The always venerable Wikipedia defines an expatriate as “a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country or culture other than that of the person’s upbringing.” In other words, they’re strangers in a strange land. University of Kentucky fans have always identified themselves as members of “Big Blue Nation,” and in many cases, the BBN really CAN be found almost anywhere your travels take you. With that in mind, the series “The Ex-Pats of Big Blue Nation” will profile those Kentucky fans who have moved away from the Bluegrass State for whatever reason, asking how they’ve managed to maintain their devotion and fanhood despite living in areas where every exhibition game isn’t televised or where no one in the neighborhood understands the significance of the date April 2, 2012. Today, say hello to Matt in San Diego, who has also spent time in Japan. Read on and enjoy hearing about life as a UK fan outside of Kentucky.

Let’s start with the basics. Please state your name, where you’re from, and current location for the official record. No need for exact addresses, I don’t want to get you in trouble on the Internet.

Matt from Georgetown, KY and currently living in San Diego, CA.

How did you get from Point A (Kentucky) to Point B (where you are now)?

I moved to San Diego after accepting a position with an e-commerce company headquartered here.  Even though it meant leaving my family and home state, it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.  I accepted this role with a new company after completing a 2 year assignment with another company in Japan.

What team’s fans dominate your area? (College or professional)

In this part of the country, I would use the term “fan” very, very loosely.  However, I must give some credit where credit is due and I’d say the most passionate fans that dominate the area here are for the San Diego State Aztecs.  After that, I’d have to say Chargers and honestly I won’t even include the Padres because they have zero legitimate fans and are just brutally awful to watch.

Was it a hard adjustment going from living where everyone knows every detail about UK sports, to where people may conceivably think UK and Louisville are the same team?

The adjustment was very hard and continues to be hard.  The passion about sports here is not even in the same conversation as the passion that UK fans have and I miss that excitement and build up, not just for game day but hitting refresh on KSR every 10 seconds just to see where a recruit might be leaning.  The sporting events here are more about being seen than seeing your team and that can really get me down.  Fortunately for me, my girlfriend Molly has become a UK fan and does watch all the games with me.  I would like to make sure she gets a big shout out as she is a total trooper, putting up with all my nonsense about not being able to miss a single minute of a game (no matter where we are or what we are doing we MUST get home….can’t miss the opening tip).  She has even become a big fan herself and knows all the players, nothing short of a miracle for a girl from the San Francisco area.  One interesting tidbit and new connection we now have:  Marcus Lee, who is joining UK this coming season, went to the same high school as she did.

How many Kentucky fans would you say are in your general vicinity? Is there a local UK alumni group or bar?

I have met one, count them one, legitimate displaced UK fan out here but I haven’t really seen many more.  Unfortunately there are no UK Alumni bars in San Diego (the closest one is in Los Angeles).

How do you show off your fandom while living away from Kentucky?

Aside from purchasing the most expensive satellite TV package available just to make sure I never miss a game, I have an “I Heart UK” sign above my desk at work, a UK magnet on my desk drawer at work, a UK calendar on my desk at work and during any given week I wear 2-3 UK t-shirts to work.  I make sure to wear my UK gear out in public any time anything relating to Kentucky is happening.

What’s the hardest thing about being a fan outside of the geographic BBN? The best thing?

The hardest thing for me is not being able to share in the joy of other people when UK wins a game and not being able to actually attend a game or watch at a local bar anytime I want.  The best thing is that I honesty feel it is my duty to make sure everyone out here knows who the best team is and show my support.

What has been your favorite memory as a UK fan?

My favorite memory as a UK fan (I’m only 31 years old so I can’t go back too far) would probably be the 1996 title run and watching Tony Delk just light everyone up they played.  I clearly enjoyed the title from two seasons ago and that was a really special moment as it was the first one I’ve been able to enjoy as an adult.

What do you do for games?

For games I always wear my UK basketball shirt and I always make sure my girlfriend has hers on as well.  If I’m at home, the sound must be as loud as I can possibly stand and that doesn’t solicit complaints from my neighbors.  If I am at a bar, I always call ahead to make sure a) they will have the game on and b) they will have sound.  I absolutely cannot watch a game without sound, hate it.  Unfortunately around here, it wouldn’t be uncommon for a UK game to be on ESPN or CBS and have it nowhere to be found playing in a bar.  That makes me very sad.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to follow a game live?

The craziest thing I’ve ever done to follow a game live happened while I was living in Japan.  Before moving to San Diego and accepting a position with my current company, I worked for two years in Japan on assignment with another company.  During that time, UK was playing Clemson in the Music City Bowl and I really, really wanted to be home to watch the game.  Within a 3 day period, I had acquired my 5 days of vacation time from work, purchased a plane ticket, and flew from Japan to Lexington (then drove from Lexington to Nashville) to watch the game.  I returned to Japan just a few days later.  With regards to a basketball game, there were multiple occasions where I’d go out to my car in the parking garage at work to listen to games online (remember, Japan is 12ish hours ahead of US time, depending on what time of year it is).  So a 7pm game on ESPN would begin at 7am for me (the next day).

How do you keep up with UK news without the local media readily accessible?

During my time in Japan, it was all about KSR and also Slingbox had just come out not too long before that.  Now, it is all about satellite TV and having access to any channel at any time.  If I am not around a computer or TV, I always have my phone and can generally find a way to listen or watch from there.

I don’t know what Slingbox is, but it sounds hip. If I embark on a cross-country road trip with my friends, a la Britney Spears in Crossroads, do you have a UK-themed room I can stay in?

Absolutely.  I live in a one bedroom condo in downtown San Diego so it’s not very palatial but my living room does have all of the following: framed Anthony Davis poster (the one with his arms outstretched), framed Sports Illustrated cover with MKG and Davis, framed Herald-Leader celebration photo the day after the title game two seasons ago, and a UK throw blanket.

Done. See you this summer. Since becoming an ex-pat, have you returned to Kentucky to watch the team play or seen the team play live in a different area? Any stories there? You mentioned flying back from Japan simply for a UK football bowl game. That, is dedication.

I came back last year with my girlfriend just before Thanksgiving to visit family and we did manage to get tickets to the Lafayette game.  We are planning to come home this year for New Year’s and if it is the last thing I do on this earth I WILL get tickets to the UK/UL game at Rupp.  The absolute craziest thing, as I mentioned, was flying across the world to watch a football game.  I remember it was absolutely freezing cold for that game.  However, I do have some cool photos.  I purchased tickets on StubHub that were around the 50 yard line and literally the first row off the field.  I figured if I was going to travel that far I might as well have good seats. I also was able to heckle the Clemson punter throughout the entire game as his kicking net was just in front of us.  I don’t recall the website but we were able to find on our phones a diary blog the punter kept and maintained with some great material in it.  He actually seemed to enjoy it as he was laughing along with us.

How do the locals respond to your fandom?

The most confusing looks and questions I get were about the Anthony Davis poster at my desk at work (before I framed it and took it home).  People also cannot believe anyone would go so far as to frame magazine and newspaper articles and display them so prominently in their home.  These things I have framed at home aren’t tucked away in some bedroom but they are displayed above my couch in the living room.  Being from Kentucky, the fan in all of us is not something we learned or decided to do.  We were all born UK fans and grew up watching the Cats, there just wasn’t any other way around it.  It just isn’t the same out here.

You have been shown on KSR atop Mount Fuji, which you climbed with a blown up picture of Billy Clyde. This is not a question, I just really need to hear the story behind this.

I came into the office when I was working in Japan one morning and read the headline about Billy Clyde’s arrest from the night before.  My coworker and I had already been planning a hike up Mt. Fuji for weeks and as it turned out we were going to leave work early that day to make the drive to the mountain and hike overnight (hiking overnight or at least starting the evening/afternoon before is preferred as it is considered good luck to see the sunrise from the top).  I couldn’t stop laughing all morning at the mugshot photo so I decided to print his image out on the biggest paper I could find and take it to the top with me so I could have a unique photo to send to KSR for consideration as UK fan of the day (that was really the motivating factor).  I did manage to pack one beer with me to display in the photo next to Clyde’s mugshot which turned out well, along with my UK shirt and hat.  One thing that happened which I totally didn’t expect were all the Japanese people at the top of the mountain asking to have their photo taken with myself and Clyde.  Japanese culture is generally very standoff-ish and they wouldn’t normally approach someone like this but I did speak the language, which I think helped them feel more comfortable.  There is nothing quite like a Clyde mugshot on the top of Mt. Fuji with 10 different people standing around throwing up the peace sign.

I once gave you recommendations for pizza places in Chicago. Were my suggestions satisfactory?

You recommended Orange for breakfast/brunch and Lou Malnati’s for deep dish.  Due to my time constraints during my work trip, I was only able to try Lou Malnati’s.  It changed my life so I am forever in your debt (and so are the 6 coworkers I dragged there with me).  I had literally never tried a deep dish pizza in my life before then.  Now, I only order deep dish from a place called Berkeley Pizza here in San Diego which my girlfriend introduced me to.  So, she thanks you as well for turning me onto it.

You are quite welcome. What advice do you have for anyone who may be considering a move from Kentucky who is concerned about missing out on following UK?

Technology these days allows us to pretty much keep up with any game, if you choose to.  I get so much satisfaction, in a weird way really, being one of the sole UK fans in my particular area.  It generates conversations with strangers and I enjoy all the “shaking heads” when I cheer too loud or seem too wrapped up in a sports team where the outcome of the game can literally affect my mood the rest of the day.

Any general stories that the readers of KSR would be interested to hear about living as a BBN ex-pat? 

No other particular stories but I’d like to throw some praise KSR’s way.  During my time in Japan, my only really easy connections to all things UK was KSR.  I would literally (zero exaggeration here) wake up each morning there, roll over to turn off the alarm, pick up my phone and pull up KSR to read on what I’d missed from the previous night.  At my office, due to the amount of screens I needed to have open at any one time, I was given two monitors.  One monitor was my KSR dedicated monitor which had the refresh button hit on it somewhere around 20 times per day if I had to guess.  I know KSR has grown from a small idea into something much larger (radio, ridiculous tennis coverage not too far from my house, etc.) but please don’t ever forget just how many of us out there use your site to feed the typical insatiable appetite for anything, and I mean anything, UK.  When you aren’t fortunate enough to live in Kentucky, there really isn’t another website out there that gives you what KSR does and I think that is a very good thing.

Are you a BBN ex-pat who likes talking about yourself? Email me at kristenmgeil@gmail.com

Without a doubt UK is going to be the favorite to hang banner number nine next season. The class is stacked, the team is loaded, and the staff is ready for revenge on all the teams that stole one last year. The team is going to be crazy good, so good that the second starting five would be a top 20 team in the nation. Assuming the staring 5 is going to be The Harrisons, Poythress, Randle and WCS then that would make the next five

1. Polson

2. Young

3. Wiltjer

4. Lee

5. Johnson

Four McDonalds All-Americans and a senior point guard who has battled against the likes of Brandon Knight and Marquis Teague. That’s arguably the best group coming off the bench in the history of college basketball. But where would it land amongst the starting fives around the country? This week on the radio show Matt and Ryan said that team would easily be picked to finish third in the SEC behind the first five and Florida. I’d say that’s pretty hard to argue with. How about on the national scene? Let’s take a look.

A few weeks ago Jason King of ESPN listed his top 20 for next season as follows:

Kentucky

Louisville

Michigan State

Arizona

Duke

Ohio State

Florida

Syracuse

Michigan

Oklahoma St

UNC

Wichita St

VCU

Memphis

Marquette

New Mexico

Gonzaga

Baylor

Tennessee

Indiana

King wrote this piece before Wiggins committed and before UT lost Golden but besides that I’d say this list is pretty solid. So where would the second five be ranked. I don’t think they would be there among the top ten. That group is made up of Final Four teams, solid returning players, and the great teams next year. Our second five could probably play with them but there is just too many unknowns to say they would be better than those top 11 teams. After that things open up a bit more and I could see our second group settling in around with those mid-majors. VCU, Memphis, and Gonzaga won’t have close to the level of talent of that second group and I think it’s safe to say our second group would be ranked in the top fifteen.

When you can say that about the second five off the bench then you know it’s going to be a fun year. Where would you place that group of backups?

When the playoffs began ten Cats had hopes of playing for a NBA title but now there is just one player with a chance to bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy and one GM still in the hunt. First up is the man Pat Riley who looks to add yet another ring to his already impressive collection.  The Heat are looking to win back-to-back titles and head to their third straight finals since acquiring Lebron. So far they have looked untouchable as they have only dropped one game in the playoffs and have only lost three games in the past three months. Riley and the Heat are the odds on favorites to win but first they may need to take down yet another Kentucky guy.

Frank Vogel and his Pacers are back in action tonight against the Knicks as they try to determine the final spot in the conference championships. Vogel is a UK grad who was an assistant with the Cats in the 90s. The Pacers had the series under control until George Hill went down with a concussion. The Knicks took game five and will try to send the series back to NY with a win tonight. That game tips off at 8:30.

Tayshaun is the only remaining former Cat still alive in the playoffs. Prince capped off the elimination of the Thunder with the monster dunk pictured above.  Prince is averaging 8 points per game and has been a major factor on the defensive side of the ball for the rejuvenated Grizzlies. It was just two years ago that the Grizz tanked the final games of the season so they could take on the Spurs in the 1-8 matchup. Memphis was able to win that series in the rare 8 seed upset before falling to the Thunder. Now the two teams will face off again for the Western Conference crown. I’m taking the Grizz in this one.

With three former Cats still hanging around in the playoffs the chances are very good that a Cat is going to win a ring. The only question is will it be a player, coach, or GM? No matter what it creates a nice diversion as we patiently wait for the ride to 40-0 to begin.

Well it sure isn’t the Derby but the second leg of the triple crown is underway today with Orb ready to make a run at glory. Much like the Derby two weeks ago it’s a sloppy overcast day in Baltimore which should make for an amazing time in the infield. Here’s what you need to know to get ready for Pimlico:

Who are the favorites?

1. Orb 4-5

2. Goldencents 8-1

3. Titletown Five 16-1

4. Departing 10-1

5. Mylute 8-1

6. Oxbow 14-1

7. Will Take Charge 9-1

8. Govenor Charlie 10-1

9. Itsmyluckyday 8-1

Battle the Rail

If Orb is going to win the second leg of the crown then he will have to overcome the rail in addition to the field to do so. Only one horse has ever won the Preakness after staring in the 1 spot but everyone seems to think Orb is a lock to become the second. Nine horses have won the first two legs since 97, Orb will look to make it 10.

Lexington Native Shug McGaughey in the Spotlight

“The Kentucky Derby was on my list. I’m not sure the Triple Crown was,” those are the words of Shug who has been launched to the forefront of horse racing. He finally got his wish of capturing the Derby but now he has a chance to be forever etched into the history books with Orb.

So who are you taking in the Preakness today? Post your picks in the comment section below so we can figure up how much money you won after the race.

Update

Oxbow takes the Preakness in an upset after leading from wire to wire!

There’s a gift already wrapped and sitting under a NBA GM’s tree and that gift is a 7-foot shot blocker with a flattop. Kinda hard to tell with all that wrapping paper. Noel has spent the week getting ready for the NBA draft and spoke with the AP about his recovery process

Noel said he is ”ahead of schedule,” but being ready for a season opener is overly optimistic and Christmas is more of a target date.

”I’ve started to shoot some free throws the last week with a different type of brace on,” said Noel, who has yet to start running again in his rehab. ”I’m 100 percent confident of not just gaining what I had but definitely being stronger, coming back better. During this time that I won’t be playing basketball I’ll just be working on a lot of things that I needed to polish when I was playing.” [...]

”It’s an injury you’ve got to be mindful of,” he said. ”You can’t try to rush back from it. You want to have longevity in your career, just be careful with it.”

Noel said he’ll be particularly careful about the mental aspect of being comfortable with his return.

”As much as you want to be back, you want to be playing as long as you can in the NBA and not have to reinjure yourself and go through all this again,” he said.

Knees aren’t something you want to mess around with, just ask Greg Oden, but it’s good to hear that Nerlens is ahead of schedule. After seeing him go down at Florida you had to think the guy’s career could be on the line. Now Noel could be back for Christmas (heh) after being the number one pick in the draft. It’s hard to imagine a better possible outcome for the flattop fella.

@ACassady_KSR

The headline “Berrios’ 5 TDs carry Pride to Victory” from the Midtown Raleigh News speaks for itself.

Wide Receiver

5’9”, 180 lbs.
Westchester, NC

Rivals: #33 WR
Scout: #84 WR
247: #37 ATH, #12 in player NC

Choosing between UK and: Clemson, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virgina, and Virginia Tech

Twitter: @HNYNUT_BERRIOS

After announcing his commitment to play for the University of Kentucky, Northern Kentucky QB Drew Barker vowed to reach out to his peers to make the best recruiting class in the history of Kentucky football. In the coming weeks I will be breaking down some of the players on Barker’s wish list. “Who’s Drew Barkin’ At?” may be a grammatically awful pun ending in a preposition, but I just can’t help myself. Past profiles: Derek Kief

“@hnynut_berrios: This @uk2014class page is taking stuff to a whole different level…#respect” WE WANT YOU!

— UK 2014 Fball Class (@UK2014Class) May 15, 2013

Braxton Berrios has been heralded by national recruiting writers as a clone of Wes Welker. They see a mini-Wes Welker, I see a Randall Cobb/Dicky Lyons. Berrios is listed as an athlete because he does what Randall Cobb does: EVERYTHING. His agility allows him to stop on a dime, making it difficult for defenses whether he is catching passes in the slot, as QB of the Wildcat, or running the ball on an end-around.The proof lies in the stats: last year he finished with 1,142 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns while catching 10 touchdowns on 766 yards receiving. Berrios combines Cobb-like athleticism with the same hard-nosed football mentality that Dicky Lyons brought to the field. His hit at the 3:58 mark of his highlight tape reminds me of Lyons’ big hit in the 2007 LSU game. You gotta love a little guy that plays with no fear.

Berrios’ ability to use the open-field to make hard cuts and elude defenders will make him a great fit for Neal Brown’s offense. A majority of the passing yards will come from wide receivers turning 4-yard routes into 10-yard gains, making Berrios the perfect fit at slot receiver. If Berrios can’t find the field immediately at wideout, he will have the chance to play a key role in special teams. Even if he isn’t returning kicks, rest assured he will be flying down the field on kickoffs/punts for the big homerun hit.

-@RoushKSR

If you’re in the Lexington-area it’s still not too late to head out to John Cropp Stadium to help the Cats advance to tomorrow’s Regional Final. If you aren’t in the Lexington-area or you don’t want to spend $20 for a ticket, you can watch the Regional Semi-final vs. Virginia Tech on ESPN3 at 1:00. The #12 Wildcats may have taken an early lump in the SEC Tournament, but after a bases-loaded walk-off win against Marshall last night the Cats are looking to build some momentum for a deep run into the post-season.

If that short paragraph wasn’t enough to light a fire under your butt and get you to the park, you can watch Nikki Sagermann’s game-winning hit below at the 2:45 mark. If that still doesn’t work you can always be there in heart by listening to the game on 105.5 FM, or online here.

Timmons finishes strong in the final-leg of the 100M. (h/t The State Journal)

Neal Brown has marveled at incoming freshman Ryan Timmons speed on the football field. Yesterday Timmons reinforced Brown’s beliefs by taking home the AA State Title in the 100M and 200M. Timmons successfully pulled off the 3-peat in the 100M, finishing in 11.06 seconds.

While re-claiming his title in 100M was important, Timmons showed his competitive nature by focusing primarily on winning the 200M, a race he fell just short of winning the year before. “I lost last year and I had something to prove. It was kind of disappointing and that’s what I’ve been working for, to show people how fast I was.” After hearing Cal recently preach and preach about toughness, you can appreciate Timmons’ competitive “headhunter” mentality that will be brought to football team in the fall.

(@SRsixstix)

This morning Dominique Hawkins added another accolade to his exceptional Senior year of high school. With a Sweet 16 MOP under his belt and a roster spot on a potentially historic UK team, the only thing left was to have his own day of the week. This morning Richmond Mayor Jim Barnes declared May 18th “Dominique Hawkins Day” in the city of Richmond.

I know most of you are excited to get out of town Memorial Day Weekend, but you should have planned your vacations around the summer’s best holiday “Dominique Hawkins Day”.

- The Hittin’ Kittens inched their way closer to the Women’s College World Series last night after winning in dramatic fashion at John Cropp Stadium. With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 8th, Nikki Sagermann’s RBI-single gave the Cats their 7th extra-inning win of the season, downing Marshall 2-1. They will continue their quest at 1:00 against Virginia Tech, go show em some support #BBN.

- The Mayans will not stop saying, “I told you so.” Yesterday’s Copa del Rey Final (that’s soccer) was a rough match between inner-city rivals Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. With cards flying all over the field, Atletico defeated Real 2-1 in extra-time for the first time since 1999.  The Mayans may not have correctly predicted the ending of the world, but they knew something weird was going to happen in 2013 for Little Brothers all around the world.

- With the second leg of the triple crown on the line tonight at 6:20 on NBC, take some time to learn more about your homegrown Derby winner Orb. The New York Times wrote a piece on Orb and his ‘childhood friend’ Departing, reuniting today on the racetrack for the first time since their time as yearlings on Claiborne Farms.

- Violence is never the correct answer, unless you are a Russian Pee-Wee hockey player. In honor of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, take a look at the craziest hockey fight I’ve EVER seen.

Former Kentucky Wildcat Ron Mercer celebrates his 36th birthday today. Mercer was a key member of the 1996 national championship winning/denim jersey wearing Kentucky men’s basketball team. For most children growing up in the 1990s like myself, Mercer’s most important and prominent role was as a forward for the Blue and White. For me though, his most important role was in the VHS movie “Back on Tops Cats” that I watched every single day when I came home from school for at least 2-3 years of my childhood. Following the 1996 national championship run, the sequel to the “Top Cats” VHS was released. And just like my Mom always went and bought national championship t-shirts at the gas station promptly the day after each title Kentucky has won in my lifetime, she faithfully purchased the VHS for me.

“Back on Top Cats” chronicled the entire NCAA tournament run, which included a final 4 win over a then-John Calipari coached UMASS team. I don’t remember many specifics from that UMASS team other than Marcus Camby, but I do remember a few pesky guards: The Padilla brothers, and a guy by the name of “Travieso.”

Mercer not only celebrated a decorated career at Kentucky, including All-American honors and SEC Player of the Year honors, but he also had a career in the NBA which lasted until 2005. Mercer was originally drafted by Rick Pitino in 1997 with the 6th overall pick. Happy birthday, Ron Mercer. Thank you for helping me avoid watching Sally Jesse Raphael with my sister after school.

And now on to the news and views from a slow day in the Kentucky sporting world…

—- If you came here tonight hoping to find breaking news or big news from the day… quite simply, you might find yourself disappointed. Following the Andrew Wiggins announcement and John Calipari’s press conference and KSR radio appearance, “school” has essentially been let out for the summer. The time between now and the NBA Draft will likely be rather slow… but we will do our best to help you through the emptiness.

—- We learned today that Archie Goodwin and Nerlens Noel might not be the only two Wildcats from this year’s team to play in the NBA. Julius Mays, who admitted at the end of the season that he would like to continue pursuing the option to play basketball, has been working out with NBA teams. The Milwaukee Bucks, LA Lakers and the Toronto Raptors are all giving Uncle Julius a look before the draft. Mays doesn’t necessarily expect to hear his name called on draft night, but he feels confident that he can find a spot for himself as a shooter and role player off the bench as a free agent. Best of luck to Julius Mays.

—- Meanwhile, Archie Goodwin is currently participating in the NBA Draft combine in Chicago. In news that likely hasn’t surprised many Kentucky fans, Goodwin has struggled a bit in his workouts. Goodwin is primarily considered to be a shooting guard, yet he does not have the outside shooting stroke that the NBA often croons over from that position. Goodwin played some at the point for Kentucky, but that doesn’t appear to be his natural position (or at least not yet). If Goodwin sparks a team’s interest in the first round, it will likely be based on raw potential, not his current skill set.

—- John Calipari has made the rounds in the past few days to talk mainly about next year’s team, his Vespa and his two-man book club with Willie Cauley-Stein. One point Cal brought up was that Alex Poythress and Willie Cauley-Stein were both realistic about their status and readiness for the NBA, prompting them to both come back for another season. Only time will tell on whether or not Goodwin would have been better off making the same decision. His lack of a clear cut shooting guard or point guard skill-set certainly begs the question.

—- In a small football nugget, Athlon Magazine’s pre-season college football rankings were just released. Kentucky checks in at #65 with the daunting task of facing perhaps the toughest schedule in the country. Western Kentucky, a team Mark Stoops believes would beat the Cats if they played today, checked in at #91. Kentucky will have the chance to score a huge upset early in the season when they play 10th ranked Louisville.

—- More help looks to be on the way though in the next few years for the Kentucky football team. On the heels of Drew Barker’s commitment last week, Kentucky looks to be in great shape with at least 3 players who plan to announce their college decisions soon. Darius West, Braxton “Honey Nut” Berrios and Derek Kief all have Kentucky squarely in the picture for their recruitment. West and Berrios both intend to likely announce by the end of the month, and Kentucky is in a strong position with both players. #StoopsAndBarkerEffect

A quick glance at the 3 players to keep an eye on:

1) Derek Chief

6’5, 200 lbs.

4-star WR

Cincinnati, Ohio

Choosing between: Kentucky, Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Northwestern

2) Braxton Berrios

5’9, 180 lbs.

4-star WR

Raleigh, North Carolina

Offers from Virginia Tech, West Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, etc.

3) Darius West

5’11, 196 lbs.

4-star Safety

Lima, Ohio

Will choose between Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State and Wisconsin on May 30th

—- A huge congratulations to the Kentucky women’s softball team for their opening round win in the NCAA Regionals tonight. The Cats faced off against Marshall in a game that took extra innings to decide. Kentucky finally pulled out the victory in the bottom of the 8th with a walk-off single by Nikki Sagermann to close the deal. The Cats won 2-1 and will now face Virginia Tech in the winners bracket at 1 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. Kentucky is hosting the event, so make an afternoon of it at the brand new facility if the weather holds up. Go Cats.

—- If you are still following Grant Traylor (the media member from the Wiggins announcement), tonight was probably a fairly productive evening for him on your Twitter Timeline. Traylor is the beat writer for the Marshall women’s softball team. I unfollowed him at 8 p.m., a few hours before the game was over. It must have been love, but it’s over now. 

—- On the other side of the scoreboard, the Kentucky men’s baseball team dropped a crucial game to Missouri 4-3 tonight. The Cats were in desperate need of a sweep over a beatable Missouri team in order to keep its NCAA tournament hopes alive. Kentucky’s lone chance to keep the dream alive now appears to be an SEC tournament championship. Anything less and the Cats will likely be on the outside looking in.

UK player Jake Taylor probably put it best when he said, “Well I guess there’s only one thing left to do. Win the whole ******* thing.”

—- This season has been rather disappointing for the baseball team. On April 2nd, the Cats’ record stood at 22-6. In just over a month’s time, Kentucky has gone 7-18 (s/o to David Mulloy for the stat and for his superb UK windbreaker).

And last but not least… stay tuned for stories from Matt, Drew, Ryan and some of the other KSR crew members as they travel to Waddy tomorrow night to camp with the werewolf. Good luck and fill up on gas while you’re there. Best deal in town.

I wouldn’t being doing my due diligence as the KSR Bachelor representative if I didn’t pass along the trailer to a brand new Bachelor show that will soon premiere on ABC.*

Check out this clip from The Jimmy Kimmel Show and decide with or not you believe “The Baby Bachelor” Wesley can find love after (4-ish) years of searching. This kid has dreams. Like “turning his bed around.”

If you can’t laugh at this, we probably can’t be friends. 

*Just kidding. It will not ever be on television.

@AFlenerKSR

It is impressive, but in my view should be a little bigger.

Good evening, friends, and welcome to a rare Friday evening notes. I’m usually winding down from the blogging world around this time and switching to weekend mode, but tonight I felt compelled to write Kentucky news and notes in bulleted in form for my favorite people on the internet. So, kick back and enjoy what little news I could dig up from around #BBN.

— The NBA combine is underway in Chicago and, for the first time in the John Calipari era, we have only one Kentucky player to really keep up with during the process. Nerlens is almost a lock for that No. 1 pick and he isn’t working out, so Archie Goodwin is our NBA Draft entertainment for the month of May. Burr.

Archie struggled with his shot during today’s drills and it’s going to end up being his downfall if he can’t improve very, very soon. There isn’t a big market for shooting guards who can’t shoot, which is exactly what he is right now, unfortunately. This tweet from Draft Express sums the day up:

Archie Goodwin and B.J. Young having a mini-competition for who can look like a worse shooter. Air-balling shots left and right. #nbacombine

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 16, 2013

This is how it looked…

Time to focus on that move to point guard? He told Andy Katz he’s open to it if asked by a team but he plans to stay at the two.

— About a year ago, I decided that Nazr Mohammed will play in the NBA forever. It’s truly amazing that he’s still in the league after 14 seasons, and if Bulls coach Tom Thibodeux has his way, Nazr will be back for a 15th. Thibodeux said yesterday he would like to re-sign Nazr for another year and that Nazr was “tremendous” this season. However, Thibodeux also acknowledged that the market could call for someone else to take his place. One Bulls reporter said odds of Nazr being back in Chicago next season are very slim. Kings? You listening?

— Soon-to-be Kentucky football star Ryan Timmons won the state 100-meter title today, making him a three-time state champion in the event. That’s your future kick returner, folks. Congrats to Ryan.

— Oh, look, Kentucky will play NCAA Division III school Franciscan University of Steubenville in basketball in 2014. Cal extended the offer back in April while serving as the guest speaker at a fundraiser for the school, then announced it to the audience during his speech. Now it appears the deal is finalized for an exhibition game in Rupp Arena in November 2014. Beat the….ummmm… Google search… Barons! Beat the Barons!

— Finally, for you golf lovers, our friends over at IZOD are giving away a round of golf at Pebble Beach. I’d highly recommend you sign up and take me with you if you win.

That’ll do it for now. Enjoy your weekend and Go Cats.

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.

Today, we’re going to take a look at some odd wildcat figurines. These are not your normal knickknacks; someone has gone to great lengths to create them for UK fans to set upon their end tables, mantles, and everywhere else they can express their fandom in a slightly classier manner than say, a poster.

Cole Hancock’s Wildcat vase:

From Mike Stalls, who says he’s been riding since his freshman year at UK back in 1969:

Robey Smith’s favorite Wildcat mug:

This piece has a story behind it. From Kyle Moore:

This carafe is dubbed “The Wildcat,” and belonged to Kyle’s grandfather, who was a huge UK fan and season ticket holder for many years. The item has been in Kyle’s family since the 70′s, and always sat atop Kyle’s grandfather’s bar. After his grandfather’s death, Kyle’s grandmother sold the house and the family split some of his collectibles. The piece was passed around the family, sometimes with a surprise beverage inside. On September 10, 2011, Kyle’s cousin Will, a UK graduate, was killed in a motorcycle accident. Kyle says he and his cousin had many a nights drinking out of “The Wildcat,” and as a tribute, brought the carafe to a UK football tailgate the Saturday after his death. The family celebrated Will’s life by passing around “The Wildcat,” which garnered a lot of attention from fellow tailgaters, many who offered to buy it or just have their picture taken with it. Will’s friends and family came, and as Kyle writes, “it was a great way to wind down after a tragic week and celebrate the life of my cousin.”

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.”

Remember last year when Kentucky won the national championship and Cal embarked on a state wide Trophy Tour to allow fans across the state a chance to celebrate with the hardware? Well not to be outdone Pitino has decided to take his trophy on a tour of his own and is doing so in the most Louisville way possible.

After bringing the trophy along as he went deep sea fishing in the Bahamas Pitino decided the next appearance made needed to be at his daughter’s 21st birthday bash. So while Cal stops at gas stations in Martin County to give people a chance to touch history Pitino decides to degrade the sanctity of the trophy by taking it out amongst the co-eds of Ft. Lauderdale. Seems about right.

A few weeks ago Ally asked the question “Do you still consider Rick Pitino ours?“. My answer to that is a resounding no. Between multiple scandals, the tattoo, and now stunts like this he has unquestionably gone full Cardinal. No official word yet but the next stops on the Pitino Trophy Tour include: dinner at Porcini’s, a stop by a tobacco field so the trophy can learn more about where Black and Mild’s come from, and they’ll wrap things up with a tour of the Crown Royal factory. Fitting. What other stops do you think they’ll try and fit in?

 @ACassady_KSR

Wide Receiver

6’5”, 200 lbs.
Cincinnati, OH (La Salle)

Rivals: #37 WR
Scout: #33 WR
247: #21 WR, #5 in OH, #134 overall

Choosing Between UK and: Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Northwestern (22 offers total).

Twitter: @DKief10

It has been one week since Drew Barker announced his commitment to the University of Kentucky, vowing to continue Mark Stoops’ great recruiting run by reaching out to his peers. In that short period of time he has created a UK Class of 2014 Twitter account to complement daily communication with his peers. In the next few weeks, I’ll be breaking down some of the best players Drew wants to join him in the Class of 2014.

Who would love to see me throwing passes to @dkief10 ??

— -Drew Barker- (@D_Barker7) May 17, 2013

I know Drew certainly wouldn’t mind throwing to the giant 6’5 target. Kief’s size doesn’t slow him down, running a 4.5 40-yard dash with a 35 inch vertical leap (try covering THAT in man-to-man coverage). He holds school records for receptions in a season and in a game, with his best performance against Cincy powerhouse Moeller resulting in 12 catches for 161 yards and 1 touchdown. With a great reputation off the field as well, it’s hard to find anything wrong with him other than a thin physique (That will change quickly once he starts a college-level weight program). With a Barker-to-Kief connection, Kentucky will become a force in the Red Zone with a jump-ball specialist on the outside.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! I can talk about how he is physically one of the best WR recruits ever for Kentucky, he has to have more swag than Bookie, Boogie, and Stevie Styles combined. Not only does he have his own website highlighting his career (derekkief.com), but he has his own rap song in the background of his highlight tape. The best lyrics from Speed Does Kill, “#10 Derek Kief, y’all in disbelief. Throw the jump ball, y’all check the vertical leap.” God Almighty PLEASE get this kid to UK.

(UK Athletics, Chet White)

For the fifth consecutive season, the Kentucky Wildcats softball team has received an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament – one of only 23 schools who can make that claim. This is just the fifth bid ever for the program, and all have come under head coach Rachel Lawson. What’s more, the selection committee named Kentucky as the No. 12 national seed and one of the 16 regional hosts for the first time in the program’s history. The team will have home field advantage through the first set of games, and if the No. 5 seed in the bracket above in knocked out, Kentucky will own the Super Regional host as well.

Before falling in the first round of the SEC Tournament to South Carolina last week, the Wildcats were continuing a stellar season, and making history by taking two games out of three against 10th-ranked Alabama on the road. The wins in Tuscaloosa marked the first in school history, and the softball team’s first-ever series win against the Crimson Tide.

Now the focus lies on the double-elimination regional, which features Kentucky (10 RPI), Virginia Tech (38 RPI), Notre Dame (43 RPI), and Marshall (90 RPI). The Cats will be looking to top its 2011 run which included winning the Ann Arbor regional after knocking off the 10-seed Michigan Wolverines in two games, before being eliminated by 7-seed California in game three of the Lexington Super Regional. Just one win away from a trip to the Women’s College World Series.

First up for the Wildcats is the Marshall Thundering Herd. These two teams met a little more than a month ago in Lexington, and resulted in a thrilling come-from-behind walk-off win for the Cats in the bottom of the 7th inning. Down 3-1 with three outs to go, the Wildcats were able to plate three runs for the victory with the winning single coming off the bat of junior Ginny Carroll.

Since that game, the Herd posted a 10-6 record through the last part of its Conference-USA schedule, none of which were against ranked teams. While the Wildcats went 10-8 against far superior competition; all but three of those games were against ranked teams.

Marshall finished fourth in the C-USA standings with a 13-10 record, but earned its NCAA Tournament bid by winning the conference title. Paced by senior ace pitcher Andi Williamson who ranks third in the country in total strikeouts (332), the Thundering Herd will be looking to “shock the world” in this tournament. They are clearly the underdogs in this regional, if not the entire bracket.

Freshman pitcher Kelsey Nunley has been the stud in the circle for the Cats and will be the key in guiding Kentucky to the WCWS. She has set a school record for wins in a season with her 24-8 record. The frosh has a stellar 2.10 ERA with 175 strikeouts in 230.1 innings and tops the freshman SEC season leaders in wins, strikeouts, and ERA.

Sophomore Griffin Joiner is calling the signs, but her damage is done with the sticks. She paces the UK offense overall with a .327 average, 13 doubles, 41 RBI, and 10 home runs. Senior shortstop and slap hitter Kara Dill leads the team in batting average with a .361 mark and a .411 on-base percentage.

Game one of the Lexington Regional starts at 5 p.m. Friday with Notre Dame and Virginia Tech squaring off. Game two will begin after, scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. with Kentucky and Marshall. Both games will be available on ESPN3.com. The Regional will continue on Saturday and conclude on Sunday with the Championship game at 1 p.m. and the “if-necessary” game at 3:30 p.m.

This Kentucky team is poised to make a deep run. With as tough of a schedule as the team played, and as well as it came out, these Wildcats have a monster ceiling and are feeling as confident as ever. It would be wise for you to hop on the bandwagon now if you haven’t already.

The good people over at SB Nation think the Stoops brothers need some time away from football. Like the article mentions, it has been a busy offseason for all three of the Stoops boys: Mark is rebuilding a program; Mike is hatin’ on Johnny Manziel; and Bob is hatin’ on everyone. They need to get away for a bit.

So SB Nation followed them around on a make-believe vacation to the Grand Canyon and documented their travels. An example:

JUNE 7, STOP 3: Ute Lake State Park, Logan, NM

Brother Mike thought this was the greatest freaking place in the whole world. He spent an hour trying to ride armadillos, and the next few hours trying to grab fish in the lake the same way bears try to catch salmon.

Luckily Brother Mark packed plenty of sandwiches earlier in the day, because the crew was certainly famished. The brothers could always count on Mark to stay on task and organized.

Brother Bob isn’t what we call the biggest fan of state parks, so he put on his Discman and listened to the first half of a George Jones disc. The first half was his favorite half.

DRIVE TIME: 40 MINUTES

You can read stories from the rest of the fictional trip here.

Archie Goodwin took a break from combining to have a little chat with Andy Katz in front of ESPN’s cameras this afternoon. When asked about his thoughts on next year’s Wildcats, Goodwin told him, “They’re gonna be a tough team to deal with next year. They have a lot of talent coming in along with the guys that came back this year, so it’s going to be hard for them to lose next year. And I’ll be rooting for them the whole way.”

Archie also said he still sees himself at two-guard in the NBA but he’s open to moving to point if that’s what a team needs him to do.

Cats.

The Andrew Wiggins hoopla is done and gone and we are getting close to summer arriving. So it is time to get a few notes on the barbie:

— We will begin the 2014 class focus in earnest next week but for now lets take one more celebratory look at the 2013 class joining. We can all debate what the starting lineup will be next year and Kentucky has a lot of options. But let’s assume for argument sake that the one I think is most likely takes the floor:

PG: Andrew Harrison
SG: Aaron Harrison
SF: Alex Poythress
PF: Julius Randle
C: Willie Cauley-Stein

In this lineup, the 3/4 are basically the same position and the team is super athletic and quick. If this is the lineup, Kentucky will LIKELY START FIVE FUTURE LOTTERY PICKS. Read that sentence again. Five future lottery picks. Then on the second team:

PG: Dominique Hawkins/Jarrod Polson
SG: James Young
SF: Kyle Wiltjer
PF: Marcus Lee
C: Dakari Johnson

We will probably never see this actual lineup in practice due to its tremendous size, but for argument’s sake, THE SECOND TEAM HAS THREE FUTURE FIRST ROUND PICKS, plus Kyle Wiltjer who is likely to be drafted somewhere eventually. Your reserve team has three guys who will be first round picks, all of whom could play their way into the lottery eventually. That is insane.

So would it have been nice to get Wiggins? Undoubtedly yes. But, it doesn’t mean things aren’t great as is.

— You heard Calipari talk yesterday about how he would no longer recruit in a way to “protect” players. What does that mean? Well if you use your Calipari decoder ring, you know that it means that he won’t do what plagued his group last year when he tried to protect Alex Poythress and Archie Goodwin. Calipari believed in both guys a great deal and in recruiting, tried to make sure not to bring in players that might trump them. When Dez Wells (who went to Maryland) and Arsalan Kazemi (who went to Oregon) became possibilities, Kentucky looked at both and wanted both. But then Calipari made the decision on both, to back down on the recruitments. Part of that decision may have been the desire to not express lack of confidence in two freshman who he knew might have fragile egos at first. He now realizes that was a mistake. Both of those players would have helped UK last year in a transfer role and the one transfer UK did get, Julius Mays, often led the team at the end of the year. He kept Poythress and Goodwin from competition, something he will never do again. Competition is going to make the players go and if they don’t thrive on it, then it will be on them.

— Big thanks to the folks at K&G Tire Pros in Oldham County for hosting the show today. Huge crowd of UK fans came out and it was a great time. Here we were after the UL fan stopped staring us down. You can get the podcasts here:

— On the football side of things, Kentucky may see up to 3 commitments in the next three weeks as a lot of big targets make their decision. Darius West will be choosing on May 30th and things look good for the Cats, as the other recruits press hard for someone they really want to add to the class. Add in WR Braxton “Honeynut” Berrios (the best nickname ever by the way…this kid will be a fan favorite) and the Cats could continue to increase the class soon. The key for UK is to continue to spread momentum throughout the summer leading into a season that may be difficult. I think you will see these decisions spread out in such a way so as to make that happen and continue the upwardly mobile rise of UK football in ways that many (including me) didn’t think were possible.

Big weekend ahead as UK Softball hosts its first regional in its history. On our way out, a salute to one of the legendary drivers of NASCAR, Dick Trickle. He committed suicide at the age of 71, a legend of the old school NASCAR ways. He is famous for his name (which people said on Sportscenter after every race) and his unique personality as shown by this video below…during a race in Talladega, Trickle takes a minute to enjoy a cigarette while driving around the track. Such characters are rare indeed. RIP Dick.

No word on the whereabouts of Lucas.

Congratulations on your new status as an alpha male! If you have received this pamphlet, it means you’ve been pinpointed as either an excellent leader or the type of person who must dominate any situation. Either way, a compliment! The following brief introduction should serve as an adequate outline to help you settle into your alpha status over the next several months. Feel free to disregard this at any time because you have better ideas. You wouldn’t be an alpha male if you didn’t!

As an alpha male, you will find yourself in certain societal instances whereupon the world needs you to take charge. What are you waiting for? Grab the bull by the horns, the tiger by its tail, and start calling the shots. After all, your ideas are what matter. They’re way better than that beta male’s, and infinitely superior to those epsilon or theta males in your circle of friends. And no one’s ever going to register what that omicron or phi male is saying, or even that he’s talking. Look at that fool. Who cares what he has to say? (Answer: no one.)

You may be wondering, as you read this next to another alpha male reading this same pamphlet, which of you ranks higher. Don’t worry about that, unless the person next to you is an alpha beast, in which case you might want to slowly step away at this point. Alpha beasts have an upper hand on alpha males in nearly every circumstance and should be respected as having such.

You may also be wondering how to wield your newfound title and skills to their greatest extents. This is normal, and it’s why we today offer a few tips on how to take full advantage of your alpha males status. Please take note and use these examples as general guidelines  on which to base your own future decisions.

Normal People: Wait for others to finish talking

Alpha Males: Talk whenever they want.

Normal People: Don’t yell at others.

Alpha Males: Yell at others whenever they feel like it.

Normal People: Whine and cry when they get “hurt.”

Alpha Males: Turn pain into an almost cult-like ritual of negative power consumption and photosynthesize it into a determined streak of unstoppability precisely honed for success.

The problem with these “Normals” is that they just don’t have what you have: They’re not going to step in for anyone when he or she is “sick” (sickness: another problem you won’t have to worry about), they’re not going to lead anyone to greatness. Leave them to their knitting and their home flipping television programs, you’ve got bigger fish to fry.

Think of it as this series of equations:

ALPHA MALES > NORMALS

ALPHA BEASTS > ALPHA MALES

ALPHA MONSTERS > ALPHA BEASTS

NORMALS > FLOWERS, ANTS, BABIES (ex. alpha male babies)

Also, the easy to remember acronym HAM SALAD will serve as a constant reminder of your mission:

Hail Alpha Males for Seeking Admiration, Love and Dedication.

Should you suspect another alpha male is in your presence and wish to secretly communicate that you as well are in this clandestine fraternity of awesomeness, simply ask him the phrase:

“What are you doing today?”

to which the only response should be:

“Whatever I damn well please.”

You and your new friend will now be ready to attack each other in a neverending contest of one-upsmanship and dominance.

There are several perks to your new alpha male status, including being the first out of the building during a fire alarm or actual fire emergency, an automatic respect of all ideas and actions you share with others, and the ability to talk to eagles, which are the you of birds. It’s always important to use your alpha male status wisely and carefully, however, to avoid changing the world too much. Many Normals just aren’t ready for that kind of action.

Sound good? Are you ready to get out there and start imposing your will on the world? Good! Now tear this pamphlet up, throw it on the ground, and go get ‘em! Because that’s what alpha males do, and we’re all ready for you to start getting all up in our grills. Good luck and just let us all know if you need anything; happy to help. Thank you in advance for any accolades or championships you may accrue by being awesome. It’s much appreciated.

Curious about how your boys measured up at the NBA combine? The official numbers were released last night…

Nerlens Noel

Height (without shoes)… 6’10”
Height (with shoes)… 6’11.75”
Weight… 206.4
Wingspan… 7’3.75”
Reach… 9’2”
Body fat…4.2%
Hand length… 9.5
Hand width… 10

Archie Goodwin

Height (without shoes)… 6’3.75”
Height (with shoes)… 6’5.25”
Weight… 189
Wingspan… 6’9.5”
Reach… 8’6”
Body fat pct….4.6%
Hand length… 8.5
Hand width… 9

See ‘em all here.

The 2012-13 season is mercifully over, and despite having the #1 ranked recruiting class in the country, Kentucky failed to make the NCAA Tournament, and were unceremoniously dispatched in the First Round of the NIT by Robert Morris. Hard to see things being any different in 2013-14. To stay apprised and educated, follow me on Twitter @NotJerryTipton. Here’s the weekly notebook:

*Losing Touch: Earlier this week, Andrew Wiggins committed to Kansas over Kentucky. This is the continuation of a very disturbing trend for John Calipari and Kentucky. Ever since Louisville won the national championship last month, UK has failed to receive a commitment from a single McDonald’s All-American. While Kentucky supporters will probably argue that Wiggins has been the only elite player to commit to a school since the season ended, it is telling that Wiggins was reportedly a UK lean before then, only to back off and pick KU once the Cards got their ring. And if things are this bad now, what happens when Louisville wins yet another national title? Check back in another 27 years to find out.

*Somebody Told Me: Last week, radio hosts in the city of Louisville and Card fans made the salient point that the 2013 Louisville team was superior to the 2012 Kentucky team. Though UK fans took umbrage to this, it is hard to find a flaw in the logic of these UofL backers. Consider: 2012 UK lost to Indiana. 2013 Louisville didn’t. 2012 UK lost to Vanderbilt. 2013 Louisville didn’t. And so forth. Kentucky fans have argued that college basketball was down in 2013, that Louisville’s path to the title was the easiest of any winner in the last 23 years, that 2013 Louisville lost 3 in a row, that 2012 Kentucky had a higher KenPom ranking, a higher RPI ranking, and infinitely more NBA talent than 2013 UofL did, but the fact remains: 2013 won the title this year. 2012 Kentucky did not. #GameSetMatch

*When You Were Young: It was recently announced that the 2014 NCAA Final Four will be aired on TBS. This does not bode well for Kentucky. TBS is a cable network, while CBS is a major network. TBS requires a subscription to a cable service or satellite provider, whereas CBS is available to anyone with rabbit ears and a working TV. The NCAA apparently made a business decision that – given the likelihood that Kentucky will play in the 2014 Final Four – not many people will want to tune in to watch the Cats, so hey, might as well put the thing on a channel that many folks probably haven’t tuned into since they were watching “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Munsters” every day after school 30 years ago. The idea that people will want to see a bunch of one-and-done freshmen lay waste to a hopelessly outmatched foe on the biggest stage in the game? Very funny.

* On this date: On this date in 2033, Rick Pitino will be an 80 year old man with a ridiculous, giant tattoo on his back.

Your University of Kentucky Wildcats football team is ranked 65th in Athlon Magazine’s preseason college football rankings. With the low ranking and the incredibly difficult schedule next season, it’ll be tough to reach the No. 1 spot in the polls in Mark Stoops’ first season. I guess we’ll have to wait a year.

Western Kentucky, UK’s first opponent, is ranked No. 91. Louisville is No. 10.

Go Cats.

Want proof of John Calipari’s unmatched ability to get players into the league? According to Chazz Griffith of ZagsBlog.com, Julius Mays is working out for a few NBA teams, including the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Toronto Raptors. Mays told the Zagsblog.com staff that he thinks he’ll definitely be picked up as a free agent as a combo guard coming off the bench.

Good luck, Uncle Julius. #KentuckyEffect

Tomorrow evening, KSR will set out on a journey to find the beast that has terrorized Waddy for too long. Yes, you can say we’re doing because Orb won the Ryan Lemond Derby, and that’s true; but we’re really doing it because we care about the people off exit 43.

Join us as we plan our hunt on this morning’s show and look ahead to the potentially dangerous night in Shelby County.

Give us a call at (502) 571-1080.

Topics include:

– Supplies

– Tactics

– Self-Defense

– Justice

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

It’s hard to tell whether this is just pre- or post-sneeze.

We give Jeff Goodman a hard time around here, mainly because he likes to troll UK fans, but even a broken clock is right twice a day.  Goodman had one of those times yesterday when talking about the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.  He made a few notes about international players, Shabazz Muhammed, and player measurements (which really helped Nerlens Noel, who measured in at just under 7′ with shoes).  Then, he went out of his way to give a little compliment to Coach Cal and his team for next season, while simultaneously making fun of the Phoenix Suns:

New Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough was in attendance. I’ve known him for a decade or so, and he’s a rising star in the business — but he’s certainly got his work cut out for him. He has to hire a staff and a head coach, and he’s also got a roster that pales in comparison to the one John Calipari will possess in Lexington next season. When your best player is Goran Dragic, you have some major work to do. Remember, though, McDonough drafted Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley — and he’ll have a lottery pick and also a late first-rounder to begin to build the franchise back.

Maybe he didn’t think UK fans would see it, or maybe he’s genuinely trying to be nice.  Either way, next year’s team will probably bring about the same questions that last year’s team did: is a Kentucky vs. Horrible NBA Team matchup always going to go to the pros?  Everybody mentioned the Bobcats previously, but maybe next year the talk will be “Julius Randle and Co. vs. the Suns.”  Who knows.  Either way, thanks for the compliment, Jeff.  Even if you had to insult somebody else in the process.

I don’t know enough about Dick Trickle to write a worthy tribute (for a brief moment on Thursday, I was really confused as to why everyone was talking about the character from “Days of Thunder”), nor do I watch “The Office,” so if you’re upset David Beckham got the night post nod, feel free to move on.

All that being said, some less tragic but also depressing news came out on Thursday: David Beckham is retiring from soccer. At age 38, Beckham has been playing professional soccer–err, football–for the past 20 years, and became the international face the sport so desperately needed. (And what a beautiful face that is…more on that later.) In 20 years, Beckham played in 800 games, 10 league championships and participated in three World Cups. He helped spark an American interest in the sport by playing for the LA Galaxy for five and a half years, and will end his career playing for Paris Saint-Germain.

Beckham’s skills on the field are undeniable, but he may be more famous for what he does off of it. Beckham is undeniably handsome, and has turned his good looks into a career of their own, modeling for various designer labels and making women (and men) around the country weak with a simple, smoldering stare. Add in his marriage to Victoria Beckhama, aka Posh Spice, and you’ve got a full blown fashion icon. At this point, the two can’t walk down the street without making the world jealous. Even their kids are cute. David Beckham’s only flaw? His unnaturally high voice. If he weren’t so gorgeous, I bet David wishes he had a “huskier tone,” as Jerry Tipton would say. That’s okay ladies, that’s what mute buttons are for, right?

Guys: take heart. David Beckham wasn’t always so attractive. Check out this picture of him from his first season with Manchester United:

Calipari’s got his swag back

John Calipari called in to Kentucky Sports Radio on Thursday morning, and for the first twenty minutes, basically repeated his comments from Wednesday about what went wrong last year and what we’ve got to look forward to. Wonder why Cal stuck with Ryan Harrow so long? He said that when it comes down to it, he’s always going to “err on the side of the kid.” Cal admitted that he probably gave Harrow too many opportunities to succeed, but that’s because he refused to throw him under the bus. In retrospect, he thinks he should have gone with Archie Goodwin at point guard earlier, but you know what they say about hindsight. As for next year? Cal echoed his comments from his summer press conference that Julius Randle and Andrew Harrison are alpha males that will lead the team, and that Dakari Johnson, Marcus Lee, James Young, and the rest of the freshman have the potential and toughness to be special.

It was clear throughout the interview that Calipari is back in fighting form, and for lack of a better term, has his swagger back. When talking about how he’s appealed to the NCAA for years to make changes to the block/charge rules, he even threw in a friendly jab at Matt (“when I was at Memphis, you were killing me!”), but he really got rolling when asked about Louisville. Without even saying the “P” word, Cal got in a subtle dig at the coach down the road by saying he wouldn’t “tell a guy to come back so he can learn a new position,” like Rick did with Russ Smith. As for Louisville winning the national title? “The good news for our program is, we won one first!” Cal roared, falling into a fit of laughter.

You know Cal’s feeling good when he starts attacking the NCAA. For years, he’s criticized the institution for its asinine rules, and on Tuesday, said that something’s gotta give, or it’s time to separate:

“Can we continue to do this with these rules the way they are? I’m the one guy out there saying, ‘We’ve gotta change this somehow. We’ve gotta encourage these kids to stay two years.’ But the NCAA’s gotta do some stuff, and if they don’t do it, we need to separate from them. I’m not afraid to say it. Look, they’ve embarrassed me. I’ve done nothing, so they’re not going to come and show retribution to me and do stuff. I don’t really care. But something’s gotta change with this one-and-done rule. I seem to be the only coach saying anything. You know why? No one wants to see these kids two years here (at Kentucky). They don’t want to see them for two years, so now we’re all good with one year. It’s wrong for high school kids, it’s wrong for college kids, it’s wrong for the NBA, so why won’t we come together and do something about it?”

Cal’s remarks made national news, and while the one-and-done rule is technically an NBA rule, what’s to say the league and the NCAA can’t come together to find a better solution? Based on his comments today, don’t expect Cal to come down from his pulpit until they do.

My favorite part of the interview? Cal admitted that he rides a yellow Vespa scooter around Lexington sometimes. I now have a mental image to tide me over until Big Blue Madness.

Welcome back, Coach.

Archie goes to the NBA Combine

Archie Goodwin showed off his skills at the NBA Combine on Thursday and sadly, didn’t seem to impress many people. According to the media in attendance, Archie struggled with his shot, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who watched last season. However, as Coach Cal said during his time on the radio show, Archie is still very young. In fact, he’s the youngest player in the draft. Cal also said that three teams have called him about Archie, and love him despite the fact that because of his youth, he’s essentially a high school player who doesn’t have a defined position yet. Make them eat they feet, Archie.

Morgan Netwon gets another chance

Six months ago, did anyone think that Morgan Newton would be in the NFL? Instead of giving up on his dream and pursuing life outside of football, Newton made a decision he should have years ago: switch to tight end. The results speak for themselves: Newton signed a free-agent contract with the New York Giants on Thursday for a trial run at the tight end position after impressing the staff at a rookie camp last week. He becomes the fifth player from the 2012 senior class to sign with an NFL team, joining offensive guard Larry Warford (Detroit), defensive back Martavius Neloms (Detroit), center Matt Smith (Atlanta) and defensive end Collins Ukwu (Minnesota). Best of luck to Morgan.

Leftovers

– Your random news story of the day: “The Bea Arthur Naked Portrait (Only) Went for $1.9 Million at Christie’s.” What would Leslie Nielsen say??

– Nerlens Noel was also at the NBA Draft Combine today. Despite not playing, Nerlens did get measured. Noel stood 6’10″ tall in socks and 6’11.5″ in shoes (no word on the hair). He has a 7’3.75″ wingspan and 9-2 standing reach. For comparison’s sake, Anthony Davis measured 6’9.25″ in socks and 6’10.5″ in shoes last year, with a 7″5.5″ wingspan and 9-foot standing reach. Both are clearly made to be basketball players.

– 2014 Ohio safety Darius West will announce his college decision on May 30th at 2:30 at his school in Lima, Ohio. The 4-star West is considered to be leaning towards the Cats, and has said in the past that he wants to play his college ball with Mike Edwards, a Cincinnati safety who is also favoring UK. He’s ranked the 13th best safety in the nation by Rivals. Drew Barker and fellow 2014 commits have been recruiting him heavily on Twitter, and Barker says he will travel all the way to Lima for the announcement, which has to make you feel good about UK’s chances.

– Finally, here are the top two comments from Thursday evening’s “Caption This!” contest:

NorthernKYcatfan: “We’d be done by now if Crean hadn’t shown up and cut down the nets”.
NoJortsNoProblm: “Can’t believe coach P wanted you to play shooting guard.”

Congratulations. You are both kings (or queens) of the comments section for one week. Use your power wisely.

See you in the morning.

As part of the never-ending quest to bring you University of Kentucky news in the most ridiculous manner possible, I comb the Twitter-verse each week for the funniest, oddest, and sometimes, nearly illegible tweets from your favorite players and personalities. Basically, I read Twitter so you don’t have to. Without further ado, here are the best tweets of the week.

With the money he’s about to make, Nerlens Noel probably could wake up in a new Bugatti soon:

Jon Hood sees Tod Lanter and Papa Brooks’ fish and raises them 30 lbs.:

Andrew and Aaron Harrison made things a little easier for their fellow students out by dressing in different colors for Prom:

For the record, Andrew’s the one on the right with the longer hair. If they kept the different hair styles at UK, that would really help me out.

+1 for the Willie is a hipster argument:

Abstract art is the coolest art ever

— ☆TheFr3shPrinc3☆ (@TrillWill15) May 15, 2013

Maybe Willie would like school more if he took art history classes?

Just in case you were wondering, DeMarcus Cousins has a UK basketball court in his backyard:

McDonald’s advertising is clearly working on Tod Lanter:

In fact, he’s pretty much an addict now.

It took 3 different locations, but we finally found an open McDonald’s with spicy McChicken’s still in stock #cravings @c_vain

— Tod Lanter (@tod_lanterIII) May 16, 2013

I’m going to post this Vine, but I bet none of you all will read what I’m typing once it starts playing:

You got some drool…right there. Yep, got it.

Chuck Hayes starts a fun debate:

Top 5 sports movies (no particular order):Rocky IVMajor LeagueHe Got GameAbove The RimSandlot

— chuck hayes (@c_hayes44) May 14, 2013

I love that he includes one of my favorites:

Also I’m gonna have to put “a league of their own” in the honorable mention

— chuck hayes (@c_hayes44) May 14, 2013

I’ll bite. Here are my Top 5 favorite sports movies:

Rocky IV (Like Chuck, I dig the Russian plot)
Major League
A League of Their Own
Rudy
Happy Gilmore

Honorable mention: Bend It Like Beckham

I trust you’ll blast me for my choices and leave your own in the comments section.

This exchange made me smile:

@rexchapman You wish you were insane with a cane on a plane and an aircraft carrier.

— Bret Bearup (@BretBearup) May 13, 2013

After he pushed LeBron James to the ground and got ejected on Friday night, Nazr Mohammad took to Twitter to apologize:

Sorry for my overreaction & being ejected. I blacked out & just reacted after I was pushed down. I’m happy it only resulted w/ a push

— Nazr Mohammed (@NazrMohammed) May 11, 2013

For the kids who were watching… That not the way to react on the basketball court.

— Nazr Mohammed (@NazrMohammed) May 11, 2013

Hopefully if I’m in the same situation again I will control my emotions but u never know what ur instincts will do. #SeeRed

— Nazr Mohammed (@NazrMohammed) May 11, 2013

And here I thought I was a big Randall Cobb fan:

Just wrapped up Beloit! S/o to the woman that had me sign her shoulder to get it tattooed #soIKnowItsRealhaha #PackersTailgateTour

— Randall Cobb (@rcobb18) May 16, 2013

Patrick Towles sums up Andrew Wiggins’ decision quite nicely:

Wiggins picks the Cavs over the Heat…

— Patrick Towles (@patty_ice14) May 14, 2013

This may be the only time I’ve ever heard anyone praise a squirrel:

Today I ran another leafy, rural road. A squirrel was above me for a piece; she was far more crafty & nimble than! What clever creatures.

— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) May 16, 2013

This week’s “Tweet that Makes You Go Aww” goes to Goose Givens, who made his mother a pecan pie cake from scratch for Mother’s Day:

Me and the Mother’s Day cake I made! Pecan pie cake made from scratch! twitter.com/goosegivens/st…

— Jack Givens (@goosegivens) May 12, 2013

I didn’t know such a thing existed. It looks delicious.

Papa Brooks may be all the way in Oregon, but he’s still got plenty of Wild Turkey to keep him busy:

How lucky can one gal get. Here are 3 Tom turkeys courting one female on the road up to our house. twitter.com/UKcoachbrooks/…

— Rich Brooks (@UKcoachbrooks) May 12, 2013

TWEET OF THE WEEK: Willie Cauley-Stein

Willie posted this picture of him skateboarding on Instagram earlier this week, but the comments it got were what made laugh. Check them out:

Orlando Antigua: You better be careful on that skateboard brother !

WCS: I will lol nothing crazy just cruising

Alex Poythress: Lol teach me

Kyle Wiltjer: you already know Alex would fall

Orlando Antigua: I going to need all of you @alexthegreat22 @kwiltj @squishywcs15 to not get any crazy ideas and quit playing with my emotions … Lol wish moms a happy Mother’s Day from me

I’m with Coach O, boys. Be careful…we’ve got a championship to win.

Until next time, RT plz?

What happens when two UK greats and number one picks run into each other in a hotel lobby? A picture we’ll use over and over again.

Thanks for making us proud, boys.

For a few months now, almost the entirety of our attention has been centered around one burning question: Where will Andrew Wiggins go? That was the question heard ’round the Bluegrass and heard ’round the college basketball world. After months of speculation, flip flopping of predictions, reading of tea leaves and pretending to care about Florida State…we turn our attention to the summer in Kentucky Athletics. The summer can often be a boring and rather uneventful time, but many questions remain to be answered as we head into the heat of the summer months. Here are 10 burning questions to ponder over the summer:

1) Who will win the quarterback competition?

The spring game provided a bit of a surprise to most when Jalen Whitlow had the strongest performance on the field among the quarterbacks. With that said, Maxwell Smith and Patrick Towles are both still very much in the running and Neal Brown has admitted that the decision has still not been made, and probably won’t be made for a while. As the players arrive on campus for summer workouts and summer camp, the picture might become clearer as to which quarterback will separate himself from the rest.

I’m still sticking with my prediction that Jalen Whitlow gets the starting nod for Game 1.

2) Who will be the two main leaders on next year’s Kentucky basketball team? Will there be more?

Once upon a time we had John Wall and Patrick Patterson. Then we had Brandon Knight and Josh Harrellson. Then we had Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Anthony Davis and Darius Miller. Last year, as Calipari put it best, the team struggled to find an alpha male leader to take the team by the reigns. If Calipari’s press conference comments from the other day are any indication, Julius Randle and Andrew Harrison (though both freshman) appear to be the most likely candidates for the job.

Will any of the returning players step into the role that evaded them last season? Kyle Wiltjer? Alex Poythress? Willie Cauley-Stein?

3) How does Cal talk about this team at the end of the summer?

With the team that won the national championship in 2012, John Calipari couldn’t contain the giddy nature in his voice when talking about them. Although he tends to sometimes downplay his teams, you could just tell that we were all in store for something special. And I think Cal has an inkling as to whether or not a season can be truly special by the time school starts. If 40-0 and a national championship are truly in the cards, you’ll hear it in his quotes…if you can sift through the banter about what book he is reading and what ice cream flavor he’s eating.

4) What will Kentucky’s starting line-up look like?

Although this question might not be any closer to being answered at the end of August than it is now, we might have a better idea of who a few of the “sure fire” starters will be. At this point, Julius Randle and Andrew Harrison are the only two who I would without question place my money on being in the starting line-up.

The beauty of this question is that the answer might not even be all that important. With 8-10 players with the ability to contribute and bring something different to the table, it might just depend on the game and the situation.

5) Will Kentucky’s basketball roster undergo any more changes before the first game?

Last season Kentucky added Julius Mays very late in the game. The only potential area this team might still be looking to fulfill is another outside shooting threat. If a guy like Mays became available late, perhaps with a year of eligiblity left, would Kentucky put itself in the mix?

6) How will the 2014 Kentucky basketball recruiting class shape up?

The list of names has been narrowed to about 15, with about half of that number having already received a scholarship offer from Calipari. With summer recruiting events and some players narrowing lists by the end of summer, we might have a better idea of what the 2014 class might look like.

7) Can Mark Stoops keep up the momentum?

Not only was Drew Barker a HUGE pick-up for the coaching staff, but Barker has also immediately gone to work to put together some strong pieces around him in the 2014 class. Kentucky is already in the thick of the top 15 recruiting classes for 2014, but it’s still early. Can Kentucky stay in that range, or…dare I say, move up?

8) Will the newly arriving Stoops recruits make an impact right away?

JoJo Kemp, Javess Blue, Jason Hatcher, Za’Darius Smith, Ryan Timmons, etc. These are some of the names that might determine if Kentucky is able to sneak into a bowl game next season even with the tremendously difficult SEC schedule that awaits them. All of these players are either incoming freshman, or JUCO transfers. Will they be able to make an immediate BIG impact on the field? Guys like Kemp, Hatcher and Timmons might not see much playing time at a bigger and more established program until later in their careers. At Kentucky, they will have the opportunity early. Will they be ready?

9) Will we still be talking about Andrew Wiggins?

Probably.

10) What the hell is that new Sandra Bullock movie Gravity going to be about? Are we really going to watch her float around space for 2 hours?

If you haven’t seen the preview, please watch below and tell me you aren’t as confused as I am. I don’t even want to know anything more about it. The producers did a great job of putting together the preview, because even though it looks terrible– I WILL see it just to see if we are really just going to watch Sandra Bullock float around space for 2 hours. And if so, will this turn into a romantic comedy along the way? Will she meet another space floater and almost screw it up, before blissfully pulling it together at the very end?

Nerlens Noel and Gorgui Dieng at today’s NBA Draft Combine. Best two comments make it to the night post.

We’re only 106 days away from Kentucky football’s opener against Western Kentucky in Nashville, but if the game were played right now, Mark Stoops says the Cats are nowhere near ready:

“There’s a lot of work to be done between now and then. We’re not ready. Western would whoop us right now,” Stoops told Larry Vaught earlier today. However, Stoops vows to have his team ready to play Bobby Petrino’s boys on August 31st:

“We’re not there yet, but we plan on being there. We’ve got a lot of work to do between now and then and our players are embracing that process. They’re enjoying it. They’re looking forward to getting involved in the summer program. They’re excited about that. And then we’ll be in the fall. We’ll be ready.“

Will the BBN be ready? Plenty of tickets are still available on Ticketmaster.

I asked Jim Boeheim why Rick Pitino wasn’t at ACC meetings. “He’s still waiting for his horse to finish in the Derby”

— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) May 16, 2013

Over the past 10 years, I’ve realized several unchanging truths. One of those is that Rick Pitino one-liner jokes never get old. Jim Boeheim agrees, as evidenced by his above quote from today’s ACC meetings. For reference, Pitino’s horse Goldencents finishes 17th out of 19 horses in the Kentucky Derby. According to trainer Doug O’Neill, “He [the horse] just didn’t fire.” While that is unfortunate, it is not as bad as firing on one’s own pants leg.

UK’s Archie Goodwin struggling during three-point shooting drills. Shot is flat.

— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) May 16, 2013

Archie Goodwin is being so Archie Goodwin this afternoon at the NBA Draft Combine. He’s struggling with his shot and I saw him hit the deck a couple times.

ESPN’s Chad Ford said on the coverage that he’s concerned with how Archie didn’t improve all season under John Calipari, when most players do in that system. Fran Fraschilla said Archie is one of those guys who doesn’t like to be yelled at.

There’s still a lot of time between now and the draft to make a better impression.

Burr, Archie. Burr.

Jared Lorenzen. Andre Woodson. Morgan Newton. The Kentucky-to-New York quarterback pipeline continues.

However, the New York Giants signed Newton for a tryout at tight end, not quarterback. A reporter for The New York Daily News tweeted the news Thursday afternoon.

The Giants waived former Falcons tight end Michael Palmer to a free up a spot to give Newton some run.

Congrats and good luck to Morgan.

Photo by Pablo Alcala, Herald Leader

Who is Kentucky’s hottest recruiter right now? 2014 commitment Drew Barker. No offense to Vince Marrow, who is tearing it up in Ohio, but since committing to Kentucky last Friday, Barker has been a non-stop campaigner for Stoops Troops. It’s hard to believe that a week ago, many (including all of the national analysts) thought Barker would commit to South Carolina. In the last six days, Barker has not only united his fellow 2014 commits, he’s making good on his promise to recruit the best players in the country to join him at Kentucky. How? Let’s take a look:

He spearheaded the @UK2014Class Twitter account

Earlier this week, Barker came up with the idea to create a Twitter account for the UK football 2014 class. Several schools who recruited Barker have similar accounts, including Tennessee and Ohio State. All seven of Kentucky’s current 2014 commitments have access to the account, but Barker seems to be the main player in charge of it. From it, the players tweet other top 2014 players they want to join them at UK, hype up the program, and interact with fans. It’s a brilliant move that not only shows they’re excited about the future of UK football, but are already working together to make it happen. Keep in mind this account has nothing to do with the school; while I’m sure he is a big fan of the idea, I doubt Mark Stoops told these guys to start it. The account has been suspended a few times, but the players say that’s because they’ve gained so many followers so fast. In less than 48 hours, they’ve gotten over 6,000 followers. That’s not Grant Traylor numbers or anything, but I have a feeling these followers will stick around.

Ryan Timmons, Barker, and Cameron Fogle

He’s going out of his way to form friendships

When speaking to media after his commitment, Barker said one of his primary goals over the next year is to bring some more top talent with him. His pitch? “Do what’s best for you, but you’d look better playing with me.” One of the best things about landing Barker is that it happened early enough for him and the UK staff to sell it to other recruits. With Barker as the centerpiece of the 2014 class, he can go out to the top wide receivers and say “hey, how’d you like to come to Kentucky and catch my passes,” or tell the top offensive lineman that he wants them to protect him at UK. Mark Stoops and company can do the same. How much effort is Barker putting into creating those relationships? He told me he’s planning on driving all the way to Darius West’s announcement on May 30th to be there in person. That’s a two and a half hours away from Hebron.

He’s selling the program

Barker said that the one thing that made him choose Kentucky over South Carolina was the “what if” factor, as in what if he went to South Carolina instead and looked back and regretted not being a part of the changes in UK football. The momentum shift in the program in the past six months has been remarkable, and Barker is capitalizing on that by selling it to other recruits. On Twitter, he’s been encouraging his friend Matt Elam to “stay home and rep his home state” like him, something which Elam has said appeals to him. An hour after Barker committed to UK, Elam tweeted “Congrats To My Bro @D_Barker7 We Have Already Been Talking Alot About The #BBN And How It Takes The In State Players To Start It Off Right.” Sounds good to me.

I don’t want my bro @d_1west25 on the opposition, so we have to get him in blue and white!!!

— -Drew Barker- (@D_Barker7) May 14, 2013

He’s demonstrating leadership

Above all, Barker’s actions over the past week show he’s a true leader. His leadership on the field will obviously be important, but the initiative he’s shown off of it so far is invaluable. It will take time for Kentucky football to make its way up the SEC ladder, but they can’t do it without strong leadership. Barker says he plans on coming into practice in 2014 with the goal of winning the starting spot, but even if he redshirts his freshman season, he can still lead behind the scenes. With endless enthusiasm and a take-charge attitude, Drew Barker is already the face of the new Kentucky football program six days in.