To say it’s been a turbulent offseason for coach John Calipari and the fortunes of the Kentucky basketball program is like saying it’s hot in the summertime in the Ohio Valley.
Cal missed on several big-time prospects in the transfer portal. The primary theory that has been floating around is that those players were scared off because of the highly touted incoming group of freshmen. Not sure that’s the main reason, but it had to play a factor.
However, in the last few weeks, Cal and his staff have brought in two more freshmen in 6-foot-9 Jordan Burks and 6-5 shooting guard Joey Hart for added depth, and welcomed back Antonio Reeves, which was the best news UK has gotten since the offseason began.
Reeves has tons of college experience, and despite his abysmal shooting night vs. Kansas State in the NCAA tournament last year, his penchant for scoring is needed for such a young squad. He averaged 14.4 points per game and made 39.8 percent of his 3-point attempts a year ago.
Kentucky added another key player a few days ago as well, when 6-9 power forward Tre Mitchell announced he’s coming to Lexington. Mitchell averaged 11.7 ppg and 5.5 rebounds at West Virginia last season.
Having a pair of experienced veterans on the roster can only be beneficial for the five heralded freshmen—Aaron Bradshaw, Robert Dillingham, Justin Edwards, Reed Sheppard and DJ Wagner—who arrive as the top-ranked class in the nation.
Otherwise, Cal was going to go to battle with an extremely young group with little depth.
There are rumblings that Kentucky isn’t quite done adding players to this year’s team, and there was more positive news on Tuesday, when the first 2024 recruit announced he will be a Wildcat.
Somto Cyril, a 6-10, 240-lb. man child from Nigeria, has been nicknamed “Baby Shaq” and if you’ve seen any of his highlights on the Internet, it’s easy to see why. He blocks shots with authority and attacks the rim with ferocity. Not real sure about the Shaquille O’Neal comparison, but he does appear to play similarly to former Wildcat and current Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo.
Cyril plans to play another season in the Overtime Elite League, which is where Burks and Dillingham played last year, before joining the Cats next season.
The loyal UK fanbase has to be happy with the recent developments, but Calipari and staff still have a lot of work to do in terms of team chemistry and how the seven freshmen will mesh with holdovers Adou Thiero and Ugonna Onyenso.
The Cats will get a jump on doing just that when Kentucky represents Team USA in Toronto July 12 to play in the 2023 Globl Jam, an Under 23 international tournament.
The event will feature a three-game round-robin schedule leading up to a potential Gold Medal matchup on Sunday, July 16 at 8 p.m.
If the Cats fail to make the Gold Medal game, there will also be a Bronze Medal game on Sunday.
Team USA already has three games scheduled leading up to championship day:
USA vs. Germany, Wed., July 12 at 1:30 p.m.
USA vs. Canada, Thurs., July 13 at 8 p.m.
USA vs. Team Africa, Sat., July 15 at 1:30 p.m.
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UK FOOTBALL ADDING TALENT TOO—The Kentucky football program has inked several highly-ranked recruits for the 2024 class in recent weeks, and reportedly more are on the way.
One of the most touted signees is quarterback Cutter Boley, who is entering his senior year at Lexington Christian Academy. The 6-foot-5 Boley is rated the 10th best QB in the nation and has already been working out at summer camps on the UK campus, and doing his best to bring in more recruits.
Even though recruiting rankings should be taken with a grain or two of salt, the incoming freshmen class is in the top 30.
The importance of the transfer portal cannot be overestimated, and Kentucky has the 14th most impressive group of transfers, with 12 transfers heading to Lexington.
The most intriguing players are quarterback Devin Leary from North Carolina State and running back Ray Davis, who is coming in from Vanderbilt. Both are expected to make significant immediate contributions.
UK also welcomes back offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who had a return to the NFL with the Rams last year. Coen is one of the most respected offensive minds in the game and his presence also draws a ton of interest from possible recruits.
There is certainly no lack of talent when it comes to the Kentucky football program, thanks in large part to head coach
Mark Stoops, recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow, and the rest of the staff. Some of the admittedly way too early polls have the Cats in the top 25, but in the always powerful Southeastern Conference, they’re ranked sixth among SEC teams.
There is still legitimate reason for hope, and expectations are being raised to unprecedented levels for the program.
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REDS CONTINUE TO IMPRESS—The Cincinnati Reds wrapped up another series win with a wild and wooly 11-7 win in 10 innings in soggy Baltimore on Wednesday night.
The victory over another young and up-and-coming team also completed the official first half of the season. The Rallyin’ Reds stand at 43-38 heading into a three-game series vs. underachieving San Diego, which has lost five in a row and eight of their last 10.
The Cincinnati record is even more impressive considering their atrocious start to the season. If they compile the same mark in the next 81 games, they will be 86-76, which may be good enough to win the National League Central Division.
If the Reds could get to 92 wins, that would likely either win the division or earn them a Wild Card spot.
All that is standing in the way of that occurring is their less than impressive pitching staff, particularly the starters.
General Manager Nick Krall needs to find pitching help or this team will struggle as the temperatures rise. Krall will likely have to deal a solid prospect or two, but pitching is a huge need.
Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo aren’t expected to return until sometime in August, and Graham Ashcraft and Luke Weaver have been awful, to put it mildly. Brandon Williamson is
inconsistent and unless the Reds can get positive innings from former Cub Alec Mills and/or current Louisville starter Connor Phillips, things are looking less than ideal.
The current ace of the staff is rookie lefty Andrew Abbott, and as good as he’s been so far, he can’t do it alone.
Same goes for the bullpen, which has been overused due to the weak starts. Krall may be able to acquire a lefthanded reliever from Colorado, which has a pair of them in veteran Brad Hand and Cincinnati native Brent Suter.
The Reds lead the bigs with 29 comeback wins, but the lineup cannot be expected to bang out seven or more runs in every game to overcome the lack of pitching.
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LSU WINS ANOTHER TITLE—The Men’s College World Series featured an all-SEC final, and it was one of the strangest three-game series in the history of the event.
After Louisiana State won a thrilling 4-3 in 11 innings opener, Florida turned the tables on the Tigers with a record-breaking 24-4 win in Game 2, setting up a winner-take-all game.
The Bayou Bengals flexed their muscles, blasting the Gators 18-4 to win their seventh national championship, second only to Southern California’s 12 titles.
The LSU win marked the fourth consecutive baseball national championship for the SEC. Vanderbilt won it all in 2019, the event was canceled in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions, Mississippi State was the 2021 champs, and Ole Miss won it last year.
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HAPPY FOURTH!—Here’s wishing all a happy and safe 4th of July, and hope y’all stay cool too!
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“What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.’’—Mark Twain
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“We didn’t tackle well today but we made up for it by not blocking.”—former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach John McKay, during the team’s 0-14 season
My personal favorite quote from McKay, when asked about his team’s execution—“I’m in favor of it.”