 8, 13, 12, 12, 12, 12

Remember the HAVE’s in the list above of conference finishes?  Florida, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, and Auburn.  Look at the 5 teams with the best recruiting success over the last 6 years.  I think you’ll find some similarities.  Now, you might say that it’s obvious that recruiting success relates to on-field success.  Which is true.  Not breaking any barriers with that theory.  But the point is, there seems to be little movement on the teams who do the best in recruiting, which leads to the wins.  A group of 5 teams essentially hog all the wins in the league, all the recruiting success in return, and the cycle repeats.

So what does that mean for Kentucky?  Well, it means it will require your PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE.  I think taking a look at South Carolina is a perfect example.  Steve Spurrier is one of the best coaches in the game and it took him SIX SEASONS to see real success there.  Mark Stoops has quite the uphill battle ahead of him.  But so do the fans.  Because you are going to have to remain patient with this program if you want to see real success.  Are you will to take 2 or 3 straight 5 and 6 win seasons with the hopes of 7, 8, and 9 win seasons after that?  I certainly hope so, because that is almost certainly going to be the case.

Oh, by the way, Mark Stoops’s 2014 class currently ranks 9th in the SEC.  Or, the best spot in the league rankings in 7 years.  Not a bad start.

Follow me on twitter @BryantheIntern

In three short days, we will finally hear the familiar pings of the ukulele heralding the return of one of television’s greatest comedies, “Arrested Development.”

After seven years, the beloved cult classic will be back on the air…sort of. Netflix has kindly purchased the rights to the show, which means it’s time to dig out one of those old postcards with the code for the free trial if you’re not already a Netflix subscriber (and really, who isn’t these days?). If you’ve never seen “Arrested Development,” you’re really missing out. It’s the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. But it’s so much more than that. It’s GOB’s failed magic tricks, the chicken dance, it’s Steve Holt!, it’s never nudes, it’s the banana stand, it’s “no touching!”, it’s the sad Charlie Brown song, it’s…it’s just so good. “Modern Family” is just about the only dysfunctional family comedy I’ve seen that compares, and even then, I don’t laugh as much.

Why did this awesome television show go off the air? Like so many great shows before it (“Sports Night” comes to mind), it got all the critical acclaim (six Emmys and one Golden Globe), but none of the ratings. After three seasons, it was canceled. As each of the characters has said, Fox “made a huge mistake.”

Over the past seven years, fans have been teased by rumors of its return and a possible movie (a script reportedly exists), and on Sunday, the show will return for fifteen glorious episodes. Trust me, that’s plenty of time to catch up. It’s the final countdown!

Uber “AD” freaks will appreciate this giant infogram of the show’s running gags.

Like most of this week, news on Wednesday was slower than a Sunday afternoon on Papa Brooks’ porch. But when has that stopped us?

— In lieu of news, we speculated about what the Cleveland Cavaliers would do with the number one pick in the draft. Chad Ford still has Nerlens going first to the Cavs, but says that the team is investigating trading their pick to little interest. While many feel Otto Porter would be the ideal fit in Cleveland, John Calipari told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that Cavs GM Chris Grant scouted Noel more than any other GM last winter, which bodes well for him heading to the city by the lake. Taking Nerlens wouldn’t do much for the Cavs in the short-term since Nerlens will be out at least until Christmas, but it would increase their chances at getting a high pick in next year’s loaded lottery. For now, it still remains very likely that the Cavs will chose Nerlens, so get used to seeing him in red and yellow.

— In case you were curious as to why none of Kentucky’s six McDonald’s All-Americans were on the FIBA U19 World Championships rosters, it’s because they declined the invitation in order to come to Lexington to prepare for next season. Cal told The Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy that the decision was all their own: “Most of it is, they didn’t want to play. I’m not forcing kids to do anything. I think the reason they all turned it down is, they want to get started.” Willie Cauley-Stein also turned down an invitation to play for Team USA during the World University Games, citing the need to prepare for the spotlight in the fall. Kyle Wiltjer will try out for the Canadian National Team, but Calipari says he fully supports that decision. All of the players will be back on campus in June to start the summer session.

They’re not even in Lexington yet, but I’m endlessly impressed with the freshman class’ attitudes towards the upcoming season. Last year, we learned the dangers of high expectations, but this group seems to possess a “come at me” attitude that their predecessors lacked. Even more important may be the returning players’ vigor to come back and finish business. The loss to Robert Morris planted a seed of revenge within each of them, and combined with the freshmen’s confidence and “alpha male” attitude, that could be a very, very potent brew. Willie said it best when he said “this is not the summer for me to do this stuff. I just can’t wait to get back. I want to get prepared.”

— It looks like we’ll have to wait a little while longer for John Calipari to get a shot at coaching Team USA. Coach K announced that he will return to coach the Olympic Team in 2016. Here’s a fun question: how many former Cats will be on that team?

Meanwhile, Cal, I thought we agreed that you would throw out this shirt after the Wildcat Lodge video??

— In other non-UK news, 2014 star Theo Pinson committed to UNC on Wednesday, picking the Heels over Indiana, Louisville, Duke and Georgetown. Pinson is the 13th best player in the 2014 class and while Kentucky was never really a contender for his services, it still feels good to see Indiana get slighted. Tom Crean and the Hoosiers wanted Pinson badly, but the talented small forward chose Roy Williams instead. Maybe he was afraid of being kissed on the mouth by a man?

— On Thursday, Julius Mays will be working out at the Brooklyn Nets’ league-wide combine. He’s scheduled to go on at 11:15 a.m., so be sure to tune into KSR to see how Uncle Julius does. He may not be a John Wall or a Nerlens Noel, but he gave it his all for Kentucky for one season, and I will always root for that.

— Finally, two epic days of KSR Radio begin on Thursday, first with MATTHEW MITCHELL in-studio with Matt to co-host (cue up the Kelly Clarkson, Shannon!), and on Friday, the gang will travel to Floyd County to meet Charles Ramsey, who will spend a half hour talking about ribs, salsa music, and dead giveaways. Don’t miss out.

Jodie Meeks is back on campus this summer to work on his degree. Though this hurts the narrative journalists would like you to believe about college athletes that leave school early, UK basketball’s twitter account (@KentuckyMBB) tweeted the above picture of Jodie in the UK basketball offices today along with the following message:

Always good to see family back in Lex! @jmeeks20 back taking classes and adding to the #successrate #54 twitter.com/KentuckyMBB/st…

— Kentucky Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) May 22, 2013

I don’t know what the hash tag “#54″ means. Maybe it’s an estimate of the percentage Meeks would’ve shot from three point range had he stayed for his final season. Or maybe it’s just a shout out to Patrick Patterson.

To me, Jodie’s early departure is the biggest “what if” thus far in Calipari’s tenure. If he would have stayed, I doubt we lose to West Virginia in the Elite Eight. And I bet we win the title. Even without Jodie we were the best team left in that tournament. If Coach Cal could’ve kept Jodie around Lexington I think the incoming kids would be tweeting about getting ten instead of nine.

But, we can’t go back and change it now.  I think I speak for the BBN when I say good on you Jodie. Way to set an example. I can’t say I’d be doing the same if I was an NBA star making tons of money. Best of luck in class. Don’t let J. Cole continue to distract you.

Power trip by J Cole keeps gettin stuck in my head and I’m tryna take notes in class lol…”Got me up all night!” haha

— Jodie Meeks (@Jmeeks20) May 22, 2013

In closing, here is one of my favorite moments from the career of Jodie Meeks. It combines an incredible move from a game in which Jodie had 40+ points with a legendary quote from one of my favorite announcers, Bill Raftery.

@AFlenerKSR

Barring a trade or some unforeseeable rise from another lottery prospect, Nerlens Noel’s NBA career, like the careers of Bone Thugz-N-Harmony, will begin in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cleveland Cavaliers franchise won the rights to the first overall pick and Noel is the clear-cut favorite to hear his name called first by commissioner David Stern in next month’s NBA draft. For Noel, it will be a dream come true to finally wear the hat of an NBA team as that franchise’s big investment, while shaking hands and posing for pictures in the Barclays Center on the biggest night of his life. Millions of people, many from similar beginnings, grew up with dreams of what will soon become Noel’s reality, but very few live it. It’s truly a remarkable and well-deserved accomplishment.

And the part about moving to Cleveland?

No one wants that. Not one person in the history of ever grew up with dreams of one day living in Cleveland, Ohio. But that’s the price Nerlens Noel will pay to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. You’ll get used to it, big man.

So in order to fully prepare Noel for life ahead in The Cleve, I put a phone call in to the Cleveland tourism board and had our friends there create a guide to the city for him. Consider it our way of saying thanks to the young man who did so much in his short stint in the bluegrass. I hope it helps.

**********

Welcome to Cleveland, Nerlens!

Nestled up here in northern Ohio on the southern banks of one of those Great Lakes, you’ll find the city of Cleveland, the second-largest city in Buckeyeland. “Under Construction since 1868″, the locals say, Cleveland is a manufacturing city and home to many large companies such as Applied Industrial Technologies, Eaton, Forest City Enterprises, Sherwin-Williams Company and KeyCorp. Even NASA maintains a facility in Cleveland! Maybe they can track down one or two of those basketballs you’re going to swat to outer-space!

Maybe you’ve heard of us?

The Drew Carey Show was based out of Cleveland for its nine-year run on ABC.

But it began the same year you were born.

Hmmm… You watch Glee?  No. OK.

First things first, let’s get that hair touched up.

Don’t worry, big guy. The flat-top isn’t going anywhere. You just need to trim the Cavaliers logo into the back.

I recommend Mr. C’s Cutz Barber Shop because it has a YouTube video, or any of Cleveland’s 62 GreatClips locations.

Now meet our celebrities!

It’s important to avoid the drifters — except that one with the golden radio voice, he’s OK — and stick to Clevelanders with a similar social status and tax bracket. Keep in mind, some of these people were born in Cleveland and moved away, but you’ll still see them from time to time:

– Halle Berry – Now we have your attention!

– Mike Golic – I wouldn’t recommend his show, but he’s a good guy to have around when he isn’t talking

– Kid Cudi – I know you like “Day ‘N Nite”

– Machine Gun Kelly – This one’s a reach

– The Miz – Not a pro wrestling guy? What about The Real World: Season 10?

There are so many stars in Cleveland.

Time for activities!

There are plenty of things to do when you aren’t leading the Cavaliers to the playoffs:

– Tour the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame

– Go sailing on Lake Erie

– Hear the Cleveland Orchestra

– Leave Cleveland and do something somewhere else

So many options!

Things you should learn…

If you’re going to be a true Clevelander, there are 10 facts you should know about the city:

1. LeBron James is gone.

2. A Cleveland radio DJ coined the term “Rock N’ Roll” in the 50s

3. Cleveland became the world’s first city to be fully-lighted electrically in 1879

4. Cleveland is home to the world’s largest indoor Ferris wheel, built in 1985. It stands more than 120 feet high.

5. The world’s largest rubber stamp has a home in Cleveland’s Willard Park.

6. The actual home from A Christmas Story is in Cleveland. It was purchased on eBay and renovated to an exactly replica of the movie setting.

7. America’s first traffic light was installed in Cleveland in 1914.

8. East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland was the site of the first pedestrian button for the control of a traffic light.

9. The city is often called “The Mistake On The Lake.”

10. LeBron James might come back.

Now go get us to the playoffs!

See you in December, right?

Kyrie is waiting and could use a hand — a really, really big hand.